Page 20 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

His fingers dug into my hips as he slammed into me.

"Eli," I moaned.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say my name like that." He leaned into me, pushing my back down on the mattress.

I buried my hands in his hair as his lips found my neck. I had never been able to completely give myself to someone. But I found myself slipping there. I found myself believing in him. Trusting him. Falling for him. I was sick of living in fear. I was sick of living alone. I didn't just want him. I needed him.

He shifted his hips, somehow going even deeper inside of me. He groaned, feeling the same pleasure as me.

Jesus. I was glad it was him. I was so happy that I could finally let go. "Eli, I'm so close."

"Say my name again." His breath was hot against my neck.

"Eli!"

"Summer," he whispered in my ear and gently bit down on my earlobe.

I didn't have to hide anymore. He could see me. And he wasn't scared of what I was. "Oh, God, Eli!" I felt myself clench around him.

He pulled me back to a seated position and held me close. I felt his body shudder again mine and he moaned my name. I wanted to hear it over and over again. I loved the sound of it on his lips. For the first time in as a long as I could remember, it felt good to be Summer Brooks. I didn't feel broken anymore.

I leaned back and looked up at him. A bead of sweat fell down his forehead. I reached up and wiped it away. I felt this connection between us. Not built on fear, but on hope. "I'm sorry I pushed you away." I locked eyes with him.

"I'm sorry that I gave you a reason to." He put his hand on the side of my face.

Fire. But I knew I could live in the flames with him.

Chapter 10

Saturday

We were a mess of knotted limbs. I couldn't keep my hands off of him. I let my fingers trace the contours of his six pack as I stared into his eyes. There was this peace settled around us, but I still had questions. He probably did too.

"Why didn't you just tell me who you really were?" I finally said, breaking the silence.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be upset. This wasn't the reaction I was expecting at all."

Upset? "I'm definitely not upset. I'm thankful that you trusted me to know the truth."

He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "And I'm thankful that you're giving me a second chance."

I moved my hand to the side of his face and let his stubble tickle my palm. "I'm falling for you." It fell out of my mouth before I even knew what I was saying.

He smiled. "Last time we talked about this, I'm pretty sure you had a panic attack."

"Because I knew you were holding something back. But I get it now. I know why you didn't want to tell me. We don't have to hold anything else back now, though."

He smiled.

"You know," I said as I propped my head up on my hand, "this is definitely going to make our psychology project easier."

"Now that we're not fighting?" He smiled. "Absolutely."

I laughed as he rolled onto his back and pulled me against his chest.

"You smell different." I thought about the expensive cologne that his vigilante clot

hes always carried. "Not in a bad way or anything." I placed a gentle kiss on his chest. "I love the way you smell. It reminds me of sunshine."

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