Page 48 of Slow Kind of Love

Chapter Seventeen

Elise didn’t sleep well and it showed. Her face was a reflection of all those restless hours, tossing and turning and tangling in the sheets. At one point, she nearly fell off the bed trying to get her legs out from underneath the mess she’d made.

She’d done some yoga and breathing exercises, then dropped off a couple of dresses for Heather to try on. Apparently, her friend was planning a gala of her own. She’d taken the dog for a walk, tried to watch a movie—anything to not think about the thing she couldn’t stop thinking about.

A shower hadn’t helped to ease her mind, but as she peered into the mirror and angled her head back for a critical look, her only thought was Thank God for makeup. It could literally hide anything.

Her eyes glittered from the candle on the mantel in the front room, and the smoky kohl she’d expertly applied gave them a mysterious, exotic look. The bags under her eyes had disappeared with the help of a lot of foundation and what felt like the two gallons of water she’d ingested. Her hair shone, the new highlights and lowlights giving a lot of definition every time she moved. She’d left it long and loose, touching her bare shoulders and back. The black metallic dress she wore was a halter style that plunged a lot lower than she was used to, with an empire waist just below her breasts that fell in soft shimmery waves to her feet. It was simple but classy, and the material was sheer heaven. She’d bought it on a whim and now wished she’d worn something not quite so revealing.

A dress like this called for confidence, and she was feeling fragile and shattered. So much so that she’d almost canceled on Link. She’d actually thought of playing sick and bowing out, but in the end couldn’t do that to him. There were things to be said, and she needed to have that conversation with Link after the gala.

She owed him that much.

The doorbell rang just then, and with a nervous pat down the front of her dress, she turned as Link walked into the house. Time did that funny thing again. It slowed down as the world fell away and she could do nothing but eat him up with her gaze.

Like she was starving. Like she needed him to breathe.

Dressed in a black tux that was cut to perfection, the man looked like every woman’s dream come true. Tall. Handsome. Strong. Dangerous.

And so damn masculine, her lady parts were singing just at the sight of him. If that wasn’t enough, the slow grin that touched the corners of his mouth should be declared illegal.

Oh God, she thought. How can I give him up?

She stood there like an idiot, mouth dry, heart hammering so badly, she was certain Link heard it. She could barely hear her own thoughts and had to force some kind of calm as she attempted a smile.

“Hey,” she said softly, perched on her toes as if ready to run.

“Come here,” Link demanded, a dangerous glitter in his eyes.

She should have run in the opposite direction, but she couldn’t. Not for all the money in the world. Or chocolate. Link was a drug she needed to quit, and yet she found herself moving toward him, floating, really, and when his arms enveloped her whole, she all but melted into him.

He held her close and nestled his nose into the crook of her neck. “You smell good enough to eat.” His voice was a low growl and an answering heat began to throb between her legs at the sound. His mouth slid along her jaw. “Say the word, love, and we’ll skip the gala altogether.”

His mouth was at the corner of hers, and his hands slid up to either side of her face. Elise could look nowhere but into his eyes.

“I promise you a night you won’t forget.”

For that one moment, Elise allowed herself to imagine what that would be like to stay inside this cocoon and keep the world at bay. But then the fear that had clutched at her since the day before reared its head, a devil she couldn’t quite shake, and her gaze slid from his as she attempted a shaky smile.

“Link, I—”

He didn’t let her finish. He pressed his mouth against hers, his lips feather-light at first and then more demanding. She opened beneath him like she always did, helpless to resist him. Link kissed Elise until her head spun and she lost not only her ability to breathe, but her ability to think. When her brain finally caught up to that panic that still sat in her gut, she dug her fingers into his shoulders and pushed away.

“We need to go, Link. Boone and Poppy will be wondering where we are.”

A wicked grin touched his face. “That’s true, but love, the thought of what I’m going to do to you later is enough to get me through until I have you back where I want you. Naked in my bed.”

“I’m just going to grab my bag.”

Pancake interrupted them, flying into the room with a bark and a severe case of the tail wags when he spied Link. Elise used the commotion to slip away and hide in her bedroom for a few minutes. It wasn’t nearly enough time to get her head on straight, but then she knew it was a battle she’d be fighting all night. Plus, she was weak. And he was so beautiful, it hurt.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror and paused. Color high on her cheeks, eyes glittering as if a million stars had found their home inside them, she’d never looked so alive. She touched her swollen lips, could still feel the imprint of his touch on her face. That’s what Link Major did to her. Being in his orbit was like living in the sun or flying through the universe.

“And I can’t keep him,” she whispered fiercely. His happiness was more important than her own. And eventually, she’d make him miserable, pining for the family he couldn’t have.

Elise counted to five and inhaled deeply. She gave herself the mental shake she so desperately needed and reached for that calm that was buried somewhere inside her. She had one last night with Link. One last night to pretend. And she would make it such a last night. Because she knew ten years from now when she was lying in bed alone, she’d reach for this memory. For this feeling. And maybe if she was lucky, it would be enough to get her through until the next lonely night. And the next.

There would be many of those. No one would replace the man standing in her living room.

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