Page 68 of Fake It Till You Make It

She sank her teeth in her bottom lip, the hold punishing. The filtered water he poured splashed over the tumbler, spilling onto the stone counter.

“You think I’ll break your heart?” He took long strides to reach her and plucked her off the couch. She came up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. Eli met her halfway.

“Don’t think that way, okay,” she pleaded more with those wide expressive eyes. “The way you make me feel, it’s like a windstorm wrapping all around me and just when I think it might tear me apart, I’m floating. Instead of being torn apart, I’m being reassembled, all the little pieces of me that were scattered and I thought were lost have drifted back to me on the sweetest breeze. And it’s so warm and comforting that I feel like I can’t do without it. And because of that, I’m terrified that if I mess up, this leash that has us tangled up together, this sweet current that blew you into my life, will snatch you away just as fast as you swept in. I’ll be scattered in so many directions that I’ll never find myself again.”

“You, my brave shield-maiden of endless possibilities, have never been lost. The men in your life were too blinded by their own roadblocks to appreciate all of you. When you look at me, you make me wanna soar, to reach for stars that I never saw before you pointed them out to me. I’m more sure of myself than I’ve ever been with you by my side. We’re better together and, I—I don’t want to be apart anymore. We’ve built a foundation. Let’s keep going together, real in every way that’s important to you and me. I’m scared, too, of breaking us. Of failing you. But, if I ever did, I promise you I’ll fight for us. You are the best thing that ever wandered into my life. The last guy let you get away. I won’t, Amarie.”

“Now I’m the one with my tongue wagging. What am I supposed to say to that?”

“Tell me that I’ve met with success in seducing your mind. That I’ve earned the pleasure of touching every part of your body.”

“Wow.”

Amarie stared at him, her eyes softened with wonder and awe. She had never been properly seduced. An injustice he would remedy if she gave herself over, trusted him with her pleasure.

Eli chuckled. “Give more than that, sweetheart. All you have to do is say yes… or no.” He cupped her bottom and squeezed. “If you’re afraid you can’t handle my Great Dane, I could just eat your appetizer tonight?”

Her breath hitched.

“You, sir, are no gentleman.” She nipped his bottom lip, then soothed the ache with her tongue. “I like it,” she whispered.

“You have no idea.” He gave a lopsided grin, spinning her in his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“This is one of my favorite songs.” A new song started on the Alexa. He placed her hand on his shoulder, and the other at his waist. She narrowed the space between them. “Dance with me.”

They started to sway in rhythm to the beat.

“The thing is, I don’t have a good track record with men. Being in a relationship for six years with a man who was cheating wrecks your confidence. I mean, maybe I was doing something wrong.”

He tightened his hold in reassurance. “You’re doing everything right with me. No one outside of this room matters.” He moved his face next to Amarie’s. “For you, I’d give a lifetime of stability, anything you want of me…” he whispered the lyrics in her ear.

“I would be lying to say that you don’t make me happy, the happiest I’ve ever been in my adult life. Happiness is an emotion that I’ve never been able to trust. But I trustyou with my happiness. Honestly, it would crush me if you broke my heart.”

“Same here, sweetheart.” He hummed, placing his chin on the top of her head. Eli’s heartbeat took off, a gazelle at top speed. Gosh, his body was strung tight, ready to release. His erection stood at attention. Everything else lined up, eyes forward, ready to run an Olympic heat.

“Eli, I have to be number one. I’ve played second in my own life for years. There’s no way I’m going backward. Not even for you. So, it has to be about you and me—then we build our relationship on respect and placing each other first.”

“I agree, sweetheart. And honesty.”

“And one more thing, if we start this, dinner will get cold,” Amarie whispered.

He lowered his forehead until it rested against hers. “I can heat it up.”

“You already have.” She swallowed, then lifted her eyes to his.

“In that case, let me take your temperature.” He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. This time he kissed her long and deep, savoring the flavor of sweet brewed black tea on her tongue. When he picked her up off her feet, her legs came up and wrapped around him. The heat at her center seared him, obliterating past wounds. With Amarie he had a new start, one she’d groomed him to perfection to embrace.

“You make me hungry for more,” she gasped.

He threaded his fingers through her hair, angling her head. “Then let me feed you, sweetheart.” And then he reclaimed her mouth, not breaking contact when he carried her into his bedroom.

Chapter Eighteen

ELI’S BODY WASchiseled from marble. Three words. Delicious. Thick. Cut. Not only was his jaw cut, but so were his pecs, his abs, and his thighs—good lawd—his calves could support her weight for days. Absolute magnificence. She’d seen parts of his body, but looking at the total package, Amarie panted, literally, like a canine in heat. He would ruin her for other body types. His body was a poetic specimen of male anatomy, and his pecs a detailed chapter she could study for hours.

“Tell me. What do you want to happen first?”