Page 13 of Elijah’s Whim

Chapter Four

Hannah

“What time do you think you’ll be home tonight?” I asked Elijah when he pulled up alongside my car in the lot of Abstract Catering’s prep kitchen the next morning.

“I’m not sure. I usually have to see what the big man has planned first. Do you need me for something?”

“Well…” I took a fortifying breath because I wasn’t really sure how bossy he was going to be about what I was about to tell him. After the nice night we had, I wanted to believe we made headway in some sort of friendship. Harmony in our cohabitation at least.

“Today, Ms. Farsey. I’m expected to show up for my own employer this morning as well,” Elijah said while typing impatiently on the laptop perched on his leg. He wore a gorgeous linen suit this morning, and somehow the slacks didn’t have a single wrinkle in sight. The jacket hung neatly on a cedar hanger, gently swaying on a hook over the other door’s window.

“You know what? Never mind.” I wasn’t used to being spoken to like this, and I didn’t appreciate it. Whether it was part of his normal Neanderthal charm or not, I didn’t ask for all this crap. No, all this crap was dumped into my lap, but everyone was conveniently forgetting that little fact.

It seemed like as long as I was quietly going along with this rude man’s harebrained idea, no one even bothered to call and check on me. Not even Rio, who I thought was supposed to be my friend. I repeatedly reminded myself she didn’t actually know what was going on between Elijah and me, but she saw us at that pool party. How could a few low spoken words from her boyfriend be enough to put her mind at ease? And now they were all expecting me to act the same way, even though it went against every truth I knew about myself. I would’ve thought Rio understood at least a degree of that about me too.

Honestly, my feelings were a little raw on the issue all around, and I’d stewed about it my entire shower that morning. Not calling in sick was a real feat, but that wasn’t the way I was raised. I rolled my eyes so grandly at that thought, there was legitimate danger of them getting stuck with just the whites showing. It was so tiring always doing what everyone expected of me. When would I get to live my life on my terms?

Well, whether I managed to actually still show up early for the shift I wanted to bail on completely or not, I definitely didn’t have time for a pity party. I always told people I was an overachiever, but even I knew the less popular doormat twin sister of that one was sucker. And I also knew which one I saw when I looked in the mirror every day.

These were the thoughts fueling my power walk across the parking lot to the side door of the kitchen. If Elijah had his driver do donuts in the lot beside me, I wouldn’t have known because I was so caught up in my own bullshit. No surprise, then, when my stunning keeper appeared by my side and snatched my keys from my fingers as I tried putting the largest one in the lock.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked through gritted teeth and grabbed my keys back from him. It was only by luck that I got them back.

With his much taller body, he pressed in very close to my side and bent over me as though shielding me from a storm. When I went to push him away, he grabbed my hand with some unexpected maneuver that made me lose all the strength in my fingers. His grip didn’t hurt but made my hand completely useless. The keys fell from my grasp and hit the concrete step with a metallic clatter. In the quiet, early morning, the piercing sound bounced off the other buildings in the business park.

“Do you remember the rules we discussed on day one, beautiful?”

I chose to stare at the center of his chest rather than answer him. I was pretty sure if I had to discuss his damn rules one more time, I’d first knee him in the balls and then recite the law and order of Elijah Banks to his crumpled frame.

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t recall agreeing to any such thing. Must’ve been one of your halfwit sleepover guests.”

“Ahhh, see, that’s where you’re wrong already.”

“Oh, my bad. They’re quarter-wit? You should aim higher, master.”

He threw his head back and laughed, and I was enraged. This guy was really pissing me off this morning.

“No, baby. I don’t have sleepover guests.”

“One,” I announced emphatically, hearing my voice gaining gusto, “don’t call me baby. Two, get out of my way. I need to get my day started, or lunch won’t be ready in time.” When I pushed him back with my hand on his lower abdomen, I was shocked by how firm it was. But given the amount of swimming he did and the healthy food I saw in the house, it made sense.

Elijah circled his long fingers around my wrist while I stooped down to pick up my keys. When I rose to stand, he didn’t let go. I pulled once, and he widened his eyes.

“Let. Go.”

In a lethally calm, quiet voice, he issued, “We’ll talk after work tonight. There won’t be a repeat of this kind of behavior. Ever. If those sick motherfuckers have this place staked out right now, they’re seeing your bratty behavior. If you were really mine, you’d be on your knees right now, begging for forgiveness. In one way or another.”

His hazel eyes danced closer to silver while he practically stroked me to orgasm with the potent combination of his words and promising stare. Thank God when I spoke my voice came out steady, although the usually husky tone sounded like I had dry toast for breakfast and nothing to wash it down.

“You’re crazy, man. Seriously.” I paused a moment to gulp down some much-needed air and then added, “But that does circle us back to how this whole shit show started. I was going to tell you I won’t be home tonight.”

“That’s not how this works, my beauty.”

“Haaan. Naaa. My name is Hannah. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. How what works?”

Clearly, I had to get better at anticipating this man’s lightning-fast movements. Before I could make sense of what happened, he had my braid wrapped around his fist and my head cranked back at such an intense angle he could examine my tonsils if he wanted. Delicious sparks of arousal licked across my skin and whipped into a frenzy between my thighs. Elijah inched his lips closer to mine, and when I did nothing to protest, he inched closer still.

We were nearly touching when he finally growled, “When you want something, or when you want to go somewhere, you ask me first. You do not make arrangements and then tell me about it after the fact. Do you understand?”