Page 42 of Elijah’s Whim

“I love hearing the passion in your voice right now and seeing the excitement on your face. I’m already grateful you decided to share this with me today.”

He held his strong hands out, palms flat and facing up so I could place mine on top. Elijah wrapped his long fingers around mine and brought my knuckles to his full lips for reverent kisses.

I couldn’t tear my eyes off him while he tended to me this way. It was a tender side of him I hadn’t seen much of.

Through the partially opened car window, I heard one of my former classmates greet me from nearby. Our private moment was over, but our fun day was just getting started.

Elijah turned out to be a great help. He joined in with the rest of the crew and did exactly what the crew chief asked of him. He was extremely fit, and it served the whole team well a few times when the wind gusted unexpectedly before we took flight. His extra muscle and weight were needed to keep things under control.

Once in flight, the experience was even more magical because I got to share it with this man. I was alternately thrilled and scared because I was really becoming interested in him. He told me he had never been in a hot-air balloon before, asked a bunch of typical first flight questions and a lot of unexpected, complicated physics-related questions too.

We landed a few hours later, and I was completely exhilarated and exhausted at the same time.

With Elijah’s house in Malibu, dinner would be less than an hour from home in West Hollywood. We decided to go home to shower and change between ballooning and our meal reservations.

But I made the monumental mistake of lying on my bed after taking a nice, hot shower. The next thing I knew, Elijah was kneeling on the floor beside my bed, stroking damp hair away from my face.

“Hey, beautiful. I think you crashed on me.” His sultry voice wrapped around me like a velvet cocoon. I might have been dreaming, because the most delicious cologne tickled my nose like I was in the finest spice store in India. No, I had to be somewhere even more exotic, because the most alluring man was smiling down on me when I rolled to my back and gave a lazy stretch.

“My God, what is that smell? I could eat you,” I groaned in my half-asleep state and imagined him taking a seat on my bed right alongside my hip. Thinking of his grin tilting one side of his sinful mouth, I squeezed my thighs together in response to the tightness building in my belly.

What the hell was going on? He wasn’t touching me. Hell, I was pretty sure I was dreaming, but my body was betraying me in the most carnal way. The only thing I knew for certain was I wanted that mouth on me…everywhere. Dinner could go on without us, and Elijah Banks could make a meal out of me instead.

“Hannah?”

“Mmmm.” My name sounded so nice through his perfect lips. Everything about him was perfect. I had to be careful not to tell him that though.

“Yes, please. Touch me. Kiss me.” Damn. Dream me was bold. Just saying what I wanted like a bossy wench. I could learn a thing or two from this version of me.

“Beautiful, I’d love nothing more, but I think you’re still dreaming. And believe me, baby, when I put my hands and mouth on this perfect body, I want you to be wide awake and watching every single thing I do to you. Every kiss I give you.”

I could swear I felt his lips brush mine.

“Mmm…every place I explore with my fingers…”

And yes, then his long, knowing fingers danced over my collarbone and across to the other side. Finally, as if all those delicious, torturous touches weren’t enough to endure without moaning or gasping or writhing in pleasure, it was his words that made my breath catch somewhere between my lungs and brain. I became so dizzy with lust and need, I was on the verge of begging him to fuck me.

When he was aroused, Elijah’s voice was dark and persuasive. There was a seductive, street-worn edginess to it that made my lady parts whimper and want to surrender to his filthy suggestions, no matter what he came up with. The air was charged with sexual tension, and it was a wonder I could hear his declaration over the sound of my own heart throbbing as it pumped more blood to the swollen tissue between my legs.

“I want to see it. No, I need to.”

He studied my face, and…I couldn’t pretend to be sleeping anymore.

That damn voice. Those seducing eyes. I lay on top of the covers in just a short, white, terry bathrobe and let my eyes slide shut again. It was so much easier when I didn’t have to look right at him.

“Open your eyes, Hannah.” And now his voice sounded like a spoonful of gravel went down sideways.

“Elijah…”

What was I going to say? Plead for him to touch me? Plead for him to back away? Plead for him to go to his room and get ready so I could do the same? Then we could go sit through an endless meal with our friends and act like none of this happened?

“Let’s do this.” Every word sounded like a growl now. Low and rough but not cruel or angry. Definitely intense, though. “I’ll give you a choice. Yes?”

“Oh-oh-kay,” I agreed. Probably the most foolish thing to do, not knowing what my choices were going to be.

“Show me your pussy. I need to see it right now. It’s all I can think about. Are you wearing panties?” He stared at me, completely expecting an answer. If I weren’t so turned on, I’d have the good sense to be embarrassed.

All I could do was shake my head. I didn’t think I could just bare myself to him like that, though.