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Hope blossomed. “But…but I thought this,” I motioned between the two of us, “was only for the duration of the cruise. We’d promised that when the cruise ended, we’d go back to the way things were.”
He looked down at me. “Is that what you want?”
Because I was so damn insecure, I countered with, “Is that what you want?”
He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s never been what I wanted, angel. I’ve tried to make it as clear as possible. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. You are the one I’ll always want. What else do you need? You are it for me.”
I felt tears threatened. “Are you sure, Eli? I couldn’t take losing you again. It damn near killed me the last time.”
“It damn near killed me too, angel. We belong together. I love you, Arizona Honeycutt.”
I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the ledge. “I love you, Eli. I love you so much.”
After a passionate kiss that left me breathless and my toes curled, Eli said, “Let’s move in together!”
Move in together? Fuck, were we ready for that? It was a huge move. I was weird. There was my whole OCD thing. I had the cat that liked nobody but me. What would my dad say? Who was after me and why? Would being with me put Eli in danger? I’d just bought my house so how hard would it be to turn around and put it right back on the market? A million questions raced through my head, and I guessed my pause told Eli enough. Fuck.
“It’s okay, angel. We don’t have to rush into things. I understand.”
“We’ll see, Eli,” I answered. “But you’re definitely staying at my house tonight.” Feeling brazen, I reached over and cupped his crotch. “I need some more of this right here.”
Eli grinned. “Then more you shall receive!”Chapter ElevenSo…I assume the cruise went well?” Baker whispered after he rolled his desk chair over to mine. “Did we fall back in love?” He winked at me. “There are little birdies of love flying over your head, so don’t even try to deny it, Ari. It’s written all over your face.”
When raised voices traveled across the length of our floor, Baker glanced to where Seth and Eli were locked in some sort of argument with Eli’s sister. I had no idea what the disagreement was about, but I figured it had to have something to do with my dad. When we’d gotten back into town last night, I’d learned that dad would be flying to Milan today for a bodyguard job…which was weird. Since my graduation, he tried to make sure his job consisted of the signing of contracts, issuing jobs, and training new recruits.
My eyes narrowed when I heard my father’s name being bantered around. Then Eli looked up, locked eyes with mine, and all my bad thoughts vanished in an instant. I felt a warm blush heat my body, beginning at my toes and working its way up until I could feel the tips of my ears burning.
“Nothing’s written on my face,” I countered. “No birdies are flying. I’m not denying it, though. Things went…well.”
“How well?”
“Very well.”
Baker stomped his foot in frustration. “When did you become so tight-lipped? Before you left, we couldn’t get you to shut up. Now, you’re all sparkly and silent.” He clutched his chest. “It’s true love! I’d recognize it anywhere!”
Eli glanced our way again, along with his sister and Seth. Baker merely blew Seth a kiss and kept talking. “Stop looking at them,” he whispered. “If they get worried that we can hear them, they’ll take their discussion into the office and then we won’t have a chance at all of overhearing something they don’t want us hearing.” He spun my chair around to where I was facing him. “I’m an expert lip-reader. It’s the one thing I can do that Seth can’t. You look at me and I’ll look at them.” He winked again. “You really do look like you’re madly in love Ari. It’s a good look. You should keep it.”
“Trust me. I plan on it,” I answered. “What are they saying? Is my dad in trouble over something? Surely you still have some control over Samantha, right?”
He frowned. “Uh…yeah, that’s not how that works, Ari. She had control of me, not the other way around. She’s my friend, that’s all. Now, I have a feeling that before it’s over, she’s going to be more than a friend to you. Maybe you’ll be the one to intervene, not me.”
“Intervene with what?” I demanded.
He huffed. “Okay, best I can tell, Seth and Eli are giving Samantha the ‘what-for’ because of her decision to send Landon to Milan for the bodyguard job. Naturally, she could care less what either of them think—she makes her own decisions and lets the chips fall where they will.”
