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“Yes,” came her broken whisper. Broken because she wanted all of that. All of him.
“Good.” He lit her up with a long, wet, warm kiss. “I wasn’t going to give you a choice.” His slow blink reminded her of a big cat in the sun. Pleased with himself and his kingdom. In control and he knew it.
She wanted to be under Eli’s control. She trusted him. Not only with her body—with her heart.
Once upon a time she’d fought for every inch of power and ground she could gain. And now? Now she found herself wanting to sacrifice it for the man she’d fallen for. It was probably why they called it “falling” in love. At some point, she’d let go—an out-of-control tumble in the hopes Eli would catch her.
“Come on, sleepyhead.” She pushed off the bed and offered a hand to help him up. “You owe me dinner.”
“It’s in the oven. Lasagna.”
“You made lasagna?”
He sat up and ruffled his shorter hair with one hand. With the clean-shaven jaw and the outfit, he looked so…businessy. It wasn’t how she was used to seeing him and wasn’t a bad look on him at all. He finally looked like a billionaire Crane brother.
He took her hand, but only to kiss it, then stood on his own. He pulled his pants over his legs and tucked his shirt into his waistband.
“I did not make lasagna,” he said as he ran his hands into his hair again. “Benicia’s Italiano made lasagna. “I heated it in the oven.”
“Smart.”
“Yeah, well, when you’re a bachelor you learn a few tricks.” He sent her a wink that beckoned another heart palpitation. Then another when he lowered his lips to hers for a sweet, brief kiss.
***
Dinner was divine, Benicia’s vegetarian lasagna an amazing feat.
“Was that eggplant?” Isa asked after having savored the rich flavors of basil and garlic and robust tomato sauce.
“And portobello mushrooms,” Eli answered.
“Why don’t you eat meat?” She’d always wondered.
He swiped the napkin over his mouth and watched her for a second. Candlelight flickered on the angles of his face, making him look mysterious and gorgeous.
“Truth?” he asked.
“Always.”
“It’s not dinner conversation.” He reached for the wine bottle and refilled her glass.
“I have a strong stomach.”
“You have a strong everything,” he said with a smirk of approval. She liked that he saw she was strong, especially since where he was concerned she felt like a kite in the wind.
“After witnessing the mess left behind when I lost my foot and part of my leg…” He shook his head and met her eyes. “Well, without being too morbid, let’s say my appetite for flesh went away instantly.”
“That makes sense.” And had her questioning her own penchant for a juicy hamburger every so often.
“Yeah. Not manly, but there it is.”
“Trust me, Eli.” She rested her elbow on the table and fed him a line similar to the one he’d delivered on their first date, “No one would ever look at you and see you as ‘not manly.’”
She felt like he was dancing around the real reason he’d invited her, and after silence settled between them, it must have become obvious to him, too. The next thing she knew, he brought it up.
“Now for the reason behind this celebration,” he said.
Finally.
