Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,14

night to end. Elijah’s arm reached across me, taking his fingers and turning my head to face him, he kissed me softly.

“Good Morning, Beautiful,” he whispered as he brushed the hair from my face. I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading and I thought for sure it would light up the room.

“You stayed.”

“I told you I wasn’t going anywhere. I thought we could spend the day together,” he replied with a wink that caused goose bumps to erupt over my flesh. He pulled my face closer to his and kissed me again, this time, more passionately. I pressed the length of my body against him, wrapping my arm around his torso, relishing in this small moment of normalcy. I felt like I was in high school again, back when the world was less complicated.

He slid his arm under my body and positioned me on top of him.

“I’m not going to be such a gentleman this morning if you keep that up,” he warned as his hands glided down my back. I let a quiet moan escape into his mouth, unable to hide how much I was enjoying myself. He quickly flipped us over and pushed his body hard against me, entangling his hands in my hair as his mouth moved roughly over mine.

I matched his intensity, not wanting this moment to end. His hand traced down my side and he looped his finger in my shorts just as my phone began to ring and I waved my hand for him to ignore it.

His mouth left mine as he peppered kisses down my jaw line toward my neck. I turned my head to the side and pressed it against the pillow, my lips falling open with a contented sigh.

A loud banging on the front door startled me. Elijah raised his eyes to meet mine, the muscles under his jaw flexing in frustration. I placed my hands over my face as I groaned, unable to hide my disappointment.

“You should get that. It might be important,” he said as he rolled off me and gestured for me to get up. He sank his head in his hands as if resisting this moment was physically painful. I knew the feeling.

“You’re kidding,” I groaned as I rolled up to a sitting position and pushed myself off of the bed.

“Coming,” I yelled as the knocking continued in rapid succession. Elijah sighed and lay back on the bed putting his arm over his eyes. “I’ll be right back,” I whispered and closed the bedroom door quietly behind me. I walked down the hallway to the door and held the chain lock in my hand. “Who is it?”

“You would know if you ever answered your phone,” Grayson said half-seriously. I quickly undid the lock and opened the door partially, positioning myself between it and the wall.

“What’s up?” I asked, noticing the somber expression on his face. I remembered Madelyn and I was once again consumed by guilt. I let my weight fall against the wall and dropped my eyes to the floor.

“How are you?” He asked trying to catch my gaze as he held out a Styrofoam coffee cup. I took it and finally looked back up at him.

“These are bad for the planet you know.” Holding the cup up, I blew into the hole to cool the cappuccino before sipping.

“Vampires are bad for our planet,” he shot back as his face suddenly turned hard. I looked down at the cup and nodded my head in agreement. A moment had passed without us exchanging words. “I know you didn’t want any company but can we talk?”

“Now's not the time,” I said thinking of Elijah in my bedroom. Grayson put his palm against the door forcing it open.

“It’s never gonna be a good time.” He was inches from my face as he walked by me into my place. He reeked of booze and cigarettes. Peeling off his jacket, he threw it over one of my kitchen chairs as he walked toward the living room. I glanced nervously at my bedroom door as I followed him to the couch and hesitantly sat down next to him.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked blowing into the hole in my coffee cup again. He sat his drink on the coffee table and turned his body toward mine.

“I want another chance,” he confessed, placing his hand on my knee. I didn’t know how to respond. I moved my leg from under his hand as the many faceless women I’d seen him with flashed in