Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,19

heat. “She’s not my type.” Lifting my chin with his fingers, he looked me in the eye. “You are.”

The barmaid brought our drinks and sat them down in front of us with a touch of force, trying to get his attention, but his eyes never left mine. We grabbed our drinks and took a sip as Radar Love began to play. Elijah’s eyes lit up.

“Oh no,” I said, knowing what he was thinking. He nodded his head and laughed. I set my beer down as he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. “I can’t dance,” I muttered. He furrowed his brow in mock confusion.

“You can’t or you won’t?” he said looking utterly mischievous. I shook my head no as he pulled me in against him and began moving his hips to the rhythm. I couldn’t help but break into laughter. He pushed me backward, still gripping my hand and tugged me back, spinning me on the floor and catching me in his arms.

I glanced behind me at him and caught him winking out of the corner of my eye as he pushed against me again, sending me twirling. He grabbed my other hand and pulled me back. This time, I swung my hips to his. I was dancing and actually enjoying it. My father would never believe this. As the song neared its end, he pulled me close and kissed me. The drunken crowd cheered and I felt the blush burn across my cheeks. I didn’t care. I kept my lips pressed against his. There was nowhere else I wanted to be but in the middle of the dance floor with Elijah.

A thunderous bang rang out through the bar as the power flickered out from the storm. The crowd screamed and hollered all around us as Elijah pulled me in for another kiss. The inebriated patrons shoved passed us as he held me tight in his arms. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment, peaceful in the center of chaos.

“Come on.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear the smile behind his words. He wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me out of the building making sure we didn’t bump into any tables. We made it to the sidewalk where all of the other locals had congregated, their drinks still in hand. We snaked through and headed back toward my place. The rain poured onto us in sheets. He grabbed my hand and we began to run down the road and onto my street. Tugging at my arm, we crossed the road in between the sporadic traffic.

Cutting across Cherry Street, we headed toward the secret path to his favorite spot next to the creek. He pushed me back against a tree and brushed the wet strands of hair from my face. I leaned in to kiss him, sending a chill through my entire body.

He slid his tongue between my lips as I ran my hands up his back, feeling his muscles flex beneath my fingers. He pushed his weight against me causing the bark from the tree to dig into my flesh, the pain fading almost as fast as it came, drowning under my desires. He slid his hand down my side, and grabbed my thigh from underneath, yanking it up and wrapped it behind his waist.

“Being a gentleman around you is proving difficult.”

I kissed him hungrily as he slipped his hand under my shirt and jerked it up over my head with one quick motion, leaving behind my beige lace bra. He pulled back as his eyes roamed over my body before he leaned back in kissing his way down my neck. I ran my hands through his wet hair as his mouth slipped lower, making his way down my chest and slowly undoing my shorts.

I pushed back against the tree and angled my hips toward him as he slid them off, leaving a trail of kisses down my thigh. I pulled him up toward me and began to undress him. We locked eyes as I lifted his shirt. His body glistened in the rain. I bit my lip and took in the view for a moment before pushing off of the tree and undoing his pants.

Kissing his neck, I made my way up to his earlobe. He let out a quiet moan as his hands slid over my soaking wet body. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bank of the creek in nothing but our underwear.