I Have Lived and I Have Loved - Willow Winters Page 0,189

keeps upping your game.

Best Sex of My Life: Well, it’s all true so far.

I laugh. It’s these things. These little things that make him so endearing to me.

Me: I’m not sure about this one. I’ve had better.

Best Sex of My Life: The hell you have.

Me: Wouldn’t you like to know . . .

Best Sex of My Life: I’ll show you when you get back. Start stretching because it’ll be one hell of a workout. Which leads me back to the first question, where are you?

I smile as I think about what his face must look like, the prowl in his eyes, and how his jaw is set. I know damn well he’ll make good on his threat.

Me: I’m out. I’ll be back soon. I love you.

Best Sex of My Life: I love you. See you soon . . . naked.

I snort.

I finish gathering ingredients and then stop at my house to unload them. I don’t want to tip him off about anything. Not that I initially intended it to be a surprise, but if I can pull it off, I’d like to try. Eli and I have pretty much planned to do nothing but be together this week, but I can be creative.

I make my way back to his house—mansion—excited about my plans. I called my girls, inviting them as well. They love Eli, especially after seeing him with me these last few weeks, so they should be a part of his celebration.

“Honey, I’m here,” I call out as I enter the house.

“I’m in the kitchen,” Eli replies.

I move toward the back of the house where I find him walking to the fridge.

“You were gone a while, is everything all right?” Eli asks.

“Yeah, I had some stuff I needed to do, and then I stopped at my place for some clothes.”

We’ve been staying here more than at my house, and I was running out of things to wear, even though we spend most of the time by the pool or in bed.

Eli moves back to the island and he winces. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he grumbles. “I did something to my foot getting out of bed.”

“You really are getting old,” I say in a joking voice. “You’re falling apart, Gramps.”

He cocks his head to the side and chuckles. “Keep it up, baby. You’re not that far behind me.”

“I am not old! I can kick your ass any day of the week and twice on Sundays.”

Eli grabs the sandwich and takes a huge bite. “Try me,” he says around a mouthful of food.

I think he forgets that I’m a cop. I’ve wrestled big guys in bar fights, taken down punks who try to run, and battled with prisoners who think they can take on the world. My training is vast, and I’ve worked hard to know my strengths.

Plus, most men don’t want to hurt a girl. It’s in their DNA. I take full advantage of that. It is also in their genetic make up not to get their ass kicked by a woman. I need to remember that.

“So,” I say as I plop on the bar chair. “What do you want to do today?”

“I was thinking we go on a date . . . a real date. Where you get dressed up, and I wine you, dine you, and then sixty-nine—”

“Okay!” I cut him off. “Romantic.”

He shrugs. “I thought so.”

“People will see us.”

“Good.”

“They’ll know you’re dating.”

Eli puts the sandwich on his plate and leans on the counter. “Good.”

“We won’t be able to hide.”

He moves around toward me, still watching my reactions. “It’s not my life that will no longer be hidden, Heather. I’m ready for every woman to know that I’m not interested, the question is . . . are you?”

My mind recalls the conversation with Savannah. I know that as soon as we step out behind our curtain, all of that will follow, but I meant what I said to him. I’m not going anywhere. His life and mine are becoming entangled, and I don’t want to see what would become of me if the threads were cut.

“People are looking at me,” I whisper as Eli looks over the menu.

“Yup.” He grins. “You’re kind of hard to ignore.”

I tilt my head and sigh. “Don’t be charming.”

“Can’t help it. You bring out the romantic in me.” Eli shrugs and goes back to reading.

I try to stop fidgeting, but it’s hard when I can feel people’s eyes on me. At least when we were in the park, I was invisible to the woman. Here,