Eli (Sinful Shadows Mafia Book 2) Page 6

  And I was all too keen on taking it.

  “Ready to head out?” he asked.

  “Ready when you are,” I said.

  I flipped the lock on the doorknob, then closed it behind me. The two of us started down the hallway, our footsteps aligning as we made our way to the elevator. We stood there in silence, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. I leaned my temple against his arm. I settled my body against his, drawing in his warmth. I sighed softly. Contentedly. Filling the elevator with my sounds.

  Then, I felt something warm press against the top of my head.

  “I meant it,” he murmured.

  “Hmm?”

  “When I said you looked stunning. I meant it. Your hair is phenomenal. And that dress is just--.”

  I smiled as he shook his head against the top of mine, letting out a soft groan.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

  And I felt my skin pucker at his softened words.

  “I’m not going to lie, I’m shocked you didn’t recommend some sort of Italian place for us to go,” I said.

  “And here you go, blowing my idea for a second date.”

  I playfully scoffed. “A second date? What do you take me for, an easy woman? A guaranteed woman?”

  “Nope. I simply take you for a woman I enjoy spending time with.”

  “Says the man who hasn’t spent time with me yet.”

  “I mean, I’m enjoying this elevator with you. Aren’t you enjoying this fine expanse of an elevator?”

  I threw my head back in laughter as the doors opened. He guided me toward his car, opening the door for me like the gentleman he was. His car was nice. An Acura, I think. It had a very different feel from the cars I’d experienced growing up. And yet, I enjoyed it. I eased myself against the leather seating and took stock of all the bells and whistles. The soft blue lighting on the dashboard and around all its buttons. The soft blue lighting at my feet. The tinted windows.

  “Nice,” I said to myself.

  “I’m glad you approve,” Eli said, chuckling.

  I blushed furiously, not understanding he’d heard that. I looked up at him and he winked at me, sending a jolt of electricity rushing through my body. He closed the door and I watched him jog around. Open his door. Slip in beside me. He looked over at me and stopped for a second, his eyes dancing along my face.

  “Do I have something on it?” I asked.

  “No. Just had to take another look at you.”

  “If you keep making me blush like this, my cheeks are going to lock up from aching so much.”

  “I could make a quip here, but I won’t.”

  “What kind of a quip?”

  “One that isn’t appropriate for a first date.”

  I grinned. “Now, you have to say it.”

  He closed his door. “I think I’ll keep it a secret for now.”

  “And what’s the fun in secrets?”

  And after he clicked his seatbelt around him, his eyes found mine once more.

  “The great thing about my particular secret is that I might be able to show you rather than tell you.”

  I swallowed hard as a darkness came over his face. A pleasant darkness that made my thighs press together. When that boyish smile of his crossed over his face, it ignited his eyes with a certain type of innocence. But, I knew what that innocence was shrouding now.

  And it made me wonder where our night was truly headed.

  He took my hand as we rode toward the restaurant. He linked my arm with his, ushering me inside as I locked myself tightly against him. We walked up the stairs, taking up a seat at the corner of the rooftop restaurant. Nestled closely against the wall with the entity of the city sprawled out before it. With the nighttime sky above us.

  It was an incredible sight.

  “Wow,” I said softly.

  “Now you know how I felt when I first saw you at your apartment,” Eli said.

  I snickered. “You’re going to have to stop that.”

  “Stop what?”

  “With the compliments.”

  “You mean with the truth?”

  I felt my blushing creeping down my neck. “My cheeks are going to fall off from the pain if you don’t stop.”

  “You know, that’s not as funny of a statement as you think it is.”

  I cocked my head. “How so?”

  “Because it means you aren’t used to men making you smile like that. Making you blush like that. And you deserve that, you know.”

  Huh. I’d never thought about it like that.

  The waitress came over and greeted us. Took our drink orders and such. Eli ordered an appetizer for the table, then the waitress took her leave. I smiled at him as I slipped my shoulder wrap down into my chair. The wind kicked up softly, fluttering my dress and my hair around in the night. I felt Eli’s eyes on me. Studying me. Watching me. He had this intense gaze I’d grown up with my entire life. And yet, there was an ease to being with him that took me by surprise.

  Even though I knew practically nothing about him.

  “Tell me something about your childhood,” I said.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Anything.”

  “Anything?”

  “Mhm.”

  “Is this the part where we talk about that one thing we’ve got in common that we haven’t spoken about yet?”

  “If you want.”

  The waitress came back with our drinks, and not a moment too soon. I reached for my martini and took a sip, watching as Eli deliberated silently to himself. That jet-black hair of his didn’t move much in the wind. As his eyes cast themselves out into the nighttime, I saw his mind reeling a thousand miles a second. Fraught with painful memories that matched mine, I’m sure.

  “Eli, if you don’t want--.”

  “I decided not to follow in my family’s footsteps when I was fifteen or so,” he said.

  I nodded, sitting back as I settled in for his story.

  “At first, my parents thought my want to go to college was a rebellion of sorts. Much like how my own father rebelled.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “My father has a degree in Business. He got it before taking over the family business, so to speak. That was his way of rebelling against them, I guess. Since he never was one to rebel against the status quo. They figured my want to go to college that I expressed as a teenager was the same thing. Until I dropped my last name and pushed my middle name to the forefront.”

  “Why did you do that?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “They wouldn't let me into law school.”

  “I’m so sorry, Eli.”

  “I’m not. I had to get away from my family’s legacy and have a decent shot at a life for myself by completely dropping the name. And I’m sure you know how well that rolled over with my family.”

  “Do you talk to them much? I mean, it’s obvious you’re at least partially successful in your business. With the suit and the car and things like that.”

  I felt his feet slide against mine underneath the table and I settled into his strength. Into his warmth. Into his touch. I enjoyed this. Talking with him. Hearing his story and waiting with mine on the tip of my tongue.

  “I’ve done well for myself, yes. I have my own firm. We’ve been open for around four or so years now. And while I don’t talk to my family at all, I wouldn't take back my decisions. The lifestyle my family leads isn’t safe. That was made obvious with what just happened with my brother. I’m glad I walked away, even if it did cost me the respect and adoration of my family,” I said.

  “So, is this the first time you’ve seen any of them face to face like that? I mean, at the hospital and all.”

  He nodded. “Since I changed my last name, yes.”

  “Wow,” I breathed.

  “What about you? How do your parents take to you being a nurse?”

  “I mean, it’s a little smoother than that. I see them for birthdays and major h
olidays. They haven’t completely cast me out. But, things are tense sometimes if we spend too much time with one another,” I said.

  “That’s good that you see them, at least,” Eli said.

  I shrugged, a bitter giggle falling from my lips. “I told my parents I wanted to be a nurse when I was sixteen years old. And the first thing they tried doing was having another child.”

  “Wait, they did what?”

  “Yep.”

  “Are you sure that’s what they tried doing?”

  “I heard them talking about it all the time in my father’s office. I’d sit on the bottom of the steps, perched there with my knees curled up to my chest. I’d hear them talking about all sorts of things. Having another child to follow in the family footsteps. My mother, berating my father for stopping at just me. How she always thought it was ‘a risk’ to sit the entire family’s empire on the shoulders of one child.”

  “That’s insane, though.”

  I nodded. “It is. But, I guess their efforts were short-lived. Before I turned seventeen, they tried convincing me to go with the family business. And they really, really tried. I mean, I’d known since I was fourteen years old that I wanted to help people instead of hurt them! But, that didn’t matter. None of my arguments mattered.”

  “What did they do to try and convince you to take their side?”

  “Mom always took the route of money. ‘Look at how much money nurses make versus how much you could make here’. Charts. Statistics. That kind of thing.”

  “Which doesn’t mean shit to a sixteen-year-old.”

  “Nope. And it doesn’t mean shit now. But, Dad took a more noble route. Talked about family loyalty. Respect. Paying back what was given to me as a child.”

  “I’m familiar with that tone.”

  I snickered. “I’m sure. Obviously, their efforts didn’t work. And when I enrolled into college with my sights set on nursing, that’s when our relationship began to unravel. It became a ‘holiday and birthday only’ sort of thing, and it’s been like that ever since.”

  “I’m sorry, Giana. I truly am.”

  And when he reached for my hand, a thought crossed my mind.

  This might be the only man on the planet that really understands me.

  He laced our fingers together and I felt safe. Protected. At ease, for once. I smiled at him and he smiled back before the waitress interjected herself into our moment. I almost wanted to shoo her away, but she came bearing gifts of appetizers. She sat them down before taking our dinner order, then quickly left the two of us to our date.

  Which flew by much too quickly.

  We talked about everything under the sun. His aspirations for his business. Where he wants to eventually be with his career. We talked about how I wanted to work my way up the chain of command in the hospital I was at now, eventually becoming a contender for Head Nurse. You know, since Nurse Cabot was only a few years or so out from retirement. We laughed, and we listened. We vented and we indulged. Our legs tangled together underneath the table as dinner wound down with laughter and jokes and sincere stories from our childhoods.

  He was the only person I found--other than Alianna--that made me want to talk about that side of me. That made me want to talk about my childhood.

  He could be the man for me, if I don’t screw it up.

  “So, what is this you speak of about this creme brulee?” I asked.

  Eli grinned. “It’s fantastic. Very rich, though. I can’t eat one by myself.”

  “I’m up for sharing if you are.”

  “Anything to spend more time with you.”

  I winked at him. “Don’t worry. You’re coming back to my place for one last glass of wine. The night isn’t just over yet.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. And here I thought I was the only one not ready to give you up.”

  “You’re in my clutches, handsome. You’re not going anywhere.”

  The grin that crawled across his face shivered me to my core. He ordered a creme brulee for us to split, then he scooted his chair beside mine. He picked it up, came around the table, and sat it at the corner where my arm was. He took my hand within his and leaned against my ear, pressing his lips close to my skin.

  “You’re going to love how these feels against your tongue,” he whispered.

  I swallowed my moan, trying not to let the puckering of my nipples distract me.

  He was right, though. The dessert was velvety. Causing me to moan out with every bite. He fed me one before having one himself. And he interchanged it until the damn thing was gone. He fed me every bite. Not once did I pick up my spoon. And after he was done scraping the small bowl clean, he pulled out his wallet.

  “I think I’m ready for that glass of wine, if you are,” he said.

  “I’m definitely ready,” I said, feeling my stomach flutter with delight.

  “Perfect.”

  8

  Giana

  “Just make yourself comfortable. I’ll get us a couple glasses of wine,” I said as we walked through my front door.

  “Sounds good,” Eli said.

  I set my wrap and my purse on top of my kitchen table before I headed toward the cabinets. And as my heels clicked along the beautiful marbled flooring of the kitchen, I smiled to myself. I’d gotten a great deal on this place after the whole Alianna fiasco. I felt terrible that the manager had held this place for her, especially after things blew up the way they did. However, it put me in a prime position to negotiate for the space. Since his smaller condos--like mine--were easier to sell than the bigger ones--like this one.

  All in all, it worked out in my favor. In exchange for taking all of the proceeds that came from selling my old condo, all I had to do was pay the difference between the full cost of that condo and the market price for this one. I refinanced, handed the keys over to my old condo, slashed my mortgage in half, and got double the space, more rooms, and one of the most gorgeous views in New York City.

  It paid, in this town, to keep up positive connections with those around me.

  I popped open the bottle of dessert wine I had in my fridge, hoping it wouldn't be too sweet after our dessert. The tang of the red wafted up my nose as I poured each of us a glass. Then, I scooped them up and went to go find Eli. It didn’t shock me one bit that I found him on the balcony. It was my favorite spot in this entire place. It overlooked a small sliver of the city before the view cut to the water. Drifting off into the expanse of an endless horizon that never ceased to take my breath away. I stepped out onto the porch and came up behind him. I stood there, taking in his presence in our shared space. The way he stood just beyond the wrought iron railing. The way he had his hands slipped effortlessly into his pockets.

  The view looked good on him.

  “Here you go,” I said softly.

  “Thank you.”

  He took the glass from me, our fingertips brushing together. And as I fingertips connected; my skin puckered. How he affected me like this, I didn’t have a clue. All he had to do was look at me a certain way and I was putty in his hands.

  “To a beautiful night with a beautiful woman,” Eli said.

  I smiled at his words. “To memories made and the promise of a second date.”

  “Looks like you might get that Italian spot after all.”

  I giggled as we clinked our glasses together, and that’s when I noticed something. He really had made himself comfortable. His suit coat was gone. The top couple of buttons on his black shirt were undone. His tie had been loosened. I liked that look on him. He looked as if he were at home.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself. You always do that, Giana.

  His arm slipped around my waist as we stood there, sipping our wine. We gazed off into the night, watching the darkened water slosh against the shoreline. Dark blue peaks of small waves beckoned to us. As if the ocean were saying ‘hello’. I leaned my head against his chest. I drank in the moment as deeply as I drank my glass of wine. I felt the alcohol taking hold. I felt myself l
oosening up. And as Eli plucked my glass from my fingers, I felt him turn toward me.

  “Everything all right?” I asked.

  I watched him set the glasses down before his eyes met mine, his body towering over me. Gazing down upon me. Hovering over me, with a looming stature that made me feel both cornered and safe.

  Those eyes…

  “How was the wine?” Eli asked.

  I grinned. “Isn’t that a question I should be asking you?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Well, the wine was great. That’s my favorite kind, so…”

  “Duly noted.”

  My brow furrowed softly. “What’s with the look?”

  “What look?”

  His hand fell to my hip, and it burned a hole straight into the pit of my gut.

  “The look you have on your face right now. It’s very… unreadable,” I said.

  He shook his head. “There isn’t a look.”

  “Oh, there’s definitely a look.”

  “Well, how does it make you feel, then?”

  I swallowed hard. “Studied.”

  “Anything else?”

  He took a step closer to me and my eyes flickered to his tie for a second.

  “Possibly cornered, a bit,” I said.

  “Do you want me to back away?”

  I wrapped my hand up tightly in his tie before he could say another word. Before he could back away. I held him in his stop, desperate to keep him there. Desperate to not let him go just yet. I felt myself blushing as he grinned down at me. As those emerald eyes of his ignited with a fire that matched the burning sensation permeating my veins.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” he said, chuckling.

  And the sound made me pop.

  I pulled him down to me, crashing our lips together. Unable to contain myself a second longer. I couldn't. He was perfect, and I had no idea if the teasing promise of a second date would actually happen. With my track record, it wouldn't. And I didn’t want this perfect man to slip through my fingers without setting the bar in my life for any other man that wanted to come into it.