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“Angel. This is Bull. He’s one of my club brothers and my best friend.” After that introduction, I was on high alert. Not that I needed to be. Bull was incredibly down to earth and friendly. Seeing the men together gave me some insight into the club and Eliot’s role in it all.

“So, you excited for the semester to end? Finally go on that first date?” Bull asked, waggling his eyebrows at me. I laughed and shrugged.

“I am! Once I sleep for a week, I’ll be ready to go out and do…whatever it is he has planned.” Eliot hadn’t said a word, only asking me one question.

“The dark…That a usual trigger for you?” he asked a few days after the storm. I froze at first, unsure what to say. He was walking me home after my craft night with Beth, my hand in his as we spoke quietly.

“Yes and no. It’s rare that it’s totally pitch-black. I think that’s key. I don’t have issues in movie theaters or anything like that. But that’s just a guess. I’ve always slept with the bathroom or hall light on. The few times I’ve had a reaction like that…I…Well…my mom or sister would just give me a pill, and I’d sleep it off. I never actually talked to a doctor about it.”

It was unthinkable; psychiatry for any other means than getting one’s preferred cocktail was frowned upon in my old life. Talk therapy? No way. Despite the privacy laws, my parents would never risk the idea of me talking to anyone. Of telling them what happened behind closed doors. Now, neither of my jobs provided insurance. There were so many other things on my to-do list before I could even get there.

When it was officially my last day of the semester, I came home and collapsed on the couch. Exhausted, I was even more grateful that I had moved my work schedule around so I had a few days to recoup. Shooting off a quick text to let Eliot know I was home, the last thing I remembered was plugging my phone in to charge.

A knock on my door woke me up as I blinked blearily from my couch. My body had a way of shutting down when I was overwhelmed, overtired, overstimulated…It didn’t take much. Stress from exams, later nights and longer shifts had caught up with me.

“Lilah? I know you’re in there!” Eliot’s voice carried through the door, and I sat up quickly.

“Coming!” I yelled, my eyes darting to the microwave, where I realized it was past 10 a.m. With my legs tangled in a blanket, I flopped around ungracefully as I finally rolled off the couch. Rushing to the door, I pulled it open before I could think about what I looked like or anything else.

“Angel.” The word sounded like it was pulled from Eliot, his eyes filled with concern before his mouth was on mine. The only reason I knew my front door had closed behind him was because I found my back against it. The kiss was urgent, his hold in my hair and hip tighter than usual. I pulled away just enough to get a word out.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I tilted my head, giving him better access to my skin.

“You weren’t answering your phone.You know what that does to me when you don’t respond.” There was a nip on my skin before he soothed it with his tongue.

“I fell asleep.” I tried to defend myself, but it was uttered on a moan when his hands moved to pull one of my legs around his waist as his mouth found mine. Unsure of how much time had passed before Eliot finally yanked himself away from me, I slumped back against the door, my heart racing as my entire body felt like it was on fire.

“C’mon. I’ll make you breakfast,” he said, reaching out to grab my hand, guiding me through the house as I slowly swam through the haze of arousal to pay attention. Eliot stayed at my place all day, insisting on taking care of me and helping me relax after the craziness of the past few weeks.

We ate breakfast together before settling on my couch. I put on a comfort movie.

To my embarrassment, I fell asleep, the warmth of Eliot’s arms soothing me. Next thing I realized, I was waking up in my bed alone. A vague memory of him carrying me from the couch to the bedroom flashed in my mind. As I got up and stumbled out of the room, I was surprised to see my house spotless, the dishes done, and laundry folded neatly in my hamper.

Eliot came around the corner and saw me.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asked, eyeing me as if assessing me from head to toe.

“Yes, but I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,” I replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “And I can’t believe how much you’ve done. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to. Plus, now you have no excuse not to let me take you out this week,” he said, a small blush crossing his face.

“I can’t wait. Just let me know which night,” I told him, his gaze shooting up and locking with mine. In two quick steps, he was in front of me, wrapping me in his arms as he carried us both to the couch.

The rest of the night passed quietly, sprawled in each other’s embrace. We ate dinner and watched movies until Eliot insisted on leaving, having an early morning run for the club. I thought that was a nice way to say he was out hunting…

See? I was even getting used to all the terms and phrases. With a promise to see him that night for our first date, I closed the door with a smile on my face.

Summer was just beginning. I had a feeling this one was going to be like nothing else I had ever experienced. And that sounded fucking amazing.

Chapter 18

Lilah

Remembering our first date always gave me butterflies. It was the first of many, but memorable in its own way. Eliot managed to keep it a secret until we arrived at the destination: a planetarium a few towns over.

“They have one of those domes. Tonight, the show focuses on constellations. The narrator is a professor from Penn,” he told me, a bit of anxiety on his face.

“This is…amazing! I don’t think I’ve been to the planetarium since I was a little kid. How did you know I would like the constellations?” I asked, bouncing around with excitement, trying to read the display that flashed details of the show.