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“The feeling that an entire half of my heart had been ripped out. My functionality was reduced to half because I could not see or make decisions the way I used to when she was around. We were a team. I never thought I’d know that feeling again.”
Elijah took my hand and led me to his table. He sat down on it and put his arms around my waist.
“I would never say no to June. If she was on one of her quests for justice, I would be proud to just be her sidekick, standing and watching her even all that shit out. And in the same way, I’m not going to stop you.”
I hugged him tightly. “Elijah, you’re going to get your revenge. You’re going to get a chance to look Emory Abbot in the eye and tell him everything you’ve ever held in your heart. But here’s what I’ve known. When you hate a person that much, no matter what you say, no matter how much you want to, nothing will ever be enough.”
And that's what I’d learned from my dad, the only life lesson he’d taught me. Sure, I’d detest him for all my life. I’d always feel just a little bit hollow.
But in the same breath, I’d let him go. Insofar as I could use his position to fix things, he was useful. After that, I intended to have nothing more to do with him.
Because I could keep going back and finding new reasons to make him suffer. I could keep shouting and crying about how he’d let me down.
It would always fall short of everything I’d need to do to forget him.
Sometimes, you can’t forget the people who wrong you. Doesn’t mean you need to stop living.
Elijah pulled me closer into his arms and kissed my mouth. It felt like I was melting into him, and everything else was white noise.
I ran my fingers through his thick hair, savoring the sensation of his lips on mine. He tasted of heat and second chances. This time, both of us gave into each other, slow, sure, lasting.
I pressed my body against his, feeling the hard contours of his chest against mine.
Elijah responded by deepening the kiss, his tongue slipping into my mouth and setting my senses ablaze. I moaned into his mouth, unable to hold back the sounds of pleasure that were bubbling up inside me.
His hands roamed over my body, tracing the curves of my hips and my breasts. He seemed to know exactly how to touch me, how to make my body sing with pleasure. I could feel his arousal pressing against me, and it only made me want him more.
We broke apart for a moment, gasping for breath. Elijah's eyes were dark with desire, and I could tell that he was as hungry for me as I was for him.
Without a word, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me over to the sofa.
We sank down onto the cushions, our lips meeting once again in a fiery kiss. Elijah's hands were everywhere, stroking and caressing my body as though he couldn't get enough.
I responded eagerly, pressing myself closer to him and letting my hands roam over his body.
We lost ourselves in each other, our bodies moving together in a rhythm that felt primal and urgent.
The only sounds were of our breathing, the sound of skin against skin, and the occasional creak of the sofa beneath us.
Eventually, we both collapsed against each other, panting and sated. Elijah wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and whispering sweet nothings in my ear.
I knew that we would have to leave the study eventually, but for now, I was content to stay wrapped up in his arms, surrounded by the beauty of his books and the warmth of his love.
“How did it feel?” I finally asked. “To have a new identity?”
“It was...” He paused. “A lot of things. Elex had a very long past. Did I ever tell you June and I were polyamorous?”
I shook my head against his chest.
He chuckled. “We met in college during a very wild night of partying. There she was, this girl with fire in her eyes and a sword for a tongue. She opened up a whole new world of possibilities to me.”
“She sounds pretty damn amazing, Elijah.”
“Oh.” His tone was wistful. “She was. She had this thing where you could be around her light, and it wouldn’t diminish you. Instead, it would make you more beautiful, more radiant. And she was amazing with kids. You’d have loved her.”
I let his words wash over me. I didn’t feel any jealousy, nothing except a very faint wish to have known her and worked with her.
“Elex was a man of many pursuits. He enjoyed going out and exploring nightlife. He loved playing wingman to his wife. We were living a very different life compared to what you read in rom-coms, Rory. And we loved it. We loved each other, and we came home to each other... and that was our deal.”
