Ava

It was almost four in the morning when Elijah and I got back to the city. Our romp in the woods had taken a lot out of us; we rode back to my apartment, mostly silent. Malcolm was waiting for us at the landing pad, and he greeted us with a kind smile as he opened the limo doors to take me home. A soft chill braced the air, but Elijah was like my own personal heater, so I couldn’t complain much. He had one strong arm around my shoulder, and I had one hand tangled with his, knowing I never wanted to let go.
We walked through the lobby and upstairs, where I unlocked the door and went in. I had braced myself for the worst, expecting to find more trouble, but was relieved when I spotted Sara sound asleep on my couch. She was face down on a pillow, snoring softly. The comforter had been kicked off and was now resting on the sofa next to the floor. She looked much better after her shower, and it was all I could do not to cross the room and hug her. I was so glad she was safe.
I went to the kitchen for some water, watching as Elijah picked the blanket up off the floor and draped it over her. Sara barely stirred, sound asleep. It was probably the best sleep she’d had in weeks. I emptied the glass of water and then signaled for Elijah to follow me into the bedroom, where we could talk without waking her.
“Thank you again for the night,” I said, resting my lips on his. I was sore from head to toe, ass included, but that had been the best fuck. How did it only get better each time I was with this amazing man? “I guess you’re going home?” I asked softly. Elijah raised one hand and stroked my cheek, smiling.
“I suppose,” he said. “I feel like I’ve intruded plenty on your private life already.”
Like a teenage girl, I hung my head in a pout. “You could stay here, too,” I said meekly. “My bed is big enough.”
Elijah chuckled, running a hand through his tousled black hair before pulling me into him to stroke my bear arms. “I can stay,” he said. “I would like that very much.”
“I would like that, too.”
“Next time, however, we can have a sleepover at my house,” he said, playing with a loose tendril of hair. “I think you’ll like it there.”
“More than my rundown home here?” I teased. “I can’t imagine that’s possible. And I don’t know; I’m not sure my white trash butt would fit in at your mansion.”
“Not a mansion,” he said with a grin. “Just a penthouse.”
“Well, that makes all the difference in the world.”
“As it should.” Elijah touched my cheek, such a simple move that launched crazy butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, letting him hold me and comfort me. It felt good. Better than good. It felt right.
I just hoped, hope beyond hope, that it stayed that way.
***
I lay in bed staring at the shadows dancing on the ceiling, taking in the fantastic night I’d just had. One month. It had been one month since my magical date with Elijah, and with every moment that passed, our desire for each other only seemed to grow. Being with Elijah was like reliving that great first date repeatedly. It was like being in a dream. A fantasy.
Since the night we’d rescued Sara from the horrid situation downtown, she’d returned to the center unharmed, where Sandy and Katie were keeping a close watch on her. This morning, lying naked in bed with Elijah holding me in his arms, I didn’t have to worry about getting up and dragging myself into work. I was on vacation, much to Elijah’s persistence, and had a week off to do nothing but screw the hell out of this beautiful man, and I was taking full advantage of every moment I had him all to myself.
I rolled over in bed, gently prying myself from a sleeping Elijah to go to the kitchen and start us some coffee. We’d been spending our time between my apartment and his penthouse, and today we were in his beautiful home overlooking the Seattle skyline. When my little ghetto apartment boasted mere pretty views of the neighbor’s brick wall, it was hard not to appreciate the beauty. Of course, I was entirely in love with it, but who wouldn’t be?
A storm raged outside, and rain pelted gently against the glass windows that doubled as walls. The sky was dark, thunder rumbled, and lightning lit up the sky occasionally with a beautiful spark of electricity. I loved it; it made my mini vacation feel even cozier. The outrageous view outside the enormous front window was magical, a brilliant, mesmerizing sight of the Seattle skyline. Elijah’s penthouse wasn’t a mansion, but it might as well have been.
After a few minutes of tinkering with Elijah’s expensive espresso machine (the same one I bitched about constantly, mainly because no matter how often I used it, I could still never remember how to do it again), I sneaked back into the bedroom. I slipped under the covers to wake up Elijah. I’d find that any time without him—even if he was sleeping—was too much time for me to be away from him.
I slipped one hand under the covers and cupped his cock, gently stroking him with my fingers. Elijah stirred, and his eyelids fluttered open as his dick hardened beneath my touch after a moment. He looked straight at me, those beautiful green eyes piercing into the depths of my soul.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said and took my chin between his fingers. He pulled me down onto him for a kiss. I closed my eyes, savoring the taste of his lips on mine. My grip on his cock sped up, drawing an excited moan from between his lips. He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath, his hips rising from the mattress, body responding to my touch. When he was on the verge of coming, I slowed the pace and leaned down to kiss him again. I was about to slip my undies off to fuck him when Elijah put one finger to my lips, forcing me to stop for a moment. I groaned aloud, and he laughed.
“Would you like to go on a trip with me?” he asked.
I hesitated, my hand still firmly on his cock. “Is this a trick question?”
“Yes or no?”
“Where to?” I asked, but I knew I would end up going regardless of where we went. There wasn’t a second to waste when we were together.
“Somewhere warm,” he mused, turning his head to peer out the window where the rain was still coming against the glass.
“That depends,” I said and released his dick to pretend to think hard about it. “Will swimming be possible?”
“I think so,” Elijah said, looking mockingly scorned. “I might be able to make that happen.”
“You think so? Well, where exactly is this place?”
“How about Costa Rica?” Elijah asked with a shrug, and my breath caught in my throat.
“Like—the real Costa Rica?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.
“Is there a pretend one?”
“You want to go to Costa Rica?” I repeated, still trying to put two and two together. “For what, though?”
“Well, for starters, it’s beautiful there,” Elijah said with a chuckle. He propped himself up on his side with one elbow and kissed my neck. He smiled, and that smile made my insides heat up with fire. “Have you ever been?”
I shook my head. “Never. I’ve always wanted to, though. You want to go to Costa Rica?”
“Yes. Don’t you?”
I smiled and kissed him again as my insides exploded with excitement. “I would love to.”