Chapter 4

Sunlight spilled across the tangled sheets, painting Eli's bare back in warm gold. Lila lay beside him, tracing the line of his spine with lazy fingertips while her mind raced. The anonymous text still burned in her thoughts like a brand. Stay away from Eli Rivera. He's not who you think. She had deleted it, but the words lingered.

Eli stirred, rolling toward her with a sleepy smile that made her chest tighten. His hazel eyes opened, softening the moment they focused on her face. "Morning, beautiful."

Before she could answer, he pulled her close, kissing her slow and deep. His morning hardness pressed against her thigh, hot and insistent. Lila melted into him, her body responding instantly despite the unease in her heart. His hand slid down her side, cupping her ass and pulling her leg over his hip.

"You're thinking too much," he murmured against her lips. "I can feel it."

She rocked against him, gasping softly as his cock nestled between her folds, sliding through the slickness already gathering there. "Someone texted me last night. Anonymous. Warning me about you… about Seattle."

Eli stilled. His hand tightened on her hip, but he didn't pull away. "What did it say?"

"That you're not who I think you are. That I should ask about Seattle."

He exhaled heavily, forehead resting against hers. "There's a story there. Not a pretty one. But I swear to you, Lila, I never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. I'll tell you everything. Just… not right now." His voice dropped, rough with need. "Right now I need to feel you."

The vulnerability in his eyes mixed with raw hunger broke her hesitation. She kissed him fiercely, tongues tangling as she reached between them and wrapped her fingers around his thick length. Eli groaned into her mouth, hips jerking.

"Fuck, your hand feels good," he rasped.

She stroked him slowly, savoring the velvety heat, the way he pulsed in her grip. Eli's fingers found her clit, circling with perfect pressure until she was whimpering. They moved together like that—hands and mouths and grinding bodies—building each other higher.

"I want you inside me," Lila whispered, nipping his bottom lip.

Eli pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes dark. "You sure? No going back after this."

"I've never been more sure."

He reached for the condom on the nightstand (left there from the night before in quiet hope), rolling it on with steady hands. Then he settled between her thighs, the broad head of his cock pressing against her entrance. He pushed in slowly, inch by inch, stretching her open with a delicious burn that had her moaning loudly.

"God, Lila… so tight. So fucking perfect." His voice was strained, jaw clenched as he fought for control.

When he bottomed out, they both stilled, breathing hard. The fullness was overwhelming in the best way. Eli kissed her tenderly, staying buried deep while she adjusted. Then he began to move—long, deep strokes that hit every sensitive spot inside her.

Lila's nails dug into his shoulders as pleasure coiled tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper. The rhythm built steadily: skin slapping skin, her breasts bouncing with each thrust, his mouth lavishing attention on her neck and nipples. Sweat slicked their bodies. The room filled with the wet sounds of sex and their mingled moans.

Eli shifted angles, hitting a spot that made stars burst behind her eyes. "Right there? Yeah, I feel you squeezing me. Come on, baby. Let me feel it."

The orgasm crashed over her suddenly, powerful and shattering. She cried out his name, pulsing around his cock. Eli followed moments later with a deep groan, hips stuttering as he spilled inside the condom, buried to the hilt.

They collapsed together, hearts hammering. Eli stayed inside her for a long moment, kissing her face—eyelids, cheeks, lips—with surprising gentleness.

"I've wanted this for so long," he whispered. "Not just the sex. You. Us."

Lila traced his jaw, heart full and terrified at the same time. "Me too."

After a shared shower (where Eli dropped to his knees and worshipped her with his mouth until she came again), they made coffee and breakfast like a real couple. The domestic ease felt dangerously right. But the Seattle question still hung between them.

"I got into some trouble up there," Eli said finally, nursing his mug. "A guy was harassing a woman at a site I worked on—someone's sister. Things got physical. It escalated. Cops got involved, but it was self-defense. Still… it followed me. I had to leave that job. That's part of why I came back when Dad got worse. Cleaner slate."

Lila searched his face. It rang true, matching the protective man she knew. "Why the anonymous warning?"

"Probably someone from that mess who doesn't want me happy. Or an old debt collector stirring shit." He took her hand. "I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry."

She squeezed his fingers. "We're still figuring this out. Just… no more secrets, okay?"

"Deal."

The day passed in a haze of contentment and stolen touches. Lila worked from home, though her manuscript pages were filled with notes that had nothing to do with editing and everything to do with the way Eli had felt moving inside her. By evening, he returned after a short shift, and they barely made it to the couch before clothes were shed again.

This time was slower. Eli laid her out on the cushions and explored her body with his mouth and hands like he was memorizing a map. He sucked marks into her inner thighs, licked her until she was begging, then slid into her from behind while she gripped the armrest. The angle was devastating. His hand reached around to rub her clit as he thrust deep, whispering filthy praise in her ear.

"You feel so good wrapped around me. This pussy was made for me, wasn't it?"

Lila could only moan in response, pushing back to meet every stroke. They came together this time, Eli's groan muffled against her shoulder.

Afterward, curled naked under a throw blanket, reality intruded again. Lila's phone buzzed—her mother calling. She silenced it, but the guilt twisted in her gut.

Eli noticed. "Still worried about Rosa?"

"She doesn't understand. She thinks you're going to break my heart like my dad did to her."

He stroked her hair. "I won't. But I get why she's scared. My family's track record isn't exactly golden."

They talked late into the night about dreams—Lila's secret novel, Eli's plan to buy into The Anchor as part-owner. The conversation flowed easily, laced with kisses and caresses that kept the fire simmering.

But as midnight approached, another text arrived. This one from Sofia, Eli's sister.

Sofia: Eli, Dad's having a bad night. Can you come? Sorry to interrupt whatever you're doing…

Eli read it and sighed, already reaching for his clothes. "Duty calls. Rain check on breakfast tomorrow?"

Lila nodded, kissing him goodbye at the door with a lingering heat that promised more. But as she watched him disappear into the night, unease settled over her again.

Her mother's warnings. The anonymous messages. Eli's protective secrets.

How many storms could their rekindled love survive before something broke?

She closed the door and leaned against it, body still deliciously sore from his touch. For the first time, doubt crept in alongside the desire.