Chapter 7

The morning light filtered through the thin curtains of Eli's apartment, casting a soft glow over their tangled bodies. Lila lay with her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart while Sofia's words from the night before echoed in her mind. Old debt collector. The past wasn't just knocking—it was kicking the door down.

Eli's fingers traced lazy circles on her bare back. "You're tense again," he murmured, voice still rough from sleep and their middle-of-the-night lovemaking. He had woken her around 2 a.m. with his mouth between her legs, bringing her to a slow, shattering orgasm before sliding into her and riding them both to exhaustion.

Lila lifted her head and kissed him. "Just thinking about what Sofia said. About the debt."

Eli sighed, rolling them so he hovered over her. His morning hardness pressed against her thigh. "I'll handle it. Some guy my dad owed money to years ago. I paid most of it off before I left for Seattle. Thought it was buried."

His lips found her neck, sucking gently at the sensitive skin. Despite her worries, Lila's body responded, arching into him. He slipped a hand between her legs, finding her already wet.

"Eli…" she breathed.

"Let me take your mind off it for a little while." He kissed down her body with purpose—lingering on her breasts, tongue flicking her nipples until they were tight peaks, then lower. He settled between her thighs and worshipped her with long, slow licks and two thick fingers curling inside her.

Lila came quickly, hips bucking against his face as pleasure crashed through her. Before she could recover, Eli moved up and thrust into her in one smooth motion. They moved together in a deep, unhurried rhythm, eyes locked. It felt intimate, almost sacred after the intensity of the previous night.

"I love you," he whispered as he drove into her. "Whatever comes, we face it together."

Lila wrapped her legs around him, meeting every thrust. "Together."

They came within moments of each other, Eli burying his face in her neck as he spilled inside her. Afterward, he held her close, but the real world intruded too soon. He had to open the bar early, and Lila needed to face her own day.

At Harbor Press, the manuscript edits blurred. Lila kept checking her phone, half expecting another anonymous text. Instead, her mother called.

"Dinner tonight," Rosa said without preamble. "Just us. We need to talk about Elias."

Lila's grip tightened on the phone. "Mom, I'm happy. Can't you just be happy for me?"

"I am happy for you. That's why I'm worried. Come over. Please."

She agreed reluctantly. The rest of the workday dragged, her thoughts split between Eli's hands on her body and the gathering storm around them.

Eli texted her mid-afternoon: Thinking about this morning. Can't wait to have you in my bed again tonight. My place after your dinner?

The message sent heat spiraling through her. Yes. I'll need you after.

Rosa's house smelled of familiar spices, but the atmosphere was heavy. They ate in strained silence for a while before her mother set her fork down.

"I did some asking around," Rosa said quietly. "That family's troubles run deeper than you know. Marco had gambling debts tied to some bad people. People who don't forget. And Eli… there was an incident in Seattle. A man ended up in the hospital. Nearly died."

Lila's fork clattered against her plate. "He told me about that. It was self-defense. He was protecting someone."

Rosa's eyes were sad. "Maybe. But violence follows some men. I don't want it following you. You've worked too hard to build a stable life."

The words stung because part of Lila feared the same thing. She thought of Eli's strong hands—how gentle they were with her, how fiercely protective. But the anonymous texts and now her mother's confirmation made her question how well she really knew the man she loved.

"I'm not walking away," Lila said firmly. "I love him."

Rosa sighed. "Love isn't always enough, mija. Be careful. Please."

Lila left dinner with a heavy heart. She went straight to The Anchor instead of home. The bar was moderately busy, but Eli spotted her immediately and motioned her to the end of the counter.

One look at her face and he knew. "Bad dinner?"

She nodded. He poured her wine and, during a quiet moment, leaned across the bar to kiss her softly. "We'll talk upstairs later. I'm off in an hour."

The hour felt endless. Lila watched him work, admiring the easy confidence with which he handled customers, the way his muscles flexed under his shirt. By the time they climbed the stairs to his apartment, the tension between them had shifted from worry to desperate need.

The door barely closed before they were on each other. Eli lifted her onto the kitchen counter, shoving her skirt up and ripping her panties down her legs. He dropped to his knees and ate her out with fierce hunger, two fingers pumping inside her while his tongue worked her clit. Lila came hard, crying out as her thighs clamped around his head.

He stood, freed his cock, and thrust into her right there on the counter. The angle was perfect, deep and rough. Dishes rattled with every powerful stroke. Eli's hand covered her mouth gently as she moaned loudly, eyes locked on hers.

"Quiet, baby. Or everyone downstairs will hear how well I fuck you."

The dirty words pushed her over the edge again. Eli followed, groaning her name as he came deep inside her, hips jerking.

They moved to the bed after that, slower the second time. Eli took her from behind, spooned close, one hand between her legs rubbing her clit while he thrust deep and steady. Whispered "I love you"s and promises filled the space between their moans.

Afterward, lying sweaty and satisfied in his arms, Lila finally told him about her mother's knowledge of the Seattle incident.

Eli's body tensed. "She's been digging?"

"Worried about me." Lila traced a scar on his chest. "I defended you. But these texts keep coming. Someone knows details."

He kissed her forehead. "I'll look into it. Maybe an old coworker with a grudge. I won't let anyone come between us."

They fell asleep like that, but Lila woke in the middle of the night to the buzz of Eli's phone on the nightstand. She glanced at the screen before he stirred.

A text from an unknown number: Tell your girlfriend the full story or I will. The girl in Seattle wasn't just anyone. She was pregnant. And you put her boyfriend in a coma.

Lila's blood turned to ice. She set the phone down and stared at the ceiling, heart hammering.

Eli had told her the truth… but had he told her everything?

The man she loved, the one whose body fit so perfectly with hers, was hiding something bigger. And the secrets were starting to poison the love they had only just reclaimed.