A week later Eli found her in the exact same spot that she was in every night. The spot where seven days ago she'd been hassled by two assholes, the spot where everyday since she'd graced him with her amazing smile, and where three days ago she'd let him kiss her.
He was on break and it was his hope that he'd spend the next half an hour getting up and close and personal with those perfect pink lips of hers.
"Hey blue eyes," he said, causing her to jump a little as she looked up from her laptop. Again she gave him a smile.
"Hi, Eli," she said, "What are you doing here so early? I wasn't expecting you for another three hours."
He smiled, "Well, I actually managed to wrangle a break tonight so I thought I'd…." he was interrupted as a loud yell erupted nearby. He growled a little as one of the little poser 09ers freaks came around the corner, two drunken blonde bimbettes on either arm.
"Mac with the nice Rack," Dick said, "Hey that rhymed."
Mac shook her head, "What do you want Dick?"
"We want you to come party with us? Come on, Logan and Ronnie the Detective are already there, come get drunk." He pulled away from the girls long enough to lean towards Mac and mock-whisper, "I got plenty of room for another, you can hold my…"
Dick never got to finish the thought as Eli stepped in between him and Mac and growled threateningly, "Get away from her."
Dick looked up, confused and drunk and then suddenly, "Hey, I know you, didn't your grandmother clean my floors?"
Eli's eyes darkened but before he could do anything Mac was up and pushing Dick away, "Get out of here Dick, take your friends and go be an asshole somewhere else."
"Fine," he said, pouting at her, "You are a totally unfun," he gestured at Eli, "Tell the angry dude I was just kidding." Mac just kept pushing him as Eli fumed behind her.
She turned back towards him, unsure what to say to him, "Are you okay? Dick, he's drunk and….he's kind of a mess after what happened with….his brother."
"Are you making excuses for him? Are you kidding me? He was leering at you, talking about you like that, and then practically looking for a fight."
"I'm not making excuses," she said, her voice rising with his, "I'm just explaining, besides he's gone now, so what's the difference."
"The difference is I didn't expect you to make excuses for the rich white boys just like everyone else in Neptune does. Although I should have expected it from a girl I'm falling in love with."
"Maybe you…." she stopped, suddenly and completely as his words sunk in, "You….You're what?"
He wanted to curse at himself for letting that slip, but figured he'd said it and he wasn't one to back away from his word, "I'm falling in love with you Mac, but I've been second choice before, I've been one of a group and I don't want that again."
She smiled widely at him, "You aren't you're….there's only you, Eli. I want to be with you."
He smiled and pulled her close and kissing her deeply.
&&&&&&
"Eli," Mac whispers twenty minutes later as he set his teeth on her neck in a way that made her entire body shiver, "Eli, work, you…."
"If you're thinking about work then I'm not doing this nearly as well as I thought."
She smiled as he pulled back a little, "Your work," she said, "I don't want you to get in trouble for being back late."
He growled, "I know, just wish I didn't have to leave you." He kissed her again, his tongue sliding past her lips against her better judgment. She pulled him close, moaning as his hands slid up her ribcage to caress the underside of her breast.
"Hmmm I'll be here in two hours when you come back," she promised, "And…" she stopped and forced herself to take a deep breath, "Parker, my roommate, she went home this weekend so…I have the room to myself." She said it all in one deep breath before she could chicken out.
He smiled widely and kissed her once more before standing up, "See you in two hours blue eyes."
&&&&&&
Unfortunately when they walked into her dorm room a little over two hours later she'd had plenty of time to think and worry about asking him back here.
What did it mean? What did he think it meant? What did she think it meant? What happened next?
She had no experience with this, all she knew was a week ago she'd thought she was dead below the waist and now she had a ridiculously sexy man in her dorm room who she was quickly falling in love with.
"Hey," he said, coming up from behind her and grabbing the hands that she'd begun wringing together, "Just relax. We don't have to do anything you don't want. I don't expect anything."
"Really?" she said, "Because I know when I asked you back here...you might have thought."
He smiled and pulled her over to the bed, "Actually I do expect something."
"You…" she stuttered out a breath, "You do."
"Uh huh," he said as he pulled her into his lap on the bed, "I expect this," he said as he kissed her cheek, "And some of this," he said as he kissed her neck, "And maybe a little of this," he finished as he kissed her lips.
Smiling against his lips she opened her mouth as he deepened the kiss. His kisses were amazing, slow, precise, and yet so overwhelming she could barely keep herself from shivering uncontrollably.
When she felt him easing her backwards on the bed she dug her fingers into his chest and whispered, "E-Eli."
"It's okay, i querida /i , just making us more comfortable," he told her. He leaned over her pulling her close to him, pressing his body against hers. She felt him, hard against her and she couldn't help but gasp, it was such a new experience, frightening and at the same time exhilarating.
She felt him smile against her neck as he sucked lightly until she was sure he was probably leaving a bruise. She'd never had a hickey before and she found herself eager for him to leave his mark on her.
His hands had traveled up from her waist now, his fingers brushing the underside of her breasts, just as he'd done in the library. He seemed to be waiting for her move. She knew if she wiggled away he'd let go, and while she was scared of what she did not know she found herself willing to trust him, willing to let go, even just a little.
She pushed him back when he went to kiss her again. He looked confused, but then his eyes widened as she began to undo the buttons of her shirt. Before she could lose her nerve she undid the last one, rolling her shoulders and pushing the shirt off the side of the bed.
Slowly she looked up at him. He was staring at her sheer purple bra, but not in a way that made her feel dirty or uncomfortable, in a way that made her feel desirable.
"Eli," she said after a few moments.
"Sorry," he said, "I just didn't imagine you had that under your shirt. Probably a good thing I didn't."
She giggled and he smiled at her, his hand drifting up and over her breast. She went still again, but tried to relax as his finger followed along where silk met skin, "You've never done any of this before have you?"
"No," she said, "I've never…no one's even ever seen me like this before."
He nods and then pulls back to take his shirt off, "You know I think tonight should be no shirts….and it should stop there."
She smiled and relaxed a little. She lifted her hand to his chest, tracing over his tattoos, "I like these," she said.
"I like these," he replied as his hands move back to her breasts, "In fact I really want to kiss you…" his finger moved over her nipple until it was taut against his finger, "right here. Can I?"
She nodded, "Y-yes," she says, gasping as he leans forward and finds her through the bra. His tongue circles around her nipple, he follows with a gentle nip of his teeth before soothing with his tongue again. By the time he's repeating the motion on her other breast she's straining against him, her hips pressing to his.
"Okay," he said, as he leaned back, "I think if we're going to stop now."
"Why?" she asked.
He grimaced and tried to smile, "Because we're keeping the rest of our clothes on."
She couldn't help herself, she looked down, "But you're still."
"Yeah," he said, "Don't remind me."
"But," she was unsure if she was disappointing him somehow."
"Relax," he said as he pulled her close to him, "It's not terminal," he promised, "I'll be just fine, just give me a couple of minutes…and a cold shower when I get home."
She cuddled up to his side, "You don't have to go yet, though, do you?"
"No," he said, kissing her forehead, "Not yet."
She smiled, her eyes drifting closed in completely contentment.