**BOOK FOUR**
Reuben is running. Running from a life he never wanted; one he never fit into.
Eli is chasing. Chasing a future he is desperate to call reality.
After Reuben's rejection, Eli thought he'd never see his mate again. However, when repo...
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I never meant to let it go this far. It was supposed to just be a kiss, but one minute, Eli's lips were pressed against mine and the next, my back was pressed against the couch and he was on top of me.
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't enjoying it; that I didn't want to see where this went, but I knew this wasn't the time to be doing so. Eli lightly bit at my bottom lip and I groaned. I wanted this and I wanted him, but it wasn't the right time. So with what remaining willpower I had, I pushed him back and sat up.
Eli blinked a few times confusedly and then focused on me. "Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
"No!" I quickly set the record straight. "Trust me when I say that I want to. I really do, but you just went through a lot and I don't want to take advantage of that."
I could tell by Eli's expression that he still was upset over the Fen and Cronan situation and I didn't want to do anything, knowing that he wasn't all the way there. I reached over, gripped his hand, and squeezed it.
"I don't think you're going to be able to leave tonight," I told him as I glanced around us at the boxes littering the ground.
"I'm not leaving until I can talk to Cronan," he told me.
I nodded and leaned into his side. "Then I'll stay with you for a little longer."
I turned on the TV, but my attention wasn't really focused on it. I kept glancing over at Eli. If someone told me months ago that I'd be sitting on a couch with him after a nearly-sexual encounter, I would've told them to fuck off. It was bizarre to think about just how much we'd changed.
The memories floated around in my mind. Some were good and some were bad, but they were all present nonetheless.
Once the movie was over, I detached myself from Eli's side and started to stand up. "I should probably go—"
"Or," his quiet voice interrupted. "You could stay the night?"
The question is hesitant and a few months ago, I would have said no, however, leaving Eli alone was the last thing I wanted to do right now, so I nodded.
"I'll stay."
If he was truly leaving tomorrow then I wanted to spend this time with him. I sat back down and Eli turned on another movie. Later that night, we ended up ordering pizza and we talked about anything and everything under the sun. My goal was to take his mind off of what happened earlier and judging by the small smile on his face as he attempted to explain to me why hairless cats were not cute, it was working.
