Forbidden Serenade

Chapter Thirty-Two

I woke up and immediately felt the soreness between my legs. I'd never in my life been fucked like Elijah did. Sex had always been a tad boring and aimed at male pleasure, not female. It was missionary and in the dark in bed.

Elijah was passion, fireworks, and an intensity I couldn't describe. With him, I felt myself awakening. The woman inside lying dormant was roaring to life. I was no one's doll. No man's arm candy. I was a strong, independent woman.

At the same time, I melted in Elijah's arms. His embrace was my safe haven. With the overflowing confidence he wielded, I found my chin rising and my shoulders pulling back.

With the first rays of the sunrise streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows, I studied Elijah lying in bed beside me. His face with his large lips and defined jaw rested atop his hair, all messy on his pillow. The blankets only came up to his hips, leaving his muscular upper body covered in black ink open for my inspection.

He was so perfect. So young and flawless. Seeing him like this, he looked almost innocent. He snored softly as a peaceful, relaxed look rested on his face. There were no necklaces or rings or thousand-dollar outfits.

He looked so normal.

This wasn't the Elijah Wyatt the world knew. He was vulnerable right now, and that fact tugged at my heart. I felt the overwhelming need to protect him. The moment I left, the vultures would descend to attack him. His manager and record label would demand that he work. His band would pressure him to be their leader. Women would fall into his bed, hoping to capture his heart and hit the jackpot with his baby. They would only use him for their own selfish gain. Did that cause his perplexed expression when I took steps to prevent pregnancy? Because no one else did. Because he expected me to play him as well.

As I laid in bed in the early morning light, an uneasy feeling slowly crept over me and dug its evil, unrelenting claws in. I knew exactly what was happening, and it was the one thing that absolutely couldn't occur.

I was falling in love with Elijah Wyatt.

The sun slowly continued its ascent into the sky as I laid watching Elijah sleep. His phone rang, and he stirred. Rolling over, he grabbed it, and after looking at the screen, silenced it. Tossing it down, he turned back to me with half-open eyes. He grinned, as though he'd forgotten I was here, and he was genuinely happy I was beside him. Reaching for me, he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. Drawing in a deep breath, my head resting on his chest moved up and down. My fingers traced over the black ink on his chest.

Where did he go after this? What were his plans? I longed to know everything, but I wasn't entitled to the information. This was temporary. It was casual. I needed to remind myself of that. His life away from me wasn't my business.

It was better to know less. One day, he would tire of me and leave. It would be easier that way. Or maybe I would cut the thread between us. Secrets didn't stay that way forever. At some point, it would be exposed. This had to end before it did.

His hands began roaming over my nude body. We'd slept naked every night since we'd been here, something I'd never done before. James wasn't that sexual, and the risk of children crawling into our bed existed for years. The skin-to-skin contact had been wonderful at giving me a peaceful night's sleep. Or perhaps it was exhaustion from all the sex that helped me sleep. Either way, Elijah's hands explored my body before he shifted and rolled to his side to kiss me.

I quickly pulled back before his lips could find mine. "Let me brush my teeth first."

He groaned as I turned away from him to exit the bed. His hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against him. "I don't care."