No response. But one arm went higher, revealing more of the tattoo on his side. What was that? A feather? A quill? Covering a long scar along his ribs... Of, for God’s sake… more iron muscles.
“Sir? Hello?” Starlight tried again, a little louder.
He was on one foot then, reaching for something on the roof. She stepped forward, considering the best way to get his attention. She blew out a deep breath.
This was ridiculous! What was the matter with her?
She reached out and tugged on one of his jeans' belt loops.
“Hold up!” he called out. “I almost... got... it… Yes!”
The strand of Christmas lights came on, casting the porch in hues of red, blue, and green. Starlight held her breath as he leaped down, eager to see what the rest of this man looked like.
But the clear blue eyes that greeted her were a total surprise. The kind of surprise that left her breathless… and shocked, almost out of her mind…
No! It can’t be!
“Elijah?”
Her voice was high and tight. Even now, after years, she knew him. Instant recognition… instant reaction. Her heart twisted sharply at the all-too-familiar blue eyes regarding her in astonishment. And her body was racked with something he’d inspired whenever he was close to her: hot, deep desire.
Elijah Thomas.
The very last person she wanted to see right now.
He stared at her, frozen. Why was he acting so surprised? This was HER damn house. A house she’d practically run from years ago… because of him. She had every right to be here. He did not!
Starlight welcomed the anger warming her belly. Anger was good. Much better than... the other feelings bouncing around inside of her. His gaze sharpened, searching hers. She tried to ignore that familiar pull tightening the pit of her stomach.
“Star?”
Elijah was the only one calling her ‘Star’… with his voice so low, so husky.
“'Starlight', not 'Star'… if you please. And, yeah, it’s me... Hi!” she croaked.
This is bad… On so many levels, bad… So, so bad.
Like she needed another bump to her already dinged confidence. Nothing like coming face to face with the man who had humiliated her, destroying her heart, soul, mind, and her fragile ego eight damn years before.
Yes, it was the holidays and there’d been a chance she’d run into him. But she’d hoped she wouldn’t. Definitely not her first night back in her childhood home. Not when she wasn’t ready to face him or anyone else, for that matter.
And certainly not with crazy hair and no bra.
Starlight tore her gaze from his, wrapping her arms around her waist. He was all muscles and sexiness… What the hell had happened to him? This Elijah Thomas barely resembled the clean-cut boy she’d held hands with in the halls of Smithville High School.
Now, he was big, almost intimidating, with shaggy black hair, a thick stubble covering his angular jaw, and a new wariness about his clear blue eyes.
Oh, sweet Lord… Those eyes she could just drown in…
She forced her gaze away. She would not think about his eyes. Or his body. Or those abs. And that tattoo...
Her pulse was racing just standing there. He was all hot in his gloriously ass-hugging jeans and broad shoulder-hugging jacket while she wore a damn blanket.
“It’s been a long time… Star,” he said, finally smiling, emphasizing her nickname.
‘Star… again… Damn you, Elijah Thomas!’
Elijah hesitated briefly before pulling her against him in a warm embrace. She stiffened. She didn’t want to hug him. He might look good… Oh, hell! Who was she kidding? He looked magnificent… But she knew what he was capable of. What sort of pain he could inflict... She knew that oh too well but...
His hand pressed, open, against the base of her back. Even through the layers of fabric, Starlight could feel the contours of his fingers and the warmth of his palm. And it… HE felt so damn good.
Then she took a deep breath and inhaled his scent. She swallowed, trembling. Dammit! He smelled the same, teasing her... flooding every cell with a steady throb of burning desire.
“It has.”
She didn’t know where the overwhelming urge to hold on to him came from, but she fought it. It shouldn’t matter that it had been too long since anyone had held her close, just like that.
Starlight Maxwell wasn’t going to melt in Elijah Thomas’s arms ever again.
Or other men’s arms, for that matter. She pushed away from him, stepping back quickly. His smile faded as he eyed the poker in her hands.
“Are you under siege? Are you preparing to go to war?”
Starlight blinked, looking at him, then the poker.
“What? I don’t understand…”
“Or is it some new fashion accessory I don’t know about?”
Elijah shot another pointed glance at the poker, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest. If she wasn’t pissed as hell at his sudden and irritating reappearance in her life, Starlight might admire the shift of muscle in his forearms.
But she was! She was so, so pissed!
“Where I come from, a woman alone protects herself from strange men hanging off their porches.”
She sounded unruffled and together, revealing none of her inner turmoil.
“Especially when it’s in the middle of the night.”
He glanced at the open door behind her, then back at her.
“Listen… I’m a little tired for company and, since it is late, it’s best if you go… wherever you came from…” she said over her shoulder, heading back inside and out of the cold… away from him.
Her voice wasn’t shaking. She didn’t look like she was retreating. Even if that was sort of what she was doing. But she sort of had to because she couldn’t seem to get a handle on the way she was reacting to him.
But Elijah didn’t move. He just stood there, a strange expression on his face.
“I’m sorry I scared you, Star.”
He held up his hands.
“If I’d known you were here, alone, I would have said something first.”
“Before you decorated my house?” Starlight asked, holding the doorknob.
Elijah planted his hands on his hips and shook his head.
“Yeah, about that… It was made perfectly clear by the lady in charge that this needed to be done now or suffer the consequences.”
What the hell did that mean?
“‘The lady in charge’? Sounds like your wife takes the holidays as seriously as your mother.”
“No wife,” Elijah clarified, placing an odd emphasis on the word no before chuckling. “I was talking about the head of the neighborhood association.”
“Why would they bother you with that?” Starlight asked, more and more confused.
He pulled his keys from his pocket, watching her intently.
“Oh… I guess Daniel didn’t tell you I was renting the place?”
Her lungs emptied painfully.
“No! No, he didn’t,” she muttered, reeling.
Daniel hadn’t told her a lot of things.
“Six months now. I came here after the last tenants left. You didn’t notice my stuff? In the master bedroom?”
“I didn’t know,” she murmured. “I’m staying in my old room.”
Was this Daniel’s idea of a joke? Not that she’d told him much about Elijah. But he knew enough. He knew Elijah Thomas had been her first love and that he’d broken her heart.
And now he was living in her house… The only place where she could regroup and recover.
“You remember how Smithville gets around the holidays?” Elijah asked, seemingly unaware of her discomfort. “That hasn’t changed,” he continued and shrugged. “I’ve been on assignment for over a week and I’m running out of time. So that’s why I was hanging lights… Now… At night… In the cold.”
He was decorating her house... because it was also HIS house?
It wasn’t some horrible mistake. But what the hell was she supposed to do? It wasn’t like she was going to let him stay. No matter what time of the night it was. But she couldn’t think of a single coherent thing to say. He shivered.
“It’s a damn cold night,” he said and grinned.
“I guess this means I have to let you in? Like… right now?” she asked, seriously considering shutting the door in his grinning face.
Elijah thought this was funny? Did he not remember the last time they saw each other? The things he’d said? She thought she’d never recover.
“That’d be the neighborly thing to do, Star.”
He brushed past her, elbowing the door shut behind him.
“Right… Neighborly…” she tried not to snap.
Why was he surveying the room? Why did he have to have that gorgeous ass?
Her anger died a little. It was really hard to hate him while thoroughly appreciating the way his jeans hugged the muscles of his thighs. And his ass. That was definitely worth a long, thorough inspection.
She swallowed, forcing her eyes up before he saw her. But he was still looking around the house, curious.
“What are you looking for?”
Elijah turned, his blue gaze pinning hers, and shook his head.
“Nothing…”
Obviously, he was lying. It was clear he was looking for something. But what? His gaze was far too... intense and probing. And more than a little unsettling. More than a little... affecting. But words wouldn’t come…
“Home for the holidays?” he asked, his voice deep and rough.
“Yes,” she mumbled, then added, “and no.”
Why was she answering him? Why wasn’t she telling him to leave the hell out of her house? His crooked grin caused her heart to thump heavily in her chest. Not the most reassuring response.
“That’s cryptic.”
He shook his head. Maybe it was, but she didn’t feel the need to say more. Yet she couldn’t seem to get out now, so she stood there, her awareness increasing and the silence stretching out.
Elijah sighed, that gaze never leaving her face. She couldn’t seem to look away. Or think… A cold shower was definitely in her future. Or Great Scott… Yeah, lots of Great Scott time.
He was saying something, but her mind was too busy processing everything to hear him. Oh, God… In less than thirty minutes she’d gone from content to distressed. And it was all Elijah’s fault… Again.
“I’d offer to stay across the street at my mom’s but she’s got a full house, with the holidays and all…”
His words were soft, echoing in her ears. She frowned at him, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Clearly, one of us needs to find a hotel. Like… now?”
“Look, Star, I haven’t slept in a few days, Star. I’d appreciate one night in my own bed. I’m not here much… As you can see, the empty fridge and pantry can confirm that. I’ll stay out of your hair, I promise.” Elijah did look tired. His blue eyes were bloodshot and there were bags under his eyes.“I don’t even snore.”“Elijah…”“I can move into your room,” he offered. He was sleeping in her parents’ room. Which was good… she wasn’t ready to go there. Any and all memories of her mom could wait behind that closed door for a few more days.“No!” she said. “I wouldn’t… couldn’t sleep in there.”“I’m sorry about your mom,” Elijah said, grabbing her attention. Starlight nodded. She hadn’t visited Smithville since her mother’s death, three years before.“It’s strange to be here and have it so quiet.” She shrugged, not wanting to share with him. But Elijah had known better than most about her mother and her… fits of temper. When she’d been on a real te
Elijah stared down at her, his nerves strung so tight he worried he’d pop. Starlight was here… And all he could think about was touching her, tasting her. Silk. Warmth. Pure temptation. And even though he had no right to touch her, to think of her tangled up with him, Elijah couldn’t stop himself. His body responded to her without reason, as if they hadn’t been living separate lives for years… Eight years… Her quiver revealed her lie. Starlight wasn’t immune to him… or not as much as she wanted to be.“I don’t believe you, Star,” he argued. She drew in a wavering breath.“I couldn’t care less what you choose to believe or not.” There was an edge to her voice. No, she wasn’t immune to him… but she was going to fight it, like the stubborn goddess she was. Her green eyes clashed with his blue eyes and Elijah smiled at her. God, she was still the most beautiful girl in the world… in the entire Universe.
One second, she was sitting there, facing him, her touch tentative… The next, he was lying back on the pile of pillows, Starlight’s hesitation replaced by desperate curiosity. He watched her expression, aware of every move her hands and fingers made. Starlight bent over him, her long dark hair spilling onto his stomach as her lips and tongue explored the super-sensitized flesh of his nipple. He reached up to thread his fingers in her hair, absorbing every caress and stroke. She took her time, exploring every inch of him with her soft hands and mouth. Her teeth nipped his side, her nails ran the length of his arms, and she kissed and sucked her way down his abdomen. Elijah could barely breathe. Her tongue dipped into his belly button
Bracing his hands against her hips, Elijah forced himself to slow down, and deliver each thrust with deliberate impact and maximum friction. Gritting his teeth, he growled as he filled her to the hilt again. Beneath him, Starlight’s little pants as she tried to catch her breath were driving him out of his mind. As he found her magic spot, the one guaranteed to fast-forward her into orgasm, she writhed. With short digs of his shaft, Elijah worked her, dragging the head, which felt as if it had ballooned ten times its normal size, right where she needed it. Starlight rewarded him quickly, breath catching, flush spreading across her fair skin, thighs latching on, sex tightening.“I… Oh, God! I need…”“I know what you need,” he rasped into her ear.
Starlight stared at the room decorated for Christmas… The wreath hung over the fireplace, its colored glass balls aglow from the white lights inside. The Christmas village was arranged on the side table and she’d unpacked the train that would go around the Christmas tree. Sweet memories… from long ago… Now all she needed was a tree. The repairman had arrived first thing. Nothing like working heat and electricity, Christmas decorations, carols, and a solid night’s sleep to help dispel some of her moodiness. Or the mind-blowing orgasms… courtesy of Elijah. But last night had been a huge mistake. He’d caught her when she was vulnerable and needy... And it had been the single most erotic moment of her life. Not that it would ever happen again. She’d been arguing with herself all morning. What had she been thinking? Why had things gotten so carried away? And then she’d remember the feel of him, the things Elija
“I was a little shell-shocked when he left,” Starlight added, feeling delightfully wicked. Elijah looked at her, blue eyes narrowing.“Oh, it was mutual, believe me.” The look in his eyes made her tingle. She’d been more than satisfied, even if he hadn’t. But was he still interested? She hoped he was. She cleared her throat. “Next time, maybe we can finish our conversation?” she asked, her voice tight. Starlight saw him swallow, the flare of his nostrils, the absolutely gorgeous ridge of his jaw locking. His nod was stiff but it was enough to have her throbbing.“Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation…” Meghan murmured. She and Elijah looked at Meghan in unison, making Meghan grin widely.“Well, I would love to stay longer but I have pies to get in the oven… for the auction…” Mrs. Thomas stood.“You’ll come, won’t you, Starlight?”“I’d like that...” “There are so many parties and events this time of year. And a wedding…
Starlight’s smile touched his heart. He’d missed that smile. He’d missed her.“Now let’s get some food,” Meghan said. “Need anything, EJ?”“No, I’m good.” Meghan nodded and headed out the door. Starlight smiled up at him.“You sure you don’t want anything?”“You know I do. But we’ve got all night,” Elijah promised, his gaze shifting to her full red lips. “And I plan on taking advantage of that.” She shivered.“Who said last night’s offer was still on?” Elijah smiled.“It’s still on.” Starlight opened her mouth, then closed
He placed her in the middle of the bed. The cool air of the room caressed Starlight’s naked body, and she shivered a little. Watching Starlight, his heart thundered in his chest, his body begging him to touch her all over, with his hands, his mouth, his tongue.“Touch me, Elijah… Don’t keep those hands to yourself…” Starlight whispered, then made a sexy noise and parted slightly her thighs inviting him to take what was rightfully his… at least that night.“I won’t, little Star…” What Elijah wanted was to climb over her sweet, naked body and impale her until he gave them what they both wanted. But he didn’t want to rush things… Elijah wanted this night to be endless… ‘Okay, let’s take it slow this time… and play a little…’“Where do you think I should touch you?” he asked and, on his lips, appeared a mischievous smile. Starlight rolled onto her back as his fingers crept across the mattress. When he reached her stomach, Elijah brush