“Looks like Marcus was right.”

We both stood up, gathering the items from the blanket. “Why Marcus, Elijah? Why did you pick him?”

Elijah stopped what he was doing and looked at me. “He took over my brother’s room. It’s my way of being connected to Evan. My brother’s name was Evan.”

His words gave me chills. “Do you sing for any of the others or just for Marcus?”

“Sometimes, I sing to a group of patients.”

The rain started pouring faster, interrupting our conversation. Elijah gathered the last few items, threw them in the trunk, and opened the door for me.

“What are you waiting for, Freckles? Get in.”

I closed the door, and pulled Elijah to me. We were getting drenched, but I didn’t care. Rain fell on Elijah’s face and soaked into his sweater. The way he was staring back at me reminded me of when we showered together. Pushing my naughty thoughts away, I curled my lips into a mischievous smile. “I want to dance in the rain. I want to do it for Marcus.”

Elijah looked at me for a second. His eyes twinkled with approval. Rewarding me with his sexy grin, he swung me around. “We can do more than dance. Alex, you feel like heaven to touch.”

He sang “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” an oldie by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was one of the songs my dad used to sing.

Trembling, my body felt like it had turned to ice and the wet clothes clung uncomfortably to every part of my skin, but it was worth it—worth this moment—worth it all. We jumped in puddles together like children, all the puddles we could find, while Elijah bellowed at the top of his lungs singing. “I love you, baby!” As the rain poured down on us, we both sang our hearts out, laughed out loud, jumped as high as we could, and danced like we’ve never danced before without a care in the world.

Chapter 36

Elijah

Whiteboard:

Thank you for the most

amazing date!

-Alex

It had been a while since the gang got together. I told everyone that it was potluck, so we ended up with all different types of food. Alex offered to cook, but she had her job and her classes. I didn’t want that kind of stress for her.

“Are you ready for the race of your life?” Dean asked, lazily sitting on the sofa next to Lexy.

I wanted to punch him for spoiling my plans. I knew Alex would disapprove, especially when she glared at me without a smile. I was going to charm my way into convincing her and let her know it would be my last race, but it looked like I was going to have to do a lot more than that.

“Why don’t you back away from this race,” Seth suggested, sitting across from me at the dining table. “I mean, you don’t need the money. The risk isn’t worth it. You know the cops are going to be swarming the place, especially after all of the unavoidable complaints.”

“I have to agree with Seth,” Lexy added.

“That’s strange, Elijah told me he wasn’t going to race anymore.” Alex’s tone was sarcastic.

“I had already signed up for this one before we agreed that I wouldn’t race.” I couldn’t look at Alex. I was doing this for her, for us. She may not understand, but as a man, I had this need to provide and take care of her. With the amount of money I could win, I could buy her a car and save the rest for the future.

When Alex went into the kitchen, I followed and snatched her before she could get away from me. I was holding her so tightly that she couldn’t even struggle. “I promised you that I wouldn’t race anymore, but this is different.”

“When were you going to tell me?” she frowned, darting her eyes at me in anger. “And when is it?”

“The race is next week. I had this whole speech ready for you and I even thought about how I was going to convince you.”

“You did?” Her tone softened, looking amused.

I rocked us back and forth. “I did. I was going to tell you that I went two weeks without smoking, even after telling myself I would never stop smoking for anyone but myself. Now you know that I would do anything to make you happy.”

Her eyes glowed and she gave me that smile I loved so much. “I’m so proud of you. Thank you.”

“And I was also going to do this.” I leaned into that special place I like to nibble on her neck. Thank goodness Dean had the television on and they were watching the Lakers game. When she moaned, I trailed my kisses lower, down to her br**sts.

Backing her against the cabinet, my hands explored her body as I continued to consume her mouth with my lips and tongue. I anchored her right leg around my waist and grabbed her ass. When she sucked in air, it drove me to another level of excitement.

“You know that’s not going to work. Safety. Comes. First,” Alex managed to say between kissing me back, lost to my touches. I didn’t reply because I was way too into what I was doing.

“You have a bedroom. Actually two,” Seth hollered, chuckling. “Pick one.”

Alex turned her body away shyly with a soft giggle before I could release her. I dragged my hair back and watched her walk away. I could tell this was not over.

Alexandria

It was late into the night and everyone had gone home. While I washed up, Elijah was already in bed, studying his notes. Trying to look as seductive as possible, I inhaled a deep, nervous breath and rested my hand on the doorframe with my hip leaned to one side.

“So you thought you could convince me with your speech and charm, but you see I also have a speech ready. I even thought about how I could convince you. So here I am.” Still standing by the door, I made sure the leather jacket opened just enough so he could see that I was completely naked underneath.