Knight In Black Leather by Gail Dayton (people reading books .txt) 📗

Mom stood in the foyer, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish.

Marilyn took a deep breath. "Tell you what, Mom. Eli and Pete are going to get breakfast. I'm going to go get in the shower. While we're out of the way, you think about whether you can live with my conditions. If you can't--"

She paused to get a grip on her voice. "Well, I'm real sorry about that. I love you, Mom, and I love Julie, too. But I can't spend the rest of my life mourning Bill the way you want me to. He's dead. I'm not. I have to live my life my way. Not yours."

"Marilyn--"

"I'm going to take my shower. If you're still here when I get out, we can talk then."

"I don't--Marilyn!" Mom followed her to the stairs.

She didn't wait. She'd had enough. More than enough.

Eli came out of the bedroom pulling on his jacket and met her halfway down the stairs with a quick kiss. "Any particular kind of bagel you prefer?"

"I can't face onion this early in the day, but they're good for lunch. Whatever they've got is fine." She plucked one of her long dark hairs from his jacket. "Pete's outside, probably frothing at the mouth to get going."

Eli chuckled. "Okay, I can take a hint." He kissed her again, slipping his arm cast behind her to pull her in tight against him. "My favorite breakfast," he murmured, kissing his way to her ear. "Warm woman."

"Behave yourself." Marilyn wriggled away, laughing. "Or I'll have garlic cream cheese and lox with that onion bagel and you won't want to kiss me for days."

"Won't bother me." Eli winked at her. "I'm twenty-five, remember? Nothing much puts me off." He leaned in for another kiss.

"You're putting on all this show for me?" Mom spoke from downstairs and Eli froze in mid-kiss. Marilyn wanted to scream with frustration. "You think seeing you act all lovey-dovey will make me change my mind? It makes me sick to my stomach."

"Then, don't look." Marilyn grabbed Eli by his jacket collar and hauled him close, her mouth meeting his for a demanding kiss. He hesitated for maybe half a second, long enough for her to slide her hand around to his back beneath the leather of the jacket. Then his mouth opened over hers, his tongue darted out and he surrendered to every one of her demands as he made a few of his own. He could never resist her.

Her hand crept down to cup his buttocks, holding him still while she rubbed herself against him. Eli broke away, breathing hard. "Not that I have any real objection to exhibitionism," he gasped, "but the stairs aren't exactly the best place for it."

Marilyn couldn't catch her breath either. She looked over her shoulder at the empty foyer. "No exhibit. She's gone."

Eli studied her, trying to figure out her motivation. Did she really want him? "Is that why you did it? Kissed me like that? To make her leave?"

"No."

He must not have looked like he believed her.

"No," she repeated. "I kissed you like that because I wanted to. Okay, partly, it was to prove she couldn't make me stop, and yes, that's a little childish. But it's my house, Eli. If I want to kiss you, I can. If I want to have sex with you, I can." A blush flamed all the way up her neck to the part in her hair. "I do. But you're right. Not on the stairs."

Her hands flew up to hide her mouth. "Oh, my God, Pete could have come in! He'd have seen us."

Eli laughed, delighted by her embarrassment. It meant she'd forgotten everything except kissing him. Her words made him feel good too. He grabbed her in a cautious bear hug, considering they were still on the stairs and he still had only one good leg. He needed another kiss. Their lips touched. And the front door rattled open.

"What's taking so long?" Pete yelled. Then, "Oh geez, you're kissing? I'm gonnastarve before I get to eat."

Eli and Marilyn broke apart, laughing. He kissed her cheek and forced himself to turn away. "Okay, okay. I'm coming."

Pete had to read every item on the blackboard menu out loud. He was proud of the fact that he was the best reader in third grade at his school. Eli was damn proud of it himself. Pete was a great kid. Thank God he'd called Eli for help before Flash had a chance to get hold of him. If something had happened to Pete--once more, Eli pushed the thought away.

But something terrible did happen to Marilyn's Kevin. A boy no older than Pete. Taller. Quieter, maybe, but with the same freckles. The same little boy smell. The same little boy enthusiasms. Gone. Forever.

"Hey, Dad. Eli--" Pete tugged on his good arm. "What do we want?"

"Oh." Eli looked at the counter guy waiting not so patiently to take their order. "Uh--how many do you want? How many can you eat?"

"Three!" Pete jumped up and down in front of the counter, perpetual motion in the flesh. "Cinnamon. Or no, blueberry!"

Eli eyed him doubtfully. But they could always save the extras for later. "A dozen mixed," he said, pulling out his wallet. "Give me some cream cheese, too. Plain and something with fruit. Whatever you got."

While he went through the mechanics of paying for and collecting their purchase, Eli's mind threw out old assumptions and rearranged the remaining bits into a new understanding. He'd always thought of Marilyn as an innocent. Someone untouched by the ugly realities of life.

Sure, she'd lost her husband, and that was rough. Maybe he couldn't understand what that was like because he'd never loved anybody that way. Not enough to promise to stick with them the rest of his life.

Losing Teresa hurt. But a lot of that was guilt over not saving her. He could have, maybe, if he'd acted sooner. The first time she called.