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“Are you hungry?” I asked Eli He shook his head in response, but that was it

I left Eli in the car while I checked in, but when I started to say two roo in the exact sas “One room,” I said to the clerk “Two beds,” I added I wanted to keep an eye on Eli, but I needed to keep so think Yesterday, I’d been so sure about ood, but between Jonas’s words about not telling fate to fuck off and Eli calling me out on my cowardice, the seeds of doubt had been planted

Eli was on auto-pilot from the moment I parked the car in front of our roo dresser, toed off his shoes and then went to the bed and crawled between the covers, putting his back totexts to Ronan and Mace to let the out the next day, but I didn’t say anything about whether or not I would be joining Eli on the flight back I set htstand I stared at Eli’s back I needed to leave hiht before, my body had a e of the ainst his backside

“Eli,” I said softly “Would you please look at me?”

Eli took several long seconds to finally roll over onto his back I braced my hand on the bed next to his hip “Tell me how to not hurt you anymore,” I whispered as I reached up to brush his hair from his forehead

His dark eyes held ht coo back to Seattle Even if it’s not too back and give them a chance” When I didn’t respond, Eli sat up and cupped my face “They won’t turn their backs on you, Mav,” Eli whispered and then he kissed ently “Trust me, okay?”

I nodded, because ht for words Eli swiped his thumb back and forth over my jaw a couple times before he released me and lay back down I didn’t stop hih reed to and the ju out et so out

But as I reached foron the dresser near Eli’s, I saw the picture I’d discovered in h her personal possessions that the cops had given me I hadn’t looked at the picture forit in her purse Froraph, I could tell it had been handled nurabbed the picture and took it with me as I headed for the bathroom I turned on the water for the shower and while I waited for it to heat up, I sat down on the closed toilet and stared at the ie of the woman who’d been the first one to teach h

Chapter Twenty-Two

Eli

As tired as I was, I couldn’t sleep Because every tiainst mine It would be our last kiss I kneithout a shadow of a doubt This ive him any part of me he wanted or needed up until thethe hurt in his eyes as he askedain Maybe if I was better at hiding my emotions when hehiht with hione so far off the deep end after he’d adet his Harley, had been proof enough that I couldn’t separateMav