Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
Chances were that had I not had a house full of people, I would’ve immediately hauled him upstairs into my bedroom and spent the rest of the night worshiping his body. Even now, the thought was still very tempting.
But what I think really stuck to me was how willing Elio was to jump to my defense. I’d never been protected like that before, least of all by Paul. When he and I were together, there were moments back in school where some of his friends would make a few suggestive remarks about me. Whether it was just for laughs or they were told with complete serious intent, Paul never said nor did anything to keep them from recurring.
Paul’s vicious words echoed painfully in my head. “So, what are you, like her uncle or something? Is he the one who you’re trying to replace me with? He’s a bit old for you, isn’t he?”
His pompous, sleazy expression made my skin crawl. I wished I possessed the courage to knock him off his feet at that very moment. How badly I wanted to snap at him and openly admit that Elio was, in fact, my boyfriend.
At that moment, there was a loud knock on the front door followed by heavy footsteps. I turned to glance behind me to find Elio walking through the living room. He happily greeted my mom with a cheerful smile and slowly came to stand in front of me.
“It’s good to see you, Cat.”
My heart skipped a few beats in my chest as I fought the horrible urge to fling my arms around him and pull him into a tight hug.
“It’s good to see you too,” I said quietly.
He secretly flashed me a devilish, heart-stopping smile and turned away to offer my mother any needed help.
***
Dinner was finished and all three of us moved into the living room and sat comfortably around the tree. The warm lights offered a beautiful ambiance while my mom offered to turn on some light music for background noise.
I felt genuinely at peace with the loving scene around me. There was no point in trying to think otherwise; Elio was a big part of my life, and something in the back of my mind told me that he always would be.
I was happy we had this moment of quiet with my mom before the rest of his family showed up. At times, it really felt like a lot to deal with.
We exchanged our small gifts with one another and easily slid into a gentle conversation about my transfer to UCLA.
“Oh, Cat, I’m just excited that I’ll get to see you more often than before,” my mother beamed. “You know that I never cared where you went to school. As long as you’re happy and you feel confident where you are, that’s all that matters to me.”
While I offered a supportive smile, I felt Elio’s eyes pour into me.
My chest seized up with sudden anxiety as I made the fatal mistake of glancing in his direction. His once tranquil expression shifted to something dark and possessive. It was as if he’d pieced together the real reason as to why I chosen to switch schools.
“I know, Mom.” I let myself sink back into the couch. “And I really am excited to start somewhere new again.”
A few hours flew by before my mother stood up from her chair. With a slight stretch, she declared that she would be turning in for the night. Before leaving, she turned to Elio and spoke.
“Just so you know, Elio, you’re free to spend the night here if you’d like so you’re here first thing when the family arrives. We have plenty of room.”
He returned her comment with a gracious smile. “I may just have to take you up on that offer,” he told her. Elio turned his head and gave me a pointed look, causing a million goosebumps to break out over my skin.
As soon as my mother retired to her room, the air thickened between us. My heart practically leaped into my throat as I watched Elio get up from his seat to steal the open spot next to me on the couch. He sank into the cushions and turned to me.
“The other night… tell me exactly what that guy is to you,” he demanded softly.
I took my lip between my teeth and slowly nodded my head. Deep down, I knew this sort of talk was coming.
“Paul. He and I briefly dated back when I was at school,” I stated. I could see Elio visibly tensing over this bit of information, but he never interrupted me. “We met at some party a while back and we hit off. Things were good until they weren’t. I made it clear on numerous occasions that I wanted to break up, but—”
“But he had other plans in mind,” Elio finished for me. “So, he’s a big part of the reason why you’ve decided to come back home.”
I nodded my head and sighed. There was no way I was going to tell him the rest of the gruesome details. Knowing Elio, he would’ve jumped up from the couch and stormed out the door with the intent of hunting Paul down.
“I honestly didn’t think he’d stoop so low as to show up here and disrupt everything.”
“Well, I’m just glad that I stepped in when I did,” he said. “Believe me, I had no real intention of crashing your night. But when I saw him begin to crowd you, I couldn’t stop myself.”
While my body continued to heat up from the honesty behind his words, I needed him to know where I stood on the matter completely.
“Look, I appreciate you getting Paul to leave. But you need to know that I can handle myself in these sorts of situations, okay?”
The corner of his mouth pulled back into a smirk. “Cat, I have absolutely no doubt that you can take care of yourself. Like I said before, I couldn’t stop myself. Shit, I’m just happy that I didn’t end up punching the asshole out,” he muttered.
I giggled under my breath and thoughtlessly leaned into his warm side. Elio wrapped a strong arm around me and pulled me in closer. I closed my eyes and took in the moment. For now, we let the conversation over Paul drop, even though my feelings of bitterness were still lingering.
I felt Elio brush my hair out of my face and speak against my cheek.
“So, your mom said I could stay tonight.” His deep, honeyed voice caused my breathing to hitch. “I’d like to, if that’s okay with you?”
‘Oh, God… how can I say no?’
*Caterina*
Elio’s words danced over my skin like tiny flicks of electricity. Each word caressed me like a warm hand that I wanted to reach out and take.
“So, your mom said I could stay tonight. I’d like to… if that’s okay with you?”
The rich baritone sound of his voice caused the muscles in my body to spasm beyond my control. Yes, I wanted him to stay. I needed him to stay. Hell, I was sure the man already possessed a secret key to the front door. Why couldn’t he just move some of his stuff in here already and stay permanently?
Ever since our last encounter on that very couch, I’d felt nothing but an unbearable pent-up frustration. Between the constant heated looks and innocent touches behind my mother’s back, I was certain I was on the edge of combusting.
My eyes slowly opened to find Elio’s dark hooded gaze staring at me, waiting for an answer. My cheeks flushed a pink hue while my eyes dropped to his lips.
“Of course,” I responded wistfully.
He gave a slight smile that was marked with some kind of silent victory. How could he possibly think that I would say no to him, I wondered. The very air around us was growing thicker by the second. And with it, I could sense Elio’s reserved behavior was beginning to crack away as well.
Between pushing back my hair from my face, he glided his fingers down my cheeks and over the curve of my neck to play at the collar of my sweater. His tantalizing touch coaxed me to melt further into him.
No one had ever made me feel this desperate for attention before. Not a single other living soul had made me feel more desperate, more entranced to be touched.
Part of me still couldn’t fathom that this man wanted me. Elio was strong, compassionate, devoted, family-oriented, ambitious, protective—the list went on. He could easily have anyone he wanted. But based on the sensual, hypnotic movements of his hands, it was clear that he wanted me.
The feeling was entirely mutual. And I was prepared to prove it to him.
I lifted my own hand up to take his face in my palm. Leaning in, I captured his lip in a searing kiss. I needed him to feel my longing for him.
As I melted further into his touch, my hold on him grew tighter, almost angry… because among my desperate unyielding need to feel him against me, my anger toward his actions was fighting back just as strongly. Something about my rough movements must have been a clear indicator for Elio that there was more at play here than just lust.
He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and pulled back, breaking the connection between us. He tipped my head slightly back and forced me to look him in the eyes.
Elio was breathless, his voice rough and gravelly. He narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Are you still upset about me stepping in between you and Paul?” he questioned sternly.