Taking Shots (Assassins) (27 page)

They didn’t have time for breakfast, Elli said she was having a bad hair day, but when she came out the bathroom, she looked gorgeous. Part of Shea didn’t want to let her go out in her tight black pants and low cut top. For one, the pants made her ass look so damn delectable, he wanted to eat it, and two, he didn’t like the idea of anyone looking at her toes but him.

Shea was starting to think he was developing a problem. What man was obsessed with a girl’s feet? But he just loved how cute and white they were, all bundled up in high heels with only her big toe showing. Even the purple nail polish on her toes drove him crazy. It was nail polish!

He needed help.

“
I think I need help,” he said as he handed her a muffin and orange juice in a can, she looked at him weird, then smiled.

“
Why?”

“
I like your feet.” She rolled her eyes, giggling as she came around the bar, kissing his cheek.

“
My feet are ugly; I’m on them too much.”

“
No, baby, really. The purple polish drives me mad.” Elli just kept smiling, kissing his lips this time.

“
I like your neck,” she said with a wink that sent heat straight to his crotch, as she walked toward the door, picking up her camera bag. “What are you doing later?”

“
I’m gonna be waiting for you to come back. You said Adler was with your brother for the weekend?”

“
Yeah, Penny wanted him to spend the night and since you were coming home, I agreed.”

“
Good, I told you, you can bring him here if you need to.”

“
He’s fine, but thanks. So, I’ll come back here after the wedding?”

He smiled, loving how unsure she was, when she didn’t need to be, “You better,” he teased, pulling her to him, and kissing her deeply.

They parted and he noticed the heat in Elli’s eyes. Something he had never seen before, his sweet little girlfriend had a hot streak, yes she did, and he wanted more.

“
Mm, damn, you’re sexy, baby,” he muttered against her lips, she gave him a lusty grin, kissing the side of his mouth.

“
I have motivation to be.” With that she was out the door with a wave.

 
He was her motivation, as she was his. He had to grin at that.

Harper and Elli leaned up against a wall, waiting for the bride and groom to make their entrance. The Fellow/Ortiz wedding was gorgeous. Kylie had said she wanted a fall festival and, boy, did she get one. It was beautiful, elegant, amazing. The colors, orange and red with brown as an accent filled the hall, and it was beautiful. Elli could only hope one day her wedding would be as pretty.  

“
God, I feel so good.” Elli looked over at Harper, she had a big grin on her face, needless to say, Harper and Jakob had had fun last night. “I don’t know if I’m gonna last when Jake’s gone for a month, I’m gonna have to go see him, or something, jeez.” Elli smiled, looking around at all the grinning faces.

“
I’m nervous about it, too, I’m gonna miss Shea something stupid,” Elli said as a satisfied grin went across her face just remembering the sounds that were coming from the bedroom last night.

God, her hockey player was too hot to trot.

“
Yeah,” Harper agreed, than looked over at Elli. “So what did y’all do last night? Play chess?”

“
Funny,” Elli said with a playful glare before she smiled, “I cooked dinner, and then he gave me this necklace,” she said holding out the little hockey stick, Harper grinned as she awed with appreciation. Elli leaned over towards Harper and she did the same to Elli, her eyes dancing with excitement, “I gave him head.”

“
Shut the front door!”

Elli nodded eagerly, “then he fingered me.”

“
Say what!”

A couple people turned to see what the commotion was about, but neither girl cared as Elli jumped into details about the amazing night with Shea. Harper listened intently, until the bride and groom walked in. Then they went back to work, promising to carry the conversation on later. The rest of the night went without a hitch, the bride and groom’s night was captured with each click of Elli’s camera. Each shot was perfect, the ones where John took such care feeding Kylie her cake, and then the ones where Kylie just slammed the cake in John’s face were priceless. The night was wonderful in Elli’s opinion, and she just wished all weddings went as well as this one had.

Elli and Harper walked out together, gathering around Elli’s truck. Harper was basically bouncing. She had wanted to hear all about what had happen between Elli and Shea, their whole night, and she was ready to bust with questions. Of course, she asked if Shea was stacked and Elli could only blush, causing Harper to laugh her ass off, but after that, she fired Elli with questions and Elli couldn’t be happier than to share. It had been so long since she got to have girl talk about sex, so she was basking in happiness!

“
So, you think you’re ready for the main course?”

Elli thought it over, she was ready, but she was still scared, “I think if it was dark again, I could do it, but not in the light, but then I don’t know if I want to, you know?”

“
Why?” Harper asked with a scrunched up face.

“
What if we do it, and you know me, I’ll put my heart into it, and then he meets my family and all hell breaks loose.” Harper rolled her eyes, “I mean really, I haven’t told him about Justin or being on Broadway, nothing, so I don’t know, I kinda wanna wait.”

“
Well, he’s waited this long, when’s the dinner? In two weeks right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Okay, I still think you need to tell him though. About everything because you know your family will bust you out left and right, they are going to try to make you look bad.”

“
I know, but I don’t want to talk about Justin or the Broadway shit, you know? It’s my past.”

“
I know, Elli, but your mom doesn’t understand that, she thinks God and everyone needs to know about your failing career, you’re failing engagement, and your failing life, basically.” Harper shook her head as Elli nodded, “But you know I don’t think its failing.”

“
Oh, hush,” Elli said with a grin, “I know it’s not true, but when you hear it enough it still messes with you.”

“
I know, babe, but look at you now! You’re so happy! When are you going to bring him to friend night?”

Elli shrugged her shoulders, and then smiled, “When are you bringing Jakob?”

Harper grinned big, “Actually, they are going to be home next month for it, so I am bringing him then, thank you very much!”

Elli grinned, as Harper bounced up and down, “Well, if he hasn’t dumped me, I’ll ask him to come.”

“
He ain't gonna dump you! Come on! He’s totally smitten with you.” Elli smiled at the thought, she was totally smitten too and Harper was right, she needed to talk to Shea.

She’d do it when she arrived home.

Home?

When did Shea’s home become her home?

Well, hells bells.

When Elli got to Shea’s condo, talking to him went straight out the window. When she had opened the door and saw the red rose petals all over the floor that made a trail to the kitchen her breath caught. She looked around the room and saw the soft lighting of white candles. Tall candles, short candles on little plates, tea cup candles, and big fat ones that had four wicks to them. They were everywhere. Elli smiled to herself as she locked the door, and laid her bag down.

“
Shea?” she called out as she followed the trail to the kitchen, when she turned the corner and saw the island covered in rose petals with two plate settings, lit only by candle light, she covered her mouth in shock. It was so romantic, so sweet; he had gone through all this for her.

Shea came from the bedroom, with a shy smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of jeans and black button up shirt, with bare feet. His hair was perfectly messy, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses.

“
I thought you would be later,” he said as he came to her, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her softly.

“
I guess the bride and groom were in a hurry,” Elli said with a grin. She nodded towards the island, “What’s all this?”

“
I can't have dinner waiting for my beautiful girlfriend?”

Elli narrowed her eyes, with a playful grin, “Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Adler?”

He let her go to put his hands on his chest with an innocent smile on his face, “Me? Never,” he said before wrapping her up in his arms again, kissing her deeply. She basked in his kisses, holding onto him like her life depended on it. He hugged her back, nuzzling her neck. Shea pulled back some to smile down at her before asking, “Are you hungry?”

“
I am,” she answered, he nodded before letting her go and going to the oven. He pulled out a box of pizza and Elli just giggled.

“
What? I can make sandwiches and soup, after that, its take out and pizza.”

She just smiled; he was so amazing, “It's fine, pizza is awesome.”

“
True that.” Elli about fell over laughing, he looked at her weird, and then smiled, “What now?”

“
True that? Who says that nowadays?” That made him laugh as he sat the box down before bringing a bottle of wine out of the fridge to the island.

“
You shut up,” he said as he poured her a glass, then himself. “It was a very common phrase from back in the day.”

“
That should be left back in the day, thank you.” He smacked her ass as he came around her to go to his seat. She just grinned up at him as they sat to eat. She noticed that the plate settings were the plates that she had gotten him, and looked over at him confused. “I thought you said you were gonna take ‘em back?”

He shook his head after taking a bite of his pizza, “Nah, you got them for me, I like them.”

Elli’s heart warmed as they continued to eat. Elli told him all about the beautiful fall wedding and the cake fiasco, and Shea told her about him working out most of the day with Alex and Jakob, and then playing a little pick up at the arena. She enjoyed their dinner, loved the conversation, and afterwards they did the dishes together. She had missed him so much during the day, and just being with him now made her feel so complete inside.

“
Why don’t you go take a bath. I bet your feet are hurting, babe,” Shea said as he started sweeping up petals.

“
Are you sure? I can help.”

He shook his head, “I did this for you, go take a bath.”

“
Thanks,” she gushed, kissing his cheek before heading for the bedroom. When she opened the bedroom door, candle light was the only light in there too; there were white petals all over the bed, and another trail leading to the bathroom. In the bathroom were more candles, with soft music playing and a tray of bath beads and salts beside the tub. Elli noticed that all the scents were mango, her favorite, and she had to smile. He was so thoughtful. She undressed quickly as the water ran, filling the beautiful claw foot tub. After submerging herself in the hot bathwater that smelled like mangos, she thought to herself:

Life couldn’t get any better.

That was until she came out the bathroom and her hot boyfriend was laying in his boxers across the bed. Shea grinned up at her, turning the TV off and pushing something on the remote that started the iHome on the dresser. She smiled, crawling onto the bed, beside him as
Powerful Stuff
played, filling the room with the sexy music that they had first danced to.

“
Oh, you are laying it on thick, Mr. Adler.” Shea laughed, cuddling up beside her.

“
Is it working?”

“
Maybe,” she giggled as he nuzzled her neck, kissing and licking as he made it to her shoulder, where he bit softly. “Mm,” she gasped as he came back to her mouth, his body covering hers.

Shit, this was some powerful stuff, she thought as his hands roamed her body. They continued to make out until
Just as Kiss
started. Elli pulled back, looking into his eyes, running her hand down his jaw. This was their song, and she just wanted to look at him. As the female’s voice filled the room, Elli wanted nothing more than to sing the words to Shea, and when the guy started singing and Shea’s lips moved along with the words, Elli swore she couldn’t breathe.

“
This is our song,” Elli whispered, he smiled, kissing her forehead before nodding.

“
I agree.”

“
But I’m still not ready to have sex.” His smiled stayed on his face as he nodded.

“
That’s fine, baby.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Yes, I-” he stopped, then closed his eyes before dropping his head to her chest taking a deep breath, when he brought his head back up to look down at her, he looked nervous. “I’m sure.”

For some reason, Elli didn’t think that was what he was gonna say.  

As Shea watched Elli leave Monday morning for work, he still couldn’t believe he'd almost told her he loved her. He had missed her all day Saturday, and then after their dinner and just being with her, he really couldn’t blame himself for wanting to tell her, but he couldn’t. Shea was not scared of much, but the thought of Elli rejecting his love or telling him that she didn’t love him. Hell, he was pretty sure it would crush him. So he might as well push them feelings way down, wait it out, wait for her to say it.