~Peaches~
Eli’s mouth caught mine for another kiss, but this one was different. Deeper. Hungrier. Almost desperate in its intensity. I didn’t even notice when his hand drifted down toward my jeans, or when he opened them. The kiss consumed me completely, right up to the instant his finger found my most sensitive spot.
I froze, mesmerized as the digit circled my clit, sending little shockwaves of raw sensation radiating out from my center. At first, there was nothing but perfect pleasure. He’d found exactly the right spot, and now he was utterly focused on working it, every movement slow and steady. Tension started to build within me, along with fresh need.
This was great, but I needed more.
“Faster,” I whispered, letting my head fall back. Eli gave a low laugh, but he didn’t change what he was doing.
I squirmed, starting to feel frantic. But instead of giving me what I desperately wanted, he pulled away from my clit entirely.
“Eli—” I started to protest, but before I could say more, he plunged his finger all the way into me, hitting my g-spot on the first try. My back arched, and I made a noise halfway between a groan and a scream because whatever he was doing…it worked for me.
Holy hell, it worked.
I’d wanted him to go faster, and now he was. Fast and hard, his fingers plunging just like his dick likely wanted to do. I knew this because my hand was between us, holding him so that every time he moved, I felt just how much he wanted to fuck me.
“I want to see you come first,” Eli whispered. As if I had a choice about the sensations ripping through me. That terrible tension was swirling and building with every stroke, and my heart was starting to race.
“That’s a great idea,” I gasped. I felt like I should remember something, but every time I started to form a coherent thought, that finger of his hit my g-spot again.
Probably something about getting him off, I realized.
Except he’d said he wanted to see me get off, which sounded more and more awesome by the second. His hand found a slightly different angle, somehow discovering a way to slide across my clit each and every time. I liked this development.
I liked it a lot.
I liked it so much that when he did it again, my toes curled so hard that it hurt, and I started to pant. I was close—really close—and I could feel my orgasm, hovering just out of reach, calling to me. The sound of my heart beating fast filled my ears as every muscle in my body tightened and…holy shit, was that his thumb touching my—?
I convulsed once, and then a second time, waves of release smashing through the coiled tension, rocking me in a series of little shocks that left me blinking.
Eli’s hand was suddenly on my stomach, rubbing it gently as the last tremors settled. I looked up at him, and he gave me a crooked smile.
“Hell of a bite you got there,” he said softly.
“What?”
“You bit my shoulder. Like a vampire. It was hot, but it also kind of hurt.”
My eyes focused slowly, and then I saw it. A set of bite marks that were already starting to bruise, right in line with my mouth. I swallowed, trying to remember how that’d happened, and coming up blank.
“I’m sorry?” I said, hoping that was right. Eli’s hand slid up, then caught my hair, fisting it as he jerked my head back.
“You’re gonna have to make that up to me,” he whispered. I tried to answer, but then he kissed me. If the last one had been hungry, this one was starving. He went deep, filling my mouth as he lifted his hips, his hand fumbling with his fly.
I wanted to help, but I couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, his jeans were open, and I felt the hard, sleek length of him brush my hand. Then he was settling between my legs, the head of his cock poised at my opening.
Raising his head, Eli pulled away from the kiss. I found myself wanting more and trying to catch him. He caught one of my hands, threading his fingers with mine as he pressed the back of my hand down beside my head.
Then he paused, looking down at me. I couldn’t read his expression. In that moment, Eli King was every bit as strange and dangerous as he’d been when I first met him, and he was holding me down.
He could do anything to me, I realized.
Anything at all.
It should’ve scared me, but instead, it turned me on.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Are you scared that I’ll bite you again?”
Eli slowly shook his head.
“No, you don’t scare me.”
“Maybe not,” I whispered. “But I know what does. You better fuck me right now, or I swear to God, I will fill this whole damned room with snakes while you sleep.”
“You are ridiculously fucking crazy,” he said. “And now you’re mine.”
He thrust into me as he said it, filling me so completely that I forgot how to breathe. Then he pulled back and did it again, moving faster with each stroke. Over and over again, he hit that spot inside exactly right, somehow sliding over my clit just enough to qualify as an art form as he did.
This time, I didn’t feel a slow build of coiled tension.
I didn’t have that luxury.
It was like my wires had gotten crossed, and my body wasn’t sure what to do, so I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and just held on for the ride. I could feel him inside me, pulsing and growing, and I knew he wouldn’t last long.
That was okay. I wasn’t going to last much longer, either.
I’d just finished the thought when the climax hit, slamming into me as I screamed, convulsing around Eli. It was too much for him. His hips surged into mine one last time, and he jerked as he filled me.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that.
Long enough that I’d stopped shuddering, and my heart rate slowed. We found each other’s gazes again, and I watched as a slow change came over his features.
He looked different. Happy.
Smiling.
“So, did you make it ten minutes?” I finally asked. “Because I forgot to hit the stopwatch.”
“Don’t talk,” he said, leaning down to kiss the side of my neck. “I don’t want you to ruin it.”
Outraged, my hands attacked his sides, and he started laughing. That set me off even more, and then he was tickling me while I tried to attack him with my nails. Then his head hit the wall, and I pressed my attack, rolling him over to climb on top of him.
Not long afterward, I discovered something quite wonderful about Eli King. Apparently, he really was a five-minute man, because that’s all it took for him to recover.
Directly after that, I learned something else.
He could keep going for more than ten minutes. Significantly more. So much more, that between the night ending and the next morning beginning, we realized that we absolutely needed to get something to eat.
That’s how I found myself on the back of Eli’s bike as he tore through the darkness, feeling wild and free in a way I’d never experienced before.
Eventually, Eli pulled off to climb a hill overlooking the valley. There, we sat and ate some snacks we’d gotten at a gas station, laughing and telling stories all the while, refusing to think about anything more than us, right there in that moment. That’s when I learned the best thing of all about Eli King.
Seemed he’d always had a fantasy about getting me off while sitting on his Harley, wearing nothing but his belt and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
I didn’t just have a hot biker going down on me in the moonlight that evening.
I had a hot biker going down on me in the moonlight while I ate mini donuts coated in powdered sugar.
Life simply did not get any better than that.
The roar of a different motorcycle woke me up early the next morning, just as the sun started to rise.
That’d be Gus, finally coming home from a night of whatever it was he did after the bar closed. I knew this because that’d been his habit ever since I was a little girl. Not every day, but definitely two or three times a week.
I’d loved those mornings.
Mom would still be sleeping, so those were my special times with Gus. He was always in a great mood, too. He’d announce that he wanted waffles, but that he couldn’t make them without a helper.
It was my job to watch the waffle iron for when the light turned off so they didn’t get burned. Sometimes, I got distracted and missed it. That never bothered Gus, though. He’d just give me a hug and insist that he liked them best when they were extra crispy.
Then we’d sit down and eat together while he told me stories and let me use as much syrup as I wanted. We always finished by putting together a breakfast tray for Mom. Gus had to carry it upstairs, but he’d let me take it into the room to give to her.
Mom loved getting breakfast in bed, sometimes so much that she cried. Tears of happiness, she’d told me, because she had the world’s best daughter. Those mornings were some of my favorite childhood memories, pure and beautiful and precious.
Mom’s reaction hadn’t been tears of happiness, though. I’d figured that out years later once I learned the real reason she left him. The real reason he came home late all those mornings and was in such a good mood.
Eli’s arm tightened around my waist, reminding me that I wasn’t a little girl anymore. His body spooned mine, our legs tangled together in a delicious echo of what’d happened last night. His solid bulk was comforting, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest reassured me that all was good.
Safe.
Funny how that worked. There wasn’t another person on Earth with the power to piss me off like Eli could. Yet when shit got real, we stood together.
Always.
We kept each other’s secrets, and while I loved torturing him, I was protective, too. Watching his court case had been like a slow-motion car crash, and his refusal to take my help cut me. Deeply. I’d hated him for it.
I’d also written to him in prison and sent care packages.
Downstairs, the kitchen door thudded as it closed, reminding me that I had unfinished business with Gus. He’d used Eli to save his own ass, something Eli seemed willing to leave in the past.
Very Christian of him, but I was feeling less saintly about the situation.
Eli shifted, rolling onto his back. Moving carefully, I started untangling myself. I hated to leave him, even for a minute. This still felt like some kind of crazy dream that might evaporate if I wasn’t careful, but putting things off with Gus would only make it harder in the long run.
I padded to the door, instinctively avoiding the board that creaked. The bedding rustled. I glanced back and saw that Eli had rolled into the warm spot I’d left behind.
His eyes were still closed, and his lips had parted just a bit. He looked so young and innocent…almost sweet. He wasn’t innocent, of course. Eli had suffered more as a small child than most people did their entire lives. He’d survived, though. Survived and then sacrificed himself to protect the only family he had left.
Downstairs, I found Gus mixing the waffle batter, whistling a little song to himself. The sound was happy. Cheerful.
“Morning, Peaches,” he said, like nothing had changed last night. I suppose that, in his mind, it hadn’t. He had no clue that I knew what’d really happened. “Coffee is started. There are fresh strawberries in the fridge if you want some with breakfast.”
Walking over to the coffee maker, I pulled out two mugs, filling one for myself and one for Gus. He sprayed the waffle iron, carefully spooning the batter onto the griddle.
“Doesn’t look like you slept on the couch last night,” he said. “Suppose that means you and Eli—”
“I overheard your meeting at the Starkwood last night,” I said, cutting him off. He didn’t respond for a moment, just stared down at the waffle iron. “It’s time for you to tell me the truth.”
He turned to me, his face serious. “Peaches, it’s complicated—”
“Is it? Because it seems pretty simple to me. You threw Eli under the bus to save your own ass. You fucked me over, too, but that’s kinda minor in comparison. You say it’s complicated. Great. You can take as much time as you want to explain it. But I’m not leaving without answers.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he said.
“I know Eli won’t buy the bar until this talk is over,” I countered. “I’m not five years old anymore, okay? I’m an adult. Enough of one to manage your bar for you. So, talk to me.”
Pushing off the counter, I held a mug out to him. He took it, and for the first time in my life, I saw his hand shaking. Like an old man’s hand, the skin like parchment.
“Let’s sit down for this,” he said, turning off the waffle iron. I followed him out of the kitchen to the table. We sat down, and I took a sip of my coffee, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t, and the silence grew more and more uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke.
“You aren’t going to make this easy for me, are you?”
“That’s a matter of perspective,” I said quietly. “Eli spent five years in prison, covering your ass. Pretty sure this conversation won’t take nearly that long.”
He swallowed. “I’m afraid you’ll never forgive me.”
“That’s a valid concern,” I said quietly. “I can’t see myself forgiving you. At least not anytime soon based on what I know right now.”
“You never pull your punches, do you?”
“Either you tell her, or I will,” Eli said, startling both Gus and me. I looked over at him. He’d pulled on his jeans to come downstairs, but nothing else. His chest was bare, and his hair screamed “sex.” I imagined mine did too. Just seeing him made me feel stronger. Safer. Like the two of us could take on the world. He came to stand next to me, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Okay,” Gus said, and I heard the resignation in his voice. “So, it was my birthday party that night. Everyone was down at the Starkwood. I’d spent my afternoon trying to figure out some paperwork. Had a few drinks along the way. Probably a few more than I realized. And, yeah, I know I shouldn’t drink and drive. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t since that night.”
He paused, taking another sip of coffee.
“So, my doorbell rang. It was Mia Eirwood, carrying her baby. Her husband, Kevin, locked them out of the house. No diaper bag, no cell phone. Nothing. That guy…” Gus shook his head. “That guy was human garbage. And Mia was a sweet little thing. Busted ass working to pay all their bills, all the while Kevin was fucking around on her. He was cooking meth out there, too. Someone needed to do something about him.”
“You don’t get to be the hero in this story,” I said, my voice cold. Gus gave a bark of laughter.
“Oh, I’m aware,” he said. “And if I’d been sober, it would have played out different. But that baby was all red from crying, and there was this bruise just starting to form on Mia’s neck. I just kept thinking that the next time, he might kill her. Or that lab of his might blow up. Touch off a fire that’d destroy all our homes. Something bad was gonna happen sooner or later. Figured it’d be best if I made him go away. So, I did. I gave her one of those disposable cell phones and told her to call Gage. Said he’d take care of her. Make sure she had protection. That kind of thing.”
“Did she know what you were planning?” I asked, remembering the gossip. People had whispered that she’d been sleeping with Eli. That they’d plotted the murder together. But there hadn’t been any evidence, and Eli’s plea bargain had specifically stipulated that he’d acted alone.
Last I heard, she’d moved to California.
“Naw, she was just a kid,” Gus said. “Clueless. So, I grabbed my gun and took the pickup over to his place. Figured I’d kill him and then stash the body somewhere before hitting the party.”
Gus’s voice was so casual as he talked about stashing a body. Scary casual, as if he were talking about a bag of recyclables. Not a person. Eli’s hand tightened on my shoulder, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
“I already told you I was drunk,” Gus continued. His eyes were fixed on the wall across from him. Maybe a part of him had to pretend that he was alone to say these things out loud.
“Wasn’t thinking it through, obviously. Everything went just fine until I ran the truck off the road. Hit my head pretty good in the process, which didn’t help. Couldn’t get the truck out of the ditch, so I called Gage. He got Eli and sent him and Pipes to deal with it. It’s hard to remember the exact order of everything.”
“Gus was drunk,” Eli said flatly. “And he definitely had a concussion. We used Pipes’ big diesel to pull the truck out of the ditch. I sent Pipes and Gus back to the party—wanted to establish at least a partial alibi—and then I drove the pickup back to the house. Parked it in the shed. The plan was for me to ride Gus’s Harley back to the bar. I’d just pulled out of the driveway when a sheriff’s deputy pulled me over.”
“I was an idiot,” Gus said quietly. “About everything. And sloppy. Didn’t even notice an extra car in the Eirwood’s driveway. There was someone inside the house besides just Kevin. Whoever it was saw the whole thing. Apparently, they ransacked the house afterward. About an hour later, someone made an anonymous call to the cops to report what’d happened. You probably remember that part from the appeal.”
“I do remember it,” I said quietly. “Because the sheriff’s deputy had no reason to pull Eli over. He just assumed he was involved because he’s a biker.”
“Exactly,” said Eli. “But we didn’t know that until a lot later.”
“People are too damned prejudiced,” Gus muttered. I shot him a dirty look.
“You actually committed this particular crime, Gus,” I reminded him. “And then Eli went to prison for it. Not you.”
Eli straightened and then stepped around the table to sit down facing me. I reached my hand out toward him, and he took it.
“I made a choice,” Eli said quietly. “Washington has a three strikes law, and Gus already had two. They’d have put him away for life. Worst case, we knew I’d still be eligible for parole.”
“The lawyers said the appeal was strong,” Gus added defensively. “The deputy claimed that he’d stopped Eli based on that 911 call, but they couldn’t produce a witness or a recording. Sure as shit didn’t have a warrant. I knew we’d get Eli out eventually.”
“And what about the Reapers?” I asked. “What did they think?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eli told me. “None of it. I’m out of prison, and it’s all over. They never tied Gus to the crime at all.”
“Gage said it was bullshit,” Gus said, his voice haunted. “They wanted to fight it all the way. Eli was more worried about protecting me than he was about himself. He figured that if your alibi accounted for him, then they’d start looking at me. You were part of it, too.”
That caught me off guard. “What?”
“Gus is talking out of his ass,” Eli said, shooting him a nasty look.
“He didn’t want you to lose me,” Gus said, ignoring Eli. “He’d already watched you lose me once. Didn’t want to see it again. So, he took the bullet and pleaded out. Lawyers helped him with that part…the whole thing was a setup, ‘cause they were already planning the appeal.”
I couldn’t breathe, trying to comprehend what Gus had just told me.
“Eli?” I finally asked, still trying to wrap my head around it. “Is that true?”
He shrugged, glaring at Gus. “It was a small factor. Not the only, though. So, don’t get too full of yourself. If it makes you feel better, I had plenty of time to think things over while I was locked up. I should’ve fought from the beginning and let it play out naturally. For what it’s worth, Gus didn’t talk to me before offering to sell you the bar. He already knew my feelings on the subject. I was totally against it, and I still am. It’s too fucking dangerous.”
“So, it’s too dangerous for me but okay for you?”
“I’m a member of the club,” Eli said. “I took on that risk when I joined. You’re a civilian.”
“But why should either of us have to be at risk?” I demanded. “Why can’t one of us just buy the Starkwood and run it? No Reapers, no danger, just good food and cold beer!”
“Because the Reapers own half the business,” Gus said quietly.
That threw me.
“No, they don’t,” I said. “You do. James looked up the property values and the liquor license and… Oh, shit. You mean they own it secretly. Like the Mafia or something?”
“I inherited the bar,” Gus said. “You knew that. Well, I didn’t get it free and clear. It came with a lot of debt. Eventually, I wanted to buy a house, but I couldn’t get a loan from a bank. So, I asked the Reapers if they’d be willing to buy a stake in the business. They said yes. There aren’t any records, of course, but Eli has known about it for years.”
“So you’re saying the Reapers Motorcycle Club owns half the bar you wanted me to buy from you,” I said slowly. “Were you planning to tell me this before or after I signed the papers?”
“I’d have told you before,” Gus said. His eyes had reddened, the surface shiny with tears. For an instant, I felt sorry for him. Then I remembered all the times my mom had cried when I brought a tray of waffles to her in bed.
I wanted to believe that he’d have been honest with me before it was too late.
“You’re an incredibly selfish person,” I said, pushing my chair back as I stood. “I don’t even know what to say to you. Other people aren’t just tissues to be used and thrown away when they get inconvenient, Gus. I can’t believe I used to wish you were my dad.”
Turning my back on him, I walked toward the stairs, trying to think. Obviously, I couldn’t buy the bar. But Eli shouldn’t buy it, either. I knew the club was into illegal stuff. I wasn’t a total idiot. But what Gus had described…that was serious shit. They had to be laundering money or something.
The thought stopped me in my tracks.
I’d been doing the Starkwood books for two years. Obviously, not the real books, but I’d seen enough that it’d been confusing at times. Now, everything made so much more sense. This was horrible. But it might also be an opportunity.
“Eli, can I talk to you upstairs?”
* * * *
~Eli~
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I followed Peaches upstairs.
I’d seen her angry plenty of times throughout the years. Hell, she was mad around me more often than not, usually because I provoked her, which was definitely my second favorite way to spend time with her.
I’d never seen Peaches like this, though.
She wasn’t screaming or throwing things. There was no fire in her eyes. If anything, she seemed to be concentrating really hard. Like she had an idea, which was a turn of events that rarely ended well for me. My dick gave an optimistic twitch as she sat down on the bed. The room still smelled like sex, for fuck’s sake, but I had no illusions.
Whatever she wanted to talk about didn’t involve me getting laid. So, when she leaned back against the wall, looking toward the door, I leaned back next to her.
“So this whole time, you were only going to buy half the bar,” she said slowly. “And you always knew that was the deal.”
“Yup. I’ve known it since I turned eighteen. The Reapers have been silent partners since before we were born.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asked, turning to look at me.
“It is what it is,” I said. “You’re not stupid. You know the Reapers are into all kinds of things. Gus and I are both part of that. I chose this life, and I’m at peace with what it means.”
“And the Reapers had nothing to do with you serving time? They didn’t ask you to do that?”
“No, they didn’t,” I said. “This wasn’t about the club at all. They paid for my lawyer—we have a fund for that—and they bought a pig to roast at the party when I got out. But shooting that guy? That was Gus, all by himself. He called us for help, and we answered because that’s what we do.”
“He may not always be right, but he’s always your brother…” she said, the words trailing off. I nodded, and we both fell silent again. Her hand slipped down, catching mine. I raised it to my mouth, kissing her fingers.
“So, I have this thought,” Peaches said, breaking the silence.
“I’m listening.”
“What if we bought the bar together?” she asked. “If we put our money together, we’d have enough to buy all of them out. Last night, you said you wanted to be partners with me. That it didn’t matter whose name was on the deed. I thought you were full of shit, but that’s the kind of partnership the Reapers have with Gus already, isn’t it?”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I was thinking,” I admitted.
Peaches laughed.
“You were thinking more about me putting in my time and energy there the same way I would if I owned a stake. You’d let me make decisions, and we’d be like partners, except your name would be on the deed, and you’d have the power to fire me.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds bad,” I admitted. She offered me her sweetest smile, and suddenly, all I could think about were those lips of hers wrapped around my cock.
“It is bad,” she said. “But I have a different idea. One that could work for both of us. What if I buy out Gus, and you buy out the Reapers? That way, you’re the silent partner, and unlike me, you’d actually have the force to assert your rights if I decided to cheat you.”
I stilled, almost startled by how obvious it was.
“Do you think we could do it?” I asked her. “Let’s assume that the financing works, and the Reapers are on board—and I’m thinking I could make that happen—do you really think you and I could be equal partners in something like that? Without killing each other?”
“Have we killed each other yet?” she asked, her voice softening. She tugged her hand free from mine and then dropped it to my inner thigh, rubbing it back and forth. My dick took notice, and I felt my balls clench. Then her fingers drifted up, cupping me and fondling me through my jeans.
“You came close last night,” I said, trying to follow the conversation. Hard to concentrate, given what she was doing. Peaches touched her lips to mine, just the hint of a teasing kiss. Then she pulled away.
“You’re my best friend, Eli. I’m attracted to you, and I definitely like having sex with you. I’ve spent hundreds—maybe thousands—of hours thinking up new ways to make your life a living hell, yet you still go out of your way to run into me. You like being with me as much as I like being with you.”
“I’d rather be in you,” I said. In a flash, she jerked her hand away from my dick to punch my shoulder. She hit hard, too. Not hard enough to hurt me for real, but she wasn’t playing around, either.
“God, you’re an asshole. I’m trying to have a serious talk here!”
“You know, it turns me on when you’re mad enough to call me names,” I said, which was true. Her eyes had reclaimed their sparkle, and her cheeks were flushed.
“You’re like a two-year-old.”
“And yet you keep coming back for more,” I pointed out. “That’s what you just said, right?”
Peaches opened her mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her face was serious.
“Are you going to buy the bar with me or not?”
It was a great question. A complicated one, too. Not because I didn’t think we could work together. I knew we could work together. But there was more at stake here than the business.
“Question for you,” I said, catching her hand again. “We’ve known each other for most of our lives. If we buy the bar together, we’re stuck with each other. Maybe not forever, but for a long time.”
“I know.”
“I can’t run a business with you and watch you fuck some other guy, let alone marry him or carry his babies. I’ve always known you’ll settle down someday, and I’m not lying when I say I wish you the best in life. But once you marry someone else, I don’t want to be trapped in a business partnership with you. That’s my definition of hell.”
Her eyes widened, and she swallowed. “So, what’s your question?”
I paused, the words on the tip of my tongue. Once I said them out loud, everything would change. Either she’d be with me or she wouldn’t.
Fuck it.
“If we’re going to buy the Starkwood together, we should get married.”
“Eli—”
“Hear me out, first, okay? I just think that—”
“Eli—”
“Just listen to me. Then—”
“Eli, I’m trying to—”
“Christ, Peaches. Just give me—”
“Shut the fuck up!” she burst out, and I could hear the laughter in her voice. “I keep trying to say yes, but you’re so in love with the sound of your own damned voice that you can’t even—”
My hand caught the back of her head, ending the argument with a kiss. Her arms came around me, pulling me down over her body as she collapsed backward onto the bed.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant, marking the spot where my life transitioned from before to after. Was this really happening?
“Hey!” Peaches said, snapping her fingers at me. “Pay attention.”
“What?”
“I asked if you were serious about me carrying babies,” she said. “But you were zoned out or something. Which isn’t exactly flattering, considering we’re in the middle of something physical here.”
“Um, probably,” I told her. “I mean, I’d like to have kids someday.”
“That’s good,” she said, biting her lip. “Because we didn’t use any condoms last night, and I just realized that I forgot to refill my prescription this month.”
I blinked, growing very still. “So, you could be pregnant…?”
“Theoretically,” she said. “I mean, people have sex all the time without getting knocked up. But it’s nice to know you wouldn’t be upset. At the very least, it seemed like something I should mention before we have sex again. Because that’s the direction this is heading, right?”
“Yeah, that was the plan,” I said. “Are you okay with it?”
Her eyes turned thoughtful, and then she started to nod slowly. “I think I am. We should do this, Eli.”
“What? Fuck? Buy the bar? Get married?”
“All of it. I want to do all of it.”
“Can we start with the fucking?” I asked.
“I think that can be arranged.”