Torch (1/?)
Title: Torch (1/?)
Author: lexisloan
Rating: M
Pairing: Kelly Severide/Elise Mills
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: I have only got one burning desire.
This was supposed to be a one-shot. It obviously didn't work out that way. I'm always so nervous dipping my toe into a new fandom.
Elise Mills and Kelly Severide
..xx..
He felt her stir next to him and it was not an alarm blaring but he had been trained over the years to not be a heavy sleep and wake at a suspicious sound. The instant she moved in the bed, his eyes were open. She was sliding out of the bed slowly, not wanting to wake him, not knowing that she already had and tucking black curls behind her ears, she bowed her head, searching the floor for any article of her clothing.
He watched her for a moment, trying to figure out what she was doing, why she was getting dressed, and then his eyes looked to the red neon numbers of the digital clock on the table next to the bed. It was not even five yet.
“What are you doing?” He asked suddenly, his voice heavy and hoarse with sleep and she gasped, her hand actually flying to her heart, and she spun around to look at him. “Sneaking out?” He then asked, pushing himself into a sitting position and even in the darkened bedroom, his eyes found and penetrated hers perfectly.
She didn’t say anything as she first slid her panties back on and then snapped her bra back into place. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness now and she could make out what clothes were his and which ones were hers. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say or what he wanted her to say to him. What had all of the other girls said that had all been in this very position? Or had it been reversed with Kelly getting dressed and sneaking out the door? She wished he hadn’t woken for this. She had never done anything like this before while she knew that in these situations, he was the expert.
“Elise?” He frowned, sitting up.
She still didn’t say anything and she didn’t even look at him as she found her shoes. Without putting them on, she hugged them to her chest.
Had he done something wrong? Had she not wanted it? Had he forced her?
Elise reached the bedroom door and twisted the knob, opening it, not looking back.
She felt like such an idiot. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks. She thought maybe they had had something - she hadn’t imagined the flirting - but then he had disappeared and the next thing she knew, Peter had mentioned Kelly and his girlfriend; the girlfriend he was going to move with to Spain. And now, here they were, in his bedroom together after a round - or was it two? - of sex. She was an idiot. She was nothing more than a rebound. She knew that. She couldn’t deny it and she didn’t want to stick around for him to tell her otherwise. He wouldn’t mean it and it wouldn’t be the truth.
Her chest felt heavy. She had liked him so much and had thought… she tried not to cry. She was not going to do that - not in front of him, not in this room, not even when she got home. She wasn’t some little girl who had allowed the big bad man to take advantage of her. That night, Kelly had a welcome back party from House 51 after his surgery and recovery and it had been at the diner. He had seen her and smiled and hugged her and he seemed to instantly forget the weeks he hadn’t talked to her or seen her and dated someone else after showing such sweetness to her and causing feelings to develop for him.
She hadn’t been forced into anything. If anything, she had been the instigator, kissing him outside the bathroom first.
She was an idiot.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and she saw the pull between his eyebrows. He was confused, concerned, but she didn’t know what to say. She had never been in this situation and judging by how this one was going, she never wanted to be in it again. This was just a weird morning for Kelly. He had probably never had a girl act like this before around him. He would fix it with another girl tonight.
“Bye,” it was the first - and only - thing she said to him, barely above a whisper, before she slipped from the room and closed the door behind her.
She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she hurried towards the stairs.
Shay was already awake and in the kitchen despite the ridiculously early hour, eating a cup of yogurt and reading the morning paper. She heard light footsteps on the stairs and assumed it was whatever girl Kelly had picked up during his party. The spoon froze halfway to her mouth however upon seeing Elise Mills scamper down the stairs. Elise saw Shay staring at her and she froze momentarily, too, both of them staring at one another.
Elise looked away first. “Sorry,” she said though she wasn’t entirely sure why. She hurried to the couch, careful to avoid Shay’s eyes at all costs though she could still feel Kelly’s roommate watching her every move.
She tugged on and laced her shoes and then her eyes searched the room quickly, finding her coat over the back of the couch. She stood up, grabbing it and just as she reached the front door, she remembered her purse. She stopped. Where the hell was her purse? She didn’t leave it upstairs, did she? Please don’t be upstairs, she sent up a silent prayer.
“It was on the floor this morning. I put it over there,” Shay read her mind and pointed to the coffee table with her spoon.
“Thank you,” Elise rushed over and grabbed her purse, slinging it on her shoulder as she returned to the front door.
“Wait!”
Her fingers trembled as she tried to undo the chain lock. She had to get out of there. Did other women have such a difficult time leaving their one night stands?
“Elise, wait,” Kelly came hurrying down the stairs. He had pulled on blue jeans and a tee-shirt and he leapt over the bottom two stairs, nearly crashing into her against the door. He was breathless as he stared at her. “Did I do something wrong?” He asked and his worry was genuine. She could tell that much.
She finally looked at him and she hated him for being so handsome. According to Peter, Kelly had just gotten out of a relationship with a beautiful brunette woman. Elise knew she looked nothing like her just from that description alone. Had he been thinking of the brunette when they were together? Her stomach rolled at the idea.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Kelly,” she said, shaking her head. “I did.”
She turned away from him and this time, she was able to undo all of the locks and she was able to open the front door and leave without him trying to talk to her again.
Kelly stared at the spot she had just been standing in as the door slowly closed behind her. What the hell had just happened? What had he done? He obviously had done something. And what had she meant? She had done something wrong? Like what? Sleeping with him? He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had been so obvious in her regret with sleeping with him. He honestly wasn’t used to women regretting it. He wasn’t one to get that many complaints from his performance in bed.
He sighed heavily and turning, he saw Shay in the kitchen, hearing and watching everything. “What?” He finally asked her.
“What are you doing?” She frowned at him.
“What do you mean?”
Did all females in the world band together to make this “talk in riddles” day?
“I thought you liked her,” Shay raised an eyebrow at him.
“I do,” his back stiffened and his frown deepened.
“Sure looks like it,” she glanced to the ceiling before back at him. “I don’t get why she would be acting weird this morning.”
“Do you mind enlightening me, Shay?” He asked, his patience all but nonexistent now.
It was too early for this. He should have still been upstairs, in his bed. Preferably, Elise should have been with him.
Shay sighed, almost disgusted. “You’re an idiot,” she shook her head and then taking the rest of her yogurt cup, she left the kitchen and walked past him, heading for the stairs.
His head hurt. It really was too early for this.
..xx..
Her skin was a light tan, mocha almost, and her hair was thick and black in springy curls. He had kept pulling on them and she had laughed every time because it had just been so stupid and he had grinned.
“I love your hair,” he confessed, burying his nose against the side of her throat.
Elise smiled a little. “Yeah, right.” Her hands glided down his bare back and she pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. He was so hard and muscular. He worked out constantly and kept in tip-top shape for his job. She couldn’t stop running her hands over him.
She couldn’t believe she was here. She had developed such a crush on him and seeing him at the diner for his Welcome Back party, it had been weeks but her heart still fluttered when she saw him - no matter how long it had been since she had seen him.
And now here she was, beneath him in his bed, kissing him and touching him and having him do the same with her.
“When I was younger, I used to straighten it,” she told him for some reason.
“Why?” He lifted his head at that and his frown was so serious, she nearly started to laugh.
She shrugged. “Everyone I knew had straight hair.”
He lowered his head and kissed her with such a gentleness, it made her chest ache. His head then dipped back to the side of her throat and he nuzzled her there. “I love your hair.”
..xx..
For once, the entire city seemed to be conspiring against him.
It was quiet and all he wanted to do was speed down the street in the truck and get his mind off things. But the alarm was silent and he was growing bored and restless. He had laid on his bed, blinking up at the ceiling, had played a few games of cards with Otis and Hermann, had played with Pouch for a while, had avoided Peter like he had the plague and they still had four more hours to go.
This had been the longest twenty-four hour shift he ever remembered trudging through. And if Shay gave him a look one more time, he really was going to snap.
He went over everything that had happened with Elise. They had kissed and talked and touched and he had made her laugh made her cry out more than once. He thought she had a good night with him. But the way she had acted and all but bolted out the door, apparently, he had thought wrong.
How had he gotten it so wrong? He really liked her and he had thought… He must have been very wrong. It was almost embarrassing at how wrong he had been.
The guys had thrown him a welcome-back party after his surgery and recovery and Elise had been there, her diner in charge of the food. The instant he saw her again, he wondered why he had stayed away. He knew why, of course. He just didn’t think he would ever tell her. He didn’t tell most people but the truth was, Peter was one of them and Elise was his sister and Kelly had already done this once with the sister of a fellow firefighter and he didn’t want to do it again.
So he pulled back and found Renee and for a few weeks, he had been so caught up in her, he honestly hadn’t thought much of Elise. He didn’t see her to be reminded of her. He had started to really like her but staying away from her was for the best. If they hooked up and things got messy, it could hurt the entire house. Of course, that had all been thrown out the window when they saw one another at the diner for his party.
He had been coming out of the bathroom at the same time she had been coming out of the women’s bathroom and they had nearly collided in the narrow hallway.
“Hi,” he said lamely and he stared at her.
“Hi,” she said quietly, staring at him as well.
He wanted to say more; ask her how she had been; casually find out if she was seeing anyone but then she was on her toes and her hands were on his shoulders and she kissed him. Kelly didn’t have the will to push her away. Hell, he had been fantasizing about kissing her ever since he came into the diner that night and saw her.
Kissing Elise was different from kissing Renee. Renee had kissed with supreme confidence and she and Kelly had often battled one another for dominance. But even though she initiated it, Elise was different. She was soft and seemed to already be pulling back. Kelly’s hands flew up to her head, his fingers tangling in the black curls, and he kept her close.
He closed his eyes and laid on his bed with Pouch on his chest. She had seemed to bond the most with him and Peter and the dog was welcome company. The dog wouldn’t judge him or punch him in the face for sleeping with Elise. Kelly scratched the dog behind one of her ears and sighed heavily. He had absolutely no idea what to do and he couldn’t talk to anyone about it. He couldn’t even talk to Shay who was who he always depended on in the past but Shay was pissed at him for some reason and glaring at him and he was staying clear of her for the time being.
He would have to figure this out on his own.
..xx..
His shift ended in the morning and he didn’t even stop to think things through. He was going to the diner and he was going to talk to her and he was going to find out what the hell was going on. He wasn’t playing around. He was too old and too sick and tired for games. Either she wanted to have something or she didn’t. He wanted her to tell him herself - whatever it was - to his face.
He had already decided what he wanted. Now, he just needed to know where she stood.
The diner was just opening for breakfast and when he entered, a few of the tables were already occupied and Elise stood at one, smiling at the customers and pouring them cups of coffee. She took their orders and she didn’t notice him until she turned to head back into the kitchen. Her mouth gaped open and her fingers tightened around the handle of the coffee pot so she wouldn’t drop it.
She didn’t say anything to him as she walked behind the counter and disappeared into the kitchen. He followed her without standing around, wondering if he should or not.
“You’re not allowed back here,” Elise said, finally acknowledging him as the door of the kitchen, swung shut behind them both. “It’s breakfast. Our busiest time. I don’t have time-”
“Did I force you?” He interrupted.
Two of the short order cooks paused to look at them.
Elise felt her cheeks warm. “Of course you didn’t.”
“Was it not good?” He then asked his next question.
“Have you gotten complaints before?”
“Never but I just want to make sure. I wanted to be your best.”
That made her frown. “Why is that important?”
“Because…” he glanced towards some of the kitchen staff who were pretending not to listen though they clearly still were. He took a deep breath and looked into her dark brown eyes. “Because I didn’t want you thinking of someone else.”
Elisa laughed. “That’s rich coming from you.”
He frowned now. “What does that mean?”
“You just left a serious relationship and then you’re sleeping with me,” she spelled it out for him since he seemed to be completely incapable of understanding it himself.
He blinked at her. “Seriously? You were acting like this because of Renee? What the hell did Peter tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything. Just him mentioning that you were going to move with her to Spain kind of makes it a serious relationship,” she glared at him.
She glanced to the kitchen staff and then grabbing his arm, she pulled him out of the kitchen down the hallway to her small back office that she shared with her mom. She slamming the door behind them both.
“I’m not that girl,” she informed him.
“What girl?”
“That girl. I know how this works. You date a woman and she breaks your heart so you sleep with the first woman to come around and then you laugh about it in the locker room. I had a dad who was a firefighter and my brother is looking to be one and I know how you are with one another.”
She was still holding the coffee pot - she didn’t even realize - and Kelly took it from her fingers and set it down on the desk on a stack of receipts.
“First of all, no one broke my heart and second of all, I would never talk about you or what we do with the other guys. I’ll probably talk to Shay about it but that’s just cause she’s Shay.”
She looked at him and he could tell that she didn’t believe him.
Fine. If that was how she wanted things to be.
“I’m going home to sleep and then I’ll be back later this afternoon,” he said.
“Why?” She frowned, confused.
“To take you out. You’re not that girl.” He opened the door to the office and looked back at her. “Think about where you want to go.”
She squeaked with slight surprise when he suddenly leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. His hand cupped the back of her neck and he kissed her a bit harder. His beard scratched her skin and she moaned softly from the tickled sensation that sent a shock right to between her thighs. Just as she lifted her hands to touch him, his mouth was gone.
It took her a second to open her eyes but when she blinked them open, she found that he was already staring at her, almost smiling. She hated his smile and she hated the way it made her stomach flip. Did she hate him or herself more?
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not going to make this easy,” she said, feeling brave.
Kelly grinned and gathering his own courage, he leaned in, pecking her on the lips again. “I look forward to it. See you later this afternoon.”
With one more smile, he turned and left the office, heading down the hallway towards the front of the diner. Elise watched him go and she wanted to scream but another part of her wanted to smile. She wasn’t sure which she should do.
..xx..
Author: lexisloan
Rating: M
Pairing: Kelly Severide/Elise Mills
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: I have only got one burning desire.
This was supposed to be a one-shot. It obviously didn't work out that way. I'm always so nervous dipping my toe into a new fandom.
Elise Mills and Kelly Severide
..xx..
He felt her stir next to him and it was not an alarm blaring but he had been trained over the years to not be a heavy sleep and wake at a suspicious sound. The instant she moved in the bed, his eyes were open. She was sliding out of the bed slowly, not wanting to wake him, not knowing that she already had and tucking black curls behind her ears, she bowed her head, searching the floor for any article of her clothing.
He watched her for a moment, trying to figure out what she was doing, why she was getting dressed, and then his eyes looked to the red neon numbers of the digital clock on the table next to the bed. It was not even five yet.
“What are you doing?” He asked suddenly, his voice heavy and hoarse with sleep and she gasped, her hand actually flying to her heart, and she spun around to look at him. “Sneaking out?” He then asked, pushing himself into a sitting position and even in the darkened bedroom, his eyes found and penetrated hers perfectly.
She didn’t say anything as she first slid her panties back on and then snapped her bra back into place. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness now and she could make out what clothes were his and which ones were hers. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say or what he wanted her to say to him. What had all of the other girls said that had all been in this very position? Or had it been reversed with Kelly getting dressed and sneaking out the door? She wished he hadn’t woken for this. She had never done anything like this before while she knew that in these situations, he was the expert.
“Elise?” He frowned, sitting up.
She still didn’t say anything and she didn’t even look at him as she found her shoes. Without putting them on, she hugged them to her chest.
Had he done something wrong? Had she not wanted it? Had he forced her?
Elise reached the bedroom door and twisted the knob, opening it, not looking back.
She felt like such an idiot. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks. She thought maybe they had had something - she hadn’t imagined the flirting - but then he had disappeared and the next thing she knew, Peter had mentioned Kelly and his girlfriend; the girlfriend he was going to move with to Spain. And now, here they were, in his bedroom together after a round - or was it two? - of sex. She was an idiot. She was nothing more than a rebound. She knew that. She couldn’t deny it and she didn’t want to stick around for him to tell her otherwise. He wouldn’t mean it and it wouldn’t be the truth.
Her chest felt heavy. She had liked him so much and had thought… she tried not to cry. She was not going to do that - not in front of him, not in this room, not even when she got home. She wasn’t some little girl who had allowed the big bad man to take advantage of her. That night, Kelly had a welcome back party from House 51 after his surgery and recovery and it had been at the diner. He had seen her and smiled and hugged her and he seemed to instantly forget the weeks he hadn’t talked to her or seen her and dated someone else after showing such sweetness to her and causing feelings to develop for him.
She hadn’t been forced into anything. If anything, she had been the instigator, kissing him outside the bathroom first.
She was an idiot.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and she saw the pull between his eyebrows. He was confused, concerned, but she didn’t know what to say. She had never been in this situation and judging by how this one was going, she never wanted to be in it again. This was just a weird morning for Kelly. He had probably never had a girl act like this before around him. He would fix it with another girl tonight.
“Bye,” it was the first - and only - thing she said to him, barely above a whisper, before she slipped from the room and closed the door behind her.
She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she hurried towards the stairs.
Shay was already awake and in the kitchen despite the ridiculously early hour, eating a cup of yogurt and reading the morning paper. She heard light footsteps on the stairs and assumed it was whatever girl Kelly had picked up during his party. The spoon froze halfway to her mouth however upon seeing Elise Mills scamper down the stairs. Elise saw Shay staring at her and she froze momentarily, too, both of them staring at one another.
Elise looked away first. “Sorry,” she said though she wasn’t entirely sure why. She hurried to the couch, careful to avoid Shay’s eyes at all costs though she could still feel Kelly’s roommate watching her every move.
She tugged on and laced her shoes and then her eyes searched the room quickly, finding her coat over the back of the couch. She stood up, grabbing it and just as she reached the front door, she remembered her purse. She stopped. Where the hell was her purse? She didn’t leave it upstairs, did she? Please don’t be upstairs, she sent up a silent prayer.
“It was on the floor this morning. I put it over there,” Shay read her mind and pointed to the coffee table with her spoon.
“Thank you,” Elise rushed over and grabbed her purse, slinging it on her shoulder as she returned to the front door.
“Wait!”
Her fingers trembled as she tried to undo the chain lock. She had to get out of there. Did other women have such a difficult time leaving their one night stands?
“Elise, wait,” Kelly came hurrying down the stairs. He had pulled on blue jeans and a tee-shirt and he leapt over the bottom two stairs, nearly crashing into her against the door. He was breathless as he stared at her. “Did I do something wrong?” He asked and his worry was genuine. She could tell that much.
She finally looked at him and she hated him for being so handsome. According to Peter, Kelly had just gotten out of a relationship with a beautiful brunette woman. Elise knew she looked nothing like her just from that description alone. Had he been thinking of the brunette when they were together? Her stomach rolled at the idea.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Kelly,” she said, shaking her head. “I did.”
She turned away from him and this time, she was able to undo all of the locks and she was able to open the front door and leave without him trying to talk to her again.
Kelly stared at the spot she had just been standing in as the door slowly closed behind her. What the hell had just happened? What had he done? He obviously had done something. And what had she meant? She had done something wrong? Like what? Sleeping with him? He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had been so obvious in her regret with sleeping with him. He honestly wasn’t used to women regretting it. He wasn’t one to get that many complaints from his performance in bed.
He sighed heavily and turning, he saw Shay in the kitchen, hearing and watching everything. “What?” He finally asked her.
“What are you doing?” She frowned at him.
“What do you mean?”
Did all females in the world band together to make this “talk in riddles” day?
“I thought you liked her,” Shay raised an eyebrow at him.
“I do,” his back stiffened and his frown deepened.
“Sure looks like it,” she glanced to the ceiling before back at him. “I don’t get why she would be acting weird this morning.”
“Do you mind enlightening me, Shay?” He asked, his patience all but nonexistent now.
It was too early for this. He should have still been upstairs, in his bed. Preferably, Elise should have been with him.
Shay sighed, almost disgusted. “You’re an idiot,” she shook her head and then taking the rest of her yogurt cup, she left the kitchen and walked past him, heading for the stairs.
His head hurt. It really was too early for this.
..xx..
Her skin was a light tan, mocha almost, and her hair was thick and black in springy curls. He had kept pulling on them and she had laughed every time because it had just been so stupid and he had grinned.
“I love your hair,” he confessed, burying his nose against the side of her throat.
Elise smiled a little. “Yeah, right.” Her hands glided down his bare back and she pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. He was so hard and muscular. He worked out constantly and kept in tip-top shape for his job. She couldn’t stop running her hands over him.
She couldn’t believe she was here. She had developed such a crush on him and seeing him at the diner for his Welcome Back party, it had been weeks but her heart still fluttered when she saw him - no matter how long it had been since she had seen him.
And now here she was, beneath him in his bed, kissing him and touching him and having him do the same with her.
“When I was younger, I used to straighten it,” she told him for some reason.
“Why?” He lifted his head at that and his frown was so serious, she nearly started to laugh.
She shrugged. “Everyone I knew had straight hair.”
He lowered his head and kissed her with such a gentleness, it made her chest ache. His head then dipped back to the side of her throat and he nuzzled her there. “I love your hair.”
..xx..
For once, the entire city seemed to be conspiring against him.
It was quiet and all he wanted to do was speed down the street in the truck and get his mind off things. But the alarm was silent and he was growing bored and restless. He had laid on his bed, blinking up at the ceiling, had played a few games of cards with Otis and Hermann, had played with Pouch for a while, had avoided Peter like he had the plague and they still had four more hours to go.
This had been the longest twenty-four hour shift he ever remembered trudging through. And if Shay gave him a look one more time, he really was going to snap.
He went over everything that had happened with Elise. They had kissed and talked and touched and he had made her laugh made her cry out more than once. He thought she had a good night with him. But the way she had acted and all but bolted out the door, apparently, he had thought wrong.
How had he gotten it so wrong? He really liked her and he had thought… He must have been very wrong. It was almost embarrassing at how wrong he had been.
The guys had thrown him a welcome-back party after his surgery and recovery and Elise had been there, her diner in charge of the food. The instant he saw her again, he wondered why he had stayed away. He knew why, of course. He just didn’t think he would ever tell her. He didn’t tell most people but the truth was, Peter was one of them and Elise was his sister and Kelly had already done this once with the sister of a fellow firefighter and he didn’t want to do it again.
So he pulled back and found Renee and for a few weeks, he had been so caught up in her, he honestly hadn’t thought much of Elise. He didn’t see her to be reminded of her. He had started to really like her but staying away from her was for the best. If they hooked up and things got messy, it could hurt the entire house. Of course, that had all been thrown out the window when they saw one another at the diner for his party.
He had been coming out of the bathroom at the same time she had been coming out of the women’s bathroom and they had nearly collided in the narrow hallway.
“Hi,” he said lamely and he stared at her.
“Hi,” she said quietly, staring at him as well.
He wanted to say more; ask her how she had been; casually find out if she was seeing anyone but then she was on her toes and her hands were on his shoulders and she kissed him. Kelly didn’t have the will to push her away. Hell, he had been fantasizing about kissing her ever since he came into the diner that night and saw her.
Kissing Elise was different from kissing Renee. Renee had kissed with supreme confidence and she and Kelly had often battled one another for dominance. But even though she initiated it, Elise was different. She was soft and seemed to already be pulling back. Kelly’s hands flew up to her head, his fingers tangling in the black curls, and he kept her close.
He closed his eyes and laid on his bed with Pouch on his chest. She had seemed to bond the most with him and Peter and the dog was welcome company. The dog wouldn’t judge him or punch him in the face for sleeping with Elise. Kelly scratched the dog behind one of her ears and sighed heavily. He had absolutely no idea what to do and he couldn’t talk to anyone about it. He couldn’t even talk to Shay who was who he always depended on in the past but Shay was pissed at him for some reason and glaring at him and he was staying clear of her for the time being.
He would have to figure this out on his own.
..xx..
His shift ended in the morning and he didn’t even stop to think things through. He was going to the diner and he was going to talk to her and he was going to find out what the hell was going on. He wasn’t playing around. He was too old and too sick and tired for games. Either she wanted to have something or she didn’t. He wanted her to tell him herself - whatever it was - to his face.
He had already decided what he wanted. Now, he just needed to know where she stood.
The diner was just opening for breakfast and when he entered, a few of the tables were already occupied and Elise stood at one, smiling at the customers and pouring them cups of coffee. She took their orders and she didn’t notice him until she turned to head back into the kitchen. Her mouth gaped open and her fingers tightened around the handle of the coffee pot so she wouldn’t drop it.
She didn’t say anything to him as she walked behind the counter and disappeared into the kitchen. He followed her without standing around, wondering if he should or not.
“You’re not allowed back here,” Elise said, finally acknowledging him as the door of the kitchen, swung shut behind them both. “It’s breakfast. Our busiest time. I don’t have time-”
“Did I force you?” He interrupted.
Two of the short order cooks paused to look at them.
Elise felt her cheeks warm. “Of course you didn’t.”
“Was it not good?” He then asked his next question.
“Have you gotten complaints before?”
“Never but I just want to make sure. I wanted to be your best.”
That made her frown. “Why is that important?”
“Because…” he glanced towards some of the kitchen staff who were pretending not to listen though they clearly still were. He took a deep breath and looked into her dark brown eyes. “Because I didn’t want you thinking of someone else.”
Elisa laughed. “That’s rich coming from you.”
He frowned now. “What does that mean?”
“You just left a serious relationship and then you’re sleeping with me,” she spelled it out for him since he seemed to be completely incapable of understanding it himself.
He blinked at her. “Seriously? You were acting like this because of Renee? What the hell did Peter tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything. Just him mentioning that you were going to move with her to Spain kind of makes it a serious relationship,” she glared at him.
She glanced to the kitchen staff and then grabbing his arm, she pulled him out of the kitchen down the hallway to her small back office that she shared with her mom. She slamming the door behind them both.
“I’m not that girl,” she informed him.
“What girl?”
“That girl. I know how this works. You date a woman and she breaks your heart so you sleep with the first woman to come around and then you laugh about it in the locker room. I had a dad who was a firefighter and my brother is looking to be one and I know how you are with one another.”
She was still holding the coffee pot - she didn’t even realize - and Kelly took it from her fingers and set it down on the desk on a stack of receipts.
“First of all, no one broke my heart and second of all, I would never talk about you or what we do with the other guys. I’ll probably talk to Shay about it but that’s just cause she’s Shay.”
She looked at him and he could tell that she didn’t believe him.
Fine. If that was how she wanted things to be.
“I’m going home to sleep and then I’ll be back later this afternoon,” he said.
“Why?” She frowned, confused.
“To take you out. You’re not that girl.” He opened the door to the office and looked back at her. “Think about where you want to go.”
She squeaked with slight surprise when he suddenly leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. His hand cupped the back of her neck and he kissed her a bit harder. His beard scratched her skin and she moaned softly from the tickled sensation that sent a shock right to between her thighs. Just as she lifted her hands to touch him, his mouth was gone.
It took her a second to open her eyes but when she blinked them open, she found that he was already staring at her, almost smiling. She hated his smile and she hated the way it made her stomach flip. Did she hate him or herself more?
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not going to make this easy,” she said, feeling brave.
Kelly grinned and gathering his own courage, he leaned in, pecking her on the lips again. “I look forward to it. See you later this afternoon.”
With one more smile, he turned and left the office, heading down the hallway towards the front of the diner. Elise watched him go and she wanted to scream but another part of her wanted to smile. She wasn’t sure which she should do.
..xx..