The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

44. Friday Evening Week Eighteen (the car.)

44. Friday Evening Week Eighteen (the car.)

White had always been a good colour on me, it accentuated my tanned skin and was the only colour that made my murky green eyes seem a semblance of bright. I always loved wearing white.

But tonight, I wished I was wearing any colour other than the one of angels.

The car engine hummed beneath me and it tickled the backs of my bare thighs as I repeatedly ran my hands over my exposed legs.

It was silent. Neither of us spoke a word as we both just sat there, waiting for Dante to give me the go-ahead to enter the restaurant.

But then Eli grabbed my hand and tugged on it until I turned to face him. Searing me with his bright blue eyes and stabbing me with his words, he stated, "I don't want you to do this, tigru. And I know you you're doing the whole, 'I do what I want and you have no say in it', but," he cursed and ran his hands through his hair as his words got lost in his mouth.

Honestly, I didn't want to do this either, there was a multitude of things that could go wrong and my anxious brain was hurtling every single one of the possibilities to the forefront of my mind. But...I had to do this.

"FUCK," he yelled, slamming a vicious hand down on the steering wheel.

"Eli," I breathed out, "Eli, look at me. Please."

Tentatively, he rolled his neck so I could see his face and the minute I could, I raised my cold as ice hands to rest on his warm cheeks. He was breathing heavily and I could see the anger swirling inside of him, begging to be released.

"It's only going to be 30 minutes, 30 minutes and then you can take me home, okay?"

His eyes flickered closed and his frustration with the situation was prevalent so I decided to take his mind elsewhere.

Carefully, I leant forward, closer and closer until my lips softly brushed his, applying light pressure. His eyes shot open and he yanked himself away, peering at me with incredulous caution as my hands now floated listlessly between us.

We both stared at each other, the anger inside him fizzling into desire and the worry inside me melting into desperate need.

And then his hands shot out, pushing mine away and instead, capturing my face and tugging me closer than I ever thought I could get.

Our lips moulded together and I was reminded of how perfect it felt to kiss him. How right it felt to be held by him. The kiss was molten lava, creeping through my veins and converting the icy chill that had settled there into liquid heat that made me feel as though I could do anything.

His hands planted firmly around my face and mine settled onto his shoulders, squeezing his hard flesh as he stole my breath. Whilst the kiss burned with passion, neither of us pushed for more, both of us content to just feel the simple connection of our lips against each other.

Panting rang through Eli's dodge challenger when he pulled away to rest our foreheads together.

"Please be careful, tigru," he whispered, I nodded in response.

Abruptly, he removed his forehead from mine, still cupping my head but now able to see every expression that my face painted.

"I'm going to stay with Dante, okay?" He informed me, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be watching the whole time."

Even though I knew that Dante would watch over me, there was a distinct comfort that came from Eli telling me that he would be here as well. A calm that no one else could provide me with.

Again, I nodded, "and then we go home."

He leant forward to kiss my forehead, his lips brushing it as he spoke, "and then we go home, tigru."

The dreaded ping of a text alert from Dante sounded through the car and Eli released me so that I could pull it out of my clutch.

"Time to go," I told him.

Reassuring me, he leant across the centre console and tugged me into a hug. I let myself fall into it, enclosing myself in his strong arms, stealing comfort from him.

His lips next to my ear, he whispered, "I love you, tigru," before opening the door behind my back and giving me one final kiss against the side of my head.

Goosebumps rose on my legs as they filtered out of the car, the night air prickling my skin. Standing on shaky legs, I clasped the door in my hand and slammed it shut.

Closing the door on the only thing in the world that made me feel safe and instead, willingly going towards one of the many monsters in my fucked up life.

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I'm so sorry to do this to you amazing people but part 2 to this chapter won't be coming out for a while because I am so busy with coursework and Uni deadlines this weekend.

Hopefully, I can get it written before Monday and post it for you guys, but if not, I will try to get it out ASAP!!

Thank you for reading, lovely people!

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