Sexting My Ex’s Dad (Forbidden Silver Foxes)

29. Stella

29

STELLA

A shattering noise jolts me awake, my heart pounding in my chest like a sledgehammer. I strain to listen, and the unmistakable sound of footsteps echo through my small apartment.

Is someone breaking in?

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I spring out of bed, hastily pulling on my jeans and a nearby sweater. Fear drives me to act quickly; it’s not like there’s anyone else here to protect me.

I grip the baseball bat that I keep hidden under my bed for moments like this, my fingers trembling slightly. My breath comes out in short, shallow gasps as I try to silence the rising panic within me.

The door creaks open, and my heart leaps into my throat as I see a tall figure stepping into the room. The dim light from the street outside casts an ominous shadow on the wall, and fear courses through me like wildfire. I let out a scream, swinging the bat with all my might towards the intruder, aiming straight for his head.

“A bat, Stella, really?” the stranger asks, catching the bat just inches from his face. My breath catches in my throat. I would recognize that voice and those eyes anywhere. Elio.

He disarms me with ease, tossing the bat to the side before taking a step closer. “Your security system is far from adequate,” he says. “I got in without any trouble at all. You need better protection.”

I can’t believe he’s standing here in my apartment, chastising me about security when his sudden appearance has left me reeling. My pulse races, a storm of emotions swirling inside me – surprise, anger, and an undeniable spark of yearning.

“What are you doing here, Elio?”

“I’ve had a long day,” He says nonchalantly. “I’m exhausted, and I’m ready to go to bed.”

He starts to unbutton his shirt and although my cheeks turn red, I can’t tear my eyes away from his hard, muscular chest.

“Didn’t you get my email?”

Elio smirks, pushing his pants down his legs. “I did.”

“So why are you here?”

He’s in nothing but his boxers now, and it takes everything in me not to glance down below the belt where something is begging for my attention. It’s really hard not to look when I know all the things that something can do.

Elio grips my chin. “I’m not letting you run away – especially not through email.”

I rip my chin from his hand. “I can end it however I want to!” I snap. “Besides, how do you have my address anyways?” I’d just moved here, and only a few people had my new address - I definitely didn’t give it to him.

“Does it matter?” He asks. “I’m here.”

“You shouldn’t be. You broke in.”

“Don’t make it so easy to do.”

“I would be well within my right to call the police, you know?”

He shrugs. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’d bribed some cops.”

Before I can respond, Elio wraps his arms underneath my legs and picks me up, holding me close to his chest. “As much as I enjoy debating with you, I told you I’m tired. I need sleep.”

“Elio...” I begin to protest, but the look in his eyes stops me short. There’s something raw and vulnerable there, something I’ve never seen before.

To say that I’m confused is an understatement. He hadn’t called or texted after the last time we’d slept together, and I’d assumed that meant he was done…so what would make him come back?

My email? Did I become more desirable when I’d tried to end? Great…he’s one of those toxic ‘I don’t want her but you can’t have her either’ guys. I sure know how to pick them, don’t I?

He looks around the room, taking in the mismatched furniture and the frayed edges of the worn-out rug beneath our feet. For a moment, I fear he’ll scoff at the sight of my humble surroundings. But instead, he simply shrugs off his coat and tosses it onto the back of a nearby chair.

“Sleep is sleep,” he replies, his voice gentle but firm. “A bed is a bed.”

He pulls back the covers of my old, creaky bed and slips us between the sheets, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s an unspoken invitation in his gaze, one that both terrifies and entices me.

“I…”

“Go to bed, Stella,” he says softly, the weariness in his voice unmistakable. “We can talk more in the morning.”

My heart races, torn between my lingering doubts and the undeniable pull I feel towards him. But as I look into his blue eyes, filled with a sincerity I can’t ignore, I find myself unable to resist that magnetic charm of his. I doubt that there’s a woman in the world who could.

“Alright,” I murmur.

We don’t speak as we settle into each other’s arms, allowing the silence to wrap around us. He wraps his arms tighter around me, pulling me close. I tense up, but gradually relax into his embrace, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my back.

There’s still one thing I need to know.

“Tell me something,” I say, breaking the silence between us. “Why didn’t you just call me?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he replies, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“But I…”

“I’ve done plenty of chasing,” he whispers. “It was your turn to do a little bit, but you’re so spoiled rotten you tried to end it instead. I’ll have to punish you for that.”

“Punish me?”

“Don’t worry about it right now. Just go to bed.”

I want to talk more, but my eyelids are heavy.

As sleep begins to tug at the edges of my consciousness, I’m filled with a profound sense of contentment. It’s a feeling I haven’t experienced in far too long, and one that I never thought I’d find with Elio.

Don’t tell me that I’m really gaining feelings for him.