Inn Love: A Steamy Standalone Instalove Romance Read online

  “You’re so young,” he says. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. What is it that you want to do?”

  I blush. No one has ever taken an interest in my life before, and it seems so strange that a man like Elijah would care enough to ask.

  I take a deep breath. “Well…I’ve always wanted to be a chef. I just love to cook. I think making good food for friends and family is like a gift to them. But to be honest…my main goal in life is to fall in love and have a family.

  I’ve never really had a family of my own…I’ve sort of had to look out for myself. It’s been lonely. And now, more than anything, I’m ready to settle down, get married, have children…those are the most important things in life, in my opinion.”

  There’s a pause, and I think Elijah has lost interest for a moment. But then I hear a low growl in his throat.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” he says. “It seems like we have the same goals in mind.”

  Before today, I’d always dreamed of a husband and children, but I’ve never found anyone that I’d be remotely interested in having those things with.

  Now, the man of my dreams is standing in the same room. He has put a face to the man I want to spend my life with. I can’t believe I’m falling so hard and fast. I barely know a thing about this man, yet I’m envisioning the happiness we can have together if only we take the leap. It’s madness, but still, I want it.

  “You’ve never married?” I ask carefully. I don’t want to seem like I’m prying into his life, but so far, Elijah has been far from an open book. It’s like he’s got his guard up, but he wants to let me in, little by little.

  “No,” he says gruffly. “I’ve never found someone that I want to settle down with. I don’t believe in casual love. I think only someone truly special will ever be able to capture my eye.”

  Again, he makes me blush. Is he talking about me? From the way he looks at me, I could make that assumption, definitely. It’s like we’re skirting around what we really want to say, being subtle in our approach to one another.

  I might think he has his guard up, but I do, too, a little. I’ve been beaten and broken by this world. I have to be sure I can trust him before I let him in.

  But he’s quickly making me feel comfortable. I feel like I’m safe here, something I haven’t felt in a long time. My fear is starting to feel like background noise. When I’m here with Elijah, it feels like the rest of the world doesn’t really exist. It’s just him and me.

  “But I think I’m getting closer to what I want,” Elijah growls, his subtlety leaving the room.

  I can feel my face now turning bright red. Now I know that he truly has his eye on me, and I feel so special. I’ve never been made to feel this way by any man before. He moves closer to me, so close that I can feel the heat of his body close to mine. I swallow, continuing my work on the pasta dish, but having him so close is distracting, to say the least. I want him to put his arms around me, press his body up against mine, and show me exactly what I’ve been missing all this time. I can barely breathe, anticipating his next move.

  But he doesn’t touch me. Not yet. I clear my throat and continue with my work.

  “What brings you here, then?” he asks, his eyes burning into my skin. “A small town like this…it doesn’t have much to offer you. Why did you come here?”

  I sigh quietly. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try me.”

  I swallow. “I…I wanted a fresh start. To get away from the life I had in the big city…I never felt safe there. I wasn’t happy. So when my landlord kicked me out…I saw an opportunity to try again somewhere new.”

  “Your landlord kicked you out of your home?” Elijah snarls. His eyes are blazing with anger now. “How could he do that to you?”

  I shrug. “He wanted to make the rent payments higher…I said I couldn’t pay. He only gave me a few days to get out of there.”

  “That bastard,” Elijah growls. “Where can I find him? I’ll hunt him down and kick his ass for what he did to you.”

  I blink in surprise. I’ve never had someone be so fiercely protective of me like this, either. Here we are, two virtual strangers, and already Elijah seems so willing to do anything to help me.

  When I look at his face, I can see that he truly means what he says. He’s willing to hurt the man that hurt me…no matter the consequences. I shake my head slowly.

  “It’s okay. Really, it is. Maybe this is a good thing. I got away from the life I hated. I get to try from a new starting point again. So many people get stuck in lives that they hate, and they never get a chance to run from it all. I’m lucky.”

  “That’s very optimistic.”

  I shrug, keeping my eyes on the pan as I begin to make the sauce. “I didn’t have a good start in life. I know what it can be like to suffer. But I don’t believe it lasts forever. I believe that anyone can turn their life around. If they find good people to surround themselves with.”

  I look up, and my eyes lock on to his. His dark gaze holds me in place, and I can’t tear my eyes away from him. Not that I want to. My heart beats ever faster, driven by the lust in his eyes.

  I want him so badly. I want to abandon dinner altogether and just explore his body. I want to have him deep inside me, his strong arms keeping me safe in his embrace.

  I’ve never felt these desires for anyone before, and now, there’s no denying these feelings. They’re here to stay, maybe even forever….

  “I hope you’ve found what you’re looking for,” he says, looking me up and down. I take a shuddering breath.

  “I think I have.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Elijah

  Watching Olivia cook is something special, for sure. Seeing her in her element like this only makes me want her more. She’s clearly passionate, and I like that about her. Her face is screwed up in concentration as she carefully plates up the pasta dish, twirling the spaghetti into neat piles.

  “It looks almost too good to eat,” I compliment, standing close to her. She blushes.

  “It’s one of my favorite dishes to make. It’s easy to make good pasta sauce if you know how, but all the sauces in jars taste so artificial. I think that’s why everyone overlooks tomato sauces. They’re used to cheap store stuff, and it’s never as good,” she blushes even deeper. “Look at me babbling on…this isn’t interesting for you.”

  “Yes, it is,” I insist. “I want to hear everything you have to say.”

  She’s so red now that the color has overtaken her entire face. It makes me smile, knowing that she’s a little nervous around me. It means she cares. She cares what I think of her and what happens here tonight. But the way things are going, I think that this night might end exactly how I want it to…

  My cock throbs in anticipation. The thought of getting her alone in her room, of touching every inch of her sultry body, gets me so hard.

  Of course, I’m rushing ahead. Maybe she won’t want to move so quickly. Maybe she has some reservations about this thing that’s sparked so quickly between us. But I’ve noticed the way she keeps stealing glances at me, taking in my physique, her cheeks heating up as she checks me out. I can’t read her mind, but if I could, I think she’d be having similar thoughts, same as me.

  It doesn’t seem to matter that there’s a huge age gap between us. It doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other for a few hours. It’s like this connection between us is impossible to sever. We’ve found something deep, something worth diving in headfirst for in a short amount of time. I don’t know her well, but I want to, and everything Olivia tells me, I know I’ll remember forever. I want her so much that I’ll never let this escape my grasp now.

  For as long as she wants me, I’m all hers.

  “Is there somewhere for us to sit?” Olivia asks with a gentle smile.

  “Follow me. We can sit in the dining room,” I say, leading the way. The dining area hasn’t been used today since we don’t have any other guests, but my mother has still been around lighting the candles at each table. Olivia smiles.

  “This is nice,” she says politely. I shake my head.

  “It’s a mess. This whole place needs renovating,” I tell her honestly. It feels like a betrayal of my parents in a way, but they must realize that this place has fallen into disrepair.

  “I’m sure it just needs a spot of paint here and there,” Olivia says gently. It’s so clear that she’s got a kind soul, that she’s desperate to make me feel better about it, and it only makes me want her more. I’ve never met such a sweet young woman.

  “I grew up here. It used to be a really nice place for guests to stay. We used to have a full house all the time,” I remark. Olivia twirls her pasta around her fork slowly, listening intently.

  “What changed?”

  I draw in a deep breath. Even now, it feels hard to talk about what happened to my brother. But something about Olivia makes me want to be honest with her.

  If I was talking to anyone else, perhaps I would avoid the truth. But one look in her eyes and my hardened exterior seems to grow softer.

  What is she doing to me?

  “My brother…he died a few years ago. And from then on, it was like everything just fell apart,” I say in a gruff tone, trying to keep the pain out of my voice. Olivia gasps quietly and reaches out to touch my hand instinctively.

  “Elijah…I’m sorry, that’s terrible.”

  I hang my head a little. “It was…a big deal. He was my best friend. We grew up that way and never drifted apart. And I guess I never thought he’d leave me. You don’t think about whether you’ll outlive your family, do you? You just hope that you never have to think about that. But after he was gone…well, my parents couldn’t cope very well. This is the same place where we were raised. Unfortunately, my parents lost their love of their work, and this place fell apart. They didn’t have the heart to keep it up like they used to.”

  Olivia’s face creases in concern, and I try to wave it off.

  “It is what it is.”

  She grips my hand, and I realize what she’s silently trying to tell me. She’s telling me that I don’t need to be strong and it’s okay to grieve for him. And for the first time in a long time, I let myself feel the stab of pain that his death brought. I’ve been masking it for such a long time that the feeling takes me by surprise, almost undoing me.

  “I’m so sorry,” Olivia whispers.

  I squeeze her hand back.

  “Thank you,” I say earnestly, and I really do mean it.

  No one has ever really looked out for me like this. My parents tried when my brother died, but I shut them out. And now, it feels like the only person in the world that I’m willing to let in is this near-stranger sitting opposite me at the table.

  And yet she’s not a stranger. Not really. Because somehow, without words exchanged, I know her heart already. I know her deep to the core without even trying. Something tells me that we were meant to meet today. It’s no coincidence that the day I came home, she walked into my life to save me. It feels right being around her now.

  I guess I’ve just been waiting for her to come along all these years. The one woman who can entice me away from my lonely life and make me feel good again. The pain of the conversation numbs a little when I realize just how close we are, our hands touching, our knees nudging beneath the table. I growl, the animal in me taking over. I can’t help myself. She’s doing something to me, making me more animal than man.

  But I don’t want it to end.

  “Elijah?”

  I look up and see my mother standing in the doorway to the dining room. She’s staring at my hand in Olivia’s, her face creased in concern. I glance at Olivia.

  “Excuse me a moment,” I excuse myself, standing up to go and talk to my mother. Mom ushers me out of the room and closes the door so that we can talk.

  “What’s going on? Who is that young woman?” she asks.

  “She’s a guest. She will be staying with us for a while.”

  “For how long?”

  “I don’t know yet,” I say defensively. I get the feeling my mother is about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. She sighs.

  “Elijah…I don’t know what’s going on with you. I know things have been…difficult. But she’s half your age. You shouldn’t be entertaining this thing that’s going on between you…especially not with a guest.”

  “I think I can handle myself, Mom.”

  “Does she even know who you are?” she asks, cocking her head to the side. “Does she know the lifestyle you lead? Does she know that you won’t be sticking around once the renovations are over?”

  I frown. “Mom…don’t say that.”

  “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? You can barely stand to be here. I can feel it,” Mom says. She sniffs a little, and the guilt washes over me.

  “Mom…I’m sorry that I haven’t visited more. I know you’ve been struggling here. And it’s not that I don’t want to see you….”

  “I know, I know,” she says, sniffing again. “But I just lost one son. I can’t bear the thought of losing another.”

  My mother’s comment stings like a scorpion. I don’t want to be the reason my mother is unhappy. I can see her crumbling like the walls of this place. She needs me. And suddenly, I know I’m not going anywhere, not when she needs me. Not when Olivia is here. Hollywood can wait. This is where I’m meant to be right now.

  “I’m sorry I upset you, Mom. But I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I’m here to stay.”

  Her eyes widen. “You are?”

  “I am. For as long as you need me.”

  She sniffs again. “Well, alright then. I’m glad. But Elijah…please don’t get in too deep with that young woman. I’ve never seen you get your heart broken…and I don’t want to now.”

  I nod, though I don’t know what makes her think I will get my heart broken. I have no intention of allowing that to happen. As far as I’m concerned, Olivia is mine now. I’m going to make sure that she and I make it to the end.

  She’s not going to slip through my fingers so easily.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Olivia

  When Elijah returns from talking with his mother, he digs straight into his pasta, making an appreciative noise. I smile.

  “Is it good?”

  “So good,” Elijah mumbles with a mouthful. “Sorry about that. My mother…she just wanted to make sure you were settled in.”

  “Well, you’ve made me feel very welcome,” I say softly with a smile. Earlier today, I thought I would be holed up in a cheap hotel for the night, alone with only my thoughts to keep me company. Now, here I am, sitting with this handsome older man and eating dinner. I never expected this, but I have no complaints whatsoever.

  “You said you were kicked out of your apartment and wanted a fresh start somewhere new…but don’t you have family of your own?” Elijah asks, his eyes boring into mine. “Didn’t you have someone to go run to at all?”

  I shake my head slowly. “My life has been…unconventional. I grew up in the foster care system. I stayed with a few foster families over the years…but I never truly found a home. I guess I just got unlucky. I used to think it was something I’d done…that I didn’t deserve to find a home, a family. But now, I think I just missed out. Not everyone can find a happy ending, can they?”

  “I’m sorry,” Elijah comforts. “It seems so unfair…who wouldn’t want you?”

  “I think as I got older, I just learned to accept that I would have to find my own way in the world. And I tried, for a long time. I finished school and began to study for my cooking qualifications. I told myself that nothing else would matter much if I could make a good career for myself. But…over time, I have been lonely. It’s nice to find someone I can actually talk with. I guess I didn’t really have any friends in the city.”

  “That sounds crazy to me,” Elijah says, shaking his head. “You’re a sweet girl. Anyone would be lucky to know you.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “Absolutely not,” Elijah gruffly. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Olivia. I’ve been enjoying your company. And I feel the same. It’s good to spend time with someone on my level.”

  I feel warmth rushing through me. Talking to Elijah makes me feel like I finally belong. It doesn’t matter that he’s older than me. He talks to me like I’m his equal, and I like that. For the first time in my life, someone is treating me with common decency. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for, yet he’s the first person who has provided me the courtesy of treating me as an adult.

  And when I look at him, I see everything I want from my life. A kind man to look after me. Someone fiercely protective of me and someone that wants to take care of me. I look at him, and I see a future where it’s just him and me against the world…

  I’m acting crazy. There’s no way that he’s on the same level as me, not when we’ve only known each other for a few hours. And yet he’s looking at me like he’s known me for a lifetime. Like he understands exactly what I’m going through and what I’ve already been through.

  We’ve both had hardships in our lives. We’ve both suffered enough for one lifetime. And now, we have found one another. We’ve found someone to listen, to understand us. That kind of commitment is rare, I know that much. Someone else might make me feel like I’m asking too much of them, burdening them with my hardships, but not Elijah. He’s listened with open ears and has since spent his efforts trying to convince me that I’m worthy of happiness.

  I can’t fathom why he would care what happens to me.

  I don’t understand why a man as incredible as him would choose to spend his evening with me. But whatever attracted him to me, I can’t complain. He’s here now, and I never want to let him slip away from me.

  “You know, since my brother died, I don’t think I’ve been able to talk to anyone at all,” Elijah confesses. “I never want to bother my parents with the way I’m feeling. Not when they’re going through the same heartache, if not more. I know that they’re suffering, and I don’t want to add to that. But you’ve been so open with me, and you’ve listened to me…I think that’s a very attractive quality in a woman.”