THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURNED LOVER

PLEASE LET ME KISS YOU

Three days later: LOS ANGELES

Ivory stared unseeingly at the newly, shiny gravestone surrounded by flowers. The burial ceremony had just ended. Two many emotions were swirling in her. She had arrived in Los Angeles a day ago. And not even for a minute had she closed her eyes.

She was mess, both inside and out. Life was pretty much cruel, taking away the people we loved the most. Lifting a shaky finger, Ivory traced the name carved on the marbled surface.

FREDERICK CARTER, BELOVED HUSBAND AND THE BEST FATHER.

Her breath snagged in her throat, and drops of tears slipped from her closed eyelids as memories of the man she looked up to assailed her. Above her, the sky thundered, indicating that it was going to rain and heavy. But that was the least of her worries. She felt like standing there, watching the grave and praying that she would wake up and all of this would just be a nightmare. But she knew better than that.

"It'll rain soon. Stella's invited us for dinner." An older lady, who looked mid 40’s said, coming up beside her with a kid who looked no older than five in her arms. It was her mother, Madeline and her little brother. Her mother was a petite woman with large brown doe eyes and pale skin. Ivory looked absolutely nothing like her, having inherited most of her genes from her biological father. Ivory felt a smaller hand hold hers and made a low noise of pain in her throat.

"It's not your fault Ivory." Madeline voiced out. She knew how broken her daughter was at this moment. And she wished she could take that pain away. She knew Ivory was going to continue blaming herself for this, even though she had absolutely no hand in it.

"I... He's gone-" She whispered, squeezing the smaller hand. Her little brother, Henry, looked up at her. His big blue eyes were wide in despair and confusion and she ached to comfort him. "He begged me, three years Mom, he begged me to come home, just once. Wanted to show me his new wooden automobile," She laughed drily, using her free hand to wipe the tears that stained her cheeks. "As if that made any sense."

Her mom wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her tightly. "This isn't your fault Ivory."

A sob slipped from her mouth and she shook her head repeatedly. "Then why do I feel so awful mom? I could've-" she hiccuped and struggled to breathe through the tears. Her vision of the greystone blurred. "Why do I feel so guilty? I... I shouldn't have left. I should never have left."

“But I didn’t know he was sick, he didn’t tell me he was sick, he knew I would come, Mother I should have c-co-come”

Now ivory had broken into a full-on sob, crying her heart out for the man she couldn’t even give a proper goodbye to. Leaning away from her mother’s touch, she leaned over and kissed the grave stone.

Then finally, letting her mother lead the way to their car.

****

Ivory scrutinized the home she had spent half her childhood in, and felf her heart shatter. The large duplex sat in the far back of the compound, it's golden yellow walls were pale in the gloomy air. Before the mansion was a large pool, almost the same width as the house, and its pavement was lined with beautiful trees. It used to be a happy place. The Carter's were known in LA for throwing the most awesome parties. She laughed drily at a memory of her and Eli playing pretend pirates in the pool and pranking the maids.

As she approached the main entrance with her mother and brother, her heart leapt violently, slamming against her ribcage and causing her to stop abruptly.

"Eli." She breathed.

Elijah James Carter, Frederick's son, her best friend, childhood friend and sweetheart all wrapped up into the man standing by the entrance. Nothing had prepared her for the vision that lay before her.

He stood on the porch, dressed in a sleek black suit, looking every bit as sinfully beautifully as she remembered. Her lips parted in awe feeling incredibly small as she took him in. He seemed to have grown taller. His blonde hair was no longer shoulder length but instead short and tousled, nearly falling over his green eyes. A shiver rose up her spine as they moved towards him.

Eli had been beautiful when she left. Oh, she would know. He dated half the girls in high school, flaunting every one of them in her face, killing her in small stabs. Everyone loved him. How could they not? He was charismatic and vibrant and could make you laugh your head off and charm your panties off at the same time. He was freaking gifted! And while she followed him around with bright puppy eyes, hoping he would see the love shining in them, he went around flirting and wining the ladies, leaving her seventeen-year-old ass dealing with his crazy one-night stands.

She had needed a break. She knew there was no chance in hell that he would see her the way he saw those women, so when Oxford had waved a scholarship in her face, Ivory hadn't thought twice.

When she had arrived for the burial earlier that day, he had barely glanced at her. Her soaring heart had crashed heavily in hurt and disappointment. What had she been expecting? That he would grab her into his arms and they would cry together? That he would tell her how much he had missed her?

Bah!

A sad laugh escaped her lips and she wiped her wet face quickly. Yet she couldn't stop herself from yearning. The need to comfort him as he looked forlornly on the porch flowed through every pore and vein in her skin. His eyes were sunken, dark circles marring the bronze-coloured skin under them. His shoulders that had always stood proud and confident were slumped.

He had just lost his dad, she defended, it was natural for her to want to be near him, to console him.

But she didn't have that right anymore. It had been clear after a whole year passed and he neither sent a text nor called her. Crushed, she saw his jaw clench and he turned away from them just before they reached the porch, taking quick long strides into the house.

"You should talk to him." Her mother whispered beside her.

She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and croaked. "I know."

***

Dinner that night was tense. Everyone picked at their food, each lost in their thoughts or afraid to speak, afraid they would say the wrong things. Ivory peeked underneath her lashes at the chair that sat at the end of the table. It used to be Frederick's chair. She blinked rapidly trying to still the tears that began to form. He would sit there, the spitting image of his son and crack the most awful of jokes. When no one laughed at them, Frederick would laugh hard and boisterous. How could anyone not break a smile when the huge man had no sense of shame?

She blinked the tears away rapidly and looked down at her plate. The maids had made Frederick's favourite, meatloaf. They may have thought it would help, but all it did was make Eli blow up and demand something else instead. She knew that he only waited for dinner to please his mother, Stella, who sat on Frederick's chair, digging into her food rather ravenously.

Ivory frowned and glanced at Eli who sat opposite her to see him stare blankly at his mom, then at his food.

Damn, he looked even better close up. He definitely wasn't the boy she used to know. He had gotten rid of the suit and donned on a plain black tee and a pair of shorts. His muscular arms flexed as he moved his fork around and involuntarily, her tongue slipped out, wetting her lips. Three years had whipped him up into perfect hotness that had her clenching her legs together. She ought to be ashamed, she was ogling a boy who had just lost his father.

Ivory shoved a piece of meat into her mouth to stop herself from moaning. His face had lost all the round boyishness it used to have. It had hardened, and for some reason, she found it even more arousing. And his lips, plump and-

The sound of a chair scraping the floor broke her out of her dirty thoughts. Stella dropped her napkin onto the table and gave a weak smile to all the guests.

"Pardon me. But I'll be going to bed now." She said briskly. Unlike her late husband, Stella had always been the epitome of prim and proper. "Thank you for supporting us. All of you... And Ivy?"

Ivory perked up, giving the older woman a small smile in return.

"It was good to see you again. Nice piercing by the way." Stella added and walked out of the dining room.

She rubbed her nose ring feeling Stella's words sting in a bad way. It didn't seem Stella was a fan of her new wild look. As if on cue, her mother rose too holding Henry's hand. Ivory raised her brow in question. Her mom gave her a pointed look and tilted her head in Eli's direction.

Oh no! She shook her head rapidly. Don't leave me here!

Her objections were ignored and before she knew it, she was alone at the table. With Eli. With the man she barely knew, who sat across and had ignored her throughout the darn day. What would she say?! Long time no see? She chugged down a full glass of water trying to calm her racing heart.

The clinking of a fork against a plate drew her attention and she froze, unable to move or think like a deer caught in headlights.

Elijah was staring- no, his eyes were as cold as crystals while the rest of his face remained impassive.

He was glaring.

She waited for him to say something. To accuse her. To scream, yell, lunge after her. But nothing happened. He simply stared deep into her soul and then left the table swiftly.

****

"This is silly," Ivory muttered to herself as she tore her eyes from the pictures on the walls. She was in her room, the one she had spent most of her childhood nights in. Most if not all of her nights were spent in the Carter’s mansion, having sleep overs with Eli, the man currently in his room at the other side of the mansion.

Pictures of Carter's family adorned the room. It was a thing they did when they were kids, storing each memory they shared together in picture frames and hanging them on the wall. She found a few pictures of her as well. Her heart tore as she sighted a picture of six-year-old Ivory and Ten-year-old Eli smiling at the camera with mud all over their faces.

"Silly." She whispered again.

She couldn’t sleep. She once had insomnia but it had stopped for a while. But now with what had just happened, and the two people she had lost, she was certain sleep wouldn’t come to get any time soon. Plus the pictures in the room were torturous, reminding her of the good times she had spent with Elijah and the fact that she was still yearning for him, no matter how much she wanted to deny that.

It was a few minutes past midnight. Clad in nothing but a flimsy black nightdress that barely covered her, she decided to go to the guest room and spend the night with her mother and brother. But once she got there and could hear their peaceful snores, she decided against it.

Now her feet decides to lead the way and not too long after, she found herself at the top balcony, the one right beside’s Eli’s room and not surprisingly, there Eli was.

It had been their favourite spot in Carter's mansion. The balcony overlooked the brightly lit pool and the view was most magnificent at night. No matter how many times she saw it, it took her breath away every time.

"Just like Eli does." She chuckled sadly.

Elijah sat against the wall that faced the balcony, staring straight at the pool with glazed eyes and swinging a bottle of beer in his hands. He had his pyjamas on and for some reason she could tell he couldn’t get any sleep either. His back was towards her, his posture stiff. It was clear he was deep in thoughts. Hesitantly, she walked towards him and took a stand beside him.

For a while they stared at the view, none of them speaking. The cold night breeze carressing their skin. She could hear his harsh breathing, could feel the heat emanating from him that threatened to envelop and swallow her whole and could smell his tangy masculine scent of wood and skin. What if she had told him how she felt three years ago? What if she hadn't bailed like a coward and confessed how she utterly and irrevocably loved him? She glanced at him. Would things have been different?

"It was cancer." He broke the silence.

She nodded. "Mother told me."

He chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I'll bet. It became malignant last year, I-" he took a swig from his bottle. "I tried so hard. Found all the best doctors. Chemotherapy. He was in so much pain. It destroyed me to see him like that. "

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through-"

"And the crazy dude, he laughed throughout." Eli continued. Ivory swallowed her words, understanding that he just needed to shed the heavy weight off him. She raised her hands to pat his shoulders but decided against it. "Kept making stupid jokes about how he was going to haunt my ass when he was dead."

His shoulders trembled, and Ivory realized then that he was crying. She watched him lift a palm to his face, sniffing as he wiped his tears.

"Oh, Eli." She reached out to him, sliding a hand over his arm. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry this happened.'

He pushed her hands away with so much vehemence it startled her. Ivory watched his face morph into a snarl and felt the urge to run again.

"I suppose his death did do some good." He fumed, pressing his lips in a thin line. "It brought Ivory Stars home."

"Eli, I...look-"

"What? Want to explain why you bailed off to mother freaking England without a word? One day you're there and the next you're gone like the wind. " He bit out.

"I had my reasons. I'm sorry but-"

Elijah laughed hard, similar to his father's but had a hint of anger and pain. He turned slightly so he could face her and her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze.

"Sure. Pray, tell me what reasons you had, that the whole of LA knew you were leaving and I didn't have a clue!" He demanded. When she remained speechless, he shook his head. "I'm sure if my father hadn't died, you wouldn't have come back to me."

Ivory closed her eyes tightly to seal the tears that leaked at the corner of her eyes.

Come back to him?

He didn't understand. "Eli-"

"Why Ivory?" His voice dropped an octave lower and when she opened her eyes she saw he no longer looked angry. Instead, his eyes had turned sad and vulnerable and they roamed her face. "You have no idea, what happened to me after you left. I thought I would go mad Ivory, I-"

He sighed and took another swig from his bottle. Unable to come up with anything to say, she stood motionless beside him, wondering if he meant the words he said. Hope soared within her but she tried to squash it before it grew. He didn't see her that way. She was fairly certain.

Fairly...

He turned to look at her again, smiling ironically. "Well at least one of us had a good time. You've turned into a butterfly. " Taking a handful of her black hair, he tsked. "It used to be brown. Like those fancy rocks, we used to collect. Do you still have those? Or you threw them into the ocean when you left for hoity-toity England?"

His nasty tone bit deep into her skin reminding her of Stella's bland comment about her piercing.

"You're not being fair Eli." She whispered feeling smaller with each passing second. She knew that she hadn’t been either when she had left, that she had hurt him and hurt herself too in the process, but leaving seemed like the best decision then. But deep down she had also known something like this would happen, she just hadn't been prepared for how much guilt and hurt that came with it.

"Fair?!" Elijah hissed and grabbed her face in his palm. "And you abandoning me is fair? I lost my best friend three years ago, I lost my father three days ago, tell me which one of them sounds freaking fair to you Ivory!"

"Let me go, you brute." She whimpered trying to wrench her face out of his hold. But Eli had gotten stronger, the hold on his face was firm and under certain circumstances, she would've loved it. But not while he battered her feelings and emotions.

"Let you go?" He muttered and she heard him make a noise low in his throat. When he spoke, his voice had lost the edge it had earlier. "Did it hurt?"

Confused, she squeaked. "What?"

His thumb flicked at the stud on her nose. "This? Must've hurt. You hate pain. I doubt you even sat still." His hands left her nose and began stroking her cheek. The sensation sent tingles down her spine. She watched him, widening her eyes when he tilted her face upwards.

"Your lips are redder. " He mumbled, his alcohol-stained breath washing over her skin. Involuntarily, her lips parted open invitingly. Eli, slowly and enticingly, slid his thumb across them causing a moan to slip from her mouth. He growled low in his throat.

"Ivory, I don't-" he paused, caressing her lips with his thumb. "I don't know if I'm crazy, I don’t know what i’m thinking but I need to kiss you."

“Please let me kiss you”

Her heart stopped beating and a soft moan left her lips

And like all the dreams Ivory had dreamt for all twenty years of her life, Eli covered her eager, willing mouth with his.