Predestined Hearts

by Kelly Elliott

  His forehead came to mine and our breathing mixed. “You’re a dream come true, Ashlin.”

  “So are you.”

  While we held onto each other like we were the very reason for each other’s breathing, he moved in and out as I met his strokes—intensifying the friction from the momentum. Gael lost the hold on his control as he pumped into me more frantically, building the inner presence of an oncoming orgasm again. I hadn’t wanted to say anything, but I had never orgasmed twice during sex. Gael had primed me and learned my body, just as he had said.

  I felt my lower abdomen tighten. “You’re so close, Ashlin. I can feel you tightening around me.”

  Hearing his words had my head thrashing as stars danced across my closed eyelids and pure pleasure washed over me.

  Gael whispered as I could feel him pulsing at his own release. “I’m glad to have you back in my arms, Ashlin.”

  My mind was a blur with all the sensations that engulfed me as Gael pulled out. There was some noise of covers rustling before I was picked up and placed at the head of the bed. Gael crawled in beside me and held me closely as we looked into each other’s eyes. His thumb came up and caressed my cheek.

  “You’re mine. I’m in this for the long haul, Ashlin.”

  “Me, too. You’ve given me something I’ve never had before.”

  His brows crinkled in confusion. I hadn’t met to say that last part out loud. “What’s that? Because whatever it is, I want to make sure you feel it every day from me.”

  There was no reason to hide it. Gael owned a part of me that I’d never given to anyone else. Putting my hand on top of his against my cheek, I responded, “You make me feel like I’m enough.”

  I STOOD ON the back deck in Gael’s sweater that came down to my mid-thigh. Gael had a surprise for me in the kitchen and had refused to let me in while he prepared it. The morning was brisk and goose bumps formed on my flesh. The view from his house of the beach was amazing and calming. Last night and this morning had been magical as Gael made love to me repeatedly—not able to get enough of me. I felt the same way. Remembering his caress on my skin brought a warmth beneath the surface, chasing the chill away.

  Hands came around my waist and I leaned back into a familiar chest. “Are you cold, sweetheart?”

  Turning, I pressed myself against him. “No, not when I think about you touching me. I know I’m not as expressive as you are with your words, but I want you to know I’m feeling exactly the way you are. Everything you say, I feel it, too.”

  Gael picked me up and sat me on the back porch railing. His lounge pants showed the state of his arousal. From his back waistband he produced a condom.

  “Someone was hoping to get lucky?” The teasing tone was evident in my voice.

  “I already am since I have you.” He nipped my lip.

  At this point, my orgasm count had surpassed my wildest dreams. Gael’s tongue was as masterful as his fingers and dick, but I still needed more.

  A finger proceeded inside me and I leaned forward on Gael’s shoulder, resting my forehead. “We’re outside. Aren’t you afraid someone will walk up?”

  “Following my great-great-great-grandfather’s lead, if I want to fuck you on my back porch, I will.”

  “Oh my.” His raw need and crassness had me pushing down the front of his lounge pants as Gael withdrew his finger from me. I was already wet and primed for him. “Well, what Gael Stowe wants, Gael Stowe gets. Fuck me, Gael.”

  Hearing the vulgarity of my words thrown back to him, he ripped the foil and had the condom rolled on quickly, showing his impatience to have me … again. He pushed inside with force and I let out a scream at the rawness. My fingers dug into the back of his T-shirt as I held on for the relentless pounding.

  “Gael, don’t stop. Faster. Harder. Gael!” My voice was high and needy as he stroked my inner g-spot.

  The waves crashing with the slapping of flesh had us both screaming out each other’s names within a few short minutes. Another orgasm flushed through my body. Gael picked me up and walked us inside as I clung to him while he was still buried within me.

  “Keep your eyes closed. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but I need to clean us up first.”

  I closed my eyes and the scents of food wafted in the air. “It smells delicious. You’ve made me work up an appetite.”

  On cue, my stomach growled.

  He chuckled. “No more sex until you eat.”

  The cold granite had me squirming as my ass adjusted to the temperature. I gave a pouty look. His teeth sank into my lip, then his tongue soothed the sting.

  “Food and then sex.”

  My stomach growled again. “Okay, you win.”

  Kissing the tip of my nose, he withdrew and I missed him filling me. A warm cloth came between my legs as he cleaned my wetness from me. The gesture was loving and it created a further intimacy between us.

  “I’m going to move you to the table. Grab hold of my neck. Don’t peek.” I did as he asked and was hoisted up. Sitting me in the seat, the smell became stronger. A chair next to me moved and it sounded like Gael sat in it. “Okay, you can open them.”

  Saliva pooled in my mouth at the thick French toast that lay on a plate before me. It was artfully dusted with powder sugar. Syrup sat between us in a glass dispenser along with a plate of fresh fruit drizzled in a glaze.

  “I’m speechless. This looks amazing. French toast is my favorite.” My eyes met Gael’s and he looked at me with a satisfied smile on his face. His chocolate eyes warmed at my delight.

  His hand came out and brushed mine. “I know. You told me once while we were talking when I was in France. I figured my favorite girl needed her favorite breakfast.”

  We had gotten to know you each other over those two weeks with the amount of hours we spent talking to each other. In some ways, it seemed like we had known each other longer than three weeks.

  “And for dessert we have …” Gael removed the silver dome from a dish. “Fraisiers!”

  “Oh, wow. I think that trip to France is totally going to be worth it.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome. You don’t have to keep thanking me for everything I do for you.” Gael took a bite of his French toast.

  Pouring a liberal amount of syrup on mine, I responded, “I know, but I never want you to think I’m taking it for granted.”

  “I…” He swallowed, looked down at his plate before looking back at me. “It makes me mad as hell knowing what you’ve been put through. I know we haven’t talked about it since I got back, but it doesn’t matter what Harris tries to do to me. Ashlin, I don’t want to keep this quiet. I want us to be a public couple that kisses on the street, holds hands, and makes out against a wall. I want it all.”

  The change in subject caused me to put my fork down. “Gael, you don’t need to make me any promises.”

  Gael ate as if Harris wasn’t a less palatable conversation. “I don’t care. I mean it, Ashlin. He can try whatever he wants, but I’m not letting you go because some asshole messed up. We’ll fight our way through any storm he throws our way.”

  Talking this out was definitely helping. I responded, “I’m glad he messed up, but I hate we’re going to have to go through this with him.”

  “His screw-ups are the best thing that could have ever happened. He’ll figure it out eventually.” Gael gave me a wink as he took another bite.

  I picked up my fork and started eating again as I silently said a prayer Harris would leave me alone—more importantly leave Gael alone. Changing the subject, I asked. “So what’s on the agenda today?”

  “Today is ours. I’m not expected back until tomorrow at my restaurant. I’ll need to go there tomorrow. What would you say to meeting my parents in a couple of days?”

  The calm way in which Gael spoke was like he was asking me if I wanted red wine or white wine. My food lodged in my throat and I coughed. Gael handed me a glass of orange juice, rubbing me on the
back while I dislodged the unwanted obstacle.

  From the corner of my eye, I could see Gael watched me closely. Silence permeated between the two of us. “We don’t have to. Mom knows I’ve met someone and wanted to see if you’d want to come over for lunch. It’s no rush, Ashlin. If this is too fast, just say so.”

  “Umm…I don’t have the best track record with parents.” My voice broke on the last word as my fingers fidgeted with the napkin, refusing to meet Gael’s eyes.

  A few seconds passed before Gael responded, “Is this about what they wrote in the article about your dad?”

  So many things circled back to my dad. I hated Harris with a passion that he had aired my private past with all who read Page Six of The Post. Bastard. He’d go ballistic if someone leaked that his mother was an alcoholic or that his father had a problem with prostitutes before he died. I could never do that to someone regardless of what they deserved.

  “That has a small part to do with it. You read the paper. You know my father killed himself to be with my mother. It’s still hard to wrap my head around that dad didn’t think staying behind and raising me was more important than killing himself. Also, Harris’ parents loathed me. His father thought I was a gold digger and his mother thought I was a tramp. This was all before Harris changed from the money he inherited. His mother encourages his new lifestyle.” Humiliation washed over me as I aired the truth of those memories.

  Gael’s fingers came to my chin and guided my head to where we were locked into a stare. His hands came up to each side of my face. “We don’t have to go, but I can assure you that my mother and father are going to love you. I’m sorry for what happened with your father, and Harris’ parents are assholes, like their son. I’ve told mom how I feel about you.”

  “You have?” Gael knew how to wash away the inner doubt. He nodded at my statement. “Okay, I’ll go.”

  He kissed me hard before releasing me. “Eat up. I’m about to take you back upstairs and lose myself in you.”

  Sounded like the perfect plan to me as I finished my breakfast and got lost in the man I was falling for.

  Fidgeting my leg as Gael drove to his parents’ house helped mitigate the inner nerves ready to take me hostage and not let go. The last two days we had been inseparable except when Gael worked. I used this time to get further ahead on my projects. Quickly, I was becoming accustomed to being in Gael’s arms while I fell asleep to the beating sound of his heart—true and steady.

  “It’s going to be fine, sweetheart. My parents are laid back.”

  I only nodded and kept staring out at the window, trying to pick out single blades of grass from the side of the road. We entered a neighborhood.

  I am going to be sick. I am going to be sick. I am going to be sick.

  The car parked in the driveway of a modest red-bricked home that had black shutters. It looked to be one story and the yard was immaculate. I clutched the door handle for dear life as I thought about feigning an illness so Gael would take me home.

  You’re being ridiculous. Stop it, Ashlin. Amelia’s mother loves you.

  Remembering how much my best friend’s mom loved me helped quell the nerves.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Is that a trick question?” More knots formed in my stomach as the nerves shone through. There was no need to hide my true feelings around Gael.

  I had given Gael more details about how Harris’ parents had treated me. I had been accused of everything from trying to get pregnant to being in a conspiracy with some competitive company to get controlling interest of the company. Harris had stopped it all and threatened to not have any contact with them if it continued. From that point on, I only had to deal with looks of disgust, which were more manageable. That was all before Harris changed.

  Gael got out of the car. I looked at my face one more time. My turquoise eyes were bright and I could see I was nervous. My hair was left down and I ran my fingers through it a few times. The car door opened and Gael held out his hand for me. Movement from the corner of my eye in the window probably meant that his mother, Erica, was watching.

  There’s no escaping now.

  Glancing down, I checked my outfit one more time. The light sweater dress and boots seemed laid back but not too casual. Of course, Gael had said I could go in a paper bag, but I wanted to make a good impression.

  Giving my hand to Gael, I got out of the car and followed him to the front door.

  He wore jeans and a pale-blue button up shirt. Desire had me wanting to rip it from his body.

  Before we made it to the doorbell, the door swung open and who I presumed was his mother greeted us. “Hey, I’m so glad you made it.” She held her out her hand to me. “I’m Erica. It’s nice to meet you, Ashlin. Come on in. Dave is putting the finishing touches on his crème brulee.”

  Erica had light-brown hair and hazel eyes. She was about my size and beautiful. Shaking her hand, I responded, “It’s nice to meet you, Erica.”

  I wasn’t sure what else I should say.

  Gael leaned in and gave his mother a hug. She wore a red cardigan and jeans that gave her a classically styled look. “Hey, Mom. It’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Gael. We missed you.”

  The door opened further and we followed Erica into the house. The house was done in a nautical theme, which answered a silent question I had asked when I saw Gael’s house for the first time. The guest bedroom had been done in the same theme, which didn’t seem to fit Gael.

  To the right was the living room. Gael’s father, Dave, walked in with a tray. He was an exact replica of Gael.

  Following Gael’s lead, we walked over to Dave as he put the crème brulee down. He wore jeans and a light-gray sweater. “Dad, are you trying to show off your culinary skills to my girlfriend? We all know you have a better crème brulee.”

  The word girlfriend made my stomach do happy summersaults. Releasing a deep laugh, Dave gave his son a semi-hug. “I’d never dream of it.”

  The attention turned to me. Before Gael had a chance to introduce me, Dave stuck out his hand. “I’m Dave. It’s nice to meet you, Ashlin.”

  “Nice to meet you, too. The dessert smells delicious.”

  Dave looked satisfied with the compliment as he winked back at me and mocked whispered, “It’s okay if you like mine better than Gael’s. I won’t tell. It can be our little secret.”

  We laughed as Gael put a possessive arm around my waist and gave me a loving kiss on the top of my head. “She’ll vote for mine every time. I’m not worried.”

  “Maybe verbally, but I know what she’ll really be thinking.” Dave gave me a wink.

  Hearing Gael and his father play for my attention had me beaming from within.

  Walking into the room, Gael’s mom spoke, “Boys, don’t give Ashlin a hard time. Let’s all sit down and eat while we hear about France and get to know Ashlin.” Erica was the epitome of what a hostess should be.

  We took our seats and Gael sat next to me, our legs touching. Dave handed me a ramekin with a small spoon. Everyone took a bite.

  “Wow, this is amazing. I think the Stowe family is forever ruining Lean Cuisine meals for me.”

  Dave gasped with a look of horror as Gael spoke, which had me suppressing a chuckle. “I know, Dad. She’s had my restaurant at her disposal and she’s been living off those blasphemous meals. All Lean Cuisine meals are gone. It was the first thing I did when we stayed at her place last night.”

  I giggled at the memory of Gael getting rid of the few meals I had left. Over the course of two weeks, I had eaten through most of my supply.

  “Good.” Dave chuckled. “I can only imagine Gael’s reaction to that news.”

  “I tried to get him to try some, but that was an emphatic no. I even microwaved one to tempt him with the delicious smells of lasagna.”

  We laughed and Gael bumped me with his shoulder. His parents were warm, and I instantly felt at ease with them. Maybe my luck was changing.

  A few
hours and equal amounts of coffee passed by as we talked about everything. Honestly, it felt as though I had known them a lot longer than one day. The doorbell started doing its chime song, interrupting our conversation.

  Erica stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  She left as Dave and Gael were finishing talking about some French menu options Gael was thinking about adding to Gael’s Place. The whole process fascinated me and it was evident Dave was equally passionate about food. The sun sat behind the seashell curtains in the back window.

  When Erica entered, she carried two white boxes. “Something arrived for you, Gael, and for your father and me. It’s from a delivery service. There’s no card.”

  Gael removed his arm from around my shoulder to grab the box from his mom. “Let’s see what this is.”

  Sitting across from us, Erica opened her box also. Curiosity had me leaning over Gael’s arm to see what was underneath the multiple layers of tissue paper. The corner of a magazine showed in the box. Erica let out a gasp as she held up what looked to be a similar magazine.

  Tearing through the last layer of tissue paper, I was abhorred at the image I saw. It was from two days ago on Gael’s back porch. I was on the rail and I knew we had been having sex in that picture even though it looked from this angle like we were in a passionate embrace.

  My lip trembled as I read the title.

  It was a tabloid magazine. Another inset of me standing on the back porch looking out into the ocean showed my face clearly. Then there was another picture of Harris standing on my front porch like he was leaving my place. I glanced up and saw the shock on Erica and Dave’s face. Gael scowled. This was too much.

  I stood abruptly, not knowing what to do, but feeling sick to my stomach. “I’m so sorry. It’s not what it looks like. I mean of course it’s what it looks like, but I’m not with Harris.” My sentence was more like a rambling as I somewhat admitted that I was having sex with Gael on the back porch. Kill me now. The situation was only getting worse and I looked like a whore. This was bad and I couldn’t stand the humiliation. “I’m so sorry again. I’ll leave now.”