I sigh and drop the book on my lap. “Why are you here?”
“You wouldn’t answer, and I thought something had happened. The weather’s pretty crappy.” Eli walks closer to the couch.
My eyebrows pull together. He was worried about me? Before I can speak, Eli is standing in front of me. He squats and brushes strands of hair that have fallen from my messy ponytail behind my ear. I tense, holding my breath as my eyes search his.
I’m not sure what this shift between us is about, but I can’t deny it.
“Tell me to leave,” Eli whispers, his breath fanning across my cheek. I’m frozen, my heart racing. “Come on, Averly, kick me out.” I’d almost think he was taunting me if it weren’t for his dilated pupils and shallow breath. No, Eli Hastings is hitting on me.
My lower body clenches, and I try my best to sit still, so he doesn’t notice the effect he has on me. I take a deep breath and lean back a bit, trying to break the spell he has on me.
“The weather is terrible,” I give a lousy excuse.
“Do you want me to go?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“I want to stay.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to sort through my emotions. Before I can push Eli away, his lips brush against mine so softly, I barely feel it. My eyes snap open, staring into his, all joking erased from his face. Eli cradles my cheek, his fingers curling into my hair, and crushes his lips to mine.
I gasp, giving him the perfect opportunity to peek his tongue between my lips. When the tip of his tongue finds mine, I explode. All restraint is pushed to a side as I kiss him back, angling my head and stroking his tongue. Eli growls, moving back on his haunches and bringing me to the floor with him. My legs land on either side of his thighs as he takes my lower lip between his teeth.
I moan and push into him, moving my chest flush with his. My arms move around his back as I deepen the kiss. His hands move down my body, landing on my hips and pushing me into him. I shiver when Eli’s erection presses against me.
His hands move to my coat and begin undoing the buttons.
“Whoa.” I put my hands on his chest and push back a bit.
“What?” He’s wide-eyed, staring at me.
I’m panting as I try to catch my breath. “What are we doing?” I can’t help my words from sounding breathy.
“Do you really have to ask?” Eli runs a hand through his short hair.
“You know what I mean,” I sigh, moving off his lap. “We can’t do this.” My words come out in a panic.
“We can,” Eli nods, his chest rising and falling in tune with mine.
“No,” I shake my head. “No, no, no.” My eyes widen. “We… You… Me…” I stutter. “We don’t even like each other.”
“I’m going to disagree with you there, considering what just happened.”
“You know what I mean.” I point at him and then at myself. “You are working on the bed and breakfast. I get on your nerves. You drive me crazy.” I stand and pace. The bottle on the counter catches my eye, and I grab it, tipping it back as I take a drink.
When I look at Eli, he has an eyebrow lifted and the shadow of a smile on his lips.
“Shut up.” I point at him with the bottle. “We can’t do this.” I shake my head, finishing what’s left of the bottle.
“It was a hell of a kiss,” Eli says, standing. He shamelessly adjusts himself in his pants, and I focus on the movement. When I look up at his face again, he’s looking at me with a mischievous smile.
“I thought we couldn’t do anything,” he states.
“We can’t,” I shake my head. “You’re welcome to sleep on the couch if you want.” I grab some pillows and a blanket from the chest at the foot of the bed and place them on the couch. If I were alone in here, I’d take care of my desire on my own, but there’s no way I can masturbate with Eli here.
“Averly,” Eli says, grabbing my arm, a chill moving through me. “For what it’s worth, I’m not sorry it happened.”
My breath catches, and I look into his eyes, searching for a lie, a manipulation. I frown when I don’t find any, but it wouldn’t be the first time I was blinded by good-looks and a sexy grin.
Eli
Showing up here today wasn’t my brightest idea, but when Averly wouldn’t answer my calls, I got worried. The snow was piling up, and she could’ve been here without electricity. This cabin is deeper in the mountains, so if Everton’s weather was nasty, it would’ve been a nightmare here.
When I saw her at the door in those leggings and a thin shirt, my dick stood at attention. Her nipples were tight, calling to me like a seductive siren. Her cheeks were flushed pink, I assume from the wine she’d drunk. She looked like every fantasy come to life. Well, that’s not entirely true. In my fantasies, Averly is naked.
I try not to groan as I shift on the couch, so I don’t wake her. This thing is too small for me to sleep on. I bend my knees and turn on my side.
“Will you quit moving so much?” Averly’s tight voice calls out in the dark cabin. The only light left comes from the dying flames in the fireplace.
Lighting the fireplace was all I could do to avoid reaching out to Averly when I got here. If my hands and mind weren’t busy, I would’ve touched her, felt her skin against my hands, her puckered nipples hidden from me by the coat she threw on. I almost had a chance to when I kissed her. For a moment, she gave in and didn’t question her feelings.
If I can get Averly in my arms again, I’ll do anything to keep her there.
I sigh and close my eyes, thinking of the cold snow to stop my dick from getting completely hard. But every time I close my eyes, the way Averly looked straddling me replays in my mind.
The sheets on the bed rustle and Averly breathes loudly.
“Can’t sleep?” I call out.
“It would help if there were a TV.”
I chuckle. “Stare at the fireplace and pretends it’s a TV. After all, it’s the lights from a TV that tire the eyes.”
“It’s worth a shot,” she mumbles.
I stare at the flames as well, hoping to God that it helps clear my mind of the beautiful woman lying on a bed a few feet away. This need to be with Averly has grown over the last few months, despite her irritating me most days. I admire her ambition, her smarts, and the realistic vision she has for her future.
You don’t often come across someone so determined to make a dream come true. People usually settle for what they have, get comfortable in it, and put their desires on a back burner. Not Averly, and I’ve been witness to it.
…
I stir awake, stretching my body and hitting my foot on the arm of the couch. “Crap,” I mumble, still half-asleep. A quiet giggle sounds from somewhere, and I blink my eyes open to see who it is.
A wide yawn takes over my face, and I scratch the side of my head as I sit up on the couch. I look around the cabin and see Averly sitting at the small kitchen table with a coffee mug.
“Good morning,” my voice is hoarse. Clearing my throat, I stand. “Coffee?”
“You’re so not a morning person,” Averly teases.
“Coffee,” I repeat, dragging my feet toward the kitchen and searching for a mug.
“I left a mug by the coffee maker,” Averly says slowly as if I were a small child.
“Oh, thanks.” I rub my eyes and see the mug. Filling it up, I take a healthy drink of the coffee and turn around, leaning against the counter. “And no, not a morning person despite the fact that I wake up before the sun comes up almost every day.”
“I love mornings,” Averly sighs as she looks out the window. “The snow stopped, and the sun is actually peeking through the clouds. It makes the snow look like crystals,” she babbles.
“Averly.”
“Yeah.” She turns her eyes back on me.
“Let me finish this cup of coffee before I formulate complete sentences.”
“Okay,” she nods. “Although, you just spoke in a complete sentence,” she points
out.
I groan and take another drink, my body slowly waking up. “I thought you said you had the heater on.”
“I did.”
“It’s freezing in here,” I point out.
“I think it turned off in the middle of the night. I turned it on when I woke up and noticed, but it hasn’t kicked in yet.”
“This is why fireplaces are better,” I say, finishing the coffee in my mug and filling it up again.
Averly exaggerates her eye roll, and I chuckle.
“Listen, about last night—”
“Nothing happened,” she interrupts me, lifting her hands to stop me from speaking.
“But—”
Averly shakes her head. “Forget about it. I was tipsy, you were… Well, you were you, and that’s it. Nothing happened,” she repeats, but I’m stuck in the part where she said I was being me. What the hell is that supposed to mean?
My jaw tightens. “What the hell does that mean?” I glare at her.
“That it’s forgotten.”
“No, the part about me being me,” I demand.
“Nothing, lack of caffeine,” she shrugs it off.
“The hell, tell me,” I growl.
Averly sighs, looking into her mug. “You’re a player.”
“No, I just haven’t found the woman to make me settle.” I lift my eyebrows.
“At thirty-five?” She gives me a bullshit glare. “You’re a little old for this game.”
“No game, sweetheart, and speaks the thirty-year-old who only has a business to keep her company.” The words fly out before I can process what I’m saying.
“Screw you,” Averly says dangerously quiet.
“I’d much rather screw you. Besides, at least I put myself out there and date. If a relationship doesn’t work, at least I tried.” I cross my arms, cocking my head to analyze her.
“You call it dating, I call it fucking.” Her voice rises.
“That potty mouth, you know I love it.” My lips tilt up.
“You’re impossible,” Averly throws her hands in the air. “Besides, you have no right to assume my reasons for not wanting to screw you.”
“No assumptions. This is Everton, remember? Nothing is private. So a guy screwed you over in high school, move on and show him he has no power over you.”
“He doesn’t,” she argues.
“He does if he keeps you from being happy.”
“Oh, and you know what would make me happy? I am happy.”
I sigh and run a hand down my face. I don’t want to argue first thing in the morning, and the last thing I want to think about is douchebag Patrick. Rumor has it he has moved away from Everton, and I’m happy to see him gone. Most people in town don’t like the guy. He uses people to his advantage, and to think he did that to Averly, even if it was years ago, pisses me off.
I shake my head and drop it. Let her believe what she wants, it’s not like it makes a difference to me what Averly Cooper thinks of my social life.
“I gotta go,” I announce. I wash the mug and dry it before putting it away in the cupboard.
“Okay,” Averly shrugs.
“Are you ready?”
“I’m not leaving,” she shakes her head.
“You’re staying here?” My eyebrows rise on my head.
“Yeah, my plan was to leave in the afternoon, and I’m not going to change it because you showed up here.”
“You’re stubborn.”
“So I’ve been told,” she offers a sarcastic smile.
“Let’s go, and you can follow me since the road will be full of snow. If not, you risk driving off the side of the mountain on your own.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“I know, it’s called a joke,” I shake my head. “You need to lighten up, Averly.”
Her shoulders tense. “Whatever. I need to shower first.”
“Okay,” I grab her mug and turn to the sink, using it as an excuse to squeeze my eyes and not imagine her naked in that shower.
I focus my mind on deep breaths instead of the beautiful woman who is stripping in that bathroom. When the water turns on, I think about the hole in the ceiling at the bed and breakfast, hoping that it will hit me like an ice bucket. It barely helps. Averly’s got me hooked, and arguing with her is part of the fun.
To keep myself distracted, I look through the fridge and cupboards for something to eat. Finding milk and cereal, I place them on the table where Averly was sitting before grabbing spoons, bowls, and napkins.
We might as well eat something before driving back to Everton. The coffee alone won’t do the trick.
When Averly comes out of the bathroom, her eyebrow lifts.
“I saw you brought cereal. Figured we could eat something before heading out,” I explain.
“Thanks.” She nods without an argument, a change from her usual attitude.
I fill her bowl until she tells me to stop and then fill mine. Averly adds milk and hands it to me, flowing in an easy routine—a contrast to everything else involving the two of us.
“I would’ve made eggs or something more filling, but this was all I found.”
“You cook?” She asks around a mouth full of cereal.
“Yeah,” I shrug.
“I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who knows how to cook.”
“Why? Because I’m a man? That’s awfully stereotypical of you, Averly.” I smirk.
“No, jackass.” She throws a piece of wet Cheerios at me. “You just don’t seem like the type. You work long hours, almost seven days a week.”
“I meal plan on Sundays, and I have a slow cooker.” I take a bite of my cereal.
“No, you don’t,” she lets out a deep, throaty laugh. Beautiful.
“I do.” I nod. “It’s been the easiest solution for me. I get home to a warm meal despite working my ass off all day. Most days I skip lunch, so it’s appreciated.”
“I don’t even own a slow cooker,” she mumbles.
I laugh. “You should invest in one. My sister, Joy, bought it for me. I argued with her at first, but now she rubs how right she was in gifting it to me in my face.”
Averly smiles, the ghost of her dimples making an appearance. “I’d rub it in your face, too.”
Our back and forth arguing is definitely part of the fun, but playful banter wins. Seeing Averly in a different light makes me want her more.
Averly
That stupid, stupid kiss with Eli has had me distracted all week. Well, it wasn’t stupid. It was hot and perfect, and I need to remind myself that Eli is not the man for me. That’s why I don’t know why I’m getting so upset when I see him sitting with a date at Gold Heaven Saloon, one of the oldest bars in town that has been passed down by generations since the gold rush.
It shouldn’t bother me, especially after what I told him on Sunday at the cabin. He calls it dating, but I call it screwing. Whatever, it’s not my business. I just didn’t expect to see him here when I suggested to the girls we take book club out to a bar this week.
“You’re staring,” Poppy leans over the table and whispers.
“What are you talking about?” I scrunch up my nose.
She tilts her head and purses her lips. “You’re staring at Eli and his date.”
“I’m not.” Offended, I widen my eyes.
Poppy looks at Faith and Abbie with wide eyes. “What?” I look at them.
“Nothing, like you said, you’re not staring,” Poppy shakes her head in amusement and pats my hand.
“Shall we discuss the book then?” Abbie opens her book to a bookmarked page.
As we discuss the final chapters of Redemption Lane, my eyes wander to Eli’s table. The woman is laughing at something he says, placing her hand on his forearm. A pang of jealousy washes through me, and I chug my Chardonnay to douse that nasty feeling. He’s free to do what he wants, as am I.
I scan the bar, not paying one bit of attention to the discussion between Faith and Abbie. I should put myself out
there more like Eli said. Well, more like accused. I can date. That’s not my problem. It’s not like I haven’t been on a date in the last… I rack my brain, trying to remember the last time I went out with a man.
Huh. It’s been two years. I sag in my chair. It couldn’t have been that long ago. I met that guy while working at Oaks Resort. He had shown up in place of our usual supplier when they needed a rush substitution that week.
Was that two years ago already?
Not that the relationship turned out to be very successful either. I shake my head and focus on the book conversation, commenting when I have something to add. Distracted still, I take a chili fry from the plate in the center of the table.
How can Eli kiss me the way he did on Sunday, and already have a date four days later when I’m still trying to recuperate from the way it felt to have his lips on mine?
Goodness, he’s ruined me.
“Earth to Averly,” Poppy waves her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry, I’m out of it today.”
“No shit,” Faith snorts. “Wouldn’t have to do with the man sitting a few tables away?”
“Shhh,” I lean forward and glare. “It has nothing to do with him,” my voice is tight with frustration.
“Ooookay,” Faith widens her eyes and looks at Poppy.
“We’re about done, why don’t we leave?” Abbie suggests.
“I’m going to do some work for the bed and breakfast here and order some real dinner,” I shake my head.
“I gotta go. I’m exhausted and have a parent coming in tomorrow morning before school starts,” Poppy says.
“Yeah, I’m heading out, too.” Faith waves over the waiter, so we can close our tab.
I look at Abbie with a smile, silently asking her if she wants to stay.
“I need to edit the Senior pictures I took today. The girls wanted snow shots, so they booked me now and then have spring photos they want to take,” she explains.
“That’s great,” I comment.
“It is,” she nods. “The pictures came out really cute, too,” Abbie smiles. She’s the shy one out of all of us, but if you put her behind a camera, she transforms into a different person. Her talent is amazing. Once the bed and breakfast is done, she’s going to take photos for the website and various promotions.
Make You Mine Page 5
