by Kate Hunt
“You might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not,” says Elle, grabbing four tomato plants and setting them in our cart. “Homegrown tomatoes even smell better than store-bought ones. But the taste…it’s the most incredible thing.”
We continue to make our way around the nursery, filling our cart up with plants. At Ruby’s request, Elle gets a few flowers to plant in their garden, too. Then we get everything loaded into my car and I drive the three of us back to the community garden. I help Elle and Ruby get all their plants brought over to their plot first before unloading my own.
“Let us know if you need any help planting,” says Elle as we’re about to part ways and go to our respective plots.
“Ditto,” I say.
“Oh, you think you’re going to finish planting your garden before we’re done with ours?” The corner of Elle’s mouth is turned up and her eyes are full of sparkling sass.
“No way are you going to beat us,” says Ruby, putting her hands on her hips.
“We’ll see about that,” I say, shooting them a grin.
I head back over to my plot and get to digging holes for all the plants I have to get into the ground. Before I know it, I’ve got everything planted and am patting down the replaced soil. Now all these little guys need is a good watering.
I stride over to grab one of the communal hoses, turn on the knob, and let the water spray. As I’m watering, I look over across the property and see Elle doing the exact same thing. She grins and waves at me.
Five minutes later, I’m walking over there again, my heart pounding hard in my chest as I approach. I know I’ll continue to see Elle here at the garden, but I can’t settle for just that.
“Your garden looks great,” I say, giving it a once-over.
“Thank you!” says Ruby as she skips around the perimeter.
“Guess it was a tie, huh?” says Elle, taking a step closer to me.
“Guess it was,” I say.
Elle and I are standing close enough to each other now that I can smell the delicate scent of her shampoo. God, how I’d like to run my hands through her hair, smooth my palm over the back of her neck, and pull her toward me for a kiss.
“I’d like to take you out on a date, Elle,” I say.
She doesn’t say anything for a second. It’s difficult to read her expression. There’s a warmth in her face, but also hesitation.
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea, Liam,” she finally says. “I’m sorry. Can I have a little time to think about it? Is that okay?”
My heart nearly fucking breaks. But I just nod. I wish she would tell me why she’s hesitant, but I don’t want to push her, either.
“Of course,” I say. “Hey, I’m going to get going. You two have a good rest of your day, okay?”
Elle gives me a gentle smile. “You too, Liam.”
“Bye, Liam!” Ruby calls out, still skipping around the garden.
Chapter Four
Elle
“Honestly, Elle? I really think you should go out with him,” says Lindsay. It’s the following morning, a sun-dappled Sunday, and I’m walking around the lake with my girlfriends. The kids are here, too: Aurora’s three-year-old is holding hands with Ruby as they walk ahead of us, and Aurora also has a baby strapped to her chest; Marisa’s two-year-old is happily swinging her legs in her stroller.
It can be hard to coordinate our schedules these days now that there are kids in the picture—and I know that if Lindsay ever has any, it’s going to be even harder for all of us to get together—but I also know the four of us will always be lifelong friends. We’re always there for each other, whether it’s something painful, like my sister passing away, or something celebratory, like a new baby.
And, of course, we’re always there for each other when one of us needs advice about a guy.
“I agree with Lindsay,” says Aurora, looking up from checking on the sleeping baby pressed against her chest. “You should definitely go out with your hottie gardener. He sounds perfect for you, Elle.”
“Yeah, I just…” I shake my head. “I don’t have time to date him. Or anyone, for that matter. I barely have time to do all the things I currently need to do. How could I possibly fit in dating a guy?”
“Seriously?” says Marisa. “Come on. You’re just making excuses, Elle. I vote for you going on the date, too. I mean, when was the last time you got l-a-i-d?”
All four of us laugh at Marisa’s attempt to prevent her daughter from understanding what we’re talking about.
I don’t want to admit how long it’s been, though. “It was a while ago. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
“So? You’re going to say yes, right?” prompts Lindsay.
I sigh. I guess I should have known they’d all encourage me when I brought up the topic of Liam. And maybe Marisa is right—maybe I am just making excuses. It’s not like dating Liam is going to make me neglect Ruby or anything.
“I’ll give it some more thought,” I tell my friends. I look up ahead on the path toward Ruby, who is standing with Aurora’s daughter at the edge of the path, both of them looking out over the lake.
“There’s ducks!” Ruby calls out to us. “Hundreds of them!”
We catch up with the girls and all watch the ducks swimming for a while, then resume our walk around the lake. I’m relieved when my friends don’t bring up Liam again. Instead, Marisa tells us about the last event she catered—she started a catering business a few years ago and it’s really taken off—and also tells us about how she and her husband, Gabe, are going to try for another baby soon. By the time Ruby and I get home later that day, I feel really nourished from spending quality time with my friends.
But I still don’t know what to do about Liam.
The next day, I drop Ruby off at school in the morning, giving her a kiss and her lunch sack before she runs off excitedly, and then I drive to work. It’s a busy morning, with a lengthy buyers’ meeting and a bunch of numbers to go over, and by the time lunch rolls around, I can really use the break.
Usually I opt for grabbing something to eat at one of the places near work and then bringing it back to my desk or eating in the break room. But today I feel the need to get some fresh air, so after I pick up some food, I get in my car and go for a little drive.
I figure I may as well go check on the garden and see if the plants could use more water. It’s a short drive to get there, and after I park, I grab my lunch and head up into the garden. There are a few people there today—mostly retirees—but it’s a lot less busy than it was over the weekend. The other gardeners and I exchange friendly hellos as I walk past them.
Then my plot comes into view and my chest swells.
Liam is here.
He’s standing at the edge of my garden plot watering my plants. Sensing my arrival, he looks over his shoulder and a smile breaks out on his face.
“Hey,” he says as I approach. “I hope you don’t mind. Just figured I may as well, since I was here. Didn’t want your plants to go thirsty.”
I laugh. “Thanks. That’s sweet of you.”
He finishes up and turns off the nozzle. When his eyes return to me and he smiles at me, it makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.
“I think I have too much lunch,” I say, holding up the bag in my hand. “Do you want to help me eat it?”
“As long as it doesn’t count as our date,” he says.
I give him a confused look.
“I’m assuming you’re on your lunch break, Elle,” he explains. “And I don’t want our first date to be rushed.”
“Ah,” I say, smiling. “Gotcha. Okay. Then this won’t count.”
“Does that mean you’re also saying yes to a real date?”
By then, I’ve already made up my mind.
“Yes,” I say, unable to stop the big smile that spreads across my face.
Chapter Five
Liam
Elle strikes me as the kind of girl who appreciates unique dates, so fo
r our first one, I nab us the last two spots in a wood-fired pizza cooking class. I don’t tell Elle what we’re doing until I pick her up that Tuesday evening—but as soon as she finds out what our plans are, she laughs and says it sounds great.
“Actually, it’s perfect, because I’m a terrible cook,” she says.
“I find that hard to believe,” I say. I bet she’s just being modest. “But if it is true, at least after tonight you’ll know how to make killer pizzas.”
“Yeah. Ruby is going to be thrilled. She turns into a little pizza monster whenever we have some.”
I laugh. It’s not hard to imagine Ruby’s enthusiasm. But when I think of Ruby, that protective, almost fatherly part of me also flares in my chest again. I know it’s not my place to feel that way, but I care about her.
“What’s she up to tonight?” I ask.
“I was able to get her nanny to watch her,” Elle tells me. “Thankfully she was available.”
“I’m glad she was available, too.”
“I said I’d be home by ten, by the way.”
I nod. “That works.”
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about what might happen between Elle and I later tonight. Every time my eyes graze those big sexy hips of hers it’s hard not to think about all the things I want to do to her.
But as badly as I want Elle, I don’t have any expectations. Whatever happens tonight will happen.
The pizza-making class is held in a brick building covered in vines. As soon as we walk in, we’re greeted by a woman who checks our names off a list and then warmly tells us to take our seats. Elle and I claim one of the small tables and get settled in.
A few minutes later, our instructor takes her spot at the front of the room and introduces herself. She talks briefly about the history of pizza, then moves on to explaining the techniques behind making a perfect one.
Finally, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get into the fun stuff.
Each couple has been set up with all the necessary ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, water, and cornmeal. Following along with the instructor, Elle and I take turns dumping everything together in a big stainless steel bowl. We mix it all up, then dump it out onto our butcher block and Elle begins to knead the dough with her hands.
Fuck, she even makes kneading dough look sexy.
Our instructor tells us that usually we’d let the dough rest for quite a while at this point, but for the sake of time, we’re only going to let it rest briefly. After the break, we take our dough and begin to shape and stretch it. We transfer our stretched-out dough onto cornmeal-sprinkled pizza peels and then get to work slicing up our toppings.
Elle and I are the first couple to have our pizza ready to go in the wood-fired oven. I do the honor of sliding our pizza into the blasting hot oven. Afterward, when I turn to look at Elle, I notice she has a smudge of flour on her cheek.
“You’ve got a little something…” I say. I reach up and wipe the flour from her face. Her skin is so damn soft against the pads of my fingers. She blinks and smiles at me.
“Thanks. That always seems to happen.”
The urge to pull her toward me, to kiss her…it’s overwhelming. Jesus, she really has a hold on me. I’ve never been so taken with anyone before. It’s not just lust, either. It’s a deeper kind of attraction.
While we wait for our pizza to cook, the instructor brings over another set of ingredients to our table and we make a salad out of mixed greens and citrus. We talk as we make the salad, only pausing our conversation when I hold up a small slice of grapefruit to Elle. With her eyes on me, she moves forward to take it into her mouth, and when she purposely brushes her lips across my fingertips I can’t stop my cock from twitching.
“Liam and Elle!” the instructor calls out, yanking me back into reality. “Your pizza’s ready!”
It comes out of the oven looking spectacular. But it tastes even better. The crust is crisp yet also soft and pillow-like, and the combination of flavors is perfect. As Elle and I eat, we talk more, our conversation drifting from her work to Ruby to my old job. I tell Elle that as much as I loved the job, I think the merger was for the best. It feels like the right time to start a new chapter of my life.
What I don’t tell her is that ever since I met her, I’ve been thinking that maybe the next chapter of my life isn’t so career-focused. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be much more family-oriented instead. I know it’s nuts to think this way so soon, but I really can see myself married to Elle; I can also see myself being a father figure to Ruby.
And I can see Elle and I having a baby of our own.
The class winds up, and we thank the instructor and head out. As we walk the couple of blocks back to my car, I slide my hand into Elle’s and give hers a squeeze.
“Did you have fun?” I ask.
“Oh, so much,” Elle says. “That was pretty much the perfect meal.”
“Only ‘pretty much’?”
“Well…we didn’t have dessert.”
“Right. I think I’ve got ice cream at my place. How do hot fudge sundaes sound?”
“That sounds amazing,” says Elle, and the way she looks at me tells me I’m going to be savoring more than just dessert tonight.
When we get to my place, we actually do start making those hot fudge sundaes. But we don’t get very far before Elle and I are flirting and feeding each other spoonfuls of ice cream and I’m pulling those gorgeous hips of hers toward me.
Our first few kisses taste like vanilla ice cream. And then I’m just tasting Elle. I push her up against the edge of the kitchen counter, our bodies burning hot everywhere we’re pressed together. She moans as my cock hardens between us.
“Liam,” Elle sighs.
“Yes, beautiful?”
She looks at me with heated eyes. Her expression says everything. I grab the hem of her shirt and pull it up over her head. It tousles her hair in the process, and between that and the way she’s biting her lip now, it’s nearly enough to make me blow my load.
Nearly enough. No, when I come, I’m going to fill up that sweet pussy of hers.
Elle reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra—a peachy-pink sheer thing—and lets it flutter to the floor. Her perky tits beckon me, and I dip my head down to take one of her nipples into my mouth.
“Oh,” she moans.
I gently bite her hard nub, and she lets out another moan. Then I move to her other nipple, giving it equal attention before bringing my mouth back up to hers. Elle is breathing heavier now. Her kiss is urgent.
“These need to come off, Elle,” I say, hooking a thumb around the waistband of her jeans. She immediately starts working them off. A groan escapes my throat as she pushes them down in tandem with her panties and I get my first glimpse of her naked sweet self. She has a small triangle of hair down there, and her thighs…fuck, creamy doesn’t even begin to describe them.
I run my fingers from her lower abdomen down into the slickness between her legs. She lets out a whimper. I ask her if she’s on birth control, and she tells me she is. I’m glad, because it means I can come inside of her—but the part of me that wants to marry this beauty, the part of me that wants to have babies with her…well, that part of me wishes she wasn’t.
I pull off my shirt and undo my pants. As my freed cock springs up, Elle’s eyes drop and a look of awe overtakes her face.
“Oh my God,” she murmurs under her breath.
I lift Elle’s chin up and hold her gaze. I drop my other hand between her legs again, tease her clit a little, then slip a finger inside of her. She groans and grinds against my hand. I add another finger and slide it in and out of her until she’s practically dripping wet.
“Liam,” she moans desperately.
“What? You want me to fuck you now?”
“Yes. God, yes.”
“How do you want me to take you?”
“Hard.” She laughs hazily.
“Hard how? From behind?”
&nb
sp; She moans and nods. “Yes.”
I turn her around and she splays her hands flat on the counter. When I get a full view of her sumptuous ass, my cock throbs impatiently. I smooth my hands over her curves and she emits a needful whimper and pushes her ass back toward me. I give her ass a squeeze, fist my cock, and drag it over her folds.
When I enter her, she feels like heaven.
I give her my cock in deep, luscious strokes. I give her the first few thrusts slowly to make sure she can handle me, and when she can, I give it to her faster and harder. Soon we’re both panting, our bodies both slick with sweat. I see Elle’s knuckles go white as she grasps at the counter, and a couple of thrusts later, she’s gasping out my name. Her pussy clenches around my cock like crazy when she comes.
I grunt something incoherent and lose myself in her, coming harder than I ever have in my life.
As soon as I regain myself, I pull out of her and turn her around to face me. Our eyes lock and I know in that moment that I can’t have her just once tonight. I hoist her up onto the kitchen counter and she wraps her legs around me.
“I can’t believe you’re still hard,” she says, her cheeks bright pink and her eyes full of lust.
“It’s you, Elle,” I say. “It’s all because of you.”
I push my cock into her again. It feels perfect, this moment. I enter her over and over, bringing us to that exquisite place again. As we both near our second orgasms, my chest fills with an unfamiliar vibration.
And in that moment, I know—more than I’ve known anything else in my life—that she’s the only woman on this earth who can make me feel this whole.
Chapter Six
Elle
I don’t want to leave Liam’s place tonight. Everything about this evening has been so incredible, and right now nothing sounds more cozy than falling asleep next to him.
