by Taryn Quinn
“Oh, I guessed. You had that look. Plus, all of that stuff.” She gestured to the items in my arms. “You have the munchies. Been there, done that.”
“Right.” I might die right in this very spot.
“It’s a different kind of munchies than you get after taking marijuana. At least I assume. I haven’t tried that myself.” She frowned. “You’re not smoking in the room, are you? That’s prohibited in Section IV of the agreement you signed.”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t do that here.”
Or anywhere, at least not since college. If I stayed down here much longer, she’d probably know all about my days at the university too.
“I should hope not. How many do you need?”
Now the flush was steadily moving up my body. Soon, my nose would be redder than Rudolph’s. “Do you have a…package?”
“Yes. Three, six, and fifteen.”
“Wow, that’s quite a jump.”
“You always save when you buy in bulk.” Her cherubic face was so serious I wasn’t sure if she was kidding until she grinned. “It’s almost Christmas. Consider this my gift to you. Be sure to put a nice note in the guest book. Don’t mention the freebies though. I don’t want to shake loose the bargain hunters.” She slid an organza-covered box tied with a bow my way.
I laughed so hard that one of our snacks went flying.
After I collected it, I tucked the box of condoms next to the pretzels in my arms. “Well, thanks. You’re all heart, Sage.”
She beamed. “I am, that’s why I’m going to warn you—you probably don’t need those. Unless you’ve had a vasectomy? And you look too young for that.” She waved a hand while I stared and wondered if we’d launched into another dimension. “Sorry, I’m getting too personal. Bad habit of mine. I just consider all of my guests to be staying in my home, so we’re more than friends, we’re family. Anyway, merry ho-ho-ho.”
“No, I haven’t had a vasectomy. What do you mean? Don’t need them, why?”
“You haven’t heard about Crescent Cove?”
Why, yes, now that she’d mentioned it, I’d heard about unplanned pregnancies related to the Cove. But that had to be like an old wives’ tale or something.
Even if it wasn’t, too late now. Still, the odds were in my favor.
Probably.
“Heard what?” I asked.
She bit her lip, her blue eyes getting even wider. “Let’s just say we’re having a baby boom. A lot of women come to town and end up getting pregnant. Quickly. Our tourism is up thirty-eight percent this year just due to that bit of legend and lore.”
The logical side of my brain immediately threw up a roadblock. “If that’s so, why are you needing to practice so much?”
“Oh, I could be pregnant already. We just enjoy the process.” She laughed. “Happy holidays!”
I went back upstairs in a zombie-like state. I couldn’t even claim not to believe what Sage had just claimed—that a propensity towards pregnancy might as well be in the water—since I was a mythology professor. Fantastical tales were my lifeblood.
Had I somehow stepped into one?
I unlocked the door to find Ellie sitting in the middle of my bed, her hair a riot of waves around her bare shoulders. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself, and her eyes were soft from sleep. “What time is it?”
“Just a bit after ten.”
“Oh.” She swung her legs over the side. “I should really head home.”
I crossed to her, dumping my bounty on the bed. “I got us some snacks and drinks.”
The ribbon-wrapped care package landed beside her leg. She picked it up. “A present?”
“Sort of a present for us both.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear then turned over the box. The rattle inside made her laugh. “Presents for us, indeed.” She loosened the bow and laughed again. “Ribbed for her pleasure, at least.”
“Bonus points to Sage.”
“Do I want to know?”
I grinned. “Uh, probably not.”
The echo of Sage’s warning about the baby boom in town should have tempered my lust, but it seemed to only get me more excited to break into the box.
After a Snickers bar.
I grabbed the candy bar and broke it in half then offered her the still-wrapped portion.
She took it, trading it for the box of condoms.
I set the box on the bedside table before sitting beside her. “Stay tonight.”
She looked down at her candy and fiddled with the wrapper. “I really shouldn’t.”
“We’ve already taken the plunge. No going back now.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up. “That’s true.” She took a bite of the candy and peeked around me. “Are those potato chips?”
“Why, yes, they are.”
“Gimme.”
I grinned and handed them over. “So, that means I can have the Doritos?”
“Maybe. Only if you brush your teeth.”
I leaned in and nipped a kiss before she could pop a chip in her mouth. “Deal.”
I stood and went to my new suitcase and pulled out a vintage concert T-shirt for her. She took it gratefully and pulled it on.
I picked up three different bottles of soda. “I wasn’t sure of your—okay, Dr. Pepper it is.”
She cracked the seal. “I pretty much drink coffee or Diet Coke but since it’s here.” She took a long swallow and sighed. “My mom loved this stuff. I used to scrape together tip money for her twelve-pack cans. Sometimes I’d sneak a can for myself.”
Scraped?
I had so many questions. Little slips from her about a less than stellar childhood made me ache for her. My household growing up had been noisy and full of laughter. A lot of fighting too. Far too many boys in one house meant a lot of strife in between pranks and enough laundry to ensure my mom taught me to be self-sufficient from an early age.
But being self-sufficient was a big difference from what she was talking about.
She popped another chip in her mouth with a sigh. “Didn’t realize I was so hungry.”
“We sort of skipped dinner.”
She peered into the snack-sized bag. “Not a big deal.”
Now I felt like an asshole. I hadn’t even fed her, for God’s sake. We’d been wrapped up in each other and caught up in the push and pull of attraction. Food definitely hadn’t been at the top of my menu. “Is that diner near the park an all-night kind of deal?”
“Normally, but with the festival, not so much.”
“Ahh.”
“Don’t worry about feeding me, Callum. I’m more of a small meals and snacks kind of woman. When you work as many jobs as I have, snagging food between shifts is the norm.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
She dug into the bag for the last chip then licked the tips of her fingers. “You’re right, but I like my life this way. And working full-time at the salon probably won’t change the eating on the run thing.”
I leaned in and caught a salty kiss. “Or how about a very thoughtful partner who brings his girl dinner for her breaks?”
She smiled into another kiss. “Sounds pretty nice.”
The fact that I could picture that so easily made my chest burn. I rolled her under me on the bed. “I’ll make it up to you with a huge breakfast.”
She didn’t answer me, just welcomed me into her arms with a greedy kiss.
Snacks, dinner, and anything else fell out of my head. Her salty taste made me crave more. I slid my hand up under the T-shirt, coasting my fingertips over her silky flesh. I nipped her chin as my thumb rolled over her tight nipple. They were so damn sensitive. She’d practically crawled out of her skin the moment I touched her.
It only made me want to draw out every damn touch. I’d rushed the first time. Feeling her come apart under my mouth had put me on a one-way collision with impatience. My singular focus had been getting that clasping warmth around me.
I’d almost cli
mbed on her without protection. At the last minute, I’d remembered my wallet and the sole condom in there. And the only reason I had one was because of my brother’s sense of humor. Hudson had stuck a trio in my stocking last year. And yeah, a year’s worth of sex left me with just one.
Again, every part of this situation so wasn’t me.
But I wanted it to be. I wanted to hold onto this feeling for longer than just a night. She was worth more than a few stolen hours. I needed to show her that.
I slowed down each touch until her sighs ended in my name. Her legs shifted under me until she could curl one around my hip, dragging me in closer.
“You’re killing me,” she said as she bit my earlobe. “Inside me. Use that lovely wrapped present, dammit.”
“You want my present?”
She rolled her eyes, but there was laughter dancing in those dark depths. She slipped her hand between us and into my jeans. “If I say yes, will you get the show on the road?”
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
In lieu of an answer, she used some damn impressive muscles to flip me over. She shoved up the thermal shirt I’d been wearing and went for my zipper. “Where’s that box?”
I groaned and lifted my hips to help her get a better hold on me. I fumbled for the box next to us, and she plucked it out of my hands. Before I could say her name, she had the foil ripped and was rolling it down my cock.
She climbed on me and slid slowly down my length. I groaned at her perfect heat and could only hold on. Her head fell back, and her nipples were rock hard against the vintage Hysteria shirt I’d purchased the night before. The shirt that I’d never wear without thinking about this moment.
I shifted so I could sit up and get a taste of her. I pushed at the soft cotton and found her even softer skin. I sucked on one taut tip and tugged at the other until she straightened and met my gaze. Her hair was a halo of honey-brown waves, and her teeth were scoring her lower lip.
I thrust up into her, and the sounds she’d been holding back tumbled free with my name wrapped in a sigh. I banded my arms around her back and held her against me, tipping her hips forward to get deeper. I’d climb inside her if I could. “God, you feel good. So wet and warm,” I said against her neck. “Like you were made for me.”
Her eyes widened just before they closed. I gripped her hair to get her to open them again, but she kept them shut. Almost as if she could block me out.
Hell, I wasn’t just the conduit for her damn pleasure.
I flipped us over and lifted her thigh higher around my ribs. Her eyes popped wide, and the strangled scream she let out eased the tension inside me.
I lowered my mouth and kissed her hard, invading every part of her—tongue, cock, heart. It wasn’t just fucking. It wasn’t just pleasure. I wanted it to be more. Maybe that made me stupid, but it was honest.
As she arched under me, her nails dug into my shoulders, and she tightened around me, her breath fast and labored. She was close, and I wanted to go with her. My knuckles dug into the mattress as I sped up to catch her. To never let her go.
She said my name on a shattered cry, and then it was nothing but her name on my lips as I finally emptied myself inside of her.
I fell on top of her, my knees and back giving out. Suddenly, I was boneless.
Possibly paralyzed too.
I pressed my face into her neck, dragging in that honeyed vanilla scent that clung to her. And maybe a little bit of me was mixed with her now.
The thought made me greedy enough to wish I could have her all over again.
Once certain body parts rejuvenated anyway.
I gently pulled out of her, holding the edge of the condom as I rolled off her. Then I sat up and looked over at her. She had her arm over her face, and she was still breathing hard.
Carefully, I nudged her arm away so I could see her. “It’s never been like this for me either.”
She glanced away.
I tugged back her chin so she would look at me. Her eyes were so damn sad. “Is that so bad?”
She rolled onto her side before tucking her hand under a pillow, but she didn’t answer me.
I blew out a breath and went into the bathroom to take care of the condom.
When I came back out, she was waiting for me. I took it as a good sign that she was still wearing my T-shirt instead of changing into her clothes. She touched my chest briefly then slid past me and closed the door behind her.
Dammit, why was everything so hard with her? Couldn’t she see how good we were together? Would it really be so awful trying to make this work?
Maybe I was an asshole.
Padding over to the bench near the dresser in my room, I pulled out my notebook from my messenger bag and sat down. Now that I knew more about her, I could fill in some of the blurrier details. The little mole beside her chin and another on the edge of her collarbone. The hoops she wore.
I didn’t know how long she was in the bathroom, but when I looked up, she was staring down at my drawing.
Her eyebrows knitted as she drank in the details—including the red scarf I’d adjusted on the form. It was an undulating ribbon of cashmere dancing around her curves.
“Are you drawing me?”
“Drew, actually.” I turned the pad around so she could get a better look.
“Naked?”
“Well, it was more of a wish fulfillment thing at first. This crazy-beautiful girl kisses me under the mistletoe—”
“And so, you what? Go for an anime version of me with lusher tits and ass?”
“No.” I looked down at the drawing. “Okay, so it’s a little more of an idealized woman instead of you.”
“Thanks.”
“No.” I growled. “It’s coming out wrong. I just drew you because I couldn’t get you out of my head. And now you’re here, and I wanted to capture you.” I set the notebook down and touched the little mole on her chin. “The real you.”
I traced the back of my knuckles down her neck. “Longer, more elegant neck and finer shoulders. Beautiful, firm breasts.” I cupped her for a moment before sliding down to her hips and the scrap of lace she’d put back on.
I dug my fingers into her hips and drew her closer to me. “The real woman I’m getting to know is the one I want, not the moment’s fantasy.”
She was still frowning, but she didn’t pull away. “It’s a lot, Callum.”
“I’m an artist—for real. It’s how I process things. It was the only thing I could do to figure out how to keep the moment.”
“But I’m naked.”
I huffed out a half laugh. “Well, I’m still a guy. And you’re so goddamn beautiful, you stole my brain cells.” I lifted my hands to cup her face. “I admit it, I’m a little weird. But you have a notebook full of floating heads from magazines that you attacked with scissors and glue.”
She laughed and relaxed a little. “I suppose that’s true.”
I pressed a light kiss to her mouth and led her back to bed. “Stay with me tonight.”
“I should really head home.”
I flicked back the covers. “I promise I won’t ask for more if you still want to leave in the morning. I hope I can change your mind.” I took her hand and toyed with the ring on her thumb. I’d need to add that to the drawing. “Give me tonight, at least.”
She sat on the mattress and tucked her legs under the sheet. I turned out the light and slid in beside her. Sometimes the dark was an easier place to talk. I curled her into my body, my front to her back until she relaxed against my chest.
“Tell me about your new job.”
She settled into the abundance of pillows. “It’s not really new.”
“Feels new.”
“More like advancing from intern to novice.”
“Explain.”
“I’ve been going to night school—or day. However you want to put it. Part time for a really long time. In between working two jobs, I was able to get some experience at the salon while I took all the ce
rtification classes. But I also had to get so many hours in at the school salon. It was a lot of hair-cutting for free. Well, mostly free. I was able to get some tips on the side, but the school does cheap haircuts to get people to come in. The one nice thing is I learned to cut all hair types. It broadened my training, going slower.”
She lightly drew her nails up and down my arm as she spoke of the various hardships of training to get ready to go out into the real world. Like an apprenticeship. I likened it to my own job. I’d worked as a teaching assistant for peanuts until I’d finally finished my education to be a professor.
I’d felt like something was missing, so I’d turned to art. I understood some of what she was describing.
“Because school took so long, I feel like I can go right to a booth rental at Melody’s shop.”
I threaded my fingers through her hair as she spoke about her dreams. For the first time, it seemed like I was getting to know her.
At least it was a start.
“I can work for myself, finally. No one else.”
“Seems like you’ve been doing that all along.”
“It’s different.” Her voice was getting drowsy. “I actually think I’m ready for the first time.”
I continued to stroke her hair, a sensation of peace coming over me. This was right where I was supposed to be. She was exactly who—and what—I’d been meant to find.
Her deep, even breathing dragged me along into dreams as well. I dreamed of her in a strange old house with rooms of all different sizes. A maze of a place full of towers and large glass arches. Her voice was a soft echo full of laughter, but it always seemed just out of reach.
Finally, I found her on the wraparound porch. A white dress shirt teased her thighs, and those big gold hoop earrings glinted almost as brightly as her smile.
A knock at the door dragged me out of the dream.
Sun slanted into the room. I rolled over, but the sheets had long ago cooled.
She was gone.
I stumbled out of bed and jerked on my jeans. Another knock had me scrubbing my face with my hands to wake up. “What?”
“Maid service.”
“Can you come back?”
“Yes, sir.”
I glanced around the room. There wasn’t a trace of her left. Her coat, her bag, and even her scarf were all gone this time.
