Going Going Gone

by Cerian Hebert

  Hand in hand, she walked to the concession stand with Autumn, who changed her mind about the popcorn and instead trotted back to her mom with a cup of lemonade and a hotdog. Nell stayed behind, a little hungry as well, and looked up at the menu. Typical concession stand fare. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, slices of pizza and hotdogs. Even a cotton candy machine next to the popcorn maker.

  “You look familiar.”

  Nell recognized that voice. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Shelly Lamb—no, Shelly Knight—stood next to her. The one person on this entire earth that she would’ve been happy to never see again.

  Shelly had been the cheer captain, Miss Popularity, homecoming queen and prom queen. And the number one person who’d loved more than anything to make Nell’s life miserable in high school. She may have looked all blond and sweet with those big blue eyes, but there had always been a layer of viciousness underneath the saccharine smile and peppy personality.

  Easy does it.

  Nell smiled at her and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so,” she replied coolly.

  “You’re the one who bought Eli Knight at auction. A friend of Gwen and Mark Demers, right?”

  Nell drew in a breath and let it go in silent relief. Maybe Shelly hadn’t recognized her from the past after all. “That’s right.” She refused to be more forthcoming than that.

  Shelly smiled, but Nell noted that it lacked any real warmth. She continued to study Shelly boldly, recalling the younger version who’d made her life miserable. There hadn’t been much in the way of change. Shelly had grown older gracefully. She wore her hair long, still in that perky ponytail. Her figure had remained trim and athletic, despite the fact she’d given birth to two children. Although there were fine wrinkles at the outer corners of her gray-blue eyes, she’d retained the healthy glow of youth.

  Before Nell could curse her for not looking like a wrinkled old hag, she noted the hard look on Shelly’s face, the iciness of her smile and realized it was enough. She didn’t have to wish crow’s feet and liver spots on her biggest adversary. The lack of warmth and joy in Shelly’s face satisfied Nell’s less-than-charitable side.

  “Very generous of you,” Shelly continued. She looked at Nell just as hard as Nell regarded her. “You must have bucks.”

  Nell chuckled at that and shook her head. “It was for a good cause.”

  “Eli or the Special Olympics?”

  Ouch. Poor little Shelly must still harbor some strong feelings for Eli. Love, or something. Lust, maybe? And after making love to the man, Nell could very well see why Shelly would be jealous.

  “Special Olympics, of course. And helping out a friend.”

  “Gwen? Yes, her daughter benefits, poor thing.”

  “Poor thing?” What an ignorant thing to say. “Autumn is the most loving, happy child I know. She doesn’t see herself as a ‘poor thing’ and neither do her parents. She’s a treasure. It’s the people around her who might not realize how wonderful she is, who are the ‘poor things.’”

  Shelly’s brows shot up but she didn’t apologize. Instead, she kept her gaze glued to Nell. Any more of a standoff with this woman, and they’d be throwing down at thirteen paces.

  “I hear you’ve been out a few times with Eli.”

  Good move, to change the subject. “Yes.”

  “Hmm.” Shelly looked her up and down.

  When Nell was sixteen she would’ve wanted to die of shame, but now she felt she stood up very well to the critical scrutiny. She had nothing to be ashamed of. Shelly couldn’t make her feel like less of a human because she wasn’t a petite size one. Not anymore.

  Nell raised one eyebrow and regarded her with mild distaste. “What?”

  Shelly tapped a pale pink fingernail against her bottom lip. “I just can’t get over the feeling that I’ve seen you somewhere else. Before the auction, I mean.”

  “Doubt it.” Remain cool, Nell.

  “Maybe. Well, enjoy the game. Nice chatting with you.”

  The little blonde turned and walked away, back to a group of women.

  Though slightly shaken, Nell figured there was no use worrying. If Shelly wanted to find out her true identity, then so be it. She might not come up with anything until after Nell returned to New York, and by then it wouldn’t matter one bit.

  After the game ended, Nell turned down an invitation to go out for ice cream with her sister’s family and instead headed for home, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly lonely. Watching these small town families and friends for the last few hours made her realize how much she’d missed in her life. Her marriage had been a resounding failure and her track record with any other relationship hadn’t exactly been fulfilling. What she had with Eli, despite being built on a lie, turned out better than any she’d ever had in her life. Except for that little fib she told him, this felt real.

  With a quick check to make sure her collection was safe and secure, Nell changed into her pajamas. No point staying up. Tomorrow was Eli’s cookout and she needed to be at her best when she faced his friends and took the chance that someone else would recognize her. This whole thing was like a game of Russian Roulette. One of these days, someone would connect the dots and the game would be over. It only enforced her decision to break things off and go back to New York permanently.

  After the barbeque.

  Nell curled up and pulled the sheet to her chin. Fatigue tugged her under and she drifted off.

  Somewhere from the fog of sleep, she heard the sound of frantic knocking. It took her several seconds to realize the noise didn’t come from her dreams but from downstairs. She glanced at her clock as she swung out of bed. Just past midnight.

  The knock came again, this time louder. “I’m coming,” Nell muttered and hurried down the stairs. Who’d wake her up at this hour? Cold fear rushed through her when she thought of her sister. Maybe something had happened with the baby, but then again, Mark would call her. He wouldn’t be trying to break down her door.

  It was too dark to see out the window and for a moment she hesitated with her hand on the doorknob, but when she heard Eli’s voice, she unlocked the deadbolt quickly and let him in.

  As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he took her into his arms and held her tightly. The acrid smell of smoke permeated his sweatshirt, reminding her there’d been a fire earlier in the evening. She recalled hearing the horns blowing during the softball game and a handful of men leaving the game quickly, but she hadn’t thought too much about it at the time.

  She rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, you okay?”

  She felt him shake his head. Nell pulled away and looked closely at him. A black smudge spanned his nose and one cheek. Then she noticed the tremble through his broad shoulders. Though slight, she felt it under her palms.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “No,” he murmured and pulled her close again, burying his face in her hair. His hands slid across her back, caught the hem of her tee shirt and raked up underneath the soft cotton. “I don’t want to talk. I need you, Nell. Now.”

  As if to demonstrate, he roughly swung her into his arms and crushed his mouth over hers. His lips were voracious and she met them fiercely. Instead of bringing her up to her bedroom, Eli carried her into the dark living room and gently lowered her onto the sofa.

  He tugged her tee shirt over her head and knelt in front of her, sliding his hands back around her. He leaned in and ran his tongue over an already aroused nipple. As he nibbled at each peak, he slid her shorts down over her hips, baring them.

  “God you’re beautiful, Nell,” he murmured as he kissed his way along her belly, leaving a trail of sweet fire.

  She sucked in her breath as he parted her thighs. The anticipation, the moment before he touched the center of her need was impossible, yet delicious. When he opened her up to him and stroked one finger against her aching flesh, she nearly came. It took that little to set her on the edge.

  “You’re ready for me.” Eli’s quiet satisfaction was evid
ent in his voice. The tip of his tongue replaced his caress. With incredible, measured strokes, he lathed her hard bud while he slipped a finger deep within her moist depths.

  “Oh my God,” Nell moaned and lifted her hips to meet him, to increase the pressure. Everything centered on what he did to her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the flick of his tongue, the suckling of his lips on her clit and the deep plunging of two fingers. She repeated the sentiment over and over, as he swept her rapidly toward a dizzying explosion.

  Before her body had a chance to recover, Eli stripped his clothing off and leaned over her, his hands propped on the back of the couch. Wordlessly, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He drove into her with one powerful thrust. Each rhythmic push delved deeper inside her, faster, more frantic. He rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, matching the steady give and take of his iron-hard shaft.

  The sex was so elemental, simple in its singular goal. Later there would be time for slower, more complex lovemaking, but right now it seemed Eli needed to release something inside his head, and she was more than willing to let him.

  This purely carnal side of him excited her. She gripped his buttocks and pulled him against her harder and harder, whispering her thoughts and desires between ragged breaths.

  “I’m coming,” he gasped, and pressed his lips to her forehead as he convulsed against her. Nell felt his hot seed spill into her in that final moment before he collapsed next to her on the sofa. She gathered him in her arms, absorbing the shudder that still ran through his body.

  What in the world had happened today?

  Chapter 12

  Eli stared up at the ceiling. He and Nell had moved to her bedroom soon after he took her on the sofa downstairs. Now, gray light bled through the window. Her warm body pressed against him. Was she awake? She’d been silent for the past twenty minutes.

  The rise and fall of her shoulders indicated slumber. Lucky woman. He wished he could slip off as well. Anything to get past the memory of the fire that had chewed up the Lincoln farm, just hours before. Five of the six kids had made it out safely; the sixth, the youngest, was taken to Boston Children’s. The parents both were safe, but Corrine Lincoln, the elderly woman who lived with the family, hadn’t been so lucky. Corrine had been a familiar face in everyday life in Harper’s Grove and her loss hurt him deeply.

  And six-year old Celia Lincoln, in a hospital, fighting for her life. He felt so damned helpless. He should’ve been able to do something to save Corrine, to get Celia out before the smoke and fire had hurt her.

  “You want to talk about it?” Nell’s soft voice matched the feel of her body, nestled in his arms. Such a blatant contrast to what he’d battled earlier.

  He swept a hand over her breast and let it rest, savoring the tightened peak. “Bad fire. The Lincoln place, across town. Their house is gone. Their youngest was taken to Boston Children’s. Her grandmother, Corrine, didn’t make it out.”

  Nell’s breath hissed in sympathy and she burrowed closer to him.

  “She was like everyone’s grandmother around here. You know the type? And Celia, she’s the cutest thing. Her brother and Dylan are best friends. God, Nell, I should’ve been able to do something, get them out sooner. If we’d just gotten there two minutes earlier . . .”

  A shudder ran through his body and Nell’s arms tightened around him. “I was in the kitchen. The fire was right there, coming through the living room, down the hall. Had already eaten up the second floor. I saw them coming, Celia and Corrine, in the hallway. They’d been upstairs. Corrine yelled something, but I couldn’t hear her over the noise. They weren’t five feet from the kitchen, I went for them when the second floor fell on top of them. I managed to grab Celia’s hand, but Corrine—”

  Eli sucked in his breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He shook in Nell’s arms. “Corrine just disappeared in that rain of fire. When she screamed, well, I heard that. I handed Celia to one of the other firemen and I tried . . . but there was no way. God, if I’d only been there two minutes sooner I could’ve gotten them both out.”

  Nell propped herself on his chest, looking into his eyes. He saw tears glittering there. “Shh. Don’t beat yourself up over this, Eli. You can’t. You did what you could and saved that little girl. If you’d been two minutes earlier, who’s to say you wouldn’t have been trapped, too? It’s horrible and I’m so sorry about Corrine, and Celia, but you can’t blame yourself.”

  Eli stroked her cheek, felt the wetness there and brushed it away with his thumb. For the first time since leaving the Lincoln farm he felt calmer, the pall of tragedy no longer hanging over him. He’d surely feel it again in the morning and it wouldn’t go away so easily, but for right now, he centered himself on the woman in his arms.

  Not in a sexual way, though his body wanted her again. This was different, more than lust. Thoughts of love had hovered on the edge of his mind for days and he couldn’t deny them any longer. Didn’t want to deny them.

  “Don’t leave me,” he whispered, framing her face with both hands. “I know it’s crazy, Nell. I know it’s fast, but I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Nell didn’t reply immediately, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she lowered her face and pressed her lips gently against his. He let his hands slide down her body, over her shoulders and down to the small of her back, reveling in her soft skin and the perfection of her curves.

  She continued to press kisses along his jaw up to his ear. “I love you too,” she whispered in a trembling voice.

  With a groan, he tightened his hold and slipped her beneath his body, crushing his mouth to hers with a new kind of fierceness. Eagerly, she met his kiss and twined her legs around his waist. He slipped deep within her and held himself still, gazing down at her.

  Amazing how things had changed, how over the course of only a few weeks she’d gone from a virtual stranger he’d joined in a casual relationship, to someone he could spend the rest of his life with. Never had his emotions taken over like this, but there couldn’t be anything more perfect, anything he was more sure of.

  Making love to her felt different this time. It included his heart and mind just as much as his body. With every surge and ebb, every ragged breath she took, Eli whispered his love into her ear, kissing her soft skin and silky hair until he felt her slip over the edge. He let himself go with her and it was a dizzying ride.

  “So, what are the plans for today?”

  Eli looked up from his eggs. He looked worlds better. After they’d made love again, he’d dropped off into a deep sleep. Relieved he’d stayed the night, she knew he needed the rest. Some of the trouble had left his eyes, but pain still lingered there in the depths.

  “Cookout.”

  She raised her brows. “You sure you’re up for it?”

  He nodded. “It’s fine. The kids are looking forward to it.”

  “Okay.” She wasn’t convinced, but he’d know better than anyone what he needed right now. “I have some phone calls to make this morning, but what time can I be there and what can I bring?”

  “Eleven. And just bring yourself. I’ll have everything covered.”

  “Okay. If you’re sure.”

  Eli grinned at her. “Positive. And you can get that worried look off your face. I’m fine, Nell. Thanks to you. I really appreciate you being here for me last night.”

  She hadn’t realized she looked worried at all, but now that he mentioned it, she could feel the furrow in her brows. She quickly cleared her expression. “You were in rough shape. I’m glad I could help.”

  He reached for her hand, his gaze now looking serious. “What I said last night, that I love you. I meant it. I’ve fallen head over heels for you. I know I asked you not to leave, and I understand the idea of working here isn’t too practical. But I don’t want to just forget the past few weeks once you go back.”

  Nell sucked in a shaky breath. His words filled her with excitement and dread. If only she had told him right from th
e start. But maybe then they wouldn’t be sitting here this morning, having breakfast after a night of making love. Was the trade-off worth it?

  She knew she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She couldn’t carry on with this relationship, this charade, when she went back to New York. She didn’t have the heart to do it. But that didn’t mean she had to end it right now. And she could tell him how she felt.

  “I love you, too. It is crazy, but it’s true. I have no idea where we’re going to go with this, if anywhere, after I leave, but until then . . .” She sighed. “I’ll never forget what happened while I’ve been here, but, Eli, I can’t make any promises as to what might develop after I go.”

  His lips tightened, but he nodded. “I know. I’ll take what I can get. And work on you for more.”

  Eli said goodbye a short time later, leaving Nell to her phone calls and the dangerous path of her thoughts. A large part of her screamed to tell him the truth. Either he’d understand or he wouldn’t. If he did, then maybe they could continue on the way he wanted. If not, she’d have nothing but an unpleasant end to this affair.

  “Damn,” she said under her breath.

  “So, how are things going with Nell? What’s her last name?”

  Eli shot Shelly a wary look. He didn’t like the tone of her voice or her smug smile. She stood in the doorway after dropping off Dylan and Emma, and didn’t seem in any hurry to leave.

  “Moreno,” he supplied. “Things are fine.”

  “Moreno. No, that’s not right. Well, I’m sure that’s her married name. How much do you really know about her, Eli? Like her past?”

  “I know enough. What’s your point? You might as well just get to it instead of playing around.”

  “Well, she’s been looking familiar to me, and I couldn’t quite place it, but now I know. You’re dating Penny Goodwin.”

  Eli shook his head. The name didn’t strike any chords, but he knew Shelly would be more than happy to fill in the blanks. In fact, she leaned up against the doorjamb, her lips curled up in a self-satisfied smirk.