by Ellie Danes
For a while, there was nothing but chaos—people shouting, the members of the council going over the paperwork and arguing amongst themselves, people demanding copies of the paperwork, and so on. Emily had come prepared; she’d also compiled the emails between Jacob and Todd, and she’d made copies of them to hand out—just the relevant stuff, so that people would know what they were looking at. Everyone started to quiet down as they looked over the evidence.
“I believe this calls for a vote of no confidence in Todd Johnson,” Jessica said finally, once everyone had absorbed the information.
“We’re not going to do a vocal vote because I’m not sure we’ll be able to get a clear count,” Fred told us all. “We’re going to do this by hand-raise. All those in favor of keeping Todd Johnson on the town council?”
Even among those who had been in favor of selling their property to make room for the big store, there weren’t many who were all that fond of Todd’s deal and how he’d managed to make himself richer in such a shady way. Overwhelmingly, people wanted him off the council.
Todd, red-faced, got up and left through a rear exit. Several people booed him as he went.
“We’ll have elections for the vacancy on our town council in a matter of a week or two,” Fred concluded. “Now that that’s settled, I think we can get on to what you were going to discuss in view of the development.”
I handed the platform over to Emily, who explained her compromise of a smaller, more compact version of the big box store, and that the strip mall would include the businesses that were already in Mustang Ridge.
Once more, some chaos erupted in the room, and Emily and I both stepped back to let it happen around us. There were people who still wanted to sell their land off, there were people accusing others of trying to put them out of. It seemed to rage back and forth for at least thirty minutes, with the council itself—minus Todd—occasionally intervening to bring things to some semblance of order.
Finally, it got through to people that the solution that Emily and I had proposed would still bring more business to the town, would still give a few people the chance to sell part of their land. I planned on bringing up the arrangement I’d made with some of the other members of the town to a few that wanted to sell, later. It sank in, finally, that Emily’s plan would allow the town to stay intact, much more than the other plan would have allowed.
“Let’s take a vote on this,” Fred suggested, once everything had finally hit a kind of calm. “Hands up if you’re in favor of the new plan, and Nancy Harris will count.”
I waited, on pins and needles, watching the vote; at first it was too close to really know, and Jessica chided people for seeming to vote for both options. Another round, and then the third, and finally we had our answer: the people of Mustang Ridge wanted the plan that Emily and I had presented.
Everything wound down from there, with the town council reminding the room that there would be upcoming elections, and how the nomination process would go, and discussing another meeting to come, as well as future “progress” meetings about the development that Emily and her dad would be bringing to the town.
After all of that, it was only nine at night. I was exhausted, but at the same time, the thought of Emily going back to Houston after our triumph was grating. I wanted more than anything to really celebrate it—with her, and her alone. It was, after all, our triumph. And then too, I thought that she would be spending more time in Houston now that the plans were more or less finalized. There was so much up in the air between us.
“Em?”
She stopped short and turned to face me as we left the auditorium together.
“Sorry, I was just so jazzed I almost wanted to run,” Emily said, coming back to my side quickly.
Almost everyone else had already left. The auditorium felt a lot emptier now.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I said. “Now that we’ve got this behind us.” I licked my lips, wondering if nerves or all the talking I’d already done that night had made them so dry. “What are we going to do about us?”
“What do you mean?” Emily looked up at me, confused.
There were still a few people leaving the auditorium, and her dad was talking to the members of the council that were still there. I pulled Emily gently off to the side so we could be a little more private.
“I mean, I don’t want you to leave,” I said. “I don’t want you to just go back to Houston. Not tonight, and I guess not in general.”
“There’s still a lot to do here,” she said. “I’m definitely not going to stay in Houston all the time. I’ll be back at least once or twice a week.”
“And what about tonight?” I smiled slowly. “Do you have to go home tonight?”
Her cheeks pinked up and she grinned. “No, I guess I don’t.”
I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips, reaching around to the small of her back to press her against me. It had been a few days since the last time we’d had the kind of privacy we’d need to have sex again—and then, too, we’d been busy with the plans and trying to make something happen.
I pulled back when things started to intensify between us, and my lips weren’t dry anymore. “I think we could make it to the barn, if you’ve got the inclination,” I said.
“Em! There you are.” Martin’s voice cut through the air.
“Hey Dad,” Emily said, maneuvering so she could cover up the fact that I had already started getting hard, but at the same time making it look totally innocent between us. “What’s up?”
“Well, now that Jacob isn’t going to be managing this project, and we’ve got the go-ahead to do things this way, I’m going to need someone to be based in Mustang Ridge to oversee things,” he said. “I don’t think I’m wrong in assuming you’d want to be at the top of the list for that, am I?”
“I would love to! Oh, wow—thank you, Dad,” she said.
I reached out and squeezed her hand lightly.
“I just wanted to catch you before you had a chance to leave—I’m actually taking Lena into Houston to show her a good night.” He looked at me significantly. “I’ll make sure to have her home first thing in the morning.”
I almost snorted.
“In that case, I might just stay here for the night,” Emily said.
“I guess we’ll all see each other in the morning, then,” I suggested.
Martin looked at me for a moment and then half-smiled. “Let’s meet up for breakfast at the diner.”
I nodded, and then Martin left us, to take my mom to the big city. I pulled Emily close to me again, to kiss her on the lips. We’d have the house all to ourselves—and that was definitely something I wanted to take advantage of.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Emily
It didn’t feel as eerie to be in Rhett’s house alone as it had before, although I had to admit that knowing that my father was probably making the move on Rhett’s mother was a little less than ideal. If things went between them the way they seemed to be going between Rhett and me, there would be a lot of confusion down the line, but I made myself stop thinking of that as soon as Rhett began to kiss me, his hands trailing over my body almost as soon as he got the door closed and locked behind us.
I was definitely high on the victory we’d achieved, and even before Rhett had asked me to stay, I’d been trying to work out a way to justify the two of us being alone—somewhere, anywhere—long enough to properly celebrate what we’d managed to accomplish together.
I felt like I was physically hungry for Rhett—like I’d put myself on some kind of diet, while we’d both been busy, and now I was having my cheat day. I kissed him eagerly, letting my hands move over his body, feeling out the contours and ridges of muscle rippling under his skin, through the fabric of his clothes.
We gradually moved through the living room toward the stairs, and it became obvious to both of us that we wouldn’t be able to keep going like we were while navigating the stairs. Rhett kissed me again, as hungrily as e
ver, and then before I could figure out what he was about to do, he lifted me up easily off of my feet and into his arms.
I let out a surprised squeak as he started carrying me up the stairs, as easily as if I was a sack of sugar. I giggled as he moved up the steps. Finally, we made it up to the second floor of the house, and Rhett didn’t bother putting me down; instead he just made a beeline for his bedroom, and I had to admit it was more than a little thrilling to be carried through the hall by a big, strong man who I was about to have sex with.
He laid me down on the bed and we picked up where we’d left off, pawing at each other like horny teenagers and kissing again and again. Since his mom was gone for the night, we both knew we could take our time, but in that moment I was pretty sure neither of us really wanted to. Bit by bit, we managed to get each other’s clothes off, tossing them away and across the room without either of us paying any attention at all to where they ended up, until I was down to my bra and panties and Rhett was in nothing more than his jockey shorts. I was almost shaking from how turned on I was, eager to get to the main event—but at the same time I was loving the feeling of being close to him, just touching each other and teasing.
Our touches became more and more urgent, until we were almost ripping each other’s underwear off to get at the parts we wanted the most. I stroked Rhett eagerly, feeling the thick hardness of him, eager to have him inside me—and he was just as eager, his fingers sliding along my slick folds, finding my pleasure center and rubbing there to send crackling jolts of heat through my body. We nibbled and nipped each other’s lips as we both struggled to hold onto the moment when neither of us wanted to wait any longer.
Finally, neither of us could stand it anymore. Wordlessly, our heavy breathing filling the room, we shifted around on the bed. Rhett’s hand moved away from my mound to guide the tip of his erection up against me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled my hips against his as he thrust into me, filling me up all at once. Even though we’d had sex several times before, I still marveled at how thick and hot he felt inside of me, at the fact that he seemed to fit perfectly, to the point where if he was even a little bit bigger it wouldn’t feel good anymore. We started moving together, finding our rhythm and letting our hands wander over each other’s bodies, touching and exploring.
I kissed every bit of Rhett’s body that I could reach with my lips, feeling the tension mounting deep down between my hips as we picked up speed, locked together in a rhythm that neither one of us could have avoided even if we had wanted to. Rhett reached down between our bodies, holding himself up above me on one arm, and I cried out as he began to stroke and rub my little bead of nerves, sending more of those hot sensations through my body.
All at once the tension between my hips snapped, and wave after wave of pleasure washed through me. I clung to him as if I was drowning, as if he was the only solid thing in the entire world, pushing my hips mindlessly to keep taking him. His entire body went hard with tension as well. I could feel it in his shoulders, feel it in the way he twitched inside of me, pushing deeper into my soaking wet, hot depths as my climax shattered through me again and again.
I was almost completely spent by the time Rhett came. He groaned against my neck and then my lips as he pounded into me hard and fast a few more times. As he reached his climax, I managed to find the ability to hit the peak again, and I moaned out over and over, giving in to the pleasure that washed through me.
I wasn’t sure when we’d finally come to a stop, but sometime later I came back to myself, drifting in the aftermath. I shivered as hot-and-cold flashes of sensation flowed through my nerves, lighting up my blood so that I was pretty sure I might actually glow in the dark if we turned off the lights. Rhett held me close where he’d finally settled on the bed, one arm coiled around my waist, and I felt so good—so thoroughly pleased, so completely safe and giddily happy—that I couldn’t entirely believe that I’d ever considered giving up that closeness after the first time Rhett and I had had sex.
“Did you fall asleep?” I murmured.
Rhett opened his eyes and shook his head. “Just resting my eyes,” he said with a smile. “And waiting for you to regain full consciousness.”
I rolled my eyes and grinned. “It’s your fault,” I told him.
“I think we both share blame for how good that sex was,” he said, pulling me tighter.
I shrugged, accepting his argument. I felt too good to even play at fighting him over who deserved the most credit—or blame—for the intense orgasms we’d enjoyed.
“So, it would appear that I am going to be spending lots of time around Mustang Ridge,” I said, remembering what Dad had suggested as we’d been leaving the town council meeting.
“It might actually be a good idea for you to rent a room—ask your dad to pay for it. In town, here, of course,” Rhett said.
I pouted at him. “Do you mean to tell me that your mother wouldn’t let me take the guest room here?”
“Well, if you were staying at my house, I would insist on you sleeping right here,” Rhett said, poking the mattress underneath us. “In this bed, with me.”
“You don’t think your mom would have a problem with that?” Rhett snorted.
“Considering I’m pretty sure she’s going to hook up with your dad at least for a little while,” Rhett said, “I don’t think she’ll have much room to criticize.”
I cringed a bit at that, knowing it was true. Happy as I was for my dad, I didn’t much enjoy the prospect of seeing Dad in the mornings-after.
“I seriously hope that either he convinces your mom to move to Houston, or that he gets us a place here, and we’ll just...avoid the obvious morning after implications,” I said.
Rhett chuckled. “We’ll figure it out.”
I thought about it for a moment and then nodded my agreement. After all, considering what we had managed to accomplish so far—and everything that had been stacked against us—I didn’t think that anything could ever be impossible for Rhett and me. It would be months before the project was done, and in that time I was pretty sure we’d figure out all the other details of a life together. After all, we’d already solved the biggest ones.
“I actually think it might be good for us to get out of the city,” I said. “Maybe set up a new headquarters somewhere in between here and Houston, with some cheap real estate.”
“You like the country life, then?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I grinned at him. “I could get used to it.”
And with that, Rhett covered my body with his once more and started showing me exactly what kind of benefits a country life might provide, leaving no room for any further discussion.
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How it all started...
Dear Reader,
I started my writing career back in 2015 and have been so fortunate to have landed in the top of the bestseller lists. I’ve included a few extras from when it all started. If you haven’t read them, please do. If you have, you may want to re-read them becaue there are sequels coming out for all of them.
Thank you SO MUCH for reading my books.
Hugs!
Ellie
SEAL’D Tight
By
Ellie Danes
www.EllieDanes.com
Chapter One
Nathan
It was the only restaurant sign for thirty miles, so I didn't really have a choice. At least the low counter with spinning vinyl stools assured me of a decent cup of coffee and a greasy breakfast. It was that kind of diner: just off the interstate, unknown but well-used, and still sporting bright orange booths long after the color started to fade.
The Kansas Cookery wasn't much to look at but I could smell a fresh pot of coffee and my stomach rumbled as soon as I shuffled in the door. A few regulars glanced up but the long-haul truckers just kept on eating their mountains of cholesterol and rereading the newspaper headlines. The older waitress, still in her pressed polyester uniform with white apron, slid a menu across
the low counter and nodded me toward the open booths.
Underneath a cheap banner logo that read Welcome to Wichita, I saw a sparse menu of strictly diner fare. Everything was either fried or off the grill and that was just fine with me. My stomach was still swimming with nerves and whatever booze and bad spirits had fueled my last few days.
"Waitress'll be right with you," the older waitress said. She continued to lean on the low counter and argue with a regular over the crossword puzzle.
I picked a booth dead center in the small diner and sat down facing the door. The view out the wide, smudged windows featured a long, gray factory of some sort and the cloverleaf that led up to the interstate. I itched to get back on the road, back to the base, but I knew I needed to eat. I had no idea when my last meal had been, and the bag of chips my last ride had given me had burned off hours ago.
Then I dropped the menu. What was I thinking? I didn't have my wallet. I dug into my pockets to see exactly what I did have. A small key clattered to the tabletop along with a receipt for a bus ticket and a folded picture.
I avoided the photograph and studied the bus receipt for the hundredth time. My one clue was crumpled and faded and only served to make me more confused.
Shoving it and the photograph back in my pocket, I concentrated on cash. I had a handful of change and a wad of dollar bills some nice commuter had tossed out their car window at an intersection in Topeka. Enough for coffee and maybe a burger, if I didn't tip the waitress.
The thumping tension that had chased me for days gripped my head again. I rubbed my forehead and focused on my breathing. All I had to do was remember.
Fuzzy details floated back to me: the SEAL base in New Mexico, my commander handing me my leave papers, and all the familiar insults my fellow SEALS slung at me as I left for a few days of fun.
