But then he’d shown up unexpectedly at her shop, seeming to be on some kind of mission. Her first instinct was to leave him standing on the other side of the glass, showing him in a much milder way than he’d shown her what it felt like to be unwanted, but the way his dark eyes bored into hers had her losing all logical thought. Before she could find and hold onto every reason why being in the same room with him again wasn’t a good idea, she’d opened the door.
When her reasoning resumed, it was too late. He was already inside, giving her “sad boy” eyes. She had tried putting up a strong front and had succeeded, minus the few tears, until he confessed to missing her over the years. For that short moment it was all she needed to hear.
And then he kissed her. Wow. Everything inside of her screamed to forgive him. She knew it wasn’t that easy, though. Heath needed to understand that too.
Relishing the closeness and soaking in the warmth and scent of the only man she’d ever loved, Ellie was thrilled Heath recognized they still had a long ways to go and a lot of things to talk about. Like their future. Because she had tasted the future in his kiss.
She was about to pour her first cup of coffee for the day when a knocking came at the door. Eight in the morning was too early for company on a Sunday, and she wasn’t supposed to meet Heath at the diner for another hour.
Their original plan was for him to pick her up at the house for breakfast, but then late last night after he’d gotten Mia settled he had texted and asked if she would meet him instead. It had something to do with Mia. She had assured him it was okay. She also worried for her friend. It gave her peace of mind knowing he was sticking close to her. Mia probably appreciated it too. Ellie knew Mia wanted nothing more than to have her brother back in her life. It was the reasons she hadn’t volunteered to go to the hospital last night. She wanted to give them time together.
After tightening her robe, she peeked through the faux wooden blinds before turning over the lock and opening the door. “Heath,” she said, surprised. To her own ears she sounded barely awake. She opened the door all the way. “I thought I was supposed to meet you at the diner?” Lord have mercy. Looking as if he’d opted out of shaving that morning, slight stubble covered his tanned, handsome face, giving him more of a rugged look. Trying not to say something embarrassing, like “please in the name of everything holy, take me this instant”, she bit her bottom lip.
“Mia pushed me out the door. She said I was hovering. So here I am.”
Ellie heard the words, but she was more focused on Heath’s mouth, the way his lips moved, and how she was only wearing panties under her robe. And what in the hell does his mouth have to do with my underwear? Oh. Before she could put any more thought into it, he moved into her space, walking her backward into the house. Dragging her gaze up to meet his, her breath caught in her chest at the naked desire reflected there. Maybe she looked as enticing to him as he had to her, even first thing in the morning.
Unable to think clearly, it was a miracle her coffee cup found the side table in the foyer. Distracted by Heath’s clever fingers working open the knot at her waist and thinking just how easy it would be for him to slip one of those talented fingers between her thighs, she didn’t notice if her coffee had sloshed over the side. Her sex dampened even more and she let her shoulders drop, the garment sliding down her arms in a sensuous slither as Heath took a small step backward and seemed to devour every inch of her bared skin with his eyes.
Feeling oddly sexy for early morning, she sighed, “You’re here.”
“I will enjoy telling you every morning for the rest of our lives how unbelievably beautiful you are.”
Her fingers clenched his T-shirt, tugging it up his chest until she touched bare skin. For a brief moment she allowed herself the pure joy of feeling the thudding of his heart, speeding up with her own, before pulling the thin fabric over his head. Letting it fall where her robe now lay puddled, she pulled him closer, eliminating all space between them. An electric current flowed through her at the feel of his thick column pressed against her stomach.
“Take me, Heath. Finally. Make love to me the way we both wanted all those years ago.” She never thought she’d plead with a man when it came to sex. Hell, she was way out of her comfort zone here, but Heath was worth it.
A manly groan rumbled from his chest. She was about to ask if he’d said anything in return, but then his mouth was running over hers again, and she knew talking was the least of what they needed for the moment. With teeth scraping against one another, her fingers dug into his back with his played a sensual dance along her sides. A jolt of excitement rushed between her thighs.
He forced her backward until she was pleasantly trapped between him and the wall—the coolness a contradiction to the warmth flooding through the rest of her body. They explored each other’s mouths a little longer before pulling back for air.
His eyes and hands seemed to find her breasts simultaneously. A sexy moan escaped his lips. “You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve dreamed of being able to do this and not feel guilty for it. Who would’ve thought a three year age difference could cause so much torture to a young man?” She took it more as an observation than question.
If it wasn’t for the support of the wall, Ellie was sure she would’ve melted at his feet. How was it she felt so sexy and desirable at eight o’clock in the morning with bed head, free of any makeup, and wearing only simple cotton panties?
Interrupting any insecurity, she tried to keep up as he moved her from the foyer to the living room. She turned on him just as the back of her knees reached the sofa, forcing him to fall backward first. Reaching out, he pulled her toward him, and she willingly went, climbing onto his lap. He shifted, causing the rough denim to do pleasant things to her most sensitive flesh, which had her wanting to draw out the friction by slowing moving her hips from side to side.
“You’re making it hard for me to—”
She temporarily silenced him by pressing her breasts to his chest and placing a kiss, followed by a gentle bite at the spot where his shoulder and neck met. “Jesus Ellie.” Loving the control, she continued moving on top of him, teasing her own pleasure, but then his large hands reached out and stilled her. “Stop. Moving.”
With a wicked look in his eyes, Heath slipped one hand between her thighs, not stopping until he was sliding her panties out of place.
She sucked in whatever air was available while skilled fingers found her sweet spot. Gripping onto his shoulders, she moved right along with him. His free hand found one of her breasts, and the tugging became too much. In a matter of minutes she was close to losing it.
“Heath, I can’t … I’m about to …” Shoulders slumped, eyes half-lidded, she let the sensation ripple through her. When she finally floated back down to reality, she found Heath gazing back at her, a smile curving his lips. “That was amazing.”
“I love watching you come.” He leaned forward and planted a short kiss on her lips.
Never in the past had Ellie been forward with anyone but Heath. And like the last time, she wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. All she was sure of was that she needed more of Heath. Now. Pulling him back, she kissed him, long and hard. Warmth and love flowed through her. “Make love to me, Heath,” she said, pulling away and positioning herself on the couch. She leaned back on her elbows.
“I’ve been waiting on this for the past thirteen years. I don’t plan on waiting a second longer.” Pushing to his feet, he stripped off his shoes and socks first, followed by his jeans and boxers, but not before removing a foil packet from his worn, leather wallet. He placed the condom wrapper on the arm of the sofa.
Lips parted, she gazed back at his glorious body, his broad shoulders and a firm chest. His body looked like an athlete’s would, not of a man who spent most of his days behind a desk. She licked her lips as her eyes moved lower. Much lower. This was really going to happen.
Then some of the insecurities returned. What if this moment wouldn’t be as perfec
t as they’d both dreamed? What if she didn’t measure up, and in some way let him down? She pushed the brief thought aside, because this was Heath—her Heath—and he loved her.
Thankfully she had an oversized sofa, roomy enough for what they needed it for. Both of his knees sank into the cushion, and he took extra care so as not to put all of his weight on top of her.
With his help, she shimmied out of her panties. Wrapping her arms tight around his trim waist, she brought their bottom halves closer, eliminating every inch between them. Right then, with his erection pressed between her thighs, she inwardly scolded herself for having any self-doubt.
A protest was on the tip of her tongue when he scooted back to sheath himself, but she knew he was only trying to protect her, and that went a long way with her. Then he slowly entered her—every glorious inch of him.
“Ahh, baby.” He groaned.
“Feels so good,” she said. He moved in a rhythm that worked for the both of them. “So very good.”
Heat seared through her as he moved inside of her. He took possession of her mouth, plunging his tongue inside, making the neediest sounds. Locking her ankles around his waist, she shifted by pushing out her hips. The movement must’ve done something pleasant to him, because his kiss turned more eager. They both sighed as a sense of urgency built between them.
Before everything could register and she could wrap her brain around what was fully happening, she was close to orgasm. It was too soon. She tried pushing it back, not wanting it to be over just yet, but she was teetering over the edge, and Heath was too if the sudden quickening of his breath was any indication.
“Now, Ellie. I can’t hold back.”
She was right there with him. Her inner muscles clenched as she tried to breathe through the tiny aftershocks of the intense pleasure taking over her body, leaving her a quivering mess.
“Not only will I tell you how beautiful you are every morning, but I plan to wake up every day doing exactly this.”
Giving him better access, she tilted her neck as he peppered kisses around the curve of her shoulder. “You won’t hear any objections from me.”
His laugh came out a little raspy and a lot sexy. How in the hell had she gotten this lucky to have fallen in love with him twice—or maybe she’d never fallen out of love? It could be that the little hiccup between then and now was just that, a time they both desperately needed to grow into the people they were meant to be. She decided she liked that assumption.
“You want some breakfast?” she asked, remembering she hadn’t even had a full cup of coffee yet. Wow. Sex before coffee. Who thought it possible?
“I could use some coffee,” he said, reading her mind. Hadn’t he always been able to do that—finish her sentence, and her, his? Back in the day. And now in the present.
She padded down the hall to the bathroom to clean up while he dressed. Since she’d left her robe in the foyer, she went with cotton shorts and the first T-shirt she came to in her chest of drawers.
They then made their way to the kitchen, and Heath took one of the barstools while she poured them both a cup of coffee. She knew he drank it black. After handing his over, she added several spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk to her own. From his wry look she thought he would tease her—like he used to—on drinking it so sweet, but instead he smiled.
“So, I take it Mia is going to be okay? It’s not serious?” She remembered there had been mild annoyance in his tone when she’d opened the door earlier, and it made her smile. It seemed no time had passed between Heath and Mia. They were back to loving each other one minute, and the next, one of them putting the other in their place.
“A little sore, but fine enough to kick me out of the house.”
A tick started in his jaw, and she found it unbelievably sexy. She liked this protective, brooding side of him. “Did she know you were meeting me?”
“Yeah, I mentioned it last night while we were waiting to see the doctor. I don’t have to tell you how excited this has made her. She asked me a million questions instead of worrying about her ankle.”
Ellie nodded because she understood. “I have a feeling she could’ve been having her leg amputated and she still would’ve thrown you out. ‘Us’ is important to her.”
“That makes sense, but she did genuinely sound agitated.” He shrugged. “Maybe I went a little too far by sleeping in the recliner by her bedside all night.”
This made Ellie giggle. “Knowing Mia, that would do it. She’s very independent and doesn’t like to be taken care of. When she moved back home and moved into the apartment, I offered it rent free until she got on her feet, but she said she wouldn’t take the apartment unless I accepted her money. She worked three jobs those first few months. It would’ve been easy for her to ask your dad for the money, but she refused his help too. She was determined to make it on her own.”
“Stubborn.”
Ellie gave him a sideways glance as she took the stool next to him.
“What?” he asked over the top of his mug.
“I wonder where she gets it from?” she said sweetly.
He shrugged, but with one eyebrow raised shot her a look that made her panties dampen all over again. “I guess it does run in the family.”
“At least you can admit it. Speaking of, what’s going on with you and your dad? Have you talked?”
“You get right to the point, don’t ya?”
“I figure we’ve wasted enough time not talking. It’s time we start sharing the big stuff.” She paused, surprising even herself with her forwardness, but she pushed through because if they were going to have a chance they needed to start by being honest. The sex had been spectacular, but it couldn’t be allowed to cloud the issue. “Like I said last night, the past thirteen years are not just going to vanish. They were real and a very painful time in my life.”
He took her hand into his and brought it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. “I can’t say I’m sorry enough for putting you through that. If it was humanly possible I would kick my own ass for it. You have to know if I could go back and ease that time I would for you.”
“And if I’d known about Katriana maybe I would’ve fought for you, not let you walk away so easily from me.” Until that moment Ellie had never accepted any of the blame. She didn’t think she deserved it, but maybe she did play a small part in their history—a very small one.
He gazed back at her with a blank stare. “None of this falls on you, Ellie. I was the one who easily believed Katriana, and it was me who ran.”
Her gaze fell to her coffee mug, hating that they still had to have this conversation. But she knew it was necessary. It was just easier to move on to the good stuff, to stop reliving the painful parts.
He tilted her chin up to him. “I love you. I know I’m thirteen years too late, but—”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “You’re not too late. Being too late would imply there is no hope for us and that is far from the truth. Our hearts have been through more than they should’ve and it would be a shame if we let one more thing come between us. It’s the reason I want us to be upfront and honest about everything. Even the things you think I don’t need to know.” She leaned in and lightly kissed him. “I want to know everything.”
He nodded. “So where do you want to start?”
“How are things with your dad?”
Heath rubbed his palms up and down his jeans. “You know how strained things have been between us. My family has been somewhat broken since the day my parents told me and Mia they were divorcing. I could’ve made things easier for everyone.” He shrugged, as if maybe regretting that. “I chose the selfish route instead. Then after my mom died, I could no longer take it out on her. I mean, I’m a bastard, but even I’m not that cruel to take it out on her memory. Roy took all of the blame from then on out. Things only went downhill from there when he started dating. That was a blow I wasn’t ready for. I was disgusted by his choices. It was probably a good thing I wasn’t arou
nd for the other weddings.”
“I won’t even try to tell you I understand everything you and Mia went through. I do know that your dad has always regretted not fixing things between you two before you left.” She paused to take a breath because she wasn’t sure she should say what she wanted to, but they had decided to be open about everything. And she cared deeply for both Heath and Mr. Roy. “Your leaving broke his heart too.”
Heath’s shoulders slightly slumped as his eyes squeezed shut, and Ellie wondered if he was going to ignore that last part, but then he opened them and stared back at her. “I finally figured that out. For all these years I’ve been consumed with everything he did wrong as a parent that I forgot to ask him how he was doing after my mom’s betrayal. If it felt anything like it did for me when I thought you’d cheated on me, and I imagine it did since they’d shared a long life together, it must have about killed him.”
“He’s happy now,” Ellie said.
“I see that. Renee is great. She’s a perfect match for him. I’m glad I came back so I could meet her and be a part of their day.” A slow, sexy smile reached the corners of his eyes. “I’m also thankful Mia was stubborn and never gave up on me, because it brought me here to you too.”
“Me too,” she said. “Although if someone told me I would feel this way a week ago, I would’ve laughed in their face and probably suggest they be committed.”
She now admired the man in front of her. If she was being honest, she’d admit admire and Heath wouldn’t have been two words she would have ever thought possible to put in the same sentence. Not too long ago she wished harmful things on him, but after last night, when he showed up at her door with a sincere apology and chose to be upfront and honest with her, she knew she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t give him a chance. She could tell he was trying. He was slowly turning into the Heath she remembered and loved.
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