Sighing, she slapped her pencil down on the table. “You’re a sore winner.”
“How can I be a sore winner when all I said was I won? Maybe you’re a sore loser.”
She began to pack up the game. “I am not a sore loser.”
“Are you quite sure? Because I feel sorry for those game pieces, the way you’re manhandling them. Admit it, princess, you have a competitive streak a mile wide. Personally I think it’s great. Why play a game unless you want to win?”
He would think like that. Ellis Hunter wanted to win, be better than everyone else. It was in his DNA and he was proud of it.
“Winning is not important.”
He cleared his throat, obviously trying not to laugh at her. “It’s all about how you play the game.”
She smacked the lid on the box and pushed it out of her way. “It is.”
“No, it’s not. That’s just something they tell little kids so they won’t throw building blocks at each other. But we’re adults and we know that winning matters.”
She walked over to the cabinet and slid the box back in, perusing the other games. Maybe Yahtzee or Monopoly?
“Ladies don’t care about things like that.”
His mouth had dropped open. “Is that your mother talking? I can hear her saying something like that along with not to get your dress dirty and to always be polite to grownups. Am I right?”
Too right for comfort.
She snagged the Monopoly box and placed it on the table between them. “Sometimes I’ll be talking and my mother will start coming out of my mouth. It’s disturbing.”
“Sometimes I’ll say something that my dad always used to say. I think that’s normal.”
Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, Peyton opened up the game. “Have you rejected your parents and everything they stand for?”
“Not lately but I’ve been meaning to get around to it. I’ve just been so busy and with the holidays coming up and all…”
She unfolded the board and then grabbed the top hat piece. She was always the top hat.
“Very funny. I’m serious here. I’ve turned my back on my parents’ life but every now and then a part of the past won’t leave me alone. My mother especially. She had so many rules about how a well-brought up lady should conduct herself. Jensen didn’t have near as many things to remember. I wanted to be a boy for the longest time.”
His gaze raked her up and down, making her blood pound heavily in her veins. “You’re no boy, that’s for sure. As for your mother, she probably just wanted to make sure you graduated high school and didn’t become a heroin junkie, knocking over liquor stores for money.”
“I doubt my mother even knows what heroin is. Her dream for me was to find a nice rich man and settle down. All I wanted to do was the opposite.”
She started doling out the money but he held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Why do you get to be the bank?”
“I’m always the bank.”
“So am I.”
She slid the plastic money tray off to the side and then stacked the property deeds next to it. “How about a compromise? We’ll have a modern bank that’s self-service.”
A grin spread across his face. He’d smiled more since they arrived here than he had the entire time in London. “Do you trust me?”
That was an easy question.
“With my life and even with cash.” She wagged her finger at him. “But I’ll be watching.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Monopoly wasn’t a quick sort of game and it took the better part of four hours before it was over. They’d taken a few breaks here and there but it was finally done.
“Hand it over,” she said with glee. “I have a hotel on Park Place and it’s going to cost you.”
He placed his two remaining railroads on top of his remaining cash. “That’s all I have. You’ve cleaned me out. You’re a real barracuda when it comes to business, princess. Did you learn that from daddy?”
“I might have picked up a few tips. I guess I win. What’s next?”
Ellis stretched easily, finally standing and yawning. “I get to pick the next game.”
“We need to eat dinner first. Do you think we can take a walk too?”
He wanted to say yes, she could see it in his eyes but in the end he shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not with the intruders at Josh and Chase’s homes. We went to the store because we had to but if it’s not necessary I think we need to stay inside. I’m so sorry, honey.”
He was and he was right too. They shouldn’t be outside. She was getting a little cabin fever staying inside though so it was a good thing they’d also picked up some wine while they were shopping.
“I know and it’s okay. I was just hoping. I’ll go make dinner. It’ll give me something to do.”
Ellis talked to Chase and Josh again while she cooked a simple dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. That was one of the great things about Ellis. He wasn’t picky about his food.
He insisted on doing the dishes so she settled onto the couch with her glass of red wine and the local news on the television. The picture wasn’t any good but the sound was fine and the overly happy weatherman said it was going to rain the next day.
The drone of the newscasters and the alcohol made her pleasantly relaxed. The day with Ellis had been good. Like before but even better now that she was feeling more herself. The more time she spent with him, the more she liked him which was a surprise. In the past she’d found that familiarity bred…well, not contempt, but it didn’t nurture and grow deep feelings for a man. Of course, this man had thrown all of that on its head. So engrossed in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Ellis until he was right beside her, taking the glass from her hand and setting it on the end table.
“Are you ready for bed?”
Yes. Maybe. Wait, what was the question?
“Bed?”
An image of Ellis and herself in a king-sized bed flashed through her mind.
“You look tired,” he explained. “Did you want to go to bed early?”
She shook her head. “No, if I go to bed now I’ll be up at three in the morning. I was just enjoying the quiet. Time to think and all.”
“What were you thinking about?”
It was a perfectly natural question that she absolutely didn’t want to answer but she found herself doing it anyway.
“You.”
His brows flew up and eyes widened. “Me? What about me?”
Peyton waved the question away. “Just stuff.”
“Stuff,” he dutifully repeated, his lips twitching with mirth. “What kind of stuff? Specifically.”
“For one thing, how nosy you are.”
“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll just make it all up in my mind.”
That sounded worse but she’d have to take her chances.
“Are you going to pick out a game?” she asked, wanting to steer the conversation away to another topic. “There’s about a dozen in that stack. I think the Game of Life is in there.”
“I’ll pass,” he groaned, padding over to the cabinet. “Aren’t we kind of doing that every day?”
She could hear him pulling out all of the boxes one by one. “Did you find anything you wanted to play?”
“Got it.” He came to stand in front of her, holding up a game. “Let’s do this.”
One look and she almost hopped up from the couch and hid behind it. There was no way. She couldn’t do this. Not with him.
Not Twister.
There was a special place in hell for whomever had designed Twister. What had been good, wholesome fun for a child was much more suggestive and even erotic for an adult.
After Peyton had admitted she’d never played the game, Ellis had flipped over the box lid and read her the rules. There weren’t many. Basically the first person who couldn’t make the move on the spinner was the loser. She’d seen enough of the game on television to know that he had a tremendous advantage with his long arms and legs. That he
was going to win was a foregone conclusion.
That she was going to be a complete and utter mess by the time they were done was also an absolute. The fact that she was aroused by Ellis had never been in question, only what she was going to do about it. If anything. It was beginning to feel like they were inevitable, careening toward a collision that would change her – and him – forever. But first she had to survive this game.
The first few moves hadn’t been difficult. Right hand red. Left foot green, and so on. It was when they were about a dozen or more spins in and they were beginning to get tangled up pretty good that things started to heat up. Every time Ellis switched position, he seemed to find a reason to touch her even if it was only a brief second, and every time he did she had to concentrate not to fall into a puddle of want on the floor. In the past he’d been careful to keep his distance but lately he’d begun to move closer, initiating contact more often even if it was an act as simple as helping her on with her raincoat or giving her a hand in and out of the taxi.
Reaching for the spinner, he spun for her since she couldn’t reach. She had her left foot on green and her right foot on red, her right hand on blue and her left hand on yellow. So far, so good but the new spin had her right hand on red. Normally that would have been totally fine except that he was already on the two closest red circles which meant she was going to have to stretch out even more to get her hand there.
Over or under? It would probably be easier to go under Ellis who was on all fours facing her left. If she tried to go over him she was fairly sure her legs and arms wouldn’t be long enough.
“I’m just going to…” She began to slide underneath his torso and he tried to arch his back to ease her way but the extra inches didn’t help much. This wasn’t going to be easy. Already her body was tuned to his every breath or twitch. She could feel the heat radiate from his skin and smell his masculine scent, spicy and warm. Taking a deep lungful of him, her fingers itched to abandon the game and explore him instead, running over every dip and plane of his arms and shoulders.
“Take your time,” he cautioned. “You’ve got this.”
Inching her hand across the plastic, she held her breath until she was touching the red circle. But now that she was breathing again, she noticed that she was pressed up against Ellis’s front.
The front of his pants.
And he was obviously enjoying the game. He had chosen it after all, so he had to have known this was going to happen. Sneaky. She ought to be mad at him but she’d agreed to play.
Face it, I hoped this would happen.
It was just like him to help her out like this. He’d known what a quandary she was in, going back and forth, and always chickening out. He’d made it easy. Play the game or feign exhaustion? He’d given her every opportunity to say no but her tacit agreement was a green light for more. More touching. More light flirting. More of them. Less drama and angst.
Thank you, Ellis.
He spun for his turn and was able to lift off of her, placing himself to the right, but as he moved he brushed against her, sending tingles through her veins like bubbles in champagne. A few more moves and they found themselves facing each other, his lips mere inches away.
Her tight throat made it difficult to speak. “Can you, um, spin for me?”
The words came out kind of squeaky but he didn’t remark on it. Reaching behind him, he quickly spun the wheel and the arrow landed on left foot blue.
She could do this. All she had to do was slide her foot to the left. Easy-peasy.
His mouth was turned up into a half-smile as she slowly made her move, her gaze following her toes all the way to her destination. When she looked up in triumph, he’d somehow leaned closer and his lips brushed hers, ghosting over them so lightly at first she’d thought she imagined it. It was when he did it again that she realized she wasn’t dreaming. This was real and they were kissing. At last. All the doubts that had been swirling around in her head and driving her crazy had dissolved the moment his lips touched hers. The future was happening now and she didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
His mouth was firm but gentle, not demanding a response but cajoling one. He tasted like the red wine they’d enjoyed earlier and she swore she could get drunk simply kissing him. His tongue slid along her lower lip and she opened to him as they tumbled to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. They broke apart, giggling like kids, and she reached up to cup his face in her hands.
“Thank you.”
Nuzzling her with his nose, he pressed a light kiss to her cheekbone, then each eyelid, making it very hard to catch her breath.
“You’re welcome, princess.”
She ran her hands down his neck and over his shoulders, finally feeling his muscles under her palms. “Do you even know why I thanked you?”
He’d been patient. Not perfect, of course, but he’d put up with so much of her back and forth. The mixed signals and the indecision.
He smiled and her stomach fluttered in response. Maybe this was why he didn’t smile often. If he did, women would be falling at his feet wherever he went.
“I do know and it wasn’t easy. You’re worth it.”
She nudged his leg with her foot. “You think you know everything about me.”
He bent his head and ran his tongue up the cord of her neck until she was digging her fingers into his biceps. “I don’t, but I do think finding out is going to be fun.”
“What if you find out things you don’t like?”
He lifted up slightly. “We already have. We’ve practically been in each other’s pockets for weeks and we’ve managed not to commit murder. It hasn’t been a day at the beach but it has been fun. You have to admit that, princess.”
Pulling him closer, she pressed her lips to his until they were both breathless, hearts pounding. “You’re the most fun I’ve ever had.”
He shook his head as if denying her statement. “I’ve never been accused of being fun.”
“You are now. Will you kiss me again?”
Chapter Sixteen
Ellis missed reading the news while drinking his morning coffee. He didn’t dare leave the house just to get a paper so he was stuck either watching the local news on the old television or scrolling through it on the cell phone. He couldn’t help but wonder if there were any articles regarding Archer Caldwell, good or bad. Now that he was in Evandria custody, how was he running his personal businesses? Had anyone noticed that he wasn’t around?
“You don’t like French toast?”
Peyton’s question dragged his attention away from the phone and back to her. She looked especially beautiful this morning, dressed in light blue shorts and a white eyelet t-shirt, her pale blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. In fact, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. A woman he’d made out with like a teenager last night.
“I love it, I’m just distracted waiting for the others. They should have been here thirty minutes ago.”
Late last night the decision had been made to leave Williamsburg and come down here to the safe house. Ellis was as sure as he could be that they weren’t being watched so it only made sense. Six of them plus six dogs was going to make this place feel awfully small but being safe was the highest priority.
“They said they were going to stop for more groceries,” Peyton reminded him. “That’s probably what slowed them down. They’ll be here.”
“It’s my job to worry.”
She smiled and picked up his fork, holding it in front of him. “It’s my job to keep you calm. Eating your breakfast would be a good start. I slaved over a hot stove for that.”
He accepted the fork and their fingers brushed, sending bolts of electricity straight up his arm. He doubted she had any idea the effect she had on him.
“Did I mention how pretty you look this morning?”
The mouthful of French toast paused halfway to her lips. “Ellis Hunter, are you trying to flirt with me? Because if you are, it’s working. Thank y
ou.”
He shifted in his chair. “I admit that flirting and wooing are not my strong suit but I can try.”
Her blue eyes were warm and bright. “I think you’re doing just fine.”
They ate in silence until their plates were clean. Ellis pushed his away and dabbed at his mouth with the napkin. “You know they’re going to notice. This. Us. Are you prepared for that?”
Ellis didn’t want to keep it a secret but he wasn’t a yell it from the roof kind of guy either. Chase and Josh, however, would take one look at him and know what was up. Ellis didn’t look at anyone else the way he looked at Peyton. No one had managed to get to him the way she had and he wasn’t fooling his friends trying to act cool.
Sighing, she nodded. “I think so. I just hope Willow and Bailey understand that we’re doing this at our own pace. I want them to respect that.”
They hadn’t slept together last night. They might not tonight either. That was fine with Ellis. As she’d said, they’d proceed at their own pace.
“I’m sure if you explain that they will. I’m guessing that Chase and Josh have told them that I don’t have the best track record with women. They probably don’t think I’m much of a bargain.”
Picking up their empty plates, she carried them over to the sink. “You haven’t had many serious relationships?”
“That would be an understatement. My career has been everything to me and women rarely have the patience for the strange hours that a detective works. If someone dies in the middle of the night, I get out of bed and go to the crime scene. I don’t get to wait for the morning commute.”
Picking up the coffee pot, she refilled her mug and then his. “When you go out in the middle of the night do you drink, gamble, or generally chase women? Marry them and have a secret family?”
“No, I do not, but you need to have higher standards than that for a man, princess. Make the guy toe the line.”
“That guy would be you,” she smirked. “I draw the lines around here so I’ll let you know when you have a toe over it. In the meantime, I’m not too worried about a workaholic. It would be a nice change. I think the big thing for me is once this is all over, I need to find something that fills my days. Something I’m passionate about so I’m not sitting around waiting for you to get off of work.”
Kiss Midnight Goodbye (Midnight Blue Beach Book 3) Page 11
