by Jaycee Ford
“Ellie?”
The deep voice echoed in my brain and my heart fluttered before melting. It was deeper than it once was, but my heart knew that voice. That voice talked to me and kept me company during all of those high school parties where Lance would be doing who knows what or gone who knows where. That voice, laced with what I wished was love, was all I really wanted anyway, but I was dating his best friend. I wasn’t like his best friend; I stayed faithful to the person I was dating. I steeled my reactions to one of friendship and hid the true emotions I had always harbored.
A simple turn of my head and my knees almost buckled. Blond hair peeked underneath the brim of a worn black cowboy hat. Deep blue eyes widened in what appeared to be shock. Broad shoulders filled out a dark brown leather coat that hung open, showing a blue and black plaid flannel shirt. A bronze belt buckle rested on top of dark yet faded jeans. My peripheral vision noticed his attire, because my eyes couldn’t break away from the crystal blue of his.
“Paul? Is that you?” My eyes squinted as I played the role of the friend I had always been and covered up the rapid thump of my heart. A smile spread across his face and a sudden urge came over me to press my legs together. Damn, he was hot.
He shrugged his shoulders, still holding the handles of two brown paper bags. I clasped my hands together, covering the smile I could not contain, and gave up keeping my feet planted. I crossed the few feet between us and threw my arms around his neck.
“God, it’s so good to see you.” I hoped my whisper against his cheek didn’t give me away. His rough stubble pressing against my cheek sent the flutter from my heart down my spine. He breathed deeply and the bags thumped onto the icy ground. His arms wrapped around me loosely, and then he gripped me tighter. I fought the tear that wanted to fall over being so close to him after all of this time.
I never knew his arms would feel this good again.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered in my ear.
I couldn’t very well admit that I was chasing the ghost of him, but I didn’t know what to say. So, I lied.
“I had a few days off after the New Year and decided to check out a new business location.” Yeah, that sounded thought out and well planned.
He pulled back slightly. His lips were so close to mine, and my eyes flickered to them, remembering that one time I had claimed him. But as fast as I looked at them, I blinked back to his eyes.
“Checking out a new business location? A new business location for you?”
I couldn’t help but wish I heard the hope in his voice. I reminded myself that this was Paul and he would never make a move. We were just friends. We would only ever be just friends. I gripped his biceps, trying to seem excited, but I really wanted to feel the muscles underneath. Holy Mother, he filled out nicely.
“Yes! Isn’t that great! After my internship ends this summer, I’m thinking about opening a clothing boutique here! Isn’t that awesome?” I loved how I hadn’t dreamed of this until five minutes ago, and when I said it out loud, it sounded like a fabulous idea. “I was supposed to meet with the realtor today, but with the incoming storm, I had to put it on hold.”
“You’re moving back here?” As he asked the question, I couldn’t help smirking at his serious and quiet demeanor. I bit my lip and nodded my answer. He let out a breath. “That’s awesome, Ellie.”
My face brightened when he smiled at me. Silence echoed around us. My hands slid down his arms, and my gloved fingers glided to his. His fingers twitched against mine, sending my heart to drum with nervous anticipation. His eyes flickered to my lips, and I automatically swiped my tongue across my bottom one out of instinct. There was no doubt of the unmistakable pull between us. I had to chalk it up to being close friends at one time, but were men and women ever really just friends?
My breath shook as I exhaled. His lips were so close to mine. I just had to lean in and I could have what I had been craving for so long. His finger wrapped around one of mine, and just as I was adjusting my hand, a loud crash boomed behind me. I jumped around, releasing my hold of him. An eighteen-wheeler truck had jack-knifed off the road, and an SUV plowed into the trailer.
“Well, shit,” Paul muttered. I peered back at him as his eyes focused on the collision. “Looks like a fun night in my truck.”
I’d be damned if I would let him sleep in his truck. This was my shot—my one and only shot. I picked up one of his bags and confidently threaded my fingers with his. His eyes looked down at our interlaced fingers and then to my eyes. I hated that we were both wearing gloves. I yearned for the heat of his skin.
“Not when I have a suite at The Inn. Come on. It’s about time we catch up with each other.” He didn’t hold back his smile, and I didn’t know if I would be able to hold back my need for Paul.
PAUL PUSHED OPEN the door to The Inn and waited for me to enter. The warmth of the fire bit against my nose as we walked into the empty foyer. I had been the only guest at The Inn since the holidays ended. The whole place had been nice and quiet. My initial thought for staying here was that the quiet would help me deal with my thoughts; however, my thoughts were consumed by the man I was now leading upstairs to my suite.
When we approached the barren hallway, Paul grabbed the bag filled with food that I had been holding, and I dug the room key out of my purse, unlocking the door for us. I walked in and took off my gloves and hat, and while I unbuttoned my jacket, I turned to Paul, who just stared at me. My body hummed with need; I still tingled from his touch. I covered up my desires by evoking a friendly smile.
“Well, don’t just stand there, Paul. Get comfy. I’m gonna talk your ear off all night.” I had to or I would jump him, I was sure.
He walked toward me and placed the bags on the floor. After taking off his gloves, he peeled off his jacket and my eyes roamed his chest. I had to distract myself, so I crouched down to the bags on the floor.
“What do you have in here? Anything that needs to be chilled?” I opened one bag and pulled out a bottle of wine. My heart fell. He never drank wine. He must have been bringing this home to his girl. Oh, God, he’s married. He probably has kids too. And they’re probably all blond and look like their mother.
I steeled my reactions as I peered into his eyes. He lifted his hat off his head and placed it on the dresser. His eyes never left mine. I blinked away again, opened up the mini-fridge nestled inside the dresser, and slid in the bottle of white. I couldn’t allow myself to keep staring at him. The pain of finding out he was no longer single started to creep up on me. I just needed to finish this task, and then be the friend I had always been.
I dug in the bag again and pulled out a six-pack of beer. I felt him shift down to a crouch next to me.
“You know how Mrs. Ethel is … always taking care of everybody.”
I wanted to hope that it was just Mrs. Ethel taking care of him and not his woman. He was so close to my flushed cheek. I hoped he didn’t realize the effect he had on me.
I pulled out one of the bottles and offered it to him. “Shall we?”
His lips rose into the sexiest smirk I had ever seen on him. I couldn’t help but lick my bottom lip again. His face became serious as his eyes flickered to my mouth. God, he was killing me.
His hand grazed over mine, his touch sending a dire need down to the pit of my stomach. I kept reminding myself over and over. This is just Paul. He’ll only ever be a friend. However, that look in his eye made him seem as desperate for me as I was for him, and I so wanted that to be true.
He twisted open the domestic brew and handed it back to me. I handed him another bottle, and after he opened it, he reached out his hand to help me off the floor. He pulled me up and I became eye level with his chest. I wanted to rip away the blue and black plaid. I never hated the sight of plaid more in my life.
“Here’s to reconnecting.” He held out his bottle toward me. I clinked it with a curt nod and raised the bottle to my lips.
While I sipped from the bottle, his little smile falt
ered and his eyes remained on my lips. This devil of seduction came over me and I darted my tongue out over the rim. His chest heaved as his eyes flickered back to mine. He then took a long pull from his bottle, and I turned toward the small table in the corner and sat in the chair facing the room.
His boots thumped against the hardwood as he crossed the distance. The chair scrapped against the floor when he pulled it away from the table and sat across from me. He took another long pull of beer while keeping his eyes locked on mine, and placed the bottle on the glass top table. I tried to look at any spot on his face besides his eyes, but they drew me in every time. As he rested his back against the chair, he folded his arms across his broad chest and his sexy smirk graced his face again.
“So, tell me. What has Miss Ellie Caldwell been up to all these years?”
Trying to get over you. “School, really. I took part in an accelerated program, and I’m finishing up my internship this spring.” I sipped my beer, gaining any bit of liquid courage I could from a light beer, which would be none, and fluttered my eyes to his. “What has Mr. Paul Harris been up to all these years?”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His chiseled face and strong jaw became pronounced with his movement. His hair lay in a clean yet unmanaged fashion. His eyes glowed in the dim light from the lamp on the dresser. I hadn’t seen this face in six years and I didn’t think I could look away from him. I took another long drink of beer, and he narrowed his stare on my lips again.
“Just been working at the McCloud Farm, attempting to stay out of trouble.”
“How’s that been working out for you?”
He emptied his bottle and placed it on the glass top table. “I only said attempting.”
An arch in his brow sent me reeling, and his low, husky voice had me pressing my legs together. I reached over for his empty beer and stood, needing to catch my breath, and dropped both of our bottles in the trash. As I opened the fridge, I took advantage of its air to cool down my flushed cheeks. My heart pounded with every passing second, and with our close proximity, I didn’t know if I could hold it together much longer.
I stood after pulling out two bottles, and as I walked back to the table, the wind howled with the incoming storm. An exterior shutter slammed against the window and swung back open, crashing against the siding. I jumped as the slam scared me. The hum of electricity killed throughout The Inn and the lights zapped out. I gazed wide-eyed toward Paul in the darkness, and his hand grazed up my arms, sending shivers along my spine.
“I’ll dig out the candles,” he whispered. “With this old place, the electricity will more than likely stay out for a while.”
I nodded as he stood, brushing past me. I stepped toward the window and gazed out over the snow that had begun to fall across the landscape of rolling hills. Candlelight glowed around me, igniting the fiery need between my legs. The tap of his boots echoed in the silence, thumping toward me. The sound stopped right behind me. The heat radiated off him mere inches away. His breath tickled my neck, and my chest pounded with nerves and disbelief as to what was going on between us. Barely a few sentences were said, but years of sexual tension were about to combust.
“Are you still single?” I whispered. I knew what I needed, but I wouldn’t dare try to take him away. His hands glided down my arms. I closed my eyes to absorb his touch.
“Yes. Are you?” His answer sent a throb pulsing throughout my body. Silence passed for what seemed like an eternity until his lips pressed against my neck. My knees buckled from the intensity; he wrapped his arms tight around me.
“Friends, right?”
My heart gave way at his whispered question, but I needed to feel him before I gave him up forever. I turned around in his arms and stared at his lips with longing, licking my own before I answered.
“Yes.”
His lips crashed against mine. My body buzzed from the heat and I took all that I could get. This might be the only time I could have him. I would give him a night he would always remember. Give him something he couldn’t ever forget even if he tried.
Flashbacks of our whiskey-laced kiss filtered through and my memory didn’t do it justice. His tongue dipped into my mouth and a moan escape at his force. His arms engulfed me. He pulled out of the kiss as his thumb caressed my cheek.
“I want you, Ellie. Give me this one night, and tomorrow, we can go back to being friends.”
I became breathless. I didn’t care if he never wanted to speak to me again. I had wanted him for so long. There was no chance I was giving him up now.
Pulling his lips back down to mine was my answer, giving everything I had over to him. I didn’t care what he did; I just wanted him to do it with me. He knelt before me, and his hands roamed down my body, grazing against my breasts and down my stomach. A fire of need followed his touch with every pass he made as he worshiped me. As I stood before him, he sat on his heels and pulled off my boots. Our eyes never broke contact as he rose to his knees again, unbuttoning my jeans and pealing them down over my hips. After pulling the socks off my feet, he kissed up my legs. I held on to him, my knees trembling beneath me. His lips grazed my lace panties and the breath caught in my throat.
Paul stood, leaving me throbbing and begging for more. In one swift move, he pulled my shirt and sweater over my head. My hair tumbled down around my shoulders. He took a step back, and after all of these years, his stare finally roamed my body, hooded with lust.
“Do you have any idea how fucking hot you are?” The huskiness in his voice about undid me.
I shook my head. He left me breathless; I could not speak.
He stepped close to me, leaving a breath between us. “I intend to show you.”
The rush of emotions pooled in the pit of my stomach as he claimed my lips again. He wrapped his arms around me, unclasping my bra. He ripped it away in a fury as I clawed at the buttons of his shirt. His thumbs grazed my nipples, and as my hands touched his bare chest, he pulled the tip into his mouth, sucking so deeply, my head fell back with a gut-wrenching moan.
As if he felt my burning desire, he hoisted my legs around him and laid me down on the bed, crawling on top of me. The lace separating me from his jeans was ripped away as his kiss scorched a fiery path down to my core, like a dragon breathing his fire across me. My body screamed to be possessed by him.
“Paul, please.”
My legs were thrown over his shoulders and his tongue ripped me in two as he darted into me. My back arched off the bed as he eased a finger inside. I fisted the sheets on either side of me in some attempt to hold myself down as the heat of his tongue fed my impending explosion.
“God, you’re so tight.” His lips pressed against my thighs and across my sex again. I needed him inside me.
“Fill me.”
He pulled his mouth and hands away from me and stood beside the bed. I lay on the mattress, staring up at him in the candlelight. He dug in his back pocket, opened up his wallet, and pulled out a condom. My legs hung open as the moisture left from his tongue cooled my core. He gazed over me as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. My breath stilled when he pulled them down. He most certainly had filled out. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, and I licked my lips in pure hunger. He eased his body on top of mine. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Are you okay with this, Ellie?” He hovered over me with worry etched in his brow.
I swept my hand down his cheek, relishing in his touch. I nodded again, unable to speak, and he rolled on a condom, positioning himself between my legs and nudging the tip inside.
“I plan to give until you can’t take it. I want to give you something to remember while you’re away,” Paul said as he slowly filled me.
My heart pounded as I accommodated every inch of him. My breath escaped from his girth, but I kept my eyes locked on his. He rolled his hips while pumping into me. I blinked with a moan and he covered my mouth with his, easing his tongue inside. He released my lips as my breathing quic
kened.
“I don’t want you going to someone else. I want you to only think of me and how I will continue giving you what you need when you come back.”
He lifted my legs, angling my hips higher. He touched places I didn’t know were possible. His gaze remained on me, and with his intense stare, it wasn’t long until I unraveled with the severity of emotions spreading through me. He remained stilled, deep inside, as my core relieved its clenching. When my body relaxed, he groaned with pleasure, kissing me and pushing me over the edge again and again. He throbbed within me, moaning my name into the cold that surrounded the heat between us. His eyes widened, and his muscles tensed beneath my touch with each thrust until he poured into me.
My eyes closed and he pressed his forehead against mine with our breath intertwined. He cradled me, as I was over-sensitized from passion. He wrapped his arms around me, and I melted into his embrace and into the best sleep of my life.
I blinked against the candlelight and the dawn awakened me. With a glance at my phone, the time had come to leave. I didn’t want to wake him, but this couldn’t be goodbye. I dressed silently; my bags were already packed. I peered at him in the bed, hugging my pillow to his chest. I put my heart on the line, and I would try once more. I wrote my number on a piece of notepaper with the message: Use it.
I placed the note on top of his hat and took one last look at my cowboy. He held my heart in his hands. Whatever he did with it was up to him. The door closed behind me, and I hoped that, in six months, he would be right where I left him.
THE SNOW CONTINUED to fall as the sheets had been stripped away from the heat between us. I held her back against me, the sweat sticking to our bodies. Her chest heaved for breath as I kept a firm grasp on her breast, unwilling to let her go. She was still mine for tonight. The candlelight surrounding us as I gazed at her naked body. My thigh scorched from her touch, holding it over her hip. Her sight drew to the falling snow, eyelids fluttering closed. I kissed her bare shoulder and neck, hugging her tighter as she drifted off to sleep. No words needed to be said. Endless hours of unimaginable sex and I barely blinked away from her gaze. She knew exactly how I felt, even though I couldn’t say the words … and I wouldn’t.
