“Make a wish.” Ray said, hoping he didn’t sound childish. But he watched Ella close her eyes and wanted more than ever to know what she was wishing for.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Ella turned to him. He sensed she wanted something, and put his hand upon hers. Surprising him, Ella slid closer on the bench seat until she was next to him and Ray took his cue and put his arm around her. His face brushed against her hair and he inhaled her scent…the warm pleasurable scent that was Ella. There should be a perfume named after her, he thought.
His lips tentatively grazed her cheek and he sensed Ella loved the feeling. She turned her face to accept his kiss, a feather light touch at first, caressing her mouth more than kissing it. He savored the slow sensual burn of her lips. She allowed his mouth to explore hers with a tantalizing persuasion. He felt her quiver and heat shot through him that could only be described as pure desire. He couldn’t stop himself. Kissing Ella was all that he had dreamed about for the past five days, non-stop. The velvet warmth of her full lips parted slightly, a sign of encouragement. It was as if she had an aching need for him to kiss her. And, he knew once he started, he couldn’t stop. He showered kisses around her lips and along her neck, then returned to her lips again, this time with intensity. She kissed him back lingering, savoring every moment.
So many thoughts raced through his mind, maybe I’m what she wished for. Maybe she’s in love with me. Involuntary reactions were at work in his body. As he felt her passion rise, his was growing stronger. Ella’s hand slipped behind his head and she brought his mouth to hers, inviting him to continue. Her soft full lips parted and he traced her mouth with his tongue. She was breathing hard and he pulled her closer. She was his. He loved her. That was the only thought that occupied his mind. He was consumed with the thought of making love to her right there in the front seat of the Cadillac, if she’d let him.
His tongue dipped between the seam in her lips and he kissed Ella the way she should be kissed, with passion and love. She instinctively responded and he didn’t want to stop. Her full sexy lips invited him. He enjoyed the lush sweetness of her kiss, becoming hungrier with each one. To kiss Ella like this, to hold her, enthralled him. An earthquake could’ve taken place and he wouldn’t have noticed. Her lips became the center of his universe and he didn’t want to leave them, not even to breathe.
~ Ella ~
The touch of Ray’s mouth was a delicious sensation, one she wanted to continue. Although she’d only had one glass of wine, Ella could no longer think straight. She was drunk on Ray’s sensual kiss. His strong arms pulled her closer and his mouth dropped to her neck. His expert tongue was probing, kissing the hollow of her neck, driving her wild with desire. She hadn’t felt like this since she could remember – or had she ever felt like this?
The interior of the car was dark except for a light in the corner of the parking lot. But the light illuminated his face enough for her to see his eyes filled with raw desire. Ella sighed as Ray nuzzled her neck then placed a luscious kiss just beneath her ear. She heard him whisper, “I love you, baby.” She didn’t want him to stop. Trembling, Ella felt his hands unbuttoning her shirt as he confessed, “I want you, Ella. You know that. I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you.”
She cupped his face and kissed him. “Yes, I know.” She whispered back. As her shirt opened she felt his gaze drop down to her small erect breasts. When his eyes met hers it was as if he was seeking her permission to continue. She felt his hand cup her breast lightly as his eyes remained locked with hers. His finger traced over the hard pink buds and she enjoyed the delightful chain reaction his touch set off. Caressing her breasts with his fingers, Ray’s lips touched hers and she moved closer. His lips moved down to her neck, then to her nipple. Waves of pleasure overwhelmed her. Ray’s mouth engulfed her nipple and he gently suckled her breasts until she thought she would pass out with desire.
She was so wrapped up in her own passion she had ignored what Ray was probably feeling – most likely total frustration. She felt his breath on her skin and although it felt wonderful, she knew she had to stop before she went too far. It wasn’t right to tease a guy in that manner. And, she imagined what Bob would think of her. The word slut came to mind. She pulled away from Ray and started to button her shirt. She felt the blush of embarrassment engulf her. What was she thinking?
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened.” Ella was apologetic and moved further away on the car seat.
“Oh Ella, please don’t say you’re sorry for that.” Ray whispered. “That was heavenly.”
She focused on covering up and her eyes found his, “You’re not angry or frustrated?”
“I’m turned on, hell yeah.” Ray smiled. “But I would never do anything that you didn’t want me to do. I have more self-control than you think. It’s all about you, baby. You let me know what you want.”
Ella heaved an audible sigh of relief. “Good. I thought you’d be angry with me. I didn’t intend to lead you on like that. I mean, it was wonderful. But, I’m living with someone. You know?”
Ray closed his eyes for a moment as if in pain, “But you’re not married to him, Ella. If you want to kiss me right now, it’s legal.”
Ella averted her eyes, “Yes, I know it’s legal, but it’s not moral, ethically, I mean.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Ray asked. “Do you think kissing me, knowing that I’m in love with you, will speed up your break-up with Bob?”
The three-letter word was all he needed to hear from Ella, “Yes.” She uttered breathlessly. He pulled her to him and kissed her perfect lips one more time; now he was walking on air.
~ Bob ~
Just getting home from dinner at The Club with the neighbors, Bob walked into the master closet to hang up his suit. The house was eerily quiet without Ella there and in some strange way, he even missed the dog. His thoughts turned to Ella and he wondered if she was having a good time shopping with Cassie and Paige in Kittery. Lately she had been all gloom and doom about her father’s accident. He figured she had to be grief stricken. It seemed she remained depressed no matter what he did to try to lift her mood. She didn’t welcome his sexual advance and was lukewarm when he asked her to marry him. What girl on the planet wouldn’t want a perfect nine-carat diamond from Tiffany’s and a wedding at The Club? Was there more going on in that beautiful head of hers than he imagined?
His eyes were drawn to the turquoise box sitting on the shelf in the closet. He opened it and noticed the diamond ring he had so carefully selected for her was back in the box. She wasn’t wearing it. He wondered why. Most women couldn’t wait to show off their engagement ring to their friends. But it occurred to him that one other person would be meeting with Ella on this shopping trip – the attorney from New York. Maybe there was more to this than he realized.
He strolled down to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and noticed Ella’s iPad on the table. Curious, he propped it up and logged into her Facebook account. There were some photos of Cassie and Ella’s other girlfriends, none of which he knew. But he stopped short when he saw the photographs of Ella and Ray at the fishing camp. Funny she never mentioned going there with him. He put on his glasses and read the name, Ray Adriano. Not a great looking guy, sort of goofball from what he could see in the photos. However, he was sweet talking Ella and Bob didn’t like it one bit. He read their messages and closed the iPad in disgust. He would put an end to this dialogue and planned to speak with Ray Adriano’s superiors at the law firm. He knew a few guys there.
Lying in bed, he turned on the television and watched the late news. His phone rang and it was a new co-worker tagging along for the upcoming trip to Germany. He wondered why his work associates assumed he was available around the clock. But then it seemed to be second nature nowadays. He took phone calls and made them all hours of the day and night, crossing time zones and etiquette off the list of barriers to his success. He fell asleep with the thought of Ella and the attorney and knew they weren
’t shopping, not for Christmas gifts anyway. He had a good idea the attorney was shopping for something else.
No one, especially some goofball associate attorney, was going to stand in his way of marrying Ella. Whoever this guy was, he would be in for a rude awakening. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The news no longer interested him. He wondered if Cassie and Ella’s other girlfriends knew about this guy. Then decided not to talk to them; they would only run to her and let her know.
No, this was a plan that had to be strategically laid out. If he was going to get rid of this Ray Adriano guy, he had to make his life miserable. Most people could be made that way if they lost their job. He’d run a credit check on this character tomorrow and find out all of his weaknesses. There had to be some way to eliminate him from Ella’s life. That was where he would start. Destroying someone’s career was usually very effective. If that didn’t work, he’d take other measures. But, judging by the looks of this guy, he would probably run scared when he was through with him. Yes, when he was done with Ray Adriano, he would wish he never had met Ella Wakefield.
~ Ray ~
As he pulled the Cadillac into the motel parking lot, the hour was late but Cassie and Paige had the light on in their room. Ella made a move for the door handle, but Ray touched her arm, “Please, wait. Don’t go just yet. I want to ask you something.”
Ella paused and turned toward him, “What is it?”
Ray took a deep breath as if to steady his nerves and ventured forward, “What are your plans tomorrow?”
Ella looked down at her hands for a moment. “Breakfast with the girls and all-day shopping.”
Ray felt his heart sink. He didn’t want to say goodbye. “I’ll miss you. I mean, I wish I could tag along.”
Ella seemed to be at a loss for words. “I don’t want the girls to worry about me, I really should go inside.”
Ray felt he needed confirmation of her feelings for him, “Can I kiss you goodnight?”
“Yes.” Ella uttered the word that became his favorite in the English language.
Moving close to her he wrapped Ella in an embrace that he wanted to last forever. His lips found hers and he kissed her goodnight, feeling like a starving man getting a tender morsel of sustenance. And, he knew it would always be like this with Ella. He would never be able to get enough of her, physically or emotionally. It was an all-consuming love that Ray never felt before.
“Text me.” Ray whispered. “I’ll be unable to breathe until you do.”
“I will.” Ella whispered. Her hand was on the door handle and he exited the vehicle to walk her ten feet to her motel door. Cassie and Paige were giggling inside playing loud music. He felt like he had just walked Ella home from the first school dance. He wanted to say so many things to her but didn’t have the time. He held both of her hands in his reluctant to break the connection.
“Goodnight, Ella.” He whispered. When her eyes met his, she leaned in and smiled.
“Goodnight, Ray.” When she let go of his hands he felt he was going to die. She opened the motel door, walked inside, and closed it. For a moment he stood there alone as if his heart would stop beating.
He slipped into his room and took a hot shower. Thoughts of Ella pulsed through his brain as he lingered for longer than usual. He wanted her and he knew she wanted him. He slipped under the covers and noticed the noise level had decreased in Ella’s room. And a few minutes later there was nothing but silence. He tossed and turned thinking of Ella being just a wall away. He wanted to knock on the door to her room and talk to her again. But he knew that was a ridiculous thought. When he closed his eyes he could think of nothing but kissing her tonight, touching her breast. He had been so close to making love to her. But tonight it wasn’t meant to be. He reminded himself that he would be satisfied to be a close friend for now, if that was all she would allow. He was in love with her. Being with her was all that mattered.
He couldn’t go to sleep without thinking about seeing Ella in the morning. Maybe he could join them for breakfast before driving back to the city. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her. He felt as if he was leaving her, watching her go back to Bob, a man who couldn’t possibly love her as he did.
The thought that engrossed him was: when would he see her again? There had to be some legal reason to get together. At least it wouldn’t be to fill out the pre-nup. That would have been the worst case scenario. He would set up the meeting between Ella and her father’s mistress. He was curious as to why Ella wanted to meet Marina Sokolova, but whatever Ella wanted, he would make it happen. Plus, it would be wonderful to have her in the city. At least he could take her to dinner or his apartment. Just being with her, eating a hot dog, was going to be like heaven for him. Time spent with Ella was like savoring a favorite pint of ice cream. The longer you took to enjoy it, the more pleasure was derived. Ella was like that. She was a highly anticipated pleasure that he wanted to linger, enjoy and appreciate.
He closed his eyes and pictured her in the front seat of the Cadillac with her shirt undone. God, how he wanted her. And if he prayed hard enough, maybe she’d want him, too. He fell asleep with pleasant thoughts of her in his mind and the hopeful feeling of love in his heart.
~ Ella ~
Cassie and Paige finally passed out from exhaustion and the room was littered with food and shopping bags. The girls would take her through the outlets tomorrow and then they’d drive home. At least she got to sign the paperwork with Ray. She couldn’t get him out of her mind. Kissing him in the car was heavenly and she replayed the moments over in her mind. But when he unbuttoned her shirt, she burned with desire, so much so – it frightened her. Secretly, she wanted him to continue and strip her bare right there in the front seat of that car. She already could tell that Ray was a slow and sensual lover, something she had read about in books but never experienced. He lit a fire in her that she had never felt before. Call it lust or carnal pleasure, but whatever it was she wanted it, badly.
But, it wasn’t just about the physical aspect of what happened with Ray, it was how he whispered in her ear and caressed her neck as if she was a precious fragile possession he was afraid to break. Ella had never felt that level of caring, it was soulful and beautiful. If she had to list the qualities she wanted in a man, Ray had them all. She knew she was falling in love with him, but hardly knew him. One thing was certain, he was a gentleman through and through. Few guys would have had the composure and manners he did with her tonight. Some would have called her a cock teaser and pushed her away. That’s what Bob did when she first met him. She remembered his words, You think you’re too good for me, and how they stung. Ray didn’t pressure her. He was laid back and waiting. But how long could he wait? She looked at her phone just before falling asleep. There was a text from Ray, I love you, Ella, and I will wait forever. I’ve fallen for you.
TO BE CONTINUED….
…….FALLEN FOR HER is a series of hot romance novellas
Follow what happens with Ray and Ella ……yes, there will be cliffhangers
Yes, there will be steamy love scenes!
And, unexpected events.
IF YOU LIKE THIS SERIES, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW ON AMAZON!
Author, Ava Armstrong
Fallen for Her: Book 2 Page 7
