Simple Beginnings

by Janelle Stalder

  Considering we were out in the middle of nowhere, in someone’s barren field, I was actually rather impressed with the whole thing. Someone clearly had thought it through. Why that surprised me, I don’t know. This wasn’t out of the norm for these parts, so it only made sense they had it all figured out by now.

  “There she is!” I heard someone shout, right before their heavy arm came crashing down around my shoulders. I looked up to see Cam Hunter smiling down at me, the Hunter dimples in full effect. He smelled so good, I had to physically stop myself from leaning in to sniff him more. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

  I laughed nervously. “Yeah, well, here I am.”

  His smile widened. “I’m glad. Come on, I’ll get you two ladies a drink.”

  “I’m driving,” Jaiden said.

  Cam looked over at her, disappointed. “Always the responsible one.”

  “Someone needs to be,” she said with a tight smile.

  His eyes narrowed for a second before he looked back at me and smiled again. I had no idea what just happened, but I had a feeling I was missing something between these two.

  Unable not to, considering he still had his arm around me, I followed Cam over to the kegs where the group of guys had moved. They parted as we approached, giving me a perfect view of Gage – and a girl. A gorgeous one. Sure, she wasn’t sitting on his lap. In fact they were standing a respectable distance apart, but I could tell from the way she was laughing and touching his arm that she liked him. They were flirting, and I had to stand there like an idiot with a fake smile on my face.

  Cam must have felt me stiffen because he gave my shoulder a quick squeeze and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Relax, Ella.” Gage chose that moment to look up, catching us as Cam was just leaning in. His mouth set into a firm line for a second before he looked back at the girl beside him who was still saying something. He smiled, the angry look he’d given me disappearing.

  Cam chuckled close to my ear, his arm forcing me to turn so Gage was no longer in my line of vision, facing me toward the kegs.

  “Let’s get you that drink,” he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I didn’t know what was so damn funny. He filled a red plastic cup, handing it over to me. “Here, you look like you need it.”

  I gave him a dry look but took a drink anyway. He was right, I did need it, not that I thought cheap beer was really going to do much to patch up my wounded pride.

  “Look who I have here,” he directed over my shoulder to the group of guys. I kept my back turned until he physically forced me to face everyone. I vaguely remembered the faces there, some more than others, but it was hard to tell since I wasn’t really seeing anything as I forced myself not to look in Gage’s direction. “Ella Page is back,” Cam said, for those who had no idea who I was.

  A few guys called out hellos so I assumed we used to know each other. I couldn’t shake the buzzing in my ears, or the way my chest tightened every time I had to keep my eyes from straying his way.

  “You look real nice tonight, Ella,” Jake said, appearing beside me.

  I smiled over the rim of the cup. “Thanks,” I said before taking another gulp.

  “How about we go dance?”

  “Uh …” my eyes snapped up to see him starting intently at me, his lips pulled up into a small grin. There was a sort of challenge there I didn’t understand. “Well …I just got here …so …”

  “Jake, why don’t you go dance with Sherry? She’s been eyeing you all night.” Just the sound of his voice instantly put me more at ease. He stood close enough that I could feel the heat of him against the bare skin of my back. I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to lean back against him, the sudden urge coming out of nowhere.

  Jake chuckled darkly. “Sure thing, Gage. Sure thing.”

  When I opened my eyes again, Jake was gone, sauntering over to the dancing area. A big chested brunette smiled at him, her eyes lighting up like she’d just won the lottery as he wrapped his hands around her waist. Guess that was Sherry, I thought.

  “Since when do you drink beer?”

  I turned, backing up a step when I realized just how close Gage was standing to me. He didn’t look happy to see me, exactly as I’d feared. In fact, he looked downright pissed, which only caused me to get mad myself.

  “Since I hit high school, Gage,” I shot back. “I’m not a child anymore.”

  He grunted. “Just make sure you don’t drink too much.”

  “Gee, thanks for the tip, Dad. Anything else?”

  His lips twitched slightly. “Yeah, whatever you do, don’t dance with Shane. He likes to put his hands in places he shouldn’t.”

  I scrunched up my nose in disgust. Did he seriously just come over here to give me crap about how much to drink and who not to dance with? There wasn’t even a “Hello, how’s your night going?” in there.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, looking away from him. “You can go back to your conversation now.”

  Wow. Was that bitch voice mine? I was afraid to even look at him for his reaction. I couldn’t be any more obvious that I wasn’t precisely thrilled with him talking with the other girl. Not exactly something a friend would say. Ten minutes in, and I’d already managed to make a mess of the night.

  It didn’t help that he was still just standing there, not speaking. I looked everywhere but at him, wishing he really would just go away already. Why wasn’t he talking? What the hell was he doing?

  The tension was killing me. Letting out a slow breath, I chanced a glance at him. Our eyes locked and I couldn’t look away. His body was visibly rigid, both hands clenched at his sides. His eyes bore into mine, looking for something there that I wasn’t sure he was going to find. Everyone else around us melted away, the night closing in on this moment.

  I licked at my dry lips, desperate to take a drink, but unable to tear my eyes away from his to do so. His gaze dropped to my mouth, watching the movement. The air had become stifling. Heat shot up my back and neck, and a rolling sensation moved from my stomach to my chest in a way that had been feeling incredibly restless and antsy. I needed to move, I needed air even though I stood outside.

  Finally his mouth opened to say something. “Do you want to dance?”

  My breath slowly leaked out between parted lips. “Okay,” I all but whispered.

  He nodded. “Okay.” Reaching out, he took my cup, placing it on the edge of the table, before taking my hand and leading us toward the group of people moving to the music. If it were physically possible for someone’s heart to beat right out of their chest, mine surely would have done so right then. Gage could probably feel the slight tremor in my hands, but if he did, he didn’t say anything. He simply led us to the side where we were secluded, and turned to pull me close without another word. My body went willingly.

  Fourteen

  Gage

  This was not a good idea. I knew this. I knew what was going on right now was pushing the boundaries we’d set up between us, and yet I couldn’t stop myself. Ella twisted, fitting her body against mine, her back to my front, as my hands gripped her hips. In sync, our bodies started to sway to the deep bass of the music.

  I pulled her even closer, leaving no room between us. Her hands landed over mine, but didn’t move them. She simply kept them there, the two of us holding on for dear life as something heavy built between us. I dropped my face forward, running my nose along her neck, breathing in her scent. It was quite possible that she’d push me away, that it would all become too much, but she didn’t.

  Her head tilted to the side, baring more of her skin to me. Unable to resist, I trailed my lips across the same path, not kissing, not tasting, simply allowing myself contact. She felt so good against me, every part of her fitting perfectly. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I wasn’t blind to the fact that both of us hadn’t been too happy about the other person being with someone else at this party.

  What exactly did that mean? I wasn’t sure. Standing there, seeing
how pissed she was and how much she was trying to hide it by not meeting my gaze, all I’d known was that I needed to get closer. I needed to be able to touch her, hold her. I didn’t care about any of the other people at this party, especially not Julie Schluter, whom I’d been speaking with when Ella had arrived. All I wanted was Ella, and for this moment, I had her.

  I turned her in my arms, sliding my hands slowly up her bare arms to wrap them around my neck. Her eyes were heavy, her mouth opened slightly as she breathed deeply. I could only imagine how I looked to her. We were playing with fire here, and it didn’t seem as though either of us had it in us to stop it.

  My hands glided down her side to settle on her hips, pulling her closer. We swayed to the music, my hands gripping the dress she wore, the material lifting to the point where I knew I was dangerously close to giving the other guys a show. I would never do that to Ella, nor any girl. And yet I couldn’t force myself to relax my grip on the fabric. It was either that or my hands would start to touch every inch of her skin, and if that happened I didn’t think I would be able to stop.

  Inside I battled between what I wanted and what I knew was appropriate. Surrounded by the feel and smell of her was making it difficult. I dropped my head forward, resting my forehead against hers as we continued to dance. One of her hands moved over my shoulders, her fingers playing with the ends of my hair. I could have stayed that way for the rest of the night and been happy.

  Another song began playing and neither of us broke apart. I slid one of my hands toward the middle of her, resting just above the curve of her ass. The heat of her skin beneath my palms made me wish there was nothing separating us. I wanted to be skin to skin, which was ridiculous because we were supposed to be “just friends”.

  “I think I need a drink,” she said so low I almost missed it over the music.

  “You think?” I teased, cocking an eyebrow.

  She smiled, and it was the first time I saw Ella Page give me a shy smile of any kind. It was almost a nervous smile. I couldn’t imagine her being nervous with me of all people.

  “I need a drink,” she correct.

  I didn’t want to remove my hands from her, but what other choice did I have really? My hand slowly released the fabric of her dress as I stepped back. We stood facing each other for another moment before she finally turned and headed back toward the kegs. I followed close behind, my eyes only seeing her now. Suddenly this party was getting on my nerves. I wished we were somewhere private, alone.

  “Get a new drink,” I said as she reached for her old cup. I shook my head once, taking it from her. “Never drink a drink you’ve left unattended?”

  Both of her eyebrows shot up as she looked around. “Aren’t these people your friends?”

  “Some, not all. And I still wouldn’t trust every one of them not to be a complete dick. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  I watched as she went over to grab a new cup, and then went to toss the old one I was holding.

  “There you are!” Julie walked up, instantly latching onto my arm. Julie was Cam’s age, but it never seemed to bother her that I was a couple of years younger. She didn’t come to these things a lot since she’d managed to get herself a decent job after high school doing real estate, and was usually busy being an adult for the most part.

  When I did see her though, it was always like this. Subtle hints that she would have liked nothing more than for me to take her somewhere. Normally I probably would have taken her up on that offer tonight. It wasn’t like I didn’t need it. My dry spell was still going strong, the tension in my body almost at breaking point. Except I knew that tension was put there by someone else. I didn’t think anything would ease it but the girl who hadn’t left my thoughts since the second she’d returned.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she continued. There was no way she hadn’t seen where I was, since we were out in an open field. It was pretty hard to get lost at one of these, unless you wandered off into the forest that was a bit of a hike away. Couples did tend to find themselves there, or simply went further out into the field where it was less likely they’d be seen.

  Knowing Julie, she probably would have done either had I suggested it. Ella would never though. Ella was one of those girls who actually had standards when it came to the opposite sex. I didn’t know much about her history since we’d grown up, but I had a good feeling that hadn’t changed about her. She knew her self-worth, and I doubted any man could have taken that away from her.

  “What’s up?” I asked casually. She still gripped onto my arm in a way that made it impossible for me to extract myself without looking rude.

  “I have an early showing in the morning, and was wondering if maybe you could drive me home now? I’ve had a bit to drink and don’t want to risk it.” She bit her lip in what she probably thought was an attractive way It just didn’t register with me.

  I looked up to find Ella just as she was making her way over to us. Her body seemed stiffer than it had before, her eyes purposely not looking at Julie as they remained focused on me. I really didn’t want her to get the wrong impression, while at the same time thought an explanation or denial would just seem strange. It wasn’t like we were dating or anything. And it wasn’t as though I was doing anything other than simply standing here while someone of the opposite sex clung onto me. So why did I feel so horribly guilty?

  “Hey,” Ella said hesitantly, her eyes quickly going to Julie and then back to me. I noticed there was no drink in her hand. From the set of her mouth, I didn’t think I was going to like what came out of it next. “Jaiden and I are going to head out,” she continued, confirming my suspicions.

  “Already?” I asked, unable to hide my disappointment. Part of me thought maybe it was for the better. Who knew where tonight could have led us had we continued on the way we’d been going. The other part was screaming for me to tell her to stay so that we could do just that.

  “Yeah,” she said, looking over her shoulder. I followed her gaze to see Jaiden waiting impatiently not far away. “Jaiden’s not feeling well and I came with her so I should probably leave with her too.”

  I nodded, not knowing how to properly respond. I could offer to drive her, but Julie was standing right there and it just felt awkward offering a ride to another girl when the one clinging onto you had asked for one first.

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Yup,” I replied, forcing a smile. “Bright and early.”

  She laughed. “Right. Well, enjoy the rest of the party.”

  “He will,” Julie all but purred. I cringed outwardly, watching as Ella’s eyes drifted over to Julie and then back to me. They looked up at me with some unnamed emotion that literally made me feel like someone had just suckered punched me.

  “Night, Gage.”

  “Night, Ells.”

  My eyes stayed glued to her until she disappeared amongst the parked cars.

  “Who was that?” Julie finally asked, reminding me she was still standing there.

  I sighed. “Just a friend.”

  The moon filtered through the blinds, casting my room in a dim, bluish glow. We’d gotten home hours ago, me having to drag Cam’s wasted ass into the house. Not easy when the person is a good two hundred pounds of muscle. Thankfully he hadn’t puked in my truck. I’d spent more than enough nights cleaning up after him, I hadn’t been looking forward to the possibility when I’d found him half passed out by the fire.

  Teasing me over Ella the entire way home seemed to have taken his mind off how shitty he probably felt. I’d tried my best to ignore him, which wasn’t easy considering Cam is by the far the loudest, in your face person in the world.

  After finally getting him settled in bed, which translated to me simply pushing him down onto the mattress, and him passing out the instant he hit it, I’d gone to bed myself only to lie here awake. My thoughts could not stop going over the way Ella had felt beneath my hands, or
the way her skin had smelled. It made my mouth water for a taste. When I’d close my eyes, I would feel and hear and smell it all the more, wishing I could go back and relive that moment.

  Sighing, I flung the covers off and sat up, rubbing my face vigorously. Maybe a good run would tire me out enough that I’d be able to sleep for at least a couple of hours before Nan expected me back at the farm. Getting up, I pulled on a pair of track pants and shoes, foregoing the shirt since the night was still humid at this time of the year, and headed out into the hallway.

  Pausing, I listened to make sure everyone else was sleeping then slipped down the stairs, avoiding the spots that I knew creaked loudly. This wasn’t the first time I’d snuck out of the house. Once I was out on the porch, I did a quick stretch then headed out onto a small path that led in the direction of Nan’s farm.

  Fifteen

  Ella

  Sleep evaded me. Sitting out on the porch, I stared up at the lightening sky wondering how on earth I was going to manage to work when I’d still yet to fall asleep. After Jaiden dropped me off, all I’d managed to do was toss and turn in my bed to no avail.

  What the heck had happened tonight? I wondered for the millionth time. Even Jaiden seemed shocked by what happened between Gage and me, although she didn’t push it too much. I didn’t the buy the whole “I’m not feeling well” bit she’d given me when she’d approached me at the keg asking if we could leave. Something had upset her at the party but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it. I respected that, since I didn’t really want to talk about Gage with her either.