His hands gripped my hips, stilling me. “Ella,” he said again, this time with it coming out as a reverent sounding groan. Hearing my name come out of his mouth that way made me shiver in response. “You need to stop or there won’t be any cooling down.”
“Maybe I changed my mind,” I said, wrapping a wet curl of hair at the nape of his neck around my finger. I could hardly look him in the eye I was so nervous, and yet it felt right to be with him like this. “Maybe I want things to heat up,” I continued, forcing my eyes to meet his.
He groaned loudly, his fingers flexing against my skin. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he said as he started to walk forward. My mouth opened to ask where we were going, but I wasn’t able to get a word out before his lips crashed into mine. It wasn’t a gentle kiss by any means, not that I was complaining. I could barely breathe around him as his tongue slid past my lips, colliding with my own. It was overwhelming, just like before. I had a sneaking suspicion everything Gage Hunter did was going to be that way. The thought made my pulse race.
The feel of grass against my back had me arching against him so our chest rubbed together. I was suddenly on the bank of the pond with Gage above me, his body caging me in as he continued to kiss me as though his life depended on it. At that moment, it felt like that was the truth. If he’d tried to leave me I think I would have dug my nails into him just to keep him in place.
My calves still dangled in the water beside Gage’s, my butt resting just on the edge of the bank. Gage pressed himself against me as he bent over me, his elbows resting on either side of my head. I let my hands stroke up into his thick, soft hair, gripping it as he nipped on my bottom lip. One of his arms moved, his hand skimming down my side until it rested at the waistband of my bikini bottoms. He paused there, just the tips of his fingers playing with the fabric, almost as though he were asking me for permission.
I gripped his hair tighter, pulling him closer as I tilted my hips upward. Understanding my wordless plea, he shifted his body to the side slightly, allowing his hand to dip beneath the wet fabric. His fingers grazed over my heat, finding the spot that ached for him the most. He pressed firmly as I gasped against his mouth, finally pulling our lips apart.
My head tilted back against the ground as he drew slow circles around and around, driving me crazy. Opening my eyes, I met his as he watched me with so much heat and passion, I didn’t think it was possible to have that much emotion show in someone’s eyes. I wasn’t even touching him back, but I could tell he was getting extreme pleasure from making me fall apart beneath him.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, just as he slipped one finger inside me. My hands gripped his arms at the intrusion. He hooked the single digit forward, rubbing against a spot that had me crying out before I could stop myself. “So beautiful,” he said so softly I almost missed it.
“Please, Gage,” I said, not knowing exactly what I was begging for, but knowing instinctively that he was the only one who could give me what I needed.
Instead of continuing, he pulled his hand out from my bottoms, and took a small step back. I’m ashamed to admit a whimper escaped me. Had I done something wrong? Did he think I was asking him to stop? How did I correct that without sounding bad?
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he said with a strained smile. “I’ll take care of you.” His hands gripped my bottoms and started to pull them down my legs until they were completely off and I lay bare from the waist down. I should have been mortified to be so exposed outside where anyone could come and see us. Well, maybe not anyone, but any of the Hunters could. I just couldn’t seem to find the will to care at that point.
Gage bent forward, catching my lips in his, kissing me thoroughly until I was nothing but melted bones when he finally pulled away and started a slow journey down my body. His fingers easily pushed my bikini top aside so that both breasts were exposed to his seeking mouth. A loud cry filled the air as his mouth surrounded one nipple, giving it a hard tug. It took me a moment to realize the sound had come from me. Again, I would have been embarrassed if I’d had the ability to think.
His kisses continued, his tongue snaking out to circle my bellybutton before he moved even lower. It was only when I felt his breath at the top of my mound that I realized where he was heading and what he had planned. My entire body froze. Gage sensed it instantly, his head rising to meet my worried gaze.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
I desperately wanted to cover the naked flesh that he was currently hovering over, but I couldn’t with him in the way. This was something new to me, and I was suddenly really nervous. What if I didn’t like it? What if he didn’t like it? It was so – personal.
“Ella?” he said gently, rising a bit further. “Do you want to stop?”
“Yes,” I said instantly, regretting it as soon as it left me. “No.” I bit my lip, not knowing what I really wanted. “I don’t know,” I admitted.
“What’s wrong? Did I do something?”
I shook my head. “It’s just …” Ugh, how did I say I’d never done this without embarrassing myself?
“Just?”
“Well …it’s just …I’ve never …”
His brows furrowed together for a moment before realization dawned and they lifted in surprise. “No one’s ever gone down on you before?” he said.
All I could manage was a quick shake of my head.
“How is that possible?” he said, almost to himself. I don’t know what sort of look was on my face, but suddenly his mouth dropped open and I could see that he’d just realized more than I’d wanted him to. “Ella, are you a virgin?”
It was official. My face was going to explode from the heat rushing into my cheeks. I didn’t know how to respond so I simply lay there, my bottom half bare, by breasts exposed, and stared at him blankly. I figured this was it. What guy wanted to deal with a virgin? Didn’t most guys like girls with experience? I really had no idea. When it came to things like this I was way out of my realm of knowledge. I could talk the talk, but when it came to walking the walking I was pretty much useless.
A small smile lifted his lips as he leaned over me, caging me in again. Just that simple act had me feeling better, knowing it was Gage’s body that covered mine. It made me feel safe and protected. He kissed me lightly, his mouth playing against mine for a brief moment.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” he said between pecks. I shrugged, still not trusting my voice. He shook his head, his smile widening. “I’m going to make you feel so good, Ells, you won’t ever be nervous or embarrassed to have my head between your legs again.”
Just his words had the heat inside me flaring to life again. He kissed me again, this time deepening it, his tongue dominating mine, letting me know I was his. If I felt branded by just his kiss, I could only imagine how I’d feel if we actually went all the way. It both scared and excited me.
When he pulled away from me and went back down my body, I couldn’t help but tense again as his mouth hovered over me.
“Just relax, Ella. I got you.”
And then his tongue stroked along my skin and I was lost.
Twenty-Two
Gage
The screen door slammed behind me as Ella and I walked into Nan’s kitchen. It smelled like freshly baked pie, making my mouth water. The source was cooling on the windowsill.
“Where the heck have you two been?” Nan said, turning to give us both a quick look. I avoided her gaze, too afraid she’d see in my eyes just what I’d done to her precious granddaughter.
“We went for a swim, I told you that,” Ella replied as she walked past her grandma to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Took you long enough,” Nan muttered. I disagreed. I would have spent lots more time right where I’d been if I could have. Not that I was going to say anything. “Have you two eaten?”
I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. “I have,” I said, catching Ella’s eye. Her cheeks instantly went red
as her eyes widened behind Nan’s back.
“Good, then you can run to the post office for me. They called to say there was something there that needed to be picked up, but my ankle is acting up. I can’t drive that far.”
“No worries, Nan,” I said, stifling my laugh at Ella’s shocked expression. “I’ll run out and get it.” I gave them both a little salute, turning to walk out of the kitchen. Nan’s voice trailed behind me.
“What is wrong with you, girl? Your face is redder than a tomato.”
“I’m just hot,” Ella replied. I chuckled as I made my way out to the truck.
The drive to the post office was exactly what I needed to get control of myself again. Having Ella in the truck when we’d driven back to the farm had done nothing to ease the discomfort in my jeans. The memory alone was going to keep me hard for days, but having her close by and smelling the sweet scent of her was making it worse.
My mind was still reeling over the fact that she was a virgin. When I’d finally put two and two together, reading the expression on her face as she’d watched me nervously, I’d had to fight the urge to laugh hysterically, knowing she’d take it the wrong way. It would have been laughter from relief, nothing more. I felt a million times lighter knowing that in all the years we’d been apart, no other guy had ever touched or tasted her the way I had. And I was going to do so much more. Ella was mine, no one else’s. The truth of that made me feel like I could take on the whole world and come out on top.
It also made me realize that I needed to be careful with her. If I was going to be her first, I was going to have to make sure it was damn good for her. I hated the thought of hurting her, even in the slightest way. I knew it wasn’t always the best for girls their first time, but damn it, I was going to make sure that wasn’t the case for Ella.
A virgin. I just couldn’t fucking believe it. Her responses were so sincere, so uninhibited it had almost driven me mad as I stroked then licked her to orgasm. She responded so well I could have spent my entire afternoon bringing her pleasure again and again. It didn’t even matter that I was painfully hard the entire time. All I cared about was watching her, seeing her eyes glaze over with passion and satisfaction. How the hell was I going to last the rest of the day?
Pulling into the parking lot of the post office, I decided it was probably best if I found something to do that would keep her out of sight for the rest of the day, otherwise I’d be carrying her off into a field or the barn like some caveman gone mad. She wouldn’t know what hit her. The girl hadn’t known a man in that way, and she probably wouldn’t appreciate being locked away as I brought her to climax until she couldn’t move. But man, did I want to. Having Ella under me for hours at a time sounded like the perfect way to spend an evening. Since when had I become such a Neanderthal?
Knock, knock, knock
My head snapped up from my appalling musings to see Julie standing outside my window. She smiled, waving at me through the glass. I opened the door, forcing her to take a step back.
“Hey, Gage,” she said, batting her eyes at me. I don’t know why she thought that was attractive. It just made her look like she had something in her eye.
“Hey, Julie. How are you?” I asked politely.
“Good, just picking up some signs,” she said, holding up some of her real estate signs. “They print them for me here.” She nodded back toward the post office. “What are you up to?”
“Just picking up some mail for Nan,” I said, walking past her toward the entrance. Unfortunately she fell into step beside me. Figures. Julie was one of those girls that were hard to shake once they got hold of you.
“Shame about Nan, isn’t it?” she said.
I looked over at her, eyebrows raised in question. “What? Her ankle? It’ll take more than a sprained foot to stop Nan from world domination.”
She laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. I forced myself not to roll my eyes as I looked away again. “No, not that. The whole deal with the farm.”
I stopped just outside the doors and faced her. “What about the farm?”
She stopped, her eyes widening, suddenly looking unsure. “Don’t you know?”
“Know what?” I gritted. God, couldn’t the girl get to the damn point?
“She’s putting it up for sale. Well,” she corrected, “not really putting it up for sale willingly. The bank is forcing her to.”
“What?” Anger burned through me so fast I had to reach out and grip the door handle to stop myself from grabbing hold of her and shaking her for clearer information, or falling on my ass from shock.
She nodded her head slowly, genuine sympathy filling her eyes. “I thought you knew. She has a lot of unpaid taxes on the property, and she’s just not making enough off the farm to pay it all off. The only thing she can do at this point is to sell it and pay what she owes. A lady that old can’t possibly run a farm efficiently enough to produce the profit needed. It’s not really all that surprising.”
Maybe she couldn’t – alone. But she sure as hell could with someone helping her out. And I’d be damned if I’d let Nan lose her farm over back taxes. I looked around, my mind racing with this newfound knowledge. It dawned on me that there was no way Ella knew about this. Obviously Nan had been hiding her problems from the both of us. I wondered just who knew exactly, aside from the bank and real estate agents. Damn Nan and her stubbornness.
I finally managed to look back at Julie who was watching me like I was some sort of caged animal about to go feral. I felt like one.
“How much does she owe?”
My phone vibrated in my pocket as we made our way to work. Cam drove, my mind too messed up to focus on the road right now. I’d barely slept when I’d finally gotten home, even though I knew I should catch a quick nap before doing a night shift. It was pointless though. I had too much to think about, and plan, to let my brain rest even for a short time.
I pulled it out to see Ella’s name light up across the screen. My chest tightened, guilt washing over me. I’d pretty much avoided her for the rest of the day, not even finding her to say goodbye before I’d left that evening. I wasn’t sure how I was going to look her in the eye and not tell her what I’d discovered. I couldn’t do it though. For one, it wasn’t my secret to tell. Nan needed to be honest with Ella. The farm was just as much Ella’s home as it was Nan. She was going to be heartbroken to hear that they were about to lose it. That sort of news needed to come directly from the main source, not me.
I also couldn’t stand to see the look of sadness and disappointment that I knew would fill those pretty blue eyes when she heard. No, there was no way I would be the one to tell her. Especially if my plan worked out. If it did, maybe I wouldn’t have to see that look at all.
“You going to answer that?” Cam said, breaking into my train of thought.
Without replying, I swiped at the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey,” Ella said, her voice hesitant. Shit. Fuck. Crap. I was such an asshole. Guilt so strong hit me like a damn wrecking ball. I’d just had my way with this girl on the bank of my pond, and then I’d left her high and dry for the rest of the day. I could only imagine the thoughts going through her head right now.
“Hey, Ells,” I said gently, praying she could hear the affection in my voice.
“What are you up to?”
“Just heading out with Cam.”
“Oh.”
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
She paused on the other line. All I could hear was her breathing and it killed me. Damn it. What was she thinking?
“No, there’s nothing wrong. I just thought maybe we could do something tonight.”
I rubbed a hand down my face, knowing I was screwing this up already. Leave it to me to finally get the girl of my dreams, and then start messing up right away.
“I’d love to,” I said, putting as much sincerity into my voice as I could convey over the phone. “I really would. But I can’t. How about tomorrow night?” I didn�
�t have a shift tomorrow night. I was going to ask to pick one up, but now I knew that wasn’t a good idea. I needed to put in some time with Ella so she didn’t get the wrong impression. There was no way I wanted her to think I was one of those guys who got what they wanted then disappeared. Something about the note in her voice and the long pauses told me that was exactly where her mind had gone.
“Yeah, sure. Tomorrow sounds great,” she said with fake enthusiasm. I wanted to slam my fist through the window.
“Cool. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Yup. Have a good night, Gage.”
“You too, Ella.”
The line clicked off. I dropped the phone in my lap, wanting to scream out in frustration.
“Man, I don’t know what that was about, but that had to be the most awkward conversation of the year. What’s going on between you two?” Cam said.
“Nothing and everything,” I muttered, looking away from him and staring off as the night flew by outside my window.
Twenty-Three
Ella
I pushed the food absent-mindedly around on my plate, feeling Nan’s gaze burning a whole into the top of my head. I refused to look up and meet her stare, knowing she’d sense instantly that something was wrong. Talking about my love life to my grandma just didn’t sound like fun right now.
“You actually going to eat that food, or just play with it?”
I sighed, dropping my fork and sitting back in my chair. When I finally raised my head, it was to see her watching me through narrowed eyes. “I’m not that hungry,” I said.
Her lips pursed. “Is everything okay, Peach?”
The concern in her voice threatened to bring tears to my eyes. I anxiously blinked them back. There would be no emotional breakdowns at the table tonight. Maybe another night, but not tonight. Instead I forced myself to smile at her, even though I knew I wasn’t fooling anyone.
Simple Beginnings Page 15
