I wished it could go on like this forever. However, as summer went on, I knew that it would all end eventually. Ella would be off to college in the fall, and I had to figure out what my future would hold. I had things in the works. And it was those things that could eventually come between us. I don’t know why I couldn’t see it sooner. Unfortunately, some secrets just weren’t mine to share, and the outcome was unavoidable, no matter how hard I tried.
“We should go see a movie tonight,” Ella suggested. Her back was pressed to my front as she sat between my legs underneath the shade of the tree behind me. The gentle breeze kept blowing fine pieces of her hair into my face. Her scent was all around me, just how I liked it. Tightening my arms around her, I rested my chin on the top of her head, my eyes taking in the setting sun on the horizon.
“I could think of way better things to do in the dark with you than watch a movie,” I replied.
Her elbow slammed into my stomach. I groaned, burying my face in her neck as I rolled us down to the ground, crying out in pain as I did.
"You’re such a faker," she said through her giggles. I moved so she was tucked at my side, my hands tickling up her ribs as she laughed and thrashed, begging for mercy.
"Next time keep those boney elbows to yourself," I warned.
Ella gasped for breath as she looked up at me, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright. "It’s not my fault you can't keep your mind out of the gutter."
"Actually, sweetheart," I said, leaning down to nip at her plump bottom lip, "it is entirely your fault." I took her mouth with mine, swallowing her moan as the kissed deepened. Her hands reached up to grip my hair just as my back pocket started to ring and vibrate. I growled, pulling back to look down at her already lust-glazed eyes. Stupid fucking phone.
"Are you going to get that?" she asked, arching a brow.
"I'm deciding," I admitted, not looking away from the sight of her.
She chuckled, pushing gently at my chest. "Go on and answer it."
Sighing, I reached back to pull the phone from my pocket, swiping the screen without looking at the caller. "Hello?"
"Dipshit. You busy keeping that beautiful girlfriend of yours to yourself or can you talk for a second?"
"I knew I shouldn't have answered ," I said with another sigh.
Jake laughed. "Why? Did I interrupt something?" His voice dropped lower, teasingly. "Please tell me I interrupted something."
"Get whatever picture you have in that disgusting mind of yours out of there and tell me what the hell you want." Ella gave me a confused look. I rolled my eyes, shifting to lie down beside her.
"That’s no way to talk to your best friend who hasn't seen you for most of the summer. We're having a party over at Bobby's. Your bro is already coming. Why don't you get your absent ass over there too and bring the woman?"
I peeked at Ella wondering if she would want to go. Did I even want to go? I hadn't really been spending time with my friends lately, but that was only because I selfishly wanted Ella all to myself. I'd spent years with those fuckers, while I'd missed out with her. She was just more important to me now. "I don't know," I said slowly.
"Come on! You two can come up for air for a few hours, at least."
Ella tapped my shoulder to get my attention. I looked over to see her nod her head at me.
"Ugh, fine, we'll come."
"Nice. The boss gave you permission, huh?"
"Shut the fuck up."
He laughed. "See you later, bro. And you better not stand me up."
"Yeah, yeah," I said before hanging up on him. "Sorry, babe." I rolled on top of her again, bracing most of my weight on my elbows so I didn't crush her. "Rain check on that movie?"
She smiled, brushing her hands through my hair making my eyes close at the feeling of her nails against my scalp. "No need to apologize. You finally have a night off so we should go out and have fun."
"Girl, having to hang out with my dumbass friends all night with you by my side is going to be torture. The fun will only start the second I get you out of there." Ella shrieked as I growled and nipped at her neck, making my way up to her earlobe, biting it gently.
"Oh hell no." I'd gone home to shower and change, while Ella did the same, and came back to pick her up before we headed to Bobby's - if we headed to Bobby's. Looking at her now, I wasn't so sure we'd be going anywhere.
"What?" she asked, looking down at her outfit.
"There is no way I'm going to be able to spend all night just hanging out and not touching you, with you looking like that."
She was wearing a short, red dress that hugged her torso like a second skin then flared out over her hips. Her tanned legs looked as though they went on for miles, making my mouth water just at the sight of them. Only a small amount of cleavage teased at the top of the dress, but it was enough to drive me insane. Yeah...There was no way I was going to be able to focus tonight with her looking like this. It didn't help that she was wearing high heels that screamed for me to rip off her dress and stand back to see her naked in just them.
God damn. I was in trouble. Ella Page had grown up to be so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. There was no way I wanted other guys to be drooling over her all night – and they would be.
"You need to change," I stated.
She laughed, waving me off. "Tough, Hunter," she said. "I'm not going through my clothes again to find something else, so you're just going to have to deal with it." She flipped those long, gold locks over her shoulder, grabbing a small purse off the hall table. That sass only made me want her more. Throwing Ella over my shoulder and locking ourselves in her room was looking like a mighty fine idea.
"You two don't stay out too late," Nan said, coming out from the kitchen.
Scratch that. Staying here meant staying where Nan could hear us. Party it is.
"We won't," Ella said, kissing her grandma on the cheek.
Nan nailed me with a hard stare. "You take good care of her."
"Always do," I replied with a salute.
"Mmm hmmm," she murmured through pursed lips, turning to go back into the kitchen.
Ella walked past me and out the door as I followed close behind.
"Nan doesn't seem as nice lately," I commented, walking a little further behind her so I could watch the way the hem of her dress danced around her shapely thighs. She didn't respond so I looked up to see her watching me through narrowed eyes. An unapologetic grin stretched across my face. I'd been caught ogling and I couldn't have cared less.
"Gee, I wonder why," she finally said, biting back a smile.
I crowded into her, pushing her against my truck as I placed a hand on either side, trapping her. "Why?" I asked, playing dumb. "Because I ravish her little, innocent granddaughter every night?"
Ella laughed. "That could be it," she said, her voice becoming breathy as I bent my head toward her, my lips finding her racing pulse beneath her skin. I sucked gently, smiling against her warmth as she inhaled in a small gasp.
"Think I could convince you to stay here with me instead tonight?"
She sighed, tilting her head to expose more skin to my mouth.
"Probably," she admitted.
Success was within reach. Or so I thought - until I felt her hands on my stomach, pushing me away.
"But," she continued, "You won't."
"Why won't I, exactly?" I asked, lifting a brow in question.
"Because your friends want to see you, and I know you don't want to let them down."
"Woman, I could care less about letting them down if it means I can have you to myself."
Ella rolled her eyes, smiling, as she turned to open the passenger side door. "Come on, Romeo. The sooner we go and hang out, the sooner we can leave and then you can have me all to yourself."
I didn't like to wait but I could tell this was a fight I wasn't going to win. Practically running to my side, I hopped in and shoved the keys in the ignition. Fine, I could make an appearance just to keep everyone happy, but there was n
o way I was spending my whole night watching my friends get drunk and annoying. We'd say our hellos and then leave so I could do what I really wanted to. And looking over at Ella in that dress...the list of what I'd rather do was growing longer by the minute.
Twenty-Seven
Ella
Music was spilling out of the house as we walked up, the ground pulsing from the deep bass. I didn't know this Bobby guy. From the look of the mansion we were approaching, I guessed he was from one of those rich families that had come out this way to build their outrageously big houses on the large pieces of land you could only get in the country. He definitely wasn't a townie from around here. No one born and raised in these parts had extravagant houses like this.
Gage held my hand in his, practically dragging me along behind him as he hurried to the front door. He was a man on a mission. I bit back a smile, knowing he was only rushing so we could leave again. To be honest, I hadn't been much interested in coming here either. I would have rather just spent the evening alone with Gage. But I also knew that he hadn’t been seeing his friends lately and I didn't want them to start blaming me. The last thing I wanted was to come between him and the guys.
The front hall was packed full of people as we walked in. Bodies were everywhere as Gage dragged me down the hall toward a kitchen that was bigger than any I'd ever seen. The island alone looked like it would take up my entire kitchen back home. Alcohol and cups scattered every surface. I wasn't sure how long the party had already been going on for, but from the look of the place, I'd guess they'd started in the afternoon.
My eyes scanned the room and people, looking for someone I might know. They landed on Jake just as he looked up and met my glance. The small brunette in front of him was forgotten as he smiled widely and began to make his way toward us. From the scowl on her face, I'd say she wasn't too pleased.
"There they are!" he shouted over the music. "It’s about time you two made an appearance."
"Yeah, yeah," Gage said as they did some weird, male hand shake-shoulder bump thing. "We’re not staying long."
Jake rolled his eyes, laughing. "Of course you're not," he said, winking at me. "Why don't you go grab some drinks and I'll watch your little lady here?"
"I'm not drinking tonight," Gage replied, turning to look down at me. "Are you thirsty?"
I nodded. I didn't particularly want him to leave my side, but my mouth was as dry as a desert. There were too many people here and it was hot as hell. Gage walked toward one of the kegs, talking to a couple of guys who were standing around it as he filled a cup. Looking away, I turned to find Jake staring at me intently.
"What?" I asked, fixing my hair nervously.
"He’s happy," he said.
I kept quiet, waiting for him to elaborate.
"You haven't been around for some time, Ella, so you wouldn't know, but Gage hasn't been happy - I mean, really happy - in a long time. It's nice to see him seem more relaxed and at ease. Since his mom...well, I wasn't really sure what would get him out of that darkness. It should have occurred to me it'd be you."
This was a heavy conversation to be having in the middle of a loud, roaring party, but it was as though everyone faded away with his words. Did I make Gage happy? I looked over at him to see him still standing there talking to people. He certainly made me happy. We'd always made each other laugh when we were upset as children. No matter what was happening with our families, Gage and I had been each other's escape. I wanted to believe I could still do that for him. Having Jake tell me he thought as much made something warm and comforting bloom in my chest.
"I just hope you care about him as much as he does you."
I looked back at Jake. His eyes had a protective warning in them that made me want to take a step back.
"I'd hate to see him hurt if you don't, because something tells me you might be the only thing in this world that could truly break him."
I blinked, not sure what to say back to that. I loved Gage, but I didn't necessarily want to tell Jake that. We stared at each other in silence for a moment before he turned away toward someone calling his name, leaving me to stand there alone. Not that it lasted long.
"You here with Gage?"
I looked up from the floor to see two girls standing where Jake had just been. "Yes?" I replied.
They both smirked, looking at me like I was gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe.
"Well don't get too comfortable, sweetheart. Gage never keeps them around for long. He'll get bored, and then he'll go back to looking for someone to give him a good time."
It dawned on me, as I stood there with my mouth literally hanging open, that this blonde, nasally girl was the same one I'd seen sitting on Gage's lap all those years ago. Suddenly I felt like throwing up as my stomach turned. Was she right? Would he get bored?
"He always comes back eventually," she said, stepping closer. "Just keep that in mind."
"Fuck off, Trish. Green never really was your colour."
I looked over my shoulder to see Jaiden standing there, her eyes shooting daggers at the other girl.
"Whatever," she said. "Maybe I'll just go find Cam and keep him company." With a pointed smirk at Jaiden, the two of them turned and left.
I looked back at Jaiden to see her watching the Trish girl through narrowed eyes. "Thanks," I said, meaning it. I hated dealing with girls like that.
Jaiden looked back at me, her mouth lifting into a smile. "No prob," she said with a wave of her hand. "Don’t listen to that bitch. She's just always looking for a way to stir up trouble."
"Who are we talking about?" Gage asked, appearing beside me.
I looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze just yet. It wasn't that I was mad at him, but suddenly I didn't feel so secure anymore. Despite what Jake had said, I couldn't help but wonder how long it would be me making Gage happy before he decided to move on.
"Trish," Jaiden answered him, saying her name like it was a disgusting creature. I sensed him stiffen beside me but didn't look to see his reaction. I waited, but he stayed silent.
"You need to control your little fan club," Jaiden continued, her tone serious. I peeked up to see her giving Gage an angry glare.
Gage murmured something under his breath that I didn't hear. Jaiden gave me a quick smile and then walked away. I wanted to follow but suddenly Gage stood in front of me, his chest filling my view.
"Hey," he said gently, lifting my chin with his free hand. His eyes searched mine, a worried frown creasing his forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't know what she said, but I'm sorry. Don't listen to what any of these girls say to you."
I pulled my face from his hand. "That’s the problem, Gage," I said, tears threatening to fill my eyes. I could feel the ache starting at the back of my throat. "How many girls are there that I'll have to ignore? How many are going to come up and tell me just how good of a time you've had with them? How am I supposed to compete with that?"
He rubbed a hand down his face. "Jesus, Ells," he said with a sigh. "Don’t you realize that there is no competition when it comes to you? What do you want me to say? I can't change what I've done in my past." He stepped closer, eliminating the space between us, his hand cupping my face gently. "But I will damn well change my future so long as you're in it. Those girls are nothing to me. Please don't let them ruin what's between us."
My shoulders dropped. I was being stupid, I knew that. I needed to trust Gage even though constant doubts filled my mind. Knowing how he used to be and believing things were different with us was just hard to accept when it all seemed too good to be true. But I had to put my faith in us otherwise this would never work.
Leaning into his hand, I smiled up at him saying, "Okay."
He smiled. "Okay?"
"Okay, I'll ignore those girls and not let them get between us. I trust you."
His smile widened as he leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. I wanted to protest when he pulled away after only a quick peck.
"I don't know about you," he
said in my ear, "but I'm all partied out already. How about we sneak out before anyone notices?"
I nodded without hesitation. Gage grabbed my hand in his, depositing my untouched drink on the counter as we started toward the front door. Parties were so overrated.
I slammed my car door shut, stomping off toward the front door. Literally, I was stomping. Anger coursed through me as I carried my bags of groceries.
"Hey, beautiful."
I looked over to see Gage walking from around the back of the house. He had no shirt on, his sculpted chest and perfect abs glistened in the sun, shining from sweat and bronzed to yet more perfection. Ugh. Made me sick. Just looking at him in all his glory, his damn pants hanging low on his hips and his hair curling in a way that made me want to mess it up more - it all just made me even angrier than I already was. It had been a week since Bobby's party, but after this morning's events, it felt like yesterday and only served to heighten my annoyance.
"Don’t 'hey beautiful' me!" I snapped. Ripping open the front door, I stomped my way inside, not bothering to look and see what he was doing. Men. All they were was trouble wrapped up in muscles and strong jawlines. Stupid creatures.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
I slammed the bags down on the kitchen counter and spun around, ready to brawl. “Don't you dare use that attitude with me, you...you jackass!"
"Whoa," he said, holding his hands out like I was some crazed animal about to attack. Maybe I was. "Calm down, Ells. Tell me what the matter is."
"Oh I'll tell you what's the matter," I said, nodding my head and narrowing my eyes, suddenly trying to grab hold of just why I was so pissed. Now that I had to say it out loud it didn't seem as big of a deal. But there was no backing down now. "I had the pleasure of running into one of your floozies again this morning, who made sure to let me know just what you like and how you like it. Apparently you two had a really great 'connection'" I said, waving my arms around crazily. "She’s waiting for your call when we're done here."
Simple Beginnings Page 18
