Gage opened his mouth then closed it. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn he was trying not to laugh. He floundered again before saying, "floozy?"
Oh my God! He was trying not to laugh. I growled, turning my back on him and started to unpack the bags.
"Ella," he said, clearly trying to control himself. I stiffened as his arms trapped me against the counter, his chest pressing into my back. My body instantly went haywire from the contact like it always did. Clamping down on the need to let myself melt into him, I clenched my teeth, staring out the window angrily.
"Ella," he said again, slowly, nuzzling my face with his. "Come on," he pleaded. "Don't be mad."
"Oh okay, since you said so I'll just stop. How about that?" I said, turning to look up at him, forcing him to step back. "I bet it's always that simple for you with all your other girls."
His jaw firmed up as his eyes went from playful to annoyed. "What do you want me to say?" he asked, walking back to lean against the table. "We’ve been through this Ella, I can't change the past. When are you going to start trusting me and realize it’s you I want and not them?"
"Sure, now you want me. What about in a week? Or two? Or six months from now?"
"If you really have to ask then you obviously don't know me as well as you think you do."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Our voices were growing louder and I was thankful Nan had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon so she wasn't around to witness this.
"It means I want you forever damn it!" he yelled. I froze, my heart thundering in my chest at the angry and possessive way Gage glared at me. He walked toward me, not stopping as he grabbed the backs of my thighs, lifting me up onto the counter and pinning me there. My breathing was coming out in embarrassing pants.
"What do I need to say or do to finally get through to you, huh?" his voice dropped lower. Our eyes locked before his dropped to my mouth, making me forget why I was so angry to begin with. I knew in my heart that Gage was mine, truly and completely. It was my head that was making me act stupid and jealous. I didn’t want to act this way or fight with him. It was just hard to do when it felt like every time I turned around there was another one of his conquests waiting for me. Seeing the way he looked at me though, and knowing what it was like between us, I knew I had to trust him and stop all this nonsense. Right now he was here with me, and I wanted him more than I'd ever wanted another person before.
"Kiss me."
Twenty-Eight
Gage
I didn't need to be told twice. I swooped in, taking her mouth, demanding she open to me right away. This wasn't a gentle kiss. I was pissed, frustrated, and turned on all at the same time and this kiss signified just that. I was sick and tired of having to defend myself to her, even though part of me understood why she felt threatened by the other girls.
There were a lot, I could admit that. However, part of that had to do with the fact that it was a small town so of course I'd been with a lot of the girls here. There weren't that many options to begin with. Not that it excused my behavior. But God, I had been a teenager on a downward spiral. If I could go back and change things I would.
If I had to drill the fact that I loved Ella, and not those other girls, into her head then fine, I would. I'd never give her a reason to doubt me. She'd learn soon enough how completely and utterly she had me under her spell.
Our tongues fought just as much as our words had, tangling with each other as our frantic breaths increased. My hands reached around to grab her ass, pulling her closer to me so she'd feel just how excited she made me. I swallowed her low moan along with my own as her hips rotated against me, driving us both crazy.
"I'm sorry," she said as I left her mouth to taste her skin down her neck, nipping and sucking as I went. "I promise not to doubt you again."
I didn't reply. I knew she meant it and right now the last thing I wanted to do was talk about other girls again. My focus was solely on her and the need to have her come undone beneath me.
Gripping her, I lifted her off the counter, taking her lips with mine again as I started to walk out of the kitchen. Her squeal of surprise quickly turned to a low moan as her centre rubbed against me while we walked. I would have gladly taken her right there in the kitchen, but I had more respect for Nan than that, so her bedroom it was.
I climbed the stairs as quickly as possible, holding onto her tightly. We fell to the bed together the second we made it to her room. My hands were already making quick work of her tiny shorts and thin tank top.
Ella’s breathing was all I heard as my lips touched every inch of skin they could reach while I worked to have her completely naked. I made my way down the bed, pulling her shorts and panties with me, exposing her slowly like a present I was unwrapping. Leaning back, looking at her bared to me, it certainly felt like Christmas or my Birthday.
"God, you're beautiful," I said before leaning down to place a kiss on her inner thigh. She moaned my name, her hand reaching down to grip my hair. Her touch only lit the fire inside of me more, and suddenly fast wasn't good enough. I wanted to take my time with her, taste every inch of her skin. And I knew exactly where to start.
Feeling her body tremble beneath me had my control reaching its limit. There was nothing more attractive than Ella post-climax. Her blue eyes watch me climb up her body, hooded and dazed with desire. Her arms reached up, pulling me down so that our bodies were perfectly aligned. I couldn't wait a second longer to be inside her.
Resting my forehead against hers, I pushed in slowly, closing my eyes at the pleasure travelling up my spine. I'd never felt anything as good as Ella. This was a slow coupling. The kind where you hold onto each other closely, your bodies pressed together. Where you breathe the same air, lips touching in the barest of touches. It was a gradual climax that had my entire body shaking with release, and my chest bursting with emotion for this girl. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else now that I'd had Ella.
We lay, still intertwined together, our breathing finally slowing, the sweat on our bodies cooling. The afternoon sun shone through the window. We both should have been out there working but my muscles wouldn't listen. All I wanted to do was lie with my girl in my arms and bathe in the aftermath of what we shared together.
"Nan should be back soon," she said gloomily.
"Do you think she'd be more mad at finding us like this now, when we're supposed to be working, or when she finds us in the mornings," I asked, already knowing the probable answer. I just liked to say things that I knew would make Ella giggle. She had the nicest laugh, always had. Even as a little boy, I'd act like a clown to get her going. I could still remember the feeling I'd get whenever it worked - pure victory.
She laughed. "She'd probably be more pissed now. You know how much she hates it when we slack off on the job."
I laughed too as I stretched my arms over my head.
"Think we should get back out there?" she asked, sitting up.
"Yeah, probably," I admitted. The sheets pooled around her waist, baring her upper body to my eyes. Probably was going to have to wait a bit longer. Ella went to get up, but my arms shot out, snaking around her torso to pull her back down onto the bed. She squealed in surprise as I rolled her under me again.
"Five more minutes," I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
It was more like fifteen - but who's counting?
Ella had gone downstairs to put away the groceries that had been forgotten. As I pulled on my jeans, I felt my back pocket vibrating. One look at the caller ID and my eyes flew to the doorway. I could still hear Ella downstairs, but I crossed the room, shutting the bedroom door anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Gage," said Julie. "Are you free to talk?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"I have some numbers to go over with you. Do you think you can come by this evening?"
I looked at the closed door wondering how I was going to swing this. I'd gotten the night off and had planned on spending it with Ella,
but this was too important to pass up. My future depended on making this plan work. What would I tell Ella though?
"Gage?"
"Yeah, sorry. I'll be there."
My thoughts raced as I made my way downstairs. Ella stood with her back to me, looking out the kitchen window in a dreamy sort of daze. I leaned against the doorframe, just watching how the sunshine played with the gold of her hair, creating an angelic aura around her. She took my breath away.
"What are you staring at?" she asked, not looking away from whatever she was focused on out there.
"You," I answered simply, eating up the distance between us. My arms wrapped around her from behind as I rested my chin on her shoulder.
"Why?" she said.
"Because you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I replied.
She chuckled. "You’ve already gotten laid - twice. There's no reason to suck up now."
I dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder, smiling against her skin. "I'm not sucking up, trust me. I know much better ways to suck up if I were so inclined."
"I bet," she laughed.
"What are you staring at?"
She sighed in a sad way that had me instantly on edge. "Just the farm," she said. "I'm going to miss it when I go off to college in a few weeks. I didn't think I'd enjoy being here as much as I have."
I didn't like thinking about her leaving either. I wasn't sure what it would mean for us, but I knew I wasn't ready to let her go. Even seeing each other on weekends only would be tough. Not that I wasn't prepared to do just that. I'd do whatever it took to keep her in my life. But that didn't mean I was necessarily thrilled about it.
"I'm sure you won't miss it once you get there and start having fun doing college stuff," I said lamely.
"College stuff?" she asked, amused.
"Yeah, you know, parties and frats and what not."
"I guess," she said with another sigh. She turned in my arms, wrapping hers around my neck. "So, what should we do tonight? I was thinking we could drive into Bloomfield and grab some dinner and a movie."
Shit. Fuck. Damn.
"Actually," I said, grabbing her arms and unwrapping them as I took a step back, "I can't do anything tonight."
Her brows lifted in surprise. "Oh."
"Sorry, babe. Jake called when I was upstairs and he needs my help tonight."
She bit at her lip, watching me. I hated lying to her and seeing that confused and disappointed look in her eyes.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving her off with a smile. "It’s nothing big. His truck just needs some work and he asked me to come by and take a look. I figured I owed him since I haven't been around as much." I was such an ass.
She nodded her head and gave me a tiny smile. "Okay then. Come by when you're done?"
"Of course." I wrapped my arm around her again and dropped a quick kiss to her forehead before stepping back again and turning to leave. "I'm just going to head home and grab a quick shower."
"Okay. See you later."
I smiled at her, not really feeling it and hoping she didn't pick up on anything. "You bet."
And she would. It just wasn't the way I wanted her to.
Twenty-Nine
Ella
We sat on the hood of Jaiden's jeep, both swinging our legs as we licked at our ice cream cones. I suddenly missed Olivia and our trips to Dairy Queen during the summer to do this exact same thing. Hanging out in the parking lot with the rest of our senior class felt like it had been years ago.
This summer had been a giant step into adulthood for me. I wasn't sure if it was the idea of leaving home and going out on my own, or perhaps it was from losing my virginity and finding love. Whatever it was, I felt different. Different, but happy. Happier than I'd been in a long time.
"So how's work been?" Jaiden asked.
I rolled my eyes as I continued to enjoy my treat. "Nan doesn't let us away with much, but it's still fun. I really love working on the farm," I admitted.
Jaiden laughed. "You always did," she said. "I never understood how you could stand all that manual labour." she shuddered. "I could never shovel poop."
"It’s not so bad," I said with a laugh. "I love that farm, so it never really feels like work."
"Whatever you say. You excited for school to start? What are you taking?"
My good mood instantly started to slip at the mention of school again. The closer it got, the more I started to wish summer could just go on forever. "Business," I answered.
"Whoa," she said, laughing, "don't sound too excited now."
I smiled at her. "Sorry. I guess the idea of sitting in stuffy classes for hours to learn about numbers and economics just doesn't sound too appealing right now."
"I don't blame you," she muttered. "If business doesn't interest you, why are you taking it?"
I shrugged. Why was I taking it? Because we had to grow up, right? That's what people did. They finished high school and then they went to college to learn something that would eventually earn them a decent paycheck. "Just seemed like the thing to do," I said honestly.
Neither of us spoke about it further as we continued to eat our frozen desert. The ice cream shop, which was really just a crudely made stand out in the middle of nowhere, sat behind us, an open field in front. This place hadn't changed one bit since I was little. There was something funny and slightly comforting about the way things in these small towns never changed. It was as if they simply didn't feel the need to grow and evolve the way things did in larger cities. And why should they? If they worked the way they were, what was the point of making things bigger and "better"?
The sound of a loud engine approaching had us both turning our heads to see a truck drive up and stop in front of us. My heart rate increased when Jake got out of the driver side, my eyes instantly going to the passenger door, waiting. But Gage didn't exit and I couldn't see the outline of someone there through the tinted windows. I scrunched my forehead in confusion, looking back at Jake. Where was he?
"Well hellooo beautiful ladies," he said, approaching. "What are you two fine creatures doing out here all by yourselves?"
"What does it look like?" Jaiden replied dryly, lifting her cone up to his face.
He smiled, looking at me. "Gage let you out of the house, huh?"
"Ha, ha," I replied. "Where is he anyway?"
Jake shrugged. "How should I know?"
My blood instantly turned cold. I looked over at his pick-up, noting that it looked and sounded perfectly fine. Not wanting to really hear the answer, I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my mouth and asked, "How’s the truck? Any trouble with it?"
The confused look on his face told me everything even before he answered. I was going to be sick.
"My truck? She's fine, why?"
Oh god. Gage had lied to me. Why would he do that? If he wasn't with Jake, where was he? Jake was watching me closely, his brows lowered in a mixture of concern and confusion. I needed to go home. My ears were ringing and I was seriously beginning to think I might be sick all over the pavement.
"I think I saw Gage’s truck over on Eleven," Jaiden said, her voice trailing at the end. She and Jake shared a look that made my heart sink even more.
"What’s over on Eleven?" I asked.
Neither answered. They looked at each other in some silent disagreement. I doubted Jake would tell me anything. There was probably some sort of guy code forbidding him. I turned so I faced Jaiden. "What’s over on Eleven?"
She looked at me sadly. Pausing, she finally said, "not what - who."
My voice sounded hoarse when I said, "who?"
"Julie lives there," she told me, giving me an apologetic look. "His truck was going in that direction."
I hopped down, heading to the passenger side. Jaiden didn't need to be told. She followed my lead, getting into the driver’s seat.
Jake backed away as Jaiden turned the jeep on. "Don’t jump to conclusions, Ella," he called out. "Talk to him firs
t. Don't just assume the worst."
I didn't bother looking his way as we reversed past him. Of course he would defend his friend. I'd go and see for myself and then I'd have my answer.
We drove the entire way in silence. As Jaiden turned onto Eleven my heart started to race so fast I thought it might actually burst out of my chest. She slowed down as we came up to the house. There it was. Sitting in the driveway was Gage's beat-up, old truck. He really was here. Holy shit, he really was here. He lied. And he was with another girl. I was going to puke. Just as I started to turn my head, the front door opened and out walked Gage and Julie. They were both smiling as Julie reached up to hug him.
"Fuck," Jaiden whispered. Gage pulled back, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. I had no doubt who it would be - Jake, warning him he'd been caught.
"Let’s go," I said, my voice thick with tears.
Jaiden didn't argue. Slamming on the gas, we sped out of there and headed back toward Nan's, my heart breaking a little more with every bit of distance we put between us and him.
The sound of my phone vibrating had me moaning and blinking against the bright sunlight filling the room.
"I think that's number ten just this morning."
I looked over to see Olivia looking down at me from her bed. I'd immediately gotten into my car when Jaiden dropped me off and had headed straight to Olivia's. The two hour drive had never seemed so short. My phone had been going constantly but I had ignored it, not even glancing at the name popping up. Olivia had taken one look at me and simply opened her arms. That's when I'd finally allowed myself to cry. And hadn't stopped until I'd finally passed out on her floor.
"Are you ever going to answer him?" she asked.
"No," I said, sounding like crap.
Simple Beginnings Page 19
