by Amy Gregory
The two guys filled the cab of Mac’s truck sandwiching Dallas in between them, and with a honk and arms waving out the windows, the three headed down the gravel drive and into town to ship the small pile of boxes. They weren’t taking much, just the personal mementos and clothes, so they’d skipped renting a U-Haul. Mac would keep what furniture he wanted and sell the rest, along with her car. Korry and Dawn would take over the small business that she started as a way to make ends meet.
When the boys got back and the tearful goodbyes were over, the three of them would set off for Pennsylvania in her beloved Camaro. Honor stood in the silence, her hands resting on the cool Formica countertop as she stared out the kitchen window, gazing over the track. The curtain blew in the breeze, and one of the Morris’s horses whinnied near the fence in the distance.
She smiled to herself remembering how just a short time before Eli had walked Dallas out on that track for the first time. How he’d caught her watching him, how she’d been so immediately attracted to him, and flustered she’d been every time he threw her one of his winks or wicked grins. She remembered how hard life was a couple of months ago, how she stared out at the track and wondered how she would make it all work. How many times had she lay in bed in tears—lonely, hurting, worried and scared as hell. Honor remembered the good and the bad for a moment then tucked it away.
There wouldn’t be any more lonely nights or tears. She found her one true love.
Eli had come to Tennessee to meet them and to give her son a week of the best riding school in the country. Instead, he gave them the world.
****
After driving for what seemed like hours, Eli finally made the turn on to the private road. Honor’s nerves were crackling and popping, almost worse than the first time they had made this drive. Despite the excitement, and her fear of his friends’ reactions, when the white fence came into view, it was like she was home.
Karen made them promise to come straight to their home first for a family dinner, and Eli was making good on that promise. When he drove through the stone entryway of the private drive, he pulled their joined hands to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
With a wink and a smile full of love, he let go of her hand to reach in the backseat and tap Dallas’s leg to wake him back up.
“Hey, son. We’re home.”
Dallas’s eyes flew open, and she had to chuckle. He’d been worse than a child at Christmas on this drive. He hadn’t been bad, just antsy and eager to get back to Eli’s house and to the people. He’d hurried them along at gas stops, and early that morning, he rushed them out of the hotel the minute they finished breakfast.
“I think someone’s excited to see you, buddy.” Honor pointed to the large stone staircase of the Noland’s front porch.
Normally, Eli would have parked around back and gone in through the garage or backdoor, but there was a bleach-blonde, curly-haired pixie waiting on the top step. Alex had no idea what kind of car to be watching for, but when they got close enough that she could see it was them through the windshield of the car, she started jumping up and down.
Both of the front doors to the house flew open as Eli put the car in park, and all of Honor’s fear subsided at once. All of his friends, or his family as he considered them, came piling out of the house with wide smiles and open arms.
Walking up the stone walkway under Eli’s arm was one of the happiest moments of her life. Dallas was a few steps ahead of them, and once they were close to each other, Alex launched herself at him.
“Don’t leave me again, Dallas.” Her head rested on his shoulder and the little voice pleaded, but it was her words that brought immediate tears to Honor’s eyes.
Standing in the middle of the family, Dallas hugged Alex tightly. Their smiles and tilted heads all said the same thing she felt. It was sweet to watch her son be so loving to a little girl who obviously adored him. After all, he really was just a child himself.
But the words Honor heard him whisper back to the petite child he held in his arms—sent Honor’s heart to her throat.
“I promise. I won’t ever leave you again, Alex…I promise.”
****
Happiness spread ear-to-ear across Dallas’s face as Eli sat on his bed beside him. The three of them soaking up the moment of their first night home, as a family. Eli tossed a football up in the air and when it hadn’t gone straight, he reached to the side to catch it. Honor heard him grunt before he could cover it.
He’d reassured her repeatedly throughout the day, but Honor knew his back was killing him and that made her feel horribly guilty. She knew the spikes of pain surged downward, hitting his lower back before wrapping around his left hip. After the last five days of packing, moving boxes, and driving for hours on end, Eli’s body had had enough. He’d been careful to not wince in front of her so she didn’t worry, but that actually made her more concerned. All through the meal at James and Karen’s, she saw him trying to hide the grimaces when he’d turn wrong, or when Alex or Jack wanted up in his arms. She asked for ibuprofen from Karen, but long after the medicine should have kicked in, it killed her to watch him shift in his chair over and over because he couldn’t sit comfortably.
One benefit of being trapped in a car was he hadn’t been able to escape when she asked about his back. She begged him to let her help. With a backward glance to their child in the back seat, his resistance lowered, more quickly than she first expected after hearing all of Molly’s failed attempts. He was a guy, and a dad now—a dad who wanted to be able to keep up with a pre-teen boy. The only way to do that was to seek out some sort of medical relief, whether it was major surgery or simply regular massages. Honor was bound and determined to find the right answer for him. The fact that he willingly agreed was more proof of how far the man would go to make her happy. And helping him? She lived for it.
After hugging their son goodnight, she left him and Eli in his room then headed back upstairs. Flipping the switch for the soft light above the kitchen sink afforded her just enough to see the label she was after. In the cabinet above the coffee maker, she reached for the familiar bottle and was startled from behind.
“Hey sweetheart, you want to go sit in the hot tub?” Eli asked.
Turning with the white bottle in her hand, she froze for a moment.
The man was a walking sex dream. Leaning against the large framed entrance to the kitchen, he had his arms crossed against chest and was wearing the crooked smile she adored. However, the I want you eyes were smoldering, sending a dusting of fire across her skin. Five o’clock came and went leaving its mark darkening his jaw. The length matched the hair on his head.
In the muted light, he appeared dangerous, but Honor knew that look was hunger.
So many times, she stood in that exact spot as he pinned those hazel eyes on her. So many times, she’d desperately kept her attraction and need for him hidden. In the beginning that was hard, but by the end of her stay, it become damn near impossible.
Hiding was a thing of the past.
She didn’t have to pretend anymore, Eli Hunter was going to be her husband, and she wanted him to look at her like the way he was doing at that moment—like he needed her more than his next breath. Her mouth went dry as she waited, her eyes not leaving his. Neither moved as they stared at each other from across the span of the kitchen.
A shiver ran from the back of her neck down through her entire body.
He tipped his chin, acknowledging he saw the effect he was having on her.
Faking a bravado Honor was sure he’d see through, the corner of her mouth turned up. She rattled the bottle of medicine in front of him to tease. “I thought your back hurt, honey. I wouldn’t want to make it hurt worse.”
Eli crossed the kitchen before she could even blink to register his movement. With her back against the granite countertop, he bracketed her between his arms. There was no mistaking who was in absolute control. He leaned into her, forcing a slight bend in her back. She swallowed hard and his
eyebrows rose, acknowledging the submission she’d automatically given him.
Years ago, there had been a matter of a few weeks when another man wanted her, and then he was done with her.
Eli was quickly erasing that hurt. He made her feel like she was the only person in the world who could please him and that she was the only one in the world he wanted. No—needed.
He brushed his lips against hers, his words spoken close enough she could feel them. “Let’s go get in the hot tub, sweetheart.”
Gripping the bottle in one hand and running her palm up his chest with the other, she spoke against his lips. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I…don’t have a swimsuit.”
Honor felt the roguish smile tip his lips against hers. “You don’t need one, baby. As a matter of fact, I think I like that plan even better.”
Keeping her captive between his arms, he used his mouth to nudge and direct her where he wanted. Pressing kisses along her jaw until she let her head fall to the side giving him the access he seemingly demanded. On her bare neck, she felt the tip of his tongue lightly trace circles and then his cursive E.
He was marking her once again and this time she reveled in it.
“Eli…”
Even in her own ears, his name sounded like a breathless plea for more.
She couldn’t believe how much she’d changed in a matter of days because of one simple question. When he’d asked her to marry him, it was as if a whole new world opened up. Finally, she began feeling things both physically and emotionally that she’d shut herself off to years before. In Eli’s arms, it was as if she couldn’t get enough of the man, couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t kiss him enough.
Eli pressed his lips against the hollow of her neck and pulled back. “Don’t move.”
His face held all sorts of wicked secrets that made her stomach clench. It was the predatory wink he gave her that froze her movement and left her wide-eyed. Pulling the bottle from her hand, he turned and strode out of the kitchen like a man on a mission. Honor’s breath came out with a whoosh, and she put a palm over her neck to feel the speed of her pulse. Not trusting her legs, her other hand dropped, gripping the granite countertop at her back.
Her eyes drifted shut. As she waited for him to return, she slid her fingertips lower, to the brand he placed with the tip of his tongue. Yes, he’d left her standing in the dimly lit kitchen so horny she was about to self-combust, but it was the E on her neck that had her heart swelling. Burned into her permanently, his mouth on her skin, hotter than any flame could ever be.
“You moved, sweetheart.”
His voice was low and sinful. Her eyes flew back open in response. The cocky smirk across his mouth had her wanting to banter back and stay silent at the same time. Honor knew that no matter what, Eli would never hurt her. She could trust him with her whole heart and soul as well as her body. But there were pieces and instances with Eli, gestures and words that threw her back to that place in time when she had been innocent. That time, when as a virgin, everything was scary and exciting, thrilling, dangerous and exhilarating.
She recognized her robe in his hand, along with two towels. Smiling, she let him pull her along behind him, out the kitchen and into the dark of night. The glow from the kitchen windows lit their path. The sunken hot tub was tucked in a dark corner of the deck, and Dallas was fast asleep downstairs. Privacy was all theirs.
Standing before him, Honor couldn’t form words as he dropped the things from his hand and quietly proceeded to undress her. The man exuded confidence and strength, and her nerves intensified his every touch, leaving her feeling the pricks of electricity of his touch long after he’d moved on.
Swallowing hard, she fought to keep her hands from covering herself, unused to a man looking at her like he wanted to devour her. Honor concentrated on her breathing as he ran his fingertips lightly over her skin. The automatic breath she pulled in when he gently caressed her breasts was swallowed up by his kiss.
Instantly, anxiety was an after-thought. She wanted only one thing…and that was him.
Honor stood on the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck as his tongue memorized every bit of her mouth, lips, jaw, and neck. He wedged his hands between them, kneading her gently while brushing his thumbs over her nipples. A soft breeze fluttered through the air and sent a wave of shivers across her skin.
“Let’s get you in the warm water.”
The cool air wasn’t the cause, but he didn’t know that. After helping her into the hot water, he turned toward the buttons on the wall while yanking his shirt off over his head on the way. And there it was again.
That tattoo.
The one that secretly haunted her. It drove her mad and crazy with need—a need to know what it was about, but more—the need to touch it, and for some crazy reason, the need to kiss it.
He turned the jets on low and bubbles started to churn around her. Watching every move he made, Honor sank down lower into the warm heavenly feeling and waited for him to finish undressing. She automatically licked her lips as his jeans and boxers hit the deck.
His muscles flexed and tightened as he lowered himself into the water. She noticed he was already hard when he seated himself on one of the built-in benches. Then he held out his hand for her to come closer, but she misunderstood his gesture.
“No, sweetheart…come here.”
Instead of settling her in beside him, he easily moved her through the churning water to straddle him with her knees bent and resting on either side of his thighs. Once again, her eyes widened in shock, but only for a brief second. His palms on her hips centered her, slowly guiding her down over him. His jaw tensed and she could tell he was barely holding on to his control.
Bending toward her, he licked a drop of water from one nipple with lowered lids. When he looked up, his need was reflected in his heavy lidded eyes, and then he moved to her other breast, sucking the pebbled tip into his mouth. As he drew back, his teeth nipped at the sensitive skin and fire shot through her. Several pulses deep inside her clenched around him.
He pulled in a deep breath through his tight lips. “God, I love you, sweetheart. You’re my everything, I hope you know that.”
Words were bouncing around in her head, but making them coherent was damned near impossible. She nodded her reply, and took his face in her palms, kissing him with all the built-up passion from the last two months. Urgency pushed sweetness aside as her tongue dueled with his. Cold water that extinguished the carnal need the night they made love for the first time, evaporated in the fire that was now roaring between them.
The faster and harder she kissed, the more rapidly he slid her along the length of him. His hands remained on her hips, powerfully using more and more force against the water. His fingertips dug into her. Swallowing groans coming from deep inside him, they mixed with the ones coming from her own throat.
All space and time was forgotten. They were secluded in their own little world. The dark sky twinkled with only the light from the stars above and a sliver of the moon. The leaves rustling and a stray owl were the only noises around, except for the water sloshing in the tub and the hard breathing between the begging and promises they made to each other.
Eli moved just right and hit the spot that sent flashes of color bursting behind her tightly shut eyes. She was barely conscious of the high-pitched moan that escaped from her, and Eli moved even faster. Water spilled over the side of the hot tub and out onto the deck before he stilled, pressing her hips down tightly against him. Honor pulled back from his lips, as both of them gasped for the night air. Sagging against his bare chest, she lay listening to his heart pound. The water danced over her shoulders as she sat, still connected to the man she loved.
He traced patterns up and down her back under the water for what felt like forever. Finally after her heart slowed back to normal speed, Honor sat up with a gentle smile and gazed at the man whose hazel eyes sparkled back at her.
; “I love you, Eli.”
“Sweetheart…I love you too. More than life itself.”
Her shoulder came up, and tipping her head with a bashful grin, she finally admitted a truth to him. “I love your tattoo.”
The sinful smile was bad enough, but the man had the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows as well. “I know you do.”
Honor rolled her eyes and smacked the water at him. “What’s it mean?”
“You mean to tell me after all those times I’ve caught you staring at it, you never figured it out?” he asked, his eyes dancing in mischief.
Her mouth twitched and he winked.
Honor loved everything about the man, but the playful teasing side of him made her stomach clench again. She tried not to laugh, but couldn’t help it. She was so in love with him, the anger she was trying to feign was unsuccessful.
Eli slid her off his lap and turned so she could see it. In the pale light of the night sky, she traced the lines with the tip of her finger. With it placed across his shoulder blades, she knew it was done over the scar from his wreck. The one that sent a paralyzing fear through her when she allowed herself to think of what almost happened to the man she loved. To fear she almost lost out on knowing his gentle heart and the love he showered her in.
The thick and thin lines ran across his back in some sort of a tribal or Celtic pattern. The swoops, swirls, and shading, made it all the more mysterious.
“Do you see it, yet?”
Honor leaned forward and brushed a long-awaited kiss over the middle of it, taking her time before pulling back, the tip of her tongue touching it first. “No.”
“From where you are sitting it reads family.”
Suddenly the letters danced right in front of her, the lines that were hiding their meaning before, came to life. Tracing the pattern again, she was easily able to find the word that meant as much to him as it did her. She’d heard his story, heard his friends’ version, anyway. She knew how close they came to losing him, and knew how they’d nursed him back to health. She knew how he felt about them and that they were closer than blood family. When her finger finished tracing the y, he turned to face her.
