by Marie Force
“Megan and I were just talking about that last night. She’s trying to figure out whether the diner can get by for a few days without her, and if she can work something out, we’re going. Why?”
“I want Gavin to go, but he’s saying he can’t leave work.”
“He doesn’t go to Sultan things anymore. Unless they’re here. It’s one of the many ways he’s changed in recent years.”
“I know. Nolan told me that.” Ella chewed on the end of her pen. “What do you think he’d do if I bought tickets for us, made reservations and presented him with a done deal?”
Hunter tipped his head in thought. “I honestly don’t know how that would go over. Back in the day, I would’ve said he’d love it. Now . . . I just don’t know.”
“Hmm, well, thanks for your opinion and everything else. I appreciate that you care.”
“We all do, Ella.”
“I know. I wish you all cared a little less than you do.”
“That’ll be the day.” Smiling, he got up and headed for the door. “See you later.”
Ella tried to return her attention to the computer, but her eyes were swimming and she couldn’t stop yawning. She’d made it to three o’clock. That was a freaking miracle, all things considered. She turned off her computer and grabbed her purse and coat.
“I’m going home for the day, Mary. Not feeling too good today.”
“Oh, too bad, Ella. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you then.” She went down the stairs, praying for a clean getaway. The office had been unusually quiet today, for which she would be eternally grateful. As she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home, she saw her dad and the dogs on the sidewalk in front of Lucas’s woodworking barn. She tooted at them, returned their waves and continued on her way. Her bed was calling to her, and she was going to crash and burn if she didn’t answer that call very soon.
* * *
Gavin’s day had been a disaster until right this minute, as he took the stairs to Ella’s place two at a time. His heartbeat was on overdrive because he was about to see her. During the course of the day, he’d relived their night together repeatedly, and he’d been a walking hard-on all day as he remembered every detail.
He knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. When nothing happened, he began to regret not calling to tell her he was on his way. He knocked again and waited and then tested the door to find it unlocked. He hoped she wouldn’t care if he went in uninvited. Her purse was flung on a chair inside the door, along with her coat, which had one sleeve inside out.
Smiling, he had a feeling he knew where he’d find her and headed for her bedroom. Sure enough, she was fully dressed and out cold on top of her bed. He kicked off his shoes and crawled in next to her, putting his arm around her middle and drawing her in tight against him.
There, he thought, breathing in a deep Ella-scented breath. There she is. He took another deep breath and felt his heartbeat slip into a more normal rhythm.
She murmured in her sleep and then stirred, turning over to burrow into his embrace.
He couldn’t fall asleep, not with his parents expecting them in thirty minutes, but his eyes were gritty from the night without sleep and it wouldn’t take much to make him forget all about dinner.
“Where’d you come from?” she asked in a sleepy-sounding voice.
“You left your door unlocked. You’re lucky I didn’t find some other guy in here snuggling with you.”
“I left it open for you.”
“I don’t like you sleeping with your door unlocked.”
“I’ll give you a key.”
He kissed her forehead and then her lips because he couldn’t wait another second to kiss her. “Missed you so bad today.”
“It was the longest day ever, and I only made it until three.”
“Sorry I kept you up all night.”
“I’m not.” She reached for him and drew him into a far more serious kiss, her mouth opening to admit his tongue.
Before he could think about what he was doing and where they needed to be, he was on top of her, devouring her. Now that he’d had a taste of her, he was ravenous for more. Apparently, he wasn’t alone in that if the way she kissed him was any indication.
Her legs opened and wrapped around his hips, and he pressed against her, wishing he were deep inside her. He had to put a stop to this and get to his parents’ house, but he needed another minute—or two—of Ella first.
Gavin eased his way out of the kiss, withdrawing in slow increments. “We have somewhere to be.”
“Oh, God, your parents. I completely forgot. I’m a mess.”
“You’re gorgeous.”
“My hair—”
“Is beautiful.”
“I have razor burn.”
Gavin studied her face and kissed the spot on her face he’d rubbed raw with his whiskers. “I need to shave for you before I touch you again.”
“I love your scruff. Don’t shave.”
“I love your soft skin and don’t want to mark it.”
“You have to let me up so I can make myself presentable for your parents.”
He pressed his hard cock against her one more time and kissed her. “There,” he said. “Now I might be prepared to get through dinner.” Rolling off her, he stared up at the ceiling as he throbbed with unspent desire. How there could be any more after what they’d done last night amazed him, but there seemed to be an endless supply where she was concerned.
She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to restore some order. “You must be so tired.”
“I’ll sleep good tonight. We won’t stay late at my parents’. Don’t worry.”
“I hope neither of us falls over at the table.”
“It would give them something to talk about for days.” He followed her with his gaze as she went into the bathroom. After spending this time with her, he wondered how he’d ever been able to resist her for as long as he had. He regretted that now. It felt so damned good to be with her that he wished he’d given in a long time ago. Maybe he could’ve avoided some of the recent disquiet if he’d let her in sooner.
No matter. She was here now, and he planned to do everything within his power to keep her.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom looking fresh-faced and put together.
He pulled himself up and out of her comfortable bed and then let her tug him along behind her as they headed for the door. “If I fall asleep in my mashed potatoes, will you rescue me?”
“Of course I will. I’m your ICE, after all.”
Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he nuzzled her neck. “Yes, you are.”
Ella turned and looked up at him. “Why did you make me your ICE anyway?”
“Because I knew you’d come no matter what. You’re always there for me when I need you most, even when I was pushing you away.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Thank you for having such faith in me.”
“I do have faith in you, and I want you to be able to have faith in me.”
“I do, Gavin. Why do you think I never gave up on you, even when I probably should have?”
“Thanks for not giving up. I would’ve hated to miss out on this.”
Her warm, sweet smile filled the darkness inside him with badly needed light. It also filled him with even more determination to be what she needed, to not let her down. If he ever hurt her . . . He couldn’t even think about what it might feel like to have her look at him with disappointment rather than adoration. The fear of that sent a shudder through him as he followed her down the stairs.
CHAPTER 11
A whole stack of memories never
equal one little hope.
—Charles M. Schulz
As Gavin drove them to his parents’ home in his truck, Ella thought a
bout what he’d said about why he’d made her his emergency contact and how he’d known he could count on her. It was humbling to think that while she’d been nursing her broken heart, he’d been clinging to her like a life raft in a storm.
Ella wanted to be his safe harbor, to lead him from the darkness back into the light. She burned with love for him—the forever kind of love that wouldn’t end until the heart inside her chest stopped beating. Even then, well into her next life, Ella would still love Gavin. It was just an irrefutable fact of her life.
They pulled into the driveway at his parents’ well-kept home, and an attack of nerves assailed her. Of course she knew Bob and Amelia Guthrie well and had for years, but she was coming here tonight as Gavin’s girlfriend or whatever she was now. It was different.
She hadn’t been here since the awful weeks that followed Caleb’s death when she and her mother and Charley had cooked for Bob and Amelia, delivering food weekly for a few months. It had seemed like a small thing to do in the face of such utter devastation.
Gavin’s hand squeezing hers drew her out of her contemplation. Ella sent him a small smile.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel a little nervous, which is silly in light of how long I’ve known your parents.”
“No need to be nervous. You know they love you, and they’ll be thrilled to see us together.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
His assurances went a long way toward allaying her nerves.
“Wait for me.” He got out of the truck and came around to the passenger side, opening the door and extending his hand to her.
Ella took his hand, loving the smile on his face, the happiness that danced in his tired eyes and the excitement he seemed to feel at bringing her here.
He helped her out of the truck and kept his grip on her hand as they walked into the house and as his parents came out to greet them, only letting go so he could help her remove her coat.
“What a wonderful, wonderful surprise,” Amelia Guthrie said, blinking rapidly as if trying not to cry. She hugged Ella. “This makes me so happy.”
“Thank you,” Ella said softly, relieved by the warm welcome and the obvious joy her presence had brought to Amelia.
Amelia released Ella and went on to hug her son. “You know how to keep some big secrets,” she said.
Gavin’s smile stretched from ear to ear when he looked at Ella. “It’s something we’ve both wanted for a long time. We finally seem to have gotten the timing right.”
“Nice to see you, Ella,” Bob said when he hugged her. “And nice to see you smiling, son. It’s been a while.”
“Yes,” Gavin said with a sigh, “it has.”
Ella took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping to keep the bad from invading the good. The bad would probably always be right there, lurking below the surface trying to get out, but Ella would do everything in her power to keep the bad where it belonged. In the past.
They enjoyed a delicious dinner of barbecued ribs, mashed potatoes, homemade coleslaw and corn bread. Gavin ate like he hadn’t seen food in a year, something his mother said happened every time she made ribs for him.
After dinner, Amelia suggested they take their dessert into the den to enjoy the fire.
“I need to bring in some more wood,” Bob said. “Give me a hand, son?”
“Happy to.” Gavin squeezed Ella’s shoulder on his way out the door behind his father.
“I just have to say,” Amelia whispered, the second they were alone, “this makes me so, so happy. I haven’t seen him smiling like he has tonight since before . . .” She didn’t have to finish that sentence. Ella knew what she meant. “You’re perfect for him, Ella. You’re just what he needs.”
“I hope so. There’ve been a lot of stops and starts along the way, but we’ve agreed to give it a real try.”
“I’ll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for both of you.”
“Thanks, Amelia.” Ella glanced over her shoulder to make sure Gavin was still outside with his father. “Could I ask your advice on something?”
“Of course. Anything.”
Ella told her about Dylan’s wedding, how Gavin planned to decline the invitation because of work and her idea about surprising him with the trip.
“Do it,” Amelia said without hesitation. “It’s exactly what he needs—time with his friends, time with you, time away from work. He pushes himself so hard and I know why, but he can’t keep up that pace forever. No one can.”
“You don’t think he’ll be mad that I’m forcing him to do something he said he doesn’t want to do?”
“He wants to go, but it’s easier for him not to. He needs to stop doing the easy thing and get back to living. This, with you, is an important first step.”
“Thanks for the advice. I think I’m going to do it.”
“Good. Bob and I are going, so maybe we’ll see you there.”
“I hope so.”
Gavin and his dad returned, both carrying armloads of wood that they took directly to the cozy family room that included a wall devoted to Caleb’s army service. The picture of him in his uniform, looking fierce and strong and so vitally alive put a lump in her throat. The same image now hung in the foyer of the inn that bore his name and was a stark reminder of what these three wonderful people had lost.
Ella noticed that Gavin sat with his back to Caleb’s wall, as if it was too painful to face. She sat next to him on the love seat and reached for his hand.
He smiled at her, seeming relaxed and at ease even if he looked exhausted.
They spent another hour with his parents before Gavin began yawning his head off. “I had an early day today,” he said, nearly making Ella laugh as he helped her up and then led her into the mudroom to get their coats. They’d had an early day all right. “Got to hit the hay before I fall over. Thanks for dinner, Mom.”
“Yes, Amelia, thank you. It was delicious.”
“You’re so welcome.” She hugged them. “I hope we’ll see both of you again soon.”
“You will,” Gavin said, shaking hands with his dad, who hugged and kissed Ella. Gavin held the door for her and let her go out ahead of him. He helped her into the truck, and she could tell he was dying to kiss her but held off because his parents were standing in the doorway to wave them off.
He backed his big truck out of the driveway and beeped to his parents before turning off their street and pulling over to the side of the road.
“What’s wrong?” Ella asked.
He reached across the center console for her, releasing the buckle on her seatbelt. “Kiss me.”
She barely had time to protest or to remind him they’d be back to her place in minutes before his lips were devouring hers. He rendered her useless with the wet slide of his lips, the plunging thrusts of his tongue and the heat of his body drawing her in as close as she could get with the console in the way.
Groaning in frustration, he pulled away abruptly, threw the truck into drive and said, “Put your seatbelt back on.”
Left reeling by his abrupt withdrawal, Ella fumbled with the seatbelt and managed to click it into place. Her lips were tingling from his fierce kiss, and she couldn’t wait to be alone with him again.
This was crazy. They’d played cat-and-mouse games for months, and now that they’d agreed to be together, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Not that Ella was complaining. She felt like she was seeing a whole new side of him, and she loved it.
He didn’t say a single other word on the ten-minute ride to her place.
Ella didn’t wait for him to come around to get her. When she met him at the front of the truck, he urged her forward with his hand on her lower back. On the way upstairs, he pulled at her coat from behind until she got the hint and unzipped it. He tugged it off her shoul
ders and went to work on her sweater next, easing it up and over her head while they were still in the hallway.
“Gavin,” she whispered, shocked to be standing outside her door in only her bra. “I’m not the only one who lives here.”
“Hurry up,” he said in a low growl that left no doubt in her mind what he wanted.
Her nipples tightened in anticipation, setting off an insistent throb between her legs. She wanted him every bit as badly as he wanted her.
The door closed behind them and he dropped his coat on the floor. He pulled his button-down shirt right up and over his head and then pulled on the button to his jeans.
Ella was frozen in place, watching him reveal his muscular body to her.
“You’re not hurrying,” he said.
She removed her jeans, bra and panties and reached for him at the same second he reached for her. Before she knew what hit her, he had lifted her against the door and was entering her in one swift thrust that set off a shocking bolt of pain that made her grimace.
“Oh God, babe. I’m sorry. You’re sore from last night.”
“I’m okay. Just go slow.”
He withdrew almost completely. “Shit. Condom.”
Ella tightened her legs around him to keep him from getting away. “I’m on birth control. If you’re safe, so am I.”
“Oh my God, are you serious? Sex without a condom? What’s that like?”
Despite the full-on assault on her senses, he made her laugh. “Want to find out?”
“You have no idea how badly. I’m safe, baby. I haven’t had sex in a long time, and never without a condom.” He pushed back into her, going slowly this time. “This is gonna be fast.”
Her heart soared at hearing it had been a long time for him, too. She’d had far too much time to picture him with other women while she nursed her broken heart. “I’m good with fast.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.” This, this, this, Ella thought as he drove into her over and over again, is why I waited for him. It had never been like this with anyone else. She’d never had a man tear her clothes off her body and take her against her door like a madman because he couldn’t bear to wait the two minutes it would take to reach her bed.
