by J. H. Croix
Garrett stared at Gage and took another gulp of beer, emptying his bottle. “When you say it that way…”
Gage stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “I gotta get downstairs and help Don repair a plumbing leak.” His eyes coasted over Garrett. “Maybe you should take a shower.”
***
Delia walked back to her office much later that night. She was the last person standing tonight. It had been relentlessly busy throughout dinner. When it finally quieted, she sent the front staff home and cleaned up on her own. She relished the mundane task of clearing tables as the busy work kept her occupied. The kitchen staff had trailed out slowly. It was almost midnight when she made her way through the kitchen. Her heels clicked on the tile floor.
She trailed her hand along the steel table running through the center of the kitchen. A prickle of awareness ran up her spine.
“Delia.”
Garrett’s voice sent heat spiraling through her body. Her pulse stuttered and then raced ahead. She stopped and slowly turned. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen, backlit by the lights from the reception area. The kitchen was dim with only the back corner light on. Garrett had changed out of his rumpled suit. He wore a faded pair of jeans and a cotton jersey that hugged his muscled chest. She knew how his body felt under her hands. He walked slowly toward her, his eyes never leaving hers. With each step closer, her heart pounded harder and her breath came in soft pants. Emotions and desire swirled inside.
He didn’t stop until he stood right in front of her. He was quiet for so long, she could hardly breathe.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot…”
She started to shake her head.
“It’s okay. I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain myself. Here’s the thing, I’ve never had a relationship. If it seems like I’m fumbling around, I am. I didn’t plan on you. You have to know I never wondered if I wanted to be with you, but I didn’t know what it meant. When you told me you loved me, my brain went blank.” He paused and took a gulp of air. “I love you too. My assistant in Seattle told me I needed to practice saying it. I guess I didn’t think it was necessary, but obviously it is.”
Delia’s heart soared skyward, hope unfurling its wings and swooping through her body. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until she let it go. Tears welled.
Garrett took another step closer. “Are you okay?”
She nodded jerkily and swiped at her tears with the back of her hand. Now she was the one who couldn’t find words.
“So tears are good?”
He settled his hands on her shoulders and slid them down her arms, the heat of his touch soothing her.
“Uh huh.”
Garrett’s mouth hooked on one side, his smile slowly spreading across his face. “That wasn’t so bad,” he said with a touch of bemusement.
“What?”
“Telling you I loved you. I feel silly now, but it scared the shit out of me.”
She looked up into his eyes and bit her lip. “Me too.”
Chapter 25
Garrett’s heart was hammering in his chest, adrenaline pumping through him. He was supposed to be the master of words, arguing case upon case not matter how contentious without ever breaking a sweat. Yet, faced with Delia and actually saying his feelings aloud, he turned into a bundle of nerves and adrenaline.
She looked up at him and bit her lip. “Me too.”
A sense of relief washed through him on the heels of the rush of adrenaline. He looked down at her in the dim light. Her teeth dented her plump bottom lip. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. He took a step closer, the air around them heating. In the quiet, he could hear his pulse pounding through his veins and the soft ebb and flow of her breath.
Delia’s hand fell softly against his chest. He curled his around it and gave it a squeeze before sliding his palm up the side of her neck. Her pulse beat against his thumb. Time was slow and fast at once. In what felt like slow motion, he fit his mouth over hers. Suddenly, he felt as if he were caught in a flame, twisting up through and around them. Her mouth fell open on a gasp and he dove into their kiss, sweeping his tongue inside.
She flexed into him, and he let the reins loose, tugging her tight against him. He stroked his hands down her back to cup her bottom, lush and soft in his grip. Garrett couldn’t get close enough fast enough and tore at her blouse. A button caught and fell when he yanked, pinging off the stainless steel table running through the kitchen. She wore a silky white bra underneath the white blouse, her nipples peaked and pushing against the fitted silk. He cupped her breasts in his hands and closed his lips over a nipple, savoring her broken gasp as he dampened the silk. He flicked the clasp of her bra and shoved it off her shoulders.
Delia pushed him back and shoved his shirt up. In seconds, the rest of their clothes were scattered on the kitchen floor. Garrett stopped and stared at her, her skin golden in the soft light emanating from the corner. She lifted her palm and stroked it down the center of his chest. She moved swiftly and leaned forward, taking his cock in her mouth. His breath came out in a strangled gasp as she knelt in front of him and commenced to drive him to the edge of his endurance with her mouth. Long, slow strokes with her tongue and deep suction when she drew him fully into her mouth. Pressure gathered inside. Just when he thought he might break, she drew away and slowly stood, a soft smile playing at her mouth.
He moved swiftly, lifting her against him and setting her on the table, stepping between her knees.
***
The stainless steel table was cool against her skin, the contrast to the heat inside of her notching it even higher. Delia looked up into Garrett’s navy gaze, hot, dark and locked on her. “Your turn,” he said, his gruff words sending shivers through her.
He nudged her knees apart and stroked a finger through her folds, slick with desire. Her breath broke on a moan as he slowly slipped his fingers inside her channel. He gripped her hips with his hand and tugged her closer to the edge of the table before leaning forward and bringing his mouth to join his fingers. She tumbled into sensation—his fingers sliding in and out, his tongue tracing her folds and teasing her clit. Pleasure streaked through her with each stroke of his fingers. She spun tighter and tighter inside until he exerted the slightest suction on her clit and sensation whipped through her.
With the shudders of her climax echoing, he stepped between her knees again. She felt the heated velvet of his cock nudge between her folds. He held still for a beat, long enough that the need to feel him inside of her clawed at her. At her low moan, he surged into her, seating himself deeply at once.
Holding still again, he laced his hand in her hair, angling her face up to his.
“Delia...look at me.”
She dragged her eyes open. Only then did he begin to move. Sensation and emotion gusted through her. Her body arched into him with every stroke, craving the fullness of him inside of her—while the intimacy between them stitched tighter and tighter with every stroke, his eyes holding hers through it all. Her climax rose from the lingering spasms of the other, her legs curling tightly around his hips as she cried out.
His cry followed hers, his body arching taut like a bow before her name tore out of his throat. She slowly drifted down. Her legs loosened around his hips. His head tipped forward, his lips catching hers in a soft kiss.
They remained still for several long moments until Garrett ran his palms down her arms. “You’re getting cold,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Come on. Let’s go to my room.”
She looked up. “You have your own room again?”
His mouth hooked in a half smile. “Gage is a good brother.”
Chapter 26
A few weeks later, Delia sat at a booth in the corner of the lodge restaurant. The afternoon rush was over, and she was joining Ginger and Marley for drinks and dinner.
Ginger held her wineglass aloft. “This one’s for Garrett,” she said with a
grin.
Marley approached their booth and slid in beside Ginger. “We’re toasting Garrett?”
Ginger nodded enthusiastically. “Yup. He gets major points for getting his head out of his ass.”
Delia giggled while Marley grabbed a glass and filled it. “I’m all for Garrett figuring out how awesome Delia is,” Marley said with a clink of her glass with Ginger’s.
Delia blushed. She still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that once Garrett got over himself, he’d become prone to frequent and public displays of affection. The last few weeks since he’d flown back to Alaska had been a blur. He took her breath away and drove her to edges of passion she’d never imagined. She also enjoyed an easy comfort with him and loved watching him settle into being here. He spent most days working with Gage and her father, often bringing Nick along with them. He was somehow managing to do some long distance legal work for his practice in Seattle and making plans to start a small one here in Alaska. He planned to offer services from Diamond Creek up to Anchorage. She’d been startled when his assistant reported he was already getting requests for representation in Anchorage. Gage had explained to her Garrett’s corporate work had given him a national reputation, which meant easy work here if he wanted it. He insisted he only planned to handle a few corporate cases.
Marley brushed her hair out of her face. “So, Garrett must be with Gage up on the mountain, huh?”
Delia nodded. “He said they were taking Nick for a ski this afternoon.”
“Have you thought about what’s next?” Ginger asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Garrett got over himself, and so did you. You’re floating along in the honeymoon phase, but what’s next? Is he officially moving here? Are you two moving in together? Have you talked to Nick?” Ginger waved her hand as she rattled off her questions.
Marley burst out laughing. “Oh my God. Maybe you could give her a chance to breathe and enjoy herself for a little while.”
Ginger shook her head firmly. “Oh no. I need to see everything get settled. You know me and my trust issues. I apply them to all my friends.”
Delia rolled her eyes. “I’m with you on wanting everything settled. All I can tell you is Garrett is officially moving here. He plans to go back to Seattle next week for a few weeks. I’ll probably go down on the weekends until he can get back up here. The rest…I don’t know. I’m going to talk to Nick soon because he’s been asking questions about how come I’m spending the night out so much. All this time I thought it was smart not to date because it might confuse Nick, but now he’s loaded with questions because I’ve never dated anyone since I had him.”
As she spoke, the sound of feet running across the room drew her attention. She glanced up to see Nick racing across the room to their booth. His cheeks were ruddy from the cold and his dark hair windblown. Garrett and Gage entered the room behind him, moving at a more leisurely pace.
“Mom! I made it all the way down without falling!” Nick skidded across the carpeted floor, bumping against the edge of the table as he came to a stop.
“That’s great!” Delia tugged him to her side for a quick hug.
Garrett reached them and ruffled Nick hair. “He did great. Even I fell once on the way down,” he said with a wry grin.
Gage approached and cuffed Garrett on the shoulder. “You almost had it until you looked back at me.” Gage dropped a kiss on Marley’s cheek and slid into the booth beside her.
Garrett followed suit while Nick bounced between the kitchen and their booth while he wheedled extras out of the cooks. A while later, Delia waved goodbye to Ginger and watched Marley and Gage make their way to the stairs up to their apartment. She glanced to Garrett. He was in the middle of patiently listening to Nick show him his mastery of a word game on his phone. Nick looked up and caught her eyes. He paused, his eyes bouncing between her and Garrett. He suddenly looked serious. His gaze pinned to Garrett, he asked, “Do you love my mom?”
Garrett’s didn’t hesitate. “I do.”
Delia’s heart sped, a thrill of joy racing through her. Her joy was tempered with a thread of anxiety. She didn’t really know how Nick would feel about Garrett becoming a more permanent part of their lives, and it worried her. She wanted him to be able to accept it and hopefully feel good about it. No matter how good it was, it was a sea change for their lives.
Nick traced the edge of the smartphone sitting on the table. He was quiet for a long moment. “Are you going away again?”
Garrett started to shake his head and stopped. “I have to go to Seattle for a little while, but I’m coming back. I’ll always come back.”
Delia couldn’t help herself. “Nick, you don’t need to worry about that.”
Nick whipped his head up. “Yes, I do. My dad never came back. That makes you sad, and I don’t want you to be sad again.”
Her heart clenched. “Nick, honey, I’m sad about your dad because I wish he was here for you, but I’m okay.”
Nick chewed the inside of his mouth as he looked between her and Garrett. Garrett eased his hand to Nick’s back and stroked it slowly. “Okay.”
Delia felt tears well, but she swallowed them and forced herself to breathe. Part of being a parent was holding it together at times when you felt like you might fall apart. The maelstrom of emotions wasn’t always rational for adults, much less for children.
Before she could speak, Garrett did. “I understand why you might be worried. All I can say is that I plan to be with your mom for a long, long time. Maybe it’s not so easy to believe that, but I’ll try to show you. Okay?”
Nick looked up, his eyes wide. “Okay. Are you gonna stay with us?”
Garrett’s brows hitched, an unbelieving smile curling his mouth. “Uh, well, we haven’t figured everything out yet.”
Nick didn’t budge, his eyes holding steady. Delia started to speak, but once again Garrett beat her to it. “How about we agree that we’ll talk again tomorrow?”
Nick looked to her and back to Garrett before he nodded. “Okay.”
Epilogue
It was approaching midnight and the sun had yet to fully set though it hovered low above the mountains. A curl blew across Delia’s face, the late breeze making merry with her hair and the silk of her wedding dress. Her hands were clasped tightly in Garrett’s as they stood on the deck behind Last Frontier Lodge. Summer solstice, the longest day of the year, was about to mark their wedding date. She blew a puff of air to get the errant curl out of her eyes. Garrett’s eyes, so somber, lightened with a half-smile. He freed one of her hands and brushed the curl out of the way, tucking it behind her ear. A hot shiver chased in the wake of his touch.
Every moment of the ceremony, she felt as if she was humming inside and out—joy, desire and intimacy dancing through her. At the feet of the mountains that had surrounded her for her entire life, Delia and Garrett were married on that almost endless summer day under the collective gaze of family and friends. The sun’s bow was slow and spectacular. By the time it fell behind the mountains, the sky was a watercolor of orange and red shot through with gold.
Hours after the ceremony, Delia glanced around the lodge restaurant—a place that had once represented her lost dreams, dreams that drifted away under the mundane reality of being a single parent. Now, the restaurant linked her present with her past. Garrett was deep into a card game with his brothers, Gage and Sawyer. Sawyer had flown up from no-one-knew-where after his latest classified mission as a Navy SEAL. As if he sensed her eyes on him, Garrett looked up—electricity snapped and crackled in the air across the room. She blew him a kiss, her gaze moving on. Becca was leaning against the bar talking with their mother, Jill. Aidan McNamara, a close family friend, stood nearby and could barely keep his eyes off Becca. Delia couldn’t help but wonder about those two. To say Becca was cynical about men would be an understatement. Yet, Becca snuck glances at Aidan whenever she thought no one was looking.
Nick and several other sleepy chil
dren were napping in a few booths in the corner. She walked over and brushed Nick’s hair away before dropping a kiss on his forehead. When she stood, she felt a hand stroke down her back and curl around her hip. Turning her head, her eyes collided with Garrett’s.
“Hey babe.”
“Hey.” She bit her lip when he dropped a kiss on the back of her neck.
Ginger paused by them on her way toward the bar. “When are you two making your escape?”
Delia glanced at the clock above the bar. “Soon. Have you seen my dad?”
Ginger waved to the other side of the room. “He’s over there with Helen. It might be weird, but I think they’d make a great couple,” she said with a grin.
Garrett followed her gaze and arched a brow. “You know, you just might have a point.”
Delia considered the one lingering worry she had since she and Garrett had begun planning their life together—leaving her father to live alone in that rambling house. If he and Helen found their way to each other, it would bring him companionship and comfort, and Nick would be overjoyed. As they’d slowly gotten to know Helen, it was obvious Helen not only adored the chance to get to know her grandson, but Nick loved the extra attention.
She gave Ginger a quick hug. “We’re on our way out. See you when we get back.” She tugged Garrett’s hand into hers and made her way across the room to her father and Helen.
“Hey, you two. We’re about to head out. Nick’s asleep in one of the booths over there,” she said, gesturing in Nick’s direction. “You have everything you need, right?”
Delia was departing for a two-week honeymoon with Garrett to the Cayman Islands. This would be the longest stretch of time she’d ever been away from Nick. It was strange she’d never thought about how it might feel to be away from him. He was going on seven years old now and would probably miss her, but he would be busy as ever with activities with her father, Marley and Gage, and any number of friends.
