She looked around for a clock and saw the time was three a.m. She was unsure of what the protocol was at this point. She’d never had a one night stand before. She was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to hang around and she was definitely supposed to be gone by morning. She gently started scooting towards the edge of the massive bed, lifting his arm slowly trying not to jostle him. She managed to make it out from under his arm and was almost off the bed completely when she felt his arm grab her around her middle and yank her back to him.
“Ahh!” she yelped in surprise.
“Nope,” he said sleepily.
“Nope?”
“Nope. As in, no, you’re not leaving.”
“Porter, really, I’m fine. I will just call a cab. Go back to sleep.” He growled and then shifted up on an arm so he was leering at her.
“There are no cabs here, city girl. I drove you here. I will drive you home. You’re not sneaking off in the middle of the night like this was some sort of drunken college hook-up,” he looked a little insulted. She reached up and brushed his crazy hair back from his forehead.
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be difficult. I’ve just never been in this situation before. I thought it would be easier if I was gone when you woke up.”
“What do you mean easier?”
She took a few seconds to put her thoughts together. “You know I’ve just ended a long term, serious relationship. I guess I’m just confused about what happened between us, where we stand, and it seemed logical that if I left before we had to talk about it, I could avoid the conversation all together.” Her face scrunched up with embarrassment.
“You said you wanted one night, Ella, and I was totally willing to give that to you, if it was what you wanted. Is it still what you want?” He rolled on top of her and looked her in the eyes. “If you’re really ready to go home and leave it at that, I will get up and drive you home right now. But that’s not what I want.” Ella took in the deep brown eyes gazing at her and she felt truly confused.
“What is it that you want?” She whispered.
“I want to see where this goes. I don’t want to pressure you, or scare you, but I don’t think I could let you walk away knowing I’d never see you again,” his eyes were still on hers, expectantly.
“Ok.” The word was out of her mouth before she had even a second to think of a response. A slow smile spread across his face and she knew she couldn’t walk away either. This all seemed a little crazy. Surely no fling that starts two days after a previous relationship ends will last very long, but at this point she will take whatever she can get from him. He was addictive. He interrupted her thoughts by taking her mouth again, and he gave her a long, thorough, searing kiss. Her heart rate spiked and the butterflies were back flying around in her stomach when he suddenly rolled off of her and got up off the bed, treating her to the visual of his naked ass walking to his closet. When he came back out, she was disappointed to see he had put on boxers. He tossed a tee shirt and boxers at her.
“Get dressed,” he said, “then meet me downstairs.”
“Porter, it’s three in the morning. Why are we getting out of bed?” Bed is exactly where she wanted to be with him.
“I promised you cheesecake, and I got a little distracted before I fully delivered. Let’s go eat some cheesecake.” What woman in her right mind would turn down cheesecake in the middle of the night with a ridiculously handsome man?
“Ok, I’ll be right down,” she smiled.
Porter
She came down the stairs wearing his shirt and boxers, and he had never seen a sexier woman. All his clothes were big on her, seeing as how he was a giant compared to her. She had to roll up the boxers at the waist making the shorts very short, accentuating her incredibly toned legs. The shirt hung loosely off one of her shoulders, showing off her sexy neck again.
Last night had been incredible, and he would always remember the way she looked at him as she laid on his bed naked, waiting for him to love her. He’d planned to make the night as much about her as possible, but he hadn’t anticipated that there was no way to be with her and not give her everything. She was intoxicating, and if he spent every day for the rest of his life trying to make her feel as beautiful as he thought she was, he would die content. It was easy making love to her, and he knew it would be addictive, too.
While she had been getting dressed in his clothes, he had dished out two plates of cheesecake. He handed one to her as she approached him. She smiled at him and leaned back against the counter, taking a small bite. He mirrored her and leaned back against the counter of the island.
“This is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had,” she said between bites.
“My mom is a pretty good baker. I like the cheesecake, but her blackberry cobbler is out of control.”
“Maybe my sister and I will go to the bar for dinner tomorrow night and try some.” Porter laughed.
“You’d literally be walking into a mom warzone. She knows about our date, and she will not let you enjoy your meal without harassing you about it. You’re better off going someplace else.” Ella shrugged her shoulders and took another bite.
“I don’t mind your mom. When we talked on the first night she was really sweet to me. Besides, maybe I can pry some information out of her about you.”
“Hey, I’m an open book,” he smiled.
“Right, but I want to know the stuff you’d never tell a girl you’re dating,” she blushed after he realized she’s implied they were dating, and Porter loved the way the blush affected her skin. He was pleased that she hadn’t tried to correct herself or back track, she was testing the word out. He pried his eyes off her and made himself look away, not wanting her to notice he was staring. He was going to have to bring her around gently. Let her get used to the idea of being with him, and not get too pushy. He felt like that would be the hardest part – letting her come to him. “You know, embarrassing stories from when you were younger, silly nicknames, stuff like that.”
“Portly.”
“Huh?” Ella said with a big bite of cheesecake in her mouth.
“Portly. That was my embarrassing nickname. I was a little chubby in grade school, and my mom used to call me Portly. Not in a mean way, kind of in an endearing way. Anyway, one day I forgot my lunch and my mom drove it to the bus stop and had my lunch out the car window yelling, “Portly! You forgot your lunch!” Needless to say, all the kids at the bus stop heard her, and that was my nickname until about eighth grade.” Ella began to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. It looked like she was trying to get it under control, but she just kept giggling. It morphed into a full blown laugh, complete with gasping breaths and tears forming in her eyes. Eventually she had to put her plate down, and was bent over holding her stomach. Porter was smiling, watching her lose herself in laughter. She was enjoying his childhood trauma way too much. Her laughter tapered off, and she picked up her plate again, although a few more chuckles made it past her. She took a bite, and wiped the tears that had escaped.
“So, I guess eventually they couldn’t really call you Portly anymore, huh?” she asked, smiling.
“Nope,” he said with a sly smile.
“I had an embarrassing nickname,” she was focused on her cheesecake again.
“And?” He drew the word out, expecting an answer.
“I’m not telling you.”
“What? I just gave you an insight into my agonizing formative years, and you’re holding out on me?” She kept quiet for a moment more, thinking about her response.
“I am strategically withholding information that I might find useful and to my benefit sometime in the future,” she declared firmly.
“Tell me,” he demanded with a smile.
“Not a chance, Portly.”
He pounced on her, tossing his plate on the counter and jolting up. She had pretty good reflexes, and was running from him instantly. He could tell she didn’t really know which way to go, so he had the advantage of knowing the floor plan.
When she headed out of the kitchen she went right, so he went left, effectively leaving her alone in the living room, but giving her nowhere to run. He was standing near the front door and the stairs. If she wanted to go anywhere she would have to go through him. He could wait her out. She was bouncing from foot to foot, looking like a baseball player about to steal third base. He relaxed from his hunched position, stood up straight, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’re trapped, Ella. You can stand there dancing around as long as you want, but I will catch you eventually.” She stopped swaying and frowned, and he couldn’t believe it when she stuck out her bottom lip. “Are you pouting?”
“You won’t play with me,” she said, exaggerating the lip, and batting her eyelashes. Porter dropped his arms and strode towards her, keeping his eyes on hers. He could see her eyes soften, and her pouted lips turned into a smile, as she saw him getting closer. Her eyes stayed on his, and when he was right in front of her she lifted her face to his. He grazed his thumb along her jaw and then he slowly lowered his mouth to hers, gently kissing her. The kiss grew quickly into a fast and frenzied storm of a kiss. He couldn’t stop his hands from pulling her closer, sealing their bodies to one another. He could feel her heart pounding, and she was breathing just as quickly and frantically as he was. He pulled away, moving his hands to the sides of her face, leaning his head against hers.
“You want to play games, Ella?” She answered him with a playful kiss in the affirmative. A big smile spread across his face. “You better run then,” he growled. Her eyes opened wide in shock, realizing his intentions. She shrieked and bolted around him. He let her go, knowing it would be more exciting if she had a head start. Once she hit the stairs, however, he figured she was fair game. He took off after her, and once she could hear his footsteps pounding after her, she started squealing with nervous laughter. As he came around the stairs he saw her just reaching the top, so he took the stairs two at a time, and the exhilaration of the chase was making his heart trample through his veins. She kept up with her loud fits of giggle-shrieks, and the closer he got to her, the more frenzied they became.
He followed the sounds of her footsteps, and she had gone back into the bedroom. He found her in the middle of the room, and she was breathing heavy, with a half grin on her face. They both looked at each other for a moment, gauging the situation. Then, at the same time, they dove for each other, the excitement of their game spurring on the frantic need to be near one another. Their bodies collided in a jumble of arms and legs seeking out the other, and his mouth crashed down on hers. He grabbed the back of her thighs, picked her up, and moved to the wall, pinning her against it. His hands slid back and forth along her thighs as he used his hips to hold her against the wall. His mouth was in heaven, tasting her lips, her neck, her shoulder. All the while he felt her hands urgently gripping and rubbing him wherever they could grasp, trying to not only keep herself wrapped around him, but also in a need to get close to him. It seemed that they could never get close enough to each other, and he felt it, too. He could pull and hug and hold her to him all night and it was never close enough.
He grabbed her shirt and pulled up on it, and a thrill went through him when he realized she was bare underneath his shirt. He would need to remember which shirt she had on, because it had just been upgraded to his favorite. After he got the shirt over her head he went back to work on her mouth while his hands found her breasts. There was nothing about her body that didn’t turn him on. He’d already realized her neck was going to be a huge distraction for him, but her breasts were amazing. He snaked one hand around her back to hold her steady and palmed one of her breasts. He used his thumb and finger to roll her nipple back and forth. She pulled her face from his to lean it back against the wall.
“Porter,” she groaned.
“Feel good?” He asked, smiling and grinding his hips into her core. There was just two very thin pieces of cotton separating them, and he felt her tensing and grinding back against him.
“Oh God. Please Porter. Bed. Now.” He didn’t hesitate at her request. He grabbed her and walked to the bed laying her down right in the middle. He trailed his hands down her body starting at her shoulders, over the tight peaks of her breasts, glazing over her flat yet deliciously soft stomach, down the sides of her waist. He grabbed the boxers she was wearing and slid them off. He continued his trail from her hips, down her thighs to the bottom of her feet. She was watching him worship her body, grinning at him, and when his eyes returned to hers he saw he was under speculation. “You’re still wearing your boxers,” she said. He kept eye contact with her as he pulled his boxers down and kicked them across the room. “That’s better,” she smiled. He climbed onto the bed and came over her with his hands on either side of her head, with her legs cradling his hips.
“So, Ella,” he asked, kissing her mouth for emphasis. “Who do you think is winning this game?” He nuzzled her neck making her squeak a feminine noise, high pitched, laced with laughter.
“Um,” she drew out the word, mocking his question with an over-exaggerated contemplation, adding a finger to her lips for dramatic effect, “technically, Porter, I don’t think either one of us has won just yet.”
“Is that right?” He laughed, and made her laugh as he tickled her sides lightly.
“Yea, but I think I could give you a head start.” Before he knew what was happening, she grabbed him from between her thighs and started to gently stroke him up and down. He was taken by surprise, and the feeling of her hands on him was spectacular. He leaned his forehead down on to hers, and could feel his breathing become more ragged as she continued to draw her hand up and down him. She was letting out little whimpers again, and he could tell that holding him in her hands was affecting her, too.
“Ella, that feels amazing. You’re amazing,” he said as he kissed her mouth that was already swollen from all the roughness he had inflicted on it that night. He felt her shifting under him, so he rolled on to his back. She stayed next to him, draped over his side, still grasping him. He reached for her neck to pull her to him, kissing her again and again, gently caressing her all over, trying to focus on the feeling of her hands on him.
She pulled away from him and reached into his nightstand drawer as he had earlier. He watched her pull out a condom, rip it open, and roll it down him. She locked her eyes on his, straddled him, and then took a moment to lean down and kiss him, gently pulling on his bottom lip with her mouth. He growled at her as the sensations took him over. He felt her lift off of him slightly, position herself over him, and slide down onto him incredibly slowly. This time, their moans of pleasure mirrored each other. He watched as she reached to her messy braid, and pulled out the band, and then shook her hair loose so that is was framing her face is crazy waves.
He was paralyzed by the sight of her sitting atop him, the feeling of her enveloping him entirely and deeply, by the hitched sounds of her breathing while she took him all in. Everything about her at this moment left him incapacitated. And then she started to move.
Anything he’d experienced before this, and anything after, would never compare to the sight of Ella, naked, with wild and abandoned hair, losing herself on him. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open letting our small gasps and miniscule moans, her hands glued to his chest using him as an anchor for the rocking and grinding she was assaulting him with. He tried to close his eyes, tried to get lost in the immense feelings of pleasure, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“Ella, baby,” he said quietly.
“Hmm?” She answered still in her far away state of wantonness.
“Come back to me.”
She stilled immediately and opened her eyes. She looked down at him momentarily, and then lowered her mouth to him again. This kiss was reverent, and sweet, and was so full of wanting and longing. They were connected again, and she began her assault once more, slowly taking him deeper with every roll of her hips. Once he was in tune to her rhythm, he used his hips to dri
ve into her, adding even more pressure to their melting bodies. He was driving up and pulling down on her arms, and she was quickening her thrusts.
“Porter, I’m close,” she cried.
“I know, baby. I’m right here with you,” he answered.
And that was all she needed. She continued to ride him, quickening her pace, strengthening her grasp on him, searching for the right combination to send her over the edge. He felt her core start to tighten around him and heard her cry out, and he followed her. He felt himself fall, and it reminded him of water draining from a tub. Swirling, out of control, wrapped up in something so much bigger than himself. No matter what, he was along for the ride.
She collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck with on hand, and used the other to trail his fingers up and down her back. He closed his eyes, and breathed her in, and knew it was over.
He would follow her anywhere.
Chapter Twelve
Ella
This time, when Ella woke it was definitely morning. Dull light shone through the enormous window of Porter’s room. She looked out the window and could only see grey sky and the tips of some green trees stretching up to find the hiding sunlight. She stretched her arms out and was surprised to find that she could stretch out her entire person and still not disturb Porter who was still asleep on the other side of the huge bed. She gave herself a small smile to see him sleeping. He was lying on his stomach, face turned towards her, with his arms under his pillows. She could see his beautiful face and took a minute to study it while she could.
He had a day’s worth of stubble and it looked astoundingly sexy on him. His floppy hair looked as rumpled as it usually did and she remembered running her fingers through it the night before. Her eyes began to drift down his back and it was all she could do to keep herself from reaching out and running her hand down his hard muscles. They were everywhere. One tight muscle ran right into another and they all intermingled, forming one seriously sexy man. She smiled again, thinking that she should consider herself lucky to have had him. Then her smile grew wider, thinking he was pretty lucky, too.
Never Close Enough Page 8
