Fire and Love (Hope Falls Book 13)

by Melanie Shawn

  When he felt her inner walls relax and her breathing slow to a normal pace again, he knew that her second orgasm was winding down. He lifted her leg and collapsed down onto his side, pulling her with him, never breaking their intimate connection. She was on her side, as well, her back pressed against his chest. If he hadn’t been buried deep inside her, it would’ve been innocent spooning.

  He started to move inside her again, this time slow and sweet, trailing his fingertips up and down her belly as he gently pumped in and out of her.

  When he felt her skin prickle under his touch, goose bumps popped up everywhere that his fingers traveled. He knew that she was primed for arousal. Her hips began grinding against him and he knew he could give her another round of bone-shattering pleasure before their encounter was over. It had come to be a point of pride to him that he was able to make her come three times in one encounter. Besides proclaiming that he was a master with his tongue, she once called him a triple threat for his prowess.

  It was adorable.

  She was adorable. So unbelievably, mind-blowingly, fucking adorable.

  And she was his.

  He brought his top hand down and rested it on her hipbone, using it to anchor her in place, keeping her body exactly where he needed it to pleasure her from behind. With the hand that was cradled underneath her, he slid his fingers over her breasts and played with her nipples. He rolled them in turn between his thumb and forefinger, until they were hard and stiff, standing at attention while she groaned and writhed.

  She whimpered as he moved the hand that had been settled on her hip down in between her legs so he could rub her clit in steady, rhythmic circles as he pumped in and out of her. When he felt the telltale signals of her body milking him, he knew that she was close.

  “Does this feel good?” he asked, his voice colored with a wicked tension as he spoke the words low in her ear. “Do you think you can come one more time for me?”

  She nodded furiously but didn’t say a word. Just gasped out in ecstasy.

  He liked the fact that he could get her that fired up using nothing but his words. That he could take her to an even higher level of pleasure than he could with touch alone.

  By expressing what he felt and thought to her at the same time, he could magnify not only her happiness and contentment but also her sexual satisfaction.

  Finally, with great effort, she wrenched herself around to look into his face over her shoulder. “I don’t want to come like this,” she gasped.

  The words sent a shock of pleasure through him. They were so graphic and naughty, yet delivered in her sweet voice; the contrast was incredibly sexy and erotic.

  “How do you want to come?” His voice was paper-thin, stretched so tight with lust that it sounded like it might break

  “With me on top of you,” she said. “I want to look into your eyes. I want us to be looking into each other’s eyes when we come. Together.”

  He couldn’t even answer her with anything more articulate than a groan, but she understood that well enough.

  She wriggled out of his grasp, sat up, and pushed on his shoulders as she lifted her leg and straddled him. He watched as she held his shaft in her hand and positioned him at her opening. She pushed his head inside of her and he sucked in a harsh breath. Then she lowered down and he watched as his body disappeared inside of hers.

  Her hips rolled seductively and she lifted her gaze to him. She maintained eye contact as she rose up and then slid down. Over and over again. His hands cupped her breasts as she rested hers on his chest, his piercing gaze meeting hers steadily and fearlessly. She moved at a slow pace, giving him time to notice every fleeting feeling in his body and the powerful connection of looking into one another’s eyes as both of their bodies were flooded with overwhelming sensation.

  He couldn’t believe that he’d ever been stupid enough to let this woman go. He figured there was a reason why the phrase “young and dumb” existed. Now that he knew better, he would never be that dumb again. It didn’t matter what the circumstances were.

  Mackenzie’s body molded around him tightly as she rocked her pelvis back and forth, up and down, pulling his body out and pushing it inside her again and again. Her fingernails bit into the flesh of his chest as she moved and he relished that sensation. It was just one more element in the complex mixture of feelings that combined to create one of the most powerfully erotic encounters he’d ever experienced.

  Her speed increased gradually, bit by bit, and their bodies remained entirely in step with one another. They didn’t miss a beat as they picked up the pace together, but moved as if they were both being guided by the same unseen force, locked together in a dance that had been arranged by the same invisible choreographer.

  Never breaking their rhythm, Eli threaded his fingers in Kenzie’s hair and pulled her down to him, capturing her mouth with his. He kissed her deeply as their bodies intertwined. It was a powerful turn on, plunging his tongue into her mouth at the same time he plunged himself into her over and over.

  As much as he was enjoying their kiss, she’d said she wanted them to climax together. To reach that peak at the same time as they looked into each other’s eyes and let the energy of their love flow back and forth between them. It’s what she said she wanted, and he wasn’t going to deny it. His determination was enough to overcome his visceral instincts. It always was.

  Breaking their kiss, he used one hand to hold her hips and with the other he used his forefinger to rub her pleasure button. Coated with her juices, his finger slid over it easily.

  Their eyes remained locked as he felt every muscle in her body clamp down around him. Her legs squeezed tighter around his waist. Her hands gripped his chest and her inner walls clenched against his dick. He gave one last massive thrust into her before he let himself give into the climax that he’d denied himself in the pursuit of her pleasure.

  They stared into each other’s eyes, and he could feel that their connection had intensified. They were the ports in each other’s storms and they knew now that they wouldn’t let go of each other, no matter what happened in the future. All that was in front of them now was a beautiful lifetime, and they were going to spend it together.

  Chapter 24

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  Light shone brightly through the stained glass window of the tiny chapel as Mackenzie stared into the blue pools of Eli’s eyes that she could get drowned in for the rest of her life. He was standing across the small aisle from her wearing a black suit, crisp white shirt, and aqua tie that matched his eyes. His jaw was peppered with just enough five-o-clock shadow to make him look a little bad boy, and she didn’t think she’d ever been more in love with him.

  She thought again about how funny time was. The past week had flown by in a blur. Eli had taken time off and stayed in Vegas with her. He’d been her and Theo’s assistant as they followed Gabe around. Last night at the fight, he’d even run their backup camera so they could have multiple shots.

  They’d spent their downtime in bed and very little of that time had been sleeping. They’d made love, ate, watched TV, and talked. They’d mostly caught up on the past, filling one another in on things that they’d missed. They had a lot of time to make up for, but she knew that they were up for the challenge.

  She still couldn’t believe that Eli had carried around the burden of the secret he’d had for so long. She asked why he hadn’t told her when she first arrived in Hope Falls and he’d explained that the reason was her father’s health. He said that he remembered how much it hurt her not to have her mom in her life and he just couldn’t be the one to destroy her relationship with her father. It just made her love him even more.

  As they faced each other, gazing into each other’s eyes, Eli’s lips curved up in a smile as she stared up at him and her stomach did flips because it wasn’t just a grin, it was a promise. A promise of all the things he was going to do to her when they got back upstairs. They had one more night in Vegas and he’d promised to make it memorable.
Her birthday was the next day and he said since she didn’t want to celebrate the next day, they would celebrate that day instead.

  But first, they had something they needed to take care of.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister said. “You may kiss the bride.”

  Eli and Mackenzie lifted their hand and clapped as Lucky pulled Deanna into his arms. There were whistles from Lucky’s brothers. This morning she and Eli received urgent texts saying Deanna and Lucky were getting married. In Vegas. They’d invited his dad, brothers and their wives, who were in Vegas to support the fight.

  “Are you gonna come up for air?” one of Lucky’s brothers shouted.

  “We have another couple waiting.” The officiant shooed them all out of the room.

  As they all filed out, Shelby, whom she’d spent a lot of time with this weekend, stepped beside her. She threaded her arm in Kenzie’s and leaned over and whispered, “Holy moly girl, I’m surprised that you two didn’t spontaneously combust from all the heat you were generating. I’m glad to see that the plan worked.”

  “Plan?” Kenzie whispered back conspiratorially.

  “I thought Deanna told…” Shelby pulled back and looked at Mackenzie before her expression went blank. “Never mind.”

  “You thought Deanna told me what?”

  “Nothing.” She smiled brightly.

  “What plan?” Now that Kenzie’s curiosity was piqued she had to know.

  Eli, was walking beside them and must’ve heard the conversation now that they were speaking at a normal volume. “I think she’s talking about the plan to have you stay in the cottages. Deanna had Shelby tell you that they only had one room so you’d have to stay with me.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Shelby pointed first to Eli and then to Kenzie as she explained, “Deanna said she told you, not you. Well, I’m glad it worked out. You guys are too cute,” she said sincerely before joining her husband who immediately pulled her into his arms.

  Still confused, Kenzie turned toward Eli. “Wait, you knew Deanna did that?”

  “She told me after you and I had already spent the night together. I didn’t tell you because things were…”

  “Complicated,” she offered with a grin.

  “Right.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her. “Complicated.”

  “So, what about the pipe? Was that her, too?” It wasn’t that she cared either way, in fact, she planned on giving her friend an extra special wedding present, as well as birthday and Christmas presents for the rest of her life as a thank you.

  “Nope.” Eli pulled her closer. “That one wasn’t her. But she was happy about it when she found out.”

  She wanted to stay just like this, in Eli’s arms forever, but she saw that the group was headed toward the restaurant down the street for the impromptu reception. “We should go.”

  “Wait a minute,” Eli rasped in her ear as his hands spread across her lower back.

  A flush rose up her chest and cheeks. She glanced around. They were tucked under an arch that was covered in ivy and twinkle lights just outside the chapel

  “We’re in public!” She wasn’t saying no, she was just saying that they were in public.

  “I like where your head is at, but that’s not what I had in mind.” He grinned down at her.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  He got on one knee and her heart started flapping like a fish out of water. When he pulled his grandmother’s ring out of his pocket, she almost passed out. Her breathing grew shallow and she was afraid that she might hyperventilate.

  When he reached for her hand, she saw that his hand was shaking and for some reason seeing that vulnerability, calmed and centered her. She was focused on him. Nothing else existed.

  “The last time I asked you to marry me, we were on my twin bed. We’d just had sex and you thought I was joking. When I took out the ring from my drawer, you asked me if I was serious. When I told you I wanted to spend my life with you, you asked if I was sure.

  “I told you that I was sure. That I never wanted to spend a night without you in my bed and I never wanted to wake up to another morning without you next to me. I said that you were more than just my best friend, you were my life. That you were the sweetest, kindest, sexiest, smartest, and most beautiful girl in the world. And that I believed the reason I was on this earth was to make you happy, to protect you, and to take care of you. Love wasn’t a big enough word for what I felt for you and that I would be the luckiest guy in the world if you would let me spend the rest of my life doing that. Then I said Mackenzie Elise Sutton I love you, will you marry me, and you said ‘yes.’

  “Do you remember that?” Eli asked as his thumb ran over her knuckles.

  “Yes.” Silent tears poured down her face as she smiled.

  “I want you to know that I still mean every single word of that today. I love you even more today than I did all those years ago. I love you more today than I did yesterday and even though I can’t imagine how it would be possible I’m sure I’ll love you even more tomorrow than I do today. So I’m hoping that this time I ask you, I’ll get the same answer that I did the first time.

  “Mackenzie Elise Sutton, I love you, will you marry me?”

  “Yes!” She sucked in a shaky breath as he slid the ring on her finger before standing up and wrapping his arms around her.

  Her feet lifted off the ground as he hugged her tightly. She snaked her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “I love you.”

  “I love you so much. I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”

  “I can’t wait for you to be my husband,” she gushed.

  “Then let’s not wait. We’re here, we can—”

  “Oh, um…” she lifted her head and he set her down.

  “Don’t worry about it. Forget I said anything.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I just got carried away. I didn’t want to spend another night without you as my wife.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to marry you right now,” she rushed to explain. “It’s just, Kenny wasn’t at my first wedding. And I just want him to be there. I don’t care about anything else. I don’t care about the dress. I don’t care about the church. In fact, I’d rather get married outside, in nature, Runaway-Bride style in the middle of the week. But I just want Kenny there.”

  “Of course he should be there.” Eli leaned down and kissed her before resting his forehead against hers. “You probably just saved my life. I think my mom might actually kill me if she wasn’t at our wedding.”

  Kenzie laughed, not because he was kidding, but because he was serious.

  Eli was getting married, to her. The reality of that hit her as she stared down at the ring she’d only ever worn on the nights she’d snuck into Eli’s room because no one could know that they were engaged. It hit her then that she and Eli were going to get married. She was going to be Eli’s wife and he was going to be her husband.

  As they walked into the restaurant and joined Deanna and Lucky’s reception, she started to regret shutting down Eli’s suggestion. She didn’t want to spend another second not being Eli Bishop’s wife.

  Epilogue

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  “I told you, I don’t want to celebrate my birthday,” Kenzie said with a broad smile.

  “And I told you, this isn’t for your birthday.”

  “Where are you taking me?” She wiggled in the seat beside Eli as she lifted her hand to her blindfold.

  “No peeking,” he told her for the umpteenth time since they’d left the airport.

  “Why are you looking at me?” she giggled, knowing that she got caught. Again. “You should be watching the road.”

  “I am watching the road. I’m a great multitasker.” He reached across the console and placed his hand on her knee before dipping his fingers beneath her dress.

  “Oh,” she gasped as her legs parted for him. “Yes, you are.”

  He ran his hands up a
nd down her smooth, soft thigh. With each pass he went a little higher until finally, the side of his pinky brushed the cotton of her panties. Slowly, his fingers grazed the inside of her thigh, moving all the way down to her knee and then back up again, letting his pinky make feather-light contact before trailing his hand back up her leg. Over and over he teased her until she was breathless and whimpering with need.

  “We’re here,” his voice was gravelly with desire as he parked his truck and his finger grazed once more over the cotton that covered her sex now damp with arousal.

  He turned toward her and felt how tight his slacks were and cursed beneath his breath.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked through pants.

  His plan had been to distract her until they got to their destination. But his plan had backfired. He’d gotten plenty distracted himself.

  With the hand that wasn’t between her legs, he guided her hand over to his ever-hardening bulge. “This is what’s wrong.”

  Her fingers tightened around his shaft and the naughty smile he loved so much lifted on her lips. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Well, I try not to have a hard on around your grandmother,” he said dryly.

  “My grandmother?!” she ripped the blindfold off in a panic and her head turned back and forth in an effort to see what he was talking about.

  “Over there.” He pointed to the pergola that he’d ordered to be delivered about a hundred yards into the field that they were parked at the edge of.

  She squinted at the group of people that were gathered beneath it. “My grandmother’s there? Where are we?”

  “We’re at Happy Trails. This is the field where Kenny rides on Monday and Friday.”

  “What?” Her head spun toward him. “What are you talking about? How do you know when Kenny rides?”

  “Because I visit him once a month and that’s all he talks about.”

  “You visit him?” Kenzie sniffed back tears. “Every month?”