by SJ McCoy
Her curves molded perfectly against his, as if she’d been made for him. They moved together, slowly at first and then faster and faster, matching each other’s rhythm as if this moment were the crescendo of each of their lives so far.
She brought both legs up and crossed her ankles behind his ass, taking him deeper still as he pounded harder. He was getting closer and closer, but he needed her to…
“Donovan!” It was a whisper scream, and it took him over the edge.
She pulsated around him, gripping him tightly as he chased her orgasm. One last deep thrust, and she took him with her, spinning him away in a vortex of exploding stars as he found his release deep inside her.
When he rested his head on her shoulder, her legs slid back down to the bed and her hands came up to stroke his hair.
“You’re amazing,” she breathed.
He lifted his head and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Err, that would be you—the amazing one.”
She chuckled. “How about we say, us? We’re amazing.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “I like the sound of that—us.”
Her eyes widened.
“Do you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I like the sound of that a lot.”
“Let’s make it happen, then.” He kissed her again before rolling to the side and wrapping her up in his arms, holding her close to his chest. “Us.” It sounded pretty damned good to him.
Chapter Thirteen
Elle wasn’t surprised to see that her mom was already at the salon when she arrived the next morning. She’d been staying at Cal’s place almost every night since he bought it, but she usually came home in the mornings before work and helped Elle get Skye ready. She hadn’t come this morning.
“Hey, sweetheart.” She greeted Elle with a grin. “I made coffee already.”
“Thanks.” Elle smiled through pursed lips.
Her mom laughed. “Well? Aren’t you going to thank me?”
Elle laughed with her. “Yes! Thank you. That was very sneaky and also very sweet of you to set us up like that.”
“You’re welcome. Did you have a good time?”
She laughed again. “Yes, thank you. A very good time. And I think that’s enough said.”
“You’re welcome again. I thought it was best if I didn’t come to the house this morning.”
“He didn’t stay.”
“Oh! But I thought ...”
Elle shrugged. “We had a good time before he left. I didn’t think it was right for him to stay over. I don’t know about Skye. I’m sure it’d be fine. She loves him. But … It was all out of the blue. If we’d planned it, I could have planned what to tell her, but …” She shrugged again. “I thought it was best if he went home.”
Her mom touched her arm. “You’re probably right. And now that you’ve … that you’re there with him, you can figure out between you how you want to handle it going forward.” She grinned. “And any time you like now, you can move into the house, and when you do, you’ll be just around the corner from him.”
“Really? That’s quick. What’s the deal?”
“Louise Sullivan called me last night. Her mom took a fall yesterday and she rushed back down to San Francisco to be with her. Andy stayed and he’s packing everything up. He’ll be gone by tomorrow night. I’ll have Austin do all the inspections on Monday so I can send them their deposit back. They were great tenants; they’ve kept the place in great shape. I don’t think there’s anything that will need doing before you can move in. I’ll have it cleaned next week and then … what do you think, do you want to move in the following weekend?”
Elle’s heart leaped into her mouth. “That soon?”
“Why not?”
Elle stared at her for a few moments. There was no reason not to.
Her mom smiled. “I’m not trying to rush you. I’m just excited for you, sweetheart. I love that you came home to me. Part of me wishes we could keep things that way, you and me and Skye all living together. But …” She laughed. “I’m hardly ever home now anyway. I’m over that side of the lake with Cal, and I like the thought of having you over there, too. But maybe I was getting carried away. There’s no rush.”
Elle nodded slowly. “There’s no rush, but there’s no reason to wait either. I guess my only hesitation was that Dad said if he doesn’t come this weekend, he’ll come next weekend.”
Her mom blew out a sigh. “Can you tell him no? Tell him you’re busy? Not because I want to make you move in then, but because Cal’s planning a bit of a housewarming thing. We’ll be all finished by then. We should have the rest of the furniture and he wants to invite Manny and Nina, and Ryan and Leanne, and some of his other friends—and of course he wants you and Skye to be there.”
“Okay.” Elle nodded. “Let’s do it then. I’ll tell Dad that it’s this weekend or he can wait until it suits me.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to make things difficult for you.”
“It won’t. Honestly, I’m getting pretty sick of him. He said that he’s coming this weekend, but I left him a voicemail to check, and he hasn’t called me back. He annoys me with that—it’s like he’s the only one who matters, and he just expects the rest of us to fall in with him.”
She had to laugh when her mom made a face and pretended to zip up her lips. “I’m not going to say a word. You already know my opinion, and I don’t think it’s fair on you to get caught in the middle.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “I wish I could get that through to you. I’m not caught in the middle. I never have been. I picked sides years ago, and I picked you.” She held her hand up when her mom started to protest. “And I know you don’t want to hear that, and you don’t think it’s right, and all the rest of it, but Mom, he’s a jerk. You know it, I know it, pretty much everyone who meets him knows it. I know that you think you should be fair because he’s my dad, but you take it too far. At some point you just have to admit that he’s a jerk and treat him accordingly. That’s the conclusion I’ve reached anyway. And I’ve about reached my limit with him.”
Her mom nodded. “Okay. I’ll button it. I hope he comes this weekend and then it’s done with.”
“Yeah. But if he doesn’t, I’m going to tell him not to bother coming next weekend because …” she grinned, “I’m moving!” She let out a little squeal. “I really do love that house, Mom.”
“I know! I love it for you.”
They both looked up when the doorbell sounded. Elle checked the clock. “That’ll be Janine; I’d better get out there.”
She picked up her coffee cup and took it out with her. She stopped dead when she saw Donovan standing by the desk, looking even more breathtaking than usual. He was gorgeous no matter what, but there was something about him in a suit that just …
He met her gaze and smiled. “Good morning, gorgeous.”
She smiled back and went to him, loving the way he wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she leaned against him.
“Good morning. This is a nice surprise.”
“You don’t mind me stopping in? I have no excuses. I just wanted to see you. I hated leaving you last night. And I just had to see you this morning, make sure you’re still okay with me.”
She looked up into his eyes. Damn, he couldn’t be more different from what she was used to. She knew all about guys who would sleep with a girl and then do whatever they could to avoid her until they wanted to sleep with her again. And here was Donovan doing the complete opposite; he’d come to seek her out the morning after just to make sure that she was still good – that they were still good.
She tightened her arms around him and reached up to peck his lips. She didn’t even care if her mom came out and saw them. “I’m more than okay with you.” She met his gaze and smiled. “I’m really happy about us.”
She’d have to watch herself with that dimple! It’d be easy to start doing and saying whatever she could think of to make it appear.
He dropped a peck on her lips. “Us. I’m really happy about that, too. Thanks, Elle. I didn’t want to freak you out.” He chuckled. “Didn’t want be a clinger the morning after, but I had to know that you still felt the same way this morning.”
“I do. Well, I feel the same way but even more so.”
“Yeah. That’s a good way to put it. Me, too. The same but even more so.” He glanced at the breakroom door when they heard her mom moving around in there. “Is that your mom?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll get going. Can I call you later?”
“Of course. Do you want to come for dinner again? I should be done here by five-thirty tonight.”
“I’d love to.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when I get a break.” She could see Janine pulling into a spot across the road, and she was a talker. It was probably better to get Donovan out of here before she arrived. She frowned. “Is it okay to call while you’re at work, or should I just shoot you a text?”
He grinned. “You can call me anytime you like. I’ll look forward to hearing your voice.”
“Aww.” She pushed at his arm. “Aren’t you the sweetest.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure I like sweet being your go-to word when you think of me.”
She chuckled. “No? Maybe tonight you can show me which other words you’d prefer.”
He let out a low growl and nipped her lips. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” He straightened up and backed away from her just a moment before the front door opened and Janine came in, and her mom came out from the back.
Elle loved her mom even more when she winked at Donovan and then went straight to Janine, making a big fuss over her, so that Elle could see Donovan out without having to face an inquisition.
He squeezed her hand before he let himself out. “See you later.”
She nodded happily. “Yeah. See ya.”
~ ~ ~
“Hello? Earth calling Donovan. Are you still with us?”
Donovan jumped guiltily and turned around to find Leanne standing beside his desk. She had her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face, but her eyes glinted with mischief.
“Sorry. What’s up?”
She laughed. “That’s what I need to know. What’s up with you? You’ve been out of it all day. It’s not like you.”
“Sorry. I …”
She laughed again. “Stop apologizing. It’s no fun if you do that. I was hoping that you’d deny it and try to make out that there’s nothing out of the ordinary. I wanted to pry it out of you.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “Pry what out of me?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want all the salacious details. But you have the distinct look of a guy who got laid last night.”
He frowned. He couldn’t help it. The way she said it made it sound cheap, like he’d just gone out and … got laid. He wasn’t above using the term—or doing the deed for that matter. But that wasn’t what had happened between Elle and him last night.
Leanne rolled her eyes. “Jesus! Don’t look at me like that. What do you want me to say? You look like a guy who …” She waved a hand. “I can’t even come up with anything cheesy enough to match the faraway look in your eyes. You’re a goner. There’s no hope for you. Would I be right in guessing that you and Elle cemented your friendship last night? Took things to another level between the two of you?”
He smiled through pursed lips. “You know that’s really none of your business.”
“Of course, I do. And you need to know that I’m thrilled for you. I know I wasn’t exactly encouraging about you and her in the beginning. But she’s good people. And if you don’t mind taking on someone else’s kid …” She shrugged.
“I don’t!”
Leanne’s head jerked back, and he knew he shouldn’t have snapped at her. He hadn’t meant to.
“Sorry, Lee. I …”
“No. I’m sorry. I know I can be an asshole. But I wasn’t trying to be. She’s a sweet kid. Elle’s awesome. You know me. I can’t sit down and have a heart-to-heart with you. I’m just trying to look out for you. But that wasn’t the way to go about it.”
“It’s okay. I do know you.” He smiled. “And I appreciate the intention if not the delivery. If I’m honest, I wasn’t really even snapping at you. It was at the thought of him.”
“Him?”
“Yeah. You said I was taking on someone else’s child. It made me think about Skye’s father. Elle hasn’t said that much about him. But from the little bit she—and Skye—have said …” He blew out a sigh. “He’s not someone I ever want to meet.”
Leanne nodded slowly. “I know it’s not of my business and you can tell me to butt out if you like, but how likely do you think it is that you will meet him?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Well, if you and Elle are going to get serious, and I’m assuming you are?”
He nodded. “I believe we are.”
“Then how does it work? Does Skye ever see him? Does Elle have a custody agreement? Does he pay child support?”
Donovan shrugged. “I don’t know is the answer to every question you just asked. Even the first one, about if we’re going to get serious. I believe so, I hope so, but I don’t know yet.”
Leanne sat back against the edge of the desk and smiled. “I’d put money on that one being a yes.” Her smile faded. “But if it is, then at some point you’re going to have to figure out the answers to all those other questions.”
“I guess.”
“There’s no guessing, Donovan. You need to know. Do you want to go all in only to find that her ex waltzes in and out of their lives whenever it suits him? Do you want to take Skye on and treat her as your own only to find that you have no rights to make any decisions about her?”
“I … that’s Elle’s job. I’d support her in …”
Leanne shook her head. “It’s not that easy. Believe me. You can support Elle all you like, and she can do all the right things, but if her ex still has rights and wants to exercise them, he could make life hell for all of you.” She blew out a sigh. “Sorry. I don’t mean to pee on your parade. You looked so happy staring out the window all starry-eyed. I wanted to come and let you know that I’m happy for you, but instead I’m dragging up problems that haven’t even happened and might never happen. It’s just, well, you know me. I don’t have any family left and you’ve come to feel like family to me. I want to see you happy. So, I’m on high-alert for anything that might spoil your happiness.”
He couldn’t help smiling. Leanne didn’t often show that she cared. And when she did, he knew better than to dwell on it. “Aww. Thanks, boss lady.”
She nodded and stood back up. “Okay. Moment over. Would you quit staring out the window now and get your shit together?”
He laughed. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” He turned back to his computer.
She paused in the doorway on her way out. “You want me to look into what you might be facing?”
He shook his head slowly. “No. Thanks for the offer, Lee. But that doesn’t feel right. We’re not even to the point where it’s an issue yet, but when we are, Elle and I will talk about it.”
“Okay.” She held his gaze for a long moment and then waved over her shoulder on the way out. “I’ve got your back if you need me.”
He stared into space for a long few moments after she’d gone. She’d raised some valid points. If he and Elle were going to get together—to get serious, and he already knew he wanted to, then there would be issues that came up around Skye’s father. He looked down in surprise when he heard a snapping sound. Half of the pencil he’d been holding lay on the floor at his feet.
He’d tried not to let his mind go near any of that; Skye’s father, Elle’s ex. The guy who’d been so cruel to that sweet little girl and … and he wasn’t going to think about how he’d treated that little girl’s mom. From the few times Elle and Skye had mentioned him, Donovan had pieced together enough t
o know that he didn’t want to let Tristan anywhere near either of them ever again. He wanted to protect them from that asshole. He sighed. But Leanne had a point; he might not have any right to protect Skye from him, even if … he smiled at the thought, even if the three of them became a family.
He started at the sound of his phone ringing.
“This is Donovan.”
“Hi.”
He closed his eyes at the sound of her voice, and in that moment he knew. She was it. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “Hey.”
“Is it okay? Are you busy?”
“No. I’ll never be too busy for you.”
“Aww. You say the nicest things.”
“It’s true, Elle. It’s not just words. You’re important to me.” He managed to stop himself from saying more important than anything else. He knew he’d need to take it slowly.
“You’re important to me, too.”
He could hear the smile in her voice.
“Is it still okay if I come over later?”
“Yeah. That’s what I was calling about. I should be done here by five-thirty. I wasn’t sure about you. Do you want to come to the house later or …?”
“It’s up to you. I can be finished in time to meet you and come and get Skye with you if you like. Or if you want some time for just the two of you first, I’ll come later, whenever you say.”
She was quiet for a long moment.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I was just … you’re awesome. Do you know?”
He laughed. “Sure, I do. I already told you; I’m a great guy.”
She laughed with him. “It’s just. I love that you’d want to come and get her with me, and I love that you understand that I might want a minute when I get home from work, too. You just get it, and you’re giving me the choice. You’re awesome.”
His smile faded, wondering if she was comparing him to what she was used to—to her ex. It wouldn’t be hard to look awesome by comparison.
