Summer Heat

by Sanders, Jill

  “Dad’s Elle’s godfather?” Owen shook his head. “Why didn’t he ever tell us?” His brother looked as shaken by the news as Liam had felt when he’d heard it.

  “I guess we never asked.” He shrugged and tucked his trash into the paper bag. He was still hungry and figured he’d swing by the cafeteria once more for some dessert before making his way over to the pool bar to help out for the evening rush.

  The sun was going down, and he knew another band was playing that evening, which meant he’d be busy.

  “This changes things,” Owen finally admitted.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “She said he left this number for her to call him back.” He pulled out the paper with the number on it. He’d had a moment to try calling it and had reached a hotel in Charlottetown, on Prince Edward Island. As far as Liam knew, his father had never visited the place before.

  “I’ll call—”

  “I already did. It’s the Holman Grand Hotel on Prince Edward Island.”

  “Canada?” Owen balked. “Dad hates Canada.”

  “Well,” Liam sighed. “That’s more information than I knew about him.” He stood up and shook his shorts off. “I’m needed at the bar.”

  “When Dylan gets back, we need to discuss our plan. If what you said is true, I don’t think we need to stick around much longer.”

  Liam’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t thought about leaving, though of course they’d have to.

  He was thankful Owen was too busy dusting off his own shorts to see the flicker of disappointment on his face.

  “I’m trying to convince Elle to spend her time off with me again, maybe get more information from her.”

  “Sounds like you got all we needed.” Owen ran his hands through his hair. “It’s been a total bust with Hannah and the others.” He glanced around as the sky turned a brighter shade of orange, pink, and purple with the sunset. There were dark clouds in the distance, but they didn’t hinder the bright sky. “They’ve got a great place here, but I doubt Dad’s money had anything to do with it. From the new rumors I’m hearing, it sounds like this place is one hundred percent paying for itself already. After the five friends’ initial investment . . .” His brother trailed off. “It was a smart one.”

  “You would know better than I.” Liam felt himself being drawn deeper into the hole of depression. “I’ve got to go.”

  “I’ll text Dylan,” Owen called after him.

  Liam couldn’t shake his shitty mood the rest of the night. He didn’t want to leave River Camp. He didn’t want to leave Elle. Not when he still had feelings that he hadn’t explored with her yet.

  To top his evening off, rain started halfway through the band’s set, and he had to scramble to help them save their equipment.

  As he was rushing around, he quickly thought of adding decking or a covered pergola above the stage area, which would protect the equipment from adverse weather. His mind had completely designed it all out before the realization set in that he and his brothers would probably leave long before he could build it. Would Owen urge him to leave the camp when he took off? What about Dylan? Would he have the right to stick around after they’d found their father? Would Elle want him to stay, or, for that matter, to even come back if he did leave?

  Sinking into the sadness again, he helped Britt shut up shop, since everyone had dashed back to their cabins. It appeared the rain was going to continue for the rest of the evening, and as he walked back to the main building, the wind kicked up, spitting the water into his face and making his mood even darker.

  When lightning filled the sky, he glanced up and saw movement in the trees and realized he was standing directly under Elle’s tree house.

  He reached around for the rope and tugged the ladder down.

  He didn’t bother knocking, since he could see light under the door.

  As he stepped into the small room, Elle turned away from the window. Her hair was wet and pushed away from her face. The thin material of her soaked blouse clung to her body like a second skin. Her face was cleaned of makeup, and when she saw him, he watched her take that full bottom lip of hers between her teeth.

  His mood changed quickly, like someone had flipped a switch. Without a word, he crossed the small space and took her into his arms, his mouth covering hers as his desire for her, for the future he wanted, poured out of him and into her.

  Her body melted against his. He felt her tremble with want, or was that his own body vibrating?

  He moved quickly, too quickly, as his hands pushed the soaked material off her skin, exposing the softness as he devoured her.

  Her own nails scraped his skin as she yanked, then ripped, his shirt off his shoulders. He laughed until she pulled his shorts away. Then it was all speed as wet clothes fell discarded to the wood flooring.

  When they hit the dry sheets on the bed, laughter burst deep from his chest.

  “This, I needed . . .” he said between kisses down her neck. “You,” he finished as he peeled off the last layer of silk that covered her. She arched into his touch and moaned when he found her soft folds.

  When he dipped his head lower and covered her breast with his mouth, she cried out and yanked on his hair.

  “This time,” she warned, her eyes locking with his, “don’t stop.”

  “No,” he agreed with a smile. “Tonight, you’re mine.” Her answering smile made him move slower, more purposefully.

  As his skin slid over hers, his fingers moving to please her, to get the soft sounds of pleasure from her, he thought about making the night last forever.

  When he slowed his movements, she made noises of disappointment, causing him to chuckle softly.

  “I want to enjoy this. I’ve waited long enough.”

  “Liam”—she gripped his shoulders—“we can enjoy it later.”

  He laughed. “We can have both. Speed and pleasure.” He continued to kiss her as she arched into his hands.

  She wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to hold him to her, but he moved down and trailed kisses over her, causing bumps to rise on her perfect skin.

  He reached for a condom, only to have her take it and slip it slowly onto him. He would have given her anything at that moment, would have promised her the world.

  “Liam.” His name on her lips was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. “Please.”

  She gripped his hips, and when he slid into her, he realized, just like his brother, he’d lost part of himself at River Camp.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Elle was floating. She’d never felt like this before. Never. Not with Jeff and not with Corey, her first high school boyfriend/first lover. No man had ever made her body shake this much before or after sex.

  She knew it had nothing really to do with the physical things he’d done to her. It was the heat in his eyes as he looked at her, as he touched her.

  Her body had cooled already, even with his body still covering her. She tried to reach down and pull the blankets over them but couldn’t tug them free.

  “Here.” He rolled, taking her with him and shifting the blankets over their bodies. “Better?”

  “Mmm.” She snuggled against his warm chest. “I didn’t realize how chilly it got up here.”

  “This place needs some good insulation,” he mumbled; then she felt his stomach growl. “You don’t happen to have any food in that fridge, do you?”

  She leaned up and looked down at him. He was eyeing the fridge as if willing it to float over to him, which caused her to smile.

  “Work up an appetite?” she asked, resting her chin on her fist atop his chest.

  “Starved.” His hand was running over her backside under the blankets, warming her further.

  “There might be some leftover chicken salad in there from yesterday’s lunch break. Sometimes I need a quiet place to work.” She shrugged. “I can get it if you want.”

  His arms tightened around her. “In a while. For now, this is nice.” He pulled her down until she placed he
r lips over his. “Really nice.”

  She felt him grow hard again next to her hip and smiled. “I hope you brought more than one condom.” She slid over him and heard him groan with appreciation.

  “Of course I did.” He flipped them quickly until he was looking down at her. His hair fell in his eyes, and she reached up and pushed it out of his face. “I need a haircut.”

  “I like it,” she said as he leaned in and started running his lips over her collarbone, causing her nipples to peak. Her fingers closed around his hair as she wrapped her legs around his.

  Reaching down, she took him in her hand and felt him stiffen even further.

  “I think I owe you,” she said into his chest.

  “Hmm.” He had stilled above her, allowing her to explore him more fully.

  “From before,” she clarified, watching his face change as enjoyment overtook him. She smiled when he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. It took only a little nudge to have him rolling so that she could settle on top of him. Her eyes ran over him, all of him, for what seemed like the first time.

  His tattoo and his chest had been the only thing she’d really paid attention to before. Now, however, she scanned all of him and appreciated every inch.

  With her eyes locked on his, she leaned forward and placed her lips over his flat nipples. When her tongue darted out and licked the same spot, she felt him jerk underneath her and smiled.

  “Witch,” he groaned as his hands moved to her hair.

  “I thought I was a princess?” she teased, and she moved her mouth lower, enjoying the play of each muscle as she ran her mouth over them slowly, following a light dusting of dark hair downward.

  When she reached his hardness, she gripped him softly and felt him jerk once more. His hands tangled in her hair as she closed her mouth over him. Using her tongue as he had used it on her, she enjoyed the taste and feel of him until she heard him growl and grip her elbows to hoist her up so she was sitting on his chest.

  “You’ve done it,” he said, his voice sounding strained as he twisted and had her once more underneath him.

  She didn’t know when he’d gotten the other condom, but she watched him put it on himself quickly before putting his hands on her inner thighs and settling himself between them.

  She smiled as he slipped into her again, feeling him stretch her inner muscles as he settled fully into her.

  She arched and moved with him, enjoying the soft kisses he gave her, marveling in the smell and feel of him surrounding her, consuming her.

  His eyes locked with hers as she felt herself sinking deeper; her nails scraped his back, holding him where she wanted, where she needed him.

  When she felt her body convulse around him, she heard his shout of triumph and knew she wanted to feel this way over and over as much as she could. Possibly even for the rest of her life.

  This time, by the time her body had cooled, Liam was across the room digging into the fridge. Still stark naked.

  “Want anything? There’s more than the chicken salad in here,” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

  She peeled her eyes from his tight ass and said, “Just water.”

  “There’s brownies, beer, and are these cookies?” he exclaimed. He dug his head farther into the fridge, causing her to laugh. He cracked open a beer.

  “You’re like a kid in a candy store.” She flung her arms wide on the bed. Hell, she felt like a schoolgirl after kissing her first love interest. Thinking back on it, she realized this was the better moment in her life.

  Rolling over, she tucked the sheet around her and glanced at the windows. It was too dark to see, but she could tell the rain was still falling down, since the windows were dripping rain on the outside.

  “I think we’re going to be stuck here all night,” she said absently.

  “Stuck?” He frowned at her, then shoved a full cookie in his mouth.

  “Well, not stuck, stuck.” She shifted and felt like that schoolgirl again. Awkward and unsure what to say next. He handed her a bottled water, and she drank from it, then set it on the table next to the bed.

  He moved over and sat next to her, then dipped a cookie in what she assumed was the chicken salad and shoved it into his mouth.

  “Gross.” She shivered.

  “Don’t knock it until you try it,” he said, then took a sip of his beer.

  “I’ll pass,” she said when he held up a cookie for her.

  “Are you sure?” He smiled. “You’ll need your energy, since you’re . . . stuck with me here, all night.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed and took the cookie from him.

  “I had a talk with Owen,” he said. He shifted to get fully on the bed and leaned against the headboard. She moved next to him and tucked the blankets around them both.

  “What about?” she asked. She finished off the cookie and reached for another. She’d forgotten Isaac had given her a bag of them with her lunch yesterday and was thankful.

  “You,” he answered. “I told him what you said about our dad. How you two know each other.”

  She nodded and reached for her water. “What did he say?”

  Liam was silent for a while, and when she glanced over at him, he was frowning.

  “He said we’ll probably leave when Dylan and Zoey return.”

  She stilled. Liam was leaving? Her throat dried.

  Is that why he’d been with her tonight? She didn’t know what had drawn her to the tree house, or that he’d even show up. But the moment he’d stepped in the door, lightning had flashed behind him, and she’d seen his eyes and known that he was the one she wanted more than anyone else.

  “Elle?” His voice brought her back to the moment.

  “What did you say?” she asked, taking another sip of her water, then setting it aside since it hadn’t helped.

  “I didn’t say anything.” He shifted, set the empty plate down, and finished off his beer.

  “When will you leave?” she asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

  He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Not tonight. Let’s worry about it later.” He pulled her down and tucked the blankets around them. “Even if I do leave, I live less than half an hour from here. If you want, I could always come back.” His tone told her that he was unsure in some way.

  Maybe he was waiting for her to ask him to stay?

  “You do?” she asked, feeling better instantly.

  “Yeah.” He yawned. “Besides, I promised Aiden I’d finish those benches, so I can’t leave right away.” He tucked her tighter into his chest, and she closed her eyes to the sound of his soft breathing.

  When she woke, it was to soft kisses being rained down all over her breasts and neck.

  “Liam.” She sighed and held on to his hair, enjoying the softness of it on her skin.

  “Elle!”

  The voice sounded wrong. She peeled open her eyes and looked over at Jeff, hovering above her. “Who the hell is Liam?” His fist rose, and she screamed just as it connected with her cheek.

  “Hey.” Liam shook her slightly. “It’s me.”

  “Liam?” she cried and held on to him. The spot on her cheek where Jeff’s fist had connected in the dream still stung.

  “I’m here, baby,” he said into her hair.

  “It was a dream,” she said, more for her own benefit.

  “A doozy, by the sound of it.” He shifted slightly, and she held on tighter, thinking he was getting up. “I’m just turning on a light.” He flipped on the small light, and she realized it was still dark out as the light filled the small space.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She shifted. She wiped the tears from her face, checked her cheek, and felt that it was unbruised.

  “Want to talk about it?” He held out her water bottle for her. She took a sip and then closed her eyes on a deep breath.

  “Jeff.”

  “Your ex?” he broke in. She nodded.

  “He . . . had a temper.”<
br />
  “I knew there was a reason I wanted to kill the SOB,” Liam said between clenched teeth.

  “He didn’t hit me often.”

  “Once is too many times.” Liam took her water bottle from her and set it back down. He pulled her back into his arms. “I’ve never raised a finger to a woman, and I never will.” He kissed the top of her head again.

  “I know.” She sighed and relaxed into his embrace.

  “What happened?” he asked after a moment.

  She shook her head. “It was just a dream.”

  “No, I mean, what caused you to finally leave him?”

  “Joe got sick.” She remembered the phone call. “He’d gotten a bad report from the doctor. He tried to play it off as if it was just a small thing, but I could tell.” She closed her eyes as more tears formed behind them. “I lost him five months later. I kick myself all the time for not coming home sooner. The last time Jeff hit me, he had warned me not to come back here, that it was probably just a trick of Joe’s to get me away from him.”

  “Have you heard from him since?” he asked.

  “No,” she sighed and ran her fingers over his chest, feeling the stirring of desire for him spread through her once again. She sat up and straddled him, her hips pressing against him as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Enough then. I want to focus on the now.”

  “I can do that.” He smiled up at her.

  She’d never made love until the sun came up, not until now. She’d never thought it was possible with anyone. Liam made everything new again.

  Even as they showered together, she laughed and cried out his name. He lathered her up with soap and used his hands on her until her knees grew weak; then he leaned her against the shower wall and pleased her until she felt like she could slip into a sex-induced coma for the rest of the year.

  A little over an hour after sunrise, she walked into the gym and started getting ready to teach Zoey’s yoga class. She felt limber and sore at the same time and enjoyed getting her body a little more centered before starting her day.

  “You’re glowing,” Hannah said at their breakfast meeting later.

  “I am?” She sipped her coffee to hide her smile. “Must be the yoga class.”