Love by Design (Crystal Falls Book 1)

by Lee, Lynette

  “Of course not,” he said and laughed, reaching quickly for his wine and taking a sip.

  “Because it seemed like those guys hadn’t been there at all. Like you just called them up to the cabin after I agreed to come up and check on the shipment.”

  “Now why would I do a thing like that?” He sat up closer to her and reached over to run his fingertips lightly over her shoulder then down her arm, making the little hairs stand on end. His mouth was begging to be kissed, so moist and close.

  “To trick me into coming up there, maybe?”

  He fained offense, putting his hand to his chest. “I would never!”

  “Ha. I know you too well, Mr. Caldwell. I bet you even took the shipping list off.”

  Before she could say anything else he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She laughed into his mouth and tried to push him away. Her wine sloshed in her glass as he nuzzled her neck, making her shriek.

  “You can’t get out of it that easy,” she told him, pushing harder until he sat up again. She slid her glass onto the coffee table and frowned but couldn’t quite keep the smile from curling the edge of her lips.

  “I may or may not have orchestrated a bit yesterday,” he finally admitted.

  “Oh!” she said and slapped him on the leg.

  He flinched away from her and put his hands up in self-defense. “I just wanted to see you.”

  “I could have finished my lunch!”

  He started to reach for her but she grabbed his wineglass and put it on the coffee table before hotly grabbing the back of his neck and bringing his mouth to hers. Was it annoying that he’d called her all the way up the mountain for nothing? Sure. But she couldn’t be mad. With the scent of his skin surrounding her, his warm body so close, she couldn’t do anything but kiss him.

  He wrapped his hands around her waist and raised her to sit on his lap, not breaking their kiss. She felt him hard and ready beneath his jeans, pressing into her thighs. As she leaned close, leaning her chest against his, she deepened the kiss, probing his mouth with her tongue. She moaned into his mouth when he brushed his fingers over her sides and up to her breast, her nipples growing tight beneath the fabric of her dress.

  This was exactly what she wanted. There was no mistaking it now. His mouth moved from her lips to her chin and over her throat and she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to give him more access.

  When his moist lips sucked at the groove in her neck she moaned again and grabbed at his shirt. She needed him now, and from the way he was breathing, heavy between each kiss he planted on her skin, he needed her just as much.

  She whimpered as she pulled at his clothes. Wordlessly he scooped her into his arms and walked her down the hall to the bedroom, the fire and their wine abandoned.

  It was darker here and he placed her gently on the bed before going quickly to light the fireplace in the bedroom. She watched him, her face flushed with desire, ready for him to take her, desperate for his skin to meet her own.

  She’d sworn she wasn’t going to give him all of herself again, that this time she was going to protect her heart. But as he turned and walked slowly toward the bed, kicking off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt as he moved closer, she could swear that the little flutters in her stomach were more than arousal. She thought she might be saying goodbye to her heart all over again.

  The light of the fire danced over his strong bare shoulders as he reached the bed where she lay. He stood there in only his jeans for a moment and looked down at her stretched out on his bed, his blue eyes melting her as they poured over her body.

  Silently Noah sat her up and unzipped her dress. He slipped the straps off her shoulders, stooping to bite one exposed shoulder and then the other. He took her hand and brought her quickly to her feet, letting the sheath of fabric puddle on the ground at her feet.

  He stood back and took her in, her soft skin glistening with sweat in the dim light. All that stood between him and complete access to her body was a small patch of sparkling underwear between her thighs. He stooped at her feet and gazed up at her, running his big hands up and down her calves, nibbling the back of her knee. His mouth worked its way up and she spread her legs open a little more in anticipation, closing her eyes and winding her fingers through his hair.

  His lips traced over her thighs and followed his hands as they made their way slowly up her body. When his fingers wrapped around the sides of her panties she stiffened for a second and looked down at him. He kissed her inner thigh gently and then met her gaze as he slid the fabric down her legs. There was fire in her eyes and he felt tense with his own desire. When his mouth touched her most sensitive flesh she groaned aloud and grabbed at his shoulders.

  “Noah, please,” she said, raking her fingernails over his back, pulling at him, needing him inside of her. She leaned back and sat on the bed, breaking their contact. Under his gaze she laid back and opened her legs for him, tempting him to come to her. She smiled as he unbuckled his belt and popped each of the buttons of his jeans quickly.

  “God, Lily. You’re even sexier than I remember, if that’s possible.”

  She moaned and ran her fingers over her nipples, making each one stand even harder from her flesh and Noah kicked his pants and boxers to the side quickly. Instantly he was lying on her, his hands snaking through her hair, his mouth pressed against her own. He felt her wet softness as he pulled himself up between her legs and she rocked against him, driving him wild.

  He dipped his head and took one of her dark nipples into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth and making her squirm against him. She raised her legs higher and he kissed her once more before positioning himself and sinking into her silky depths.

  He took her mouth with his own as they came together. She moved beneath him, wrapping her fingers around his hips and pulling him in deeper. The connection between them was hot as ever and he wondered how he could have ever given this feeling up.

  Her body sank into the soft bed beneath them both, the sheets pure silk surrounding them. Her look was intense and for a moment he wanted to turn away but as he got closer and closer to his own climax he forced himself to keep eye contact. He watched as her eyes lost focus and she arched against him, losing herself to her orgasm. After the waves of it had subsided she reached up to bring his head down to hers, kissing him deeply. He continued to thrust into her, more urgently now that she had reached her orgasm.

  Noah propped himself on his hands, allowing her to gaze from his hard chest and the line of light hairs that ran from his navel to where their bodies connected and up to his eyes.

  “God, Noah. I’ve missed you,” she whispered in his ear. The word love was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back, unready even at this point of no return to give him that much again.

  He thrust into her harder and she pulled her legs up more, bringing him into her completely. As he began to come he closed his eyes and she ran a hand through his hair, loving the feel of his body lose control to her.

  When he finished, he lay on top of her, propping most of his body up on one elbow so he didn’t crush her. He still pulsed inside of her as they kissed gently.

  Finally, he pulled away from her enough to look into her eyes. “I love you Lily. I always have and I always will.”

  He kissed her again and then stood up, leaving her feeling instantly cold and alone. She was tempted to reach for him again but instead propped herself up on her elbows and watched him walk naked into the bathroom. The perfect roundness of his backside and the muscles of his back glistened with sweat from their love making and had her wanting him all over again. Time enough still, she supposed.

  She sank back on the sheets, pulling her knees up and closing her eyes, wondering if she ever really could keep herself from loving this man. Only time would tell.

  Chapter Nine

  They made love twice more during the night, the gaslit fire still softly illuminating the room. The first time was tender, slow and silent. When Noah grabbed her t
he second time, with the light of morning just beginning to sneak into the room from the large windows, he took her urgently, holding her down and making her scream his name. He felt desperate, suddenly afraid that it would all be over as the new day began, that she would leave him in this big house all alone again.

  They’d drifted asleep once more, her pulled tight against him, their arms entwined. When he woke again his heart flooded with love for the woman who lay in his arms. He tilted his head down to bury his nose in her hair and deeply smell the floral scent of it. If he could only freeze time, keep her just like this with him always.

  As they’d made love throughout the night he’d thought about how he’d wanted to propose to her before they’d broken up. He still had the ring he had planned to use, right beside them now in the drawer. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for something so serious with her again after all they’d been through. But the fear of losing her had made him think about proposing to her as she lay in his bed.

  He knew it wasn’t the time though. He would force himself to take it slow and make her trust him again. It was the only way.

  She stirred in his arms and he brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. When she arched back against him he nuzzled her neck and felt himself grow hard at her soft body angled just right against him. He let his hands wander over her breasts and down her soft side and closed his eyes as she moaned her pleasure softly.

  “You have any plans today?” she whispered as he moved his hand lower, playing his fingers over her stomach and hips, feeling his heart beat faster with every inch he got closer to her delicate sex.

  “No,” he whispered back and kissed her ear. “I’m at your disposal all day, my lady.”

  His fingers probed gently and she opened up for him again, ready for more.

  “What about you? Are you going to run away from me, Cinderella?”

  She stretched back against him lazily, a noncommital noise escaping her throat. Her body angled for his and he ran his other hand over the curve of her hip.

  “You aren’t too sore?” he asked, playing with her softly.

  She shook her head no and pressed her backside harder into him. He needed no more urging and let himself slip into her once again, filling her tight space completely and feeling more at home than he’d ever felt before.

  He went slow, worried about hurting her, but eventually she turned him over and straddled him, taking him harder and deeper than he’d been yet. When she came, she arched her back and the sunlight streamed through her hair, making each golden strand sparkle and shimmer.

  They lay together for a while after, neither of them ready to disentangle their limbs, enjoying the comfort of one another’s bodies, until finally Lily stretched her arms above her head and yawned. “I should probably get going soon.”

  Noah turned away so she wouldn’t see his disappointment. “Okay. I’ll make us some coffee. There’s a bathrobe and extra toothbrush in the bathroom. You should at least take a shower. I think you’ll like it.”

  She stood up and let the sheets fall from her naked body, stooping to pick up her wrinkled dress and panties from the floor. He watched her swaying hips move into his bathroom and couldn’t keep the smile from his face. She was finally in the house he’d built for her and it seemed to suit her just fine.

  Noah threw on some sweat pants and padded into the kitchen to make them coffee. The morning was bright and beautiful and he wished he’d convinced her to stay and go on a hike with him. The tile was cold on his bare feet and he circled the living room silently a minute, looking out the windows and letting his mind wander back to Lily.

  Their night together had been incredible, more than he could have wished for. And yet he felt unsatisfied. He hated that he’d let her go so easily but he was afraid to make her feel trapped, to scare her away again.

  The truth was, he really did have a lot of work to do. So it was probably for the best that Lily was leaving. It would give him time to get a few things done.

  The cabin that he and Lily had been working on together was the least of his current worries. Christina had called him several times with little complaints, but it’d been easy enough to ignore - he’d let each call go to voicemail. The remodel was right on schedule and he was looking forward to wrapping it up and moving on to his more complicated projects.

  He and Rick were in the early stages of building a new high-rise in Boulder. It was a great job for his portfolio, not to mention his bank account. However, the two hour drive either way took a huge chunk out of his time and meant he couldn’t take on any more small remodeling jobs. Rick was a great friend but a demanding business partner and the job was taking up more and more of his time.

  He pulled out his phone and scrolled quickly through email as the coffee percolated. Nothing major caught his eye. At least nothing that couldn’t wait a few more hours. He turned the phone off, deciding to concentrate fully on Lily while he still had her. It was hard to say if there would be more of what they’d shared the last several hours. The thought chilled him and he busied himself instead with making breakfast.

  The nozzles of the shower were miraculous. Lily felt tiny sprays of hot water hit her flesh and she could barely keep her eyes open. She sank down onto the tile seat and let the water work her over. As she did, she thought about Noah lying in the other room, the dark gray sheet wrapped seductively around his hips, his bicep bulging where he’d tucked his arm up under his head.

  She wanted him again, as impossible as that seemed. She wanted to stoop down and kiss him, to run her fingernails over the hairs on his stomach until he couldn’t take it any longer.

  How quickly things had changed.

  She finally reached over for shampoo, lathering her hair quickly and then her body, ready to get out and get a move on. She hoped she’d have another chance at enjoying the exquisite shower.

  She wrapped herself in the dark green silk robe that he’d chosen for her and made her way down the hall toward the kitchen where Noah was brewing coffee bare chested. She fought the urge to slide her hands up and down his washboard abs. The last thing she needed was to get them going again.

  “That shower was incredible,” she told him as she came into the kitchen. Standing quickly on her tippy toes, she gave him a kiss and then began hunting in cabinets for coffee cups, frowning when she found most of them empty.

  “You really need to get some more, well, everything,” she said with a laugh.

  He pulled out a box that he’d stashed in the massive pantry and after hunting around a minute, unwrapped two coffee cups and handed them to her.

  “I’ve got stuff,” he told her. “It’s just a question of where exactly the stuff is.” He continued hunting in the pantry and came out a minute later with a stainless steel toaster.

  Lily poured herself a cup of coffee and hopped up on a barstool to watch him as he scrambled eggs.

  “So you liked the shower, huh?”

  She smiled over her cup and let her eyes close. “Best shower I’ve ever had.”

  “I thought you might like it. I designed it for you.”

  The comment wiped the smile from her face. She sipped her coffee and watched him carefully. He seemed relaxed and very sexy making her breakfast. It suddenly dawned on her that if he’d designed and built this house, he would have had to start sometime when they were still dating. She wondered why he’d never told her.

  “What do you mean?” she asked quietly, forcing herself not to frown.

  He buttered their toast and washed a handful of strawberries. “This house. I designed it for you,” he said simply. “Well, for both of us actually. Back when we were together. I was hoping we would move in here together someday.”

  He carried their plates in and set hers in front of her. She bit into a strawberry, letting the tart juice keep her mouth busy so she wouldn’t say anything without thinking. She was in shock and she had no idea what to do with the revelation Noah had just sprung on her. Questions began flooding her mind but
she cut them off.

  “And then I left you,” she said when she’d finished chewing. She felt suddenly guilty.

  He shrugged. “Life happens. Don’t feel bad about it. I would have done it for myself eventually anyway. And now look,” he took a quick bite and motioned around the room they sat in, “I’ve got my dream house. If not my dream girl.”

  She felt like kissing him and running away at the same time. Her heart raced as she took a bite of toast.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me? If you started it before we broke up, you could have told me.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “This is a big fucking surprise, alright.”

  “Look, I’m not asking you to move in with me, or anything, Christ.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. He scowled and shoveled food into his mouth.

  She needed to escape suddenly. It was all too much - the house, the breakfast, the silk robe, the memory of their night together and of their past relationship. It threatened to overwhelm her and she wondered how she could have let go of herself so completely. Did he expect her to come back and move in with him?

  He reached for her hand but she pulled away. “It’s too much, Noah.”

  He turned to face her, placing his big legs on either side of her so she couldn’t run. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

  “I designed this house for us back when we were together. I’m not expecting anything from you now. Don’t let this get in the way of starting over.”

  She frowned and he took her jaw in his hand, pressing his lips quickly to hers so she couldn’t argue with him any longer.

  Despite the fear, she felt herself giving in to him, to his strong body and his full lips. He was right, she supposed. It didn’t have to mean anything for them now. Although it suddenly seemed like she was being pressured into more than she was ready for and she didn’t like the feeling.

  When he finally let her go, she turned back to her breakfast and pushed the food around her plate. She didn’t know what to think of the house. It terrified her, that he’d done something so huge for her. How was she supposed to keep her heart secure with such a big thing hanging over her head?