The Secret Ingredient (A Place to Call Home Book 2)

by Laura Browning

  Becca grinned wickedly, straddled him, and sank down on his shaft. For a moment, Eli thought he might pass out as sensation exploded. He was afraid he might have come and realized he was still just as hard as he had been. Then she began to move. She tilted the wine bottle to his lips then hers. When some of it spilled on her breasts, he leaned forward to lick it off.

  Eli squeezed her butt, helping her lift and move. His movements almost feverish, he slipped one hand down between them, teasing her again. They were both frantic now, their moans mingling together as they kissed.

  “Oh Becky, baby.” He groaned and climaxed. They both leaned back at once, their faces suddenly sober. “Oh God,” he groaned. “I’m so sorry.” He started to pull out, but she held him tightly.

  “No. Don’t be. It was an accident. Pulling out now won’t change it. Stay. I like feeling you fill me.”

  He buried his face in her hair. “I love you, Becca.”

  “Oh Eli. I think I’ve always loved you. I still do.”

  Her words made his heart soar.

  They stayed locked together while he stroked her hair and kissed her. He wanted to make her feel cherished, the way she made him feel. He had never known what he was missing in his relationships with other women, only that there was something lacking. He’d thought he was being selfish, wanting a woman who would touch and caress him instead of looking at him as if he were some sort of trophy to take and brag about.

  Eli had begun to think what he wished for was simply a fantasy, something that didn’t happen in real life. Until the day Becca touched him. He tightened his arms around her again, reluctant to let her go, but knowing she needed to sleep so she could get up early. Stolen hours. He wanted more but was afraid. The last time he’d reached for more had been a total nightmare that still wasn’t over.

  Chapter 10

  Becca was already in the kitchen working, still buoyed by Eli’s very thorough lovemaking, when Jared arrived for his morning shift.

  “Hey! We’ve got a lot to get done this morning, Jared. Mercer’s new menu starts today, so our bread orders will increase. Eli also wants two trays of bread pudding every day—and that might increase depending on sales.”

  “Aunt Becca?” Jared frowned. “Are we going to be able to get all this done?”

  She smiled. “Sure. We’ll be fine. And if we get to the point where we need to hire additional help, we will.”

  By seven, she was sending Jared across the square with the first tray of deliveries. When he returned, Eli was right behind him.

  “Morning, Becca,” he said casually, but as their eyes met she saw the memory of last night in the heat there. She smiled.

  “I didn’t know you got up so early.”

  “I don’t. The kid who handles prep normally takes in early morning deliveries. I just had extra energy this morning.”

  Blood rushed to her cheeks. It was the same way she felt. Becca glanced at Jared who watched them both with a studiously casual look.

  “Jared, don’t you have another delivery tray to take.”

  “Oh, yeah. Eli came along to help with that.”

  Eli chuckled. “Take a hint, dude. I want to kiss your aunt.”

  Jared laughed as he went to pull the tray of bread pudding from the refrigerator and organized the rest of Mercer’s bread order on another tray. Eli turned back to Becca.

  “How are you this morning?” His question was quiet, intimate.

  “A little sore, but in the nicest way possible.”

  His dark eyes roved over her and she responded instantly. “I promised your nephew I was going to kiss you,” he whispered as he stepped in. “May I?”

  She nodded, the warmth of desire curling deep inside her. He touched his lips to hers, but it was brief. Far too brief, and her body cried out for more. As he pulled back to look at her, Becca touched his cheek. “Mm. Good morning. I hope you don’t greet all of the business owners around the square that way.”

  “Only you and Mrs. Tarpley.” He winked. Becca laughed.

  “Where’s Bash this morning?”

  “I dropped him at my mom’s. When I left he was already digging into a stack of pancakes smothered in syrup and butter.”

  “I’ve got everything together, Becca,” Jared called. “I think Eli and I can get this in one trip.”

  Becca smiled ruefully. “Your cue.”

  He cupped the back of her neck in his broad palm. “Yeah. I’ve got dinner duty and closing tonight. Bash is staying with my parents...”

  Becca smiled. “Come over when you’re through.”

  His grin was boyish and relieved. God, his ex-wife had a lot to answer for. Bash certainly wasn’t the only one she had messed with. Becca watched him patiently help Jared stack a couple of trays.

  Eli was a lot more like Jake now. Although he was big, he was gentle. She saw it in the way he dealt with Bash, in the way he dealt with Jared, but he was too quiet, too controlled. He paused as he carried a couple of bread trays out.

  “I’ll see you tonight, Becca.”

  It was a busy morning. Becca was glad she had baked extra bread. Word was obviously getting around she was open for business. The cinnamon swirl bread was popular enough that she toyed with the idea of baking it every day, but she didn’t want to make that leap too soon. For right now, she would stick with the bread calendar she’d created and posted out front.

  So far, most of her customers were people she knew, although a few tourists wandered in especially on the weekends. This morning she had several, and one woman in particular who wandered around the shop for quite a while, availing herself of free samples and finally ordering a coffee and croissant. In the normal course of events, Becca would have simply dismissed her and gone on about her business, but several times when she looked up from stocking shelves or ringing up another customer, she found the woman watching her.

  She couldn’t gauge the blonde’s expression because she had on dark sunglasses that she hadn’t taken off even in the shaded interior. Becca just shook her head. Probably somebody traveling through who’d had a little too much to drink last night. She was surprised when the woman stepped up to the register to purchase a loaf of cinnamon bread and a loaf of honey wheat.

  “This is such a nice place. Have you been here long?”

  Becca grinned. “No. We just opened. The building’s been here forever. It used to be a hardware store years ago that belonged to my mother’s family.”

  “I noticed the stairs. Is there more to see up there? I love the photos and paintings you have down here.”

  Becca shook her head. “No. That’s where I live. As early as I have to get up, it just made sense to convert the business offices into an apartment.”

  The blonde smiled at her and handed over a ten. Becca made change. “Thanks for stopping by. I hope we’ll see you again.”

  The woman’s smile turned up one corner of her mouth. “I’m sure I’ll be back.”

  As she left, the front door opened and Betty Gatewood sailed in with her flotilla of church ladies bobbing behind. Becca kept her smile firmly in place. No matter what she thought of the woman, there was no doubt she could help make or break The Secret Ingredient. Word of mouth was still the best advertising in Mountain Meadow, and heaven only knew, Betty Gatewood had the mouth. Filling their orders took her mind off the odd customer, so that by the end of the day Becca had completely forgotten her.

  * * * *

  Maybe it was the weather, Eli wasn’t sure, but people were definitely out and about Mountain Meadow’s historic Courthouse square and along the side streets as well. He smiled. Busy mornings in town usually translated into a busy lunch hour for Mercer’s. It would be a great day to debut his new menu featuring Becca’s baked goods.

  Eli watched some of the cars passing by around the square. Just as he was about to turn away, he jerked back again, but the small sedan that had caught his eye had already disappeared around the corner. For an instant, he could have sworn the driver was Heather
, but that couldn’t be. The brief glimpse he’d gotten was of a blond driver, and Heather’s hair was brown. Eli shook his head. Imagination no doubt triggered by the nightmare he’d had last night after Becca had left.

  He swallowed and jammed his hands in his pockets.

  “Hey Sugar,” Ruthie quipped as she scooted past, “you look like you just seen a ghost.”

  “Just about,” Eli mumbled.

  It nagged at him all through lunch until he finally called his business partner at the coast. What he heard made him stand up and shut the door to his office so he could speak privately.

  “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  “I ran into her a day or so after you said your attorney had given her the latest check from you. She was buying drinks for some of her friends. Said she was gonna move south and make a clean start. Haven’t seen her since, and one of her party pals said Heather’d taken off. I asked where, and they seemed to think she was headed to Myrtle Beach.”

  “Thanks, man. Look, if she turns up, give me a call okay.”

  “Eli...aren’t you tight with some local cops there?”

  “Yeah. The sheriff and the local police chief. They eat in here a lot, and the chief is the older brother of the woman I’m seeing.”

  “I’d talk to ‘em if I were you.”

  Eli stared blankly at the screen saver swirling on his computer screen. “Yeah. I may do that.”

  He slipped his phone into his pocket and rocked the office chair back while he pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. Shit. Just when everything was falling into place. There was no avoiding it. He would have to talk to Jake and Sam. He’d also have to talk to his parents. If Heather took it into her head that her clean start needed to include her son, Bash could be in danger.

  It was nearly impossible for Eli to imagine that Heather would want Bash with her. She’d never shown much motherly devotion before, but there had been those one or two occasions where she had suddenly shown an interest. And God only knew those had been unmitigated disasters. There was also the possibility—and one that seemed more likely—that she might try to take Bash and use him to extort more money. And it was that thought that began to harden Eli’s resolve. He could no longer play, no longer try to cut her slack just because she was Bash’s biological mother.

  Maybe Caleb and Noah were the only ones who had it right. Both unabashedly single, neither one had allowed a woman to interfere in their lives. Eli immediately regretted the thought. If there had never been a Heather, there would be no Bash. And Eli simply couldn’t imagine life without his son. Now, there was also Becca, and he couldn’t imagine ever regretting her.

  Ruthie breezed past him as he walked out. “Everything all right, boss man?”

  He managed a smile. “I’m here, Ruthie. The new menus look like they’re a hit, and I have a date with Miss Rebecca Allred after closing tonight. Life doesn’t get much better.”

  Ruthie tilted her head, blew a bubble and popped it with a smack. “If you’re sure. If not, you know I’m a good listener.”

  Eli arched a brow. “Yeah, and a good talker.”

  “Sugar!” She laughed and went back out front to refill some of the condiments on the tables during the slowdown between lunch and dinner.

  * * * *

  Becca noticed Eli’s distraction the moment he knocked at her door. After he’d prowled around her loft and followed her into the kitchen while she made coffee, she finally touched his arm.

  “What’s wrong, Eli? You’ve hardly said a word since you walked through the door.”

  “It’s been a long day.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t. Don’t push me away because you’re uncomfortable. I love you, but if it’s going to be more than sex between us, then you can’t freeze me out when something bothers you.”

  He raked a hand through his long curls, and Becca watched the gold highlights glint off his hair. He looked tense and tired. She ached to soothe him but sensed that wasn’t what he needed. He had to make the decision to let her in on his own. If she pushed, he would back off.

  “Damn.” He moved away from her. Disappointment boiled up until she was afraid it would spill over. Instead of giving in to the tears, she pulled open the cupboard, grabbed a couple of mugs and began pouring coffee. She frowned in concentration when she saw her hand trembled just a little.

  “Becca?” His voice was quiet behind her. “I’d swear I caught a glimpse of Heather today.”

  The coffee pot rattled as she put it back on its burner and waited for him to continue.

  “How crazy is that? But I just got such a creeped out feeling. I called Sean, my business partner from the Outer Banks.” He was pulling at the earring in his right ear again. “She’s left the coast. Told her friends she was going to make a clean start.”

  “Drink this.” She handed him the coffee, glad to see her hand was steady again. “Are you worried she’ll come here?”

  “I don’t know. When we were together the last thing she wanted was to be bothered with Bash. Then after we split and she realized he was a way to get money, she used him, but she still didn’t want him.”

  Becca’s chest tightened in sympathy. She had to blink the sudden moisture from her eyes. It was so hard to imagine anyone not wanting Bash. “Please talk to Jake, Eli.”

  He sighed and looked sidelong at her. “I’m going to. I have to talk to my parents too. If...if she’s coming around here for some reason, they need to know.”

  Becca went to him. Now was the time to offer comfort. She leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his back. She didn’t say anything, just held on to him. As they stood there, she felt some of the tension ease from his big body.

  She leaned back to look at him. “Did you ever go to the make out spot up near the Parkway?”

  Eli eyed her warily as if wondering where she was going. “A few times.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah. We’ll take my car. It has more room than yours.”

  A grin began to form on his wide mouth and one dimple appeared. “We need room? For what?”

  Becca batted her eyelashes. “For whatever you can think of Mr. Mercer. We’ll make up for those dates we didn’t have when we were younger.”

  A quarter of an hour later, they were silently laughing in the front seat of her little SUV. Even though they’d parked well away from the smooching teenagers, they still got more than their fair share of curious looks.

  “God Becca, I can’t believe you talked me into this. I feel like an old fart next to these kids.”

  She scooted over next to him. “Not an old fart—a man of experience.”

  In the faint light of the moon, his teeth glinted as he smiled. “Then shouldn’t we at least make out while we’re here?”

  For answer, Becca twined her arms around his neck and lifted her face to his. His mouth was firm and teasing to begin with, but as she responded to his kiss, he pulled her more tightly into his arms and his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, skimming along the edge of her teeth.

  “Mm. I see you do have experience at this.”

  “Oh yeah. And since we’re already rounding first, I think I might just head to second base.”

  Becca giggled as his hand slid under her T-shirt to cup her breast. They continued to tease each other with kisses that strayed from mouths to ears and along the sides of their necks. As Eli nibbled at the lobe of her ear, her nipples hardened against the broad palms now pressed ardently against her flesh. She let her hand trail down to his thigh, feeling the muscles bunching there as he shifted slightly. Her hand found the bulge of his erection.

  “Unless you really want to give some of these teenagers an education, I would be careful where you put that hand, baby.”

  Both of them jumped as they heard a metallic thump on the window. Becca lifted her face as Eli turned, and they found themselves looking into the face of a very sardonic looking Sam Barnes.
Becca hit the button to roll down the window.

  “Evening, Eli, Becca. Y’all providing instruction for the youth of Castle County?”

  Becca felt heat stain her cheeks as Eli’s hands slid out from beneath her shirt. “Just making a point, Sam,” Eli said and cleared his throat.

  “Oh? And what would that point be?”

  “That I’m not quite such an old fart that I’ve forgotten what it is teenagers do here. And why are you patrolling anyway?”

  Sam grinned. “It’s summer. Helping to cover vacations.”

  Becca sat up straight, smoothed her T-shirt, and then her hair. God! She would never hear the end of this. Sam was bound to say something to Luke, who’d say something to Jake and then Caleb, who wouldn’t be able to resist getting all up in their business about this.

  “Please, Sam,” Becca whispered. “Don’t say anything to my brothers. I just really don’t need any more of their big brother act.”

  Sam leaned down. “I try not to ride the kids too much, but y’all both have places of your own. If you’re gonna get all hot and heavy...can you move it there?”

  Eli put both hands on the steering wheel and started laughing helplessly.

  “This has been arguably one of the strangest days of my life.”

  Sam arched a brow. “Yours? I’m bustin’ a twenty-eight year old and a thirty-two year old for smoochin’. Give me a break. Go home, or get a room.” He laughed as he turned to go back to his cruiser.

  Becca giggled. “Well, that’s one thing that never happened to me here before.”

  Eli chuckled. “Me either.” He started the car and cranked the air conditioning. “Let’s go. Your place or mine?”

  “Mine.”

  * * * *

  He reached for her hand on the way home, felt geeky, and started to turn it loose again.

  “I like when you do that,” Becca murmured.

  He glanced at her and saw a softening in her face that made his heart beat heavily in his chest. His body instantly hardened. He was afraid to say anything and instead shifted his hand so their fingers intertwined.