by J. H. Croix
Ryan looked over at him, relief evident in his face and his shoulders slumping. “Good, but I’m tired. Can we go home, so I can change before we go to the store?”
Eli grinned. “You didn’t think I could stand to wear these clothes any longer, did you?”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “No, I guess not.”
Jessa carefully swirled her paintbrush to finish off a purple starfish in the center of a small table. She stepped back and surveyed the table in question. Unbeknownst to her, Risa had started spreading the word about her work and last week a family had commissioned her to paint a pair of tables and chairs for a greenhouse room in their home. They specifically wanted a tide pool themed set, which was what she was currently working on. The legs of the table had wavy fronds of seaweed, and she was gradually adding in various sea creatures found in tide pools on Alaskan beaches.
There was a knock at the door. “Come in!” she called out.
She didn’t look behind her, expecting it to be Risa who popped in every day she was here. She jumped when she felt a warm hand stroke down her back. Before she glanced over her shoulder, she instantly knew it was Eli because she felt his presence the second he stepped into the room. She angled her head back just as his lips met the curve of her neck. “Hey,” he said, the movement of his lips against her skin sending prickles along her skin.
“Hey. I didn’t know you were stopping by.” She rotated to face him.
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I was on my way back from the harbor and thought I’d stop in. Risa said to just come on up.” He stepped back and glanced around. “This is a great little spot.” He took a few steps to the table she was painting. “Wow! This is…amazing.”
His eyes scanned the room, pausing over the growing collection of finished projects against the back wall. He turned back to her. “So, this is what you do. I bet people love these.”
Jessa flushed. “It’s what I do. Maybe not what you’d get for yourself, but I managed to make decent money before. I’m hoping to get things back on track.”
Eli’s eyes bounced from her to the table in the middle of the room and back to her. “Just because I have no sense of decorating style doesn’t mean I can’t tell a good thing when I see it,” he said. He eyed her for a long moment. “Risa mentioned she’s started to sell your pieces and lined up a few commissions. That’s just what you’re hoping for, right?”
She shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “Well, yeah. But these days I’m not so sure how much I should focus on this or something else.” She paused and looked over at the cheerful, wild pieces she’d finished and glanced back to him. “I kind of stumbled into this because I love to paint, but I wanted what I painted to be something other than flat on a wall. Since the fire though, when I had to face the fact I had almost no savings to speak of, I’ve been wondering if I need to do something else. Right now, it’s working at the lodge and this, but…”
Eli shook his head sharply. “But what? You looked happier than I’ve ever seen you until you started to talk about it. Risa knows what sells and she seems pretty damn confident she’ll sell plenty of your work. Don’t beat yourself up for not having savings. Anyone who tries to do their own thing runs that risk. If my store had burned down those first few years, I’d have been in the same situation. Focus on how much it means to you and listen to Risa. I’d hate to see that glow fade from your eyes just because you let your doubts get in the way.”
Jessa stared at him, stunned at his firm belief in her. A smile spread from her heart to her cheeks and she threw her arms around him. “Thank you. I needed that,” she mumbled into his shoulder. She slipped down and glanced up at him. He looked slightly startled and gave his head a little shake.
“Just telling the truth,” he said with a shrug.
She stretched up and kissed his stubble-rough cheek.
His phone beeped in his pocket, snapping the moment. “I need to get that,” he said as he stepped back. “It’s probably Ryan and he’s waiting for me to pick him up at the Fish Factory.” He slipped his phone out, glancing down at the screen. “Yup, it’s Ryan.” He glanced back to her. “Thought maybe I’d see if you wanted to grab dinner tonight. Ryan’s packing up for a camping trip with Cliff and his brothers this afternoon.”
She was nodding before she even thought about it. He grinned and stepped close again, dipping his head and catching her lips in a quick kiss. Though brief, every kiss from Eli sent her body into a state of heated anticipation. With one deep stroke of his tongue against hers, he drew back, catching her bottom lip in his teeth for a second before he straightened. His green gaze reflected the heat swirling inside of her.
“Should I pick you up later?” he asked.
“How about I meet you at your place? I need to get to the lodge and wash this paint off first though,” she gestured to the streaks of paint on her arms.
He lifted a finger and traced a line on her neck. “I like the paint.”
Dear God. One simple touch of his finger on her neck, and she was melting inside. With her pulse leaping, she flushed and shrugged. “This is me every day when I’m working.”
He nodded slowly, his hand falling away. “So, it’s…” he glanced to his watch “…three now. Anytime after an hour, and I’ll be ready to go. Just come by.”
His phone beeped again. “I’m outta here. See you in a bit.”
At that, he turned and left. Jessa stood there, her heart beating wildly. She unconsciously reached up to trace her fingertip along the very place Eli had just touched her. Her mind spun over the last few weeks. Somehow, they’d slid into some sort of relationship, but she didn’t know what it meant. They saw each other every few days in between her busy schedule at the lodge restaurant, working in her studio, and his insanely busy summer schedule with his store and fishing charters almost every day. She felt like she’d tumbled into this, whatever this was, between them. If she allowed herself to stop and think, which she tried to avoid most of the time, she worried she was falling too far and too fast. What little she’d been able to glean about him from Marley, Delia and others was that he’d never been known to date anyone seriously. She didn’t know how to interpret that. She was as puzzled with her own feelings. Given that she’d never felt about anyone the way she felt about him, she felt like she was flying blind. The hard part was…she was afraid he was coming to mean far too much to her. Meanwhile, she had to consider that she’d come to Diamond Creek to lick her wounds and find a way forward for her life. She didn’t know if that meant staying here, or finding a way to pull her life together back in Seattle.
You know what you want. Stop pretending like you don’t. Her heart spoke up, clamoring sternly for her to listen. But I don’t know if it makes sense, and I don’t know what he wants. You’d better pay attention before it’s too late. Maybe you don’t know what he wants, but you won’t know unless you try to find out.
Jessa sighed and gave her head a little shake. These internal conversations were happening with frequency, and she was betwixt and between about the way forward. Not just with Eli, but with her life. Somehow, Eli and the way she felt about him, which she didn’t dare label yet, had gotten all tangled up in what she should do with her life. She got to work cleaning her paintbrushes and putting her supplies away. Conveniently, the tasks needed to get done, but they also distracted her mind from obsessing about Eli.
20
The low hum of voices surrounding them, the soft buzz of wine flowing through her, and Eli simply existing nearby left Jessa swinging between a comfortable sense of relaxation and a feverish sense of anticipation. Eli had insisted she needed to try the Boathouse Café’. It had been everything promised—delicious local seafood and a touch more high-end than many restaurants in Diamond Creek. The restaurant sat on a bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. At the moment, the sun was in the midst of its slow descent behind the moments. Its fading rays cast long beams of light across the water. She turned back to Eli when she heard someone say his name
. She watched while he grinned and waved at the man who’d greeted him. Eli turned to her when the man reached their table.
“Travis, this is Jessa Hamilton, sister of Gage and Garrett Hamilton. She’s visiting for a bit,” Eli said before gesturing to the man. “And this is Travis Wilkes. He’s a local fisherman and yet another Alaskan who has a few more jobs I can’t keep track of.”
Travis grinned, his blue eyes glinting. Like so many men Jessa had seen around Diamond Creek, Travis had a rugged, sexy, outdoorsy quality to him. His light-brown hair was windblown, his skin burnished bronze from probably hours and hours on the ocean and outside, and his body fit and muscled. “Nice to meet another member of the Hamilton clan. I’ve gotten to know both Gage and Garrett. Gage is everyone’s local favorite hometown boy come home now that he’s reopened Last Frontier Lodge, and Garrett saved my ass when I ran into some problems with my neighbors over a property line dispute. You planning to stick around like your brothers?”
Jessa’s eyes automatically flicked to Eli. His had sharpened with interest. She couldn’t help but wonder if he hoped she’d stay. She forced her attention back to Travis. “I’m not sure. I came up for a surprise visit after my apartment building in Seattle burned down. I don’t really have a plan, so I’m winging it right now.”
Travis nodded firmly. “You’ll stay.”
“I will?” she asked, startled at his quick assessment.
He grinned again. “Yup. If you weren’t falling in love with Diamond Creek, you’d already have other plans,” he replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, nice to meet you. I’ve gotta get going. Just wanted to say hi.” He glanced to Eli. “I’ll stop by your store later this week. I need some new gear for a trip out to Bristol Bay.”
“If you’re hoping to catch me there, call ahead because I might be out on a charter,” Eli said.
“Will do. See ya.” With a wave, Travis walked past their table and toward the entrance.
Eli caught her eyes. “Let me run to the restroom and then we can go.” At her nod, he stood and walked toward the restrooms on the far side of the restaurant.
Jessa took a look around while she waited for him to return. The Boathouse Café would fit in well in any city. It had a warm feeling, comforting and modern at once. The dining area overlooked the bay with the back wall lined with windows. To one side, the kitchen grill was open and adjacent to part of the bar, which was polished mahogany with copper cookware hanging above. A wide selection of wines was visible in decorative racks. Polished wooden tables and booths with crisp white linens made up the seating, and a variety of rich colored curtains added a vibrant touch.
The restaurant was filled to capacity with an ever-present cluster of customers waiting to be seated. She took another sip of wine and glanced up to see Eli returning. He walked with an unconscious swagger—masculine, strong and confident. He slipped into the chair across from her, his eyes immediately locking onto hers. She swore he could tell how much she wanted him as his eyes darkened and a current of electricity buzzed between them. He cleared his throat, the rough sound sending a jolt through her. “You ready to go?”
“Uh huh,” she managed.
They stood, and he rested a hand on her low back as they wove through the tables on their way to the register. His touch was like a hot brand. She was starting to think she was half-crazy when she was around him for any length of time. Her body had a mind of its own, constantly humming and on edge when he was near. Moments later, they were walking outside. The contrast of the cool air only served to notch up the heat inside. Eli glanced down, his features shadowed in the dusky light. “Walk to the harbor with me.”
His words were a statement, but they held a hint of a question. Considering that she might have walked through fire with him right about now, her answer was a given. She nodded before a thought passed through her mind. His palm slid off of her back and reached to curl around her hand, his grip warm and strong. Otter Cove Harbor was adjacent to the Boathouse Café, so they walked across the parking lot onto a small path winding through the tall grasses near the beach and down toward the harbor.
When they stepped onto the docks, the rhythmic roll of the waves under the floating docks matched the dreaminess Jessa felt. Her entire being was focused solely on being closer to Eli. The air hummed around them. They reached Eli’s charter boat, and he tugged one of the mooring lines, bringing the boat flush with the dock. Without a word, he helped her climb into the boat, following behind her. Jessa waited while he moved quickly around the boat, checking the lines. When he reached her again, he stopped right in front of her. “I thought you might like to see the moonrise from the harbor,” he said, his gravelly voice sending shivers over her skin.
“Oh.” The single word came out on a breath. With Eli standing inches away, she felt as if a flame lit the air around them. She gulped in a breath, attempting to marshal her thoughts and behave rationally. Yet, all she wanted was him. Now.
So, she took a step, until nothing but a whisper of air separated them. “When will the moon rise?” she asked, her voice rasping.
“In a little bit.” His voice was low and taut.
“Then maybe we have time for this,” she said as she slipped a hand boldly up his chest to curl around his neck. With only the slightest tug, his mouth came to meet hers. Their kiss was long, hot, slow and deep. Every stroke of his tongue against hers sent pleasure curling through her. She dove into the sensation, throwing herself into the kiss while she slipped her hands under his shirt. Oh yes. She needed to feel his hot skin and hard muscles under her palms. With a low growl, his lips traveled down her neck in a heated path, licking and nipping. He tugged her against him, his palm cupping her bottom. She moaned at the feel of his hard shaft against her. His knee slipped between her thighs sending a sharp spike of pleasure through her.
With one hand holding her firmly against him, he brought the other between them, tugging her scoop-neck shirt down roughly and flicking the clasp between her breasts. Her breath came out in a sharp cry when he leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth—his touch rough, hot and wet. He alternated between her breasts, swirling his tongue around, nipping lightly and generally making her wild with need. Her hips rolled of their own accord against his knee, hot, sweet spikes of pleasure with every subtle motion. She was so wet, she could hardly bear it.
A gust of wind came off the water, just cold enough to nudge her awareness. For a second, she realized where they were—on Eli’s boat in the harbor, likely in view of anyone who happened to be nearby if they cared to look. She was so turned on, so driven with need, she just didn’t care. She tugged at his jeans, swiftly unbuttoning his fly and sliding her hand in to stroke the length of his cock. He groaned against her skin and lifted his head.
“Turn around,” he said.
She responded automatically to his gruff command and turned. His palms slid down her sides to caress the curve of her hips. She wore leggings paired with a flowing cotton shirt. Her nipples tightened in the cool air, exposed as they were with the neck of her shirt stretched below them. Eli hooked his thumbs over the waistband of her leggings and dragged them over her hips. He drew a finger along the line of her thong panties, sliding across the silk and down between her thighs. She was wet, so wet.
He stroked back and forth over the silk. Her channel throbbed. She was so close to the edge, she almost came right then and there, but he pulled his hand away. She gripped the boat railing in front of her when her knees started to give out. She heard the rustle of clothing and the tear of foil before Eli stroked his finger over the silk between her thighs again, this time pushing it out of the way and delving into her slick folds. He slid one finger into her channel and then another. She arched into his touch, driving her hips back into his hand, soft pants falling from her lips. She cried out when he drew his fingers away, but then she felt the head of his cock at her entrance. He dragged it back and forth, pushing her to the delicious edge of madness. The pressure built and built within, her cha
nnel starting to convulse as she thundered closer and closer to tumbling over.
In one swift surge, he seated himself deeply inside of her. She cried out and arched her back, trying to bring him deeper and deeper into her. He held still, sliding his palm down her spine, anchoring her hips in place as he started a cycle of slow strokes.
Eli looked down at the sight of Jessa’s luscious bottom. Her breath came in pants and gasps, low cries breaking through. He could barely hold on through the lust thundering through him. Again and again, he surged into her creamy, hot clench. Her channel throbbed around him. He reached a hand around and slipped it under the silk to circle over her clit. Her body stiffened, her channel tightening around his cock in pulses. She cried out, her head falling forward, and he finally let go. His own release crashed over him, so rough and raw, it rocked him to his core.
As he shuddered into her, he gripped her hip tightly. When his release ebbed, he gulped in air and slowly eased his grip on her. Her hands were curled over the boat railing, her channel still reverberating around him. He slowly straightened and drew back. Only then did it sink in for him of where they were. It wasn’t that he didn’t factually know they were on his charter boat in the harbor. It was that he’d been so overtaken by his need to be close to Jessa—a need that went far beyond purely physical—he’d forgotten they were in public view of anyone nearby.
He quickly removed his condom and turned to toss it in a small trash bin they kept on the boat for clean up. He’d never considered the kind of clean up he was doing now. He yanked his clothes into place and buttoned his jeans, while Jessa slowly straightened and tugged her leggings back up. When she turned around, her breasts were still exposed, and he itched to touch her again. She quickly pulled her bra and shirt into place. A flush crested her cheekbones when she looked up at him. The light was almost gone now, but her silvery-gray eyes shone through. She ran her fingers through her hair.