Snapdragon Way (Firefly Hollow Book 8)

by T. L. Haddix

  Knowing that she was venturing into new territory, he felt a wave of nerves. What if he didn’t make this good for her? What if the whole thing flopped?

  “I should probably make the bed,” she said as they went into the bedroom. “Shouldn’t I?”

  Eli kissed her temple. “If you like. I’ll help.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear and sent him a self-deprecating smile as she got a set of neatly folded sheets from a box on the chair beside the bed. “I’ve not done anything like this before, so I don’t know exactly what to do.”

  He took the sheets from her hands and tossed them on the bed, then clasped her shoulders and turned her toward him. “What do you want to do? What are you comfortable doing? There aren’t any right or wrong answers here, Haley. If you want to make the bed, we’ll make it. If not, that’s fine, too. If you want to sit down and play a few rounds of poker, grab the cards.”

  She smiled, shaking her head at him, and shrugged. “I’d like to make it.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  He teased her the whole time they were spreading the linens out, pulling the fitted sheet around the corners of the mattress, and laying the quilt down on top for a bedspread. By the time they pulled the pillows out of the garbage bags she’d stowed them in for the move, she was laughing and swatting at him.

  Eli backed her into the edge of the mattress, then followed her down when she tumbled onto it with a shriek. He let his weight pin her gently to the bed, resting most of it on his arms, which were braced on either side of her head.

  When her legs tangled with his as she laughed up at him, a sharp pang of regret went through his chest. Haley must have seen the flicker of emotion because she frowned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He felt ridiculous, but he shrugged. “I forgot, for just an instant, that I don’t have two good legs. That’s all. It’s nothing.”

  Her hands smoothed over his shoulders in slow circles. “It’s not nothing. Does it bother you? Being like this with me and having the prosthesis?”

  “Maybe a little,” he admitted. He shifted his weight to the side, propping himself up on a bent elbow and sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that. I mean, we’ve slept together—literally—and I was okay with it. I’m not sure why this is different.”

  She rose up and kissed him, touching his cheek with her hand. “There you go again, apologizing for being human. When I told you last night that it doesn’t bother me, I meant it. I’ve never known you with two legs, remember. You’re just Eli to me. Not Fido’s owner.”

  That was something he’d never really thought about—that she’d only known him after the accident. “It feels like I’ve known you forever,” he said softly, sliding his hand into her hair. “Like you’ve always been here, but I hadn’t seen you before. Which I guess to be literal, you have. We did grow up in the same area. I’m not making any sense.”

  “I understand what you’re trying to say. I feel the same way.”

  Eli kissed her. Lying side by side, he was able to bring her leg up over his hip, pulling her in closer so that she rested against him. Before long, his body was crying out for deeper contact, and he slipped a hand up under her sweater. The feel of the silky smooth skin of her back against his palm sent an actual shiver down his spine, straight to his groin.

  Given the way she arched into his touch, the way she scrambled to get his shirt out from his waistband so she could touch him, he figured she approved.

  When she lightly raked her nails across the skin of his lower back, he was lost. He rolled her onto her back, kissing her fiercely as he settled his hips against hers with a hard surge. Haley’s legs wrapped around him as she gave a low cry, pulling him in tighter, and this time, the damned prosthesis was the very last thing on his mind.

  “I’d give everything I own to be inside you right now,” he growled. He pulled back to stare down at her, feeling feverish he was so turned on. And he hadn’t even seen her naked or touched her breasts. God help him when he did.

  “That’s an awfully high price,” she gasped as she lifted his shirt.

  Eli let her slide it over his head, and he tossed it to the side of the bed. “It’d be worth it.”

  She splayed her hands out across his chest with a whimper. “Oh, dear God, yes, it would be. You’re so damned beautiful.”

  Despite the fact that he was hard as a rock and nearly ready to come apart, Eli laughed. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

  But Haley wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was struggling to get her sweater off.

  As much as it pained him to move away from her, Eli lifted up so she could maneuver. The sight of the white and pink polka dotted bra with the lacy pink bow in front that cupped her breasts nearly undid him. It was so utterly feminine and delicate, it melted his heart. And at the same time, it was the sexiest damned bra he’d ever seen in his life.

  That said, he couldn’t wait to get it off of her, and he set out to remove it with all due haste.

  When he lifted the fabric away from her, she covered her breasts. “This is scary.”

  Eli nodded, solemn. “I know.”

  Slowly, she moved her arm, revealing herself to him.

  Cautiously, he slid his hand up her ribcage, letting it rest under her right breast as he met her eyes. “You are absolutely and utterly beautiful,” he whispered as he cupped her fully. The soft, heavy weight of her, the tightness of her nipple as it budded against his palm, was too much of a temptation. Before he could let himself think, he bent his head and nuzzled her breast.

  When his mouth closed over her nipple and sucked, gently at first but then harder, she cried out, her hips lifting off the bed.

  “Eli…,”

  He turned his attention to her left breast, giving her a tiny nip on the soft undercurve. When he pulled back, he sat on his haunches between her legs, running his hands down her flat belly to the waistband of her jeans. He let his fingers trace the skin behind that waistband, his touch a bare, teasing whisper on her flesh.

  “Off?” he asked.

  She nodded, her eyes warm and slumberous as she watched him. Her arms were out to her sides, hands clenching in the fabric of the quilt, and she didn’t try to cover herself.

  He stripped her naked, his hands making the process a long caress from her hips to her feet. The space between her legs drew his eyes like a magnet and then his hands. When he placed them on her bare hips, she jerked, then moved into his touch.

  “Please,” she whispered. “I don’t know what… I need… Please.”

  Eli didn’t realize he was moving until he felt himself unzip his own pants. When he looked down, he saw that he’d undone the belt and button, and was in the process of stripping them off. Breathing as though he’d run a race up to the top of the mountain and back, he closed his eyes.

  “You said you weren’t ready for more than making out,” he rasped. He opened his eyes to look at her. “I don’t know if I can keep to that if I touch you again. I might end up begging and pleading here.”

  Haley bit her lip and rubbed her legs together, an arm coming up to cover her breasts. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  “Neither do I,” he admitted. Talk about an oversight. “Are you on anything?”

  She nodded. “I went in after you were discharged and started the shot. Not that I was expecting…” She groaned and covered her face. “This is embarrassing.”

  Eli laughed raggedly and carefully lowered himself to cover her. He hoped that wouldn’t be an idea that came back to bite him in the ass. But the contact of her skin against his was so poignant and potent he very much feared it was.

  “Haley, I adore you. Regardless of what happens next, I adore you.” He kissed her forehead, then rested his face against hers.

&nbs
p; “Yeah?” she whispered, smiling. “I happen to adore you right back.”

  As aroused as he was, the wave of tenderness and scarily deep affection that engulfed him then eclipsed anything else he was feeling at that moment. With a sigh of regret, he slid to the side and rested his head on his arm as he looked at her.

  “I don’t want to rush into things with you. As much as I want to be intimate with you, to love you, I want to get things right.”

  Haley pulled the quilt up and covered her nudity, then curled into him. She traced the line of the chain that his dog tags hung on as it came around his neck. “Versus the last time?”

  He nodded. “I screwed up so badly then. And I don’t even remotely think you’re like her, or that what we have is like what I had with her. It’s so far beyond that, I can’t put it into words. But I’m afraid if we rush, if I rush, I’ll mess us up.”

  This time, she was the one who cupped his cheeks. “Do you have any idea how special you are?” Her tone was earnest, her eyes serious as she waited.

  He couldn’t speak a word to save his life right then, so he kissed her again, letting that contact talk for him. After a minute, he pulled back with a long sigh.

  “Are you going to take a nap?”

  She bit her lip. “I was thinking about it.”

  “Want me to stay?” He ran his hand down her arm to capture hers, kissing the back of it.

  “What about Sophie? Aren’t you two supposed to do something this evening?”

  “She’ll be fine. She’ll understand. Besides, I think she and Grandpa wanted to talk a little more.” He reached down to his hip and pulled his phone off his belt, then got his keys out of his pocket. Tossing them both onto the nightstand, he fastened his jeans back. Feeling a little less like he was about to tear his clothes off and howl at the moon, he grabbed his phone and texted Sophie, letting her know they’d have to reschedule.

  “She seems nice. She’s very pretty.” Haley tucked her head into his shoulder.

  “She is nice, and she’s having a blast teasing me about you. And she’s not going to break any mirrors, no.”

  “You two never dated?”

  Eli put the phone back on the nightstand, then turned so that they were curled into each other more closely. “No. She’s always been for Noah, and it’d be like dating Sydney. I’m not into incest,” he told her, tapping the end of her nose. He tucked the quilt around her more securely, covering himself with it, too, in the process. The result was a cocoon of sorts, a snug little nest that was deliciously intimate.

  “Shouldn’t I get some clothes on?” she asked around a yawn, her hand lazily tracing a path across his shoulder.

  “No, ma’am. Naked naps are the best kind.”

  She laughed softly. “Are they, now?”

  “Absolutely. Stick with me, kid. I’ll teach you all the fun tricks.” He threaded his fingers into her hair, stroking slowly. Instead of striving for a physical release, he was perfectly happy to experience the sheer pleasure of holding her, being with her as she drifted off to sleep.

  That was a first for Eli. Not that he’d not enjoyed the company of women through the years, including Erica’s. But there’d always been an end goal with other women that was his primary and even secondary focus if he was being honest. Sure, he wanted to reach that end goal—lovemaking—with Haley. But what they were doing now was just as important, just as intimate in its own way.

  What he felt for Haley was so much deeper than a physical attraction. It was precious somehow, and he felt extremely protective of those feelings and of her. Looking down at her now, he was reminded of a moment he’d observed between his parents when he was seven years old.

  It was close to Christmas, and he’d just gotten the cast off his arm from where it had been broken in the wreck that had nearly killed his mother. Molly was a couple of months old, Noah was ten, and it was a quiet evening the entire family spent sitting in the living room, watching TV, the decorated Christmas tree in the corner adding a cheery ambiance to the room.

  He and Noah were on the floor, sprawled on their bellies on large pillows. Their parents were on the couch, and Zanny had stretched out her injured leg. Her head was in John’s lap on a pillow, and he was rubbing her back as she dozed off.

  Eli didn’t remember what had made him turn around. Maybe Molly had cooed or gurgled or something. Regardless of what had prompted the move, when he’d turned, he’d caught his father looking down at Zanny with an expression of such raw emotion, of utter joy and so much love, it had made Eli’s belly flip-flop. It was a look he knew he wasn’t meant to see, it felt so intimate, and he’d turned back to the TV quickly, hoping he hadn’t been caught.

  But then he’d felt John’s foot on his, rubbing gently. When Eli glanced back over his shoulder, John smiled and winked at him.

  “I’m counting my blessings,” he’d said quietly.

  That was how Eli felt now, like he was counting his blessings.

  If he’d not gotten injured, he wouldn’t have come home. He wouldn’t have met Haley, wouldn’t have been able to be there for her when the Hulk keeled over. He wouldn’t have met Fred, and he wouldn’t have been on hand to help Haley get through the last few weeks. She’d be on her own, trying to find a place to live with not a lot of help from friends, no family to speak of. That wasn’t a comforting thought.

  And he hadn’t even taken into account the complete turnaround in his relationships with his family members, which was something he’d feared would never happen.

  So as much as he wished he still had his leg, if someone sat him down today and told him to choose between going back in time to prevent the wreck with no repercussions or staying where he was, he’d choose to stay, and he’d do so utterly without regret.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Noah lingered at the farmhouse for a while after most everyone else had gone. He told himself it was because he was visiting his grandparents. The fact that Sophie was there didn’t have a thing to do with his decision. Nope, not a single thing.

  And the close attention he was paying to her, that was only because he was concerned. After all, his grandfather—Owen Campbell himself—was considering hiring her to work on a genealogy project. A year-long genealogy project. What in the world was he thinking? And his grandmother, sitting there beside Owen on the glider, laughing at something Sophie had said. How could she possibly agree to this?

  Noah would have to get Sarah alone, have a talk with her. Slip in a casual warning that Sophie wasn’t to be trusted.

  Standing beside her, with only a couple of feet separating them as they leaned against the railing to chat with his grandparents, felt weird. Ever since Eli had told him about what Erica had done to Sophie, Noah’d been running the information over and over in his mind. It was a lousy thing to do to anyone, but especially to a woman who was practically a sister.

  It didn’t make Sophie any more trustworthy in his opinion, but it did make her a little more sympathetic. So he’d dialed his angst back a few notches when Eli’d told him about this visit. At the very least, that might save him from starting a fight with his brother over a woman he’d long since written off.

  When she grimaced and shifted for the third time in as many minutes, Noah frowned. “You okay?”

  She glanced at him and nodded. “I’m fine. I slept wrong last night, kinked up my hip. It’s nothing.”

  The frown turned to a scowl. “How’d you manage that?”

  “Well, the wild orgy didn’t help,” she said, lifting her chin. Her arms, which had been by her sides, crossed loosely over her chest as she narrowed her eyes. “I think it was the threesome with the acrobats that really put the kink in. It was worth it, though.”

  When Sarah and Owen laughed outright, Sophie’s eyes flared slightly, and a tiny hint of pink filled her cheeks.


  Noah smirked. She’d done it now. His grandfather might find the remark amusing, but no way would he hire someone who had orgies and bragged about them.

  Owen’s words, though, dispelled that notion. “Sophie, I’ll give you a fifteen percent bonus if you sign on right now.” He grinned up at her as Sarah chuckled. “It’d be worth it to watch the two of you butt heads.”

  “Grandpa!” Noah was stunned. “Have you lost your mind?”

  Instead of being offended, Noah’s words increased Owen’s amusement.

  Sophie took two steps and held her hand out. “I accept. I can’t pass up the opportunity.” She sent Noah a very satisfied look. “I need to stretch my legs before my muscles decide to completely seize up on me. Do you mind if I walk around the meadow?”

  Sarah waved her hand. “Sweetie, you walk wherever you want. Do you need anything?”

  “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Noah said as he straightened away from the railing. “Someone in this family needs to keep an eye on you.”

  “Oh, yes, because I’m such a dangerous threat to hearth and home,” she said. She headed down the steps without waiting for him, not so much as looking back to see if he was following.

  Scowling and silently cursing her the whole way, he jogged after her.

  “So what’d you really do to the hip?”

  “I told you. I slept wrong. It happens from time to time, especially if I’ve been cooped up in a car or on a plane for a while. It’s been that way since the wreck—my own personal reminder.”

  Noah paused for a split second, not even long enough that Sophie would have noticed.

  “I didn’t know you were hurt that badly.”

  “So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked, ignoring his statement. “I’m assuming you didn’t come with me because you wanted to spend time in my company.” They’d reached the barn, thanks to her fast pace, and she headed around the side, moving toward the back.