"Shit, Lynn. You have to stop. I need you," he whispered roughly, brushing his hands in her hair.
Ignoring every word, she continued to build his desire to a burning need. She had never done anything of this sort on any man. Not even Trent. The power she had over him, urged her to take him deeper as he kept pace. Her path of kisses paled in comparison to this. She knew it without even asking. He told her with every movement, every groan, every small tug on her hair.
"Please, Lynn, I'm so close, but I want to be inside you," he murmured in between heavy breaths.
Suddenly, she needed that as well. She sucked hard on his tip before releasing him completely. "Did you like that?"
"Don't ask silly questions, sweetheart. My turn." He started to sit up when she put a hand on his chest.
"Nope." Another gentle push and he laid back down. She reached over to her nightstand and pulled a condom out.
Every time a tiny groan left his mouth, she couldn’t help but tease him. Sheathing him became a slow torture that mirrored in his eyes whenever he glanced at her. God, she loved that sound he made. That yearning look he gave her.
Before he could do anything, like flip her onto her back and take over, she cradled her body over the top of him and gently slid down onto his hard erection.
"Much better." He smiled as he pulled her closer to his lips.
The kiss deepened as she started to move with him. But this was her show. She slid her tongue out, tugging on his lips before sitting back up. Her body rocked to each movement he made, riding him like a cowboy would ride a bull. Every tingle that hit her body zapped her energy to a faster pace. This control, the one who made the decisions on how she would move next, acted like an aphrodisiac.
When the tingles started to increase into zings, she increased the pace further, until the zings turned into explosions. He shuddered beneath her as she rode the waves of ecstasy. She collapsed onto his chest when her body shifted into jelly and she couldn't hold herself up anymore.
He kissed her cheek, breathing deeply. "I like you on top. I loved watching you move like that, your face so full of delight. You're so damn beautiful."
"I have to say, I liked it, too." No energy was left anywhere in her body. Not even to lift her head and kiss him soundly on the lips.
"My turn now," he whispered.
"You're hurt."
"I told you I'd keep you up all night, and that's what I'm going to do. Your touch healed me. It was perfect."
He hit the mark with that one.
Perfect.
And it was. All so perfect. Except for the part where her eyes suddenly shifted to the closet. Why didn't she tell him? His loving touch erased Trent from her mind while they were in the moment. But lying like this, he drifted right back in like gentle waves on a beach. She wouldn’t be completely free to love Elliot until she told him.
Soon. If she didn't chicken out again.
Chapter 15
Elliot slid into the booth, his face expressionless as he eyed Councilman Jerome Jenkins across from him.
"It's Christmas Eve, Chief, and we're meeting at a diner in Mason. Why? I'd like to be at home with my family," Jerome said with a slice of irritation.
"Me too, Councilman. You know what else I'd like? I would like for your daughter Marybeth to leave me and my girlfriend alone. Normally I would never come to you about something like this, but Marybeth crossed the line."
Before Jerome could respond, the waitress approached their booth. Elliot smiled at Tara as she glanced between the two with a friendly smile. "Good morning, Tara. I'll have a cup of that delicious coffee of yours, and so will my friend."
"Good morning, Elliot. How's Lynn? She told me she's having you and your father over today."
"She's bustling around the kitchen getting everything prepared. She wants everything to be perfect, even though it will be with little effort on her part," Elliot said with a sincere smile.
"I've never seen her happier. And you're right, she works herself to the bone too much. Two coffees, coming right up." Tara smiled brightly, although, eyed Jerome with a leery look before she walked away.
Elliot closed his lips tightly to keep the laughter in. Tara obviously had a good sense of people, and she sensed Jerome as a possible threat.
"So, please, tell me what my daughter could have possibly done. Acting a little childish, aren't we, Chief?" Jerome leaned back, folding his hands on the table, the irritation becoming stronger.
"I've tried to be polite. I've tried to tell her nicely that whatever she thinks there is between us, there isn't. She tried to accuse Lynn of assaulting her. It's against the law to report a crime that didn't actually happen."
"I know the law," Jerome grounded out as he pursed his lips.
Elliot cleared his throat, offering Tara a smile as she came back to their table with two steaming cups of coffee. "Thank you so much, Tara. And merry Christmas."
"You're very welcome, Elliot. And merry Christmas. You tell Lynn, and that beautiful daughter of hers, that I said it as well." Tara gave a guarded smile to Jerome as she walked away.
Elliot looked back at Jerome, who still had his lips pressed together, the impatience buzzing around. Enough of this. So he didn't like what he had to say about his daughter. Well, tough. The truth hurt sometimes.
"Yesterday she threatened to ruin my relationship with Lynn by spreading lies. Who is the child?"
Elliot took a sip of coffee. He knew Jerome wouldn't say another thing until he finished everything he had to say.
"She showed up at Lynn's house, unannounced. I'd like to know where she got that information. If I really want to dig and find out, I could. But I won't if she leaves us alone. Here's the deal, Councilman. You make sure that your daughter never bothers me or Lynn again. Because if she does, I'll be helping Lynn to file a restraining order for harassment. I will even go as far as meeting with Chief Brown here in Mason and file harassment charges. We both know the fallout of either of those things happening wouldn't look good on Marybeth…or you."
Elliot gripped his coffee cup harder. "We've always been friendly, cordial, and I've always respected you. That's why I'm coming to you, as a courtesy. I know trying to talk to Marybeth that she won't listen to anything I have to say."
"She's always been someone who wants what she wants," Jerome said flippantly.
"Yeah, well, she's not getting her way this time. I know what I want, and that's Lynn."
"She won't bother either of you again. I'll talk to her." Jerome finally took a drink from the cup in front of him. "It's too bad you don't see her differently. Our families have always been close."
Elliot tried not to roll his eyes or shift in his seat like a million disgusting bugs were crawling everywhere. Talk about a nightmare if that ever happened. And Jerome was a prejudice man. He normally didn't approve of the men Marybeth always eyed with delight. Elliot had also heard a few rumors that Jerome muttered a few irritations when Elliot nabbed the chief of police position. Jerome may be friends with his father, but that didn't mean Jerome liked him. Very strange he would want him dating his daughter.
Unless Jerome thought he'd have more control over him if he married Marybeth. Damn! Was everything that happened because of Marybeth or her father? She always did what the man told her to.
Nothing he'd worry about now. He'd make both their lives hell if they didn't leave him and Lynn alone.
Jerome stood up, pulled out his wallet and threw a twenty on the table. "I think we're done here." He grabbed his jacket from the seat, sliding it on with ease. "Merry Christmas, Chief. Don’t call me again."
"Merry Christmas. I don't plan on it." Elliot took another drink of his coffee as Jerome walked away.
A large breath escaped as he took another sip of coffee. Dreadful conversation completed. He couldn't say he disliked Jerome, but he also wasn't his favorite person. He could be condescending with no remorse whatsoever. He could also be your best friend—when he really wanted something. He had come t
o Elliot many times to sway him into doing things a certain way. Elliot listened like he cared, but did his job the way he wanted to.
Yeah, it wasn't so far off to think Jerome wanted Marybeth to get him in her clutches. He definitely dodged a bullet there.
Elliot finished his coffee, threw another twenty next to Jerome's, waved a quick goodbye to Tara, and headed to his truck.
When he walked back into Lynn's house, he found her in the kitchen. He leaned against the wall, watching as she swayed back and forth in front of the stove while she listened to Christmas music. This would never get old. She looked happy, carefree, and the most beautiful woman he had ever met, even covered in the stains she created on her apron from all the baking and cooking she had been doing the entire morning.
Lynn turned around, screaming a little when she saw him staring at her. "You shouldn't surprise me like that. Or look at me like that."
He stood up, taking a step into the kitchen. "Like what?"
She backed up with a sweet smile. "Like you want to devour me."
"Maybe I do." He snagged a hand around her waist before she could escape him. Then he kissed her. "You're working too hard. Why don’t you take a break?"
"Perhaps you should rest. You were shot yesterday."
He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the smell of cinnamon that lingered on her. "We talked about this. Grazed, not shot."
"How did it go? What took you so long?"
"I think Marybeth's smart enough to listen to her father." No need to tell her about his suspicions about the real reason Marybeth acted the way she did. Lynn didn't need any more worry in her life.
Because she was still worrying about something. She handed him five hundred dollars this morning without one argument from him. He refused to see her cry again. Those tears last night had been his fault. He certainly didn't want her to force out of him what her car really cost. It hadn't been anywhere near five hundred dollars. His little secret he didn't mind keeping. He did, however, want to know the secret she seemed to be hiding.
"I stopped at the store afterwards."
"For what?"
He kissed her again, taking his time to savor her sweet lips. She tasted like chocolate. He knew why, too. She kept a bag of chocolate next to her as she worked, popping a piece in every so often. She told him, when he asked right before he left, that it helped her concentrate while she baked. He couldn't help but smile when she said that. He took a nibble of her lip before he pulled away.
"Not telling. It's a surprise. Sort of how you wouldn't tell me last night what you bought from a certain aisle." He winked at her as he let her go and walked toward the fridge.
"You stopped at Wacky Wowza's and bought…things?" Lynn asked as her eyes frantically looked at the doorway as if Laura was about to magically appear.
He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked over to the counter where his prescription sat. "I'm not telling. You'll have to wait and see."
"Fine." She turned around to the stove. "Leave the kitchen so I can have everything ready before your dad and Gabby arrive."
"I wish you'd take a break with me. You really are working too hard. Let's play a game with Laura."
He walked over by the stove, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He lowered his lips to her ear, kissing, nibbling, and teasing her. "Please take a break."
"I'm trying to make some gravy for the mashed potatoes." She moved her head to the side to give him better access.
Oh, to have the house alone again. The things he would do to her right here in the kitchen.
"The gravy can wait. Laura and I can't." He trailed a few kisses down her neck, then slowly peppered soft kisses back to her ear. "Laura wanted me to teach her some card games when I got back. Play with us."
She released a soft moan when he rubbed a hand over her breast, caressing her nipple with a teasing delight. "You better stop, Elliot. If Laura walks in…"
"She'll see me holding you, helping to stir the gravy," he whispered. He kissed her neck one more time before stepping away. He grabbed her hand and turned the burner off. "You'll have fun, I promise."
"I'm sure I will. You have yet to disappoint me."
"And I hope I never do."
Except about the present. Disappointment could very well swoop in and have her shoving the door in his face.
***
Lynn waited on the top step of the church as Elliot and Father Preston talked inside the building. What could they possibly be talking about? He had excused himself when he saw Father Preston, rushing over to him with an expression she couldn't decipher. They immediately started smiling, talking, and laughing like old friends. She had no idea Elliot knew him.
Gregory and Gabby were waiting at the bottom of the steps. They were both very active in their church. Perhaps that's how Elliot knew Father Preston. She knew that Mason and Mulberry interacted quite frequently on events within each town. Or maybe his position as chief of police had him knowing quite a few people that he normally wouldn't know.
A puzzle. One that slightly bugged her. Why did it bug her? Who knew. But when Elliot finally joined them a few minutes later, she smiled as if nothing had been on her mind. And there wasn't. Not when he grabbed her hand as natural as could be, planted a sweet kiss on her lips, and tossed a tender arm around Laura.
"Let's go, my beautiful ladies," Elliot said as they started down the steps.
"That was wonderful. I haven't sung like that in ages," Gabby said, as they finally joined them. "It's such a lovely church."
"And you have a wonderful voice, my dear." Gregory kissed her cheek, then looked at Lynn. "Thank you so much for the delicious meal, Lynn. You outdid yourself. I'm not sure our meal will be as good tomorrow."
"It'll be great, I'm sure. What time should Laura and I come tomorrow?" Lynn asked, looking at Gregory, even though she stood next to Elliot holding his hand.
Why didn't she ask him? The day had been great with not one argument between them, but she still hadn't told him about the ring even when she handed him the money. That would've been the ideal time to tell him. Such a chicken!
"You're welcome anytime. I'm sure Elliot would like to spend the day with you. We can have lunch ready, not just supper." Gregory rested his head against Gabby's. "This one will be joining us for both. She wants to make lasagna for lunch. A special recipe, according to her."
"You'll love it. My kids devour it the minute it touches their plates." Gabby laughed when Gregory whispered something in her ear, slapping his arm playfully.
"Anytime you guys want to come is fine with me." Elliot looked at Lynn and Laura, the hope clearly written in his eyes that they came as early as possible.
"Aren't you spending the night, Elliot?" Laura asked, her eyes wide with eagerness.
"Umm…well…I…."
Lynn stifled a laugh at his discomfort. He was always so adorable tongue-tied.
"Because you'll miss Santa if you're not with us. Mom, he can't miss Santa." Laura tugged on Lynn's hand, the plea clear in her eyes.
Lynn glanced at Elliot, who wore a goofy grin. Gone was the embarrassment, and in swept the desire. She had no idea how to respond either. Being tongue-tied was no laughing matter. She wanted Elliot with them, but was it too soon?
"Mom, please? I want to open my presents while Elliot's there. I can't do that if he's not."
Apparently not. Not in Laura's eyes anyway. "Well, we can't have that. If Elliot wants to spend the night, then he's more than welcome to."
Elliot obviously needed no time to think about it. "I'd love to. I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Dad."
Gregory smiled, winking at Laura. "You better get an early shut-eye for Santa. I always made Elliot go to bed really early. He always woke us up really early, too."
"I can't wait for Santa! I will, Grandpa Gregory, I promise," Laura said as she ran over to him, hugging him tightly.
"That's my good girl. I have a few special presents for you under the tree at my house. I'll see y
ou tomorrow," Gregory said, picking her up as he hugged her tightly back.
Elliot, Lynn, and Laura said goodbye to Gregory and Gabby, making it home ten minutes later. Laura kissed Lynn and Elliot on the cheek, said goodnight, and rushed off to bed to begin the wait for Santa.
Lynn clasped Elliot's hand, leading the way to her room. She shut her bedroom door and walked over to her dresser to grab her nightgown. "Do you need help undressing?" She turned toward Elliot, a small twinkle in her eye.
"Are you sure you want me sleeping in your room? Laura wanted me here, but maybe doesn't expect me in this room. I can sleep on the couch." He walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"I think my daughter is smarter than we think. She really likes you and Gregory. She called him grandpa. You have no idea what that means to me." She rested her head against his chest to hide the tears that wanted to escape.
"Shit, I'm sorry about my dad. I told him not to say things like that."
"That's not what I meant. She's never had anyone to call grandpa or grandma."
He kissed the top of her head as his warm, sweet touch soaked into her skin. Tiny tingles started to heat her up for what she knew was coming.
"My dad adores her. Just be warned, there are a lot of presents waiting for Laura at our house. My dad went a little crazy."
"She deserves it."
"So do you. I can't wait to give you your present." He grabbed her face and softly kissed her. "Let's go to bed. I have a feeling we'll be woken up really, really early."
She chuckled. "You have no idea."
They quickly got ready for bed and curled into a natural embrace within ten minutes. Not once did she look at the top of her closet. If she did that, her mind would trail to a place she didn't want to go.
Elliot kissed her before saying goodnight. For the first time, he cradled her to his chest without going any further. She enjoyed this almost as much as she enjoyed the deep connection of intimacy.
She sensed the excitement in him about sharing Christmas morning with her and Laura. He came such a long way from that first day she met him in the diner. He didn't like the holiday then. Now, he seemed to almost enjoy it more than her.
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