by Tess Oliver
"Who? Russell?" Kathryn asked, knowing full well who Fran meant.
"Oh please." Fran laughed. "I have to remind him to 'put a shirt on'. Anyhow, I need to get to the office." She headed to the door and looked back at all of us, but her final gaze landed on me. "It's nice to see a little life in that old park, don't you think?"
"Yes it is," I agreed.
Chapter Nineteen
Fynn
I shoved the key in the lock and Boone trotted right past to his bowl of food. I peeked over my shoulder at Ella, who stood behind me with wide blue eyes and just enough shine on her lips to make my mind go straight to kissing.
I put my hand up to stop her from stepping inside. "Just one second while I scoop up dirty clothes and throw away food wrappers."
I dashed into the room, leaving my visitor standing in the narrow pathway of the motel. Boone lifted his head, casually munching on kibble, as I flew around scooping up dirty clothes. I quickly realized I had no place to drop the laundry, so I opened the closet and threw the dirty in with the clean. I crumbled up the greasy burger wrappers and food bags and shoved them into the tiny trashcan under the table.
I looked around and realized it was such a shabby room, the dirty clothes and food wrappers had almost added style to it. I went back to the door and swung it open. "Hello."
"Hello," she said with a laugh. "I hope you didn't go through too much trouble on my account."
"Funny girl." I motioned her inside.
Ella stood in the center of the room and her eyes swept around. "I love what you've done with the place."
"My decorator did an awesome job. I've got to take a quick shower, so make yourself comfortable in my posh palace. And by comfortable, I mean removing any articles of clothing you'd like."
"Oh my, well, I suppose it is a little warm in here." She winked at me.
"I will be right out."
I walked into the bathroom and got undressed. My cock was already at full attention with just the light, suggestive flirting. I stepped into the shower. The day's sweat and dirt was clinging to every inch of my skin, and the water felt good on my back. I lathered up and scrubbed shampoo into my hair.
My eyes were closed as the rings on the shower curtain scraped along the metal bar, and a breeze drifted into the shower.
I opened my eyes and wondered for a second if I was just dreaming it.
Ella held her arms out to the sides. She was naked and fucking stunning, from her rounded breasts down to the small triangle of hair on her pussy.
"I decided to make myself really comfortable."
"Holy hell," I muttered as I grabbed her hand. She stepped into the shower and into my arms. My mouth covered hers as I pushed her back up against the shower wall. "Where have you been all my life, Starshine?"
Her soft palms slid over my back as I cupped her ass in my hands. "Sorry, Ella, I've been thinking about this too long. I need you right fucking now."
"No complaints here," she said breathlessly between kisses. "Do you have any protection?"
It took me a second to clear the heated fog from my head and comprehend the question. I released her. "Stay right there and don't move."
I shoved back the curtain and leaned out of the shower. I grabbed the travel bag that held my bathroom stuff and rummaged around for a condom. I threw shit everywhere in frustration until my finger finally dragged across the foil package. I leaned back into the shower holding the condom up in victory.
I put the damn thing on in record time and wrapped my arms around her again. "Now, where the fuck were we?" I reached down and cupped her ass, then lifted her up against the wall. Her long legs wrapped around me and her pussy rubbed along the tip of my cock. "Oh yeah, right fucking there."
My mouth pressed over hers and she moaned softly as I pushed my cock inside of her. She clung to my neck, while I braced her against the wall and pumped into her. Her erotic sighs echoed off the tile making my cock as hard as steel.
"Fuck, Ella, what the hell have you done to me? I've been wanting you so badly, I'm ready to come."
"Tell me more," she said softly against my lips. "Tell me how badly you want me."
I took hold of her arms and pinned them up against the wall above her. I could see her face and her breasts as I slowed my pace and ground into her in long sweeping thrusts. "After I left you last night, I couldn't stop thinking about you." I shoved deeper inside of her. "With your scent still on me, my cock wouldn't rest. I was hard all fucking night."
Her long legs tightened around me, and she arched her back to meet my thrusts. "Fynn," she cried out as her body trembled in my grasp, and her pussy writhed against me. My release came right along with hers. My thighs, tired from the days of work, vibrated with fatigue as I rocked inside of her feeling the last bits of orgasm fade from my body. The grand finale came when she opened those big blue eyes and gazed at me. The blush of sex and the hot steam in the shower had made her cheeks pink, which made the blue of her eyes stand out like sapphires. She was as sweet as she was sexy, the perfect mix of innocent and sultry.
I lowered her arms around my neck, and she dropped her feet to the ground. The hot steam had begun to turn to cold condensation on the shower walls. I reached back and turned off the water.
"Best damn shower of my life." I took her face in my hands and kissed her.
Chapter Twenty
Ella
Boone had spent the entire meal with his paws on my thigh. I didn't mind at all. I snuck him another piece of my submarine sandwich and patted him on the head.
"You do realize that if you keep giving him food, I'm going to have to sleep with all the windows open."
I patted Boone's soft head again. "You heard him, cutie pie. No more. It's not good for you." The dog seemed to understand that his mooch session had officially ended, and he reluctantly dropped his paws back to the ground and trotted over to the round dog pillow in the corner.
"I'll have to walk him after we eat."
"Fun, I haven't walked a dog in years."
"Really?" Fynn dropped the last edge of his sandwich on the paper and folded it up. "You never had a dog?"
"We did have a very cool dog. His name was Major. He was tall and long, and he considered it his duty to keep the yard free of pigeons and squirrels. He died about five years ago. It was really hard on all of us because Major was mostly Ethan's dog. He'd follow Ethan wherever he went. Even if Ethan was on a skateboard or bike, Major would lope along next to him. That dog was beyond despair after Ethan died. Major kept waiting for him to come home. He finally reattached himself to my dad. My dad acted all huffy like it was a big bother having a clumsy, giant dog follow him around, but I knew, deep down, he was thrilled to have Major near him. We were all so sad to lose him that we decided not to get another dog. But there are many times when I think I would love to have a dog again. They add so much to the quality of life."
"I agree. Major sounds pretty irreplaceable. Just like Boone."
Fynn reached across the table and took hold of my hand. His thumb stroked my palm, immediately stirring both a physical and emotional reaction. The passionate moments in the shower had me reeling with the idea that I wasn't just falling for Fynn. I was there. I was flat out crazy about him. The thought of him leaving town now didn't just depress me, it made me nearly sick.
I forced a smile to hide my worry, but Fynn, who had an uncanny ability to read me, saw right through it.
"Hey, Starshine, whatever it is that has made those blue eyes look so sad, know this, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. And if I'm being honest with myself, which is sometimes rare, I can't picture ever driving away from Butterfield without you at my side. I've never met anyone like you. You're a once in a lifetime kind of woman."
I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around him. My throat was too tight to speak as I rested my head against his shoulder.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ella
In my drowsy state, I heard Fynn climb out of bed and ope
n a window. I lifted my arms above the sheet and stretched with a yawn. "I guess I should head home. I have to open tomorrow."
The mattress creaked as Fynn climbed back on the bed. His arm went across my waist, and he pulled me under him. "I've got a better plan." He started a trail of kisses along my neck and down to the hollow on my throat. He peered up at me from under dark lashes. "How about you spend the night and we fuck all night long. Starting right now."
"But I'm supposed to be watching the . . ." My words drifted off as his mouth covered my breast. I arched my back to push my nipple against the pressure of his tongue. His hand slid down over my belly and between my legs.
"Oh, Fynn," I breathed as his fingers slid between the folds of my pussy.
Long, thick fingers impaled me as his tongue lathed over my nipples. His mouth traveled over my stomach, leaving a hot stream of kisses on my skin as he moved closer to my pussy.
"This night is not over until I have tasted every inch of you." He knelt between my legs and spread my thighs wide. I placed my feet on the bed and let my legs drop farther.
"Fuck yeah, that works." His deep guttural voice sent a shiver through me, and I clutched at the bed sheets.
Fynn dropped down to his stomach, and his beard tickled my inner thigh as he moved his mouth along my bare skin. His mouth warmed my pussy as his tongue caressed my clit and he impaled me with his finger. It seemed the man knew how to do everything. He quickly made my pussy the center of my entire physical being. Nothing else existed except the hot, tingling apex between my legs. I squeezed my thighs against his head, and I lifted my bottom to absorb every touch, every kiss, every lick.
Fynn's large, strong hands scooped beneath my ass, and he held me up to his mouth. My body hurtled toward an orgasm. I reached down and tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him firmly against me and all the while rocking against the pressure of his mouth.
"Oh, Fynn!" My body trembled as the intense waves, which started as surges of energy in my pussy, rolled through me. I had barely caught my breath before Fynn had pulled on a condom and covered me with his long, hard body.
The heat and tender ache were revived as he pushed into me. The last edges of the orgasm surged again, and I gripped his arms as he pounded his cock into me. Each thrust renewed the sweet throbbing in my pussy. I moaned in pleasure, reveling in the power and strength of his muscular body as he gripped me and thrust into me again and again.
The deep groan in his throat filled me with that satisfying sense that I gave him as much pleasure as he gave me. It made my chest heavy with the notion that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I couldn't remember ever feeling that way about anyone. The overwhelming thought of it made tears burn my eyes.
His body went rigid and then shuddered with release. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close to me as he rested his head down against my chest. My fingers combed through his hair as I held him. I wondered if he could feel just how erratic he'd made my heartbeat. Not just from the sex but from the realization that I had fallen in love. I had dated boys and I'd fallen 'in crush' with a few guys. But the thought of them walking away had never left me feeling desolate, as if it would be impossible to lose that person. But that was how I felt when I thought about Fynn leaving. I was sure Butterfield could not hold his interest for long, and I was equally sure it would be impossibly hard for me to leave town. I was part of a place, a story, and I feared it would fall apart if I left. My parents, who had already suffered the worst life had to offer, would be devastated. How on earth could this end without me being ripped apart one way or another?
Fynn lifted his head to look at me. His grin quickly faded. The dark gold of his eyes was far more intense in the dimly lit room, especially as his expression turned to worry. He reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen from the corner of my eye.
"Ella, are you all right?" His deep, caring voice touched me at my core.
I nodded without lifting my head from the pillow and hugged him. "How could I not be with you in my arms?"
Chapter Twenty-Two
Fynn
I had gotten to the park so early the sun was barely opening its big yellow eye. After I'd dropped Ella off at her house, I drove around the sleepy town several times, looking at the fountain as it glowed white in the moonlight. I drove past the peaceful little cemetery that looked almost picturesque enough for a postcard, at least with the crumbling gray town as a backdrop. And mostly, as I drove along the narrow streets and past the quiet shops, I thought about Ella. She had never been in the equation. She was an unknown, unexpected quantity that had changed everything. I'd expected to drive through Butterfield and get a good look at the place and the people. No more than that. I just needed to see it, the town that had spent a lot of time in my thoughts and had provided me with enough anger to fill a lifetime. The town looked nothing like I'd expected. I was sure I would meet up with a place filled with sharp, crisp businesses run by self-important, willful people, but I had been so wrong. It seemed in my desire to peg the people of Butterfield as ignorant and harsh, I had, myself, become ignorant and harsh. Then Ella came into the picture. She added a face to the story, she added that layer of emotion to the story that had changed my perspective on everything. Ella changed everything.
Birds were just starting to leave their nighttime perches, providing plenty of entertainment for Boone as he hopped around like a big shot chasing them off. I put my guitar down on the top step of the pavilion to answer my phone.
"Hey, Mom, everything all right?"
"Yes, Fynn, I'm sorry to call you so early but I thought you'd want to know that we had to put Milly down last night. One minute she was standing in the pasture with the other horses, and the next she was writhing in pain on the ground. The doctor says he thinks it was some kind of internal bleeding."
"Shit, how is Grandpa doing?" Grandpa had had Milly since she was a foal, a good thirty years. She was one of those horses you could always count on. She taught me how to ride, and I'd put a lot of miles on her.
"He's pretty shaken because it was so sudden. It doesn't help that he has a slight cold. I fixed him up some of my tonic, so he should be fine in a day or two."
"By tonic, do you mean that disgusting swill you mix up with vinegar and horseradish?"
"Hey, that kept you from many trips to the doctor."
"No, I didn't go to the doctor because I avoided getting sick just so I wouldn't have to drink that stuff."
"See, then it worked."
"Tell Grandpa I'm thinking about him and I'll miss Milly as much as him." The sprinklers popped up behind me. Richard and his brother had managed to not only get them all working, but they'd installed a new timer. It seemed they'd done everything right. It only remained to be seen whether or not the grass would return.
"Where are you at, Fynn? I hear sprinklers or something."
Boone came trotting up looking more than a little upset about the sudden downpour. He stood on the bottom step and shook off the water. "Boone and I are sitting in a park."
"Where at?"
I paused and considered lying, but Mom was great at detecting those. "I'm still in Butterfield."
She blew out a puff of air to show her disappointment. "Oh, Fynn, why are you still there? You aren't causing any trouble, are you?"
"Mom, I'm not sixteen anymore. Actually, I'm helping them clean up their park."
"Why on earth would you do that?"
"I don't know. But believe it or not, it's helping." I avoided bringing up Ella because it would have meant a thirty minute question and answer session that I wasn't in the mood for. "Take care, Mom, and I'll call you later to see how Grandpa is doing."
"O.K., sweetie. I'll talk to you soon."
I pushed the phone back into my pocket and stared straight up at the wrought iron dome over my head. I had cleared out the weeds, but some of the wood needed replacing and the iron needed sanding and a protective coat of paint. I needed to wait for the hardware store to open.
&
nbsp; As I picked up my guitar, the person I'd been waiting for turned the corner on her cute, little bicycle. The sight of her reminded me of a song. I began strumming, hoping she'd stop by the park before disappearing into the store.
My plan worked. The guitar strings beckoned her across the street and toward the pavilion. She climbed off the bike and pushed down the kickstand. She was wearing shorts and a tight red tank shirt. She had tied her silky, dark hair up with a red bandana to match her shirt. Her smooth, sun-kissed shoulders made me wish we were back in my bed so I could kiss every inch of her.
Her smile was more coy than usual, which I could only assume was a result of our night in the motel room.
I finished with a loud strum on the strings and put my guitar aside.
"What song was that? I don't recognize it."
"That song is called, 'Good Morning Starshine'."
She laughed assuming I was kidding.
"No really." I hopped up and took hold of her hands and kissed her. "Do you mean to tell me you have never seen the musical Hair? You poor, neglected kid."
She leaned instantly into my arms, and I realized that I was getting used to it, to having her press herself into my arms without thought or hesitation. Her blue eyes sparkled in the early morning sun, and I thought back to the night before when those same jewel eyes were glazed with the heat of passion. She stirred every inch of me with those eyes.
"I'm having a hard time picturing you sitting through a musical."
"I never saw it on stage, a little before my time. In fact, the movie was made somewhere just between the dawn of time and my parents' dating years." Holding Ella somehow always brought out pieces of light from the past. I found myself wanting to tell her everything I'd ever felt and experienced, holding back only the darker stuff, the shit that would complicate this thing we'd started.