Her stomach rumbled its need, so she shuffled into the kitchen and sliced an apple. Wes would really be better off without her and her rude, chaotic family. She popped a piece of the apple in her mouth and picked up Pete’s jacket off the floor, scanning each room as she passed it. Where was he? She wouldn’t blame him if he ran away and didn’t look back. A choice like loving her wasn’t for the weak of heart or will. Maybe she had been dreaming.
She flipped on the large hall closet light and looked for a vacant hanger.
“Feeling better?”
Eisley spun around. Wes leaned against the doorframe, thumbs hitched in the pockets of a fresh pair of jeans, his pale blue oxford bringing out the blue in his eyes. Her breath caught somewhere in the middle of such thoughts as He’s in my house and Kiss me and I’m yours forever. She pinched herself. He’s still here. She pinched one more time for good measure.
“You’re still here.”
His white teeth split his lips apart and his smoky glance skipped over her entire body, setting her skin on fire. “I thought I’d stick around”—he winked and stood taller, his gaze darkening with a step forward— “since who I came to see is right here.”
Every bone in her legs softened to jelly. Deep breaths, Eisley. And she would do just that once she remembered how. She shrugged through a whimpered laugh. “I’m glad.” She turned back to the hanger and sighed through a smile. Thank you, Jesus.
Feet shifted behind her. “Emily still taking a kip?”
“Yea, poor little thing seemed as pooped as her mom.” She adjusted the jacket on the hanger and closed her eyes as teases of his scent reached her. A deep heat began to build in her stomach.
“The boys are occupied upstairs.” Wes’s voiced edged a bit closer, words slow, almost calculated.
“You’re amazing. You brave my dad and brothers, tuck your pitiful girlfriend into bed, and entertain the boys for an hour. You’re like Superman or something.” She placed the hanger on the rod and turned in time to see him flip off the closet light.
“Superman?” The door clicked closed. “Then I think I’ve found my kryptonite, pet.”
His silhouette moved toward her, outlined by the gap of light slipping underneath the door. Her sharp intake of breath slit the darkness. Mama never told me there’d be days like this.
“Oh?” She managed a whisper.
His hands cupped her arms and slid upward to cradle her face, thumbs caressing a soft line across her cheekbones. “Separation from you.” His murmur breathed against her lips.
Mama Mia, what a man!
His mouth slowly found hers in the electrified darkness, first testing her upper lip then the lower one, like a gentle experiment between the two. He lingered, almost as if he savored the feel and touch of her as much as she did him. It was a slow, easy greeting, sweet and filled with longing. Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry.
One of his hands moved to cradle the back of her head, nudging it to the side so his mouth could roam her jawline. He inhaled her skin as his cheek smoothed against hers until he captured her lips again. His other palm caught her at the base of her spine, pinning her stomach against his. Tight.
“I’d prefer not to take such an extended holiday between our next kisses, if you don’t mind.”
Eisley cleared her throat, but her head remained foggy, and a thick English fog at that. “Wait, I don’t think I can answer any questions right now. The steam from that kiss just clouded up my brain.”
His smile stretched against her cheek and he took his time trailing his fingertips down her neck until every piece of her skin screamed with the need for more. Her hands slid around his waist, palms exploring the familiar territory of each contour of his back, strong and warm.
“Mmm…you smell like apples.” He nuzzled just below her ear, igniting liquid fire in her veins.
She swallowed a big lump of oh my goodness and closed her eyes, drowning in a myriad of senses enhanced by the darkness—the feel of his soft, cotton shirt at her fingertips and the warm smoothness of his skin underneath. The earthy, intoxicating scent of his cologne and his deep voice filled every inch of space outside and inside of her.
Eisley palmed his cheek, tiny hints of scruff tickling her hand. “Why are you here?”
“It’s fairly obvious, don’t you think?” His voice reverberated deep and close. “I’ve always wanted to snog in a closet.”
Tears scratched against her throat even as her grin spread. “No, I mean here. All the way here.”
“Because you’re here. Because everything I want is here with you. And there are so many reasons to be with you, pet. You are lovely.” He swept her hair back and kissed her temple. “Funny.” His lips moved to her cheekbone. “Honest.” Her nose. “Sincere.” His mouth hovered over hers. “Did I say lovely?”
“I come with such a big package, and I—”
The touch of his lips silenced her. “Just the way you are, Eisley.”
The knotted fear in her heart began to unbraid. Just the way she was? The truth in his words rifted the wall around her heart and all she wanted to do was show him how much he meant to her.
She took his face into her hands and captured his open mouth, pouring out her appreciation and pent-up passion. His surprised moan fueled one hand to entangle into his hair, drawing him deeper into the kiss, closer. Her other hand slid from around his neck and moved slowly across his solid chest, his skin hot beneath his thin oxford.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, a caution light started blinking, but instead of pulling away, her body melted into his, requesting more. He groaned while one of his palms brought her hips closer against him. Good heavens. What had she started? His fingertips traced a fiery line from her chin down her neck to the small hollow point between her collarbones, pooling warmth across her chest.
She mumbled words on chunks of broken air. “Are you…trained in kissing…for films too?”
He murmured something unintelligible against her neck.
“I bet…you made…an A.”
A robotic voice from a childhood movie sounded off in her brain: Warning! Warning! In rebellion against the voice, she lifted her chin to expose her neck to the beautiful sensations of his kiss.
“Eisley.” His whisper tickled her shoulder blade and moved over to the skin peeking above the V-neck of her shirt. Need and desire weighed his voice down an octave. Every nerve in her body begged for just a little more.
Four weeks? Felt more like four years.
When his hot mouth captured her collarbone and continued a steamy descent along her shirt’s neckline, her eyes flew open in surprise. “Oh, heaven help me.”
Her muscles shut down, beginning with her wobbly legs. She stumbled back to steady her limbs and pulled Wes along, but the foot she placed her faith in landed on something small, soft, and slippery.
With an unladylike squeal, a painful grunt, and a resounding crash, Eisley succeeded in landing on her back and bringing Wes—plus a couple of coats—with her.
“Why do all my romantic scenes end in a commercial break?” She pushed herself up to a sitting position. A twinge of pain shot down her back and produced a groaned laugh. “Maybe break wasn’t the best word to use.”
“Are you all right?” Wes gripped under her arms, but before she made it to a complete stand she reached down to find the leg-splitting culprit…or perhaps a providentially designed agent of rescue? The soft object felt amazingly familiar.
“Yeah.” She reached for his hand. “How about you?”
“Humbled, ashamed, and a bit disappointed.”
Suddenly the closet door swung wide and two little silhouettes filled the entry.
Nathan flipped on the light, looking from one adult to the other. “Hey, what are you two doing in here, and what was that big noise?”
Eisley exchanged a sheepish glance with Wes, thoughts stopping just a moment to appreciate his untidy raven hair and oxford with two buttons unhooked. Did she do that? She jerked her attention
to the boys. “Well…um…I was hanging up Pete’s jacket and eventually fell over...”—Eisley looked down into her hand— “Emily’s shoe.”
“You finally found it, Mama.” Pete’s grin dimpled each freckled cheek. “Good job.”
“Thanks, Pete.” Eisley moved past him and out the door. The room temperature dropped about fifty degrees. She focused on the curious little faces in front of her and tried to ignore the handsome, but somewhat guilty one standing with his hands in his pockets.
“Your faces sure are red. Are you mad?” Pete’s bright blue gaze volleyed between them.
Eisley contemplated how to answer, but Nathan beat her to it. “It’s hot in there, silly.”
In more ways than one.
“Hey, did you two finish that Lego castle?”
“Naw,” Pete drawled out.
“We’re almost finished though.” Nathan pushed Pete toward the stairs. “Wow, Mom, I thought Santa might have popped down the chimney again from the sound of that crash.” He started up the steps. “You must be real heavy.”
Eisley closed her eyes and moaned. Reality check. “Thanks, Nathan.”
The boys disappeared back up the stairs and she lifted squinted eyes up to her closet-rogue. He’d probably think she was ridiculous, feeling guilty over a little momentary frisk. After all, she knew his past was filled with much more than making out in a closet. She cringed. What had his elegant life resorted to?
What a crazy world! She had the strongest urge to laugh. Out loud. A long time. Maybe with a few hysterical tears involved.
“Eisley.” Wes voice sounded raspy. With a tentative step forward and a frustrated tuft of his hair, he drew one of her hands into his. “Forgive me for moving too fast.”
Her mouth came unhinged. Him? She was the one who’d attacked him with the self-control of a rabid wolf. “You? I think I’m the one who got carried away.”
He kissed her hand, the breath from his chuckle escaping over her knuckles. “Who entered the closet with you and turned off the light, then proceeded to taste those lovely lips of yours?”
His gaze dropped to her mouth and she gravitated toward him, drugged by Wes-smell and the sweet purr of satisfaction. She brushed her lips against his and then lowered her cheek to his chest. “I’d forgotten how hard it can be—reigning in those desires—especially when you really care about someone, and that someone is particularly delicious.” Eisley leaned back and lost her train of thought in the dark intensity of his stare. “I was completely intoxicated.” She blinked from her trance. “But that’s bad.”
“Bad?” His countenance dropped like a seven-year-old who’d just been told his drawing received second place instead of first.
“But soooo good.” Eisley lessened the blow with a sympathetic sigh. “I could—”
“Lose yourself.” He rocked his head back and forth, his expression hardening with determination. “I can’t. I won’t lose myself with you…well, not until the right time.” He looked toward the window and heaved a twenty-pound sigh. “You deserve better, and I know my weaknesses.” He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “Kryptonite or not, I apologize. I had no conviction or foundation for patience before, but now—with you? Loving you makes it both easier and more difficult.”
“You didn’t hear me complain, did you? In fact, I was urging you to hit a home run.” Eisley paused in mid-shrug. “Did you say loving me?”
His dangerous smile crooked up on one side. “I already told you I’m playing for keeps.” He caught her other hand and drew both of them against his chest, gaze sober and intense. “I want to do much more than make your pulse race. I want your friendship and your confidence. I want to make you laugh and be your best secret-keeper. I want to capture your heart.”
Her eyes stung. “You are totally chocolate pie. With chocolate icing, chips, and syrup on top.”
He kissed her hand again and looked up through dark lashes. “Your weakness?”
“And then some.”
He studied their braided fingers a moment and then met her gaze again. “You are worth the wait. Of anyone, you need to know a man can control his passions enough to honor you.”
She buried her face into his shoulder to hide the tears. “Okay, I’ll help you out when you’re weak, if you’ll help me.”
“And who helps us if we’re both weak?”
As if on cue, Pete screamed something indistinguishable at Nathan, followed by a resounding thud. Eisley looked up with a wobbly smile. “I think we’ve got it covered.”
Twenty-Three
Wes didn’t even have to open his eyes to feel pink crowding in on him. The guest apartment over the garage at the Jenkins’ hadn’t boarded a male in a long time—if ever. Eisley’s apology over the sleeping arrangement became painfully clear—in neon. When Lizzie retired to one of the elegantly furnished front rooms of the Jenkins’ colonial, Wes had entered a room which had suffered from a powder puff explosion. Pink and lace adorned every piece of furniture. Fuchsia rugs covered the hardwoods, leading to a white sofa with rose pinstripes. The bathroom was the only place not infected by a combination of magenta and flora. However, the red-heart wallpaper and heart-shaped mirror looked as if Cupid took holiday there.
Nate Jenkins’ brand of vetting bordered on terrifying.
Wes released a chuckle and stood, rubbing his eyes awake and taking his steps to the window. Once he pulled back the inches of lace, he stared in wonder at the winter scene. A fresh layer of frost covered the back garden in a soft white sheen leading all the way to the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
The forecast of Eisley’s migraine? His smile softened. He’d spent the previous evening by the fireplace at their house playing Candy Land with Nathan and Pete, and as darkness fell, they gathered on the back deck and watched the fireworks from the Jenkins’ house across the pasture. After tucking in the children, Eisley had gathered a quilt and snuggled close beside him on the couch while they watched a movie. They’d talked long into the night before she’d nudged him out the door so he wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel.
He closed his eyes, remembering the good-night kiss. Her soft lips against his, urging him to linger. Her hands on his back, coaxing him further into her embrace. Her smile.
A loud knock rattled Wes’s door. He startled and turned in the direction.
“Hey, boy.” The door muffled Nate Jenkins’s voice a little, but not much. “You gonna sleep all day? We got some guns to shoot.”
Wes glanced at his watch and felt a growl rumble up from his throat. Only 7:30 am. He slid into some jeans and fumbled into his sweater moments before Nate pushed it open with a thud. So much for privacy.
“Well, well, Sleepin’ Beauty. I guess I don’t need to douse you with cold water after all.” Nate framed his scheming grin with a camouflaged cap and jacket. “Shucks, I was hopin’.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Nate. I wasn’t expecting you to start so...early.”
“Early? Kay talked me into waiting ’til now. I’ve been ready since 6:30. Come on, we gotta get this shooting contest in before my daughter comes back over here and makes you get all googly-eyed. Besides, church starts in three hours and I don’t wanna see you crying during the service ’cause you lost.”
Despite his annoyance, Wes found a humored grin pushing its way up onto his face. He could see Eisley’s personality in both her father and mother. Somehow, it made him like Nate Jenkins all the more. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll join you.”
Nate’s brow rose in doubt.
“Ten minutes, Nate. And then I’ll best you at shooting.”
Nate released a boisterous laugh. “Best me?” He walked to the door, his shoulders shaking. “You keep telling yourself that, Fancy Pants.”
The door clicked to a close, and Wes finished getting ready with an added pound of intimidation hot on his heels. Nate Jenkins certainly cut his own mold. Wes pulled on his jacket and scarf and started for the door as his mobile buzzed.
Andrew’s number. “Hello, mate.”
“Enjoying your visit in the wilds of Virginia?”
Wes turned and sat on the edge of the bed, long legs extended and crossed at the ankles. “It’s providing quite the education.”
“Education, is it? A better acquaintance with some ginger-headed angel, as I recall?”
“Did I say that?”
“With stars in your eyes.”
Wes ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. “I’ve fallen hard.”
“Well, you’re the type to settle down and grow old with a passel of American-bred children.”
Wes stood, heat creeping into his face, took his cap from the pink mannequin-shaped hat rack, and decided to change the subject. “Any news?”
“Diverting the conversation from your nauseatingly sweet romance, I see.” Andrew’s teasing tones fell away. “I’ll humor you for now. The author of the article resigned soon after printing, but her name was Dana Lewis. No one seemed to know much about her. She hadn’t been working there long, and we both know it isn’t a reputable paper. It doesn’t seem they were particular in their employees, either.”
“No reputable paper would post such bosh.”
“Right.” Drew’s words held his own frustration. “I’m following a few leads, so I expect to have more sound information soon.”
“Thanks, Drew.”
“I wish I had more to share.”
A door slammed outside. “Boy, are you comin’?”
“I appreciate all you’re doing.”
“You’re not going to be a chicken about it, are you?” Nate’s voice drew closer to the doorway.
“I need to go for now. Might I ring you later?”
“Any time. Cheers.”
Wes placed his mobile in his jacket pocket and walked to the apartment door. He’d half expected to hear Vivian Barry’s name associated with the paper, but she wouldn’t descend so far as to ruin her own career, would she? His solicitor would make quick work of holding the culprit accountable for falsifying information, breaching privacy, and slander.
Just the Way You Are (A Pleasant Gap Romance Book 1) Page 26