by Annie Evans
He slid his hands up her sides to cup her breasts, pinching and stroking her nipples as she began to ride him in earnest. She did close her eyes then, teeth digging into that full bottom lip, breathy gasps and moans slipping from her throat as she took him deep on every down stroke.
Eli was close—balls tight, muscles tense, pleasure crawling down his spine in a heated, insistent warning. He clenched his jaw against the need to come, grabbed her hips and thrust into her. “You gonna come for me again, Bell?”
“Mmm,” was all he got.
“That better be a yes.”
She dropped her chin, opened her eyes. “Touch me.”
“Show me,” he countered.
Guiding his hand to her pussy, her fingers framed his on both sides of her clit, showing him how hard she needed his touch, the tempo of the strokes, the best spots to get her there. She was slick and hot against his fingertips as she worked her hips in a slow, grinding circle. Her motions sped up, body arching, head tipping back to expose the long line of her throat. Then she was pulsing around his cock, her soft cries falling over him like mist, before Eli surged deep one last time and followed her over.
After a full minute of brain recovery time, he reached for her face, pulling her close for a kiss, sharing each other’s panting breaths as their bodies came down from the sex high. She slid off him to collapse on the mattress with a satisfied sigh.
Her face pressed to his shoulder, she pointed toward the hallway. “Bathroom’s down the hall there. First door on the left.”
Eli made a quick trip in the dark, cussing a blue streak when he stubbed a toe on the corner of a door. Laughter floated after him as he took care of business and washed his hands.
“It might be helpful if you turned on a light,” she said, still giggling when he returned to the bed. He flopped down on his stomach, brushing his stubbled chin back and forth across her ribs to see if she was ticklish. She flinched and squealed, hands flying to his face to push him away, giving him his answer. He pinned her down and kept tormenting her until she lost her breath laughing and begged for mercy. “Stop!”
“Teach you to make fun of me and my poor injured toe.”
She finally caught her breath and sat up, shoving hair out of her eyes. “You staying the night?”
“Unless you’re kicking me out.”
“Nope,” she said, heading for the bathroom herself. Sadly, she grabbed his discarded shirt when she came back and pulled it on. “I put a new toothbrush out for you on the vanity.”
“Thanks.”
“Now I’ve got the munchies. Wanna snack?”
“Sure.”
He stepped into his jeans, watching as she began snapping his shirt up from the bottom. When she popped the snap between her breasts, he grabbed a fistful of fabric and hauled her to him for a long, slow kiss that ended with a shorter one, then a gentle bite to her jaw. A soft sigh warmed his ear and his dick stirred with renewed interest against her belly. Which reminded him, he needed to visit his truck for more condoms.
She gave him a quick grope. “The beast is going to have to wait until I’ve had fortification.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Chuckling, Bellamy pushed him away and headed for the kitchen, hips swaying beneath the tails of his shirt. He liked her in his stuff, wanted her in his bed too. Tied to his bed, naked and impatient. In his shower, his truck seat or wherever else he could get her. Mostly, he just wanted to spend more time in her company, get to know her better.
She stood in the open door of the fridge, surveying its contents. “What’re you in the mood for, besides more sex?”
Peering over her shoulder, the smell of her hair filling his head, Eli couldn’t deny the sex part. “Whatcha got?”
“I picked up a few new things from Homegrown today. I was thinking about toast with apple butter.”
He kissed her neck. “Sounds great. I’m going to run out to my truck while you toast the bread.”
“You might want to put on shoes to protect your delicate toes.”
“Smartass.”
Still, Eli slid his feet into her flip-flops, even though his heels hung off the back, and made the trip to his truck, making sure the doors were locked and he had his phone before returning to the house.
Slices of toasted bread sat stacked on a plate, jars of apple butter and honey beside them at one end of the giant farm table. “Water?” she asked.
“Please and thank you.”
She hummed her satisfaction as she took the first bite. Eli had to agree. The apple butter was fantastic, but then, he had yet to find anything Kai carried that he didn’t like.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before he asked something he’d wanted to know since they first met. “What sent you after the bottle of tequila that night in Perry?” A brief frown creased her forehead before she made it disappear. “Or is it something you’d rather not discuss?”
Her fingers plucked at the crust on her bread. “No, it’s okay.” After another bite, she placed what was left of her toast on a napkin, brushed the crumbs from her fingertips and stood. “Be right back.”
Eli stared at the tiny mountains and whirls of golden-brown on his bread, wondering if he’d pushed a button he shouldn’t have when she slid back onto her chair and dropped a folded sheet of paper next to his elbow. He glanced up at her, figuring she meant for him to read it, but still feeling like he needed permission.
When she said, “Go ahead,” he picked it up.
Each typed word dropped like hot stones in his gut as he read the rejection letter, her disappointment becoming his, even though it would’ve changed everything between them. They probably wouldn’t have met in Perry, and if by some small chance they had, the outcome would have been much different. Right now she’d be in—he scanned the letterhead for an address—Alpharetta instead of Serenity, working for Claybrook Farms. Their one-night fling becoming nothing more than a sweet memory. That’s if he had still managed to track her down after the rodeo and they wound up in bed together.
But this wasn’t about him.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get the job.” He meant every word, despite the alternate outcome that favored him.
She nodded. “I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when we bumped into each other in the liquor store.”
“I can understand why. Tell me about Claybrook Farms. What made you want to work for them?”
“They’re one of the premier horse breeders in the southeast. Their facilities are state of the art, and the position would’ve come with ridiculous benefits and a generous salary. I’d still get to live in Georgia. My dream job, really. Too good to be true almost, and incredibly hard to come by.” She shrugged, gave him a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “But it wasn’t in the cards, so here I am.”
“Horses are where you want to be?”
“If I had my choice, yeah. As you go through vet school, you find yourself drawn more strongly to certain animals. Horses were it for me. Weirdly enough, since I’ve been in Serenity, I haven’t received my first equine call.”
“But I thought you liked all animals, like the Millers’ goats?”
“I do, it’s just…”
“Not your ideal.”
“Right. And I realize that sounds petty, complaining about a lost job opportunity when so many folks are out of work. I’m genuinely grateful I get to do something I enjoy for a living.”
“You’re being honest, Bell, that’s all. Nothing wrong with that. It’s okay to be disappointed.”
“I suppose.”
“There are horses around here. Just maybe not sick yet.”
She nodded half-heartedly.
Once again, Eli was struck with the need to try to fix this for her. A fruitless urge. This wasn’t as easy as repairing a gate or a swing. He couldn’t scour every field in Serenity for a sick horse. It left little else but to hope that she’d find a balance, something that would make her want to stay.
&nb
sp; Keep pouring the fertilizer. Sooner or later, a bud will sprout.
“For what it’s worth, you blew me away the night you worked with us at the barn. I was in total awe of your knowledge and patience, the way you explained everything. You made me want to learn for the next time, not dread it.”
“Thanks, Eli.” She refolded the letter and tucked it beneath the Mason jar of fresh-picked wild Black-eyed Susans in the center of the table.
There was more to be said, but Eli couldn’t find the right words without fear of saying something he shouldn’t. Not this early in their relationship. Losing the job she wanted so badly was the source of her seeming unsettled, he felt certain. It was almost as if she was having a hard time coming to grips with the reality of the situation. Her whole heart wasn’t in Serenity, despite inheriting her beloved grandparents’ house, and that didn’t sit well inside him. He wanted her to be happy, content. He wanted her to stay. That much he did know. Selfish, yes, but the truth nonetheless.
“Did you like the apple butter?” she asked as she started cleaning up their mess.
He watched her silently for a moment, enjoying the easy way she moved, the gracefulness of her hands. The way she made him feel so welcome in her home, grateful to simply share her company.
One of these days, she would more than likely leave him and Serenity behind. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name. But as inevitable as that appeared, it didn’t dim his desire to get closer to her one iota. He supposed that if he got his heart broken in the end, he deserved it. At least he was going in to this with eyes wide open, knowing what the outcome could be.
“Eli?”
He blinked and refocused on her. She’d asked him a question. Apple butter. “It was great,” he said, his voice as flat as that letter he’d just read.
“Oh look!” Her face lit up and she hurried to the door leading out onto the back porch. Eli followed, both of them peeking through a gap the curtains at the fox slinking through her backyard. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tucking her head beneath his chin. “There’s something in her mouth.”
“Looks like a rat,” he said.
“I’m grateful for her stalking skills, but blech.”
“When did you determine it was a she?”
She shrugged against him. “Well, to be honest, I’m not sure. It’s not easy to tell male and female foxes apart. Since she has a narrow face, I’m going with girl. I want it to be a girl because I’m hoping for kits someday.”
“You’ll have to leave her a reward tomorrow.”
“Did you know a female fox is called a vixen?” She tilted her head to peer up at him and grinned, eyes full of mischief. And just like that, she was back to the Bellamy he knew, the one he was already crazy about, brought back around by her love of anything furry and four-legged.
He kissed her, nice and slow, letting the heat gradually build between them, until she turned in his arms, barely breaking the connection of their mouths while her fingers slid through his hair.
Eli eased one hand between their bodies. At the first sound of a snap popping, she broke the kiss to watch the front of his shirt slowly open, revealing her naked body beneath. When he had every button undone, he pushed the cloth apart and hit his knees.
“The two of you have something in common, then.”
Chapter Eight
Bellamy awoke to an empty bed. More used condom packets. Tender thighs and the smell of Eli clinging to her skin.
An achy emptiness slowly filled her chest.
Again? Really?
She flopped over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. There were jagged hairline cracks in the yellowing plaster above her head. A few chunks missing here and there. One more thing that needed fixing on the old place. Dust motes danced in the rays of early morning light streaming through the window closest to the bed.
Then she heard an odd noise from the backyard.
Thwack.
Wrapping the blanket around her naked body, she scrambled off the mattress to see what the source of the sound was.
Good heavens, would you look at that.
Eli was splitting wood. And she might’ve just had a tiny orgasm.
She watched him heft the ax above his head, booted feet braced wide, then bring the blade down, splitting the chunk of oak or hickory or pecan clean in two before tossing the pieces onto a growing pile next to the porch. He wore his shirt, but the front hung open, the sleeves rolled up past his elbows. In spite of the cooler morning temps, sweat trickled down the center of his chest, darkening the thatch of hair across his pecs, soaking into the waistband of his jeans. The ends of his hair stuck damply to his face and neck in dark clumps. Sunlight turned his skin golden, and every time he moved, muscles bunched and flexed and rippled in a body so perfectly formed and sinful, she felt her own flesh grow warm just by watching.
The ax looked newer, the blade gleaming and sharp. Definitely not some rotting relic he found lying around her grandfather’s barn, dulled by time and neglect. No telling what kinds of collectibles might be hidden away behind the old building’s listing walls, but after seeing the size of the rat in the fox’s mouth last night, Bellamy had no intentions of going exploring. Ever.
Eli must’ve had the ax in his truck, just like the condoms.
Gotta love those country boys—always prepared. Like Boy Scouts with bigger muscles and less supervision. And much, much naughtier.
Barefoot, Bellamy stepped out onto the porch, shivering and pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders to ward off the damp chill. Weather was weird in the south during the fall and winter months—one day it might be rainy and/or cold, a week later warm enough to wear summer attire. Despite being cool this morning, by two p.m. it could climb into the mid-seventies. There’d been several Christmases she could remember playing outside in shorts and a t-shirt. But sadly, there was rarely ever snowfall in this region. At least not enough to turn everything into a wonderland of white. By the time the flakes hit the ground they were gone, almost as if you’d imagined them.
Eli glanced up, smiled, planted the ax blade in the stump he was using as a chopping block, and started sorting and stacking the pieces of wood he’d split between two support beams near the edge of the porch.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said, knowing her words would fall on deaf ears.
“I wanted to.”
“Scared I’ll get snake bit?”
A chunk of wood in each hand, he stepped up onto the porch where she was propped against one of the posts and leaned down to drop a kiss on her mouth. “I like you. A lot. Wouldn’t wanna see you get hurt.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I like you too. A lot.”
“Good.” Then he went back to stacking the wood.
“You like pumpkin pie, Eli?”
A wicked smile. “I like all kinds of pie.”
Bellamy rolled her eyes. “I stepped right into that one.”
“Indeed you did. But yes, I like pumpkin pie. Why, you gonna bake me one?”
“I was thinking about it. I bought a fresh pumpkin from Kai yesterday to carve, but since Halloween is practically over, I thought I’d repurpose it into something yummy. It’s the perfect size for a pie, maybe not the perfect kind, but I think I can make it work.”
“I’m sure you can. I bet your granny taught you how to make the crusts from scratch too.”
“She did.”
“Can’t say that I’ve ever had fresh pumpkin pie. Even Ruby, in all her southern cooking expertise and glory, still uses the canned stuff.”
“It’s easier when you’ve got a thousand other things to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, which I’m sure Ruby does, and that seems to be the only time people bother with making them.”
“You don’t have any work calls today?”
“Nope, I’m free unless there’s an emergency. Although I do need to visit the Laundromat, and pick up what ingredients I’ll need for the pie in town.”
“I’ve got a washer and
dryer you can use, Bell.” He dropped the last two chunks of wood onto the stack. Hip-high, it stretched six feet from post to post. The wood would stay nice and dry under the eaves of the house, so it would catch fire more easily and not smoke a lot as it burned. That much she did know about wood and fireplaces.
“You don’t mind?”
He brushed his hands off on his jeans, then hefted the ax onto his shoulder, wrapping those long, capable fingers around the handle. “’Course not. And I probably have most of the stuff you’ll need to bake the pie. What I don’t have we can grab in town or borrow from Mom.”
“You’re being awful nice to me. Not sure I deserve all this special treatment,” she said, her heart thumping wildly behind her sternum.
Eli stood on the ground in front of her, his face level with her chest, and looked up, squinting slightly in the sun. Bellamy reached out and pushed damp hair away from his forehead. His free hand slid under the blanket, up her thigh, where he squeezed the muscle. “Did you hear me say I liked you?”
“Did you hear me say it back?”
“Okay then. People who like each other generally do nice things for one another, like splitting wood and baking pies.”
“And fixing gates and swings and mailbox posts.”
He grinned, the look in his eyes playful. “You noticed that too, huh?”
She nodded. “I think there are far more hash marks in your column than mine.”
His smile dimmed. “It’s not about tit for tat, Bellamy. I wanted to do it, simple as that. I don’t expect you to repay me in some way every time I do something nice for you. That’s not the way this works.”
She squirmed beneath the blanket, nervous she’d said something wrong and a little confused about what he meant. “Not the way what works?”
“You. Me. Us…together.” He shrugged, glancing away, as if talking specifics made him uncomfortable. “A relationship I guess.”