Changing Tides (Kill Devil Hills Book 2)

by Sarah Darlington

  “I know you’d do the same for me. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said, tying his hair back with a rubber-band and grabbing his coat off the chair. “Give me a call tomorrow and let us know how you’re feeling. And don’t drink anything at a restaurantever again.”

  Ellie laughed at his joke, though he might have been serious. She walked him to the door and they said goodbye to one another. Then Noah took off.

  “I’m tired,” Ellie said as she came back into the living room. “I know it’s barely eight, but I’m going to bed. I still feel a little hungover.”

  I guess that was my cue to leave. So I stood up, about to tell her and Rhett goodbye, when Ellie came over and grabbed my hand firmly in hers.

  “Goodnight, Rhett,” she called to him and pulled me in the direction of her room.

  “Goodnight, guys,” he said as we left, like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

  She wanted me to stay. That was all I could think, surprised as hell, as she led me down the dark hallway and into her room. I moved to sit down on her bed as she softly closed the door behind us. Wow. Alone at least. I hardly knew what to do with that. It seemed like Ellie didn’t know either. She lingered with her back against the door, watching me carefully. And as she did this, her cheeks turned a rosy pink color and her breathing changed. We weren’t even doing anything, not yet at least, and I was getting to her somehow.

  I liked it.

  Smiling to myself, I fell back on her bed with my hands behind my head. I stared at the ceiling rather than at her.Because how could one person make a tank-top and men’s basketball shorts look so damn sexy? Only Ellie. My heart thumped, while my mind focused on memories of her soft skin, the way her body had felt underneath me, and the look on her face as I made her scream my name. I tried to think of anything else—tried to keep my cool. But let’s face it, I wasn’tthat good of an actor.

  “I’m going to go take a shower. I meant what I said to Rhett. I’m not feeling one-hundred percent.” She moved away from the door and went to her dresser, rifling through her clothes. I sat up so I could watch her.

  Her room reminded me of a fortuneteller’s lair. There were twinkle lights everywhere, several Vincent van Gogh inspired prints on the walls, and yards of sheer mid-night blue fabric draped across the ceiling. It was the girliest room I’d ever been in. I wondered if Ellie even realized how girlie it truly was. But it showed off her personality in way that was kind of like cutting her chest wide open for the world to see, and I loved it.

  “You can stay over if you’d like,” she said, still searching for something, or perhaps nothing, in one of her dresser drawers. “It’s up to you. But don’t expect anything—if you know what I mean. I’m not up for it after last night. So I understand if you don’t want to stay.”

  “I’m going to stay,” I said. It didn’t matter what we did, if we fucked or not, I was staying. She wanted me here, so I didn’t even need to consider the alternative.

  “Okay,” she told me and finally stopped searching through her clothes. Then, glancing over her shoulder, she added, “If you want to take a shower with me…I’m open to that.”

  Holy fuck. Hell yes, I was open to showering together. “I could do that,” I said, immediately standing and trying not to look too excited.

  “Okay then.”

  She smiled, and I followed her out of her room.

  The bathroom was across the hall. Once inside, Ellie went to start the shower. She moved about as damn slow as she could while she did this—turning the knob and testing the water temperature five times before getting it exactly how she wanted it. Then she returned to where I stood and suddenly her nervousness seemed to fade away. Like a switch had been flipped, she wrapped her arms around my waist, tucked her body close to mine, and breathed in against the fabric of my shirt.

  We’d touched plenty in the last twenty-four hours, but Ellie hadn’t been in her right mind those times. She was sober now and in some ways this felt like the first time we’d truly touched since Malibu. Sighing, I ran my fingers through her silky hair as she crooked her head to stare up at me. I’d never wanted to kiss her more, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

  “You okay?” I whispered, needing to clear my throat to get my words out properly.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s been a long day, but I’m okay. I’m glad you’re here. Rhett told me that you were there for me last night and I’m glad it was you. I don’t know how long you’re going to be in town, but I plan on taking full advantage of you while you’re here.”

  She pulled away from me. Then, in a way that instantly had my cock growing thick and straining against my jeans, in a way that was tantalizing and meant to have that exact effect on me, she slowly tugged her shirt over her head. The swell of her breasts against her bra was utter perfection. My fingers were itching to touch. But she didn’t stop there. She inched her gym shorts and her panties down, stepping out of them. Then her bra came off next, leaving her completely and exquisitely naked in front of me. Meanwhile, I was so fucking turned on and so hypnotized by her beauty that all I could do was stand there and stare.

  “You coming or what?” she asked, her eyes wild and full of mischief. Then she disappeared into the shower—her round, delectable ass on display as she went.

  Shit! Holy shit! Never in my life had I undressed so fast. I kicked my shoes off, stumbling like a fool in the process, then I peeled off my socks, my jeans, my shirt, and my boxers. And I followed her into the shower. Letting out a groan, I took in the sight of her naked body and the way the water slipped down over her skin. Her hair was already wet and slicked back. She had a loofah sudsy with soap and she dragged it over those tits of hers. A man could only take so much and her teasing was about to make me explode.

  “Ellie,” I said with a growl, “I thought you weren’t feeling great.”

  “I wasn’t. Until I realized that I still have more research to do.” Taking the loofah, she moved it against my chest, then lower over my abdomen, then even lower. Then she dropped it and her fingers trailed lightly in its place, passing over the skin dangerously close to where my body was begging to be touched. “Tons and tons of research,” she muttered.

  “Tell me more about this research.” I placed my hands against the tile behind her head, boxing her in. I moved closer but kept one safe inch between our bodies.

  “Well, it involves you making me come—over and over. And that’s really all there is to it. What do you think?” Her blue eyes, framed by eyelashes dripping with water, stared up at me as she asked this. There was fear and there was uncertainty in those eyes. But, I think, mostly hope. Was she asking for more than me to simply fuck her? I think she was.

  And there it went. My control out the fucking window. The last inch between us disappeared as my body came together with hers, and I grabbed her ass to lift her. Her legs locked in place around my waist as I shoved her against the shower wall.Yes, my body screamed at the same time she vocalized a needy sigh.

  That one sound brought the beast inside me to life. I needed to be inside her. Right here, right now. Nothing else mattered. I moved to press my lips to her lips, but her hands on the sides of my face stopped me momentarily. I paused to see what she wanted.

  “I missed you,” she whispered, her voice raw. It was almost as if she’d been waiting all day to tell me this. And I fell a little more in love with her because of it.

  “I missed you too,” I said in one breath and kissed her.

  Our fun little flirtation about research was over. Honesty had replaced it. I liked honesty better. Honesty was warm and it tasted so sweet. And I was horribly awful when it came to resisting her honesty.

  As we kissed under the spray of the water, my chest felt like it was wide open with my heart exposed. And I was an addict—I only wanted more of this feeling. That was why I couldn’t stop, or even attempt to hold back, when I positioned myself against her and pressed inside. Holy shit. She was wet and tight and this felt so right. I move
d nice and slow, savoring that initial feeling of inching inside. She dug her fingers into my hair at the nape of my neck, pulling, holding my face close to hers, so that she could hoist herself higher. She rocked against me and I pushed as deep as I could go.

  “Ellie,” I groaned. Only now did I remember that we’d forgotten something. The damn rubber. “I don’t have on a condom.”

  “Then pull out when you come—just don’t stop,” she breathed.

  As much as I liked being inside her bare, and as much as I wanted to appease her, I couldn’t risk it. I remembered that I had a condom in my wallet. My wallet was in my jean’s pocket. “Hang on, baby.”

  Pulling out and setting her down, I stepped out of the shower and went straight for my jeans. I found what I needed, hurried to correct the situation, then jumped back under the warmth of the water. She squealed as I lifted her up and immediately thrust back inside her.

  When it came to sex I preferred everything a little rougher. More gritty, so to speak. I had a feeling Ellie might have similar tastes in the matter. But she'd been through a lot in the last day and instead of going crazy on her body, I kept things deliberately slow. I took my time, holding her close as I steadily pumped in and out.

  And damn, having her again was everything I remembered and then some. It felt like all the synapses in my brain were exploding at once. But it was more than just great sex. It was a sense of belonging, a sense of completion. I hadn't know I was missing that in my life until this moment.

  “Nathanial,” she whispered, saying my name in that same warning tone she’d used on me the last two times we were together. I knew she was close.

  And that was when my careful concentration broke.

  Fuck going slow. Gripping her right knee, I hoisted her leg higher on my hip—letting her other leg fall so that she could stand on her own. I couldn’t hold her and fuck her the way I wanted at the same time. Positioned like this, she was spread open wide, with all of me still buried deep inside of her, and her pussy was mine for the taking. My movements changed from slow and careful to wild and rough. I rested my forehead to hers, gripping her leg hard enough to leave a mark, and moved a hand between our bodies so that I could stroke my thumb against her clit.

  Then I fucked her. Hard.

  “Ellie…you…are everything to me,” I told her between breaths, letting all of my emotions pour out of me and into my movements.

  In three seconds flat, I had her screaming and bucking. The tight walls of her pussy contracted in sharp bursts around my cock, as she dug her fingernails into my back and cried out, “Oh God, Nathanial. Yes! Oh, yes!”

  I drove into her harder, nearly ready to explode, or possibly black out. But I refrained from coming because I wasn’t ready for this to end. Until, suddenly, she pressed her hands to my chest and yelled at me to stop.

  “Am I hurting you?” I asked, freezing instantly.

  The biggest, most content smile came to her lips. “No,” she sighed. “I just need a minute, cowboy. I’m…It’s…I’m too sensitive.” She was coming down from her orgasm. Every few seconds I felt the aftershock proof—the walls of her still squeezing against me. It was heaven knowing I’d done this to her. She was giddy and smiley, but only for a moment. Then she whispered, “Okay, I’m good now. Whenever you’re ready.”

  I smiled. I was right. Ellie did like it rough.

  Slamming my hand against the bathtub nozzle, I turned off the water. It was cold now anyway. I pulled out and grabbed her hand. We were done in the shower. Carefully stepping over the edge of the tub, I led her over to the sink. She was staring at me with awe—she had no idea what was coming next.

  Gripping her waist and guiding her, I moved her in front of me. I watched her reflection carefully in the mirror as I bent her forward so that her stomach and her tits were pressed against the bathroom sink. “Ellie, baby,” I said, running my hands over her wet body, “This is going to be quick. I’m not going to last much longer. Tell me if I do anything you don’t like and I’ll stop immediately.”

  “I trust you,” she whispered.

  “Good.”

  I nudged her legs open so that her feet were about shoulder width apart. God, she was beautiful. She had a tattoo right across the edge of one of her butt-cheeks and I wanted to murder whoever had done it.

  Admiring her spread open for a moment, I then dropped to me knees. I needed to taste her.

  Her folds were pink and swollen. I ran my tongue across her wetness, paying special attention to her clit. I loved the taste of her. But I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed back inside. I stood up, grabbing my cock in my hand, and I thrust deep inside her from behind.

  CHAPTER 20:

  ELLIE

  After I came for the second time that night, and Nathanial finally found his release, I was done. Put a fork in me, this shop is closed for business—done. I couldn’t even move. My limbs felt tingly and numb. Good thing the bathroom sink was holding me up or I would have fallen to the floor. Nathanial pressed a kiss to my back before pulling out and leaving me. I might not have wanted round three, but I immediately felt the loss of him. Not to mention, my skin was still wet from the shower and without him pressed flush against me, it was freezing.

  But I was only cold and alone for a moment. A second later, Nathanial found a towel and draped the fluffy cotton over my shoulders. He said nothing as he tucked it around me and picked me up, carrying me out of the bathroom. He was naked, so I sure hoped Rhett wasn’t anywhere close and could see us.

  Oh, God! I realized it was possible Rhett had heard us in the bathroom. I’d been able to keep quiet…initially. Then Nathanial went all caveman on me and ruined all my self-control. If Rhett had heard anything then there was no chance in hell he’d ever let me live it down.

  Whatever, I decided. A little humiliation was worth it.

  Nathanial brought me to my bed and set me down on top of the covers. The man was naked but didn't seem to notice or care as he moved to open my dresser. He found me a shirt and some pajama pants. Then he turned around with raised eyebrows and the clothes in his hands, looking for my approval.

  I nodded, smiling at the cute look on his face, and he returned to me.

  He helped me into my shirt, pausing before fully covering my breasts to press a kiss to one of my nipples. He lingered for a moment then finished tugging the material into place. He helped me into my underwear and pajama pants too. I wasn't five. I didn't need his help putting on clothes. But I let him do it anyway because I thoroughly enjoyed the special attention. No one had ever done this sort of thing for me before. It was sweet—especially coming from a big, tough guy like Nathanial.

  Neither of us were speaking. He’d just had his way with me, seen every inch of my body in the most exposed way possible, but his gentleness had turned me shy and I didn’t know what to say. Maybe he felt something similar, because he wasn’t talking either. It made this moment even more intimate than our bathroom sex—if that was possible. And my heart sped because of it.

  Once I was taken care of, he flipped off the lights. Then he grabbed my waist, pulling my body in close to his, and snuggled in with me under the covers. In the dark stillness with this amazing man, accepting and loving the feel of his strong arms around me, I realized something.

  “Oh my God,” I said out loud. “I like boys.”

  I wasn’t sure if this was a happy realization or a sad one. Neither, I guess. Just a self-observation.

  “I mean…men,” I corrected. “I like men. Well, actually just one man. The rest of your species, not so much.”

  He chuckled against my shoulder. “I like you too, baby. Now get some sleep. I’m going to show you over and over again just how much I like you tomorrow. You’re going to need your rest.”

  I liked this threat. Besides, I was extremely exhausted. Our bathroom sex had worn me out. So, I closed my eyes. I’d worry about what this all meant in the morning.

  * * *

  In the morning, I woke with Natha
nial still in my bed. Which probably shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. Not that I’d expected him to take off in the middle of the night, leaving me high and dry, but some part of me must have feared he might—because I was so excited and relieved to find him still next to me.

  His large body took up my whole bed. I was on the edge, practically falling out. And he was…still naked! Like on his stomach, spread-eagle, with the covers down around his feet—that sort of naked. Jesus, his ass had more muscle definition than my whole body. He was impressive to look at, and I wondered what the hell he was doing here with me.

  The man could have threesomes with girls like Kelly Patterson for crying out loud. Well, Kelly was probably too classy for a threesome. But I was sure girls as pretty as Kelly had to be throwing themselves at him on a daily basis. I’d like to think I was pretty awesome in my own right. Was it possible he thought so too? He had to think something—or I don’t think he would have come all this way for seconds.

  “Hey you,” I said, pushing at his shoulder. “Nathanial, wake up.”

  With a grumble he rolled onto his back and stretched out like a cat. This big, shit-eating, ‘I-got-lucky-last-night’ grin came to his lips as he pried open his eyes to stare at me. “Morning, baby,” he said, being all smiley and flirty. He had an erection from the morning. It stood at attention as he lay on his back, and I swear it was even bigger and more intimidating than I remembered. I tried not to stare, but—holy shit! No wonder I still felt kind of sore today.

  “Baby, it’s not going to bite you.” Nathanial grabbed my arms. He pulled me away from the edge of the bed and in close to him. “How are you feeling today? Any of that hangover feeling left?”

  “I’m better. I think,” I muttered. “But I’m not sure I like you calling me baby. I’m not sure I’m a pet-name kind of a girl. So cut it out.” I pinched him. Or tried too—but the skin on his abdomen was way too taut for pinching.

  He caught my hand and instead of letting me pinch or tickle, he laced our fingers together. “Well, you called me cowboy while we were fucking last night. I think that grants me liberties on calling you baby. Seems only fair.”