by Marie Force
At eight o’clock she was seriously considering calling his parents to get his cell number when she remembered the ICE call. She ran for the portable phone and scrolled through the incoming numbers. When she saw the one from the other night, she pressed the call button.
Gavin answered on the third ring. “Ella?” The connection was crackling and fading in and out. “. . . my message?”
“What? You’re cutting out.”
“. . . fucking mountains.”
Mountains? What was he doing in the mountains? And what message had he left for her? There were no messages on her machine.
“. . . call you back.” The line went dead, and Ella stood with the phone in hand ready to scream from frustration. She’d never been a particularly impatient person until right now. Twenty long minutes passed before the phone rang again.
“Gavin.”
“Yeah, babe. So sorry. I had no reception in the mountains.”
“What are you doing in the mountains?”
“Didn’t you get the message I left on your voice mail at work?”
She winced. “No, I left early to come home to make dinner.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I’ll be there in about an hour. Am I still welcome?”
“Yes, of course you are.”
“I’m really sorry, Ella. Today was a disaster at work in more ways than one.”
“I’ll see you when you get here.”
“I can’t wait.” He lowered his voice, which told her he wasn’t alone. “I’ve been looking forward to applesauce all day.”
The double meaning in his statement couldn’t be denied. “Me, too.”
“Wait for me, El. I’m coming.”
“Okay.” She didn’t want to hang up, but she pressed the button to end the call and then held the phone to her chest. Returning to the sofa and her wine, she curled her legs under her and tried to force herself to relax. Then she called in to her voice mail at work and listened to his sweet message, smiling at his applesauce comment.
She felt so bad for doubting him, for thinking the worst when he’d been off taking care of his business the way he should be.
Just over an hour later, she heard the roar of his motorcycle arriving in her driveway. She ran to the door and threw it open as he came running up the stairs.
“I’m so sorry, babe.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her into his arms, kissing her. “I’m sorry.” Stepping into her apartment, he kicked the door closed behind him.
She held his face in her hands and kissed him. “Don’t apologize. You were working.”
“Were you worried?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Did you think the worst?”
She hesitated for only a second before she nodded again. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand. I haven’t given you much reason to have faith.”
“Yes, you have. You’re trying. That matters.”
He let her slide down the aroused front of him. “You look amazing and you smell like a dream. What is that?”
“It’s called Carried Away. It suited the mood I’ve been in lately.”
“That suits my mood, too.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Famished.”
She took him by the hand and towed him behind her into her cozy kitchen, where she’d set the small table for two. Gesturing to one of the chairs, she said, “Have a seat.”
He slid into the chair she’d indicated. “This looks so nice. I’m sorry I messed it up.”
“You didn’t.” She retrieved a beer she’d bought with him in mind from the fridge, popped it open and put it in front of him. “Relax. Your hell day is over.”
“Thank God for that.”
“What happened?”
While she put dinner on the table, he told her about the three-crisis day he’d endured at work.
“Does that happen a lot?”
“None of it ever happens—not on that scale anyway. It was like the universe was conspiring to keep me away from you.”
“Your man who went to the ER,” she asked, slicing the pork and putting it on a plate. “Is he okay?”
“Twenty stitches later, he’s fine but out of work for a week. And the paperwork I’ll have to file on the incident will take me that long to complete.”
Ella winced. “That doesn’t sound like fun.”
“It sucks, but I’m glad he’s okay. I’ve been really lucky with no major injuries for my employees despite the dangerous work they do every day.”
“What’s up with the equipment in the mountains?”
“Still waiting to hear, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s an easy fix. Until they get it up and running again, I’ve got six guys twiddling their thumbs and still being paid.”
“So they work up there all the time?”
“During the week. We rent a house up there and they stay up there Sunday through Thursday and come home for the weekends.”
She brought the food to the table and took a seat across from him.
“Come over here.”
“Over where?”
He pushed out his chair and gestured to his lap.
A rush of heat overtook her at his blatant invitation, making her face—and other areas—feel hot. She got up and went around the table to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arm around her and then used his free hand to fill his plate. Then he proceeded to feed them both from one plate. It was the single most intimate moment of her life, sharing a chair, a plate, a fork with him. He fed her bites of applesauce and then kissed the sweetness off her lips.
Everything tasted better than it ever had before, and the solid press of his erection against her bottom kept her in a constant state of arousal as they ate and he raved over the food she’d prepared.
Gavin put down the fork and ran his hand up her inner thigh.
Ella shuddered from the powerful charge of desire that simple touch created. The drag of his calluses over her skin set off a chain reaction that traveled from her lips to her nipples to her clit. She quite simply burned for him.
“Gavin.”
“What, babe?”
“I . . .”
He swept her hair out of his way and began kissing her neck.
She leaned in to get closer to him.
“What were you going to say?”
“Can we go to bed? Right now? Please?”
“The bed is so far away.” Before she could protest that it was only in the next room, he had arranged her so she faced him, straddling his lap. He pulled open the button to his jeans, unzipped slowly and carefully and freed his incredibly hard cock from the confines of his pants.
She could barely keep up as he pushed aside her thong and surged into her, filling and stretching her nearly to the point of pain before her body relented and let him in.
“Who needs a bed when we have a perfectly good chair?” he asked, his hands cupping her bottom under the nightgown and squeezing as he drove into her again.
Ella had never had sex on a kitchen chair before, and quickly discovered she’d been missing out.
He was relentless, manipulating her body as if she were weightless, lifting her up and down and then up, only to release her again, fully impaling her.
With her arms around his neck, Ella cried out from the thrill of his possession, for that was the only word that came to mind. She felt possessed by him in the best possible way.
Gavin pushed the robe off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. The straps of her gown slid down her arms until her breasts were bared to him. He took full advantage, drawing her right nipple into his mouth as he rolled his hips, touching off wave after wave of sensation that had her on the verge of release.
“Gavin,” she gasped.
He heeded her unspoken plea and pressed his fingers against her clit, stroking her to completion.
Her head fell back, and she might’ve slipped off his lap without the strong hold he had on her as he found his
release, too.
“Mmm,” he said on a low growl, “I love having dinner with you.”
Ella couldn’t believe it was possible to laugh while her body continued to vibrate with wave after wave of incredible pleasure. But he made her laugh, he made her happy, he made her want more of what they’d had together. So much more. She was beginning to realize that whatever time they were able to spend together would never be enough. She’d always want more. “I love having dinner with you, too. We should do it again tomorrow. And the day after.”
“The day after that, too.”
“Absolutely.”
“This is so good, Ella,” he whispered fiercely, his lips brushing against her jaw. “It’s so damned good.”
She blinked back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “I always knew it would be.”
“You had so much faith in me, even when I didn’t deserve it.”
“You always deserved it. None of what happened was your fault.”
“Some of it was my fault,” he said with a sigh. “I let the rage get the better of me at times, and I’m not proud of that.” Keeping his arms around her, he stood, kicked off his jeans, walked them into the bedroom and came down on top of her, all without losing their intimate connection.
“That was very impressive,” she said, running her fingers through the silk of his hair, because she could. Because she’d wanted to every time she’d laid eyes on him for years.
“What was?”
“The caveman carry into the bedroom.”
“You’re light as a feather.”
“Sure, I am.”
He kissed her. “You fit perfectly in my arms.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Dinner was amazing. Thank you. The applesauce more than lived up to the hype.”
“You’re welcome, and I’ll make it for you any time you want it.”
“I’m going to want a lot of applesauce.” As he said the words, he began to move above her.
That’s when she realized he was hard again and apparently fully recovered. She was never going to survive insatiable Gavin. In past relationships, it was a busy night if they had sex once. With Gavin, once was never enough. Would that change over time or would they always want each other this way?
“Stop thinking and just feel,” he whispered. “Just feel.” He withdrew from her slowly, leaving her bereft without him hard and strong inside her. Beginning at her throat, he kissed her everywhere—along her collarbone and down to her breasts, teasing them with soft kisses everywhere but where she wanted them most.
With her hand on the back of his head, Ella tried to direct him.
“Be patient.”
“I have no patience.”
He took mercy on her and ran his tongue over her nipple, back and forth until she was about to start begging.
“Gavin!”
Laughing, he drew the hard tip into his mouth, sucking and biting down nearly to the point of pain.
Ella jolted and almost climaxed from the live current that traveled from her nipple to her clit. Good God . . .
He kept up the slow, sexy seduction until she was reduced to a quivering mess of sensation.
She was right on the brink when he pushed into her again and sent her flying over the edge, screaming from the power of her release. Nothing had ever been like this. Ever. Wrapping her arms around him, she drew him into a kiss that ended when he threw his head back and came with a low growl. He was so fierce and beautiful, his strong jaw clenching, his eyes closed and his lips parted.
Ella took a mental picture of what he looked like as he lost himself in her. It was something she wanted to remember always. She held on tight to him, locked in the bliss they found together. It was everything she’d ever hoped it would be and so much more that she’d never dreamed possible.
If they could have this, just this, for the rest of their lives, Ella would never want for anything else.
CHAPTER 15
On Thursday night, Gavin’s parents invited them to a cocktail reception at the Guthrie Inn.
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Ella said, tuning in to his reluctance.
“I want to support my parents. The inn has been so good for them.”
“But?”
“No buts,” he said, forcing a smile for her. He honestly didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to be around women who’d lost their husbands to war. Though he supported the wonderful work his parents and Hannah were doing at the inn, he didn’t want anything to do with it.
But he couldn’t very well tell his parents that, not when the inn had given them new focus and energy as they worked in Caleb’s name to help others. It would be petty of him to undermine their newfound purpose by appearing less than supportive. He couldn’t do that to them.
So they went.
His mother greeted them with the big, bright smile that used to be so much a part of who she was until her son’s death dimmed the light inside her.
It was a relief to see her eyes dancing with excitement and joy again. Gavin hadn’t realized how much he’d missed that until now.
“Come in, have a drink, and Hannah made some delicious appetizers.”
“Sounds great,” Ella said. She was stunning in a black sweater, sexy gray pants that showed off her spectacular ass and even sexier black boots.
Gavin was so damned proud to have her at his side. This last week with her had been right out of a dream. He’d forgotten what it felt like to be happy—truly, deeply happy. Everything, even the supremely crappy days at work, had been easier to deal with knowing he got to go home to her each night.
His gaze shifted from Ella’s sexy body to the picture of his brother that adorned the foyer now that the Guthrie family home was the Capt. Caleb M. Guthrie Memorial Retreat. Caleb’s fierce expression in his official Army Ranger photo got to Gavin every time he allowed himself to look at it. Almost eight years later, it was still a vicious punch to the gut to remember he would never see that face again.
Gavin forced himself to look away lest he be dragged down into the rabbit hole of despair once again. He refused to let that happen when he had so many good things happening in his life. Resisting the rabbit hole had become a part-time job, but it was easier now with Ella by his side.
With her hand curled around his, he followed Ella into the kitchen, where her sister was arranging bruschetta on a platter. Hannah was beginning to show in the subtle rounding of her abdomen. Her cheeks were fuller, too, but her eyes told the true story. She’d rediscovered her joy, and it was a lovely thing to see indeed.
For so long after Caleb died, the two of them and his parents had been like the walking wounded, none of them quite sure how to go forward without the man who’d been at the center of all their lives. The other three were showing signs of recovery. Perhaps it was time for him to let it happen to him, too.
Caleb wasn’t coming back, as much as he wished otherwise. None of the raging, fighting or drinking had done a damned thing to assuage his bitter loss. If possible, he’d only succeeded in making everything worse.
Gavin took a deep breath, forcing his wandering mind to stay in the present rather than drifting to the past where trouble lay.
As she talked and laughed with her sister, Ella kept a firm grip on his hand, as if she knew he needed the connection.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze that she returned, making him feel as connected to her as he did when they made love.
Nolan came into the kitchen, carrying an empty tray. “You’re a hit, babe. Everyone is clamoring for more.”
“Here you are,” Hannah said, smiling widely at her husband as she handed him the platter of bruschetta.
“You’ve been thoroughly domesticated, Nolan,” Gavin said in a teasing tone.
“Watch out,” Nolan said, nodding to his and Ella’s joined hands. “It could happen to you, too, my friend.”
Ella grinned at him, and suddenly the thought of being domesticated didn’t seem so
bad if she were the one doing the training. He could get on board with her brand of domestication.
Hannah filled more trays, and they helped her carry them into the room that used to be her sitting room and was now a gathering place for inn guests. A roaring fire added to the cozy atmosphere as groups of women enjoyed drinks and the food Hannah had lovingly provided.
Gavin’s parents circulated, filling glasses and checking on their guests. On a table laden with food, Gavin retrieved a bottle of beer out of a bowl of ice and cracked it open. Ella’s parents joined the party as did her brother Will and his wife, Cameron, who’d designed the inn’s website.
A lot of work had gone into creating this oasis for women struggling to put their lives back together after unimaginable loss. Sadly, even with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over or winding down, the need for the services they provided here was still acute. The inn was sold out through next summer.
Amelia used the handle of a fork against her crystal glass to get everyone’s attention.
The din in the room quieted and all eyes turned to Gavin’s mother.
“I want to thank you all for being here tonight,” Amelia said. “We hope to make these parties part of our overall effort to include our lovely guests in the community of Butler so they will always feel like they have a second home here. In the months since our opening, we’ve had more than fifty guests from twenty different states come to spend some time with us. All have left with new friends, an enhanced support network and yet another place to call home. I want to say a special thank you to Cameron Abbott, who is here tonight, for her amazing work on our website.”
A polite round of applause had Cameron smiling and blushing from the attention. “My pleasure.”
“And to my daughter-in-law for life, Hannah Roberts . . . This was all your doing, and Bob and I couldn’t be more proud of all you’ve done to ensure that Caleb’s legacy lives on forever.”
As Hannah blinked back tears and kissed his mother’s cheek, Ella looked up at Gavin, seeming to check on him. He smiled down at her, hoping he was reassuring her.
“I’ve asked Cindy, one of our current guests, to say a few words,” Amelia said, “so I’ll turn it over to her. Cindy?”