James put his arms around her, still surprised he was allowed such a liberty from the girl who had done everything in her power to not give into her attraction to him.
“Cordelia has all kinds of ideas prepared. She seems really into the color gray for this floor.”
“Okay,” she said, turning her face into his neck.
It had been three months since he had shown up and told her he loved her. He simply hadn't left after. He had been there holding her hand when she finally got her stitches out. And then he had gone out and bought her a bottle of vitamin E tablets to rub into her scars because “someone in town told” him it would work.
Stars Landing had embraced him with open arms as some kind of long lost son returned home. He helped decorate for the New Year's eve party. He had volunteered to clean up the mess the town had turned into the next morning, too perky after five of Maude's Clean Slate drinks, while everyone else took to the inn to chow down on grease and fat to ease their hangovers.
He charmed the wives and widows, he earned the respect of the men. And, much to her chagrin, he had entered into the most nauseating bromance she had ever seen with Dane.
“I cant believe you're leaving me here to deal with her alone,” Emily grumbled, still not happy with the idea of him going away.
James chuckled. “Hey look, Elliott really only expects the bare minimum from me as it is. If I go and start refusing to do that just to spend time with my girlfriend, I might find myself out of a job.”
Emily rubbed her face across his chest. “That's okay. You can get a job here.”
“Official panty dropper?” he suggested, tugging at a strand of her hair playfully.
Emily twisted her head up to look at his face. “You're retired. And so is Sam. And Eric. And even Aiden. Who is left?” she asked, scrunching up her brows. “What good is a small town without gorgeous bachelors?”
“Well there's Dane,” James suggested and laughed when Emily rolled her eyes. “And... what's Eric's brother's name?”
“Liam,” Emily supplied. “But he never looks up from his books long enough to notice women.”
James laughed, pushing her back down on his chest and stroking her back.
“Oh, and what about that new doctor? I think I heard some of the women in the market talking about him.”
Emily smiled. He even talked like one of them now. Not “food” or “grocery” store, but market. “I haven't seen him yet...”
The front door opened suddenly, Meggie storming in, her cheeks bright red, her long blonde hair free around her shoulders for once. She turned back toward the door, grabbing the handle and slamming it against the jamb over and over, making a loud growling sound.
“Hey, Megs,” Emily called. “have a good check-up?” she asked innocently.
“That man!” she yelled, slamming the door one last time for good measure.
“Yeah,” James said, as deadpan as Emily. “we heard he was really good looking.”
“Augghhh,” Meggie yelled, jumping slightly up and down, making Emily have to fight to keep from laughing. All the years she had known Meggie, she had never seen her so worked up over something. She once had to have what she called “firm words” with the farmer she got her peaches from and then spent the next six months apologizing to him any time she saw him. She was always sweet and good, never an unkind word to say to anyone. To see her worked up like that was nothing short of amazing.
“That... man...” she said, ripping off her jacket and starting to tie her hair back.
Emily and James shared a knowing look. The way Meggie was reacting was the way they both felt, albeit inside, when they first encountered each other.
“The doctor?” Emily asked.
“Yes, the doctor,” she spat the word like venom.
“What'd he do?” James asked, moving to put his feet on the floor and look at Meggie.
“He told me I'm fat,” she exploded, sounding close to tears as her anger drained.
“What?” Emily yelled.
“You're not fat,” James insisted at the same time.
Meggie threw her arms up in the air before turning and rushing down the hall.
“What an asshole,” Emily grumbled.
“This is gonna be all over town tomorrow,” James said, sounding far too much like someone who had been there all his life.
“So,” Emily said, moving to straddle his lap. “you know what we should be doing right now?”
James reached forward, running a finger over her lips.”Getting a good night's sleep so we can both be rested for tomorrow?” he asked, smirking.
“Oh,” Emily said. “I did have something else in mind. But now that you mention it,” she said, forcing a big yawn. “that does sound like a good idea.”
“Like hell,” he said, grabbing her ass and pulling her close against him. Her arms went up around his neck, holding on and he stood up, carrying her down the hall.
He opened the hallway that led to their room, slamming her hard up against the wall.
Emily's head hit backward with a loud crack, her hands slipping between them to unzip his pants. She reached in, grabbing his cock, already hard and straining.
“Here?” he asked, his head falling backward as he stroked his length.
“Here,” she said, unwrapping her legs from his waist and placing them on the floor. James' hands went immediately to her pants, grabbing the waist and pulling them down. Emily stepped out of the legs, looking up at James in anticipation. Then she slowly lowered herself down to her knees in front of him, tilting her head up and opening her mouth. Waiting.
With a groan, James took a hold of his cock and led it into her waiting mouth. She closed her lips around the head, looking up at him. Again waiting. James closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. He grabbed the back of her neck and with a smirk, slammed her head forward.
When she gave him head, she was greedy. Greedy for his moans, his uneven breath, his complete absorption in her. On her knees, she was powerful. She was in control of his pleasure. She owned him.
“Christ, Em,” he groaned, grabbing her hair and pulling her off of him. She got slowly up on her feet. “Okay,” he said, sounding winded. “your turn,” he said, going down on his knees in front of her. He grabbed her calf and moved her leg over his shoulder, quickly burying his face in her heat, working his tongue over her clit until her fingers fisted in his hair, her hips moving restlessly.
“Now,” she panted, pushing his face away. “I need you inside me now,” she begged.
“Yes ma'am,” he smiled, getting up on his feet. He pulled her leg up to wrap around his waist, leaned forward and took her lip between his teeth, as he thrust once, burying deep inside her. He released her lip, burying his face in her neck as he pulled out and, paused, and slammed forward again. He kept that pace. Fast in, pause, slow out, pause, fast in... until she was panting, her hands clawing into the flesh of his shoulders, her hips wiggling forward and back as he thrust, trying to relieve the aching need for release faster than he would let her. “I...” he said, thrusting forward. “fucking,” her body jerked with the power of his hips ramming against hers. “love,” she felt herself tightening around him. She clung to him, knowing she was close, so close. Suspended in that nothingness right before a powerful climax. “you,” he growled, burying deep inside her, his body jerking as he came.
Emily felt her orgasm crash over her. Wave after wave, making her cry out his name through strangled breaths. “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” she gasped as he orgasm eased, just a slight aftershock of contractions.
They stood there like that for a long time, James still buried deep inside her, her arms tight around his neck.
The feeling never went away. That one she had felt that time at the lodge. The feeling of him filling the empty places inside. The feeling that he was what had been missing all along. Which was why nothing else had ever worked to complete her before.
It was foreign to her to realize she was happy. Not just content. Or happy with work, but unhappy in love. Not playing a game of give and take with joy. She was happy. Happy with work. Happy with her friends.
But, most of all, happy with James.
James pulled out of her slowly, kissing her lips in a long, lingering way, like trying to memorize how they felt... how she tasted. He supposed that was exactly what he was doing. Because this would be the first time they had been apart since they officially got together.
He didn't want to go. Or, maybe more accurately, he didn't want to go without her. He wanted her with him on those white beaches, he wanted to playfully try to drown each other in the water, he wanted to take her out as the sun was setting and make slow, passionate love to her on the soft sand.
But she had responsibilities keeping her there, and he had responsibilities pulling him away. It was a reality of their relationship that had discussed in length before. He would need to travel for work. And she couldn't always go.
In the end, they had both agreed that it could do nothing but strengthen their bond. Make the heart, and hormones, grow stronger. That they were both independent souls who would do fine alone for a few weeks here and there.
James watched as she stooped to pick up her pants and walk back toward her room naked from the waist down, her perfect ass bouncing with each step. God, he was going to miss her.
“You coming to bed?” she asked, looking back at him with a furrowed brow. “Or am I going to have to have my second round with Mr. Good Vibrations?”
James gave her one of his huge, boyish smiles. What a woman. “I'm coming,” he said, winking at her.
Maybe he would stop and pick up a ring while he was away.
- The End -
What The Heart Knows Page 22