Take Me Home

by Elks, Carrie

  “I like the anticipation,” he told her.

  “This isn’t anticipation. It’s sex with clothes on.”

  “If you think this is anywhere close to sex, you have a lot to learn.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “And you’re the one to teach me?”

  He pushed himself against her again and she swallowed her cry. She was embarrassingly responsive, and he knew it.

  “Is your mouth always this smart?” he asked her.

  “Pretty much.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “But I think you know what to do about it.” Her thighs tightened around him and he groaned. Such a sweet sound.

  He was staring at her again, the humor had melted from his expression, replaced by dark desire. Her breath hitched as he leaned closer and slowly, pressed his lips to hers.

  If she thought she was needy before, it was nothing compared to now. He deepened the kiss, his mouth parting hers. The tip of his tongue slid against the tender skin inside her bottom lip. She kissed him back hard, her lips moving without conscious thought.

  God, he felt good. So good. He knew how to kiss – not too hard and not too soft. A goldilocks kiss that sent her soaring. His mouth ignited a fuse that kept on burning, her body on fire as he held her against the wall and swallowed her sighs. And when they finally parted, both of them breathless, it felt as though she’d lost a little piece of herself.

  “Damn.” Gray shook his head. “There’s definitely something there.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed with a smile. “I guess there is.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You wanna take a walk?” he asked her when he finally let her slide back down the wall.

  “Now?”

  “Why not?”

  “Um, because it’s getting late and we both have to work tomorrow. And the town is full of busybodies who’ll take one look at us and light up the grapevine.” She raised an eyebrow and put a finger across her lips as though she was thinking. “Oh yeah, and I don’t have any shoes on. There’s that, too.”

  It was crazy how much her sarcasm turned him on.

  “Go get your shoes.” He nodded at the window. “And we’ll keep to the shadows. Everybody’s probably asleep, anyway.”

  “And if they’re not?”

  He shrugged. “Let them talk.”

  “Says the guy who doesn’t live in a small town anymore.”

  “America’s my small town. If I make a wrong move it gets plastered all across the Internet, not just at Chairs,” he pointed out.

  “Another good reason not to make waves.” She looked pale. He wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the moon or the blood draining from her beautiful face.

  “I just want to walk with you,” he told her. “I promise nobody will see us.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her onto her window sill. “If you don’t want to come, that’s okay. I understand.” And he’d really try not to be pissed. But he didn’t want to go home. He wanted to be with her.

  “I do want to,” she said quickly. “I’m just careful, that’s all.”

  “Careful is good,” he told her as she climbed inside. He stepped forward, leaning on the sill to take a look at her room. It was small and neat. Her plaid sheets were tightly tucked, though there was a dent in the middle where she’d been sitting. The walls were painted a pale color that he couldn’t discern in this light. There were a few framed photographs on her dresser. He leaned in further to try and make them out. One of her, maybe, standing next to a piano in a long black dress. Another of a wedding – was that Ashleigh? And then another of two children, their blonde hair neatly combed, both cream-and-pink faces lit up with delight.

  “Are those Ash’s kids?” he asked Maddie as she pulled on her sneakers. Her back immediately stiffened and he realized he’d messed up. He bit on his bottom lip, trying to figure out how to make it better.

  “Yes. Grace and Carter,” she said, tying her laces. “They’re five and three.” She looked up. “Is it strange, knowing they could have been yours?”

  “No. They couldn’t have been mine.” He shook his head. “Not at all.” He was still trying to find the right words. “Ashleigh and I were kids ourselves when we dated. There was no future in it. Not for either of us. We wanted such different things.”

  Her expression was still guarded as she climbed back out of the window. He found himself missing smart-mouthed-Maddie. The one who could walk verbal rings around him.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He turned right and she followed him, heading toward the edges of town. “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Just somewhere.” He reached for her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. “You okay?”

  She looked up at him, her chin jutting out. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  He took a left then a right, his hand still enveloping hers. His body was buzzing, like he’d put his finger in a live socket. When was the last time he’d felt like this? Even singing an encore in front of fifty thousand fans who sang his lyrics right back didn’t feel this good.

  The houses were thinning out, replaced by thicker rows of oaks that clustered together along the roadway. Taking a left, he pulled her down the dirt path.

  Maddie stumbled on the rocky ground, and he slid his arm around her waist to steady her, activating the light on his phone to guide their way.

  “Here,” he said as they reached the edges of the brook. “There’s a fallen log here. We used to climb on it when we were kids.”

  “You were allowed down here on your own?” she asked him.

  “Yeah. The bonus of having a widowed dad, I guess. He didn’t give a shit as long as we came back home at night and kept our grades up.”

  Her eyes softened. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t feel sorry for me. A million people out there have it worse.”

  She reached for his face, cupping his jaw with her soft hand. He leaned into it, closing his eyes for a moment. It was a crazy idea, knocking on her window, yet this felt so damn good. Like he was taking in oxygen after a lifetime of holding his breath.

  He heard her shuffle, then felt the warmth of her lips on his jaw. His body immediately responded. She only had to touch him and it turned him on.

  Opening his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her, straddling her body across his. She leaned her face close, enough that he could see the specks of pigment in her blue irises. She hooked her arms around his neck, her fingers massaging his scalp and he groaned at how good it felt.

  “What is it about you, Maddie Clark?”

  Her eyes sparkled. “You tell me.”

  “Let me show you instead.” This time there was no hesitation, just pure electric need. He kissed her hard and deep until they were both breathless, their bodies pressed against each other like there was no other choice. She fit into him like her body was made for his; soft where he was hard, yielding where he put pressure. He stroked her hair, feeling the strands caress his palm, and kissed her again. She intoxicated him, stronger than any alcohol, more potent than any drug.

  He was high on Maddie Clark and it felt so good.

  * * *

  “Two pancakes, one eggs benedict, and a side of bacon.” Maddie smiled and laid the plates on the table in front of Reverend Maitland and his wife. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

  Theirs was the last order of the breakfast rush, and boy did that make her happy. It felt like all of Hartson’s Creek had decided they wanted to eat at Murphy’s this morning. Every now and then, Maddie would walk toward the kitchen then turn back abruptly to make sure nobody was talking about her. And they weren’t.

  Didn’t make her any less paranoid, though.

  That was the problem with only getting three hours sleep. Her brain was jumpy, and slow at the same time. She didn’t like it.

  “I’m heading to the bathroom,” she told Murphy as she carried another pile of dirty dishes back to the kitchen. “I just refilled the coffee po
t and everybody has full mugs. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “Sure.” Murphy didn’t look up as she walked past him, too busy staring at the funnies. He still read the paper religiously every day. She’d given up trying to convince him he could read on his phone instead.

  The staff bathroom was out back, across the alleyway in a small brick building. Word had it that Murphy built it back when he was married and his wife ran the kitchen. It was his one escape from her sharp tongue. His wife had long since left – probably before Maddie was even walking – but the bathroom remained.

  She washed her hands and stared at herself in the rust-specked mirror. There were dark shadows under her eyes that no amount of concealer could fight. Her lips were red and swollen, and her chin and cheeks felt raw with beard burn. She was too old to spend all night kissing and grinding in the middle of the woods, but it was impossible not to sigh at the memory.

  By the time Gray had walked her home, the first light of dawn was dancing its way across the sky. He’d kissed her again outside her home until her body sang, then watched until she made it inside safely before he left.

  She splashed her face with cold water then dried it on a fresh towel, grabbing her cosmetic bag and repairing her mascara and lipstick. Her phone lit up with a message and she grabbed it eagerly, frowning when she saw it was from Ashleigh.

  Ash and Gray hadn’t been an item for more than ten years, yet she immediately felt guilty.

  I just had coffee with Jessica. What’s this about karaoke? Call me. A.

  Maddie stared at it for a minute. The last person in the world she wanted to talk to right now was Ashleigh. Not just because of the guilt, but because Ash could read her like a book. A few strategically placed questions and the truth could come tumbling out.

  I’m working. Will call later. M.

  She paused for a moment and added a couple of kisses. Then she deleted them because Ash hadn’t added any. Shaking her head at her reflection, she slid her phone into her jeans pocket and headed out of the door.

  “Hey.”

  “What the hell?” She jumped about a mile.

  “Sorry. Murphy told me you were out the back.” Gray’s eyes crinkled as he grinned at her.

  “Did he tell you I was in the bathroom, too?” She couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Kinda. He started on a graphic description so I got the hell out of there.”

  “I don’t want to know.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, he was still grinning at her.

  “Let’s start again,” he suggested, stepping closer. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” She lifted her head to look at him. “I thought you’d be elbow deep in plumbing by now.”

  “I am, I just came to pick up a few things from the hardware store.” He shrugged. “Thought I’d stop by and see you while I was here.”

  “You did? Why?” The smile was still clinging to her lips.

  “I have a question for you.” He lifted his cap and smoothed out his hair.

  “Sounds interesting.”

  “I’ve got a hazy recollection of talking to you last night. I remember leaving the bar, but can’t really remember what happened next. I didn’t do anything stupid, did I?”

  She swallowed hard. He didn’t remember? All those sweet words, those sweeter kisses. Not a bit of it?

  “Um…” Her mind was blank. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, that wasn’t it.

  And then he started laughing, tipping his head back and exposing his stubbled jaw. She watched him, open mouth, as tears came to his eyes. “Your face,” he said between chuckles. “You should see it.”

  “You’re an asshole.” She swatted his arm. “You had me believing you’d forgotten it all.”

  “You think I could forget something like that?” He was still laughing. “Think I could forget kissing you for almost an hour straight? I only had a couple drinks.”

  “Four.” She held her fingers up.

  “A couple of couples.”

  “Whatever.” She shrugged. “I hope your memory isn’t too hazy, because it’s not happening again.” She was kidding, but the dismay that flashed across his face was gratifying.

  “It’s not?” His voice dipped.

  “Nope.” She tipped her head to the side, biting down a smile.

  He traced a finger along her jaw, his eyes flickering when she let out a sigh. “That’s a shame,” he said gruffly. “Because I liked kissing you a lot.”

  “I know.”

  He laughed again, his finger trailing across her bottom lip. “I remember how sweet you tasted. How good you felt on my lap. How you kiss like a wild woman when you let go.”

  “A wild woman?” She tried to ignore the heat working up her chest and neck. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I was going to ask if you wanted to do it again tonight, but I guess you don’t.” His eyes crinkled with amusement.

  “I’d rather pull out my fingernails,” she said grinning.

  “You’re right.” He nodded. “There’s some paint I need to watch dry.”

  “What time are you gonna pick me up?”

  “Eight,” he told her. “And wear shoes.”

  She laughed. “You planning on taking me somewhere fancy?”

  “Yeah, I thought we’d fly to Malibu.” He winked.

  Maddie paused for a second. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  “Not really. But now that I’ve said it I might look into it. I promised you a kiss on the beach.”

  “I’m not going with you to Malibu.”

  “Okay. Then how about a restaurant in Stanhope?”

  “And end up trending on Instagram? No thanks.”

  “You don’t like people knowing your business, do you?” he asked, tipping his head and scrutinizing her. “Why is that?”

  “Because I don’t like being talked about.” She looked up at him. “Do you?”

  He shrugged. “Okay. No Malibu and no restaurant. I’ll think of another plan.” He cupped her face with his palm and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “But still wear those shoes. Just in case.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Maddie saw the silver Mercedes as soon as she turned the corner into her street. It was parked in the driveway, its shine looking completely out of place next to her rusty Honda Accord.

  She looked inside the back seat when she walked past and smiled when she saw the car seats firmly fixed in. Ashleigh only ever put their car seats in when the kids were with her. She didn’t like the way they dented her soft leather seats.

  “Are there any monsters in here?” Maddie called out when she opened the front door. She barely had time to take a breath before Carter came barreling down the hallway, yelling loudly with his three-year-old sister toddling behind him, screeching out with delight.

  He flung himself into Maddie’s arms and she lifted him into a bear hug. Grace clung to her legs, jumping up and down with delight.

  “Can we play the piano?” Carter asked her.

  “Yeah. Wanna play the peeno.” Grace nodded, her blonde locks catching the hall light. Her face was so serious Maddie had to bite down a smile.

  “Give your aunt some space,” Ashleigh said, walking out of the kitchen. “She’s just come home from work. And you were both in the middle of drawing, remember? Come back and finish what you were doing.”

  “I don’t want to!” Carter stuck his bottom lip out.

  “Excuse me?” Ashleigh said tartly, pressing her lips together. Maddie immediately sensed the change in her nephew. His head drooped and he nodded, grabbing his sister’s hand and pulling her back into the kitchen.

  “Mom, can you watch the kids for a minute?” Ashleigh called out. “I want to talk to Maddie.”

  “Sure.” Their mom’s voice was warm. “Come on, Carter. Show me your picture.”

  “Is everything okay?” Maddie asked as Ashleigh walked into the living room.

  “Of course.” Ashleigh smiled, though it didn�
��t quite reach her perfectly made-up eyes. “We were just passing and I thought I’d come say hi.”

  “Passing from where?” Maddie leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Ashleigh said quickly, closing the door behind them. She turned to the fireplace, and picked up an old photograph of her and Maddie, turning it to examine it further. “So what’s this I’ve been hearing about karaoke at the Moonlight Bar?”

  So that’s why she was here. Ashleigh never could stand being out of the loop. Growing up, she was always the one people were talking to – and about. Though she’d always proclaimed she hated the way Hartson’s Creek ran on gossip, maybe her old habits died hard.

  “It was nothing.” Maddie slumped in a rose patterned high back chair in the corner. “Just something Becca dragged me into.”

  “Becca Hartson?” Ashleigh replaced the photograph, dragging her finger across the glass then turning it to check for dust. “How was she involved?”

  “Why does this feel like you’re the mom and I’m the kid?” Maddie asked her. “Have I done something wrong? It was a bit of singing and some fun. I’ve no idea why you’d be interested in that.”

  “I’m always interested in you,” Ashleigh said softly. “You know that.”

  That was true. Ashleigh had always taken her big sister role seriously, from the time they were as young as Carter and Grace. “Well, you don’t need to worry about this one. I sang a song with Becca, we won the competition, and I came home and got up the next morning for work. That’s all there is to the story.” The lie tasted strange on her tongue. Almost dirty.

  Ashleigh picked up another photograph. This time one of her in her prom dress. Maddie could still remember that night so well. How beautiful her sister had looked. Their mom took photograph after photograph, Ash’s blonde hair pinned up in curls, her neck slender, her shoulders bare, leading to the silver dress she’d saved up for months to buy. Maddie could remember staring at her, wondering how it must feel to be that beautiful. Knowing she could never ever look that way.