“Do you want to be a sexy, pinup bride? Do you want to feel like a goddess, or a princess, or do you want to be simple and chic?”
Karen sniffed. “I’ve always loved the way Grace Kelly looked on her wedding day. Maybe like that?”
“Ah.” Ellis smiled. “Good choice. Now we have something to go on.” She started to sketch a basic outline. “So you like lace. The long sleeves looked good on Grace but you don’t want to copy her. You want to be original. Cap sleeves, I think. And lace over satin.” She sketched furiously, getting lost in the design. “Empire waist, beading here. A-line.”
“Ellis…” Karen sighed.
The sound of her name pulled Ellis’s attention from her sketch and back to her customer. “What do you think of this dress? Do you like it?”
“I don’t like. I adore it. Forget about trying to find that on the Internet. You have got to make it for me.”
“What? I’ve never made a wedding dress before. You can’t trust me with something so huge.”
“But I do. Please, Ellis. You’re my last hope.”
Ellis stared openmouthed at Karen for a moment. Could she really do it? Did she have the time? The talent? What if she sucked at it? The thought of letting Karen down on her wedding day was almost too much to bear. But then she locked eyes with Mike, who reached out and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. She wasn’t sure why that made it better, but it gave her the strength to nod.
“I’ll do it.”
“You will?” Karen screamed and hugged Ellis so hard she could barely breathe. “My budget is five thousand. Can you do it for that?”
Ellis nearly swooned at the amount. Five thousand dollars would not only keep her afloat but help her out tremendously. It was just that she didn’t think she could take that much money from Karen. “I could do it for less than that. Like half that.”
“No, Ellis.” Karen shook her. “You are designing and hand-making a gown that I was going to spend five thousand dollars on at a store. You deserve every penny. In fact I wish I could pay you more.”
“But Karen…”
“It’s settled. I can’t wait to tell my mom. When do you want me for my first fitting?”
“Um … Tomorrow? Ten o’clock?”
“Great! I’ll see you then.”
Karen floated out of the store, leaving Mike and Ellis alone again.
“You were very good with her, Elle.” Mike backed Ellis against the register and brushed his nose against her cheek. “This is what you are meant to be doing.”
Was it, though? It felt right. She felt more competent making dresses than she ever did practicing the law. “I’ve never made a wedding dress before, Mike. What if I suck at it?”
“You won’t.” He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled her scent. “I don’t know anything about clothes but I know you do good work.”
Suddenly all the emotions of the past two days hit her. Her face throbbed. Her head ached. Jack kept bugging her. She was worried about everything and Mike was there being sweet to her again. She wasn’t sure she could take it. Her vision went blurry. “Why are you being so nice to me? I don’t know how to handle it.”
“It’s okay if you want to cry.” He pulled away a little and gazed down at her. “You’ve had a rough couple of days.”
It was as if she needed permission to cry. She let the first few tears fall as he gathered her close, smoothing his big hands down her back.
“Oh, stop crying, you big baby,” he said into her hair.
Ellis laughed as she stood on tiptoes to bring her mouth to his. “Thank you. I’m glad you were here today,” she told him again.
“You’re welcome.” He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a long deep kiss. She felt him everywhere this time. Her nipples tightened. Her breath grew shorter. She throbbed in places she thought were long dead.
He broke away slowly, stroking the tendrils of hair off her face. “You’re tired. I think you should go home and rest.”
She nodded. She was tired and she did want to go home but she didn’t want to go home alone.
Chapter Eleven
Things I Would Sell My Mother to Have …
1. A lifetime supply of Lindt milk chocolate.
2. The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, smeared in said chocolate (yummy).
3. A big plastic sheet for my bed. (I’m a messy eater.)
“I should feed you. Come home with me and I’ll find something for us to eat.”
Mike looked at Ellis for a very long moment, his eyes settling on her lips. He stared so long she grew afraid of his answer. They both knew what it would mean if he came home with her. They both knew that things between them would irrevocably change.
“I would like that.” He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers before he pulled away. “I’ll follow you home.”
*
Ellis took the direct route home this time, Mike following her in his vintage black Mercedes. She tried not to think about what was to come. She tried not to think about him as the anticipation filled her body. It had been so long for her, so long since she felt desire or desirable. Jack had taken that away from her. He’d robbed her of her joy in sex, of her confidence, of her pride. His words came rushing back.
Do you have any idea what it’s like to sleep with somebody like you?
Ellis shook her head as she pulled into her little driveway. She was going to put Jack out of her head for good. He had no place there anymore.
She stepped out of her car just as Mike shut his off. They said nothing to each other as she let them inside but she could feel the heat of his gaze on her back. She felt his need as much as she felt her own.
They stopped in her living room. She turned to face him, wanting to say something to him, something meaningful, something profound, but her mind turned to mush as his eyes raked over her body.
“Are—are you hungry?” she managed to say.
“Yes.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his hard body as his mouth slammed down on hers. This kiss was different: There was no finesse, no slowness, no time spared. It was hot, needy, and deep. It was all-consuming and before she could process the silky feel of his tongue on hers, cool air brushed across her bottom. He peeled her shorts off, his hands reaching inside her panties to cup her behind, to push her against his very hard erection. She rubbed against him, her mind going blank, her body taking over. He let out a visceral groan.
First his shirt came off, revealing a chest too perfect for words, then her panties slid to the floor and pooled around her ankles. She was almost naked, just a few more pieces of clothing to go before he saw all of her. Insecurity, her old friend, filled her. She had never had sex in broad daylight before and never in her extremely bright living room. With Jack it had been in the dark and under covers. With Mike it was all so different. She would be exposed.
He dragged his lips from hers long enough to remove her tank top. “Undress me,” he ordered.
She did what he asked, her hands going to the fly of his shorts. They shook as she unbuttoned, unzipped, and freed him from his pants. It was beautiful, big, smooth, and as dark as the rest of him. She wanted to kiss it, to run her tongue over it and taste him but her knees were too wobbly to bend. Instead she took him lightly in her hand and ran her thumb across the tip, smearing that little drop of liquid over him. His body jerked violently and she backed away, afraid she had done something wrong.
“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” he whispered, gathering her close. “Your hands feel too good.” He led her to the couch where he sat on the arm and she stood facing him. “Let’s slow down a little.”
He reached up to unhook her bra, leaving Ellis completely naked in front of a man for the first time in her adult life. As her nipples were exposed to the air they painfully stiffened, begging to be touched. Mike said nothing. He did nothing, only stared for a moment. Then his hands and eyes began to slowly travel her body as her mind calculated all her imperfections. They slid over too-
wide hips and around to her slightly rounded belly, then down to her fleshy behind and over her thighs. All he did was rub her skin with his slightly rough hands and stare at her with such intensity that it caused tears to come to her eyes.
“What’s wrong, baby?” His gaze was full of concern. “You’re shaking.”
“The way you look at me … You don’t think I’m ugly?”
“God no.” He cupped her face in his hands and brought her mouth to his, kissing her, slowly sucking her tongue into his mouth as if it belonged there. “You’re beautiful, so beautiful.”
The way he said it, the way he looked at her and touched her, made her believe it. Mike Edwards wanted her, and the knowledge of it made liquid pool between her thighs.
“We fit.” He linked his fingers through hers as he placed his head between her breasts, his lips fluttering against her pounding heart. He cupped her breasts in his hands, squeezed them, tested their weight, lifted them to his mouth to kiss her aching nipples. Her breath shortened as he took one into his mouth. He suckled, she moaned. He pulled deeper with his wet lips and she arched her back, trying to bring herself even closer to him.
“Mike, please.” She begged, for what she did not know. She just knew she wanted to be closer to him. “More.”
He touched her between her legs, finding her dripping wet. “Ellis. You’re ready for me.” He trailed his fingers along her cleft, slid them up to her clit, and lightly rubbed. She fell apart, coming so hard her knees buckled. Mike caught her before she fell and lowered her onto the couch. He hovered over her, a slight smile forming on his beautiful lips.
“Oh don’t look so pleased with yourself.”
His slight smile bloomed into a full one. “Can’t help it.”
He kissed down her throat, licking, tasting her skin while he lifted his fingers to her hair to remove the band that confined it. His hard body felt heavenly as it settled on top of hers, and for a moment she was content with just holding him. But soon, simple touch alone wasn’t enough and she wrapped her legs around his hips, causing their inflamed parts to brush against each other.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he told her.
“What a way to go.” She lifted her head off the couch, needing to be kissed. He obliged, nipping at her bottom lip, sucking it in, licking inside her mouth. She started to rub against him, feeling his member slide against her swollen lips.
He abruptly broke their kiss. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Who was asking you to?”
He gave her a quick, wicked grin before he slowly slid into her. It had been so long and Mike was so big. She stretched to accommodate his girth, feeling him at her womb. An insuppressible moan escaped her lips. He paused for a moment, his blue eyes boring into her. This was new for her, the connection, this tenderness. It felt like a first time.
He thrust slowly, his eyes never leaving her face. He studied her every expression, stroked to accommodate her needs. Sex wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this … this … good. She kissed his Adam’s apple, unable to tolerate even one part of her body not touching his. He thrust over and over, each time a little harder. The orgasm came so quick and strong her entire body convulsed, her toes curled.
“Honey.” Mike rested on his forearms and gazed down at her. “Wait for me next time.”
She tried to nod but he took her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, and it caused her to lose all control of her body. It had been too long. He felt too good. She couldn’t keep that promise.
Mike found a slow hard rhythm that drove Ellis crazy. So crazy she barely noticed the car honking as it pulled into her driveway. But the red color of the car woke her from her sexual haze. “Mike!”
No!
“Ellis,” he moaned.
God? Buddha? Zeus? Anybody?
She heard the engine die and knew what was coming.
Why am I being punished?
“Get off me!”
“What?” He stopped moving. “Why?” Concern filled his handsome face and feelings Ellis didn’t want to face entered her mind. “Am I hurting you?”
“No, my parents are here.”
“What!” He turned to look toward the window and violently swore. Ellis’s blinds were up. Her curtains tied back. If her parents got any closer they would be able to see into her house. See Mike inside of her.
“Hurry, they’ve got a key.”
“Will they use it?” he asked as he disconnected his body from hers.
“Of course they will! Especially since I don’t plan on answering the door like this.”
Mike growled. “What the hell are we going to do?”
Ellis didn’t look at him as she was busily grabbing all the loose items of clothing scattered across her living room. “Run.”
She tossed his sneakers at him and made a naked mad dash upstairs to her bedroom, Mike right behind her.
“Ellis?” She heard her mother’s voice from outside the house accompanied by the ringing doorbell. “We called the store.”
“Shit.” She dropped the pile of clothes in her arms on the floor and grabbed for her panties.
“Don’t bother with them, Ellis. We don’t have time.”
Mike was already nearly dressed and was buttoning his shorts when they heard the front door creep open. “Help me,” she cried as she tossed her bra at him. They worked together to get her in it as the she heard her mother’s voice calling her name again.
Mike handed her tank top as she was kicking their discarded underwear beneath the bed. She put on her shirt and faced him. “Do I look like I was just having hot sex?”
“Yes.” He grinned at her. “What about me?”
His erection tented his shorts. “I’m afraid so.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “Can’t you do something about that?”
“Ellis, where are you?” Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
“I wish I could,” he whispered but stuck his hand in his shorts to adjust himself. “How are we going to explain why we are up here?”
Ellis couldn’t think of a single reason besides the obvious, and as soon as she got her mother alone she was going to have a very long talk with her about entering her house uninvited. “A puzzle!” Ellis spotted the five-hundred-piece Big Ben puzzle her grandmother had given her three years ago. She grabbed it off the top shelf in her closet and threw it along with herself on the floor just as the door to her bedroom opened.
“Oh, there you are.” Phillipa walked in followed by Walter, both of them looking confused. “Didn’t you hear me calling you? And why the hell are you two on the floor?”
“We’re just doing a puzzle.” Ellis’s voice sounded defensive even to her own ears. She could smack her mother for interrupting the best sex she’d ever had but her father was there, too, and the poor man did not need to know what she had been up to.
“Yeah,” Mike added. “I read somewhere that puzzles release stress and keep the mind sharp.”
“Okay.” Phillipa looked doubtful. “We bought you some groceries but we really came by to see how you were doing.”
“I’m fine, Mom.”
“You don’t have to worry, Dr. Greg,” Mike said, looking as innocent as a newborn baby. “I’m keeping her occupied.”
Occupied is a good word for it.
A hysterical bubble of laughter formed in Ellis’s chest and she had to bite her lip to keep it from escaping.
“I’m sure you are.” Phillipa looked from Mike back to Ellis. “Come on, Walter. Let’s get the groceries out of the car.”
They left and as soon as Ellis heard their footsteps on the stairs she began to laugh. She couldn’t help it. The mad dash up the stairs, the naked scramble to find their clothes, the stupid puzzle that they were never going to finish. It was all too surreal.
“Are you crying?” Mike asked her.
“No,” she gasped. “It’s just … I can’t believe…”
“It is pretty funny.” Th
e laughter was contagious and soon Mike flopped on his back and joined her. Together they laughed until tears streamed down their cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Mike.” Ellis crawled across the floor and threw her arm over his still-shaking chest.
“You should be.” He turned on his side and gathered her close. “I was planning to give you a dozen orgasms today.”
“Really?” She smiled up at him. “Somebody thinks highly of himself.”
“No.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and sweetly kissed the side of her face. “Somebody thinks highly of you.”
Ellis looked into his eyes and suddenly it hit her.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
He’s making me fall in love with him. Holy Freaking Shit.
Chapter Twelve
Mike glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Ten thirty-seven. He sighed, punched his pillow, and forced his eyes to shut again. Sleep eluded him. He had been in bed for over half an hour trying to fall into a dead dreamless sleep. He wasn’t surprised the Sandman hadn’t visited yet. He never went to bed this early but tonight, after a long hot shower and reading the entire newspaper, he crawled into bed. He hoped sleep would stop Ellis from invading his every thought. It didn’t work. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face, or remembered the way her luscious body felt against him or the way she moved her hips when he was deep inside of her.
His eyes popped open. He sighed again, got out of bed, went to his living room, and flicked on the television. Maybe the news would help clear his mind. Ten forty-six. Ten forty-eight. Ten fifty-two. It didn’t. No one else had ever managed to have this kind of hold on him. It could have been that sex wasn’t just sex with Ellis. It was different with her. Too intense, and something inside of him told him that if he ever made love to her again he wouldn’t be able to walk away easily.
He should stay far from her, and normally he would. He didn’t do attachments or commitments, but Ellis wasn’t asking for any of those things.
Her parents. He’d never had the urge to strangle anybody, but when Dr. Greg and her husband showed up he could have. He understood they were still worried about their daughter but did they have to stay all night? Did they have to insist on making them dinner? Did they have to put every last damn piece of that puzzle in place?
Dangerous Curves Ahead: A Perfect Fit Novel Page 13