by Elks, Carrie
“Wow, I’ve never seen one like this before,” she said, stepping forward. She ran her hand along the varnished driftwood headboard. “Where did you get it from?”
He cleared his throat. “I made it,” he said, his cheeks heating up all over again. “Well the base anyway. I bought the mattress.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You made this?” she repeated. “And here I was impressed by your tiling skills but they’ve got nothing on this. It’s beautiful.”
If he’d felt like the King of the World before, now he felt like he’d expanded his empire to include the rest of the galaxy. “I like making stuff,” he admitted. “And I like keeping busy. Plus it’s good for the environment, you know?”
“The environment?” Ember shook her head. “Just when I think I know you, you go and surprise me all over again.”
He shrugged. “In my job, I see enough of our world being ruined by humans. I like to do my bit to reverse the damage.”
She stepped away from the bed, walking over to where he was still leaning against the door jamb. Her head inclined as she looked into his eyes. “I like you, Lucas Russell,” she whispered. “I like you a lot.”
Forget the galaxy, he was king of the universe. “I like you, too.” He reached out, curling his hand around her waist to pull her against him. “More than I can say.” She was still staring up at him, her eyes so expressive he felt he could live and die in them. His heart was pounding against his chest, the same way it always seemed to do when she was around. “Christ, you’re pretty,” he said, his voice full of grit. “I can’t stop looking at you.”
“Then don’t stop.”
“But if I don’t stop, I won’t be able to kiss you again. And I definitely want to kiss you again.”
The corners of her lips pulled into a smile. She reached up and covered his eyes, before she brushed her mouth against his lips. “Looking’s overrated,” she whispered, her breath warm against his skin. “It’s the way you feel that matters.”
* * *
There was a time when Ember never thought she’d kiss another man again. But now, as Lucas moved his lips against hers, his hand cupping her jaw as the other smoothed her hair away from her face, it felt almost inevitable. As though they were drawn together by some invisible force and it was tightening around them with every second. But as she rolled onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body close to hers, it didn’t feel like a surrender.
It was too damn good for that.
Lucas slid his tongue softly against hers and she felt a shiver of excitement snake from her neck to the tips of her toes. He broke the kiss, moving his lips down her jaw and to her throat, leaving a trail of fire behind him. “You taste like the beach,” he told her. “Sweet and salty, and everything in between.”
She ran her hands down his back, her fingers tracing his hard, defined muscles. She loved the way they felt, loved the way he made her feel too. So safe and protected, yet on the edge of something undefined.
He pulled at the hem of her t-shirt, his fingers not quite touching her skin, though they were setting her on fire. “Is this okay?” he muttered against her throat, his lips brushing her skin.
“So good.” Her head tipped back with pleasure.
He slid his hands beneath her t-shirt, feeling her soft, smooth back. He feathered his fingers up, pushing the fabric of her t-shirt as they went, and she let out a gasp. He looked at her, his eyes inquiring, questioning.
Ember slipped her own hands beneath his top, feeling the delicious warmth of his skin as it pulled taut against his muscles. She let them travel lazily up his back, feeling the dip of his spine, the rise of his shoulder blades, closing her eyes for a moment to savor the sensation.
“You feel amazing,” she told him. “So smooth and strong, I could touch you all day.”
“You feel pretty damn good yourself,” he muttered.
A realization came over her. She didn’t want to only feel him anymore. She wanted to see him, too. Every inch of him. Wanted to drink him in like an expensive vintage.
When she opened her eyes he was staring right at her. She licked her dry lips then tugged at the edge of his t-shirt. “Can I take it off?” she asked him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice thick and low.
She knew what he was asking. It wasn’t just about the t-shirt, he was asking if she was certain about this. About them. About what might happen if they didn’t stop.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She wanted to see him more than anything else right then. She tugged again and he helped her pull his t-shirt off, revealing his strong, toned torso, illuminated only by the small lamp that glowed from the living room.
She drank him in, loving what she saw. She reached out and felt him. With the tip of her finger, she traced a line from the dip in his throat, down the hard plate of his pectorals, and down each ridge in his stomach. He watched her silently, his body still as she made her progress, his eyes full of questions that he didn’t vocalize. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his bicep, his shoulder, and then on his throat. He let out a strangled groan that flooded her with warmth.
“Do you like that?” she asked, still kissing his neck, savoring the taste of him.
“God, yes.”
As she moved her mouth up she could feel the roughness of his beard growth against her lips, a stark contrast to his smooth skin. Then her mouth was on his again. As if a switch was flicked, he took back the control and kissed her hard.
She couldn’t stop touching him. Couldn’t stop pressing her palms against his skin. Still it wasn’t enough. Her body ached for more, much more. To feel every inch of him against her. It was only a matter of seconds before his hands were back on her bare skin and she was pulling her own t-shirt off, their bare torsos pressing together. A few more kisses until his fingers were sliding beneath her bra strap, unhooking it until it slid from her arms.
He stared at her, his mouth parted, his eyes as dark as the night. “You’re so beautiful,” he told her, his eyes roaming over her. And she didn’t feel any embarrassment at all. She loved the way he was looking at her, as though she was some angel standing on the beach. “I could stare at you all day.”
A breeze rattled through the cottage, reminding them both that the temperature dipped at night time. It reminded her breasts, too. She shivered and pressed herself against him, craving his warmth. It sent another jolt of electricity through her, the heat pooling between her thighs. He stroked her back with his palms, making her arch against him as he swallowed her low sigh with his mouth. He dipped his hands down the swell of her behind, pulling her closer still until she had no doubt that his need was as great as hers was.
“Should we…” she whispered, her lips still pressed to his, “go somewhere more comfortable?”
“The bed?” he asked, breaking their kiss and tipping his head to the side. The smallest of smiles played at his lips.
“Yes,” she answered, her voice as certain as it had ever been.
Taking her hand, Lucas led her to his beautiful bed, laying her gently on top of the cotton covers. Kneeling over her, he pressed his lips against her shoulder, and kissed his way back down to her tender breasts. His fingers pulled at the buttons of her shorts, opening the waistband and pulling them down until all that was left were her panties. She let out a soft sigh as he brushed his lips down her stomach, then lifted his head to give her a smile.
“You okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “More than okay.” She felt like she was rising up in the air with nothing to support her. Her skin was tingling, her back arching, and when he pulled off her panties and threw them behind him she felt no embarrassment at all. Just a need that engulfed her whole body in flames.
Lucas slid his warm palms along her legs, his fingers feathering along her inner thighs as he gently pushed them open. Then he lowered his head, his breath hot against her core, the sensation making her toes curl up with delight.
He was ki
ssing her there, right where she needed him, and she let out a moan that echoed through the room. He looked up at her again, desire clouding his eyes, and she reached down to run her fingers in his hair.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered as the pleasure began to build deep inside her, rising up in a wave she never wanted to crash.
“Wasn’t planning on it.” He dipped his head to love her once more until the fireball building inside her began to explode.
* * *
Ember had never slept with a guy on a first date. She’d not stayed awake all night with one, either. All she knew was she hadn’t planned any of this – from kissing Lucas on the beach to sleeping with him in his cottage – and yet she couldn’t find herself regretting a single moment.
It had been perfect, from the first kiss to the third time they’d made love, this time with her leaning over him, their eyes locked as she felt her body succumb to the pleasure. But now it was morning, and her car was still in the parking lot next to the fair. She had no way of getting out of here even if she wanted to.
But did she want to escape and do… what did Ally call it again? Oh yeah, the walk of shame. Because she didn’t feel ashamed. She felt alive, as though somebody had turned on every single switch inside her, and her whole body was burning bright.
Lucas mumbled in his sleep and turned so his body was facing hers. He was still naked – they both were, and she couldn’t help but take another peek at him.
He was glorious. There was no other word for it. If Michelangelo had carved him with a block of marble and a chisel he couldn’t have been more perfect. He was big and yet sinewy, strong and yet somehow vulnerable, too. He wrung every emotion out of her without even needing to try.
The delicate skin on his eyelids trembled a couple of times, then his eyes slowly opened. He blinked, eyelashes sweeping down, before his gaze fell on hers.
Almost immediately he smiled, and she liked that a lot. He reached out for her, tracing her lips with his fingertip, and she nipped it with her teeth, making his smile widen.
“What time is it?” he asked her, his voice thick and graveled.
“Just after six.”
“Can’t you sleep?”
She licked her lips. They felt dry from sleep and as tender as anything. All that kissing would do that to a woman. “Just wondering about how to get my car. It’s still in the parking lot.”
“You want to get it now?” He frowned, leaning up on his elbows. “It’s pretty early. They might even have locked the gate to the lot.”
“I just didn’t want you thinking I’m hanging around here waiting for…” she trailed off. For the first time a wave of embarrassment hit her. “Well, waiting for breakfast or something. You must have things to do.”
He was still frowning. “You think I want you to leave?”
“Don’t you?”
“Of course I don’t.” Lucas was still looking at her, his brows knitted together as if he couldn’t work her out at all. She couldn’t blame him. Every time she opened her mouth she seemed to trip over her own tongue. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment yet again.
“I’m just not used to this.” She waved her hand between them. “I assume there are rules for the morning after, I just don’t know what they are.”
Lucas exploded into unexpected laughter. She watched him, open mouthed, as his body was wracked with amusement. When he calmed down and caught her eye, he was still chuckling.
“There are no rules,” he told her, shaking his head, the humor still crinkling the skin around his eyes. “It’s not like we’re at school. What kind of rules did you expect there to be?”
“I don’t know,” she said, burying her face in her hands. She was so embarrassed.
Gently he prized her fingers away. “Ember?” he said gently. “There aren’t any rules, and I don’t want you to leave. I had a good time last night and I don’t want it to end. Stay with me. Let me make you some breakfast. Or even better, let me take you out and buy you some.”
She tried to imagine what people would say if the two of them went to Ally’s café or the diner, Ember wearing yesterday’s clothes. “Breakfast here sounds good,” she said, her voice soft. “But maybe not somewhere else, at least today.”
“No?” He tipped his head to the side, as if he was still trying to work her out.
“It’s a small town. People talk.” She took a deep breath. “They’ve only just stopped talking about Will leaving me. I don’t want to be the center of attention again. Plus I’m a teacher. A lot of my students and their families live local, I don’t want to give them anything to gossip or complain about.”
“That sounds reasonable.” He knew she was as dedicated to her job as he was to his. “We can take it slowly, nobody needs to know what’s going on here apart from us.” He smiled at her. “And I have work complications of my own. In a few weeks I’ll be going back to White City. I can’t promise I’ll be around as much after that.”
She nodded. “I know.” But she didn’t like the thought of it. They’d just found each other and he was going to be leaving again soon.
What had Ally told her? She needed to live for the moment. Stop worrying about the future, stop agonizing about the past; to take each day one at a time. There was no need to define what was going on between them, or start thinking about the future. Right now was all that mattered.
“So we’re friends?” she asked him.
“Good friends,” he replied winking at her. “Very, very good friends.”
“Okay then.” She reached out and traced her finger down his arm, watching as it rose and fell over his defined muscles. “You know we’re wasting time with all this talking when we could be doing other things?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled up. “Is that right?”
Ember slowly nodded. “Yeah.” She reached for him, sliding her palm down his bare back. “But I can think of a way to remedy that.”
* * *
Ally was spraying sanitizer on the counter when Ember walked into the Beach Café, scrubbing furiously at the laminated worktop even though it looked spotless from where Ember was standing. Her friend was frowning, too. Three deep lines furrowed her brow, her lips pulled into a tight bleached line.
For a moment Ember considered walking right out of there. She didn’t want to unload all her anxieties onto Ally when she was clearly having a bad day. She could go home and come back for their regular Sunday brunchtime date, rather than intrude so early in the morning.
But then Ally looked up and saw Ember standing there and her frown melted into the air. “You’re early,” she called out, putting the cloth and spray bottle down. “I was sure you’d sleep in after last night’s date.”
Ember tried to think of an appropriate response.
“Oh my God, you didn’t go home, did you? Or if you did, you weren’t alone.” Ally’s lips curled up into a huge grin. Whatever had been bothering her before was clearly forgotten. “You slept with him, didn’t you, you little—”
Ember practically ran over to the counter. “Can you keep it down?” she asked, her eyes wide. “I don’t want everybody in town to know my business.”
“There’s nobody here,” Ally pointed out, sweeping her arm around the café. Ember noticed she still lowered her voice. “It’s just you, me, and your darkest secrets.”
“Let’s try to keep it that way.”
“I’m sorry,” Ally said, reaching across the counter to squeeze Ember’s hand. “I just got so excited for a minute. You’re glowing, and it’s so lovely to see. I’m getting a bit choked up.” Releasing Ember’s hand, she leaned forward on the counter, resting on her elbows. “So tell me everything that happened. In fact, stay there, I’ll get us both a coffee first, after the night we’ve both had we’re going to need it.”
“What happened to your night?”
“Oh no,” Ally said, pulling two white mugs from under the counter and filling them from the pot that was always warming on the side. “You’re
not side tracking me that easily. First tell me about your night, and I mean all the gory details.”
It took her ten minutes to bring Ally up to speed with everything that had happened the previous night. From bumping into Adam Michaelson, to that kiss on the beach that still made Ember’s chest ache when she thought about it. In spite of Ally’s request, she tried to keep the details as gory-free as possible.
“What do you mean there are no rules?” Ally asked when Ember had told her about her discussion with Lucas that morning. “Are you guys just friends-with-benefits or something?”
“No!” Ember said, shaking her head. “We’re just trying not to make things complicated.”
“But you slept with him, right?” Ally asked, tipping her head to the side.
“Yeah.”
“So it’s already complicated.”
“How?” Ember asked her. “Just because you sleep with somebody doesn’t mean things have to get serious. We’re women of the new millennium, aren’t we? Surely we can have rule-free sex if we want.”
“But you’ve always loved rules,” Ally pointed out. “You’re the poster girl for them. You’re always early for any appointment you have. I’ve never seen you drive even a mile an hour above the speed limit. When we were at school you never missed a day or a homework assignment.” She shook her head.
“Lucas is hardly a homework assignment.”
“No, but there’s a reason you always obey the rules. Because you like them. They make you feel safe. In fact, I’d go as far as to say you thrive on them. You’re not a casual relationship kind of girl.”
Ember’s face fell. “I’m the one who asked for no rules,” she told her friend. “I don’t want anything for people to gossip about, and you’re the one who’s always telling me to live for the moment and stop worrying about the future. I thought this was a good thing.”
Ally bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she said, giving a deep sigh. “And you’re right. You deserve to have some fun and it’s none of my business what kind of relationship you have with Lucas. If you’re happy then I’m happy. Because if anybody deserves happiness, it’s you, Ember Kennedy.” She busied herself refilling their mugs and pouring some cream in. “Just ignore me. I’m tired and cranky.”