Ellie slammed her dishes around as she made herself some food. Of all the… How dare he…
She was beyond pissed. He acted as if her words hadn’t meant a goddamn thing. Funny though, when he’d fisted one big hand, she’d not even considered that he would strike her. A big step forward in her mind. It was all about his own frustration and wanting her not to pursue this line of questioning.
“Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have pushed him, but damn it. He’s got all those people telling him and catering to his damn pity party.” She rooted around in the drawer for a knife and dropped it on the cutting board. “He needs to do something with his life. He’s acting as if he’s not good for a damn thing but to drink the rest of his life away and I can’t even call him an alcoholic.”
And she couldn’t, the man didn’t overindulge. He had nursed his few drinks over the amount of time he stayed in the bar.
What he did during the day, she hadn’t a clue. She snorted and reached for the freshly washed pepper, plucking it out of the blue silicone strainer.
“I suppose he could be at home drinking all day before he comes in there at night. Doesn’t strike me as that kind of guy, but hey, we all know how my choice in men runs. Shitty.”
It burned at her that he would assume she didn’t know anything about what he was going through.
“Damn it!” She dropped the knife and sucked on her finger, the sharp metallic taste spreading over her tongue.
Too much blood, this wasn’t a little nick. There went dinner. Wrapping her hand up in a dishtowel, she went to the door, juggled for her keys, and got shoes on before heading out to the car she rarely drove. It took her a bit to get it turned over so she could head to the hospital.
She parked and readjusted the towel before walking through the entrance and letting them know what she needed. In a short time, she found herself sitting on the edge of a bed while a nurse stitched up her finger.
Thankfully the local she’d been given worked wonders and she didn’t feel a thing.
The male looked up at her and arched an eyebrow. “You doing okay?”
“I was going to ask you if you could do the stitches in pretty colors but I see you’re almost finished.”
“Sorry, one color for stitches. I can wrap you up in some bright colors if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.”
No matter what it may seem like, she always claimed to be a child at heart. Two hours later and she departed the emergency room with new stitches and brightly covered wrapped finger.
The thought of going home to fix a meal didn’t sit well with her, so instead she drove to a local spot she ate at often and parked in the lot. She stole a glance down at her attire and rolled her eyes, there was still blood on her shirt.
“Attractive, Ellie.”
Her stomach had already begun to rumble so she knew it wouldn’t do to leave and change. Her belly would be on a full revolt, especially after all the hiking she’d done with Bennett. Figuring it could pass as mud or something else, she entered the establishment.
The rich scents of the delicious food they cooked filled the air and tantalized her senses. She smiled at Laini, who rushed toward her for a hug.
“Ellie, how have you been? I haven’t seen you in here for a long time. We thought you’d found somewhere else to eat.”
“Gods no. This is my spot. I’ve just been insanely busy.”
Laini clicked her tongue. “You work too much. Come with me, I have a table for you.” Another smile. “Outside okay?”
“Always.”
She waived to a few familiar faces of the staff and followed her out to a small wrought iron table that overlooked the water.
“This is perfect, thank you.”
Within moments a tall iced drink sat before her and she had put in her order. Ellie turned her gaze out over the water and smiled. They just don’t have views like this back in Kansas. Some days she missed her home but then she remembered what she’d had back there, other than Piper and her family, and she wondered if Hawaii was even far enough away.
Her heart thundered in her chest and she bit back the whimper at the thought of having him back in her life. The cold sweat fought against the warmth of the night. She’d gotten herself calm by the time her food arrived.
Not using her injured hand, she ate slowly and enjoyed the night. Hunger abated, she ordered another drink and settled back to watch the darkness overtake the shoreline. After an unhurried dessert, she got up for a stroll. She looked at the tourists who walked hand in hand, the locals, and the overall ambiance of it all.
She’d fallen in love with this place and never wanted to leave. Buying herself some flowers, she returned to her vehicle and headed home.
Flowers in a vase with water, she turned her attention to all the blood on her kitchen counter. Damn it, I left the towel in the car. She grabbed her keys and headed back down, knowing she was going to get her comfortable clothing on, with plans to stay inside for the rest of the night.
She tossed it in the incinerator on her way back up to her apartment. Then she changed into some shorts and a tank top. Standing before her sink, she surveyed the damage.
“Serves me right for not paying attention to what I was doing and instead mooning over something I may or may not have done to piss off Bennett.”
She rolled out her trash can and picked up the cutting board. The pepper she pushed into the receptacle. The board she put in the sink along with the knife.
Her doorbell rang and she shook her head, padding to the door.
“Yes?”
“Open the door, Ellie.”
Bennett. Her heart skipped a few beats.
“Why?” Her hand trembled as she placed it on the door, almost like she could touch him through the wood.
“Ellie.”
She heard it in his voice. A tiny near indiscernible hitch to his voice. Undoing the locks, she opened it and swung it in, keeping her injured hand behind the wood.
“What can I do for you?”
He held up a case of beer. “Let me in, I’m here to apologize.”
“No need. I overstepped, you were right, I have no idea what you were going—are going through. Good night.” She began to close the door only to find it blocked by his hand. “What now?”
“Let me in.”
God help her, she wanted to, but this wasn’t a road she could afford to go down. He was too much of a risk for her to take. Bennett had the “it” factor for her, he was the one she could easily see in her future.
“No, I have some things to do then I’m making it an early night.”
He lowered the beer and put his hand on the door. “Don’t do this, let me explain.”
Her hand throbbed and she exhaled slowly, stepping back. “Whatever.”
Two seconds after she got back to the sink, he was behind her, pressing his hard form against her.
“What the fuck happened to cause all that blood?”
Bennett stared at the large dried pool of blood on her counter and cutting board that lay in the sink. Peering down Ellie’s left arm, he noticed her finger all decked out in bright colors.
“What happened?”
“What’s it look like? I cut my finger.” She gestured to the mess. “It bled, I got stiches.” Ellie held up her finger. “Now I’m home to clean it up. Then I’m going to bed.” She gazed at him over her shoulder.
Her pointed look didn’t dissuade him in any way.
His heart slowed once more until it found its easy rhythm. He held out his hand, ignoring the bite of pain when she didn’t take it. Instead, she faced the sink once more and began to clean.
He allowed it for about five seconds, then he lifted her and plucked her down out of the way. “I’ll do it. You shouldn’t get your hand wet.”
“I don’t need you to clean up after me.”
“For Christ’s sake, Ellie. Let me do this. If I hadn’t been such an ass earlier, we would have gone out for dinner and you wouldn’t have cut yourself.”
“I tried to blame you for this, but you didn’t have any control over my handling of the knife.”
Ellie moved to the table and sat. She stared at her hand and he watched her in the window’s reflection as he finished up the rest of the cleaning. When he completed that, he fixed her a cup of herbal tea and placed it down before her.
She poked at the mug with her right hand, refusing to look at him. Bennett reached across the table and lifted her chin, so he could stare into her green-blue eyes. Such sorrow filled her expression.
“What’s wrong?” He stroked her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. “Is this because of today?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Defiance sparked and she pulled free from the grip he had on her face. “I’m not. I’m just really tired, is all.”
He nodded and pushed back his chair, getting to his feet. “Come on then.”
She finished her tea and stood. “Where to?”
“I’m giving you a massage and putting you to bed.”
Her eyes widened and he chuckled. He closed up the apartment, ensuring it was locked, and trailed her to the bedroom. His gaze drifted to the double bed she had neatly made with the smooth, heathered rose spread over it.
“Strip,” he said.
“You’ve been waiting all day to say that, haven’t you?”
“Longer than that.” He crossed his arms and waited.
“This isn’t a peep show.” Her mock frown had him struggling to hide his smile.
“No, no. Wouldn’t dream of it.” Fantasize and lust, yes. A mere dream, nope, not a chance.
She muttered something under her breath, then dragged her shirt up and over her head. It was his turn to lose coherent words. Sure, she’d only been wearing a tank top but, damn it all, with her topless in front of him, he couldn’t formulate a word it he had to save his life with one.
That creamy skin with more than a hint of peach coloring tempted him like the siren’s lured men in mythology. He locked his legs, so he wouldn’t go to her and help himself. He bit the inside of his lip as she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her shorts and pushed them down over her hips.
She had on a pair of low cut bikini bottoms in white with a small heart right over her pussy. He approved because he’d love to be there as well. Ellie raked her gaze over him, smirked then went to her bed and drew back the blankets.
He groaned as she lay on her stomach, arms beneath her head.
“Get to it.”
Bennett walked to stand at her side and removed his own shirt. The sun had gone down and only one light shone in the room. It took him a minute before he realized soft classical music played in the room.
He took a breath, needing as much fortifying as he could handle before he straddled her body. Climbing over her, he settled over her ass.
She moaned and shifted beneath him. With a quick prayer to whomever may be listening, he leaned forward and put his hands on her smooth, supple skin. He could do this, be the gentleman his mother wanted him to be. And as long as his mother, or anyone for that matter, couldn’t read his mind and have access to those randy thoughts he experienced about the woman beneath him, he would be fine.
Silence between them, he worked on her back, up and down, smiling more as she melted into the mattress even more. He moved down to access the lower part of her back and struggled not to focus on the waistband of her panties that dared him to draw them down.
Licking his lips, he got back to work. Stretching out again, he worked on her arms, moving them to rest beside her body.
“You should do this all the time; your hands are magical.”
He lowered his head by her ear. “I’m glad you think so, but this is only for you.”
She shifted beneath him. “You’re trying to sweettalk me.” A grunt. “It’s working.”
“Good to know.” He kissed her shoulder and dug into her skin, working out all those tense muscles.
He finished rubbing her legs and climbed off. She hadn’t moved and he figured she’d fallen asleep. The moment he stood next to her, she turned her head and met his gaze.
“Are you leaving?”
“Did you want me to?”
She flopped over on her back with a moan. “You’re not done. I have another half.”
His mouth dried up faster than a river in the dessert. Her breasts beckoned him, the tips drawn to tight points.
“Ellie.” Her name was dragged from his mouth. She was a devil and angel all wrapped in one.
“I hurt my finger, Bennett. Nothing else.”
Fuck it. He wasn’t about to turn her down. He wanted her with a fire that rivaled the sun. stripping, he was naked in moments and lay over her.
“No more massage?” she asked, wrapping her arms around him.
“Later. I have something else in mind right now.” He pressed his lips to hers, grinding his pelvis, pushing his cock against her slit. “Definitely something else.”
“Well, do you need help or are you doing this on your own?”
“Not all on my own I hope.”
She laughed and widened her legs, allowing him to settle closer to her core. “Maybe I’ll help a bit. But I’m injured so you have to do most of the work.”
“A few hours ago, you were about how you didn’t need help.”
Ellie ran her hands over his back, nails scoring lightly. “I changed my mind. Besides, I’m exhausted from that massage you gave me. Turned me into a pile of mush. You can’t possibly expect me to work after that.”
He kissed his way down to her belly button, flicking his tongue in the small depression.
“I fully expect you to work.”
He moved lower still, settling himself between her thighs. Her pussy, shaved nearly bare, had a small triangle that pointed to where he wanted to be. Her scent flowed to his nose and he flicked along her lips with his tongue.
She moaned.
He did it a few more times, not pushing between the lips just yet. Her moans grew louder and she wriggled beneath him. Spreading her with his fingers, he dragged his tongue up and down, circling but avoiding any contact with her clit.
“Bennett,” she panted, sinking her hands into his hair and wrapping a chunk in each.
Ellie tried to move him to where she wanted him but he wouldn’t budge, he was enjoying her at his own speed. She yanked and he grinned before blowing on the small bundle of nerves.
“God,” she cried. “Stop.”
He took another taste then pulled back. “You want me to stop?”
“No.”
“You said stop.”
He pushed a finger inside her tight sheath.
“God yes, more.”
“Which is it? Stop or more?”
“If you stop, I’ll—”
He slid another finger inside her, cutting off what she was saying, and her words morphed into a pleasurable cry.
“Don’t worry, Smash. I have no intentions of stopping until you’re so hoarse you can’t even say my name.”
He put his mouth over her clit as she screamed his name to the room, bucking her hips, driving her deeper into him.
Yeah, this was going to take a while and he couldn’t wait.