“No, absolutely not. This place is amazing,” he rushes in to say.
Fuck, I should have known better, there was no alcohol at the cabin, and he didn’t go out partying with anyone the last few nights. Before I can kick myself some more for my stupid decision, Ash reaches out for his glass of water and in doing so brushes his hand against my own in a caress that makes me shiver. “Thank you for planning this amazing date,” he says, tongue darting out to lick his lips.
“Anything for you,” is all I manage to say.
Ash’s eyes drop to my lips and he smirks. “Careful throwing that around, I might actually believe it.”
“You should. I mean it.”
The intense stare we share is broken by the first course—amuse bouche. When the server goes to set my wine down I say, “Can I actually also switch to the non-alcoholic options?”
She eyes me with a look that saysyou came to a winery and you won’t drink any wine?but she gives me a nod regardless and promises to be right back.
“You didn’t have to do that. I promise I can handle myself around others drinking,” Ash says.
“You already know I don’t drink that much to begin with. Besides, I don’t need it to have a good time with you.”
Ash smiles and we enjoy our six-course dinner, finishing it off by sharing a plate of crème brûlée until the sky gets dark and we’re ready to go home.
Under the cover of darkness and other cars around us, I follow Ash to the driver’s side of the car and back him into the door. My hand glides to the collar of his button-up and I tug his face closer to me, tasting the dessert we just had on his lips. Ash’s hands twist in my hair—which definitely needs a haircut now—and he deepens the kiss.
It doesn’t last long, however, and we break apart when we hear someone whoop and cheer from a few cars over. I pull back with more reluctance than I expected and look over my shoulder. The two women from the tour earlier are smiling at us and wiggling their eyebrows. I can’t help but laugh and Ash looks at them and gives them an enthusiastic wave.
When we get home, we go straight to Ash’s bedroom, but we don’t have sex. We spend the night together, cuddling and kissing, and whispering sweet nothings to each other. And I think I want this—him—forever.
TWENTY-EIGHT
ASH
I wakeup in Eli’s arms. His whole body is draped over mine and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I’m such a fucking sap.And I’m so in love with him.
I want to shout it from the rooftop but I know he wouldn’t want that. So instead I keep it to myself, knowing that he feels the same way, but that he’s not quite ready to say it.
I can see it in the way he looks at me when he thinks I don’t notice. His walls crumple and he looks at me with so much adoration that I don’t think I deserve most of the time. But hell if I’m not a selfish asshole for keeping it anyway.
Our training doesn’t start until this afternoon, so we sleep in and spend the rest of the morning making pancakes together. “I still can’t believe you cook now,” Eli says, flipping the pancakes for me as I whisk together a few eggs to make a scramble. The bacon is in the oven and it makes the cabin smell amazing. The small window that faces the back is open and we can hear birds chirping.
I laugh. “Believe it, baby. I’ve got skills you don’t even know about.”
Eli smiles as he approaches me and takes the bowl from my hands. He backs me up into the counter and grabs my waist with both his hands. Slowly, he leans in and kisses my jaw, trailing all the way up to my right ear. “I want to, though—I want to know about everything that pops into that beautiful brain of yours, and I want you to show me all your skills. Anything you’re excited about, I’m excited about.”
My fingers pull at the base of his hair and Eli’s scruff scratches along my cheek. He’s barely holding on to his control and I miss seeing it crumple at my feet. He pulls away suddenly to take the pancakes off the griddle and when he returns, I’m in the same spot, gripping the counter and breathing hard.
Eli approaches me with a hunger in his eyes and I don’t even register what he’s doing until his hands grip my thighs and he lifts me up on the counter. Stepping between my legs, he presses into me and I can’t help but pull him closer. My hands grip his ass and he grunts as he tips his head up to kiss me.
We repeat that process a few times until the eggs are cooked and the bacon is ready, and then we take our breakfast out on the patio. We eat while overlooking the lake and drink our coffees. For once, the silence is not stifling. There’s always so much noise around me with work and I rarely feel like I’m at peace. Except when I’m with Eli. There’s this nice quiet calm about him, and I feel more content than I have in months by just being in his presence.
He gives me another one of his adoring looks and I can’t help myself from saying, “I love you.”
Eli’s lips part but I don’t wait for his reply. My hands reach out and cup his face and I kiss him sweetly, tenderly. He’s the one who deepens the kiss and takes control, and I let him. It’snot until I hear a small noise that I pull back a bit. Eli’s lips latch on my jaw and my eyes fly open and land behind Eli.
On the people standing there, looking smug as hell.
Fuck.
I spring back, keeping Eli at bay with my arms and yell out the first thing that pops into my head, “I think you got that mosquito, thanks—buddy.” I grimace and Eli looks so confused that I want to burst out laughing. Even though our friends more or less know some details of our past, I don’t want them to find out about us like this. Not when Eli wants things to be on his terms.
I stand up and the chair scrapes loudly on the patio.Shit, this is not good.
