Chapter 9 #2
He also admitted that Geneva had let slip that she’d been spending time with “one of the cowboys there at the ranch.” The lecture she expected on that note never came.
In fact, Dad sounded surprisingly pleased about it, saying she was getting into Melody’s character already.
Then, before disconnecting, he’d said he was writing up a new contract.
One he felt Ellie would be very happy with.
Ellie wanted to think he was drawing up the new contract with her in mind, but deep down, she knew it was Dad’s attempt to avoid any repercussions from Ellie’s threat to seek legal help.
Dad always was a slippery one, narrowly escaping the consequences that everyone else seemed to pay. Ellie didn't like admitting that she'd enabled him for far too long, staying quiet while he took more than his cut and demanded more from her than was right.
Not that someone so wealthy and famous could complain, of course…
"A penny for your thoughts."
Ellie glanced over at Nash as his comment pulled her from her musings. "What was that?"
"Well," he said with a nod toward her speared marshmallow. "You punctured that thing five minutes ago, but you have yet to put it over the coals."
Ellie looked over to see Nash’s perfectly golden marshmallow. He gave her a triumphant grin and tapped the surface to demonstrate the crisp outer coat. “I'll share with you. But then you'll have to share yours in return."
Ellie glanced down at the jumbo-sized marshmallow, which was definitely big enough to share. "Okay, it's a deal."
Nash extended the stick until the toasted treat was within reach. "You first. It's not too hot anymore. Just slide it right off the spear."
Ellie leaned her roasting stick against the stump and did that very thing.
She bit into the warm, perfectly roasted treat, and the sweet flavor coated her tongue.
"Mmm…" she said, handing the remainder back to Nash.
“Why doesn't anyone serve these in restaurants?
Of all the expensive desserts I've ordered over the years, this comes out on top. "
"So you’re saying I'm a good cook,” Nash said before finishing off the marshmallow.
A laugh got caught in her throat. "I’m saying you’re an excellent campfire cook. So far, that’s all I can vouch for."
"Fair enough. But you should see what I can do on the grill."
“Grills intimidate me,” Ellie admitted. “I have one, of course, but my private chef’s the only one who uses it.
” She didn’t elaborate, didn’t want to invite any more of her home life into the conversation.
It was one thing to casually discuss the parts of her life he’d admitted to seeing when he said earlier that week that he’d enjoyed several of her movies.
And while their different lifestyles and backgrounds were definitely part of the draw, she worried that if he knew the extent of their differences, it could create a chasm between them instead.
That was the last thing she wanted to do.
This had been the best date of Ellie's life. In many ways, it’d been the best week of her life, too.
All week long, she’d imagined kissing those full, fantastic lips of his.
And while she appreciated the fact that Nash was such a gentleman, she hoped she’d get the chance tonight.
Once they’d finished making and eating their chocolatey s'mores, the fire no more than an ember’s glow, Nash reached for Ellie’s hand.
She grinned, placed it in his, and Nash sandwiched it with his other palm. Ellie sighed, enjoying the warmth and comfort that spread through her at the gesture.
"Would you ever consider leaving acting behind?” he asked softly, surprising her.
Ellie leaned in slightly, her knees brushing his. This was the chasm she worried about. She didn’t want Nash to hold back because he thought they couldn’t have a future.
America knew nothing about Ellie’s desire to leave Hollywood behind, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t confide in him about it. It was her life, after all. Besides, she hadn’t been quiet about her desire for something more, something outside of the life she’d grown used to.
Ellie considered the contract Geneva told her about—the unseen carrot her dad planned to dangle over her head. Hopefully, it would offer that very thing.
"Believe it or not,” she said, resting her other hand on Nash’s knee, “I'm working on it."
“Hmm,” he mused thoughtfully. Without another word, Nash slid his hand up the side of her neck, causing a wave of delight to course through her. Mmm, her skin responded to his touch like it was charmed somehow.
He leaned in closer and closer still.
Until he stopped.
His fingertips teased the nape of her neck as his mouth hovered lightly over hers. “Is this okay?” he asked, his warm breath like a tease of its own.
Ellie nodded slightly, careful not to disrupt the mood. “Yes.”
At last, Nash pressed his lips to hers in a smooth, sensual kiss.
The last word she’d spoken echoed in her mind. Yes, indeed, so good.
He tilted his head, urging her lips to part with the slight nudge of his bottom lip, coaxing her into a deeper exchange.
A whimper tore from her throat as she met his passion, savoring each raw push and heavenly pull. Nash needed no direction, just owned the moment with a confidence that enhanced each sensation all the more.
This was how it felt when a man liked a woman and a woman liked a man.
This was how it felt when they admitted—without any words at all—that there was something between them.
This was what people wrote about—giving into whimsical, whirling emotions, sharing an unchoreographed kiss where the movements were as natural as breathing.
She reveled in his sweet succession of kisses, each lasting longer than the one before. Ellie had craved this for years—true romance—and now that she’d had a taste, she’d never stop wanting more.
Their breaths hot in the sliver of space between them, Nash whispered her name.
Not the name that all of America knew her by, the name all her friends called her too—but the name she’d been given at birth. The name Tucker had used when he first introduced them.
“Eleanor.”
Goose bumps rippled up her arms and down her legs in a pleasing wave of bliss.
She loved that Nash had used her given name, a name no fan would ever think to use.
It felt intimate, somehow, like he’d seen beyond what the rest of the world had seen, their view limited to the silver screen, public appearances, and recent articles featuring her wild phase.
Nash was telling Ellie that he’d fallen for the real her, not the woman on the silver screen, and that fact filled her with blissful anticipation.
Lips slightly parted, she met his intoxicating mouth with a new level of longing and passion. Her tongue gently grazed his in a soft, gentle tease, and Nash let out a low groan Ellie felt clear in her tummy.
Nash Copeland was a gentleman, one who took his time getting to know a girl before making a move. She liked that. He was also a man of many talents. Country cowboy, horse whisperer, campfire cook, and master of the kiss.
Ellie reveled in the sensation of his affection, thinking back on the question he asked. Would she ever consider leaving Hollywood life behind?
Something told her, for the first time in a long time, she might finally be able to do that very thing. And if all the stars in the heavens aligned just right, maybe she'd even get to live that life with a cowboy like Nash by her side.