Chapter 14
14
ELENA
* One Week Later *
P acing through the living room, I absentmindedly move Clark’s little globe ornament up one shelf so it’s closer to my eye level. I love that he loves it when I do anything to make myself more at home here.
So much for mountain life being slow-paced and peaceful. Okay, it’s mellow in some ways, but in others, everything has been a whirlwind.
At Clark’s suggestion I asked for set hours at Jim’s Pizza, and now I’m working Thursday and Friday nights till close, but only until six on Saturday. That way I can avoid the rowdier Saturday night crowd. Plus, he drives me to and from work.
He swears that it’s just for a few months until we’re sure Dad is really gone, but I also think he wants to be seen with me as much as possible so that everyone knows I’m his girl.
It’s totally territorial, and it might not be for everyone, but I adore it.
He’s also rearranged his work schedule so that he can use the home office Thursdays and Fridays, but I’ll have it Monday through Wednesday. I’ve contacted my previous clients to let them know that I’m expanding my client roster, if they would like to refer my services to their friends.
I don’t want a packed work schedule for the next little bit. Clark and I have been completely immersed in the project of getting to know each other through and through. It’s a fascinating process. Every meal, we delve into another corner of our lives and share everything.
It all makes me fall more and more for my sexy carpenter.
We haven’t made love again since that first time, though. Every night we snuggle, and do lots of other things, but not that. Maybe he thinks we went too fast at the start, or he wants to know I’m completely sure about him.
I am.
I really do feel at home here. In his town, in his space, in his arms.
I stroll through the kitchen, looking around. I really don’t have anything else to clean. After dinner, Clark went out to do a last coat of varnish on something after I insisted it was my turn to do the dishes. I also took the opportunity to organize a few of the drawers.
My eyes snap open as I stare at him through the back door window, walking toward the house. That’s what he’s been waiting for. My comfort. For me to be completely settled in.
He comes in and instantly that big smile overtakes his handsome face. “Hey, baby.” The subtle scent of industrial hand cleanser and pine strikes me as he gathers me up in a bear hug. “That dining room set is done. Want to watch a movie?”
“I love you.”
Clark freezes, his lips slightly open, his eyes wide.
My hands slip up his back to grip his shoulders. “I’m staying. I love you, I love living here, and I love this town.”
I stifle a cry as his mouth crushes to mine. Then my back hits the wall. His hands glide under my t-shirt, pressing against my spine as he strokes my bare skin under my silky tank.
“I love you so much, baby,” he groans against my lips. “I’ve wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn’t want to scare you.” The way he clutches me against him tells me that as much as his words. “I’ve loved you from that first kiss. No – the second we met, and you smacked my chest, playing around.”
“And I think I’ve loved you from the moment I looked into your eyes and felt safe for the first time in my life.”
He steps back, serious again. “That reminds me. I need to show you something.”
Clasping my hand, he leads me to the living room and sits us on the couch. “Close your eyes.”
My eyes snap shut, then I hear shuffling behind the couch. Something hard and rectangular is placed in my hands. It’s too big to be a ring box, which is good because it’s frankly way too soon for that.
“Open your eyes.”
All of the air leaves my lungs. It’s not just a jewelry box, it’s a masterpiece.
“You liked the diamond-shaped inlays in that other piece,” he murmurs. “Do you like this?”
“It’s… exquisite .” My fingers glide over the polished wood. Opening it, I gasp when I see the green silk-lined interior, and the small emerald earrings on a little matching pillow. “You shouldn’t have.”
He grins. “There’s more. Notice how heavy it is?”
“Yeah…”
Clark takes it from me, closing the lid. Turning it around, he shows me the simpler version of the pattern on the back. “I made the button too small for a man’s hands to be able to press it. Try it…right here.”
Using my pinky, I manage to press the piece of wood, causing a hidden drawer to pop out. Inside is a key.
“That’s just an extra house key for you,” he chuckles. “But I thought you could hide your safety deposit box key in there too, along with your mom’s emerald necklace and rings. The interior of the box is reinforced with metal so you can’t smash it open.”
I’m stunned. “You… You’ve made me my own jewelry box that’s also a safe?”
“Yeah.”
“You realize you’ve basically just proved yourself to be the sweetest and most thoughtful man in the world.”
His snort is adorable. “I was just thinking about keeping your stuff somewhere secure so you wouldn’t worry.”
“Thank you so much. And the earrings are lovely. They’ll match the necklace perfectly, if I ever have the nerve to wear it again.”
His fingers drift over my ear. “Want me to put them in for you?”
“Actually…” I set the box aside and grab the bottom of his t-shirt. “I was thinking about taking things off .”
Wow, Clark moves fast for such a big guy.
He yanks his t-shirt off, then does the same to mine. My tank top hits the floor, and I gasp as he lunges for my breasts, nuzzling and sucking my nipples as he quickly removes my jeans.
Once I’m naked and sprawled on the couch, he stands up, pushing the coffee table out of the way. “Mine.” His seductive smile does nothing to soften the fiercely possessive look in his eyes. He peels off his jeans slowly, still staring at me, drinking me in.
“Yes. Yours,” I whisper.
My gaze drops from his face to admire every firm, sculpted inch of him. My mouth falls open when I notice how hard he is. His cock is literally pulsing, the tip slightly red.
His earthy scent wraps around me as he drops to his knees, clutching me to him as he kisses me. There’s something different this time. He’s even hungrier for me. As if…
As if he’s going all-in now that he knows I’m staying.
His mouth devours my gasps and moans as his hand plunges between my legs, his fingers lightly exploring my pussy. With his tongue in my mouth and his heat all around me, my body responds fast. In less than a minute, I’m wet.
Two thick fingers fill me snugly as his thumb lands against my clit. We haven’t been together long, but he already knows how to push that button exactly the way I like it. Stroking in light, slow circles, his touch is electrifying.
“So sexy,” he murmurs against my mouth, the aggression in his kiss not letting up.
I’m so turned on by his fire that my bare skin prickles all over with goosebumps. I can’t stop shifting my arms, my hips, squirming as my hands roam all over his skin. A now-familiar pressure begins to gather in my core, letting me know that I’m moments away from a climax. Clark growls, shifting me so that I’m sitting upright on the couch, knees wide apart. He dives into my pussy, sucking and licking, his beard brushing roughly against my inner thighs.
If anyone else on the planet made me feel so fragile and helpless under a wave of sensation this intense, I would probably freak out. But because I trust Clark so completely I’m able to relax and let him do whatever he wants to me.
A wicked grin overtakes his eyes as he groans, making his tongue vibrate against me. The climax rockets through me with thousands of sparks igniting every nerve. Crying out his name, my fingers rake through his hair as I clutch at him, holding on for dear life as I shake wildly.
My body is still singing as he pulls me carefully to the floor, laying me out on the thick carpet in front of the fireplace, making me feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Every time we’re naked together, the huge bulk of his body compared to mine makes me feel so protected.
His knee nudges my legs wide as he settles into place, the heavy, warm weight of his hard cock against my mound. “Say it again,” he rasps, his eyes blazing.
“Say what?” I ask innocently, fluttering my lashes up at him. He growls, his length slipping down to brush against me. “That I’m staying?”
“And.”
“And that I like your town?”
“And.”
His teeth scrape carefully along the side of my throat as I laugh. Then he looks into my eyes again, and I give him what I know he’s been needing for so long.
“I love you.”