Chapter 30
THIRTY
Austin
ELLE NEVER SAID GOOD NIGHT. Routine woke me up early to a cold couch and an empty living room, void of the warmth she radiated. The frosted windowpane told me the weather had declined overnight, as promised.
Was yesterday too much for her? I thought. Did I scare her?
I outstretched my arms and sat up from the couch, recalling how I’d overheard Elle laughing on the phone with Ruthie last night through the walls. I did everything in my power not to listen. Sadly, my restraint failed.
Respecting her privacy was one thing, but my girl wasn’t exceptionally quiet during her phone call. She likely had never stayed in a house without hurricane-proofed walls to buffer her late-night conversations.
Her innocent unawareness and Ruthie’s lack of volume control had gifted me an incredibly important piece of information—Elle had never slept with anyone besides Jesse.
I didn’t know whether to thank my lucky stars or feel sorry for her that her primary source of pleasure was most definitely herself. To my displeasure, I’d watched Jesse have sex with Rita Camellino. It had been clear that his needs took precedence over his partner’s.
Elle deserved a man who found more pleasure in giving than taking.
If I could give her a glimpse into a future with me, she’d see that Jesse and I couldn’t be more different in that way. In many ways. A draw from his tarot deck would reveal The Fool while mine would show her what it felt like to pull The Lover card for once.
I rose, foggy sunlight from the window illuminating my path into the kitchen. I stepped softly to avoid waking Elle. God, how I dreamed that my arms were tangled around her while she woke, sleepy-headed and clinging to my body for warmth.
The universe didn’t allow me to cook breakfast for her again because, to my pleasant surprise, Elle was already seated at the table in my kitchen when I entered.
She waited for me with a pot of coffee, two omelets, and steaming nut-covered bread.
The smell was heavenly, but the sight of Elle twirling her hair with one elbow leaning on the edge of the oak tabletop was what drew me in.
She noticed me, stood, and walked my way, stealing the breath I should have been taking from her.
She’d added light makeup to her already-flawless face, enhancing the feminine features that organically hypnotized me.
Something was different about her; she looked refreshed.
Radiant. One thing remained the same: she still blew me the fuck away.
“Good morning, Chief,” she chirped, pulling out the chair across from hers before sitting again.
I loved it when she called me that.
“Thought I’d snoop through your pantry and throw together breakfast to make up for not coming to say good night yesterday. I hope you eat omelets and banana walnut bread.”
“If you made it for me, I’m eating it,” I vowed.
Her smile grew at my response, which had one job—to hide my growing urge to shatter every plate before me and eat her for breakfast instead.
“By that, I mean, it looks and smells delicious, and I know it will be if it’s made by you. Is it weird that I can’t picture you being bad at anything?”
Her chest fell to its usual resting place while mine expanded to accommodate my excitement.
An entire day of being snowed in with Elle, possibly longer.
It was all I’d wished for since the day we’d met.
“I can think of a few things …” She smirked and forced a bite of omelet into her mouth. A string of melted cheese stretched like a tight rope from her glossed lips.
My pants tightened.
“Like?” I asked.
“Like saying good night, apparently.”
Her nose scrunched. I found it adorable. Was she admitting to her crime in the cutest way possible? Yes, she was.
“Okay, you might be kind of bad at that.” I cushioned her admission with a matter-of-fact brow raise. “Don’t worry; all is forgiven. I was tired too. Long day—I get it.”
One bite of steaming banana bread was all it took to confirm her cooking skills. “Have you considered a culinary career? Because this is next level.” A low, “Mmm,” left my chest as I swallowed.
“Yesterday was … incredible,” she released. Her smile told me the change of subject was deliberate.
I agreed, obviously. Our date was incredible. But our kiss? It was mind-blowing. A kind of perfection I’d never known.
“Today can be incredible too,” I chirped. “I know we’re stuck here and all, but …”
“Can I be honest?” She placed her fork down on the napkin next to her plate before continuing. She meant business.
I nodded, craving her honesty just as badly as I craved every other part of her.
“I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be snowed in with. I just want you to know that,” she revealed before exhaling a heavy breath. “Feels a little weird to say, but it’s the truth.”
She chased it with a sip of her coffee; I noticed she took it with light cream, so I could re-create it for her the next day. No way was she doing this again; that was my job.
“I first came to Haroldeen Lane with you because my unfortunate circumstances had brought me here and I felt like I had nowhere else to go. But now …” A giggle left her lips while her golden gaze held mine. “I want to be here, and I’m glad I’m here with you.”
Her hand flipped onto its back on the table, willing me to grab it. I obeyed. My palm kissed hers, triggering my heart rate to crescendo. Our hands looked good together, our fingers laced. It was a simple gesture. One I could tell she enjoyed when she gently dragged her thumb across my skin.
“Well, if I’m being honest, I like to think there’s a reason we ended up here.” I cleared my throat, feeling like my grandfather, spitting wisdom. “Maybe being snowed in together can help us figure that out.”
I’d never been with a woman I was afraid to lose. It didn’t matter how we had come to be. All that mattered was that, somehow, we were together. No more wishing. No more drifting aimlessly through my life, further from the shoreline.
It was time to make Elle mine.
And prove to her that I was worthy of being hers.
Before she found out the truth.