Chapter 4 #2
“Are your parents still operating the resort? Did you go skiing a lot as kids?” she asked. I got the impression that she wanted to hear everyone’s life story from the moment she met them, and I liked that about her. So many women I’d dated were only into themselves.
“We did. As kids, we were on the slopes a lot after school. And my parents are retired now.”
“How are they taking retirement? My mom’s is coming up, and she’s a bit grumpy.”
“Honestly, they’re enjoying it. They’re happy that they have a granddaughter to spoil and over the moon that Isabelle’s pregnant too. That will be their second grandchild, and they’re ecstatic. Which makes me happy, as I’m now off their radar."
I took a second empanada. The first one had been with shrimp. This was with chicken.
“You were right about the empanadas. They’re great,” I said.
I wolfed the second one down, and when I reached for the third one, my hand brushed Ellie’s.
She drew in a sharp breath. I looked up quickly, just in time to see her glance away.
The air between us instantly filled with tension, and we were just talking . This was insane.
“I know, right?” she murmured. “I think I’m going to ask her for the recipe.”
“How did you get into cooking if your parents didn’t like it?”
“Oh, well, after the divorce, my mom got a full-time job, and she worked odd shifts. She wasn’t home a lot in the evenings, so I started downloading recipes.
I liked following them to a T initially—it just gave me a sense of pride that I achieved something.
Cooking made sense, and let me tell you, not many things did make sense to me back then.
I couldn’t understand at all why my parents got divorced. ”
“How old were you?”
“Eleven.”
“You cooked your own dinners at eleven?” I didn’t mean to sound harsh, but what the hell. All my protective instincts were on high alert. This girl was doing strange things to me.
“Yes,” she said a bit defensively. “Henry always had soccer practice in the evening, so I was on my own after I came from school. Had to fill those long hours with something.”
There was more to her statement, but I didn’t want to push her, even though I had a million questions. Didn’t she have any friends? Why did she spend all that time alone? Clearly, it wasn’t because she wasn’t a sociable person.
I knew right then and there that heeding Henry’s warning was going to be even more difficult than I thought, physical attraction aside.
Something about Ellie drew me in. Maybe it was her warmth or her resilience, I had no idea, but I’d never had this impulse before to get closer to someone.
It was more than an impulse. It was a primal need.
“I was just surprised, Ellie, that’s all. Do you want the last empanada?”
She grinned. “Yes, I do. Will you fight me on it?”
“We can just split it.” She really was adorable.
“Nah, splitting the last bite is a form of torture. I can’t enjoy it properly. It doesn’t give me enough to taste the flavor.” She sat back a bit against the window frame, her eyes narrowed in concentration. “I like feeling the explosion of flavors on my lips and tongue for as long as possible.”
I groaned, zeroing in on her lips. All that talk about her mouth was making me hungry for her. She dangled one leg along the windowsill, brushing mine. She jolted slightly, as if the contact was too much for her.
Ellie licked her lower lip before sharply exhaling. I couldn’t look away. Blindly, I pushed the plate toward her. She could have the empanada.
I wanted something different.
I wanted her.
I watched her closely as she ate the last empanada, washing it down with water. She carefully set the plate on the shelf next to the window and got up from the windowsill at the same time I did.
She glanced up at me, then quickly looked away, biting her lower lip.
I couldn't hold back anymore. Hooking an arm around her waist, I brought her up against me.
I sealed my mouth over hers, exploring her deeply.
She wrapped both hands around my neck, pushing herself up on her toes.
I buckled because she was so tiny, but then I lifted her.
Putting my palms under her ass, I propped her against the windowsill, kissing and kissing and not getting enough.
I wanted to explore her all night long. She pressed her upper body against me, digging her heels in my thighs.
Feeling her breasts on my chest turned me rock-hard.
She tasted delicious, and her skin was so damn soft everywhere I touched her—neck, arms, hands.
If exploring her mouth was this exquisite, how would it feel to explore her entire body?
Her moans drew me out of my thoughts, and I pulled back.
"Fuck. All I want is to taste you again," I said, skimming two fingers over her lips. She blinked slowly.
"Then do it… oh, wait.” She blinked more rapidly, smiling, but her eyes were serious. “I lost my head. Ian… I don’t want to come between you and my brother.”
"No, I don't want that either." I also didn't want to jeopardize the relationship with her . I could be a good friend to her, but anything else was a stretch of the imagination.
"I might need a few minutes to cool down," she said with a teasing smile. "Or days. Or weeks."
“Kiss that good?”
She laughed. "You know it was."
I tried not to zero in on her mouth. I instantly knew that it wouldn’t matter if days or weeks passed until I saw her next. I’d still want her with every fiber in my body.