26. Elsa
Chapter Twenty-Six
Elsa
Haven’s hips rocked up into mine, slow and rhythmic.
I was crowded against him, the steering wheel pressing into my back.
One knee rubbed against the door and the other against the console.
The angle was such that every time he nudged upward, the friction from where we were joined sent pleasure in sharp bursts through me.
This encounter was rushed and raw. Our kisses were open and messy. I could feel the press of his fingers on my hips. I was slippery wet, chasing my release. All the while, even though this felt purely sexual in some ways, sweet hell, I wanted this man so badly and on every level.
When he’d parked a few minutes ago, all I could think was I needed him inside me, fucking me hard and deep. I was so gone for him. There was no coming back.
As always, he brought me to the point of begging. “Haven, please…”
“What do you need, sweetheart?” he rasped in that low voice.
“Harder, deeper.”
He gave it to me, releasing my hip and sliding his palm up my back to lever me forward just enough that the friction where we were joined felt like a spark catching fire. The pleasure exploded through me.
His name on my lips was the sound of my climax. When he whispered, “That’s my Elsa,” my heart rioted.
His palm slid down, and I felt the press of his fingers over the flare of my hip as he gasped, “Oh, sweetheart.”
We were trembling together as I felt the heat of his release fill me. Afterward, he held me close. The way I felt when he held me—safe and secure as if he alone was holding the world at bay—nearly undid me. I knew I would always be safe with Haven.
I could smell the tang of his day on his skin, a little dusty, a little woodsy, and just him.
I traced my fingertip along his collarbone and savored the feel of his fingers sifting through my hair.
The intimacy that felt like an actual force between us shimmered in the air when I lifted my head and met his eyes in the falling darkness.
He leaned closer to give me a languid kiss.
I could have melted all over. Somehow, we disentangled ourselves.
In the cramped space, he helped me put my jeans back on.
After that, he drove home through the darkness, one of his hands resting on my thigh as he steered.
Fortunately, no one questioned how long it took us to get back with the pizza.
Of course, it was fair to say our interlude on the way home fell in the category of quickie.
Yet again, we fell asleep together. In the distant corner of my mind, I worried about how easily he could shatter my heart into a million pieces.
I knew now that I’d never actually had my heart broken before. I just had it bruised, and my pride kicked and scratched a few times. But this man, who was so good and so solid, now held my heart in the palm of his hand. He wouldn’t even have to try to break it.
The following morning, Haven helped me replace my car battery when he dropped me off at work.
I spent the first few hours sifting through data.
There were things I loved about being a biologist. I loved the outdoors.
I loved the wildlife. I did love the data, although sometimes it made my brain hurt.
By the time I took a break, the numbers were blurring.
I finally came up for air after an entire morning deep in spreadsheets, startled to glance at the clock and discover it was early afternoon. My boss stopped in my office.“How’re we doing?”
“Good.” All I could manage was that vague reply.
“Don’t forget to take breaks. Based on how your days have gone so far, you have plenty of flex time.”
“Huh?” I drained my now cold coffee.
“Well, you haven’t been taking lunch breaks, and you’ve worked late almost every day so far when you’re out in the field.”
“I know, but I love it.” I smiled, meaning it.
“And I love that you love it, but I don’t like you working more than you have to. So just keep that in mind.”
“What do you mean, flex time?”
“Well, I can’t give you extra leave, but we have flex time. If you don’t take lunch or you work late, if it’s an emergency and you stay later, you can log it as overtime. Otherwise, you track it and take an afternoon off for appointments or whatever.”
“Oh, well, that’s good.” I paused.
“HR explained that at your onboarding, right?” she eyed me.
“Probably, but I wasn’t too focused on all the details.” I gave a sheepish shrug, and she chuckled.
“Please don’t overdo it. I’m not a stickler about it, but I’ve seen people burn out too many times over the years. I love an enthusiastic employee, so I don’t want you to burn out.”
“I need more coffee, so I’ll go get some. Do you want some donuts if they still have some? I’ve fallen deeply in love with the donuts at Firehouse Café.”
She grinned. “Always. Just one, though. Don’t get a dozen. There are only three of us in the office today.”
“You got it.”
When I got to the front of the line at Firehouse Café a few minutes later, Luna, the donut-maker in question, smiled at me. “Hey!”
“Hey, I need three donuts and two coffees.”
“What kind of donuts?”
“Plain cake, chocolate sprinkles, and rainbow sprinkles.”
Luna chuckled. “Coming right up.”
Janet came walking out from the back. “Hey, hey,” she said with a warm smile.
“Hey, Janet.”
“How are things out at Heartfire Falls?”
“Well, I’m working now, so I’m not there all day. They’re on track to open soon. They hired an office admin person. It’s gonna be wild when they open,” I teased.
Janet chuckled. “And, how is Haven?”
I didn’t know how Janet knew, but I sensed she knew about me and Haven even though we’d been keeping it very quiet. Of course, my cheeks were burning up. “What do you mean?” I hedged.
She waggled her brows. “Jude might have mentioned something.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned.
“Oh, wait. Is there gossip?” Luna glanced at us as she turned to slide the coffees across the counter.
“Um, I might like Haven. We might, uh, have a…” I didn’t know how to describe what we had.
“A situationship?” Luna offered.
I almost choked on my coffee. “Uh, sure?”
Luna was quiet for a beat, her brown curls bouncing a little when she tipped her head to the side. “You like him.”
My heart gave a little spinning kick in my chest. I was well beyond liking Haven. My cheeks still burning up, I nodded.
“Elsa.” I glanced over my shoulder.
“Josie?”
Josie grinned. “That’s me,” she replied in a singsong voice. I glanced at the man standing beside her, who also looked familiar.
“Tate,” he offered helpfully.
“Oh, that’s right.” My brain started to try to gather the details about them.
Josie jumped in, “Yeah, we were like best friends in high school if you recall.”
“Wait, are you two together?” I was a little confused.
Josie smiled. “We are. We’re engaged.”
“To keep it really simple, if you forgot the gossip bonfire, my ex cheated on me with Tate’s ex, and Tate’s ex was my best friend, and my ex was his best friend.”
“Ohhhh,” I said slowly.
Josie rolled her eyes. “It’s all good. I guess things work out the way they’re supposed to.”
“How are things going out at Heartfire Falls?” Tate asked.
“They’re rolling along. They’re planning to open soon.”
Tate nodded. “And how’s Haven?”
Apparently, Jude was the family gossip. “What do you know?” I blurted out.
He held his hands up. “I come in peace. All I know is Haven totally had a thing for you in high school.”
“What?”
While I was busy trying to absorb that knowledge drop from Tate, my phone vibrated, and I glanced down, my lips tugging into a smile solely at the nickname I’d given Haven in my phone.
Big Guy: I don’t know where you are at work, and I hate to ask, but I need someone to pick Tommy up from school and take him to his doctor’s appointment. I wouldn’t ask except I literally can’t leave.
I was replying before I could even think.
Me: Of course. Do I just show up at the school and pick him up?
Big Guy: Yep. I’ll call and make sure you’re on the approved pickup list.
Me: Are you okay?
Big Guy: Equipment issue. There’s no way in the universe I’ll make it on time. All of us are tied up here, and my mom drove to Anchorage to pick up some stuff from Costco.
Me: I’ll go right now.
I glanced around to see several curious gazes on me, just as Luna thrust the donuts at me. “Here you go. They’re warm.”
“Thank you. I have to hurry. Apparently, I’m picking Tommy up at school and taking him to the doctor.”
“That seems like more than a situationship,” Luna said with a sly smile.