Chapter 8
Beckham
Iam frozen by the sight of Ellery at the water’s edge. She pulls me to her like a moth to flame, and I am helpless to do anything more than admire the picturesque scene in front of me. Sunlight breaks through the trees, transforming her into a fairy princess. The rose gold strands of her hair are illuminated in a crown of fire. Her fair skin shimmers in the light.
Even wearing a modest yellow bikini, she takes my breath away. She is perched on a large boulder that sits on the shore’s edge, a sketchbook open in her lap. Her bare feet swirl in the water below. They cause ripples to break the crystalline surface.
While she sketches, brow furrowed in concentration, the pencil darts back and forth across the page. Her teeth gently bite down on her lower lip while she puzzles something out in her mind. But in my mind, I’m the one biting that soft bit of flesh.
Nope. No. Stop it.
A white mare is grazing while tied to a tree nearby. When I notice that the horse is Ellery’s mare, Princess, I walk Dragon in that direction. Princess nickers happily in greeting, loud enough to break whatever spell this place holds.
Ellery’s head snaps up at the sound.
Her face lights up when she sees me, cheeks dimpling with a grin. “Beckham. Hi.”
Damn, that smile… And the way she says my name in that soft, rich voice of hers. Every single time is like a caress, the way it curls around me, warming my body from the inside.
I wonder if her skin tastes as sweet as she always smells.
Reel it in, Beck. You’re an adult. Act like it.
Clearing my throat, I try to think of something to say. “So… Working on a new masterpiece?”
“What?” She frowns in confusion.
My chin tips toward the sketch-in-progress lying in her lap.
“Oh.” She laughs lightly. “No, just doodling some logo ideas.”
“For the art center?”
“Yeah.” Surprise lights her features. “How do you know about that?”
“Simon may have mentioned it.”
Or, I may have asked him. Ellery has changed so much—we both have—and I suddenly want to know it all. Everything I missed over the last six years.
“Hmm. Simon told me a little bit about your construction company, too.” She peeks over at me. “Sounds like you finally found your place.”
There is something in her voice. Pride, maybe. Or relief.
“More or less,” I say, shrugging it off.
That earns me a glare. “Beckham James, you are doing something amazing. Breathing new life into this town. Renovating all those old, historic homes that have fallen into disrepair. Don’t downplay it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her actions have me biting back a smile. Despite the years-long separation, Ellery is still quick to come to my defense. She remembers how much I struggled as a kid. I felt like I was forever trying to fit in. A square peg in a round hole.
I needed to do some growing up, I think. Grow into myself. Figure out who I am, and what role I play, other than the son of the town drunk and a mother who abandoned him as a child.
Still, Ellery’s aggressive support warms something in me. She is like an adorable kitten with its claws out. Tiny but fierce.
“You checking up on me, shortcake?”
“Can you blame me? I hardly know a thing about you.” Her voice grows quiet. “Not anymore.”
Dammit. The hurt underneath those words guts me. I wish there was some way to get back the easy friendship of our youth. Back when life didn’t have all of these extra complications.
Back before I ruined our friendship.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” She stiffens when I step closer. “So damn sorry for hurting you back then.”
“Then, why did you push me away? Why do you keep pushing me away?”
“Can you not guess?” I ask. “Why I thought I needed to keep my distance?”
Slowly, she shakes her head. Her eyes are large and unblinking. But I can see the wheels turning behind them as she tries to puzzle it out.
I take one step toward her. Then, another. “I think you do know.”
She is close enough now that I notice the faint blush staining her cheeks. Her chest lifts and lowers with quickening breaths. I reach out to grasp a lock of her hair, running it in between my fingers, watching strands catch the light and sparkle like spun gold. The sweet apple blossom scent of her shampoo wafts up and tickles my nose.
I try to think of the magic words that will explain. Words that will mend the wounds I inflicted. Except that they don’t exist. Instead, I simply speak my truth.
“You were so beautiful,” I murmur, “even then. Stole my breath.”
Her breath catches, her mouth falling open in surprise at my words. My gaze is pulled down to those plump, cherry lips.
“I couldn’t be attracted to you, Ellery. It was wrong in so many ways.”
Eyes flaring, she whispers, “You were attracted to me?”
I chuckle. “Surprised me, too.”
“Why was it wrong?” She looks genuinely confused. “I was an adult.”
“Barely. Too damn young for a twenty-four-year-old. You were still so innocent.”
I drop the lock of hair in my grasp and move back, trying to put some distance between us. I can’t think clearly, not when she is this close. But she follows, her chin raised defiantly.
“Is that still your excuse?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Hmm.” She stares up at me for several breaths, quietly assessing, until an impish smile blooms. There is a challenge in her eyes. I know then that I’m fucked.
“I’ve done a lot of growing up in the last several years, Beckham.” Water laps at her feet when she takes a few steps back into the shallows. “I’m not nearly as innocent as you think.”
Oh, yeah.
Royally fucked.
“It’s pretty hot out here,” she continues. “Aren’t you hot?”
Her fingers start playing with the bow at the center of her bikini top, in the valley right between her breasts. Torturing me with the motion. She steps back a little more. I track her movements like a damn predator, and I’m starting to feel like one, too.
Then she says, “I think I’m going to cool off.”
Mesmerized, I watch her bend forward to scoop water into her cupped hands. She lets the stream cascade in between the valley of her breasts. My mouth goes dry at the view.
Slowly, keeping me locked in her gaze, she moves into deeper water. Her body starts to slip beneath gently lapping waves. She stops only when she is submerged up to her shoulders.
Lilies and lily pads float around her. With her lips curled into an alluring smile, she looks like a water nymph—or a siren, luring sailors to their deaths.
“You should come in,” she says, the sing-song melody of her voice weaving its spell. “The water feels amazing.”
She is definitely a siren.
The little minx thinks she can bait me, but two can play this game.
Reaching up with one hand, I whip my shirt over my head. It drops onto the ground, quickly forgotten. Then I make quick work of the rest until my clothes are in a messy pile at my feet, leaving me in nothing but black boxer briefs.
Ellery’s audible gasp breaks the silence. Now she is the one staring with hungry eyes, her gaze ping-ponging over every inch of exposed skin. The blush I love so much starts painting her cheeks.
Damn, it feels good to turn the tables.
I wade into the pond and stalk toward her. The water feels cool on my overheated body. But I barely notice, focused only on closing in on Ellery. She is treading water. Watching me with a wary gaze.
Good.
She should be nervous.
I dive down under the water, swimming until she is within reach. Then I yank down on her ankles. Her muffled cry of surprise fills me with satisfaction. So does the frantic way she kicks me off of her so she can rush up for air. I break the surface a second later.
“Beckham!” she shrieks. Laughing, she shoves a wall of water at me. “You jerk.”
Our laughter fills the air and then falls silent. We are both standing in the deepest part of the shallows, just before the lake drops off. Only a few scant feet lay between us. Her chest rises and falls with each heavy breath. I am transfixed by the droplets of water that cling to her skin. They trickle down between her breasts, forcing my gaze to follow.
Suddenly I can think of nothing else than tracing their path with my tongue. She is already so close. It only takes a slight tug to bring her even closer.
When I slide my hand along the slender curve of her neck, the pulse under my thumb starts to flutter like a hummingbird. Heat rises off of her flushed skin. Her hazel eyes turn to molten gold. The sweet scent of her wraps around me.
She is breathtaking.
I’m going to hell.
“I shouldn’t want you like this,” I murmur.
She blinks up at me. “Why not?”
“Because it’s wrong. For so many reasons.”
“Do you really believe that?” Her open palm rests against my sternum, fingertips playing with the coarse hairs on my chest. “Is this wrong, or are you just saying so because of some misplaced sense of honor?”
Honestly, I don’t know anymore—and I’m starting to not care.
A man can only take so much temptation before he breaks.
Ellery tugs my head down. She kisses the soft underside of my jaw. Her next words are a warm, breathy whisper next to my ear.
“Does this feel wrong to you?”
Her teeth tug gently on my earlobe.
“God, no,” I growl.
Soft, pillowy lips caress my cheek. One, then the other.
“Then kiss me,” she says against my mouth.
So, I do. I kiss her—because fucking hell am I tired of fighting this. I kiss her because I’m tired of keeping my distance. But mostly I kiss her because I want to.
Everything starts slow. Tentative. I’m content to give her the time she needs to learn the feel and taste of me. Gentle nips on my lower lip with her teeth. Tiny, teasing sips with her tongue.
With each kiss, she grows bolder.
With each kiss, my walls crumble a little more.
Needing more, I tilt her head for better access. Her mouth tastes like heaven. Her lips part and I drink her in.
Ellery Brooks is a seductress.
How did I ever think that I could resist her?