Gone Too Deep (29 page)

All evening, Ellie had wanted to be alone with George. Now that they were finally in his house with no one else around, she felt anxious. Standing awkwardly in the entryway, she stepped out of her boots and unzipped her coat with more focus than the actions required.

“Thanks for being so patient today,” she said to break the silence. When he shrugged off her thanks as he removed his jacket, she continued. “Really. You went above and beyond. I mean, the coffee shop
and
Levi's? That's heroic.”

He smiled, reaching to help her slip out of her coat. “I like being with you.”

“I like being with you, too.” She winced slightly. The words were so inadequate to express how she really felt. “I mean, I
more
than like you. Being in Chicago when you weren't there…” Her voice got shaky and she stopped, not wanting to cry on him yet again.

Closing the gap between their bodies until a bare inch separated them, he reached down to take both of her hands. “I hated being here without you. Before I left for Chicago, I winterized this cabin.”

Ellie blinked at him. “I'm not sure what that means.”

A small smile broke the seriousness of his expression. “I drained the water pipes, unplugged the fridge, cleared out anything that shouldn't freeze—basically shut down the cabin for the rest of the winter.”

“Why?”

He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed them one at a time. “Because I knew I wouldn't want to leave you once I was with you again.”

Despite her determination not to cry, his simple declaration made her eyes fill. “But you hate big cities and crowds and, well, most people.”

“But I don't hate you.” The warmth in his gaze turned that statement into something much bigger. “I got that phone, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. I want to be with you, to touch you.”

“Good,” she said fiercely as she forced back her silly tears. “I want to be with you, too.”

The corner of his mouth hitched up into a teasing half smile. “And touching me? Do you want that?”

His up-curved lips were too tempting, so she met his eyes, sucking in a breath when she saw the heat in them. “Uh-huh.”

His slight smile grew to a full-on grin. She expected his kiss, wanted it, but he surprised her by taking a step back and releasing one of her hands. After picking up her suitcase that he'd brought inside, he led her through the kitchen and into the living room. Looking around curiously, Ellie tried to figure out what was strange about the space, and she realized that the couch and chairs were arranged around a woodstove, rather than a TV. It made the room feel old-fashioned and cozy.

She had only a few moments to look at the living room before he tugged her into the bedroom. Her socks slid on the tiled floor as she scrambled to keep up with him. He set the suitcase against the wall as she looked around the room. The bed was huge, which it had to be to fit all of George in it. The metal headboard was beautiful, incorporating the abstract shape of a tree in the center. Ellie moved toward it so she could run her fingers over the edge of a branch.

“This is wonderful.” Glancing over her shoulder at him, she caught the bashful duck of his head. “Did you make it?” When he nodded, Ellie looked back at the metalwork with a new appreciation. “You're talented.”

Her hand moved from the frame to brush the intricate quilt that covered the bed.

“You didn't make this, too, did you?” If he said yes, she was going to feel very inferior. She couldn't even sew a button on straight.

“No. I plow Mrs. Johnson's driveway each winter, and she gave me that.”

Ellie smiled at him. “That's nice of you.”

He shrugged, still not looking at her. “Her husband died a few years ago. Her kids are in Denver and want her to move there, but she's lived in that house for fifty years.”

Moving closer to him, she raised her hand to his forearm, but he shifted unexpectedly, and her palm landed on his stomach. She felt his muscles tense under the fabric of his shirt. “That's really nice of you, then.”

“She makes me pies, too.” His voice was a little hoarser than just a sentence before, and Ellie bit back a proud smile that she could create this reaction in him with just a simple touch.

She lost all track of their conversation then, as her other hand moved to join the first one. Her fingers slid up his torso and then back down to play with the edge of his shirt where it was tucked into his waistband. His chest was moving rapidly, like it had when he'd carried her for miles after digging her out of her snowy prison.

The memories of the many times he'd protected her, kept her safe,
saved
her, warmed her from the inside out. It wasn't just passion, but also affection, that pushed her to unbutton his shirt.

She'd only freed three buttons before his hands covered hers, stopping her upward progress.

“What's wrong?”

He bowed his head until his forehead rested against hers. “It's too… I feel like I'm going to explode.”

“Bad explode or good explode?”

“Good. I think.”

Ellie smiled. “Good is good.” She took a step back, watching disappointment cloud his gaze for the moment before she unzipped and shed her hoodie, leaving her in only her thin, silky camisole. She wanted to shed that, as well, but his sharp intake of breath distracted her. George was staring, his eyes locked on her with an expression that made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

As the seconds ticked past, she started to fidget. The longer he looked at her with that awed expression, the more she wanted him. When George stayed frozen, she took a step forward and kissed him. It was a simple, light kiss, but it seemed to snap something in George. He wrapped a huge hand around the back of her head, pulling her closer as he kissed her hard and thoroughly. Any hesitation was gone. After Ellie's first start of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly participated.

As he hungrily explored her mouth, his free hand dropped to her waist and slid under her top. The burn of his fingers against the bare skin of her side reminded her of that first day on the trail when he'd checked to see if she'd been sweating. The memory made her smile into the kiss. George must have felt her lips curve, since he made an inquiring sound that vibrated against her mouth.

Pulling back just far enough to speak, Ellie teased breathlessly, “I was just thinking about the first time you felt me up.”

His eyebrows shot up even higher, and she laughed, the sound still raspy from desire.

“You were checking if I was sweaty.” Dropping her grip around his neck, she burrowed both hands beneath his bottom hem and flattened her palms against his belly like she had a few minutes earlier, only with no fabric to block her touch this time. When color darkened his cheeks, she was pretty sure it wasn't from bashfulness. “Without using your words.”

She yelped in surprise as he swept her up with an arm around her hips, lifting her off the floor as her hands pulled from under his shirt to clutch his shoulders. Carrying her to the bed, he held her easily with one arm as his other hand yanked down the covers. Although she expected to be tossed onto the mattress, George lowered her carefully, placing her on the flannel sheet with the same exquisite care he would use when handling something precious and fragile.

Once she was sitting on the bed, he stepped back and stripped off his semi-unbuttoned shirt. She watched with interest, enjoying the view as the entirety of his broad, muscled chest was revealed. When his hand went to his belt, her breath caught in anticipation.

He unbuckled it and pulled it from the belt loops, the leather making a hissing sound as it slid free. Instead of hanging it in the wardrobe, he dropped it, and the metal buckle hit the floor with a sharp sound.

Ellie knew how neatly he kept his life—his home, tent, packs, and everything else in it—so his casual clothes-tossing was out of character and extremely hot. She leaned forward as his hand found the top button of his BDUs, but then he paused. Biting her lip to hold in a disappointed groan, she just tilted her head in silent question.

“Sure?” he asked, his voice rough.

“Very sure.” And she was. Ellie was more certain that she wanted George than she'd been about anything. Ever.

His chest was expanding in quick bursts as he waited another few seconds. Ellie was ready to jump off the bed and tackle him when he thumbed the button loose and lowered the zip on his pants. In a fast motion, he shoved the BDUs over his hips, bending to free his feet from the puddled fabric of his pants as well as his socks.

As he stood, wearing only his black boxer briefs, Ellie stared. Except for that short time in the cave, she'd been used to seeing George in his thermal long underwear, so his bare skin was something of a shock. A dusting of dark hair covered his limbs and chest, and she smiled.

When his eyebrows drew together, she explained, “I never knew I liked hairy guys so much.” She held out a hand toward him. When he took it, she drew him toward her. His legs hit the side of the mattress and box springs, forcing him to stop, but he was close enough to touch, and that was the important thing. “I do. I really, really do.”

Laying her hands flat against his chest, she felt his heart beat against her palms. She let her fingers slide lower and leaned forward so she could rest her cheek where her hands had been. For a long moment, she listened to his heart, strong and steady, just like him. George stood still and let her feel him.

When she finally began to move her hands, his heart picked up under her cheek, making her smile. Although she wanted to continue listening to his reaction to her touch, she wanted to see him, too, so she sat back on her heels. His abs flinched under the brush of her hand. Despite his lack of clothing, he was sweating, a thin sheen of moisture that made her fingers slide easily across his skin.

While she was exploring, George watched her, his hands hovering in midair between them. When she leaned forward and kissed his chest, he finally moved, his palms settling on her shoulder blades. The delicate fabric of her camisole caught on his rough-skinned fingers as his hands stroked down her back, one on either side of her spine.

Gathering handfuls of her top, he eased it up, and she raised her arms so he could pull it off her body completely. Impatient and not wanting any barrier between them, she unhooked her bra and let it drop. His stare earlier was nothing compared to how his gaze was now fixed on her bare upper body. Self-consciousness made her flush.

Resisting the urge to cross her arms over her chest, she asked, “Is everything…um, okay? I know the, ah, the girls aren't very big…”

His eyes met hers, the intense heat in them closing her throat and stopping the flow of words. “You're perfect.”

Ellie flushed with a mixture of embarrassment, lust, and pleasure, and she squirmed, unsure of how to respond. The way he was looking at her, as if she was the focus of his universe, was both heady and overwhelming. He shifted closer, and her breath caught.

“Did you want to turn off the light?” He didn't move toward the lamp. “Are you sure? Don't you need to save electricity?”

“I want to see you.” The words were barely more than a growl, and she shivered again. It definitely wasn't from the cold; her body felt as if it were burning from the inside out. His hands grasped her hips as his knee depressed the mattress. Pulling her bottom half toward him as his upper body leaned forward, he eased her into a reclining position. He unfastened her pants and slid them and her underwear over her legs, slipping off her socks at the same time and tossing everything aside before he knelt between her thighs. “You're too beautiful to be in the dark.”

He kissed her then, and she forgot about the light. As usual, his mouth made everything but George fade into oblivion. His hands were stroking along her ribs, the tips of his fingers barely brushing the sides of her breasts. When they finally covered them completely, she almost levitated off the bed.

Lifting his head slightly, he asked, “Okay?”

“Very.” Arching into his touch, she could barely get the words out. “Yes. Please. More.”

His chest vibrated with a chuckle as he kissed her again. His hands and mouth were everywhere, caressing and teasing, finding the places on her body where she was the most sensitive. Whenever she would gasp or give a low moan, he would explore the trigger spot in great detail, until she was clutching him and pleading for more.

He left her for a moment to shuck his last piece of clothing and grab a condom from the top drawer of the dresser. Raising herself onto an elbow to watch, Ellie felt the neediness that made blood roar in her ears subside slightly. He fumbled a little while donning the prophylactic, and she was reminded of his inexperience. Instead of putting her off, she loved that she'd be his first. A fierce surge of possessiveness rocked through her at the thought of George touching another woman. The intensity of the emotion scared her.

“You didn't buy those locally, did you?” she teased, needing to lighten the moment before she burst. “Does everyone in town know what we're doing?”

He returned to her before answering, straddling her hips with his knees and bending forward to nuzzle beneath her ear. Giggling, Ellie hunched a shoulder to fend off his tickling beard.

“Ordered them online.”

“Good.” His playful teasing had changed to small, biting kisses on her neck, turning her laughter into a needy sigh.

“Everyone in town probably still knows what we're doing,” he said with his mouth against her skin, the words turning into their own caress.

“Don't care,” she breathed, pulling him closer, with her arms over his shoulders and her legs hooked around his hips, loving the feel of his body shaking with laughter. His mouth found hers again as he shifted, and then he was inside her.