Never Far Away (16 page)

 
“Please, Porter,” she begged him.  She wasn’t clear on what she wanted; all she knew was that he had it.  “I need more,” she breathed.  She reached down and pushed his jeans and boxers to the floor, feeling him hard between them, making her heart rate skyrocket.  He was gloriously hard and she wanted to feel him inside of her.

 
  “This is going to be quick, Ella.  You’ve gotten me all worked up in your virginal-white lingerie and I’m not going to go slow or last long.  I’m almost a goner just standing here with your sexy body up against mine,” he said in between trailing kisses up and down her neck, over her collar bone, along her breasts.

 
  “Oh God, Porter, please,” again she begged him for anything he was willing to give her.  Suddenly he picked her up and carried her to a table along the far wall of the shop, hidden behind the boat.  In the back of her mind she was grateful for the boat blocking the view of anyone who happened upon them, but it was nothing more than a passing thought because at that moment, she was unaware of her surroundings.  She focused solely on Porter and how he made her feel, the way he made her body feel when he touched it.  It was the singularly most erotic and consuming feeling – to have his hands on her body.  Nothing compared and nothing would ever come close.

 
  “Don’t worry, Baby,” he whispered against her lips, “I’ve got you.”  He pulled her hips to the very edge of the table and spread her legs to wrap around his hips.  His lips pressed fully on to hers and he sank into her in the most deliciously slow way.  Inch by inch she felt him fill her, felt every vein, every ridge.  When he was fully seated in her, he tugged on her hips just to get in as deep as possible. She groaned into his mouth; the sensation of being full to the brim made her breathe faster and crave even more.  He held her hips still, pulling her as close to him as possible.  She tried to rock her hips against him and he stilled her with his hands.  “Just let me feel you for a minute, Ella.  I’ve missed you.”

 
  She pulled away to look in his eyes, trying to read what was going on in his head.  Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she laid a soft kiss on his mouth, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him into her.

 
  “What’s wrong?” she asked as she placed tiny kissed along his shoulder.

 
  “Baby, nothing’s wrong.  I just miss you when you’re not around,” he pulled out of her until just the tip of his cock was left inside and then, once again, slowly pushed back in.

 
  “This is torture.  Porter, please.  I thought this was going to be fast,” she rasped.

 
  “I think it feels pretty damn good.  There’s something to be said for slow,” he said as she maneuvered in and out again.  She whimpered quietly into his shoulder.  As slow as he was going, she was surprised to find herself climbing to an orgasm.   

 
  He sped up fractionally and started leaving small, wet kisses over every inch of skin he could get his mouth on.  Between kisses he was slowly pumping in and out, pulling her closer and saying the most wonderful words to her.

 
  “One day I’m going to take you sailing on this boat.” Kiss.  “We’ll make love all afternoon on the deck, under the sun.” Kiss.

 
  “Yes,” she moaned.

 
  “One day, you’re going to be so round with my baby.” Kiss.  “I’ll spend hours touching your belly and loving you.”  Kiss.  “You’re going to wear my rings, Ella.  You’ll be my wife and the mother of my children.” Kiss.

 
  She felt herself even closer to the edge and now tears were forming in her eyes.  She knew that he loved her and saw a future with her, but to hear him plainly say he wanted to marry her and have children was comforting on another level.  She’d never felt so secure or sure of her future than she did in that very moment, wrapped in his arms, connected to him on the most basic and human level.  She belonged to him and he to her. They were meant to spend the rest of their lives together and she would tackle any obstacle along their journey to make sure he was by her side every moment.

 
  “Oh Porter, I want all of that.  I want your rings, and our babies, and our life.  I want all of you, forever.”  She pulled his face to hers and kissed him fiercely.

 
  “You’re mine,” he claimed her as he pushed into her again faster and with more force.

 
  “I’m yours and you’re mine,” she answered, taking every thrust he gave her, relishing in the feeling of his body sliding against hers.  She teetered on the edge.

 
  “I love you, Ella,” he said looking straight into her eyes, noses touching.  He pushed her right over the cliff she’d been dangling from and into an abyss of shocking pleasure that coursed through her veins, hitting every nerve and firing every circuit in her body.

 
  “I love you so much,” she answered, her voice shaky from her body’s response to him.  He continued to thrust into her as she rode out her orgasm, speeding up, and finally finding his own release.  As he spilled into her, she splayed kissed all along his shoulders and neck, unable to keep her mouth from connecting with his body.  He eventually captured her mouth with his and kissed her down from her euphoric high.  He brushed his hands gently down her back, calming her.  She sighed into him and he wrapped his arms around her back. 

 
  “You know I mean everything I ever say to you, right?”  He asked, pulling his face back from hers, making sure she could see his eyes.

 
  “What do you mean?”

 
  “When we’re together, like this, when I’m making love to you.  I mean every single thing.  I’m not just saying things to say them.  I want you to marry me and I want you to have my children.  I don’t want you to be confused by the fact that I say these things to you while I’m inside of you.”  Ella smiled at him, warmed by his unnecessary confession.

 
  “Porter, you never say anything you don’t mean and neither do I.  I understand why you say what you do when we’re connected like this, it’s when we feel closest to each other.  I always
feel
the same about you, but when you’re inside me and I can’t deny our connection, the words come spilling out of me too.  I love you endlessly.  I want to be with you.  Not for a little while, and not until the newness of us wears off.  I want to be with you until I cease to exist, because there is no me without you.”

Chapter Eleven

Porter

   “Babe, dinner’s here,” Porter called up the stairs to Ella.  He placed the takeout bags on the island in the kitchen and started getting plates ready for them to eat.  Ella came around the corner into the kitchen, bringing a smile to his face.  She was wearing his tee shirt again and it looked damn fine on her.  “Nice shirt.”

 
  “Thanks,” she said as she flashed him a sexy grin.  He watched her as she hopped up onto the island and sat, legs dangling over the edge.  “I’ve got good news.”

 
  “Hit me with it,” he said as he prepared a plate for her.

 
  “Megan accepted my job offer and will be the new general manager of Poppy Portland.”

 
  “I never had any doubt,” he said, glancing up at her.  She was beaming.  The Ella he’d met earlier that year had been hesitant and insecure with herself.  The woman in his kitchen this evening was confident, excited, and in charge.  He was proud of her, and happy that she had decided to make the next big step in her career and life.  Even more satisfying to him was that they were making the steps together.  “I think Megan is going to be a great manager.  You’re lucky to have her.”

 
  “Agreed,” she replied with a nod.  “When I was driving here this afternoon, I called a few real estate brokers and I made an appointment for Friday to go look at some store space in Salem.”

 
  “You did this while you were driving?” He asked, instantly concerned and a little annoyed that she would put herself in harm’s way.

 
  “Porter, it’s called Bluetooth.  Very safe, promise.”  He exhaled loudly.

 
  “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.  “You have no idea how crazy it makes me when I think of you being unprotected.  I can’t be with you all the time and I’m afraid that one of these times we’re apart, something terrible will happen again.”

 
  Ella hopped down from the island and came to him, wrapping her arms around his middle.  He heard her take a deep breath.

 
  “I think we’re both affected by what happened to us a little more than we have admitted.”

 
   Porter rested his cheek on top of Ella’s head, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo.  She smelled so good and she felt so good in his arms.

 
  “I was so focused for so long on just surviving without you, I never took any time to evaluate how I was faring emotionally.  I was wrecked – that’s all I knew.”

 
  “I know, Babe.  We’re both just trying to figure this out as we go along.  But I think we should both see someone.  Maybe we should call that psychiatrist Dr. Andrews suggested.”

 
  “Make the appointment.  I will be there,” he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

 
  “I will.”  She moved away from him, taking her spot on the island again, the moment of tension passed.  “I was thinking,” she said between bites.  “Maybe on Friday, if you can manage it, you could come with me to look at store space and then afterwards we could go look at some houses.”  She looked at him tentatively, like she wasn’t sure of his response and was bracing for a negative reaction. 

 
  “Sounds good,” he said easily.  She raised her eyebrows up in surprise.

 
  “Well, that was easy.”

 
  “What were you expecting, Ella?”

 
  “I don’t know,” she shrugged.  “You’ve missed a lot of work recently and I don’t want to ask too much from you.  I don’t want to be a hindrance to you.  But I want you to be a part of the new store and obviously our house.  I feel like I’m walking a fine line here.  I’m trying to be really respectful of you and how much time you’ve invested in us over the last couple of months.”

 
  “Don’t worry about work, Babe.  My company does fine if I’m not there every day, much like yours.  They are capable of handling everything and I am excited to do these things with you.”  He came to stand right in front of her, his hips rested between her knees, pressing up against the counter.  “I was even thinking of looking into getting a little contracting business in Salem.  Maybe that way I wouldn’t have to be in Lincoln City all the time and I could stay in Salem some days.”  Her eyes went wide and her mouth popped open.

 
  “Really?”  She exclaimed.  “That is a great idea.  To think that we could both be working and living in the same city…I don’t know, Porter.  It seems a little too perfect, doesn’t it?”

 
  “No, it seems like just the right amount of perfect.”  He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and reached in to pull it out as he planted a loud smacking kiss on her lips.

 
  “Hey, Mom,” he said as he answered.  “What’s up?”

 
  “Porter, do you think you could come down to the bar?  That damn line in the dishwasher busted again, but this time there is water flooding everywhere.”

 
  “Damn it, yeah, I’ll be there.  But I’m not a plumber, Mom, you need to get Mitch in there to look at it.”

 
  “But you’ll come, right?”

 
  “Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

 
  “Thanks, Son.”

 
  He hung up and looked up at Ella.

 
  “Mom’s got a problem; I got to go to the bar.  Do you want to come?”  Ella winced a little.

 
  “I’m actually really tired.  Do you think your mom would mind if I stayed here?”

 
  “No,” he chuckled.  “I think my mom minds that there is currently water flooding her kitchen.”  He kissed her again quickly, backing away to find his shoes.

 
  “Stay here and rest a while.  I don’t know when I’ll be home, but it shouldn’t be too late.”

 
  She hopped off the counter and followed him to the door.

 
  “Ok, just call me when you’re on your way back.”

 
  “Will do,” he said as he pulled on a light jacket.  “Lock the door after me.”  She rolled her eyes at him and he immediately smacked her ass, hard enough to illicit a yelp.  She looked at him with wide eyes, rubbing her behind.

 
  “I’m serious.  Lock the door.”

 
  “Ok, yes Sir,” she said with a smile.

 
  “Bye, Baby.”  He kissed her quickly and then slipped out the door, smiling to himself when he heard the deadbolt clank into place.

 
Ella

   After Porter had left to rescue his mother, in a very Porterly move, Ella made herself at home, reading on the couch, snuggled up in a throw blanket.  Her eyes started to burn and she had to admit she was more tired than she had realized.  She stood to go upstairs but saw the mess in the kitchen and decided to clean up a bit so that Porter wouldn’t have to deal with it when he got home. 

 
  As she walked into the kitchen, she heard a noise that sounded like it had come from the front door.  It wasn’t a knocking noise, but more of a bang.  One bang, then nothing.  It was so eerily quiet, she started to wonder if she had even actually heard anything.  She paused, mid-step, between the couch and the kitchen, holding her breath so that not even the sound of her breathing could be mistaken for any noise she might hear.  A solid twenty seconds went by without another noise and she started to think she had imagined everything.  She started towards the kitchen again when the bang came through the door once more.

 
  She quickly turned towards the door, not sure what she was expecting, halted still, waiting for either Porter to come in the door or for the sound to come again.  She was frozen in place, unable to move.  When a few minutes passed without another noise, her nerves settled again.  She took a few deep breaths and walked towards the door.  She rolled her eyes and silently cursed Porter.  All his master craftsmanship and he couldn’t put a freaking peep hole in his door?  She put her hand on the deadbolt and took a deep breath in, let it out slowly, trying to release all her nerves with it.  She went to turn the deadbolt, but was distracted by the shadow that ghosted by the front window.

 
  Panic.  Sheer Panic.  She ran back into the living room, grabbed her phone from the coffee table, and immediately dialed 9-1-1.

 
  “Hello, this is 9-1-1.  What is your emergency?”

 
  “Please, I need a police officer.  I think there is someone outside my boyfriend’s house trying to break in.”

 
  “Ok, Ma’am, stay calm.  I will get an officer out to you immediately.  Can I get the address?”

 
  “Shit! I don’t know the address.”

 
  “Ok.  It’s ok.  Are you in the house?” 

 
  “Yes.”

 
  “Is the suspect in the house with you?”

 
  “No, I heard someone outside and when I went to look out the front door someone ran by the window.  I couldn’t see him.  Tt’s too dark.  But it was a person.”

 
  “Ok, can you see any mail lying around your boyfriend’s house?  Bills, letters, anything with an address?”  Ella ran into the kitchen and looked all over the counters, which were ridiculously spotless.

 
  “I can’t find anything,” panic started to flood her body, causing her voice to come out shaky and scared.

 
  “Look in the garbage,” the woman told her firmly.

 
  Ella grabbed the cupboard door under the sink and ripped it open.  The garbage can was under the counter and she pulled it out and dumped it over.  All sorts of things spilled out onto the floor.  Her eyes landed on a white envelope and she picked it up frantically.  She turned it over, desperately searching for the information she needed.

 
  “Ok, I got it!  558 East Tidal Road.  Did you get that?”

 
  “Yes, I did.  Good job, Ma’am.  Officers are on their way.”

 
  “Ella.  My name’s Ella,” she said with a quiet whisper.

 
  “Hi, Ella.  I’m Mary.  You did a good job.  I need you to stay away from the windows and try to hide.  Do not hang up with me until the officers arrive.  Can you do that?”

 
  “Yes,” she answered, unable to keep the tears from her eyes or the strain from her voice.  She went into the bathroom off the living room and climbed into the tub, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, silently crying.

 
  “Ella, are you still with me?” the dispatcher asked.

 
  “Yes,” she whispered.

 
  “Good.  Have you heard anyone enter the house?”

 
  “No,” she cried.  Being in the dark room by herself, unable to see anything, was almost scarier than being out in the open.  She just waited for the bathroom door to swing open and for some man in a dark hoodie to point a gun at her.  She felt helpless and terrified.  Would this be her life from now on?  Hiding from threats, crying in dark rooms, waiting for help to arrive?

 
  She started to hear cars pulling up on the gravel.

 
  “Ella, the officers have arrived.  They are doing a sweep around the house, so I need you to stay put and let them clear the house outside.”

 
  “Ok.”  Tears streamed down her face.  She heard sounds outside, but couldn’t tell what she was hearing.  A few minutes passed then she heard a knock on the door.

 
  “Ella, the officers are at your door now.  It’s safe to come out and open the door for them.”

 
  “Ok.”  Ella stood up in the bath, legs barely able to hold her up for all the shaking they were doing.  “Are you sure it’s the police?  What if it’s the man?”

 
  “Ella, I promise it’s the officers.  I have been communicating with them this whole time.  Officer Barrows is on the other side of your door; he’s there to help you.”

 
  “Ok.”  That seemed to be the only word she could muster.  She walked slowly to the door, her eyes darting around the living room, looking for anything that might cause alarm or give reason to panic.  Her trembling hand reached for the deadbolt and she twisted it.  Then she gripped the doorknob and took a deep breath before slowly opening the door.  True to the dispatcher’s word, a police officer stood on the other side.  One of his hands gently pushed the door open, while the other rested on the holster containing his gun.

 
  “Hello, Ma’am.  I’m Officer Barrows and I’m here to help.”

 
  “Ella, did you let Officer Barrows in?”

 
  “Yes,” Ella answered into the phone as the officer slipped past her into the house.

 
  “Great.  Ella you did a wonderful job.  I’m going to hand up now, ok?”

 
  “Ok, thank you for your help.”