Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) (16 page)

You know what you want. Stop pretending like you don’t.
Her heart spoke up, clamoring sternly for her to listen.
But I don’t know if it makes sense, and I don’t know what he wants. You’d better pay attention before it’s too late. Maybe you don’t know what he wants, but you won’t know unless you try to find out.

Jessa sighed and gave her head a little shake. These internal conversations were happening with frequency, and she was betwixt and between about the way forward. Not just with Eli, but with her life. Somehow, Eli and the way she felt about him, which she didn’t dare label yet, had gotten all tangled up in what she should do with her life. She got to work cleaning her paintbrushes and putting her supplies away. Conveniently, the tasks needed to get done, but they also distracted her mind from obsessing about Eli.

T
he low hum
of voices surrounding them, the soft buzz of wine flowing through her, and Eli simply existing nearby left Jessa swinging between a comfortable sense of relaxation and a feverish sense of anticipation. Eli had insisted she needed to try the Boathouse Café’. It had been everything promised—delicious local seafood and a touch more high-end than many restaurants in Diamond Creek. The restaurant sat on a bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. At the moment, the sun was in the midst of its slow descent behind the moments. Its fading rays cast long beams of light across the water. She turned back to Eli when she heard someone say his name. She watched while he grinned and waved at the man who’d greeted him. Eli turned to her when the man reached their table.

“Travis, this is Jessa Hamilton, sister of Gage and Garrett Hamilton. She’s visiting for a bit,” Eli said before gesturing to the man. “And this is Travis Wilkes. He’s a local fisherman and yet another Alaskan who has a few more jobs I can’t keep track of.”

Travis grinned, his blue eyes glinting. Like so many men Jessa had seen around Diamond Creek, Travis had a rugged, sexy, outdoorsy quality to him. His light-brown hair was windblown, his skin burnished bronze from probably hours and hours on the ocean and outside, and his body fit and muscled. “Nice to meet another member of the Hamilton clan. I’ve gotten to know both Gage and Garrett. Gage is everyone’s local favorite hometown boy come home now that he’s reopened Last Frontier Lodge, and Garrett saved my ass when I ran into some problems with my neighbors over a property line dispute. You planning to stick around like your brothers?”

Jessa’s eyes automatically flicked to Eli. His had sharpened with interest. She couldn’t help but wonder if he hoped she’d stay. She forced her attention back to Travis. “I’m not sure. I came up for a surprise visit after my apartment building in Seattle burned down. I don’t really have a plan, so I’m winging it right now.”

Travis nodded firmly. “You’ll stay.”

“I will?” she asked, startled at his quick assessment.

He grinned again. “Yup. If you weren’t falling in love with Diamond Creek, you’d already have other plans,” he replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, nice to meet you. I’ve gotta get going. Just wanted to say hi.” He glanced to Eli. “I’ll stop by your store later this week. I need some new gear for a trip out to Bristol Bay.”

“If you’re hoping to catch me there, call ahead because I might be out on a charter,” Eli said.

“Will do. See ya.” With a wave, Travis walked past their table and toward the entrance.

Eli caught her eyes. “Let me run to the restroom and then we can go.” At her nod, he stood and walked toward the restrooms on the far side of the restaurant.

Jessa took a look around while she waited for him to return. The Boathouse Café would fit in well in any city. It had a warm feeling, comforting and modern at once. The dining area overlooked the bay with the back wall lined with windows. To one side, the kitchen grill was open and adjacent to part of the bar, which was polished mahogany with copper cookware hanging above. A wide selection of wines was visible in decorative racks. Polished wooden tables and booths with crisp white linens made up the seating, and a variety of rich colored curtains added a vibrant touch.

The restaurant was filled to capacity with an ever-present cluster of customers waiting to be seated. She took another sip of wine and glanced up to see Eli returning. He walked with an unconscious swagger—masculine, strong and confident. He slipped into the chair across from her, his eyes immediately locking onto hers. She swore he could tell how much she wanted him as his eyes darkened and a current of electricity buzzed between them. He cleared his throat, the rough sound sending a jolt through her. “You ready to go?”

“Uh huh,” she managed.

They stood, and he rested a hand on her low back as they wove through the tables on their way to the register. His touch was like a hot brand. She was starting to think she was half-crazy when she was around him for any length of time. Her body had a mind of its own, constantly humming and on edge when he was near. Moments later, they were walking outside. The contrast of the cool air only served to notch up the heat inside. Eli glanced down, his features shadowed in the dusky light. “Walk to the harbor with me.”

His words were a statement, but they held a hint of a question. Considering that she might have walked through fire with him right about now, her answer was a given. She nodded before a thought passed through her mind. His palm slid off of her back and reached to curl around her hand, his grip warm and strong. Otter Cove Harbor was adjacent to the Boathouse Café, so they walked across the parking lot onto a small path winding through the tall grasses near the beach and down toward the harbor.

When they stepped onto the docks, the rhythmic roll of the waves under the floating docks matched the dreaminess Jessa felt. Her entire being was focused solely on being closer to Eli. The air hummed around them. They reached Eli’s charter boat, and he tugged one of the mooring lines, bringing the boat flush with the dock. Without a word, he helped her climb into the boat, following behind her. Jessa waited while he moved quickly around the boat, checking the lines. When he reached her again, he stopped right in front of her. “I thought you might like to see the moonrise from the harbor,” he said, his gravelly voice sending shivers over her skin.

“Oh.” The single word came out on a breath. With Eli standing inches away, she felt as if a flame lit the air around them. She gulped in a breath, attempting to marshal her thoughts and behave rationally. Yet, all she wanted was him. Now.

So, she took a step, until nothing but a whisper of air separated them. “When will the moon rise?” she asked, her voice rasping.

“In a little bit.” His voice was low and taut.

“Then maybe we have time for this,” she said as she slipped a hand boldly up his chest to curl around his neck. With only the slightest tug, his mouth came to meet hers. Their kiss was long, hot, slow and deep. Every stroke of his tongue against hers sent pleasure curling through her. She dove into the sensation, throwing herself into the kiss while she slipped her hands under his shirt.
Oh yes
. She needed to feel his hot skin and hard muscles under her palms. With a low growl, his lips traveled down her neck in a heated path, licking and nipping. He tugged her against him, his palm cupping her bottom. She moaned at the feel of his hard shaft against her. His knee slipped between her thighs sending a sharp spike of pleasure through her.

With one hand holding her firmly against him, he brought the other between them, tugging her scoop-neck shirt down roughly and flicking the clasp between her breasts. Her breath came out in a sharp cry when he leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth—his touch rough, hot and wet. He alternated between her breasts, swirling his tongue around, nipping lightly and generally making her wild with need. Her hips rolled of their own accord against his knee, hot, sweet spikes of pleasure with every subtle motion. She was so wet, she could hardly bear it.

A gust of wind came off the water, just cold enough to nudge her awareness. For a second, she realized where they were—on Eli’s boat in the harbor, likely in view of anyone who happened to be nearby if they cared to look. She was so turned on, so driven with need, she just didn’t care. She tugged at his jeans, swiftly unbuttoning his fly and sliding her hand in to stroke the length of his cock. He groaned against her skin and lifted his head.

“Turn around,” he said.

She responded automatically to his gruff command and turned. His palms slid down her sides to caress the curve of her hips. She wore leggings paired with a flowing cotton shirt. Her nipples tightened in the cool air, exposed as they were with the neck of her shirt stretched below them. Eli hooked his thumbs over the waistband of her leggings and dragged them over her hips. He drew a finger along the line of her thong panties, sliding across the silk and down between her thighs. She was wet, so wet.

He stroked back and forth over the silk. Her channel throbbed. She was so close to the edge, she almost came right then and there, but he pulled his hand away. She gripped the boat railing in front of her when her knees started to give out. She heard the rustle of clothing and the tear of foil before Eli stroked his finger over the silk between her thighs again, this time pushing it out of the way and delving into her slick folds. He slid one finger into her channel and then another. She arched into his touch, driving her hips back into his hand, soft pants falling from her lips. She cried out when he drew his fingers away, but then she felt the head of his cock at her entrance. He dragged it back and forth, pushing her to the delicious edge of madness. The pressure built and built within, her channel starting to convulse as she thundered closer and closer to tumbling over.

In one swift surge, he seated himself deeply inside of her. She cried out and arched her back, trying to bring him deeper and deeper into her. He held still, sliding his palm down her spine, anchoring her hips in place as he started a cycle of slow strokes.

* * *

E
li looked
down at the sight of Jessa’s luscious bottom. Her breath came in pants and gasps, low cries breaking through. He could barely hold on through the lust thundering through him. Again and again, he surged into her creamy, hot clench. Her channel throbbed around him. He reached a hand around and slipped it under the silk to circle over her clit. Her body stiffened, her channel tightening around his cock in pulses. She cried out, her head falling forward, and he finally let go. His own release crashed over him, so rough and raw, it rocked him to his core.

As he shuddered into her, he gripped her hip tightly. When his release ebbed, he gulped in air and slowly eased his grip on her. Her hands were curled over the boat railing, her channel still reverberating around him. He slowly straightened and drew back. Only then did it sink in for him of where they were. It wasn’t that he didn’t factually know they were on his charter boat in the harbor. It was that he’d been so overtaken by his need to be close to Jessa—a need that went far beyond purely physical—he’d forgotten they were in public view of anyone nearby.

He quickly removed his condom and turned to toss it in a small trash bin they kept on the boat for clean up. He’d never considered the kind of clean up he was doing now. He yanked his clothes into place and buttoned his jeans, while Jessa slowly straightened and tugged her leggings back up. When she turned around, her breasts were still exposed, and he itched to touch her again. She quickly pulled her bra and shirt into place. A flush crested her cheekbones when she looked up at him. The light was almost gone now, but her silvery-gray eyes shone through. She ran her fingers through her hair.

He forced himself to breathe over the hammering of his heart. The way he felt with her—this deep connection, a physical need that drove him like no other, and a warm, buzzing joy—was like nothing he’d ever experienced. He shook himself mentally and looked out over the water. The moon was rising over the bay, hanging low and round above the mountains.

“Look. There’s the moonrise I wanted you to see,” he said, pointing over her shoulder.

Jessa spun around, her hand coming to her chest. “Oh! It’s so beautiful.”

He stepped to her side, leaning against the railing. She stood still for a long moment. He glanced over, and she had a look of wonder on her face. She turned to look up at him, her eyes shining. “It’s amazing. Thank you for bringing me out here.” Her words were simple and reached right in and grabbed ahold of his heart.

“
H
ey Ryan
, we’re leaving soon!” Eli called out as he grabbed a few granola bars out of a kitchen cabinet and stuffed them in his backpack.

He paused to listen and chuckled to himself when he heard Ryan’s feet hit the floor upstairs and move in the direction of the bathroom. The sound of water running commenced. Eli sat down at the kitchen table and opened his laptop. A few minutes later, Ryan came downstairs, dressed and ready to go for another day of work on the charter boat.

As Eli drove toward the harbor, Ryan spoke. “I’m not sure it’s okay to ask this, but do you think we could somehow get Mom to send my stuff here? I don’t have much in my room, but it’d be nice to get what I have.”

Eli was momentarily startled, but he immediately realized he should have expected this. Of course, Ryan wouldn’t even want to consider asking until the guardianship was finalized. He glanced to the side when he came to a stop sign. Ryan was staring intently out the window at a small field by the road. Only the slight flush on Ryan’s cheeks cued Eli that he had probably been nervous to ask and was worried about Eli’s possible answer.

“We can ask, but I’m not so sure how likely it is. Even if I send money to cover it, with Dad there, it’s a gamble. If you want, we could take a few days off and fly down there. What do you think about that?” Eli wasn’t so sure how he felt about it, but he figured the only way Ryan would get any of his stuff was if they went there to get it.

Ryan whipped his head to look at Eli, his eyes wide. “Really? You’d do that?”

Eli nodded. “Of course. That way, you can see Mom, maybe see a few of your friends and get your stuff. It’s no big deal.”

“You’re not worried about seeing Dad?”

“I’m not thrilled to see him, but whatever. He’ll be an ass, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with. How about I make some reservations tonight? We’ll go as soon as we can. I’ll need to work around the charter schedule, but I think we have a few charter free days next week.”

Eli drove through the intersection, turning onto the road leading to the harbor. “Let’s grab some coffee for me and get you something to eat,” he said as Red Truck Coffee came into view.

Ryan was quiet until they were in line at the coffee truck. A brisk breeze gusted off the bay, and he shivered in his t-shirt. Typical teenager that he was, Ryan rarely bothered to dress with the weather in mind. Eli had quickly discovered it was best to keep an extra windbreaker in his truck and on the boat for Ryan.

His eyes scanning the mountains across the bay, Ryan spoke. “Thanks for offering to take me to get my stuff. I kinda figured I might just have to forget it.”

“No problem. We’ll get your stuff, and it’ll be good for me to see Mom.”

Ryan nodded, his eyes still focused on the mountains. Within a few minutes, they were walking back to the truck. Eli had a strong cup of coffee in hand, while Ryan was already nibbling on a blueberry muffin.

Later that evening after a busy day on the water, Eli reviewed their charter calendar and clicked through options for flights to Juneau next week. They had only two days without any charters scheduled, so that’s when they’d go to Juneau. Ryan sat down in the chair across from Eli and slid a plate across the table. Eli glanced down to see a perfectly grilled fillet of silver salmon. Ryan seemed to like trying to cook things, so Eli had encouraged him to try grilling some of their catch tonight. After some guidance, Ryan had insisted he could handle it on his own. Eli took a bite and looked over at Ryan. “Damn good.”

Ryan grinned ear to ear and took a bite for himself. “It came out pretty good,” he said, a touch of wonder in his voice.

Unless things had changed, Ryan likely hadn’t had many chances for fresh seafood growing up, which was a sad state given the plentiful seafood on the docks on Juneau. When Eli was young, his mother’s long hours didn’t leave much time for her to cook. Once upon a time, there had been a grill on the tiny back deck. In a fit of rage, his father had kicked it over, breaking the hinges and bending the cooking surface. It had never been repaired. Eli’s work on the docks gave him opportunities to enjoy barbecues with his work buddies, but unlike so many Alaskans, he hadn’t been spoiled with the bounty of seafood Alaska had to offer. As such, he thoroughly appreciated the side benefit of running charters, which meant fresh seafood of whatever happened to be in season. Between Ryan’s arrival and Jessa’s explosion into his life, he realized he had forgotten to replace the chest freezer.

After they finished eating, Eli stood and gathered their plates. “I can help,” Ryan said, starting to get up.

“Nah. You cooked, so I clean up. Give me a sec, and let’s confirm out flights next week.”

He put their dishes in the dishwasher and snagged a beer before returning to the table. “I’m looking at booking us on a flight next Tuesday morning and returning Wednesday evening. I’m assuming that works for you. I wish we had a little more time for your sake, but the calendar for charters is just too damn full. Honestly, if we don’t go next week, there’s not another two days free until halfway through September. You ready for me to confirm?”

Ryan, who’d been fiddling with his phone, glanced up. A flash of worry flickered in his eyes. “You sure it’ll be okay?”

“You mean going, or me taking you?”

“Just going.”

“Look, Dad’s gonna be exactly what he’s always been—an ass. But we’re not staying there. I’ll take you to the house to get your stuff and we can maybe take Mom out, but as far as Dad making this miserable, I don’t plan to give him much of a chance. I get that you’re worried, but let’s just get through it.”

Ryan looked at him for a long moment, the worry lingering in his eyes. He finally nodded. “Okay. Do you think maybe I could stop by my friend’s house? The one whose parents let me go with them to Whittier.”

“Sure. I’m guessing you can text him or something.”

Ryan was already looking down at his phone, likely doing just that. Eli took a swallow of his beer and snagged his laptop to move to the couch. He used evenings to manage the business end of his business—matching up daily totals, replying to the endless stream of online inquiries about scheduling charters and guided trips in the fall, and generally getting to what he usually only managed in fits and starts during days at the store.

Ryan followed him over and plunked down in the other corner of the couch. Eli clicked the remote and turned the television on before tossing the remote to Ryan. “You pick.”

They’d developed this habit in the evenings when Ryan was home and when Eli wasn’t out with Jessa, those events usually occurring in sync. Ryan was a casual sports fan and usually selected something to do with sports or sci-fi. Tonight, he settled on some sci-fi movie while Eli stayed focused on work.

Much later after Ryan went to bed and Eli finally put his work away, Jessa came to mind. The truth was, she came to mind so much, it was distracting. They’d fallen into a pattern, a pattern Eli had
never
fallen into with any woman ever. In the last few weeks, they saw each other every few days at a minimum. The nights between, Eli thought of her just before he fell asleep, as soon as he woke and any minute he wasn’t completely occupied with something else. Because he missed her—her warmth, her quirky sense of humor, her generosity, her lack of cynicism, and of course her alluring, knee-buckling beauty and sensuality. When Travis had run into them the other night at the Boathouse Café, Eli had held his breath when Travis asked her what her plans were. Her indecisive answer wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was the fact he was worried about her plans. In his usual state, he’d be able to be relaxed about it and just figure they were having an amazing time that would eventually end. The idea of ending what he had with Jessa knotted his chest and not in a good way. To complicate matters, he most definitely didn’t like how he felt and wanted to knock his feelings into submission, so he felt like he had some semblance of control once again. Keeping a clear boundary between himself and any possibility of a relationship had been his way of ensuring he never had to worry about becoming like his father. Problem was, with Jessa, he wanted more, so much more, and it sent that old worry spinning through him.