Straddling the Fence (7 page)

“And I never wanted to before I met
you
. Now I do.”

“Are you gonna say no if I tell you part of it’s gratitude
for the gate and the swing?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“What’s the other part?”

Looking at him spread out across her bed, his shirt splayed
open, his body a feast for the senses and the taste of him still on her tongue,
the answer was easy. “Good old-fashioned lust.”

He let go of her hand, propped himself up on his elbows. The
lamp cast half his face in dim gilded light, the other half in shadow, but she
could still see a frown pinch his forehead. That wasn’t the answer he wanted,
she guessed. Why was he making this so hard all of a sudden? What man
questioned the reasons behind sex?

“You think there might be some like in there too?”

Oh.
The air she hadn’t realized she’d trapped in her
lungs gusted out. “Of course there is, Eli. Lots of it.”

Every muscle in his body seemed to loosen at her admission.
She could feel it in hers too, as if she’d passed some weird test between the
two of them. Nothing was ever as easy at is seemed, not even sex. There was
always a price to be paid, be it to your self-esteem, your conscience or your
soul.

Something told her the more time she spent with Eli—in bed
or out of it—she was going to pay dearly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that,
if it was fair to either one of them. Didn’t stop her from wanting him, though.
Didn’t make her second-guess her attraction to the other parts of him that
didn’t
send her hormones into a tailspin of desire. His character and work ethic and
generous spirit, for a start. Those traits just did a number on her heart,
which was the part that truly scared her to death.

The makings of a grin curved one corner of his mouth.
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He grasped her wrist and drew her hand back to
the hard ridge beneath his fly. “Now, where were we?”

Even though her thoughts were muddied by the things he’d
said and her own mental reaction to them, the heat beneath the denim was a
powerful reminder. Her fingers made quick work of his buckle, then the button and
zipper on his jeans. Eli lifted his hips when she began to pull his pants down
with his briefs. She scooted backward on her knees as she peeled them down his
long legs and off his feet. He was naked now except for the shirt. With his
cock thick and stiff against his belly, it was just about the sexiest thing
she’d ever seen. It narrowed her focus back down to where it had been when he’d
first kissed her tonight.

At the foot of the mattress, she stood and pushed her cotton
panties over her hips, stepping out of them while Eli watched, his bottom lip
clamped beneath his teeth. Her skin heated when his gaze traveled down her
legs, then made a slow pass all the way back up to her face, taking in every
inch of her.

He propped himself up on one hand and extended the other,
crooking a finger. “Darlin’, you are so hot, we’re gonna set the bed on fire.
Come give me a taste of those pretty nipples.”

Ah, there he was—that naughty, demanding country boy who’d
set her body aflame, turned the capable, self-reliant woman inside her into a
pile of smoldering ash in the middle of a motel bed. Bellamy longed to return
the favor, but she knew the moment he touched her, she would turn to putty
instead.

When her hand landed in his, he tugged her down then rolled
her beneath him, shoving a thigh between her legs. The possessive kiss he gave
her cleared the last remnants of thought from her brain, replacing them with
pure, undiluted need. Her palms slid down his sides, nails grazing his skin,
before exploring the flexing muscles in his lower back as he pushed his cock
against her hip.

Bellamy arched her back, offering her throat for his
wandering mouth. His lips closed around a nipple, sucking and biting hard
enough to cause a flash of pain before he licked it away with a lash of his
tongue. The roughness of his palms set nerve endings tingling in the flesh of
her stomach, between her hipbones, then lower still. His thigh rose to her
pussy, offering her something solid to grind against. Pleasure sparked in her
core, the pressure good, but not enough to make her come. She didn’t want to
hump his leg like a horny teenager. She wanted to spread her thighs and have
him sink so deep inside her she saw stars.

However, Eli was apparently of a different mindset, one that
would still get her off, but not at the same time as him. His mouth blazed a
hot trail down her stomach as he shifted above her, shrugged out of his shirt
then settled between her legs.

A circular pattern of lingering kisses and bites from the
inside of her thigh, across her belly, hipbone, the tendon at the crease of her
leg, built the anticipation to a fever pitch. He encouraged her with his hands
to drape her legs over his shoulders and Bellamy braced herself for what was
coming—an onslaught of raw, delicious sensation.

That night in Perry, he’d been the most giving, tireless
lover she’d ever had, a genuine delightful surprise, which, if she was being
honest with herself, was probably part of the disappointment at finding him
gone the next morning. Men like Eli didn’t come along often in a woman’s
lifetime of sexual experiences, if ever. Handsome and hot as sin itself, a
filthy mind to match his wicked tongue, a natural at the act and eager to
please. She might’ve been thrown off kilter by the three condoms he’d
brandished like most people carried credit cards, but she had to admit she’d
thoroughly enjoyed herself.

A stream of hot breath over the damp folds of her sex made
her shudder before long swipes from his tongue framed her clit. He used his
fingers to push back the tiny hood, exposing her further for his focused
attention. She could feel herself grow wetter under his gaze.

Another slow, deliberate lick, then, “Christ, you taste
good.” Dark-gray eyes met hers as he speared her with the tip of his tongue,
pushed it inside her opening then swept it back up and around the hardened bud
in a lazy yet deliberate path. She reached for his head, fingers threading
through his hair, her eyes drifting closed on a wave of sublime pleasure.

“God, Eli,” she whispered, warmth spreading down her thighs,
up her belly, into her breasts. She dug her heels into his back and lifted her
hips in an effort to get closer to his mouth. “Do that again.”

“That’s right…say my name. Take what you want from me, Bell.
Fuck my face.”

Her skin flushed at his blunt words, but her body wasn’t the
slightest bit embarrassed or shy. Tightening her fingers in his hair, she did
as he ordered and ground her sex against his gifted mouth. Two fingers slid
inside her, setting off a chain reaction when his teeth found her clit again.
She came, hot and sharp and blinding, rocking and shuddering, her heartbeat
thrumming in her ears.

Pleasure fading, her knees fell open, freeing him from a
trap she hadn’t realized she’d created until some of her senses returned. Eli
grinned and pushed to his hands and knees, his damp mouth making lust echo
through her body. He reached for his jeans, fumbling through his pockets for a
condom.

Just one. Not three. And not in his wallet. Huh.

“That all you have?” she asked. While inside her head she
heard,
You little hypocrite.

He laughed. “You’re my kinda woman. And no, there’s a box in
my truck. I just grabbed one before I got out in hopes this was where we wound
up.”

“In Perry…you had three on you.”
You
prying
little
hypocrite. Shut up!

“Yeah, but only because my truck was parked so far away from
your room I didn’t want to have to make another trip later. I grabbed those
before I emptied the snack machine. What, you thought I carried them around
like Aces?”

Maybe.
She shrugged.

“I guess it gave that impression, huh?” he asked.

“Sort of.”

“I’m no saint, Bell. Far from it actually.” The tip of his
sheathed cock nudged her belly. “But I’ve always been responsible and I don’t
hurt women. I would never hurt
you
. And I haven’t been with anyone since
that night. I haven’t wanted to be.”

She gulped his confession down, using it to smother any
remaining questions or misgivings she might’ve had. She could trust him. She
knew deep down in her heart he was telling the truth. “You gotta be somewhere
early tomorrow morning?”

“Nowhere but right here,” he said, his eyes burning.

“Good.”

Sliding inside of Bellamy Haile had to be damn near the best
thing Eli had ever felt. Especially since he hadn’t been able to get her and
her sweet body off his mind for the last month. And all those memories of that
first time paled in comparison to the real thing, of having the chance to make
newer, hotter memories. Tight, warm, wet…and so perfect his eyes nearly rolled
back in his head. He fought to keep them open and trained on her face as he
pushed deep, then deeper still.

Her eyelids fluttered down with every slow thrust of his
hips, but she resisted the urge to close them too, keeping her gaze trained on
his face, his throat, back to his mouth.

Fuck, when she stared at his mouth it drove him crazy with
the need to smother hers with a kiss. He could of course, yet he didn’t want to
stop looking at her like this. The soft sex-flush on her throat and cheeks,
lips parted, that coal-black hair spilling across the pillow. Without a doubt,
she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Except it wasn’t just her
physical features that drew him. It was her huge, sexy brain, her compassion,
her patience. Even her secrets. He still wanted to know what put that troubled
look in her green eyes. What made her want to stay in this big empty house,
with only ghosts to keep her company. What made her seem like a wild bird to
him, likely to disappear on a breeze if spooked.

The sharp demand of her nails in his back jerked him out of
his mushy thoughts. He rolled them over then reached for the lamp next to the
bed, switching it off. Moonlight bathed her body in pale blue as she braced her
hands on his waist and pushed upright.

Goddamn, what a view,
he thought, then said the words
out loud just to watch her gaze lift to his, the edges of her mouth try to curl
into a smile. It didn’t quite work, too lost was she in her own pleasure. And
he realized right then it was one of the things he found so sexy about her in
bed—she went after what she wanted, took what she needed, threw herself
headlong into the deed. There was no acting or playing coy. Their coupling was
raw and open and honest, and he was just grateful to be along for the ride,
lucky to be the one giving her what she desired.

He slid his hands up her sides to cup her breasts, pinching
and stroking her nipples as she began to ride him in earnest. She did close her
eyes then, teeth digging into that full bottom lip, breathy gasps and moans
slipping from her throat as she took him deep on every down stroke.

Eli was close—balls tight, muscles tense, pleasure crawling
down his spine in a heated, insistent warning. He clenched his jaw against the
need to come, grabbed her hips and thrust into her. “You gonna come for me again,
Bell?”

“Mmm,” was all he got.

“That better be a yes.”

She dropped her chin, opened her eyes. “Touch me.”

“Show me,” he countered.

Guiding his hand to her pussy, her fingers framed his on
both sides of her clit, showing him how hard she needed his touch, the tempo of
the strokes, the best spots to get her there. She was slick and hot against his
fingertips as she worked her hips in a slow, grinding circle. Her motions sped
up, body arching, head tipping back to expose the long line of her throat. Then
she was pulsing around his cock, her soft cries falling over him like mist,
before Eli surged deep one last time and followed her over.

After a full minute of brain recovery time, he reached for
her face, pulling her close for a kiss, sharing each other’s panting breaths as
their bodies came down from the sex high. She slid off him to collapse on the
mattress with a satisfied sigh.

Her face pressed to his shoulder, she pointed toward the
hallway. “Bathroom’s down the hall there. First door on the left.”

Eli made a quick trip in the dark, cussing a blue streak
when he stubbed a toe on the corner of a door. Laughter floated after him as he
took care of business and washed his hands.

“It might be helpful if you turned on a light,” she said,
still giggling when he returned to the bed. He flopped down on his stomach,
brushing his stubbled chin back and forth across her ribs to see if she was
ticklish. She flinched and squealed, hands flying to his face to push him away,
giving him his answer. He pinned her down and kept tormenting her until she
lost her breath laughing and begged for mercy. “Stop!”

“Teach you to make fun of me and my poor injured toe.”

She finally caught her breath and sat up, shoving hair out
of her eyes. “You staying the night?”

“Unless you’re kicking me out.”

“Nope,” she said, heading for the bathroom herself. Sadly,
she grabbed his discarded shirt when she came back and pulled it on. “I put a
new toothbrush out for you on the vanity.”

“Thanks.”

“Now I’ve got the munchies. Wanna snack?”

“Sure.”

He stepped into his jeans, watching as she began snapping
his shirt up from the bottom. When she popped the snap between her breasts, he
grabbed a fistful of fabric and hauled her to him for a long, slow kiss that
ended with a shorter one, then a gentle bite to her jaw. A soft sigh warmed his
ear and his dick stirred with renewed interest against her belly. Which
reminded him, he needed to visit his truck for more condoms.

She gave him a quick grope. “The beast is going to have to
wait until I’ve had fortification.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Chuckling, Bellamy pushed him away and headed for the
kitchen, hips swaying beneath the tails of his shirt. He liked her in his
stuff, wanted her in his bed too. Tied to his bed, naked and impatient. In his
shower, his truck seat or wherever else he could get her. Mostly, he just
wanted to spend more time in her company, get to know her better.

She stood in the open door of the fridge, surveying its
contents. “What’re you in the mood for, besides more sex?”

Peering over her shoulder, the smell of her hair filling his
head, Eli couldn’t deny the sex part. “Whatcha got?”

“I picked up a few new things from Homegrown today. I was
thinking about toast with apple butter.”

He kissed her neck. “Sounds great. I’m going to run out to
my truck while you toast the bread.”

“You might want to put on shoes to protect your delicate
toes.”

“Smartass.”

Still, Eli slid his feet into her flip-flops, even though
his heels hung off the back, and made the trip to his truck, making sure the
doors were locked and he had his phone before returning to the house.

Slices of toasted bread sat stacked on a plate, jars of
apple butter and honey beside them at one end of the giant farm table. “Water?”
she asked.

“Please and thank you.”

She hummed her satisfaction as she took the first bite. Eli
had to agree. The apple butter was fantastic, but then, he had yet to find
anything Kai carried that he didn’t like.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before he asked
something he’d wanted to know since they first met. “What sent you after the
bottle of tequila that night in Perry?” A brief frown creased her forehead
before she made it disappear. “Or is it something you’d rather not discuss?”

Her fingers plucked at the crust on her bread. “No, it’s
okay.” After another bite, she placed what was left of her toast on a napkin,
brushed the crumbs from her fingertips and stood. “Be right back.”

Eli stared at the tiny mountains and whirls of golden-brown
on his bread, wondering if he’d pushed a button he shouldn’t have when she slid
back onto her chair and dropped a folded sheet of paper next to his elbow. He
glanced up at her, figuring she meant for him to read it, but still feeling
like he needed permission.

When she said, “Go ahead,” he picked it up.

Each typed word dropped like hot stones in his gut as he
read the rejection letter, her disappointment becoming his, even though it
would’ve changed everything between them. They probably wouldn’t have met in
Perry, and if by some small chance they had, the outcome would have been much
different. Right now she’d be in—he scanned the letterhead for an
address—Alpharetta instead of Serenity, working for Claybrook Farms. Their
one-night fling becoming nothing more than a sweet memory. That’s
if
he
had still managed to track her down after the rodeo and they wound up in bed
together.

But this wasn’t about him.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the job.” He meant every word,
despite the alternate outcome that favored him.

She nodded. “I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when we bumped
into each other in the liquor store.”

“I can understand why. Tell me about Claybrook Farms. What
made you want to work for them?”

“They’re one of the premier horse breeders in the southeast.
Their facilities are state of the art, and the position would’ve come with
ridiculous benefits and a generous salary. I’d still get to live in Georgia. My
dream job, really. Too good to be true almost, and incredibly hard to come by.”
She shrugged, gave him a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “But it wasn’t
in the cards, so here I am.”

“Horses are where you want to be?”

“If I had my choice, yeah. As you go through vet school, you
find yourself drawn more strongly to certain animals. Horses were it for me.
Weirdly enough, since I’ve been in Serenity, I haven’t received my first equine
call.”

“But I thought you liked all animals, like the Millers’
goats?”

“I do, it’s just…”

“Not your ideal.”

“Right. And I realize that sounds petty, complaining about a
lost job opportunity when so many folks are out of work. I’m genuinely grateful
I get to do something I enjoy for a living.”

“You’re being honest, Bell, that’s all. Nothing wrong with
that. It’s okay to be disappointed.”

“I suppose.”

“There are horses around here. Just maybe not sick yet.”

She nodded half-heartedly.

Once again, Eli was struck with the need to try to fix this
for her. A fruitless urge. This wasn’t as easy as repairing a gate or a swing.
He couldn’t scour every field in Serenity for a sick horse. It left little else
but to hope that she’d find a balance, something that would make her want to
stay.

Keep pouring the fertilizer. Sooner or later, a bud will
sprout.

“For what it’s worth, you blew me away the night you worked
with us at the barn. I was in total awe of your knowledge and patience, the way
you explained everything. You made me want to learn for the next time, not
dread it.”

“Thanks, Eli.” She refolded the letter and tucked it beneath
the Mason jar of fresh-picked wild Black-eyed Susans in the center of the
table.

There was more to be said, but Eli couldn’t find the right
words without fear of saying something he shouldn’t. Not this early in their
relationship. Losing the job she wanted so badly was the source of her seeming
unsettled, he felt certain. It was almost as if she was having a hard time
coming to grips with the reality of the situation. Her whole heart wasn’t in
Serenity, despite inheriting her beloved grandparents’ house, and that didn’t
sit well inside him. He wanted her to be happy, content. He wanted her to stay.
That much he
did
know. Selfish, yes, but the truth nonetheless.

“Did you like the apple butter?” she asked as she started
cleaning up their mess.

He watched her silently for a moment, enjoying the easy way
she moved, the gracefulness of her hands. The way she made him feel so welcome
in her home, grateful to simply share her company.

One of these days, she would more than likely leave him and
Serenity behind. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name. But as
inevitable as that appeared, it didn’t dim his desire to get closer to her one
iota. He supposed that if he got his heart broken in the end, he deserved it.
At least he was going in to this with eyes wide open, knowing what the outcome
could be.

“Eli?”

He blinked and refocused on her. She’d asked him a question.
Apple butter. “It was great,” he said, his voice as flat as that letter he’d
just read.

“Oh look!” Her face lit up and she hurried to the door
leading out onto the back porch. Eli followed, both of them peeking through a
gap the curtains at the fox slinking through her backyard. He wrapped his arms
around her waist, tucking her head beneath his chin. “There’s something in her
mouth.”

“Looks like a rat,” he said.

“I’m grateful for her stalking skills, but
blech
.”

“When did you determine it was a she?”

She shrugged against him. “Well, to be honest, I’m not sure.
It’s not easy to tell male and female foxes apart. Since she has a narrow face,
I’m going with girl. I
want
it to be a girl because I’m hoping for kits
someday.”

“You’ll have to leave her a reward tomorrow.”

“Did you know a female fox is called a vixen?” She tilted
her head to peer up at him and grinned, eyes full of mischief. And just like
that, she was back to the Bellamy he knew, the one he was already crazy about,
brought back around by her love of anything furry and four-legged.

He kissed her, nice and slow, letting the heat gradually
build between them, until she turned in his arms, barely breaking the
connection of their mouths while her fingers slid through his hair.

Eli eased one hand between their bodies. At the first sound
of a snap popping, she broke the kiss to watch the front of his shirt slowly
open, revealing her naked body beneath. When he had every button undone, he
pushed the cloth apart and hit his knees.

“The two of you have something in common, then.”