The Mighty Quinns: Eli (18 page)

She stood before him, her chin tipped up defiantly, her naked body trembling. Now that they'd reached this point, the rest was up to her. Eli waited, praying that he'd read her mood right and that she was second-guessing her decision.

Her fingers trembled as she smoothed her hand over his chest, then slowly dropped it lower until her fingertips danced along the length of his rigid shaft. He groaned softly, but kept his hands at his sides.

Lucy stepped closer, stroking him gently, slowly, as her lips trailed kisses across his chest. Eli fought the urge to pull them both onto the bed and he clasped his fingers on top of his head to stop himself. It seemed as if she was seeing his body for the very first time and yet, in truth, it might be for the last.

Slowly, she trailed her hands over every inch of exposed skin and he wondered what was going through her head. She stepped behind him and splayed her fingers over his back, working her way down again to the small of his back and then to his thighs and buttocks.

He'd never experienced such a slow and deliberate seduction and he'd never restrained himself from participating. But when she pushed him back onto the bed, Eli grabbed her waist and drew her down on top of him.

Her mouth was everywhere, on his shoulder, his hip and lastly surrounding the heat of his erection. The feel of her lips and tongue drove him closer to the edge and Eli fought to keep his wits about him. If this was the final time they'd be together, he wanted it to last forever.

Eli leaned back into the pillows and closed his eyes as she sank down on top of him, burying his shaft deep inside her warmth.

He let the desire overwhelm him. He was drowning in sensation, gasping for air as she moved above him. Every nerve was sparking, as if suddenly powered with electricity, sending jolts of pleasure through his body. Lucy knew how to please him, but as he watched her, he realized that she was already lost in her own climb toward orgasm.

Her eyes were closed and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She twisted and arched against him in an attempt to find the best way to stoke her desire. Eli held onto her hips, enjoying every shift as it sent new pleasures snaking through his body.

Why couldn't she see how good this all was? Eli wondered. They were made for each other, both in and out of bed. No other woman had ever made him feel this way and he couldn't imagine that changing in his lifetime.

Was he doomed to live without love, constantly searching for a replacement for what he'd found with Lucy, yet knowing that there would never be anything else that compared to this? Eli wanted more. For the first time in his life, he wanted love and commitment, a future of blissful happiness and comforting memories. And he wanted that future with Lucy Parker.

He clutched at her hips as she came down on him, impaling herself so deeply that Eli could barely retain control at the long, exquisite withdrawal. He felt the first surge of his release, but held back, gritting his teeth and edging himself away from the precipice.

Eli slipped his hand around her nape and pulled her down into a long, deep kiss, desperate for the taste of her on his lips. She moaned softly and then tensed. A moment later, a shudder wracked her body and she dissolved into a powerful orgasm, each spasm drawing him deeper into her warmth.

There was no reason to wait then, so Eli gave himself over to the inevitable, the sensations increased tenfold by the effort he'd made to restrain himself. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over him and when it was finally over, he pulled Lucy down beside him, their limbs still tangled together.

“Isn't that proof enough that we belong together?” he whispered.

She refused to answer him and he didn't press her further. Maybe it would take time apart for her to realize what they'd shared. So he might have to wait for Lucy. But she was worth waiting for.

He drew her close and kissed her again. Over the next hour, they made love again. But they didn't talk about the future. Instead, they lived entirely in the present, taking pleasure while it was still possible.

And when the time came for Lucy to leave, Eli didn't ask her to stay again. He already had his answer and he knew she wouldn't change her mind. So he carried her bags out to the snow-covered meadow and watched as she hopped on the helicopter and flew out of his life.

He stood for an hour in the snow, staring at the horizon where the helicopter had disappeared into the distance. Riley stayed at his side, as if the dog also understood the importance of the moment.

And when the wind picked up and the sun began to sink behind the mountains, Eli trudged back to the cabin and shut the door behind him. Lucy's absence hung over the place like a dark cloud, and he closed his eyes and thought about everything that had happened since they'd first met.

“She'll come back,” he said. Riley whined softly and he smiled down at the dog. “And we'll be here when she does.”

 

9

A
DRY
,
DUSTY
wind blew through the catering tent, the midday sun blazing hot in the sky. Lucy reached for her bottle of water and took a long drink, then plucked at the light cotton shirt she wore. Yuma, Arizona, was not the most comfortable location for a major motion picture, but for a Western, it was ideal.

She'd been working as a script supervisor with Aron Melton, an indie writer/director. Her duties included keying in script changes, photocopying those changes and delivering the pages to the cast and crew, sometimes on an hourly basis.

It wasn't a complicated job, but it took focus and attention to detail. She'd worked with Tripleton Films in the past and they'd been the first call she'd made when she'd returned to LA.

She'd hoped to convince them to invest in the Trudie Montgomery project, but they hadn't shown any interest—nor had any of the seventeen other production houses she'd approached. But Tripleton had offered her a job, a way to make a living before she figured out her next move, so she'd grabbed it. A week later she'd been working continuity on a romantic comedy filming in Seattle.

After Christmas, she'd been assigned to a film shoot in Reno, and after that, she'd headed for Yuma to do preproduction for this three-week shoot, which would keep her busy until mid-March.

She'd hoped the constant work and change of scenery would help her forget the Trudie project and the abandoned romance with Eli, but it hadn't. She'd been certain it would only take a month to put him out of her head, but with every day that passed, Lucy found herself thinking about him more and more.

She replayed long conversations with him, dwelled on their passionate encounters and she'd even found herself conjuring his image in the moments before she fell asleep in the hopes that she'd dream about him.

He'd become so deeply embedded in her life that it had been impossible to detach herself from him. Never mind that she really didn't want to let him go. Lucy closed her eyes and let her memories spin back, trying to picture him in her head.

How often had she wished for just a single photograph to remind her of what he looked like? She'd only ever videotaped him, and that footage was sitting on a computer somewhere in an office in Los Angeles.

“Miss Lucy Parker. Mind if I join you?”

She glanced up to find the star of their film, Nathan Colter, standing over the table, a lunch tray in his hands. The popular Aussie actor was dressed in his usual costume—a faded shirt, dusty jeans, cowboy boots and a vest with an old sheriff's star gleaming on his chest. A two-day stubble of beard darkened his jawline and the makeup artist had given him a weathered tan that made him look even more dangerous. He placed his white cowboy hat on the table beside him as he sat down.

He really was quite attractive, Lucy mused, an opinion shared by nearly every other female on set. And though she hadn't met him formally, she'd watched him work and considered him a decent actor, even if he seemed a bit reckless when it came to doing his own stunts. She'd even wondered if he would be her next lover, the man to make her forget all about Eli.

“Hi,” she said.

“We haven't met.” He held out his hand. “I'm Nathan Colter.”

She smiled. “I know who you are.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“Sure,” Lucy said. “I mean, no. I don't mind.”

There were always rumors about on-set affairs between leading men and leading ladies, but this location shoot didn't include any actresses, so the large cast of actors had been left to cruise the women on the production staff for companionship. From what she'd heard, Nathan had already slept with one of the makeup artists and one of the horse wranglers.

“How is the day going?” Lucy asked. “Are we still on schedule?”

“Looks like we should finish on time today.”

“Good,” she said.

“I was thinking if we wrap early tonight, you might want to come out with me and get some dinner. I heard about this really great barbecue place on the other side of town. Do you like barbecue?”

“You're asking me out?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem with that? I asked Jenna if you were married or involved and she said no.”

“I'm not,” Lucy said. And yet, the moment she said it, she knew it was a lie. She hadn't made any promises to Eli; she had no intention of seeing him again. And yet, the moment she considered another man, her feelings betrayed her.

What was this weird emotional place she was in? There wasn't really a term for it. It was something like limbo, a strange world that existed between the official end of a relationship and the moment when the last of the lust finally faded.

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “Hey, if you're not into guys, I can—”

“No, no,” Lucy said. “I—I'm into guys.”

He grinned. “Great. So, dinner?”

This was her chance, Lucy thought. In her life before Eli, she would have gladly accepted, then indulged in a short but passionate affair before moving on. Colter was the perfect playmate—sexy and charming and temporary. He had an amazing body and she'd heard rumors that he was quite skilled in the bedroom.

She'd moved on to life after Eli. Maybe hooking up with a Hollywood cowboy could banish Eli from her mind and her heart once and for all. And yet, the idea of sharing such an intimate experience with a virtual stranger suddenly seemed wrong.

It was as if doing so might somehow tarnish the memory of what she and Eli had shared in the mountain cabin. “You know, I guess I am involved,” she said.

“Yeah?”

Lucy nodded. “There's this guy and we had a thing and I thought it was over, but maybe it isn't.”

“I can help you with that,” Nathan offered. “I've helped a lot of women with that very same problem.”

“No,” Lucy replied. “I'm not sure I want it to be over.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough. We could still go out for barbecue. No expectations. Just a good meal.”

“Tempting,” Lucy said, “but there are always expectations.” She gathered up her things, then closed her laptop. “Thanks for asking. It was quite flattering. And very illuminating.”

“But you didn't accept.”

“I know. But it kind of cleared up some things in my head.”

As she walked away, Lucy smiled to herself. She'd tried to convince herself that all it would take to get over Eli was time and distance. But she'd been wrong. These feelings she had for him had only intensified as the days passed. She wasn't free to move on. She didn't want to be with another man. The only man she wanted was Eli.

Lucy cursed softly. This was it. This was the moment when she finally realized she was in love. That was the only explanation for how she felt. He'd told her it would happen and now he'd been proven right.

Jenna McDonald hurried up and fell into step beside her. “Did I see Nathan sitting at your table in the catering tent?”

“Yeah,” Lucy said. “He was eating his lunch.”

“Did he ask you out?”

Lucy glanced over at her. Jenna was one of the production assistants and they'd been assigned to share a motel room for the duration of the location shoot. If there was any gossip on set, Jenna was the one who knew it all. “Yes, he did.”

“He said he was going to. He asked if you were single and I told him you were. I think he really likes you.”

“I turned him down,” Lucy said.

“You what?”

“I'm not interested in dating him. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. Or ever.” She drew a deep breath. “I—I think I'm in love.”

“With who? You've never once mentioned—”

“A guy. His name is Eli. Eli Montgomery. We spent the summer and fall together in this beautiful cabin in the Rockies.”

“Why haven't you mentioned him before?”

“I've been trying to forget him. But I just realized that I don't want to forget him. I can't forget him. I'm in love with him.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “They're right when they say it just hits you like a truck. Out of nowhere. What was I thinking?”

“Have you told him that you love him?” Jenna asked.

Lucy laughed. “No. But I guess I should.”

“Does he love you?”

“Yes,” Lucy said.

“Then what's the problem, Lucy? Call him up. Admit how you feel. Rush into his arms and live happily ever after.”

“I have no idea where he is. I haven't spoken to him since I left the cabin in early December. If he's still there, there's really no way to get ahold of him. He has a satellite phone, but I erased the number.”

“You're in love with a guy you haven't spoken to in—”

“Three months.”

Jenna shook her head. “This isn't one of those one-sided deals is it? Unrequited love?”

“Oh, no, he loves me. He said it the day I left. I couldn't say it back to him. But now I can. I love him.” Lucy laughed. “See, that wasn't so hard.” She bent over at the waist. “Oh, I can't breathe. Why can't I catch my breath?”

“And you just figured this out?”

She nodded, still bent over. “This very minute. I was listening to Nathan making his pitch and I was thinking that he's exactly the kind of man I should go out with. The no-strings type. And he's so gorgeous and sexy. And I heard he was a good lover, which is always a plus. But then, when it was time to say yes, I couldn't. I didn't want to. All I wanted was Eli.”

Jenna slipped her arm around Lucy's shoulders and pulled her upright. “You are in love.”

“I have to find him and tell him.”

“Now?”

“Soon,” Lucy said. She drew a deep breath. For the first time in years, she felt in balance. As if life suddenly made sense. Why had it taken her so long to finally get to this place?

A tiny tremor of fear nagged at her mind. What if she was too late? What if Eli had already moved on? Though he said he'd wait forever, maybe someone new and more beautiful had walked into his life and he was madly in love with her now. She drew a ragged breath.

“What's wrong?” Jenna asked.

“Nothing,” Lucy replied.

No, Eli was a man of his word. He said he'd wait and Lucy had to believe that it was the truth. They were meant to be. He was the only person in the world who had ever loved her and he was the only person she wanted to love.

Suddenly, love wasn't complicated at all. To Lucy's surprise, it made everything perfectly simple.

* * *

E
LI
SMOOTHED
HIS
hand along the edge of the board, then laid it down on the crossbeams of the floor and nailed it in place. He'd been working for the past week on a floor for Lucy's cabin and was nearly finished.

He sat back on his heels and admired his work. With his newfound wealth, he'd been able to have supplies flown in and the first thing he'd ordered was enough construction supplies to keep him busy all winter long.

He'd put in another window, built cabinets for the kitchen that could now be installed. And he had plans to add a woodstove for better heat. Though there wasn't any reason to improve Lucy's cabin, he'd done it as a sort of tribute to her hard work, hoping that the fates would bring her back to the only place she could ever really call home.

He remembered the day she'd finished it, the last of the sod put on the roof, the doors and windows put in. He'd been so happy for her, grateful that the long project had finally come to an end.

“Hello! Anyone home?”

Eli stepped out of the small cabin and saw his grandfather, Buck, standing on the porch of Trudie's cabin. He carried an old wood-framed pack and his favorite .22. He was bundled against the March cold in a plaid wool coat. “Hey, there, Buck. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I decided to take my knee out for a spin and I thought I'd hike up here and check up on you. I also brought you an overnight package that came in a few days ago. Annalise gave it to me.”

Eli stepped out of the cabin and closed the door behind him. He took the envelope from Buck and examined the outside. He'd been waiting for this. After two months of negotiation, he'd finally secured the rights to Lucy's project, and at a bargain-basement price.

“Something important?” Buck asked.

“Just some unfinished business.” Eli glanced up. “I was planning to hike into town on the weekend. I have to place an order for some building supplies. How's the knee?”

“It's great. Strong. I feel twenty years younger—in that one knee, anyway. Problem is I don't look twenty years younger.”

Eli chuckled. “Well, you look healthy.”

“Paleo diet,” he said, patting his stomach. He walked over to Lucy's cabin, giving it a critical eye. “And I've been doing yoga. It's good for the joints and the class is filled with beautiful women. I'm killing two birds with one stone.” He peeked in the door. “What do you have going on here? This is the most raggedy-looking cabin I've ever seen.”

“This is the cabin Lucy Parker put up. She did it all on her own. Dragged these logs out of the woods on her own.”

“So you're going to keep it? I thought Annalise said they'd just tear it down once they were finished.”

“No. I think it will be good for storage. Maybe as a summer guesthouse.”

“A guesthouse? When are you puttin' in the pool?”

Eli chuckled. “I've got some plans for improvements around here. I'm going to put in a sauna and solar array and a windmill. We'll have electricity and running water for a shower and bathtub. And I'm going to expand the main cabin out that way with a bedroom and a proper bathroom. We're going to build it all this summer.”

“We?” Buck asked.

“Yeah, we. Me and Lucy.”

“She's back?”

Eli drew a deep breath. “Not exactly. Not yet. But I have faith that she'll figure herself out and be back soon. When she comes, I want this place to be ready for her.”