Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (18 page)

He broke away from her lips, fisting his hand in her hair and exposing her throat. His lips, teeth and tongue traced a path down her throat and sent hot shivers coursing through her. Time dissolved into the blur of desire. His body was hot against hers—against the door, spinning across the room. Clothes were torn off. She found herself grasping the edge of the counter, her hands clenching and unclenching as Garrett teased her slick folds with his fingers. She was dripping with desire, desperate for more. He drove her closer and closer. He cupped her bottom with his hand as she arched back into him.

“Garrett…please…”

Her voice was raspy, her throat raw.

Suddenly, he slid a finger into her channel and she gasped in relief. Pushing back into his touch, another finger joined, stretching and stroking. Pleasure streaked through her, dancing just out of reach. She pushed her hips into his touch—begging for more. She felt the brush of his cock against her skin. His fingers slipped away, and his cock nudged at her entrance. He went still. She arched back, calling his name. His palm slid up her back, strong and sure, and laced in her hair. The anticipation nearly drove her mad while he held still, just the head of his cock resting in her entrance. Her channel throbbed.

In a swift surge, he seated himself in her, driving deep and hard. Her breath broke on a raw gasp before he started a cycle of long, slow, relentless strokes. Without the counter under her hands and Garrett’s grip on her hips, she’d have fallen as she tumbled headlong into the fire licking its way through her. Deep strokes, his hand tugging on her hair, the feel of his cock full and hard inside of her, every breath and beat of her heart another pulse of pleasure. He reached around and with a quick stroke of his thumb across her clit, the pressure let loose, unwinding wave after wave of sharp pleasure. His guttural cry followed hers as she felt him go taut before he shuddered against her.

His hand loosened in her hair and slid down her back slowly. He dropped a kiss on her spine before he straightened and stepped back, immediately lifting her in his arms and carrying her into the shower with him. After a steaming shower, Garrett tugged her with him to lie down.

“It’s still light out.” She couldn’t say why, but it felt silly to lounge in bed. Or perhaps her vulnerable, ever-hopeful heart experienced a beat of hesitation. The intimacy of it gave her pause. But then she saw his eyes—that navy gaze was wide open. What she saw there took her breath away. His mouth hooked in an almost-boyish grin.

“Just for a little while. I’m still recovering,” he said, gesturing to his shoulder. Which, at this point, was quite colorful. As bruises were wont to do, they had darkened as he healed. She giggled and allowed herself to be tugged into bed with him. They lay propped on the pillows while the sun finished its bow, the curtain of dusk following its last glorious burst of orange, red and gold streaking the sky above the mountains and shimmering on the water in the bay.

***

Garrett watched Delia collect their scattered clothing. She wore one of the oversized robes from the room. It nearly swallowed her. She’d tied her hair up with loose curls escaping around her face. His heart clenched. Somehow, he had to pull himself together and get back to Seattle, so he could return here as soon as possible.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He snagged it and saw a text from Gage. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to meet Gage downstairs for a few beers.

He glanced up at Delia. “How about dinner downstairs?”

She shook out her blouse and looked up.

“I told Gage I’d meet him for a few beers. Maybe you could call up and see if Marley wants to join us? I’m starving.”

Such a simple request and he couldn’t bear it if she said no. She nodded while she put her blouse on. Meanwhile, his mind whirred over how he could persuade her to go with him to Seattle. He didn’t have the details of anything hammered out, but he knew without a doubt, he wanted to wring every possible moment of time with Delia before he had to return to Seattle.

***

The sun fell in a slant across the bed, warming Delia. She came awake slowly. Garrett was spooned behind her with his hand curled under one of her breasts and his legs tangled with hers. She smiled to herself. Last night had been the kind of night she’d wished for whenever she let herself hope for love. But those faded dreams hadn’t been specific. She’d simply wanted a good man, a man who fit into her world and who loved her and Nick. Born and raised in a small town on the wild coast of Alaska didn’t lend itself to a life familiar to many. She valued the closeness of her family and friends, living in a community where trust mattered and where the occasional nosiness of neighbors was the flip side of the coin when you knew those neighbors would always drop anything to help.

They’d had a long, lazy dinner in the restaurant with Marley and Gage. Her father had joined them for a little while, bringing Nick along. Nick had crawled under the booth and climbed up between Gage and Garrett. After dinner turned to a casual game of cards, Garrett had taught him how to play rummy, his arm casually curled over Nick’s shoulder. A few glasses of wine sloughed off her tendency to worry, which so often prevented her from enjoying herself fully. After her father headed off with a sleepy Nick, she’d tumbled into bed with Garrett.

Now, her hopes and dreams were Garrett specific. At the moment, she batted away her worry. Because it would have its chance to run laps in her mind later when Garrett flew to Seattle and uncertainty engulfed them. For now, she savored the moment. She felt Garrett’s breathing alter slightly. He mumbled into her hair before his lips landed on her neck. He slid a hand down the curve of her hip. She felt his body tighten into a shivering stretch behind her before he relaxed against her again.

Sometime later after they were showered and she was about to head downstairs to work, she made a decision. Whatever happened, Garrett had to know how she felt before he left. He was seated at the kitchen table, scrolling through emails on his laptop. When she said his name, he glanced up.

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “I thought maybe you should know something.”

His eyes held hers. He arched a brow. “Okay?”

She twisted her hands together. “I know you’re leaving soon, so I thought you should know…I think I’m falling in love with you.” Her words flew out forcefully, unvarnished and raw. Her heart pounded wildly, and she felt simultaneously terrified and relieved—terrified to speak her feelings aloud and relieved not to keep them tucked inside anymore.

Garrett’s eyes widened and his jaw went slack. “Delia…I…”

She could tell by the look on his face he had no idea what to say. Strangely, she wasn’t upset she’d shared her feelings. There was no sense to hiding them. She took a breath. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought I might as well tell you. You’re leaving, so it didn’t seem to make much sense to hide how I felt.”

Garrett’s eyes were wide. He barely moved, but he nodded his head slowly. “Delia, I don’t know what to say…”

Suddenly, she couldn’t stand to wait while he fumbled his way through
not
telling her he loved her. She walked swiftly to his side and kissed him quickly. “It’s okay. I just had to tell you.” She all but ran out of the room on the way out, her heart pounding so loudly, she could barely hear anything else.

Chapter 20

Garrett tossed his briefcase on his desk and put his hands on his hips, spinning in a slow circle in his office. He’d spent more time here than he had at his home—a rather sad reminder of his life. He’d spent a fortune on a high-rise apartment and all he ever did was sleep there. His office was pristine, which was not its usual state. He worked in long stretches and tended to leave papers and coffee cups all over the place. He took a deep breath and tried to focus.

There was a sharp knock on his door before it opened. He turned to see Elaine standing there. He strode to her and gave her a quick hug. She smiled broadly. Elaine was all efficiency, even in her appearance. Simple navy suits with a white blouse were practically a uniform for her. Her white hair was kept in a short, sleek cut. Her brown eyes were bright behind her round glasses. She got right to business.

“Good to have you back. Shall we review your schedule?”

Garrett ran a hand through his hair and eyed Elaine. “How about we start with an update?”

A while later, Elaine sat across from him, her lips pursed. “I don’t know how I feel about this, Garrett. While I must admit, I think it’s best for you to find a change of pace, I’m getting the feeling you won’t be my boss for much longer. I’ll miss working for you.”

Garrett’s throat was tight. He flipped a pen back and forth between his fingers. “I don’t intend to quit practicing in Seattle completely, Elaine. As far as I’m concerned, I’d love for you to keep working for me. Things will definitely be different though. You won’t have to deal with any more Carltons. I’ve had my fill of that.”

Elaine grinned. “I occasionally enjoy sparring with Carlton. So fill me in on how you plan to do this?”

“We’ll funnel all the corporate cases to the other partners. Becca’s already filling up my email with referrals for bleeding heart cases. I keep telling her I’m not cut out for prosecution, so she’s finding me all kinds of consulting work for non-profits. Once I get things more settled here, I need to get my law license set up in Alaska. I don’t know how much work I can get there to start. It’s easy enough to work from a distance these days. The flight to Seattle is only four hours. If you agree to stay on for me, you’ll run the show here, and I’ll come down when I need to.”

Elaine tilted her head to the side and smiled softly. “Sounds like you’ve worked it all out. So tell me, who is she?”

Garrett laughed. “Damn, you cut right to it, Elaine. What gave you the idea there was a woman involved?”

“I actually didn’t guess. I might have if I’d seen you, but it was Becca. She stopped by to pick up your mail a few times and mentioned she thought you’d finally met your match.”

“Ah, should’ve guessed. What did Becca have to say?”

Elaine smiled softly. “Not much really. I think she was hoping for the best. She’s bossy, you know. For once, she wasn’t telling me what she thought you should do.”

Garrett chuckled. “Probably because I already asked her what to do.”

“She didn’t mention her name. She just said she thought you were in love.”

“Delia. That’s her name.” His heart clenched at merely saying her name aloud.

“Is Becca right?”

Garrett arched a brow. “About what?”

“Do you love her?”

His heart thumped, almost painfully, in his chest. He’d yet to dredge up the nerve to say the word. But he knew it to be true. His mind replayed the moment at the lodge when Delia told him she thought she was falling in love with him. He’d frozen and fumbled that completely.

He met Elaine’s eyes and sighed.

Her eyes widened slightly. “So you love her, but you don’t have the nerve to tell her?”

He groaned and rolled his head back. “That obvious, huh?”

“I’ve been around a lot longer than you. Been there myself. Want some advice?”

“This will be the second time since I met Delia I’ve asked someone to tell me what to do.”

Elaine grinned. “I’ll keep it simple: don’t be stupid. If you must, practice.”

“Practice what?”

“That word.”

“Love?”

“Keep saying it. Eventually it will get easier.”

***

Delia pushed through the lodge door into the cold, starry night. She was the last one to leave tonight, as had been the case almost every night since Garrett returned to Seattle. As she approached her car, she stopped and looked up at the sky. Stars stretched across the sky—a glittering glory of patterns. She spun around slowly. Her breath caught when she spied the shimmer of northern lights above the mountains across the bay. They were faint, but even then they awed her. She remembered nights when she was a little girl when her mother would wake her to go outside and see the dancing lights. She took a deep breath, savoring the biting air.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. Garrett’s absence hit her with a sharp pang. He’d been gone a week now. He called every morning and every night and texted her throughout the day. She was entirely unaccustomed to the kind of attention he bestowed upon her, even from a distance. It was both endearing and unsettling—and she missed him so. Her father had pointed out this morning that she was working too hard, but it was the only way she could manage herself. Work grounded her and helped pass the time.

Without it, her mind ran laps on the track of its worries. She couldn’t help but think that once Garrett settled in at home he’d change his mind.

She shook her head sharply and took another gulp of air before she finished crossing the parking lot. The snow crunched under her feet. She took one last look at the sky before climbing in her car and driving home alone in the quiet night.

The next morning, Delia woke to the sound of Nick’s footsteps pounding down the hallway. There was a loud banging on her door.

“Mom! I missed the bus!”

She kicked the covers off and leapt out of bed. “Coming!”

She took a three-minute shower and tossed on her clothes. She raced into the kitchen, grabbing her purse off the counter. “Ready?” she asked, glancing to Nick. “Where’s your granddad by the way?”

Nick threw his backpack over his shoulder. “He said he had to leave early for some deliveries at the lodge.”

After a swift drive on icy roads, Delia watched Nick jog into school right as the bell rang. She leaned her head against the steering wheel and sighed. Mornings like this made her feel as if she was always one step behind, skidding along the rails of her life barely keeping her balance. She sat up and leaned back, debating whether she should head to the lodge now, or go later. She knew if she went in this morning, Harry would roll his eyes and tell her he was worried about her. Though Garrett was calling every day, more than once, she still didn’t really know what his plans were beyond a vague idea.