“Eli…please.”
How his world had changed in twelve hours. Eli sucked in a breath. Growing up in a sport where life could change on a dime, he experienced that moment of hell firsthand. Eli knew how fragile life was, how plans could be altered in the blink of an eye.
He had gone to bed last night sick to his stomach. He drove to the airport this morning ready to throw up. Eli watched the love of his life walk away with the boy he’d grown to love as his own then sat numbly in a crowded airport unable to comprehend how to move on with his heart broken.
On blind faith, he dropped to his knees and begged.
Now he had his ring on her finger. She was his, his to love, his to protect, and his to take care of. His. All was made right with the world in twelve long hours. It was more than right with her in his arms. It was perfect.
He had never, not once, entered a woman without a condom, but now as he breathed in and out heavily, Eli slowly pushed himself up to kneel between her legs. Stopping to take a long look at his woman lying on the bed before him, without a doubt in the world he knew she was the answer to all his prayers. Moving like she was made of glass, he gently removed the last two pieces of fabric still covering her.
The window was open and the curtains blew with the light evening breeze. The small pleas and soft moans floated over the spring night. For the first time, he took in the perfect graceful dancer’s body he had fallen in love with. For the first time he kissed every part of her. Her skin smelled sweetly of her light perfume and tasted faintly of salt as a thin layer of need broke out and dusted her skin. With one hand, she fisted the sheets beneath her, with the other she tried to hurry him. Rubbing her palm up and down his back, and then finally frustrated, she gripped his
biceps.
Without meaning to give her an advantage, he shifted and instantly she wrapped both legs around his waist. Eli was worried he was pushing her too fast, pressuring her into making life-altering decisions without giving her a chance to stop and think. He’d offered her his world without asking her if it was what she really wanted. The instant her legs wrapped around him and she pulled him closer with her arms, he knew what she wanted was him.
She wasn’t holding anything back, she was all in—all his.
With her body begging him for more, he centered himself and bracketed her with his arms.
“Sweetheart, I’ll love you forever.” He slowly slid deeper into her with each spoken word.
Her face tensed. She sucked in a deep breath and held it for a long moment then let it out before gasping for more air. Worried he’d been too rough, Eli stilled for a split-second before taking her cues to move faster, then faster yet. Her fingers gripped his upper arms so tightly, he knew she’d leave marks. He’d never been more proud.
Honor said his name through clenched teeth. He could see how close she was to the edge, and her desire pulled him closer. Her fingertips dug into his shoulder blades, and her legs tightened around him. Watching her face, her eyes squeezed shut, and her jaw set, Eli started to move faster—deeper.
The headboard hit the wall and he froze, wide-eyed, staring down at her.
Her eyes flew open wide mirroring his own. Then she snickered. Eli was desperately trying not to laugh, but he had not locked the bedroom door. In hindsight, it was a mistake on his part, but this was a first for him, and he was going to have to get used to having a child in the house at all times. Eli did not want Dallas seeing him butt-ass naked on top of his mother. That was for damned sure.
Underneath him, Honor was losing her battle with the giggles.
“Shhhh,” he said with laughter in his voice.
“I can’t…help…it.” She said, the fit of giggles making her reply come out in staccato splices.
“If you wake him up, I’m gonna beat you, girl,” he teased.
It was the wrong thing to say because the lid on her laughter flew off.
Eli winked. “Shh…Sweetheart.”
Honor hushed him back then stuck her tongue out at him.
Eli moved again, but much gentler trying to keep the headboard from announcing their late night activities. The more he moved, the more Honor smiled and laughed. The more she laughed, the more he chuckled and grinned.
What started out as carnal need, quickly morphed into playful loving. The speed and roughness of moments before, was replaced by tenderness and teasing. The playful banter and hushes continued as Eli held the woman who brought light back into his life, tightly in his arms.
“I love you so much, Honor.”
“I love you too, E—“
Her words stilled once more through gritted teeth. Eli pressed on, pushing her toward pleasure. A few quick movements later, and he followed her into oblivion.
He collapsed to the side of her and pulled her close.
Eli always swore the happiest place in the world was on a track. He was wrong. Opening his eyes to the love written across Honor’s face and knowing it was for him alone, was heaven. Lying next to her naked and spent, made him the luckiest man alive because he would get to wake up and have her next to him from now on.
He tucked her into his side and laced the fingers of her left hand in his. With their hands linked together and stretched out before them, he eyed the ring on her finger and chuckled.
He had rushed to the ticket counter at the airport and bought a ticket for the first outbound plane to Nashville the airline had. Then he’d bought the ring.
“I’ll get you a real ring as soon as we get home,” he said, smiling at the pale lavender stone wired by hand onto the sterling silver band.
“I don’t want a new ring, Eli,” Honor said, curling her fingers and trying to pull her hand from his as if he might try to take a prized possession away from her.
“Sweetheart, I bought that as a gesture. There was this little gal selling them in the airport back home. I had no intentions of that being your engagement ring, but I wasn’t going to wait one more second to get to you.”
“But—”
“No, Honor…I’m getting you a real ring. It’s sterling, if you want to keep wearing it on another finger, you go right ahead. But I’m buying my wife the real ring.”
She twisted in his hold to look up at him. The purple was sparkling so bright her eyes looked like jewels.
“Your wife.” She breathed out.
The smile dancing across her face said what words couldn’t. She was so full of love he could feel it radiating off her, but when she wrapped her arms around him tightly and hung on, laughing as she kissed his neck, jaw and finally his lips—he melted.
His lips curved against hers. “You’ll always be mine, sweetheart. Always.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
For two days she and Eli scrambled, laughed, packed, and made arrangements that allowed her and Dallas to leave their old lives behind and start fresh in
Pennsylvania.
Her one concern would be
Dallas’s schooling. Would Karen home school him? Even though Eli insisted the request wasn’t going to be a big deal, she still would rather have had the conversation in person. Since timing was against them, she and Eli made the call to Karen and James. At first they were ecstatic about their news, and with the phone on the kitchen table set to speaker, Eli held her close as they heard the couple, who were more like Eli’s parents than friends, congratulate them and tell them to hurry up and come back home.
Honor gripped his hand between both of hers as Eli cleared his throat and asked Karen if she’d be willing to homeschool
Dallas. In answer, the older woman broke down in tears. There was still enough joy in her voice to know they were happy tears, maybe even relief or proud tears. Whatever the case, it was the answer to all of Honor’s prayers.
When he was with Karen,
Dallas became the student she’d always known he could be. She now had proof he wasn’t any of the things his public school said he was. He learned differently, and Karen could reach him. Now that their lives were changing so much, and Dallas wouldn’t ever have to worry about it being a temporary situation, Honor knew her son would soar.
Although it felt like days ago, glancing at her watch told her it had only been a few hours since the three of them went to
Dallas’s school, formally checked him out, and gathered his belongings. She had never seen her son so happy, and it wasn’t about moving away from the school as much as introducing his
dad
to all the other kids in his class.
Walking from room-to-room of the tiny ranch-style house, she smiled. She knew she’d never forget that moment for as long as she lived. The day, the sunshine, the classroom, and where they were all standing at that precise moment would be forever etched in her mind. Eli beamed when he heard the word come out of Dallas’s mouth in front of the class, and it was all she could do not to break down and cry right there.
Life had been such a whirlwind that no one had discussed the technicalities of Eli becoming Dallas’s stepfather.
She knew how they felt about each other, and it felt natural hearing the title. Eli had always called
Dallas
buddy
or
son
, just as she always did. Honor always assumed they were just nicknames of sort, but seeing him with his arm draped around Dallas’s shoulders standing in that classroom, she realized he had fallen very much in love with him, too. It wasn’t by blood, and it was rocket fast, but they had defined their relationship and set it in stone.
They were father and son, as simple as that.
Honor’s heart continued to swell as she thought about it, turning in a slow circle in the middle of the compact living room. Really looking at the white walls of her small house, the house that had always been just that, a house. She decided to leave the bad memories behind, vowing to not let those pictures haunt her ever again after she shut the front door for the last time. The house was Mac’s now. The next time she stood in that living room to visit, his belongings would fill it, and there would be new memories made.
To say she had been nervous to announce their plans to Mac would have been an understatement. Her bald giant surprised her though. It was like watching years of worry melt off his face right in front of her. Mac had always been a nice,
laid back guy, quiet with an easy-going smile. After the news though, it was as if he was twenty years younger, lighter and freer than she’d ever known him to be.
Holding a hand to her lips, she pushed the guilt back down because Mac told her to. He made her promise to never let her thoughts go there. It was the only thing he ever asked of her.
Thinking back to the first time she’d met Mac, Honor knew he always worried about her and Dallas. Seeing him and Eli together as they loaded boxes into Mac’s truck, hearing the jokes as they made trips in and out of the house, she could tell Mac was a different man. He wasn’t worried anymore. Mac knew Eli would take care of her and Dallas, and his job was done. He was free to just be the fun, cool uncle. Free to move on with his life, and free to have his own family.
The two guys filled the cab of Mac’s truck sandwiching
Dallas in between them, and with a honk and arms waving out the windows, the three headed down the gravel drive and into town to ship the small pile of boxes. They weren’t taking much, just the personal mementos and clothes, so they’d skipped renting a U-Haul. Mac would keep what furniture he wanted and sell the rest, along with her car. Korry and Dawn would take over the small business that she started as a way to make ends meet.
When the boys got back and the tearful goodbyes were over, the three of them would set off for
Pennsylvania in her beloved Camaro. Honor stood in the silence, her hands resting on the cool Formica countertop as she stared out the kitchen window, gazing over the track. The curtain blew in the breeze, and one of the Morris’s horses whinnied near the fence in the distance.
She smiled to herself remembering how just a short time before Eli had walked
Dallas out on that track for the first time. How he’d caught her watching him, how she’d been so immediately attracted to him, and flustered she’d been every time he threw her one of his winks or wicked grins. She remembered how hard life was a couple of months ago, how she stared out at the track and wondered how she would make it all work. How many times had she lay in bed in tears—lonely, hurting, worried and scared as hell. Honor remembered the good and the bad for a moment then tucked it away.
There wouldn’t be any more lonely nights or tears. She found her one true love.
Eli had come to Tennessee to meet them and to give her son a week of the best riding school in the country. Instead, he gave them the world.
****
After driving for what seemed like hours, Eli finally made the turn on to the private road. Honor’s nerves were crackling and popping, almost worse than the first time they had made this drive. Despite the excitement, and her fear of his friends’ reactions, when the white fence came into view, it was like she was home.
Karen made them promise to come straight to their home first for a family dinner, and Eli was making good on that promise. When he drove through the stone entryway of the private drive, he pulled their joined hands to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
With a wink and a smile full of love, he let go of her hand to reach in the backseat and tap Dallas’s leg to wake him back up.
“Hey, son. We’re home.”
Dallas’s eyes flew open, and she had to chuckle. He’d been worse than a child at Christmas on this drive. He hadn’t been bad, just antsy and eager to get back to Eli’s house and to the people. He’d hurried them along at gas stops, and early that morning, he rushed them out of the hotel the minute they finished breakfast.
“I think someone’s excited to see you, buddy.” Honor pointed to the large stone staircase of the Noland’s front porch.
Normally, Eli would have parked around back and gone in through the garage or backdoor, but there was a bleach-blonde, curly-haired pixie waiting on the top step. Alex had no idea what kind of car to be watching for, but when they got close enough that she could see it was them through the windshield of the car, she started jumping up and down.
Both of the front doors to the house flew open as Eli put the car in park, and all of Honor’s fear subsided at once. All of his friends, or his family as he considered them, came piling out of the house with wide smiles and open arms.
Walking up the stone walkway under Eli’s arm was one of the happiest moments of her life. Dallas was a few steps ahead of them, and once they were close to each other, Alex launched herself at him.
“Don’t leave me again,
Dallas.” Her head rested on his shoulder and the little voice pleaded, but it was her words that brought immediate tears to Honor’s eyes.
Standing in the middle of the family, Dallas hugged Alex tightly. Their smiles and tilted heads all said the same thing she felt. It was sweet to watch her son be so loving to a little girl who obviously adored him. After all, he really was just a child himself.
But the words Honor heard him whisper back to the petite child he held in his arms—sent Honor’s heart to her throat.
“I promise. I won’t ever leave you again, Alex…I promise.”
****
Happiness spread ear-to-ear across Dallas’s face as Eli sat on his bed beside him. The three of them soaking up the moment of their first night home, as a family. Eli tossed a football up in the air and when it hadn’t gone straight, he reached to the side to catch it. Honor heard him grunt before he could cover it.
He’d reassured her repeatedly throughout the day, but Honor knew his back was killing him and that made her feel horribly guilty. She knew the spikes of pain surged downward, hitting his lower back before wrapping around his left hip. After the last five days of packing, moving boxes, and driving for hours on end, Eli’s body had had enough. He’d been careful to not wince in front of her so she didn’t worry, but that actually made her more concerned. All through the meal at James and Karen’s, she saw him trying to hide the grimaces when he’d turn wrong, or when Alex or Jack wanted up in his arms. She asked for ibuprofen from Karen, but long after the medicine should have kicked in, it killed her to watch him shift in his chair over and over because he couldn’t sit comfortably.
One benefit of being trapped in a car was he hadn’t been able to escape when she asked about his back. She begged him to let her help. With a backward glance to their child in the back seat, his resistance lowered, more quickly than she first expected after hearing all of Molly’s failed attempts. He was a guy, and a dad now—a dad who wanted to be able to keep up with a pre-teen boy. The only way to do that was to seek out some sort of medical relief, whether it was major surgery or simply regular massages. Honor was bound and determined to find the right answer for him. The fact that he willingly agreed was more proof of how far the man would go to make her happy. And helping him? She lived for it.
After hugging their son goodnight, she left him and Eli in his room then headed back upstairs. Flipping the switch for the soft light above the kitchen sink afforded her just enough to see the label she was after. In the cabinet above the
coffee maker, she reached for the familiar bottle and was startled from behind.
“Hey sweetheart, you want to go sit in the hot tub?” Eli asked.
Turning with the white bottle in her hand, she froze for a moment.
The man was a walking sex dream. Leaning against the large framed entrance to the kitchen, he had his arms crossed against chest and was wearing the crooked smile she adored. However, the
I want you
eyes were smoldering, sending a dusting of fire across her skin. Five o’clock came and went leaving its mark darkening his jaw. The length matched the hair on his head.
In the muted light, he appeared dangerous, but Honor knew that look was hunger.
So many times, she stood in that exact spot as he pinned those hazel eyes on her. So many times, she’d desperately kept her attraction and need for him hidden. In the beginning that was hard, but by the end of her stay, it become damn near impossible.
Hiding was a thing of the past.
She didn’t have to pretend anymore, Eli Hunter was going to be her husband, and she wanted him to look at her like the way he was doing at that moment—like he needed her more than his next breath. Her mouth went dry as she waited, her eyes not leaving his. Neither moved as they stared at each other from across the span of the kitchen.
A shiver ran from the back of her neck down through her entire body.
He tipped his chin, acknowledging he saw the effect he was having on her.
Faking a bravado Honor was sure he’d see through, the corner of her mouth turned up. She rattled the bottle of medicine in front of him to tease. “I thought your back hurt, honey. I wouldn’t want to make it hurt worse.”
Eli crossed the kitchen before she could even blink to register his movement. With her back against the granite countertop, he bracketed her between his arms. There was no mistaking who was in absolute control. He leaned into her, forcing a slight bend in her back. She swallowed hard and his eyebrows rose, acknowledging the submission she’d automatically given him.
Years ago, there had been a matter of a few weeks when another man wanted her, and then he was done with her.
Eli was quickly erasing that hurt. He made her feel like she was the only person in the world who could please him and that she was the only one in the world he wanted. No—
needed
.
He brushed his lips against hers, his words spoken close enough she could feel them. “Let’s go get in the hot tub, sweetheart.”
Gripping the bottle in one hand and running her palm up his chest with the other, she spoke against his lips. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I…don’t have a swimsuit.”
Honor felt the roguish smile tip his lips against hers. “You don’t need one, baby. As a matter of fact, I think I like that plan even better.”