Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) (13 page)

She’d gone with her usual leggings, navy blue today, and a cotton shirt that gathered at the waist and had cinch ties on the sides with a scoop neck. She slipped on a pair of silver hoop earrings and her silver charm bracelet before turning for the door. She came to an abrupt stop when there was a knock at her door. Puzzled, she stepped to the door and opened it to find Marley in the hallway.

Marley held Holly in her arms, her eyes widening when she saw Jessa. “You look like you might be going somewhere.”

Jessa felt the flush bloom on her cheeks. She wasn’t trying to hide anything about Eli, but what was happening between them felt so intimate. Marley’s eyes held a gleam. “Hmm. Let me guess. You’re going to do something with Eli, aren’t you?”

Jessa couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. “Maybe.”

Marley threw her head back in a laugh and quickly paused to free her hair from Holly’s grip when she reached out and grabbed ahold of Marley’s ponytail. “Just admit it. You have a thing for him, and he definitely has a thing for you!”

Jessa’s cheeks got even hotter. She chewed her lip and rolled her eyes. “You hardly know him, how can you tell he has a thing for me?”

Marley put her free hand on her hip, somehow managing to look affronted even while adjusting Holly in her arms. “I know Eli more than hardly! Gage has been buying gear and whatnot from him for over a year now. Eli’s a great guy. Honestly, I’d started to wonder if I knew someone to set him up with. He’s nice, he’s runs a solid business, and he’s pretty easy on the eyes. I’d have to be blind not to notice he has a thing for you. Every time I looked his way the other night, his eyes were glued to you. Gage even noticed, and he almost never comments on things like that!”

Jessa leaned her shoulder against the doorframe and sighed. “Oh God. Don’t tell me Gage has some kind of opinion about…”

“About what?” Marley countered with a sly grin.

“I don’t know what’s happening. Eli, well he just happened. I mean, I only met him because I backed into him in a parking lot! Then he invited me to go fishing and somehow Garrett ended up inviting him for dinner here. Then he asked if I wanted to go shopping with him and Ryan, and now I am and I have no idea what’s going on.” Jessa spoke so quickly, she wasn’t sure if she stopped because she ran out of words or breath.

Marley’s expression softened, her gaze warm and kind. “I didn’t mean to tease. Go have fun shopping and stop worrying so much. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not so great at taking my own advice and I worry like crazy. But…like I said, Eli’s a great guy. No reason not to see where things go.”

Jessa pushed away from the wall and hooked her purse over her shoulder. “I know you’re just teasing. It’s just my life feels upside down. I don’t really do the whole dating thing, and I don’t even know if that’s what I’d call whatever’s happening with Eli.” A memory from the other night when he surged inside her flashed through her mind. Maybe she didn’t know if they were dating, but she sure as hell knew
something
was going on between them. Something much bigger and more powerful than she’d ever felt.

“How about you just enjoy the day? I heard from Garrett that Eli’s filing for guardianship of his little brother. I bet he could use a little help shopping for him,” Marley offered with a soft smile. “Come on, I’ll walk downstairs with you. I stopped by to see if you wanted to have breakfast together, but I’ll manage without you.”

Jessa grinned and followed Marley into the hallway. Being the youngest of five siblings, she’d spent much of her life chafing at the ever-present monitoring that automatically came with siblings likes hers—on the nosy side, opinionated, and loving. As the youngest in the Hamilton clan, Jessa had been determined to show everyone she could make it on her own. She’d tried to carve her own path even though doubts dogged her along the way. Once the fire sent her life spinning sideways, she’d started to wonder if her doubts had been right all along. At the moment, here in this tiny, breathtaking corner of the world, she soaked in the embrace of her family. Marley was a newer member of that circle, but Jessa adored her. There was a time when she’d have been beyond annoyed to have anyone notice something between her and Eli, but right now, it didn’t really bother her. If anything, it was nice to feel like she wasn’t alone. Being here at the lodge, she was starting to feel grounded again.

When they reached the lower floor, Marley paused beside the massive wooden entry doors and glanced to Jessa. “Is that Eli’s truck?” she asked, gesturing to the black truck Jessa had backed into the day she arrived.

“That’s the one.” Anticipation fluttered in her belly.
All you’re doing is shopping with him. And his brother. Don’t forget that. Yeah, but I get a whole day with him.
Her mind bantered with itself. Her last thought brought a smile inside her heart. Because that’s what she wanted—another day with Eli. She didn’t really care about the details, although she was happy to help shop for Ryan.

Marley draped her arm over Jessa’s shoulders and squeezed. “Have fun! See you when you get back.”

Jessa squeezed Marley’s hand on her shoulder. “Bye! Text me if you think of something you need me to pick up.”

Marley’s arm slid off Jessa’s shoulders, her eyes widening. “I didn’t even think of that. I’m running back upstairs to check with Gage before he starts working outside on the trails. I can think of a few things right off, but I’ll text a list later.”

Before Jessa could reply, Marley dashed off. She heard a chuckle from the reception desk and looked up to find Harry grinning at her. He gave a small wave. “Haven’t you noticed yet that, in Alaska, it’s perfectly normal to ask someone else to do half your shopping for you? If you stick around, you’d better get used to it.”

“Why is that?” she asked, bemused.

“Because everything local is expensive. The closer you get to the few cities here, the cheaper everything is. Diamond Creek has plenty of places to shop if you’re after high-end touristy stuff, not so much if you just need groceries for a good price.”

Jessa nodded slowly. “Makes sense. Hey, do you need me to work tonight? You didn’t mention it last night.”

Harry clicked something on the computer screen, his eyes quickly scanning it. “Nope. We’re good tonight, but if you’re up for it, I could use you for the next two nights after that. We still don’t know when Natalie’s coming back. Rumor has it she has a new boyfriend up in Anchorage. If that’s the case, we’ll keep you plenty busy, so you’d better let me know if you want to keep working.”

“I’ll work as much as you need,” Jessa replied without thinking.

Harry’s brows hitched up with his grin. “Okay then. You’d better get going before you new boyfriend drives off without you.” He winked and turned away.

Her cheeks hot again, Jessa tugged the heavy door open and jogged down the steps. Eli was walking up to the lodge entrance, his stride long and loose. She paused at the foot of the stairs, her breath catching in her throat. Damn. He was just all kinds of rugged and sexy between his muscled body, his dark brown hair and those green eyes landing on her like she was water and he was parched.

E
li leaned
on the counter in the department store and watched while Jessa held up several shirts for Ryan. Ryan said yes to basically anything Jessa suggested. He’d been a good sport for most of the day, although he seemed almost befuddled by the process. A few minutes later, Jessa and Ryan approached Eli at the counter with Ryan’s arms filled with a collection of t-shirts and long-sleeve cotton shirts.

“We’re done!” Jessa announced firmly as she patted the stack of jeans and other clothing already waiting at the register.

Ryan shrugged sheepishly. “Are you sure about this? This seems like a lot of clothes.”

Eli clapped him on the back. “You’ll wear them. Don’t worry about it. Plus, this means doing laundry less.”

Ryan flushed and laughed nervously as he handed over the armful of shirts to the woman waiting to check them out. In the short time Ryan had been staying with Eli, Eli had done a load of laundry almost daily to keep up with it.

After Eli finished paying, they headed out to the parking lot. “Last stop is the grocery store,” Eli said as he started the truck. “Let me know if you have any requests.”

“Pizza,” Ryan commented from his seat in the back.

“Let me guess, you’re living off frozen pizza?” Jessa asked, grinning over her shoulder.

Eli recalled he’d had a cart full of frozen pizza the day he’d meandered about the grocery store hoping to see her. “Yup, and we’re completely out of it. Pretty sure Ryan could eat ten of those a day and still be hungry.”

“Definitely,” Ryan added with his shy grin.

After a longer than usual stop at the grocery store between Jessa piling her cart full of requests from Marley and Delia, and Ryan adding one thing after another, they were finally on the highway back to Diamond Creek. On the way back, Ryan asked to be dropped off at Ben and Jeff’s house. They’d texted him during the day to invite him for a barbecue and video games.

“What the hell do you mean, barbecue and video games? How do those even go together?” Eli asked, legitimately puzzled with the combination.

Ryan sighed elaborately before explaining. “They went silver salmon fishing today, so I guess their parents are grilling the salmon and some other stuff. After we eat, they want to play some online games. Think of it like when you watch TV.”

Eli nodded and glanced sideways at Jessa’s muffled laugh. Her silver eyes flashed with mirth. He resisted the urge to reach over and stroke his hand along her curves. He’d discovered today that Ryan was an excellent chaperone. Not because he was actually chaperoning, but because Eli definitely didn’t want to do anything inappropriate around him, so he’d spent most of the day shackling his urges to touch Jessa. Damn if she wasn’t about the most touchable woman he’d ever laid eyes on. With her tousled hair, her gorgeous eyes and her luscious body, he’d spent almost all day itching to touch her.

He forgot he was in mid-banter with Ryan until Ryan cleared his throat audibly. He tore his eyes from Jessa and glanced in the rearview mirror to catch Ryan rolling his eyes. “Okay, like TV. I get it then. We have to drop Jessa off first, and then I’ll take you over the their place. Okay?”

“Cool.”

Eli pondered how to persuade Jessa to have dinner with him since he actually had the night to himself. It occurred to him perhaps he should simply ask instead of going in circles in his mind. Another glance in the rearview mirror told him Ryan had put on the new headphones Eli picked up for him today and was staring out the window while he nodded along to whatever was playing on the smartphone Eli had gotten him.

“Don’t suppose you’d want to have dinner with me after I drop everything off at the house?”

Eli held his breath. The sense of anticipation he experienced around Jessa was unfamiliar to him. He wasn’t used to wanting someone so damn much. She saved him from himself with a quick answer. “I’d love to! Why don’t you drop Ryan off first? Then we can go deliver the groceries to Marley and Delia. That way, you save yourself from the back and forth.”

Eli kept his eyes on the road and nodded, that sense of joy only Jessa could elicit blooming in his chest. “That works for me. Do we need to go by Delia and Garrett’s place to drop off their stuff?”

“Nah. Delia said just to bring it to the lodge. She can take it home from there.”

“Alright then. Any preferences on where to go for dinner?”

He felt Jessa’s gaze and glanced her way. In that tiny moment, all he wanted to do was stare into her dreamy gray eyes. He mentally shook himself and glanced ahead again.

“Well, no. Aside from the coffee places, I wouldn’t really know where to go. What would you suggest?”

Eli pondered for a moment, wondering what Jessa would like the most. “We could try Diamond Creek Brewery, Sally’s or the Boathouse. Those are all local favorites. The Boathouse is a touch more high end. Sally’s is an all-American bar type restaurant. The Brewery is somewhere in between the two. Take your pick.”

“Diamond Creek Brewery,” Jessa replied firmly.

Eli grinned. “Good choice.”

* * *

J
essa looked
around the restaurant while Eli stepped away to the restroom. When Eli had pulled up in front of the building, Jessa had thought for a moment he must’ve been confused when she saw they were parked in front of a plane hangar. Then, she saw the brightly painted sign above the doors into the building. While the brewery was located in what was once a plane hangar, the owners had done wonders with the inside. The far side of the building held the brewery part of the business with the stainless steel brewing equipment partially visible behind a brick wall dividing the space. Decorative copper storage vessels marked the entrance into the actual brewery. The tall ceiling was filled with model planes hanging above. The hangar had been renovated with extra windows cut into the walls, providing a view of a marshy field where moose often gathered against the backdrop of the bay and mountains. Booths lined the walls with tables scattered in the center. The kitchen sat on the opposite side from the brewery with a bar separating it from the rest of the room. The space was decorated with fabric wall hangings, photographs and colorful rugs, which softened what could have been a noisy space.

She took another sip of her wine and marveled at how busy the place was. Eli had called ahead to reserve a table, which she’d thought unnecessary until they arrived to find the entry way crowded and almost all of the tables full. As she looked around, she saw Eli making his way back to their booth in the corner. A prickle of awareness ran up her spine. Today had been one long tease. All he had to do was exist and her body hummed. Now that she had a better sense of how Ryan ended up here with him, it made her like Eli even more. He didn’t offer much about his childhood other than to say he’d be damned if he’d let Ryan stay there now that his father had returned. Without hesitation, he’d shouldered the responsibility of becoming Ryan’s guardian, even if it meant going through a legal fight to make it happen. Beyond the fact the man was sexy as all get out, he just had to go and be a caring and kind brother. Family meant a lot to her, and it almost pained her physically to realize that Eli had never really had a family he could rely on. Fortunately for Ryan, Eli was stepping up to be the kind of family he could have used himself when he was Ryan’s age.

Eli slipped into the booth across from her, his mouth hooking in a half-grin. His green eyes were bright against his sun-burnished skin. “So, are you about ready to go, or do you want to stay for a bit?”

Jessa glanced to the line of customers waiting near the entryway. “We should go. The salmon burger was amazing and the wine is delicious, but the longer we sit, the longer other people have to wait.”

“How about I pick up a bottle of the wine on the way out?”

“We can do that?”

“Sure can. They sell everything they make in the brewery here.”

Eli caught the eye of one of the waiters passing by and made his request. Moments later, they were threading through the tables and the small crowd by the doors. Jessa felt the heat of Eli’s palm on her low back through the thin cotton of her shirt. Heat radiated outward from his touch. The chilly summer air washed over them when they stepped outside. It was late evening with the sun making its glorious bow behind the mountains and sending streaks of lavender and pink into the sky. She took a deep breath, savoring the woodsy scent mingling with the hint of the ocean.

Eli had parked over toward the marshy field. As they walked in that direction, her eye caught on a cluster of moose in the field. “Oh look! Marley kept telling me I’d see moose soon, and there they are!”

Eli’s soft laugh sent a hot shiver through her. “Hard not to see moose around here. Let’s go onto the viewing platform after I leave this in the truck,” he said, holding aloft the bottle of wine. He paused and left it inside the truck cab before guiding her with his hand toward a wooden walkway hidden by the tall grasses.

In seconds they stood on the small platform looking out over the field. There was a full-grown moose and two tiny calves. “Oh, the babies are so small!”

“Yeah. They’re much smaller than people expect. It’s mid-summer though, so those two are probably a good month or more old now. They look to be a set of twins too.”

“Oh, wow,” she breathed, feeling a sense of wonder steal over her.

Alaska was renowned for its expansive wilderness and beauty, but Jessa hadn’t truly understood what that meant until she’d come to visit. Every time she was here, she felt like she stepped a little further into the wild wonderland Alaska offered. The sense of being so far removed from the bustle of civilization added depth to its beauty.

“I never get tired of seeing the moose calves. They’re so damn cute. Well, I never get tired of any of the wildlife. Makes me remember what matters. We’re just a speck in the universe.”

Jessa glanced to Eli. “That’s why you do what you do, huh?”

Eli shrugged, his eyes on the moose and scanning the horizon behind them before he looked to her. “I love the outdoors. When I was growing up, it was the only place I found peace. Now, I still get the peace, but it’s also plain fun to take tourists out and see some minds get blown.”

As they stood there by the field with nothing but the soft sound of the wind rustling the tall grass and the call of a raven nearby, she felt suspended in time. Eli’s eyes darkened. His hand was still resting on her low back. With the slightest pressure, he turned her toward him as he angled himself to face her. A step and he was flush against her, his hand sliding over her bottom to cup it.

“Jessa…” His voice was low and gruff, sending a prickle over her skin.

The angles of his face were in shadow, brightening his eyes. Heat suffused her when he incrementally pulled her against him, and she felt the hard evidence of his arousal. Suddenly, they were kissing—a wild, out of control kiss, so hot, so wet and so deep. He explored her mouth boldly with his tongue and lips, and she couldn’t get enough. She plastered herself against him and dragged her hands up over his chest—that glorious, sculpted hard chest of his. She gasped when he tore his lips free and dragged them down her neck, licking and nipping. She was drenched, her thighs clenching with the need spiraling wildly through her.

Eli swore and pulled back. Their breath heaved in the chilled air. He looked down at her. “I’m not going to be able to stop if we go any further and seeing as we’re on a viewing platform…” He gestured around them and in the direction of the brewery just by them. They were in full view of anyone who happened to look in their direction.

Jessa flushed, a giggle bubbling out of her. “Oh my. I forgot where we were. Maybe we should…” She paused, uncertain what to say. What she wanted to say was they should go anywhere private. Immediately. The desire pumping through her was so powerful, she wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d tackled him right here without a thought for where they were.

“Go back to my place,” Eli finished her sentence.

She nodded with alacrity. He moved swiftly, turning and curling one of his warm, strong hands around hers as they walked to his truck. The moment they were in the truck, it felt as if the entire space was alive with electricity, snapping with the force of their desire.