“How long have you been doing this? Denying us both?”
She turned her head to the side, suddenly embarrassed by her naked lust. Eliot moved quickly, turning her face back to his, and his lips covered hers. “I want to know.” He’d broken the kiss to look down at her, as he gently fitted his body to hers. “How many nights could I have been here with you like this? Holding you in my arms, instead of lying alone in a cold bed?” Before she could answer, his mouth came back over hers, prying her lips apart and forcing his way inside. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck.
He pulled away from her, fumbled in his jeans for his wallet and came out with a single condom. Quickly he donned the latex covering, and then he was in her arms again. Positioning himself against her opening, he held himself perfectly still. “Say it.”
“What?” She breathed against his neck, needing him to finish what he’d started in the worst way.
“I want to hear you say my name, the way you did before.”
She pulled at his hips, moaning in frustration. “Please…” Her head turned left and right on the pillow, as she fought back the rising tide.
Gently he pushed inside, fitting just the wide mushroom head inside her. “Does that help?” he whispered in her ear. She instantly came apart, bucking and bucking and pulling him inside her until he was touching her core.
“Yes! Oh, El, yes!” She clung to his shoulders, her sharp little nails digging into his skin. As Eliot felt his own release charging to the tip of his penis, he was still not sure whether he was really holding this woman or if in fact this was a dream.
Chapter 12
Aweek later, as she scooted through the store in her chair, Sophie felt as if she were floating along on cloud nine. The past week had been everything El promised.
He was still doing his job to perfection, she was working un-hindered by the relationship, and no one had a clue as to what went on in the back room at night. And, oh…what was happening in the back room at night!
True to his word, the man had skills. Her body still tingled with remembered sensations. The way he touched her; those big, strong hands moved over every inch of her body with confidence. There was something in his touch that was not a question, but a demand.
She’d had lovers, and the one thing they’d all had in common was what she called the asking touch.The way they’d touch her as if almost afraid to, waiting to be rejected or be given the go-ahead to do more. El didn’t ask, and he sure as hell didn’t wait for approval. He took,and the sensation was thrilling. But at the same time, he was incredibly gentle, always careful of her leg.
She rolled to the front of the store, a box of juices on her lap. As she rolled by the front window, El was outside cleaning the windows, a bottle of Windex glass cleaner in one hand and a paper towel in the other. He saw her through the glass and winked. She grinned back, giddy as a schoolgirl. She rolled over to the refrigerated dairy case and began refilling it.
Just one more thing to love about El, she thought. His willingness to chip in wherever there was work to be done. Even so, her grandmother had qualms about putting their expensive baker to work cleaning windows, sweeping floors or anything else.
While she was loading the dairy case, Mae had gone back to the kitchen. Feeling mischievous, Sophie unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse before turning to roll back by the window, and she got the instant reaction she wanted. El’s eyes immediately went to her open top. He dropped the bottle of glass cleaner and quickly came inside.
Without hesitation, he reached inside her top, slipping his hand inside her bra to cup one breast. He bent and took her mouth, prying her lips open. His tongue pushed inside and she opened her face to his, eager for more. He knelt beside her, continuing to devour her mouth, even as his fingers went to work on the rest of her buttons.
“El!” She quickly covered his hands with her own, as it suddenly hit her. She was sitting right in front of newly cleaned glass windows, with her lover’s hand in her top and her whole staff just a few feet away in the kitchen. “We can’t.”
He sat back on his heels, looking at her with a playful expression. Suddenly, his head swooped down, digging into her top.
“El!” She pushed at his head.
He kissed the top of her exposed breast, then he ran his lips up her neck to her lips.
“Someone could walk by the window! Or Grandma could walk back in!”
He looked up at her with an expression of pure mischief on his face, his amber eyes twinkling. “That will teach you not to taunt me.”
“Oh, I can’t stand you!” She laughed before turning to roll away.
Remembering her top, she stopped and buttoned it up. She glanced over her shoulder to see El standing by the door watching her.
“Tease,” he said, but there was a soft smile on his lips.
She only winked in response before rolling on into the kitchen.
Later that night, the staff had gone for the day and the store had been closed up for the night, Sophie lay in Eliot’s arms on the tiny bed.
“I know my father thought I was doing it to be contrary, but at the time it seemed important that a Mayfield inherited the Mayfield Bakery.”
“Did you legally change your name?”
“Yes.”
“And none of your family wanted to help?”
“It’s kind of hard to believe, but my grandparents had five children, and out of all of them not a single one was interested in keeping the bakery open.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She glanced up at him, slightly confused. “Sorry for what?”
“Sorry that this responsibility fell to you, although I understand why you did it.”
She smiled. “I know you do.” She shifted her body until she was over him.
“Watch your leg,” he said, helping her get comfortable. He wrapped his arm under her uninjured leg, bending it up a little more.
“Hmmm, that’s nice.” He felt her moist opening against the head of his penis.
She sighed, sinking down on his stiff rod. “I love the way you feel inside me. It’s so…right.” Bracing herself against his shoulders, she lifted her body and slid down on him again. “So good,” she moaned.
Sophie rocked against him, feeling him in the deepest part of her being, and knowing if she could she would keep him there forever. She took what he offered and tried hard not to think about what was happening in her heart. Because she knew she was falling in love with El.
He was everything she had ever imagined she could want in
a husband. He was warm, and funny, sexy and thoughtful. He adored her grandmother almost as much as she did, and even his occupation fit perfectly into her life.
More and more she found herself daydreaming about the life they could have together. And he was right: they were able to have their affair and develop their relationship without it interfering with the store.
Feeling his throbbing organ pulsing inside her, Sophie clinched against him and pushed down harder, feeling the pressure building in her core. She was close, so close. Sophie looked down at El, and watched with joy as an expression of pure, agonizing bliss covered his handsome face. His eyes were closed and he was just reveling in the pleasure. Pleasure she was giving him. The thought of him being this way with another woman tore at her insides. The thought of him leaving one day was unimaginable. They’d been lovers for only a week, and she was already terrified of losing him.
Sitting back as much as possible, Sophie pushed harder against him wanting to take him with her, she was so close….
He reached up and grabbed her small breast, which seemed to fit perfectly in his palm. He pounded into her body, as his breathing became shorter and shorter.
Sophie knew she was about to come, and she bit down on her lip hard to hold back the words that were eager to escape. She’d had to do this several times in the past few days. Holding her eyes tightly closed as the orgasm washed over her, she confessed in her heart what she could not with her lips. I love you, El! I love you with all my heart! Please don’t leave me!
The next day was the Fourth of July, and the temperature was well up in the nineties, and even though they propped the back door open the kitchen was still scorching hot. Being a holiday, there were no large orders to get out, and things had slowed down after lunch, so El, Sophie, Dante and Lonnie had decided to walk down the street to the Icy Palace Ice Cream stand.
Lonnie and Dante walked about a half block ahead of Eliot, who was pushing Sophie’s chair. “Do they seem too close to you?”
Sophie asked, watching as the young couple playfully bumped against each other.
“What do you mean?”
“You know…close, like we’reclose.” She glanced up at him and was surprised to find him looking directly down at her. “What are you doing?”
“Looking down your blouse, of course. What do you think I’m doing?”
She laughed, and then, realizing he was serious, laughed louder. “You have no shame.”
His eyebrows crinkled. “Why do you think I volunteered for this outing? Because I was dying for soft serve?” He shook his head. “No, there’s my tasty treat.” He grinned. “And it’s just as lickable and delicious as ice cream.”
She shook her head and returned her eyes to the teenagers. “You didn’t answer my other question.”
“What do you want to know? Do I think Dante and Lonnie are sleeping together? Yes, I do. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure they are.”
She looked at him, stunned. “Really? What makes you so certain?”
Eliot hesitated thoughtfully. “Your little cousin likes to flirt with me when no one’s around.”
“What?!”
“Seriously. And the last time she did, I thought I was going to have to take on that young buck. The look in his eyes left little doubt.”
“About what?”
“About his wanting to whoop my ass, that’s what.”
She stared up at him for a moment, then shook her head doubtfully. “No, you must’ve misunderstood her.”
His mouth twisted sarcastically. “Okay.”
“Really—Lonnie wouldn’t do that.”
“Okay.”
“Stop saying that!”
“O—” His mouth snapped shut. They continued on in silence until they had almost reached the ice cream stand. Finally, Eliot said, “I can prove it.”
“How?”
“Watch.” He rolled her chair up to the window, where Dante and Lonnie were already placing their orders. Sophie watched as he discreetly wedged his way between the couple, and to her amazement Lonnie’s attention turned completely to Eliot.
Just as he said, Dante watched him with daggers in his eyes as Eliot playfully joked with Lonnie, and placed his order. As he turned to walk away, she listened as Lonnie changed her order to what he had requested.
“Well?” He pushed her chair to a group of benches and sat down beside her.
“Well, what?”
“Did you see Dante’s reaction?”
“Yes.” She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. “That was a bit concerning. I may sit him down and explain about Lonnie to him.”
El’s eyes narrowed on her face. “Sophie, don’t make the mistake of putting this all on Dante. You may be surprised to learn he knows more about Lonnie than you do. I know you’re protective of your cousin because of her developmental problems, but you may need to take a closer look. Regardless of whatever problems she may have, she’s a nineteen-year-old girl.”
“I appreciate your take on it, El. I do. But you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
El looked directly into her eyes for several seconds. “Things are not always what they seem, Sophie.”
“I know that.”
“No, I don’t think you do. You seem to have this black-white philosophy, but the world is more complicated than that.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
“That’s fine. Just remember what I said. Sometimes things are not what they seem.”
That night El made love like a man possessed. He gave her no rest. Repeatedly taking her to the edge of ecstasy, only to pull her back. His mouth was everywhere. It was as if he were trying to devour every inch of her. Her breasts, her stomach. Pulling her legs apart, he buried his mouth inside her and she came apart in his arms.
Then he was rising up over her, guiding his hard erection into her body and pumping into her with wild energy. His strong arms were braced on either side of her head, and she was helpless to do anything but experience orgasm after orgasm. When she finally fell asleep it was well after three in the morning. When her alarm clock went off at five, El was gone.
She leaned up on her elbows, looking around the empty, tiny room. Something happened last night. Something she still did not understand. There was still so much about him she did not know. So much that did not make any sense.
El did not show up at his regular start time, but Sophie refused to call him at the risk of sounding like an obsessed lunatic. As soon as Dante arrived a little after eight, Sophie called him into the office.
“Can you close the door?” She scooted her chair to allow closing the door of the small office.
He leaned against the door. “What’s up, Sophie?”
Dante was tall and lanky, and even at nineteen it was obvious to see he still had some growing to do. From what Sophie knew he’d barely finished high school and had no real ambitions toward college. He was happy with his job at the bakery and living in his parent’s garage.
Sophie had given him the job because in the first interview she’d sensed in him the kind heart he later showed himself to have. He’d also proved himself to be honest and loyal. But for all that, she could not simply look the other way or condone what he was doing with her cousin.
“I walked to talk to you about your relationship with Lonnie.”
He visibly stiffened. “Oh?”
“Dante, I know—or, at least, I think I know what’s going on between you two.”
She watched his eyes dart around as if he were going to deny it, then he seemed to come to some kind of a decision, because he looked right at her and said, “We love each other.”
Sophie felt her stomach drop. There it was. Confirmation.
“Are you sleeping with Lonnie?”
He looked down at his feet. “No disrespect, but I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“Dante, I believe you thinkyou’re in love, but Lonnie is not…” She tried again. “Dante, Lonnie has some problems you may not know about.”
“You mean her Down syndrome?”
Sophie nodded.
“But, she’s okay.”
“No…she’s not.”
“Sophie, my little sister has Down syndrome, did you know that?”