Welcome To Winterville by Carrie Elks

14

Electricity hung in the air as they ate at the small table overlooking the mountains. Sure, they were chatting casually, but every now and then their eyes would catch and he’d feel the pleasure of her stare through his body, making him ache with need.

She looked beautiful in the soft lamplight, her wool dress hugging her curves in all the right places, her long dark hair falling in tumbling waves down her back. But what captured his attention was the way she held herself, so strong and proud. She had a confidence to her that was innately sexy.

He loved that she’d opened up to him. Her vulnerability only made him want her more.

Since she’d decided to stay, he opened a bottle of wine. Holly lifted her glass to her lips, closing her eyes as the cool, crisp Sauvignon Blanc slipped down her throat.

“You know the first time we met, I wasn’t old enough to drink,” she said, putting her glass back on the table.

Josh winced. “You make me sound like a cradle robber. You were twenty, I was twenty-four.” Though truthfully at the time, he’d thought she was older. Even then, her cool beauty had captured him.

She smiled softly, looking down at her plate. “So when did you learn to cook?”

“A few years ago. I got so sick of takeout and ready made meals. I started with those food boxes that companies send out, then graduated to my own recipes.”

“Maybe you could teach me.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m still at the takeout stage.”

“It’s a challenge when you work all day. By the time I get home, I’m usually exhausted and starving. I bet you are, too. It’s easier just to pick up your phone and order.” He shrugged. “But I find it relaxing, standing in the kitchen and making dinner. A way to decompress from the day.”

“You can decompress with me any time.”

He laughed at the innuendo of her words. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

She rolled her eyes. “I meant cook for me. I love home cooked food. When we’re in the middle of a case I usually end up eating at the office. Somebody calls for pizza or Chinese and we wolf it down while staring at our computers. I’m shocked I’m not the size of a house.”

He ran his gaze over her perfect curves. “If you’re anything like me, it’s feast or famine. There are days when I don’t have time to eat at all.”

She lifted her fork to her mouth, letting out a soft moan as she ate a piece of the succulent beef. “If you cooked for me every day, I’d eat constantly.”

Damn if that didn’t make his chest pound. Not just the moan, but the idea of cooking for her. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Explain your job to me,” he said, trying to push that weird thought away. “I get the forensic accountant part, but how did you end up working for a divorce lawyer?”

She didn’t seem surprised that he knew all about her job. “I started out working for an accounting firm. I was moved to their forensic team almost right away. I have this weird knack of being able to look at a sheet full of numbers and immediately hone in on the number that looks wrong.”

“Wrong?” he asked, his brows knitting.

“When somebody shows me accounts that have an error, it’s like the wrong number is red and flashing in my eyes. I can scan a spreadsheet with ease and see it. Then I investigate where that number originated and follow the trail. Usually I find out what the person or company is hiding.”

“Like one of those spot the difference pictures?”

She smiled. “Exactly like that. Numbers have patterns. When they don’t follow it, it’s jarring.”

There was something so appealing about the way her face lit up. She loved her work and it showed.

“So you were working for an accounting firm,” he prompted. It was weird how he wanted to know so much more about her.

“And I was called in to consult on a divorce case. The guy was hiding three million dollars and it was my job to track it down. He’d created a whole chain of shell companies in an attempt to cover up what he was doing. It took a long time to track it all down. But eventually I did and the judge made him pay.”

“You sound pleased about that.”

“There’s usually such a power imbalance to most of the divorce cases I work on. I like working for the underdog. Helping people escape bad marriages with a hope for the future. And yeah, there’s a little schadenfreude in sticking it to the bad guys.” She shrugged.

“Would you feel the same if it was a woman hiding the money and the man being the underdog?”

Holly nodded. “Yeah, I do. Right now, the imbalance is firmly in one direction, but things are changing all the time. Human nature is human nature. Rich women are just as likely to hide their money from the courts as rich men. I’ve worked on a few cases like that.”

“You’re a modern day Robin Hood.”

She laughed. “I’ve been called worse. Someone once described me as a crusader without a cape.”

He grimaced. “Sorry. I was an asshole.”

Her eyes softened. “It’s probably a good description. I like helping people break out of relationships that hurt them.”

He thought about his grandma. About all the times he’d tried to persuade her to leave his grandfather. How much more confident would she be with somebody like Holly on her side?

“How about you?” Holly asked, looking at him over the rim of her wine glass. “Do you enjoy what you do?”

“Sometimes.” He half-smiled, his gaze holding hers. “I like making money.”

She leaned forward. “But there has to be more to your life than money.”

“It’s a family business. There’s never been any question that I’d end up running it. That’s what I was brought up to do.”

“Is it what you want to do?” she persisted, as though she didn’t understand his answer.

His stomach tensed. “It’s not about want. It’s about duty. You of all people must understand that.”

Her smile was tentative. “We’re all products of our upbringing. And I guess that’s why we’re both here. Fighting against each other to keep what our family created.”

He didn’t like that they were on opposite sides. “What if we didn’t talk about that?”

She frowned. “About what?”

“About the whole fiasco involving this town. What if we don’t mention it at all? I don’t tell you what I’m doing, you don’t volunteer what you and your family are up to?”

Holly tipped her head to the side. “Don’t you want to know?”

No, he didn’t. He didn’t want to be her enemy. He wanted to be her friend. Her lover. He wanted to make her smile, not cry.

“I just want to escape from it with you.”

Until he said it, Josh didn’t realize how much he wanted that escape. Needed it. Needed her to push it all away until it was only the two of them and nothing else.

His body ached for her in a way he didn’t understand. But he was giving into it nonetheless.

A blush stained her cheeks as her eyes locked with his. “I want that, too.” She put her silverware on the plate, her chest rising and falling with her breath. “It sounds like heaven.”

“Have you finished?” He glanced down at her plate.

Holly nodded.

“Then come here,” he said, his voice thick and low.

Her breath hitched. “I should clean up.”

“Leave it. I’ll do it later.”

She bit her bottom lip and stood, and he reached for her hand, pulling her toward him until she was straddling his muscled legs. He inhaled sharply, the sweet smell of her perfume invading his senses.

He was as hard as a rock, aching with need for her. She was staring at him with those wide, melted chocolate eyes, and he felt like the king of the damn world. “I want to make you feel so good you forget your name,” he told her. “And call out mine instead.”

Her eyes grew wider still. She shifted on his lap, the movement making his cock thick with pleasure.

“I want to taste you until you arch your back off my bed. I want to be covered in you.” He ran his finger over her lips, and she exhaled softly. Her face was flushed, her chest high. He could feel her thighs clenching his. “I still remember how sweet you taste.”

She ran her hands up his chest, her palms brushing his nipples, and he had to bite his lip not to let out a groan.

“You’re full of promises,” she murmured. “But will you deliver?”

They shared a smile. “If I don’t,” he said, standing, and lifting her into his arms. “You can sue me.”

* * *

“I always play to win.”

Josh had said that to her in the Cold Fingers Café, when she’d refused to admit she remembered him. And now, as he stared down at her, his eyes heavy-lidded, his full lips parted, Holly wondered if he knew that he’d already won.

There was an intensity to him that took her breath away. After their kisses got hot and heavy, he’d threaded his fingers through hers, wordlessly taking her to his bedroom and kicking the door shut.

His bed was a California King that dominated the room, the thick mattress barely giving as he lay her down on it, her dark hair fanning out around her like a halo. He stood at the foot of it, his burning eyes raking down her body, his jaw set tight as he slowly slid his hands along her stockinged legs from her calves to her thighs.

Her chest hitched as he reached the seam of her stockings, his fingers sliding onto her bare, soft skin. His thumbs pressed into the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs, the ridge in his jeans thickening as he ghosted them over her satin panties.

Hooking his hands beneath her thighs, he hitched her legs up, pulling her toward the end of the bed. Dropping to his knees, so his gaze was in line with her body, he pulled her stockings down one by one, throwing them to the floor before returning to touch her once more. His hands were firm and sure as they slid back up her legs, his mouth soft as he pressed open kisses against her thighs. Holly had to grip the bedcovers to stop herself from arching her back, closing her eyes as he pressed his nose against her damp panties.

“You smell like I’ve died and gone to heaven.” His voice was rough.

“Don’t die yet.”

He chuckled and hooked his thumbs into her panties, dragging them down before pushing her legs further apart, lifting them over his shoulders to give him better access to her aching core.

She should have known he’d be good at this. But it still came as a shock when he found the sweetest of spots with the tip of his tongue, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body. He softly licked her again and again. It was too much and not enough. A maddening pleasure that made her want more.

Then he pushed his face against her, sucking her between his lips, the vibration of his moan making her clench hard. Damn, he was really good at this.

“Watch me.”

She propped herself up on her elbows, his dirty gaze catching hers, and he pulled at her again. She was still wearing her dress – and Josh was fully clothed. The carnality of his touch and his tongue was overwhelming.

She was twenty-eight years old. She’d had boyfriends, a fiancé. She wasn’t inexperienced, for goodness sake. But she’d never seen a man so intent on giving pleasure. He slid a finger inside her, then another, hooking them to hit the spot that made her back lift off the bed.

With his free hand, he pushed her back down, his hand firmly on her stomach as he sucked and licked until vibrant colors appeared behind her tightly closed lids. Her breath was stilted and fast, her heart hammering against her chest, and the pleasure… she wasn’t sure she could take much more.

“I’m going to…”

His eyes softened, as though he was smiling against her. Then he slid a third finger in, the pressure making her eyes widen before it tipped her over the edge. She trembled around him, the power of her orgasm making every muscle in her body tense. He slowly slid his fingers in and out, coaxing every last piece of pleasure, before pulling them away and sliding them between his lips.

“Take your dress off,” he said. He watched, fully clothed, as she pulled it over her head. “And the bra.”

She did as instructed, unhooking it and throwing it to the floor. His eyes flashed, a smile tugging at his lips. “You’re beautiful.”

“And you’re overdressed.”

His smile widened. He took his time undressing, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a broad, muscled chest with a slight covering of hair. Holly swallowed hard, her gaze dropping as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, taking his time as though he was completely in control of the situation.

All that was left were his dark shorts, the thick outline of his desire jutting against the black fabric. She could see his plush tip pushing at the waistband, and she swallowed hard, because damn, he was bigger than she’d remembered.

With his shorts still on, he grabbed a condom from his wallet, then climbed onto the bed, caging her in with his arms. He fingered a loose tendril of hair that had fallen against her cheek, his expression almost tender as he pressed his lips to the dip at the bottom of her neck.

“Are you okay?” he murmured. His lips glistened from her.

“More than okay.” She reached up, sliding her fingers into his hair. Their eyes met, and her chest contracted.

He was so damn beautiful she wanted to cry.

Instead, she slid her hand down between them, dipping inside his shorts to circle her palm around him. Josh let out a low groan, closing his eyes as she slowly moved her fist, her thumb circling the moistness at the tip of his hardness.

“If you keep doing that I’m going to mess up my shorts.”

She laughed at his warning. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

Josh shook his head. “No you don’t. You want me inside you.”

Her breath caught, because he was right. She did.

There was an emptiness inside her. A void that only he could fill. She wanted to feel the thickness of him as he made her his. To feel the warm tautness of his chest against the soft swell of her breasts.

Holly tugged impatiently at his shorts. Josh moved so she could pull them over his muscled thighs, her fingers grazing against the soft hair that covered his calves. Then he was naked, too, looming over her in all his glory, and she felt her chest tighten again.

What was wrong with her? She felt like she was on the edge of tears. She blinked them away as he slowly brushed his lips against hers.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “I need you inside me.” She ran her finger along the ridge of him and the sound of his moan grounded her.

The rip of the condom packet echoed through the silence. He slid it on, then held himself at the base, sliding himself against her slick warmth, lining himself up with the part of her that needed him the most.

She held her breath, as he kissed her again. His lips warm and hungry. Dropping his brow against hers, he slowly pushed himself inside her until he’d filled her to the hilt. For a moment he held himself still, allowing her to become accustomed to the pressure, and she looked at him through half-open eyes.

His jaw was tight, his eyes burning. He took her calves in his hands and pushed her legs up, so her knees were hitting her chest, her calves grazing his shoulders. She was open to him. Vulnerable and oh-so-needy. His throat undulated as he swallowed. Then he rocked his hips until he almost pulled out, before he pushed back into her, building the rhythm between them.

She could feel it again. The pleasure built inside her, stroke by stroke, coiling and hissing until another release was inevitable.

Josh pressed his lips to hers, his tongue caressing and sliding, his skin heavy and slick as he rocked them both to oblivion.

“If you forget me after this, I’m quitting sex for good.”

She laughed against his mouth, then gasped because damn, he knew how to angle his body. She grasped onto his shoulders, her body arching to meet his, her toes curling with anticipation of the release his body promised.

“I knew you would feel like this. So tight. So good.” His rhythm increased, his jaw tightened, and his fingers dug into her hips as he held her. “Should have done this before. Should never have left.”

Tears stung at her eyes again. Her throat felt so tight it was getting hard to breathe. “Josh…”

“Say my name again.” His voice was as rough as his movements. His body was slick with perspiration.

“Make me feel good, Josh.”

Without missing a beat, he pushed his hand between their bodies, his fingers coaxing pleasure as he began to throb inside her. When it came, the wave was almost unbearable. It lifted her up so high that all she could do was cling to him, crying out his name as she convulsed around his thick, hard length.

Then he was joining her in pleasure. His groan low and thick, his hips stilling as he pulsed hard and hot. “Holly.” He kissed her roughly, releasing his hold on her so she could collapse bonelessly against the mattress.

For a moment they lay there, his hard weight intensifying the ache, his slow kisses, making her feel so wanted it almost hurt.

“I need to pull out,” he warned her. Holly nodded, still trying to regain the power of speech. Securing the condom with his fingers, he pulled his hips back, and the sudden loss of fullness made Holly sigh.

She was already missing him and he was still here.

“Don’t move,” he told her. “I’m just heading to the bathroom then I’ll be back.”

“I don’t think I could move if I wanted to.”

He laughed and walked away, and yes, she ogled his perfect ass, because perfection deserved to be admired. A minute later, he was back with a warm washcloth and a towel, telling Holly to stay still as he cleaned her up, his movements gentle against her sensitive skin.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked her.

“Water would be good.”

He gave her a smile, as though pleased with her answer. “Anything else? A sandwich? Some chips?”

She grinned. “I think you already filled me up.”

Josh chuckled and grabbed his shorts, pulling them on and walking out of the bedroom. Holly lay back on the bed, staring up at the white ceiling, her breathing still stilted.

He was an attentive lover. She’d expected that. But she hadn’t expected the sweet softness afterward. It made her feel warm and wanted, and so damn confused.

And despite the aching between her legs, and the sheen of perspiration covering her body, she wanted more. So much more.