Right in that moment, standing at his mother’s kitchen sink, he became acutely aware of the fact that he needed to marry her to ensure she’d never be anywhere other than with him, where she belonged. If one night away from her had left him reeling, the thought of the whole rest of his life without her was like imagining a return to the barren wasteland of nothingness where he’d been stranded for far too long. After the taste of heaven he’d had with her, he had no desire whatsoever to return to that life.
Filled with irrational fear of all the many ways he could still screw this up, he resolved to act sooner rather than later to make this relationship permanent. Once she had his ring on her finger, she wouldn’t be able to get away. She’d be stuck with him, for better or worse. And he’d be gloriously, blissfully stuck with her.
He couldn’t wait for that.
* * *
Ella decided an hour with Amelia and Bob was enough to be polite, enough to make Gavin suffer a little and enough to get her nerves under control before the reveal of the big surprise. He’d had nothing to add to the conversation about his parents’ trip other than to wish them safe travels and a good time and to give Dylan his best.
He’d never once said he wished he were going, too.
But she refused to let that omission derail her. Of course he wouldn’t say that because he had himself convinced he couldn’t go. She was about to prove otherwise.
“You ready?” he asked from his spot next to her on the sofa.
“If you are.”
He glared at her, letting her know how ready he was to leave—how ready he’d been for some time now.
“It was so nice of you to cut short your holiday with your own family to spend some time with us,” Amelia said when she walked them to the door.
“It was well worth it for that pie of yours,” Ella said. “I need your recipe.”
“I’ll write it down for you. It’s Gavin’s favorite.”
“Thanks for a fabulous day, Mom,” Gavin said, kissing her cheek. “Have a great trip and be safe.”
“We’ll call you while we’re away.”
“Don’t worry about me. Just have a good time.”
“I will worry about you, and I will call you.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he grumbled with a good-natured grin for his mother.
“He’s all yours for the next week,” Amelia said when she hugged Ella.
“I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
“That sounds good to me,” he said. With his hand on Ella’s back, Gavin led her out of the house. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine.”
She could tell he was surprised to hear her say that, because they’d been spending most nights at his place thanks to her nosy landlady.
“It’s closer,” she said meaningfully.
“Hurry.” He patted her ass and sent her along to her car, which was parked behind his truck.
As Ella followed the speed limit to the letter, she could almost feel him boiling behind her. She’d felt him on slow simmer the whole time she’d been at his parents’ home, trying to be polite while she visited with Bob and Amelia when all he wanted to do was get her out of there.
It was heady stuff to be wanted that way by the man she loved. But it was also fun to play with him a little, to make him wait, to build the tension.
She pulled into her driveway with him right behind her. Before she could gather her purse and the backpack she’d taken to Burlington, he was upon her, opening her door and reaching for her seatbelt. “Gavin! Wait.”
“I’ve already waited long enough.”
“Five more minutes won’t kill you.”
“It just might. Move it.” He “helped” her out of the car and propelled her along with the force of his own desire. Her feet barely touched the ground on the way inside or as they went up the stairs as one being, his arm around her waist moving her along. Once again, she felt swept away by him, overtaken in the best possible way. The potent excitement of being back in his arms was overshadowed only by the lingering fear of how her surprise would be received.
Inside her apartment, he took the backpack from her and dropped it with a thud inside the door. Then he removed her coat, her sweater and was working on her jeans by the time she caught up to him.
“Gavin, wait, I want to talk to you—”
“After. We’ll talk after.” His coat, sweater, boots and jeans ended up in the same pile with her clothes. When they were both down to underwear, he took her hand and led her to her bedroom. “Come here, baby.” He drew her into his arms and breathed a heavy sigh. “Don’t go away anymore without me, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, heartened by the comment. Perhaps her surprise would be a big hit after all.
His hands were everywhere—on her back, her shoulders, her ribs, cupping her breasts and squeezing her ass—as if he were taking inventory to ensure she’d returned to him whole and intact. Kneeling before her, he helped her out of her panties and then removed her bra before standing.
She helped with his boxers and drew him into bed with her.
“I thought I was going to die watching you eat whipped cream at my mother’s,” he whispered against her neck. “I wanted to dive across the table and have you right there.”
“You don’t think that would’ve shocked your parents?”
“You’ll notice I managed to control myself. Just barely.”
“No need to control yourself now.”
His low growl was his only warning before he took her mouth in a series of savage kisses.
Ella was breathless as she tried to keep up with him. She’d never seen him so undone by desire, and she loved it. Though she couldn’t wait to tell him about the trip, she would wait until after they’d slaked the ravenous need that she felt every bit as acutely as he did. She gave herself over to him, surrendering entirely.
“God, Ella, you’re so sexy. I wanted you the second you walked in the door with your cheeks all flushed from the cold. How do you do that to me? How do you make me so crazy?”
“You do the same to me. I thought about you all the way from Burlington when I was driving way faster than I should’ve been because I couldn’t wait to see you.”
He stopped kissing her and raised his head so he could see her face. “Don’t do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Drive too fast when you’re on your way to me. Don’t take chances with your safety.”
“I didn’t—”
“Promise me you won’t do that again.”
Because it seemed to matter so much to him, she said, “Okay, I won’t.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Good,” he said, kissing her softly and with less urgency than he’d shown a few minutes ago. “If anything ever happened to you . . .”
“Nothing is going to happen. I’m right here and I love you.”
“I want to touch you everywhere and make you pay for making me suffer at my parents’ house, but more than anything I need to be inside you right now.”
“Yes, Gavin . . . Please.” She raised her hips and offered herself to him. Everything she had to give was his. It always had been and always would be.
He drove into her and dropped his head to her chest.
While her body stretched and burned from his entry, Ella ran her fingers through the hair she loved so much and tried to relax, to accommodate him.
“Nothing is like this,” he whispered. “Nothing.”
She smoothed her hands over his back and down to grip his ass, holding him inside her until she felt ready for more. “Make love to me, Gavin.”
“Gonna be fast.”
“That’s okay. We’ve got all night.”
Her words seemed to unleash something in him. He pounded into her repeatedly, taking them both on a wild ride that ended in one perfect moment of utter unity as they came together, groaning and clinging to each other as the tremors took them over.
He sagged into her arms, his big body vibrating from the powerful release. “Love you, Ella. Love you so much.”