Ellis spins around, but he makes a tortured sound as I drop my towel and wriggle into my underwear. “Lily…” he groans, his voice catching. “Do you have any idea what your scent is doing to me?”
“That’s the fancy shower gel’s fault,” I tell him, biting my lip to hold in my grin when he clutches the back of his neck again. “Just give me a sec to decide between these two very average clothing options.”
He glances over before he can stop himself, and I quickly plaster a t-shirt to my chest. I’m wearing a bra, but it’s not exactly the most flattering piece of underwear, and it’s hard not to feel self-conscious about it. My fashion needs come a long way down the list of things I have to cover in our budget, and I can’t help thinking of Tahlia in her expensive pantsuit. I might have flung our scent match connection in her face, but of the two of us, she’s the one who looks like she belongs on Ellis Castle’s arm.
While I’ve been lamenting the state of my underwear, Ellis has left his post by the door and crossed the room. He’s careful to keep a little distance between us, but it doesn’t stop his eyes from caressing my flushed skin. “I like the blue one,” he says softly, pointing to the t-shirt I’m clutching. “But I think this isone of those trash bag moments. As in, you could wear anything, and it would still take my breath away.”
He says it with such sincerity, I also find myself a little on the breathless side. “It’s been a while since I bought anything that wasn’t from a thrift store.”
“You know it would be my pleasure to change that. Anything you want, it’s yours, Lily.”
How easy would it be to just accept his generosity? I’m sure Madeline and the other girls would already be halfway to Boise in search of the fanciest boutique they can find. “I don’t have a lot of use for expensive clothes in Knotty Falls,” I tell him, pulling the blue t-shirt over my head. “But if you want to buy Leo something, that’s fine.”
“Well, now that you mention it…” He gives me a sheepish look and gestures at his phone. “I got a call from a friend who’s just arrived in Idaho. He’s at a ranch about an hour away, and I’d love to get your opinion on something he wants me to buy. Feel like going for a ride with me?”
“Um… okay. As long as I’m not needed around here, I guess it will be okay.”
He grins, clearly taking my lukewarm response in stride, and ten minutes later we’re in the back of the SUV with Cooper driving us east towards Idaho Falls. After some prodding, Ellis admits that Leo used his sling as the pennant on their fort, and I share a few stories about past mishaps. Parenting a kid as adventurous as Leo isn’t always easy, although I’m always amazed – and relieved - at how quickly he bounces back.
“Must be my stunt double’s genes,” Ellis quips, earning a chuckle from Cooper, but when he asks me about my meeting with Della, he loses his grin. “He’s a persistent asshole,” he grumbles. “Don’t let him force you into anything you don’t want to do.”
“I won’t. I trust Tristan to do right by the farm, and the extra money is going to be a nice bonus.”
“Like I said,” he murmurs, rolling his head on the back of the chair until our eyes meet. “Anything you want, I’m happy to help.”
I smile, but Tahlia’s accusations have picked at an old wound. I know he doesn’t see me as trying to take advantage, but I still need to sort out my financial woes on my own. Especially because Rosie is now thinking about cutting our losses…
“So, what’s next for you?” I ask, needing a reprieve from my anxious thoughts. “Are you really taking a break from acting?”
Maybe it’s a sensitive topic, too, given what just happened with Tahlia, but he squares his jaw, looking determined. “That’s the plan. I usually find it hard to turn down a new project, but right now I’m feeling burned out. My last director was… a handful, to say the least, and I’ve been working nonstop since the first Agent Ripcord film came out. I think this is a good time to step back and reassess my priorities. But more importantly, now that I’ve found you and Leo, I don’t want anything else getting in the way.”
He takes my hand, and I can feel his scent spreading under my skin like a seductive song. It’s so tempting just to lean in and succumb to his attention, but this isn’t the same as a passionate kiss in a True Value parking lot. Ellis is talking about making major changes, and that’s a lot to take on.
He must be able to read my mind, because his lips curve up in a way that does nothing for my flushed state. “Am I coming on too strong? Ot is always reminding me that most people have more than one gear.”
“No, you’re fine. You’re honest about what you want, and I need that right now.”
“Good. And if you want to move slow, I can do that for sure.” He squeezes my hand, his smile so appealing it’s hard to imaginewhy that would be good for anyone. “The thing is, we’re always going to be scent matches, Lily. Your scent is part of me now, and whatever happens, I’ll always cherish that.” I nod, because it’s hard to imagine a world where I wasn’t surrounded by his scent, too. “But you know what? It’s your eyes that I couldn’t forget. That weekend... they burned into my soul. Even years later, I swear I could describe their exact color, just based on memory alone.”
I could tell him the same thing, especially when Leo grew old enough for me to realize how much of his father he'd inherited. But if I’m honest with myself, Ellis haunted me long before I found out we shared a son. From the moment we met at that LA party, I wanted him with a wild kind of yearning, and that spark hasn’t dimmed just because I’m now older and supposedly wiser.
“Lily…?”
I bite my lip, because it’s impossible to miss the sweet notes of my arousal filling the air. As he breathes them in, Ellis’ grip tightens on mine, his pupils blowing wide. His voice is gruff with urgency as he says, “Cooper, find somewhere to pull over. Lily and I need a moment.”
God, this is a new level of awkward.
But in less than a minute, Cooper is turning into a rest stop and parking under a shady oak tree. He climbs out, only pausing to grab his cell and say, “Text me when you want me back, sir.”
My cheeks flame at the obvious implication, but he’s already shut the door and is striding over to a picnic table. Ellis doesn’t waste a moment, turning to me with that same yearning in his eyes. “Lily…?”
I give way with a needy whimper, and Ellis groans as he snatches me onto his lap. The car is even roomier than my truck, and I settle easily on his thighs, my gaze rooted on his parted lips. As we stare at each other, his fingers curl on my waist,the tips finding their way under the hem of my t-shirt. It’s as if he’s both learning the texture of my skin and daring me to inch closer. But I was putty in his hands a long time ago. “Can I kiss you, Ellis?”
His eyes widen, the long dark lashes fluttering as his pupils expand like liquid moons. “Yes… Seriously? Um. You really never need to ask…”
I cut him off with my lips and he groans as our mouths slide together. There are no awkward angles or clacking teeth, just the soft, sweet pressure of a perfect kiss that goes on and on. We taste and tease, his tongue sweeping across the seam of my mouth in a way that feels almost worshipful. Like he’s trying to learn everything he can from this small part of me, ready to soothe my worries away, one breath-stealing kiss at a time.
I’m too greedy to just sit there and take it. I want to discover him, too, and I squeeze his shoulders as I invade his mouth, licking across his pliant tongue. Ellis’ caramel and clove scent tastes like smoky syrup, and I can’t get enough of it. “Please, Ellis…”
