Page 11 of Peaked Desires

She looks at me like I’m crazy, but she does as she’s told. Her eyes remain on mine as she sips. I can’t look away as her lips purse around the rim of the cup. She swallows and her tongue swipes across her lips. I’m sure I imagine the moan that leaves her lips, but then she does it again with the next mouthful.

Fuck. God give me mercy on this gorgeous woman.

So seductive. So sexy.

Is she doing that on purpose?

The air thickens around us and I move in closer. I can’t help myself. I need this woman, I need her touch. She must see the urges passing through me because she takes a step back and sits down, long lashes batting up at me.

“This is good tea,” she says softly.

I settle down beside her and drink my tea. “Thank you."

The tension in the air slowly dissipates as the warmth of the fire engulfs us. We make small talk and I watch as Elise looks around my home. She asks questions about my life, and I tell her this was my childhood home. We talk about the launch and how we’re nearly over the line.

I can sense Elise’s nervousness about the mistake she’s made. The fact that I haven’t addressed it yet is playing with her emotions, but I keep her talking and slowly she relaxes.

Her mistake could happen to anyone, plus, from what she’s told me, I know it’ll be easy to fix. I could have done it by now, a simple back-up on the cloud will restore it into the computer program. But if I fix it too quickly she’ll disappear again, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

Putting it off keeps her here. Where she belongs.

We sit in the warmth and comfort of the fire, talking for nearly an hour and drinking tea together. I can tell she’s intrigued by the photos of my family hanging nearby because she keeps staring at them.

By the time we finish our tea, I see darkness beginning to take hold outside. Flickering flames give my cabin a warm feeling and I jump up to turn on a few lamps.

“Well, I guess we should take a look at this reservation issue,” I say, moving to the table where my laptop is on the dining table.

I crack it open and fire it up. Elise moves over to stand behind me, bringing her intoxicating perfume with her. She watches me as I alternate between programs, retrieving the files from the cloud, adding them back in with a few clicks of the computer.

“You’ve done it!” Elise says excitedly, her warm hand touching my back. My skin feels like it’s about to catch fire where she’s touching me, but I don’t dare move.

“Nearly…” I mumble, staring at the screen. “Just move these bookings here… and… done.”

I stand up and clap my hands together. Elise’s jaw drops, her beautiful big eyes wide with relief.

“That’s it?” she gasps. “Everything is fixed? I didn’t ruin everything?”

I chuckle, and shake my head.

Relieved, Elise moves in to hug me. My heart skips a beat and without thinking, I pull her against me. Elise lets out a sigh of relief and rests her head against my chest. She melts into me, and I feel the tension in her bones relax. My heart is pounding so fucking hard I’m sure she can hear it.

I’m not sure how long we stand like it for, but when we pull apart Elise’s gaze meets mine. Her eyes aren’t anything like I’ve been imagining all week - they’re more beautiful than I thought.

“I told you everything would be ok,” I say softly.

“Th-thank you,” she whispers, her voice barely above a breath. “I couldn’t bear the thought of ruining this for you. I know how hard you’ve worked, Huxton.”

“It’s late,” I say, glancing over her shoulder to the blackened windows. “You should stay for dinner.”

Elise hesitates, but before she can answer, I pull her soft body closer, holding her tighter against me. “I insist.”

Without too much hesitation, Elise settles back in my armchair while I prepare a simple meal in the kitchen. I open the best bottle of wine I have stashed at the back of the pantry, a dark red that’s aged well. We eat in front of the fire, sitting on the floor, legs crossed with pillows beneath our asses.

“I remember cold winter nights like this as a kid,” I tell Elise as she brings her wine glass to her lips. “Dad was always on about wasting firewood, so we would have to sit this close just to feel the warmth.”

“You live in a forest!” Elise laughs.

“I know!” I chuckle, remembering the way he used to scold us. “That was my father for you. He’d wait until the last embers were just about to stop glowing before adding the next log.”

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