Page 44 of The Marrying Kind
I pressed kisses on her wrists and then pulled down Ella’s sweats. By the time my clothes were crumbled in a pile on the floor with hers, I was pretty sure I’d kissed every inch of her twice over.
That would have to last me. What was it, a measly two hundred kisses? That still wasn’t enough, but Ella was breathing hard and reaching for me, and I wasn’t going to deny her anything she asked for.
I did my best to make it last forever, but after her second orgasm, I succumbed to my own. She nestled in, snuggling against my side, and we lay together until finally our breathing slowed.
“So, this is it, I guess.” I heard myself then, and realized how heartbroken I sounded.
“I guess so.”
The next question came tumbling out of my mouth like a freight train. “Will I see you again?”
“I don’t know,” she said softly.
“Make sure I do. Come back and see us. Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Good, because I’ll be here waiting for you.”
I didn’t really even know what I meant by that, because I wanted it to be true in all the ways possible. But I knew that most likely, I’d never see this woman again.
18
GHOST TOWN
Austen
The moment I gained some semblance of consciousness in the morning, I was immediately aware of my loss. The spot next to me on the bed, where I fell asleep holding on to Ella, was cold. Empty.
Bolting upright, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and called out her name, even though I knew I didn’t need to. I’d had a nagging feeling she was going to do this. Sneak out without saying good-bye.
Man, I was hopeless. This girl was a stranger I let stay over on a whim because she needed a place to crash, and I had fallen in love with her.
There was nothing I could do about it now, and this feeling inside me, like my heart grew wings and flew away, I had to get over it and fast. If possible.
First things first. I needed to get out of this room because the sheets still faintly smelled like Ella. But,shit, that plan didn’t work either, because apparently Ella’s ghost was everywhere in this place.
Since when did my bachelor pad become riddled with memories of a woman? Ella was that potent, though. She was that special, and now everything that might have been between us was over. I needed to get the hell out of there.
As fast as I could, I got ready and climbed in my truck. Even out there were traces of Ella. The tire tracks in the fresh snow were the only tangible evidence that she had been here at all. That I didn’t make her up in some sort of fever dream. At least, if that were the case, I wouldn’t feel so shitty.
I wasn’t even certain about where I was heading until I spotted my mom’s bakery and saw her car out front. Pulling in, I stormed through the door, a little part of my heart leaping, hoping for some reason Ella was just up early to help my mom out again, but no. She wasn’t here. Just my mom, smiling at me with a face full of understanding.
“You look like you could use a coffee.”
She turned around to pour me a cup as I stood in the middle of the small space, probably looking completely lost. I took the cup from her and sipped as she assessed me.
“I’m sorry, Austen. I know how much you liked her.”
“So, you know she’s gone?” I asked. Maybe Ella had told my mom her plans. Or maybe Mom could just read my face that well.
“We all liked her,” Mom said. So, she knew. That Ella was leaving and how much it would hurt me.
“Yeah, well, I guess it doesn’t matter much now, does it?” I wasn’t sure why my words came out so harsh. Mom deserved better from me.
“I suppose not. She’s got wild oats she needs to sow, son. She won’t be happy until she feels good about her life experiences. I don’t know much about her private life, but I could at least tell that much. This whole bucket-list thing has deep meaning for her.”
“It does.”
