Chapter 14
Ella rode up to Joe’s house and steered her bike to the side, not wanting to leave it out in the open like a flashing neon sign letting the town know she and Lucas were inside together. Though, a part of her wasn’t completely against it.
Each day they spent together was a countdown until the day he went back to California. She hated that the little time they had left together would be spent sneaking around like a couple of forbidden teenagers.
She wanted to be able to hold his hand and walk down the boardwalk, passing both their grandfather’s restaurants and not worrying that they were committing treason.
There was no point dwelling on the things she couldn’t change, so she glanced around the property to make sure the coast was clear, then hurried to the door. Lucas had texted her and told her to come in when she arrived, so she pushed the door open and stepped into the house she’d always admired from afar but never up close.
Inside was much cozier than she expected, with exposed wood and warm earth tones. She walked through a foyer, a living room on one side with dark brown leather couches and on the other side another sitting place with soft plush hunter green couches that sat around a fireplace. Ella was actually surprised; she expected the house to be ostentatious like his restaurant. Maybe not with flashing signs and bright red wood cut outs in the shapes of lobsters but something a little more over the top than the subdued serenity she was experiencing.
It was a large house for only one man, and Ella wondered if the space was more a comfort to Joe or a burden. Having so much room and no one to share it with seemed terribly lonely. There were no family pictures on the walls and in the one room just a single painting of a forest hung above the hunter green couch.
If he moved the picture over the fireplace and added a mirror above the couch it would give the room more depth and reflect the natural light, not to mention it would help dress up the room. It was a great space with so much potential that didn’t seem to match the rest of the house.
The ideas began forming in her head as she moved on, taking in the paintings on the hallway wall all done by local artists. She wondered why he didn’t hang a few in the other rooms.
The mouth-watering scent of rosemary and garlic filled the air.
“Hello?” she called out, following the delicious aromas.
“I’m in here,” Lucas called to her, and she followed his voice into an updated kitchen with dark stained wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and dark gray and white marble granite countertops.
It was absolutely stunning, and though Ella knew Joe didn’t have family she hoped that he had friends to share this amazing space with. “This kitchen is beautiful,” Ella said as she walked in.
Lucas turned from the stove, his gaze immediately heating as it landed on her. Her teeth slid over her bottom lip at the intense gaze. “Hey,” he said.
She moved to him, not looking over her shoulder or worried about getting caught, and lifted on tip-toe to kiss him.
He pulled her to him, kissing her thoroughly until she couldn’t think straight. He drew back, resting his forehead against hers, a smile playing with the edges of his mouth. “I missed you,” he said.
“You act like you haven’t seen me in days.”
“It sure as hell feels like it.” He smiled wider, and she felt it right down to her core.
She cleared her throat and spun toward the stove. “So, what is that I’m smelling?”
“Lemon, rosemary roasted chicken,” he said.
“If it tastes as good as it smells then it’s going to be delicious.” She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a knife to help him cut the potatoes he had on the counter. “I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I was expecting to come here to a bunch of take-out bags.”
“No faith. I’m insulted.” He smiled, causing the dimple in his right cheek to appear.
She laughed. “Well, you shouldn’t be, but I on the other hand, am pleasantly surprised. Where did you learn how to cook?”
“Leo, my roommate in college. His dad was a chef.”
“Lucky you. I lived on Ramen for the two years I was in school.”
He dropped a bunch of asparagus in a grill pan and added olive oil. “If given the choice,” he said, “would you choose to eat Ramen for the rest of your life or lobster?”
“Oh god,” she said. “Do I have another option?”
“Nope.”
She tapped her chin while in thought. “I guess lobster.”
“I really thought you’d go Ramen,” he said.
“It was close, but there are more things I can do with lobster. I can sauté it, toss it with pasta, put it on a roll, grill it, really the options are infinite.”
“I’d say you made a good choice then. So, how was your day?”
“Other than being lured into an alleyway by some mysterious and handsome man?” she said with a wink. “It wasn’t bad.”
He came up behind her, his front pressing against her back, his hand running down her arm and resting where she held the knife. “That was definitely the highlight of your day, though, right?” he said against her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin, sending a sexy chill down her spine.
“I did have a really good cup of cookies ‘n cream ice cream, so it’s steep competition.”
“Oh really?” he said, his hand wrapping around her front and urging her against his hardness. “Maybe I can give you a little reminder.”
She arched into him, rubbing back and forth. A needy groan rumbled up his throat as she continued her sensual movements. His hand slipped beneath her shirt, running across her stomach and up over the satin cup of her bra.
He molded her breast to his hand, and she whimpered at the delicious contact. He kissed a hot path down the length of her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin at her collarbone.
Her body turned to molten heat, tiny sparks exploding through her in rapid fast succession. His tongue skimmed her earlobe, and a fresh layer of goosebumps erupted along her neck.
His strong hands landed on her hips, and she dropped the knife, gripping the hard surface of the counter. He spun her around, pressing her against the counter, and capturing her lips in one fluent motion.
Their lips moved together perfectly in sync with each other. The air crackled between them, setting smoke to her already burning body.
She reached for his pants just as a loud blaring noise cut through the kitchen. Ella’s heart slammed against her chest at the interruption, and she jumped back.
“Shit!” Lucas said as he released his grip on her and turned to the stove. He grabbed the pan of asparagus and tossed it to the other burner, smoke rising and twisting in the air toward the blaring smoke detector.
Ella laughed as she grabbed a towel and climbed up on a chair, waving the smoke away from the alarm.
Finally, after several loud moments, the blaring came to an end.
“You really know how to make a girl hot,” Ella said as she stepped off the chair.
Lucas looked at her, blue eyes that were just so dark with desire, softening to amusement. He laughed, loud and hard, a noise so contagious it caused her to burst out a laugh even louder than his.
Once she was able to breathe, she went back to the potatoes.
“Why the anchor?” he asked and she turned to him with an arched eyebrow. He motioned to her ankle. “Your tattoo. I noticed it poking out of the bottom of your pants when you were on the chair.”
“You're very observant,” she said. “I got it my first year of college. I went with a friend and had no intention of getting anything done but then I saw the little anchor and it reminded me so much of home.”
“And you had to get it.”
She nodded. “It’s like having a piece of Willow Cove with me but it’s more than that too. It’s my family, my beliefs, traditions, all the things that help keep me grounded. If I ever feel like I’m losing control, getting lost in the chaos, I remember the anchor holding me in place while I weather whatever storm life throws at me.” She shrugged and went back to cutting. “It’s silly, I know.”
“It’s not.”
She stilled at his words, letting them flow through her like a sweet hug.
Lucas eyed her, and she held the knife up jokingly. “Last time you came near me you nearly set the kitchen on fire. Why don’t we wait until all fire hazards and sharp items are put away safely?”
He looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes that warmed her soul. “Fine, but only because you said you were starving. You’re going to need your energy for what I have planned later.”
Waves of hot anticipation crashed into her, and she tried to focus on cutting the last two potatoes.
“Is that why you asked me here?” she asked.
“No, I actually thought we could watch a movie,” he said.
“Really?” It was silly, but Ella was a huge movie buff. Most people liked to go out after a long week, but she preferred to curl up with a blanket and a good flick. “What movie did you have in mind?”
“That new movie with Bex Shepard is available to stream right now.”
Ella smiled. “I already saw it in the theater. I see all her movies as soon as they come out. I just love her.”
“Then option two.”
“What’s option two?” she asked.
“Willow Cove.”
She laughed. “You know I’ve seen that movie like five hundred times, right? It’s kind of a prerequisite to live here.”
“Well, I was told by a local that I needed to see it.”
Ella gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth in mock shock. “Are you telling me you haven’t seen one of the greatest movies of all time that takes place in our very own little town?”
Lucas laughed. “Guilty.”
“Then we must remedy that,” she said with a quirk of her lip. “But after we eat.”