the door open and urged her inside. As soon as the door shut, he tugged her up against his chest and kissed her hard on the lips. The impact was sudden and startling and hot and Ellie couldn’t get enough of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer to her.
Within seconds, he softened the kiss and she sighed, parting her lips to allow him entrance. Their tongues tangled gently and Ellie felt herself melting against him.
Without a warning, he stepped back, grabbed hold of her light summer dress and whipped it up and over her head, tossing it onto the chair.
Wearing only her bra and panties, Ellie grabbed his shirt and started unbuttoning it with frantic urgency.
“You’re overdressed,” she groused.
“Let me do it,” he said, laughing as he pushed her hands away. After ripping it off his shoulders, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her through the living room and into the bedroom. He tossed her on the bed, knelt above her and unzipped his jeans, releasing his enormous erection.
Ellie shivered as he gripped her bottom, lifted her up off the mattress and guided her onto his thick length. She groaned in pure delight as he filled her completely.
His mouth devoured hers as they moved together rhythmically and Ellie was so lost in passion, she wondered if she had been created for this moment. As his fervor met hers, they reached the pinnacle together and tumbled into rapture. Her heart was so full, she knew she had never felt so much pleasure, so much love before.
Moments later, he collapsed onto her. After catching his breath, he finally murmured in her ear, “I’m sorry I dragged you out of the bar, but I knew I was going to explode if I couldn’t be inside you right away.”
“I loved it,” she whispered, then cringed. She only hoped her voice sounded casual saying those words. But even if Aidan wasn’t spooked by the words, Ellie was. The L word was something she never said out loud.
But Aidan was already asleep, so she held him in her arms and they dozed for a while. Sometime in the middle of the night, Aidan woke her up and made love to her slowly. Afterwards, they slept. The next time Ellie awoke, it was morning. The sun was streaming into Aidan’s bedroom, but she was alone in his bed.
She sat up, looked around and told herself that she preferred it this way. The sooner she got pregnant and got used to her life without Aidan, the better off she would be.
*
Hours later, Ellie sat in the bar, chatting with the friendly box boys while Larry, the funny salesman, designed a one-of-a-kind cardboard box for her on his tablet.
When he was finished, he held the screen up so she could see it. “There, just for you. I’m calling it the Ellie. Wait, we can add a design, too.”
He tapped his fingers on the sidebar and the box was suddenly filled with a green and red circle pattern surrounded by curlicues.
“Oh, I like that pattern,” she said, fascinated by everything he’d done. Who knew the cardboard box guys could be so creative?
“Hi, Ellie.”
The deep voice came from behind her. She turned and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the tall, good-looking man. “Blake? What’re you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d stop in for a drink and I saw you.” He glanced around. “Can you take a break and talk?”
“Umm, of course.” She turned back to her salesman. “I’m sorry, Larry, but would you excuse me?”
“Sure, Ellie,” Larry said, eyeing Blake curiously. “No problem.”
She sucked in a bracing breath and tried to mask her distress at the fact that Blake was here unannounced, then gazed up at her ex-boyfriend. “Let’s go out to the terrace.”
He followed her to a quiet corner of the patio bar and found an empty table. He pulled a chair out for her and as he was sitting, she took the time to study him. He was classically tall, dark and handsome, with dark brown eyes and nearly black hair. Most women would swoon over his movie-star good looks, but Ellie had learned the hard way that looks weren’t everything. Not that Blake had hurt her irreparably, but he hadn’t turned out to be as nice or as honorable as she’d hoped he would be.
“Would you two like something to drink?”
Ellie looked up and saw Dee, her waitress friend, standing there, looking back and forth from