“I’ll carry it,” Starlight offered, taking the large pot from Mrs. Thomas and heading up the path.
“I’ll be in, in just a minute, sweet girl!” Mrs. Thomas offered, making the three men groan. “Oh, shush you three, I only have a few ideas… The right ones, as always!”
Meghan hooked arms with Starlight and headed inside.
“The cider was totally a ploy.”
“My aunt is amazing!” Meghan said laughing. “It’s hard to argue with her when she’s bringing you something to eat or drink. She’ll probably keep them out there for another hour… the least…”
Starlight glanced back at the group, the three men stooping to hear whatever Mrs. Thomas was telling them.
“Smart lady!”
“She is!” Meghan exclaimed n
‘Our house.’ Those two wonderful words… Those sweet, unexpected words that Starlight said jolted him.“My pleasure,” Elijah said, winking at her before he hurried out of the kitchen. Once out of her sight, he shook his head. Maybe he liked what she’d said a little too much. After finding more strands of white Christmas lights, Elijah set about filling the holes his mother had found. And he tried his hardest not to let James and Gary linger inside a hell of a lot longer than five minutes. The smile James wore when he did finally show up rubbed him the wrong way. Ever since they were kids, James liked to get a rise out of him.
After James left the house, Starlight counted to twenty before locking the door and hurried back to her bedroom. She was amazed by how quickly her heart rate picked up. Her body seemed to rise and tighten, already sparking with the fire that gripped her moments before. Finding Elijah propped up on the pillows, the sheet resting low around his waist, was oil to her flame.“Is he gone?” he asked, tossing a small heart-shaped pillow at her. “Did he try to charm his way into your pants once again?”“Will you stop it?” Starlight said smiling. Then she leaned back against the wall, enjoying the view. He was absolutely gorgeous… His black hair was mussed, and his jaw and chest were dusted with a dark shadow. She could see the outline of one thigh beneath her sheet and th
It filled her with excitement, and a longing so deep and profound it made her feel a bit uneasy. Before she could examine it further, or remind herself they weren’t playing for keeps, Elijah slowly caressed her sex. He sucked in a sharp breath, the sound curling around her.“Dammit,” Elijah murmured and Starlight could hear the need, the impatience in his voice. The scent of her arousal saturated the small room and teased her nostrils. A shiver tingled all the way to her toes as her blood pulsed hot.“Dammit,” he murmured again, desire deepening his voice and fueling the need inside her. Her sex pulsed at the warm and wicked sensations.“I need your mouth on me,” she said unable to hold back any longer. “I need you to put your tongue on my
Elijah was happy. The radio was on and Starlight sat in his truck, singing ‘Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree’ along with Brenda Lee while holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Her eyes were sparkling and she looked happy like a little girl on Christmas Day… He drove five miles an hour down First Lane, uncaring that they were wedged, bumper to bumper, among the opening-night crowd. At the rate they were going, it would take an hour before they were done. And he couldn’t be happier. Not that their adventures in the bedroom an hour ago hadn’t been amazing. They definitely were. Starlight was amazing between the sheets, so passionate, so sexy… so mind-blowing… And that body…“Wow,” she said, stopping the train of his thoughts, “Look, Elijah,” Starlight added, tapping the window at one especially lit-up home. “Check out those animatronics. Do you get extra points for that?”“Depends on the judging committee. There was a big fallout a few years
Starlight stared out the front window. She saw him sitting in his truck, looking at the house. Beyond the steady stream of headlights and the happy sparkle of her Christmas lights, Elijah was there. Waiting… She was testing him and she knew it. She’d sent him away and he was listening to her. Even if she hadn’t really wanted to stay away, not really. What the hell was she doing? Starlight crept closer to the window, watching him run a hand over his face, shake his head, and back the truck out of the driveway. He headed down the road, his brake lights glowing red before he turned right.“Fine… Go!” she gasped. “See if I care… Time to bake anyway.” She changed into some thermal leggings and a large sweatshirt, the feel of her own fingertips on her skin making her pause and sigh. Her fingers felt soft, not rough like Elijah’s. His fingers… His lips…“Stop it, Starlight!” she scolded herself. Irritated, Starlig
“You’re taking all of this?” Meghan asked, eyeing the double-stacked cake plate and Tupperware container full of her sugarplum cookies.“Too much temptation sitting around,” Starlight said smiling. “Tonight’s the whole reason I made them.”“EJ let you out of bed long enough to cook? A huge sacrifice…” Meghan teased. Starlight laughed.“We’re not that bad...” Which wasn’t true. Every time Elijah was in the same room, she wanted to touch him, kiss him... to have him.“Whatever,” Meghan said and snorted. “Are you two really trying to keep this thing a secret?” Starlight glanced at her friend.“‘This thing’?”“Starlight, there’s obviously something going on between you two.”“It’s called sex,” Starlight argued. “Nothing else.” She had to keep reminding herself of that. Waking up to him, his tongue stroking between her legs and his fingers sliding deep, had been the perfect way to start the day. Before he left for work, the hot coffee and kiss had be
“Girls, this is Starlight,” Meghan said, making the introductions.“Oh, I’ve heard so much about you,” Harper said, hugging her. Anna exchanged a quick smile with Harper, her large eyes sweeping Starlight from head to foot.“It’s so nice to meet you.” She nudged Jeremy. His hug was awkward and brief.“Welcome back, Starlight.”“Thank you, Jeremy.”“Hey, Starlight,” Edward said, hugging her. “Glad you’re home.”“It’s nice to be back,” Starlight said. “Congratulations to both of you… Well, all of you...” Starlight ignored the hollow ache in her stomach at the clear adoration both Edward and Jeremy had for their women.
Elijah yawned, beyond tired as he steered his truck down the dark streets toward home. Nothing like working forty-eight hours straight… A long forty-eight hours shift… Between Bobby Sutton’s disappearance and a pop-up meth lab tip, he’d driven over most of the county and turned up nothing but an abandoned barn and cold trails. He’d busted two teens selling pot at a corner store but lost another in the park. At least he hadn’t spent much time at his desk. Nothing like sitting underneath humming fluorescent lights to make a man doze. Being up, out, and adrenaline pumping kept him sharp and focused. He hadn’t been slated for the shift, but when his coworker’s wife had gone into early labor, he’d volunteered to cover the man’s shift. Unlike the vast majority of the Smithville force, he was… single. Had Starlight noticed he was gone? Missed him at all? Elijah blew out a deep breath. Dammit, he’d thought about her a hell