Never Far Away (The Never #2)(60)
“That was one of the best moments of my life, hearing you say those words to me.”
“Mine too.”
“Sorry I couldn’t make this happen at the beach, but as I remember, you had a problem with the visibility factor at the beach. So I thought perhaps you would appreciate the privacy of the hotel room.” She turned and looked around the room, still taking it all in. He saw when she took in the giant picture window that overlooked all the skyscrapers that lined the night sky, twinkling lights and all.
“Wow. Porter, I’ve never seen the city like this before. It’s so beautiful. Definitely a change of scenery from the beach, but I like it just as much.” She turned back to look at him. “How did you pull all of this off anyway?”
“Well, I left work early and came here with all the supplies, then while we were at dinner Megan and Patrick came to help get everything set up.”
“This is very sweet, Porter, but I don’t need all of this.”
He could tell she was worried about his work, and how much he must have spent on the hotel room. He placed his hands on her waist and brought his face down level with hers.
“I was thinking all morning about how stressful the last week had been for you. And I know that there aren’t many places you feel safe at the moment.”
“I feel safe with you,” she interrupted him.
He kissed her for that.
“I’m glad you feel safe with me, but I want you to feel safe all the time. This morning you had to leave early because you didn’t want to be at my house alone and I know you have issues being at your place. I just wanted, even if it’s just for tonight, to give you a place without any negative memories, where we can relax and enjoy each other.” He kissed her again, this time she leaned into him and he brought his hands up to her face to hold her right where he wanted her. Eventually he remembered the one part of this surprise that was one hundred percent, completely, and undeniably all for him. He pulled away from her with a smile.
“There should be something for you in the bathroom. Go check it out.”
She gave him a crooked eyebrow and slowly pulled back from him, then headed towards the bathroom. While she was gone he spread the sleeping bags out on the floor, lit the few candles that were spread around the room, turned the lights down, and opened the bottle of champagne. When he heard the bathroom door open he turned to see her. He knew what was waiting for him, but what he couldn’t have anticipated was the way seeing her affected him.
She stood in the doorway and the candlelight dimly cast a golden hue on her that only complimented the creamy color of her skin. In contrast to her milky skin was the black lace that she wore. She rested her hip against the doorjamb of the bathroom, her hands behind her back, allowing him an uninterrupted view of her perfectly sexy body. She had pulled her hair down and it was falling softly down past her shoulders. She was absolutely everything he could ever want in a woman. From the way she was stubborn about the stupidest things, to the way she seemed to need him. He doubted he would ever be able to fully explain to her how he felt, so showing her was the next best option.
“Ella, you’re breathtaking.” She smiled at him and then, lifting her hip off the doorjamb, slowly walked towards him. His eyes made no apologies as they roamed over her body. He was equally turned on by the sight of her gorgeous breasts which were deliciously pushed up in black lace, as he was by the simple vision of her bare feet. In his mind, shoes came off once you were trying to get comfortable. If Ella’s feet were bare, she was at home. It made him happy to know that she was at home when she was with him. His eyes moved back up from her feet and he admired the piece of lingerie he’d picked out for her. The black lace stretched seductively over every curve she had, clinging to the very parts of her body he wanted to get his hands on. The top and bottom of the negligée were lined in a soft pink lace, bringing out a softness against its black counterpart. The combination of the soft pink and sexy black did very arousing things for Porter.
“You could have a future in lingerie, Porter. If I decide to open a store just for sexy undergarments, I could bring you on as a buyer,” she teased as she got closer to him.
“That might be counterproductive for us, Babe. I would probably spend more money on samples than you’d make selling it.”
“Porter?” She said, stopping a good six feet from him. “Why is it that I am in this beautiful negligée which, by the way, feels very luxurious against my skin, and you are still fully clothed? That seems hardly fair.” She put on a fake pout which only made him smile. He reached up and started slowly pulling at the buttons on his shirt.
“You’d like to see me in less?” He teased.
“Baby, if it were up to me and socially acceptable, we’d be naked one hundred percent of the time,” she said as she sauntered towards him again. “Well, at least if we were at home. I wouldn’t want any other women to see you without a shirt on. You’re lethal shirtless. We can’t be responsible for the toll your bare chest and arms would take on the population.” As she came to stand before him, she helped him undo the very last button of his shirt. He watched as she laid her palms flat on his chest, moving her hands up to his shoulders, pushing his shirt down his arms. “That’s better,” she said as she leaned forward and placed a kiss right over his heart.
He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. When he reached her hands, he linked his with hers and then pulled her hands behind her back causing her to fall into him, pinning her lace-covered breasts against his chest. Her face lifted up to his and he could see soft light flickering in the blue of her eyes. He was lost in her and he knew he would never find his way out. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.