Page 40 of Always and Forever
Ethan
We sleep soundly that night, tangled up in each other. And in the early morning light, Summer wakes me up by kissing her way down my chest and stomach. I flip her over onto her back, relishing her squeal of delight, and take my turn kissing and licking her body. She tastes salty and musky from our lovemaking last night, but perfectly feminine and fucking arousing. My cock is already at attention simply from putting my lips on her skin.
I follow her lead, listening to her small sounds of satisfaction for cues on where to focus my efforts. She’s extra sensitive on her hip bones, and if I lick and nip circles there while playing with her breasts, she starts to shudder. Every touch is a lesson in her body, and in what brings her pleasure. It’s a lesson I plan on acing over and over again.
“Please, I need more,” she moans, and I lift myself up her body to kiss her lips in response.
“Anything. Everything. It’s yours.”
I make my way down her body again, settling between her legs. To ward off the early morning chill, I lift the blankets over me to cover her, cocooning myself in the darkness. Her scent is even more powerful now, captured by the blanket, and it’s the ultimate aphrodisiac for me. I dive into her folds with my tongue, lapping up and down the length of her sex with long, slow licks. I hear her gasp out my name, and her legs bend so her feet are planted on either side of my head. My hands go to her hips, holding her to my face as I devour her. I could die a happy man right now in this moment, knowing it’s me making her feel this good. And when she starts to convulse, her hips lifting to meet my mouth, I don’t back down. I suck and nip, lick and swirl my tongue around her stiff clit, until she’s screaming my name over and over.
One thing I know for certain is this: my body and soul were made for pleasuring her.
Outside the bakery later in the morning, she pulls me in for a hug. My arms fit around her, and I want nothing more than to just hold her there forever.
“Thank you for last night,” she says softly, lifting up on her toes so our lips meet.
“I only want to make you happy.” I bring my hands to the back of her head, cradling it gently as I kiss her again.
With a groan she steps back and shakes her head at me. “You’re making it really hard for me to go and teach yoga,” she teases.
“Then my plan is working.” I wink. She rolls her eyes, and goes up the stairs to her apartment with a laugh. “Bye, Ethan. I’ll see you later,” she calls down from the top of the stairs.
“See you soon, shorty.” I turn to go to my office, a huge grin on my face. It’s been a long time since I felt this happy. And it’s all thanks to her.
But my good mood fades away quickly when I power up my computer, and see the email waiting for me. It’s from a huge hotel developer, Devereaux Hotels International. I skim the email, then read it again to make sure I understand. Apparently, it’s a courtesy notification to me as mayor, informing me that they plan on making an offer to the new owner of Oceanside Resort. I assume somebody at Devereaux heard that the land title was changing hands, and this would be a good time to try and make an offer to the new owner. It makes sense; oceanfront property is at a premium. And one of their luxury hotels would work well on that piece of land.
The thing is, Summer is the new owner of Oceanside resort. Which means they want to offer to buy it from her. Logically I know that she’s happy here, and that the chance of her leaving Dogwood Cove, even if she did sell, is small. But the fear remains. What if I’m not enough to keep her here?
Over a week has passed since the work party, and I still haven’t told her about the email from Devereaux Hotels. She’s spent every night at my house, we’ve cooked dinner together, we’ve gone for runs together, she’s tried to teach me yoga, and we’ve fallen into bed and into each other’s arms night after night. And I haven’t told her that someone wants to buy the resort from her. Even knowing how stressed she is about finding money for the renovations, I just can’t bring myself to tell her, even as the guilt eats me alive. Instead, I’ve been desperately trying to come up with another solution to her money problems, a solution that doesn’t involve selling the resort.
I’m plating up some eggs and toast for breakfast when she comes downstairs with a bag full of clothes. The sight makes me frown.
“You really should just leave more stuff here, or heck, leave all your stuff here. Then you wouldn’t have to go back to the apartment to change all the time.”
“What?” she says, sounding surprised by my suggestion. I put down the pan of eggs and look over at her. I can’t deny I’m disappointed by the uncertainty on her face. A seed of doubt gets planted in my mind. Does she not feel the same way I do about us and our future?
“Just an idea, that’s all.” I go back to cooking breakfast and she doesn’t say anything else. We eat quickly, and there’s a weird tension in the air that wasn’t there before. Later, we walk to the bakery together. I’m meeting Finn to show him around, and she’s planning on spending the day at the resort, painting. Turner gifted her all the paint she is going to need for the interior and exterior of the cabins and the main lodge. He tried to say it would have gone to waste anyway, since it was all rejects and mismatched colours, but I saw the shine in his eyes when he gave it to her. Logically I know that she’s happy here, and the chance of her leaving Dogwood Cove, even if she did sell, is small. But the fear remains. What if I’m not enough to keep her here?
After she goes upstairs to get ready for her day, I sit at one of the stools that lines the counter along a wall of the bakery, and reread the email that is haunting me while I wait for Finn to arrive. He’s coming into town today to check everything out and look for a place to live. If he’s the same as he was in university, the guy runs at least ten minutes late for everything.
“What’s got you stressed, big brother?” Mila wanders over and sits down beside me.
I don’t want to tell her about Devereaux Hotels and their interest in the resort. She’ll want to tell Summer; I know she will. But at the same time, I need to talk to someone, and she has always been my go-to person. Even Reid and I don’t talk about as many things as Mila and I do. Losing our parents bonded us in a way nothing else can. She knows my secrets and I know hers.
“Let’s just say that thanks to being Mayor, I know something I wish I didn’t. And I should tell someone, but I don’t want to.” I’m purposefully vague, hoping Mila can’t read between the lines. But I clearly underestimate the power of her intuition.
“Does this have to do with Summer?” she asks, taking a large bite of a muffin, her gaze never wavering from mine.
Seriously, Mila could have a job as a fucking mind reader for how close she is to the truth. And she must see something in my face that makes me look guilty, because she frowns and puts her muffin down.
“Ethan. She’s like family. You cannot keep secrets from her.”
“I know I can’t. But this, it’s complicated.” I run my fingers through my hair in frustration.
“You guys are dating. You can’t keep secrets from someone you’re dating! What the heck is so bad that you can’t tell her?” Mila says, dropping her voice low.
Before I can overthink my decision, the truth pours out of me. “Devereaux Hotels International want to buy Oceanside Resort from her. They sent me an email, expressing their intention to contact the new owner of the resort about purchasing the land and developing it.”
