The Forever of Ella and Micha (The Secret 2)

She scratches off an item on the list with the pen. “Okay… I’ll think about it.”

I opt to end the conversation there, right on a good note, because it will keep me in a good mood all day.

Ella

I unpack the groceries and read through the many past-due bills that were piling up in the mailbox. One in particular is a notice that the house is about to go into foreclosure. My chest tightens as I read it and the paper shakes in my unsteady hand.

“What’s wrong?” Micha asks, coming up behind me.

“It’s nothing.” I stuff the letter back into the envelope and set it down on the kitchen table. “Just bill stuff that I have no idea what to do with.”

I head to take a shower. I’ve been frozen since we arrived and the hot water sounds great at the moment. Plus, I need a minute alone to mull over his declaration that he wants us to live together. Live together. My mind can barely grasp the idea of it.

Micha trails after me toward the stairs. “You should let me get in with you,” he says with a captivating smile on his lips. “It could be for my birthday.”

“Your birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I remind him, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “And besides, I have to take a quick shower and get dinner started.” I glance at my watch. “Everyone is going to be here in, like, four or five hours.”

He presses his hand to his heart with the most appealing look on his face. “I’ll be quick. I swear.”

“What exactly do you think’s going to happen during this shower?” I ask as his fingers spread across my hips, just below the hem of my shirt, and he guides me against him. “Because I plan on getting clean.”

He shakes his head slowly with fire blazing in his eyes. “No way. Showers are made for dirty things.” He backs me around the banister and into the wall, tangling his fingers through my hair forcefully and dipping his voice to a husky whisper. “Think about the last time you and I showered together. How good it felt.” His hand comes up between by thighs, not stopping until it reaches the top. Even through the fabric of my jeans, heat devours my skin.

Something between a moan and a whimper escapes the back of my throat and he takes that as a yes, colliding his lips into mine. I suck his tongue deep into my mouth as I unbutton the front of his shirt and rip it off.

“I don’t have any clean clothes,” I murmur against his lips as he backs us toward the downstairs bathroom.

“We’ll figure something out.” Kicking the door open, we stumble in and he locks the door before returning his lips to mine. Trailing soft kisses down my jawline, he unfastens the button of my jeans and I slip them off, then tug off my shirt and shake out my hair.

The desire in his eyes nearly melts me and my body craves him inside me so badly. I quickly unclasp my bra, then grab the waist of his jeans and haul him toward me. When my n**ples brush his skin they instantly perk up and his eyes close as his lips find mine. Desire pours through me as his hands glide around to my backside, searing hot as he enfolds our bodies together.

Reaching behind my back toward the tub, I manage to turn on the water and steam slowly engulfs the room. My skin dampens and my thighs tingle to be touched. I start to take off his jeans and he helps me out enthusiastically. Once the rest of our clothes are off, we climb into the shower and he draws the curtain closed. I can’t help but smile at the memories that surface.

Water drips from his blond hair, beads across his lips, streams down his lean chest. His hand travels down my side and along my stomach, but before he can slip his fingers inside me, I jump up and link my legs around his waist, surprising him.

“I want you inside me,” I whisper, letting my reservations go. “Right now.”

His eyelids open and his lashes flutter against the splashes of the shower. My confession shocks us both and without any more hesitation, he braces a hand on the wall and thrusts inside me.

My breath comes out ragged and my legs tighten around his h*ps as he pushes deeper into me. I can barely breathe… barely think. It feels so good. When he hits the right spot, I moan and grip my fingers into his shoulder blades.

“Micha, I love you,” I murmur between breaths and realize that this is what I want. Forever.

Micha

It startles the shit out of me when she says she wants me inside her. She has never been so upfront about what she wants and it turns me on so badly that my c*ck actually hurts.

Once I’m inside her, it feels so goddamn good, and I’m probably not going to last long. Water runs down our bodies and makes everything slippery, which is an added bonus. Bracing against the wall with one hand to keep us from falling, I rock into her over and over again, driving her to the edge. When her head tips back, the flow of the shower streams along her tits and I can’t help myself. I want a taste.

I lower my mouth to one of her br**sts and suck the water off while tracing her nipple with my tongue until she groans. Her fingers knot through my hair and she guides my mouth closer, seeking more. And I give it to her. Hard. Until she scream out my name. Her hair is soaked and water beads on her eyelashes as her head angles back against the wall and her green eyes glaze over. Moments later I join her, breathing loudly as I struggle to hold us up.

Once we’ve both caught our breath, I slip out of her, turn off the water, and we climb out. She wraps a towel around herself and I tie one around my waist. I feel so alive right now there are no words.

She chews on her lip as she slants back against the wall. “What are you smiling about?”

I shrug, rolling my tongue to retain the smile from getting bigger. “I didn’t know I was.”

She kisses me on the cheek. “You have this big grin on your face, so just tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“You really want the truth?” I question. “Because it’s intense.”

She nods her head and her wet hair drips water down her shoulders. “I want the truth.”

I kiss her lips lightly and whisper in her ear, “I was thinking how we could do this every day when we have our own place.”

Her faltering breath hits my cheek and I worry she’s going to freak out. “I think we should start trying some different places beside the shower.”

My grin enlarges as I lean back and search her eyes. “I could throw you down on our table. Or better yet, I could bend you over the banister.”

“I don’t picture us having a banister,” she replies thoughtfully. “I think I just want a small apartment. It’s easier to keep clean.”

“You’re getting me excited, Ella May,” I proclaim.

“I’m glad. I want you to be excited.” She bites down on her lip. “I’m scared though. I mean this is huge, you know.”

I’m glad she admits it to me. “Me too, but then I think about how we’re going to have the ‘no clothes on inside the house’ rule and I just get happy again.”

She rolls her eyes and combs her fingers through her hair. “If you don’t end up moving to California, then what are you going to do?”

“We are going to get are own place eventually no matter where we live,” I say and kiss her forehead. “You may think it’s fast, but you got to remember that technically you and I have been living together since we were kids. I mean, we barely left each other’s side since we were six.” I pause as tears abruptly fill her eyes. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

She wipes the tears away with the back of her hand. “It’s nothing. I just really want it to work out.”

Hugging her against me, I rest my chin on top of her head and gently rub her back. “It will, and you want to know why?” I ask and she nods. “Because most people go into this blind. They don’t know the bad side of the person they’re with. But we know each other’s flaws and cracks—we know what we’re getting into and that makes us stronger.”

“I really do love you.” She tightens her arms around me.

“I love you too,” I reply, trailing kisses down her neck. “More than anything.”

Chapter 19

Ella

I’m proud of myself for telling the truth to Micha and for not worrying too much during the trip, at least so far. By the time I’m dressed and walking out of my room, I’m feeling kind of happy. When I enter the kitchen, however, my good feeling deflates.

Caroline is by the stove, with her black hair wound up out of her face, stirring a pan with an apron tied around her waist. Micha is over by the microwave waiting for the butter to heat up, wearing a pair of jeans that hang loosely at his h*ps and his blond hair is a little damp still from the shower. Dean is at the table, in slacks and a button-down shirt, and he’s peeling off the husk of the corn on the cob.

“We brought them with us,” he explains when he notices me staring at the corn. “Caroline wanted them.”

“Oh. Okay.” I turn to Caroline. “What still needs to be cooked?”

She shoos me away with her free hand. “You are not cooking anything.”

I pick up a spoon off the counter. “I always cook Christmas dinner.”

“Which is why it always sucked,” Dean remarks under his breath as he tosses a husk into the garbage.

“I did my best,” I say. “And it’s not like I wanted to. No one else would. And half the time no one would eat it.”

Caroline turns the stove’s temperature down. “You are not cooking this year. It’s not right that you’ve spent your whole life taking care of everyone else.”

I glance over my shoulder at Micha. “What have you been telling her?”

The microwave beeps and he opens the door. “I didn’t tell her anything.”

Perplexed, I look at my brother. “Did you…”

Rolling his eyes, he tosses a cob into a large crockpot on the table. “Look, all I did was mention that you cooked for us almost everyday while I was growing up.”

Caroline smiles as she covers the pan with a lid. “He’s been seeing someone about his anger issues.”

My eyes dart back to Dean, waiting for him to snap at her, but he just shrugs and grabs another cob on the corn that needs to be shucked.

“We’ll cook dinner.” Caroline signals for Dean to add something.

He lets out a frustrated breath. “You should go out and do something fun. Be a kid for a change or whatever. We’ll get things ready for when dad arrives.”

“How is he even getting here?” I ask, setting the spoon down on the counter. “He doesn’t have a car.”

“His counselor is dropping him off,” Caroline explains, plugging in the mixer. “I guess he lives about an hour away from here.”

She starts to hum as she mixes some orange stuff in a bowl. Dean focuses on the corn and I stand there unsure of what to do with myself. Finally I glance at Micha for help.

“We could go out to Back Road and spin some doughnuts,” he suggest, setting the butter down on the counter.

“Your car’s not made to spin doughnuts,” I say as he walks toward me. “Hence the last time we got stuck.”