Never Close Enough (20 page)

   “Oh, Ella honey, I know he is fine,” she said sniffling and grabbing a towel off the counter to wipe her nose.  “You just don’t understand.  After his daddy died, Porter just sort of turned off emotionally.  He has always been a good son and he’s a
hard worker, but he has been so disconnected.  I was always so worried that he would spend his life alone.”  Tilly started crying harder now and Ella was compelled to go behind the bar to comfort her.  As Ella approached Tilly, she hugged her hard again, silently crying onto Ella’s shoulder.

   “If it’s any consolation, I feel like Porter is far from shut down in the emotional department,” Ella said softly.  “He is the most caring and sweet man I have ever known.  He feels everything so deeply and he is so
considerate.  When I am with him I am blown away by how much he cares about me.  He might have been shut down before, but he’s doing fine now.”  Tilly cried a little harder with her words.

   “I will thank the heavens every day that your car broke down in
my parking lot,” Tilly said as she pulled away, trying to wipe away her tears and get herself under control.  Ella couldn’t agree more; if her car had started and she’d driven away, she might not have ever gotten to know Porter.  The thought made her stomach bottom out and left her feeling queasy.  A life without Porter?  The thought was depressing.

   “Well, luckily for all of us, I am a total airhead and left my lights on,” she laughed a little.

   “Ok,” Tilly said with forced vigor.  “You need keys to Porter’s house and I’ve got a set.”  Tilly rummaged around in a compartment under the bar top and came out wither purse.  She took a key off her key ring and handed it to Ella.  “Have fun tonight and tell him to call his mother,” she smiled.

   “No problem
and thanks for your help with this.” Ella went back around the bar to sit down and finish her beer.  As Ella nursed her beer, she thought it would be wise to check in with the store.  She pulled out her phone and called.

   “Poppy, how can I help you?”

   “Brittany, it’s me, Ella.”

   “Ella, great to hear from you!  How’s the beach?”

   “Still beachy.  How is the store going?”

   “Just dandy over hear, Ella.  Really, no need to worry.  Sarah and I have it under complete control.  Although something pretty
exciting happened yesterday.”

   “Oh?”

   “Yea, so I guess they’re filming some movie downtown and some of the crew came in.  One of them was the wardrobe person and she really liked or stuff.  She said she might be back to look more thoroughly and might buy some stuff for the movie.”

   “What?  That’s so exciting!  I can’t believe it!”

   “Yes, so maybe they’ll be back.  It would be so cool to see clothes from your store in a movie.”

   “Wow, you made my day.” 

   “Other than that, everything’s been pretty normal.  No problems or debacles to speak of.”  Ella was now convinced the girls needed raises and vacations. It was nice to be able to leave the store for a week and have reliable competent people to run it.

   “Great, well, I really appreciate you and
Sarah taking care of everything.  It means a lot to me.  I will be back on Monday, so I will see you then.”

  “Take care, Ella, and enjoy the last few days of your vacation.”

  “I will.  Bye.”  Ella ended the call and finished her beer.  “Thanks for the beer, Tilly, and the key.  I will get it back to you.”  Elle left a five dollar bill on the counter and left to prepare the rest of her surprise.

Chapter Eighteen

Porter

   Porter had been in an exceptionally good mood all day, until Ella had told him s
he’d driven all the way to Salem.  He immediately began to worry and it wasn’t something he was used to.  Later in the day when she had texted him that she’d made it safely to Lincoln City, he calmed down a bit, but was still restless to see her and feel her in his arms.  If this was any indication of how it was going to be when she was in Portland, he was in for a long ride.  Hopefully it would get easier to be away from her as time went by, but he wasn’t betting on it.  Sooner, rather than later, he assumed they were going to have to find a better solution than living two hours away from each other.

   He was now off work and sitting in his truck.  It had been a rough day at work and he was unusually sticky from sweat.  He wanted to go to Ella’s but needed
to shower and change first.  He picked up his phone to call her.

   “Hey, Baby,” Ella’s voice swarmed his senses and made him smile immediately.

   “Hey, yourself.  What are you up to?”

   “Um, I’m out.  At a store,” she said quickly.

   “At a store?  Any store in particular?”  He asked, finding her answer a little strange.

   “You know, one of those knick-knack stores on the waterfront.  I don’t know the name.  I’m just out killing time, waiting for you.”

   “Oh, ok, well I was going to come over, but I need to go home first.  Can I meet you at your house in about an hour?  Maybe we can go get something to eat?”

   “Sure.  Sounds great! See you then!” He heard her hang up and thought she sounded rushed and a little nervous.  He didn’t know what was up with
her, but he thought he had better hurry and get to her house to see if everything was all right.

   When he pulled into his drive way he was confused by the sight of Ella’s black Toyota in the driveway.  Why was her car here?  As he got out of his truck,
he stared at her car, as if he wasn’t sure it was real or not.  He shook his head and walked towards his door.  As he got on the porch and could see in his living room, he noticed there were small candles lit all around his house.  He was still a little confused.  He put his key in the lock and opened the door.

   The smell of vanilla wafted into his nose and he had to admit, it smelled damned good.  He looked around his living room and saw what must have been hundreds of tiny candles, on any and every surf
ace.  Ella had to be here, but his brain was still trying to put everything together.

   “Hello, Handsome,” he heard from behind him.  When he turned to see Ella, his entire body froze and he absolutely forgot how to function.  He wasn’t breathing, his
heart wasn’t beating, his brain was fried.  The only part of his body that was functioning was between his legs and beginning to make him uncomfortable.

   “Jesus Christ, Ella,” was all he could say.  He gulped down one swallow, trying to jump start his bo
dy, trying to get his blood flowing.

   Ella, his Ella, the woman he was luckily enough to have found and managed to hold onto, was in his house looking hot as hell.

   She was leaning up against the wall wearing the most goddamned sexiest thing he had
ever
seen a woman wear.  It was blue.  It was lacey.  And it was making his heart pound out of his chest.  The top part was tight and made her tits look amazing.  They were almost spilling out of the top and all he wanted to do was put his mouth on them.  Her underwear was another piece of lacey fabric that he would have no trouble shredding to pieces as soon as he got his hands on them.  One of her legs was bent and her foot resting against the wall. She had on a pair of high heels that made her already fantastic legs so very long and sexy as hell.  They were black leather, with a lot of straps, and he wanted to see them up in the air later.

   “Ella,” he said through deep and throaty breaths.

   “Yes, Porter?”  She replied sweetly with a grin that made it obvious she knew the effect she was having on him.

   “I’m about five seconds away from coming over to you, ripping all that sexy lace off of your body, and fucking you, hard.  If that is not what you want, you have three more seconds to tell me.  Otherwise,
it’s game on.”

   She just stood there and gave Porter her sexy little grin.

   “You asked for it,” he said as he lunged at her. 

   He pressed his body up against her, his entire length flanking up against hers, pinning her against the wall.  His hands
found the spot in which they fit perfectly; thumbs on her cheeks, fingers splayed around her neck finding her hair.  His mouth was so very close to hers.  They were breathing in each other.

   “You. Are. Fucking. Perfect.” He almost growled at her, his wor
ds staccato.  He was looking into her eyes and she was staring into his, giving everything back to him.  Her breathing was ragged and with every breath she took in he could see her breasts rising, straining to be released.  “This is a very sexy little outfit you have here, Ella,” he said, trailing his nose alone the soft swell of her breasts.

   “I bought it just for you,” she said quietly.  He understood her meaning; this wasn’t something she had worn previously for her ex.  This was something she bought j
ust for him and he was the only one to have seen her in it.  That information alone made his dick harder.  Looking down at her, he almost wanted to spare the sexy get-up, seeing as how she’d picked it out just for him.  But right now, he really just wanted to see her bare.

   He pulled her into him, crashing his mouth down onto hers.  His tongue invaded her mouth and he swallowed a whimper she let out.  He reached behind her, found the top of her outfit where there were tiny clasps holding her in, and with
every ounce of strength he could muster, he ripped it right down the center.

   Ella let out a startled shriek and then covered her mouth.  He held the demolished garment out so that she could see it.  He saw her eyes dart back and forth from her lacey top
and back to him.  He threw it on the floor, breathing heavily.  She reached out and grabbed his shirt, and pulled him in close to her, her mouth finding his.  They were starving for each other.  His hands were palming her breasts, both at the same time.  Her hands were tangled in his hair giving not so gentle tugs that were primal reactions to the tugs he was giving her nipples.  Ella pulled away from him and leaned back up against the wall.

   “I think you are wearing way too many clothes.”

   “Fix it.”  He saw Ella’s eyes darken and he watched as she reached for his shirt.  It had come untucked from his jeans, so she started working on the buttons.  He watched her work the first two, but he grew impatient.  He reached up, grabbed his shirt in the middle and ripped it open, buttons flying every which way.

   “We’re both going to need a new wardrobe if you keep this up, Porter,” Ella laughed.

   “Get the condom out of my wallet and take off my pants,” he said with a smirk.

   “Yes, sir.”  She took his wallet
out and handed him the condom from inside.  Without breaking eye contact he threw the condom over his shoulder and it landed on the floor near the living room.  Ella unbuttoned his pants and grabbed the waistband of both his jeans and boxers.  She slid them down his hips and as she took them lower, she went down with them.  Expertly balancing on her sexy high heels, she pushed his pants all the way to the floor so he could step out of them.  From below him, she looked up and into his eyes.  He knew what she was thinking.

   “You don’t have to, Baby,” he said sincerely.

   “I know.  I want to,” she said as she wrapped her hand around his cock.  She slowly moved her hand all the way down to the root and then back up to the head.  His eyes closed and his head fell backwards.  He felt her tongue lick small circles around his head, while her hand continued to glide up and down.  Slowly, he felt her mouth slide around his entire tip, and she sucked him in.

   “Oh my – Fuck,” his words came out strangled and muffle
d, like he was grinding his teeth together.  She was taking him all the way into her mouth and sucking him so hard.  She had her hands on his thighs, no doubt to keep her balance on those shoes made for fucking.  He felt her nails digging into his skin and he looked down at her.  Their eyes met and he watched her pull his cock out of her mouth all the way to the tip, swirl her tongue around, and then take it all the way back down to the root.

   “This is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, Ella.  You are so f
ucking beautiful.  I love watching you put your mouth around me.”  She started bobbing faster at his words of encouragement and reached under him to cup his balls.  The combination of sensations he was feeling were becoming too much.  He eventually put a hand on her cheek and made her look up at him.  “I want to kiss you, Ella.”

   She smiled at him and so very gracefully rose back up to meet his lips.  While kissing her mouth, he turned her to walk her backwards into the living room.  He maneuvered her to
the arm of the couch, and when her legs backed up against it, he pulled his lips away from hers.

   “Sit on the arms of the couch, Ella.”  She did as he said.  “Now, I want you to lean back and lie on the couch, but keep your ass right here,” he said patti
ng the arm next to her.  He watched her slowly lay down until her back rested on the couch.  Once she was settled he took a moment to admire her.  “You look so beautiful like this, Baby.  I can’t believe how lucky I am, that you’re mine.”  He began to rub his hands down her thighs, needing to touch her.

   “I think we’re both pretty lucky, Porter.  I never thought I could find this with anyone.  You make me feel things I didn’t know were possible.”

   He bent down and kissed her stomach, right below her belly button.  He laid wet kisses along her skin and he felt her writhe beneath him.  When his mouth touched lace, he smiled. 

   “I love how lace looks on your body, Ella,” he said as he slowly ripped it from her body.  He saw her move her hands to her hair
, looking as though she needed something to do with her hands.  “Touch yourself, Ella.  I want to see how you touch yourself.”  He continued kisses down until he came to her sex.  As his tongue found her clit, she began kneading her breasts, looking him directly in the eyes.

   “Oh God, Porter,” she moaned as he kept time on her clit with his tongue.  He watched a blush of color start to spread up from her chest onto her neck.  She was pulling and twisting her nipples as he was working on her.  He took two
fingers and teased her opening.

   “You’re wet, Ella.”

   “Yes, that’s what you do to me,” she answered with barely a voice, more of a whisper.

   “Only me.”

   “Yes. Only you.”

   He slid his fingers inside of her and she moaned loudly, making his cock
jerk.  

   “I love how you feel around me, Ella.  So wet and warm.  So sexy.”  He continued to lazily move his fingers in and out, gently stroking her from the inside, looking for the spot her knew would send her over the edge.  When she jerked and yelped
, he knew he’d found it.

   “Is that is, Baby?  Is this what you like?”

  “Oh yes, please, Porter, make me come.”

   “My pleasure.”   He quickened his pace with his fingers and moved his mouth back over her clit.  She was arching her back, shaking her head
from one side to the other, saying nonsensical words, and he knew she was close.  He thrust his hand further in, with a little more force and he felt her come around him.  She cried out, her back completely lifted off the couch, gripping the cushions around her.  He continued to lap at her opening until she had finished.

   “Is that what you needed?  What you wanted?” He asked her when she seemed to surface again.

   “Mmm.  Again, you’ve blown my world to pieces. I love you.”  He reached for her hands and when she gave them to him he pulled her up to stand in front of him.  Then he turned her around so she was facing away from him.  He reached around her body to palm her breasts as he kissed the side of her neck.  Her head fell backwards onto his chest and she reached up to thread her hands through his hair.  He moved her hair away from her ear and whispered to her.

   “I’m going to bend you over this couch and fuck you hard, like I promised.  I’m not going to be gentle, but I won’t be rough.  Please tell me
if you want me to stop.”  He felt Ella nod her head and then he gently bent her to be face down on the couch.  He quickly retrieved the condom from the floor and made quick work of rolling it down his shaft.  He used his foot to spread her legs, and rubbed her back up and down her spine.

   “You look incredibly sexy like this, Ella.”  She turned her head, facing away from the couch.

   “Fuck me, Porter.”  He almost came just from her words.

   “Jesus, Ella.”  He slammed into her once and she cried out.  “A
re you ok, Baby?”

   “Yes, Porter.  I’m fine.  Don’t worry about me.”

   “You’ll tell me to stop.”

   “Yes.  Fuck me.”

   With her words he slammed into her again, over and over.  He heard her moaning and that spurred him on.  Her cries became more frenzied and frantic.