Sex, Vows & Babies: Wedding with a Baby Bump (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “Problematic.”

  “I can hang out around the gun shops. Maybe claim the airline lost my baggage.”

  “Works for me. Let me know if there is anything you need. I look forward to that database filling up.” Dale bared his teeth.

  “That’s the plan. I shouldn’t be here long. Heal my leg and back into the fray I go.”

  “Fair enough.” Dale set down his beer. Barely an inch had been drained from the neck. “I’ll be in touch. You have a place to stay?”

  “Yes, in Woodland. Plenty of hotels there, despite the size of the town.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll leave you to it, and I’ll enjoy watching the database update from the comfort of my office.” He lifted his hand in a wave and roostered his way out of the bar.

  Elias rolled his eyes. Feebs.

  As soon as Dale was safely out the door, Shelly came around the bar, a fresh beer on a tray, and set it down in front of him.

  “Oh,” she said with a pretty frown. “You aren’t finished with the first one. Was something wrong with it?”

  “No, honey, it’s fine. Just too busy running my mouth.” He picked up his bottle and took a swig. “But I do like them cold, so how about I switch it for the new one?”

  She smiled and placed the new bottle in front of him, then put the old bottles on her tray.

  “Did you miss me?” he asked, sliding a twenty-dollar bill onto her tray.

  “What?” She tucked the bill into her apron.

  “When I wasn’t close to you.” He feathered his hand around her waist and squeezed lightly before removing it. “I know you’re feeling what I am.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” But her shoulder touched his.

  “Sure you do. You feel the connection between us. I know you have to work right now, but we’ll figure it out.” Elias heard a grunt from the bar. An overweight, older man breathed heavily as he tied on a bar apron.

  “What’s Grandpa doing here?” Shelly muttered.

  “Looks like he should be home with his feet up.”

  “You’re right,” Shelly said. “My dad must have talked him into working his shift. I wish he wouldn’t do that.” She hurried off, the skin between her brows creased.

  Meanwhile, the other sibling in the Stan clan, Kenny, had not left his perch by the dartboard. Apparently his father found an easier mark in an eighty-year-old man than in his able-bodied son. Kenny was seated on a high barstool, his water-stained cowboy boots hooked around a rung of the opposite stool. His friend, still nameless to Elias, had disappeared. Showtime. Elias picked up his beer and slid a twenty out of his front pocket.

  He went over to the table in front of Kenny, and slapped down the bill. “Game of darts?”

  Kenny poked at the crisp bill with his index finger. He had a ring of dirt crusted around the nailbed. So he did something other than sit in the family bar. “Twenty for what?”

  “Six darts. Whoever gets the highest point total wins the money.”

  “I don’t got a twenty.”

  “What? Aren’t you Kenny Stan?” Elias offered his friendliest smile.

  “Why?”

  “You own this place, right?”

  “My family,” Kenny mumbled.

  Elias spotted a couple of discolored teeth. Hallmark of the meth head. At least he hadn’t destroyed his entire mouth during the course of his addiction. “Okay, you don’t want to waste a twenty, I get it.” He sketched a wave. “See you around.”

  ~

  Angela still felt bemused as she tied the plastic strings on the bag of garbage in the rear of the pub. That man who’d renamed her “Shelly” had disappeared after an hour or so. His friend had left and then he’d chatted with her brother before leaving. Obviously not a drinking man. He’d barely touched his first or his second beer, though he’d paid and tipped well for them.

  The thing was, she’d felt so, well, intimate with him. Not that he could possibly have known that “Shelly” was the name she called herself. Her secret name, since she was nine years old and her parents had taken them to Seaside on the Oregon coast and she’d discovered her love for seashells. She’d worn shell necklaces ever since, first a little one on a piece of yarn that she’d bought in a tourist shop with her allowance, then later, fancier pieces. When she’d gotten her ears pierced she’d started collecting shell earrings.

  But no one had ever pegged her secret name for herself, not ever. Until this guy. She knew his name was Elias because she’d heard the other man call him that, but she hadn’t recognized either of them. They didn’t get more than a couple of strangers a night, because though they were close to the I-5 freeway, the lighting was too poor for the building to be seen from the road. You either had to know they were there, or stumble on them after leaving the freeway to gas up at the Chevron station down the street. Her father liked it that way, and for now, he was the general manager. He wouldn’t even put up holiday lights. Though it was early in the holiday season, lots of businesses had already decorated the Friday after Thanksgiving.

  She pulled on the soft hat she kept on a shelf just inside the back door, hefted the garbage bag, and walked out the back. Looked like it would be a frosty night. She could see her breath as she lifted the dumpster lid and hoisted the garbage in.

  Her phone dinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw a text message from her best friend, Misty. Happy to see her girl was still up, she punched buttons as she walked around the side of the bar to her car.

  Angela: OMG!!! Hottest stud EVER showed up at the bar tonite.

  Misty: NOOOO! Did you get a photo?

  Angela: Stalker much? Of course not!

  Misty: Is he new in town?

  Angela: No idea. Fingers crossed!!!

  She saw headlights flare as a truck pulled into the parking lot. Instead of parking in front of the bar, they kept coming toward her. She stepped beside her car, confused. No one started a shift at eleven, even on Saturday. And the bar closed at one.

  The truck pulled in. White, a Dodge Ram. She didn’t recognize it. Still dazzled by the headlights, she stood there as the cab opened and a man jumped down on one leg before setting his other foot on the ground.

  Fog obscured her feet when she looked down. Maybe the man was nearsighted and hadn’t seen the building until he saw the cars parked on the side. She’d have to stick up for herself and demand that her father put some lights out during winter. What if someone drove into the building?

  She pulled her keys out of her pocket and clicked the button to open her car door. “You drove past the front entrance. Walk back and go to the right. We’re still open for another couple of hours.”

  “What are you doing outside at this time of night?”

  Though she’d only met him once, she’d recognize that voice anywhere now. It had gravel in it, smoke. And sex. Elias, her customer from earlier. “You left hours ago. Did you decide to come back to finish your beers?”

  His low chuckle sent a gush of moisture south, dampening her jeans. “I came back to see you. Went and checked into a hotel, found some dinner, took a walk around town.”

  “So you’re just visiting?”

  “Maybe moving into the area, if I can get a transfer from my work.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m a hobbyist hunter. Lots of opportunities here.”

  She turned on the flashlight app on her phone. The utter darkness around was making her uncomfortable. “What do you hunt? It’s late in the year.”

  “I have a cougar license. That’s still good. I’ll get others, be ready for next year.”

  “Cool.” She forced a laugh into her voice as she swept her phone’s light over him. “I was afraid you were going to say you hunted women.”

  He chuckled again and spread his hands wide. “Only you, Shelly. And I have to say I’m disappointed to see you outside alone in the dark. It isn’t safe.”

  “It’s a family bar. Most of the customers have known me since I was a toddler, and it’s a pretty to
ugh crowd. Even if someone tried to hurt me, someone else would come along and rescue me. Maybe I’d get hurt but whoever assaulted me would lose his teeth.”

  “You sure about that?” He stepped closer. “No one here now.”

  “Too much fog. I was just thinking that we really need to light this place better.”

  “I would agree. But on the other hand, lots of fun can be had in the dark.”

  “Well, sure,” she agreed. God, her body was such a traitor. Aroused as hell, her knees were literally quaking. Her nipples hardened, her breathing accelerated. She felt a sense of trust, instead of danger. Were her instincts completely screwed up or had she just met the love of her life or something? This would have been a great night for some of her friends to stop in, so they could have seen this guy. “Ummm, Elias, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  She heard the amusement in his voice. “How did you know?”

  “Your friend said your name. I’m a good listener, and frankly, not a lot was going on tonight.”

  “How come your brother wasn’t working and you were?” He had moved closer without her noticing, and cocked a hip against the trunk of her car. His posture was easy, relaxed, as she swept her flashlight over him.

  Knowing she didn’t have much battery left, and the ability to dial 9-1-1 trumped having light, so she put her phone into sleep mode and stuck it in her jacket pocket. “He doesn’t do well behind the bar. So he’s in charge of stocking the back, cleaning, that kind of stuff. He puts in a really long day on Sundays when we’re closed.”

  “Got it. I like your hat.”

  She touched it self-consciously. “More shells.”

  “It’s your thing.”

  “Since I was nine,” she agreed. “So you know my obsession. What’s yours?”

  He leaned forward, and before she knew it, he had his arm around her waist. Gently, but firmly, he pulled her close until she was tucked between his spread legs. Though she knew he was tall, he’d leaned against her trunk so that their pelvises lined up.

  And oh, did her body notice his erection. Her clit literally twitched, her juices all but gushing in her pussy’s readiness to take him. She tried to shift away, afraid he’d feel the dampness of her jeans, but he kept her secure against him.

  “Some women might scream about now,” she warned.

  “You’re feeling what I am, right?” he asked. “I’m a sexual man. I’m not gonna deny it, but I’ve never felt a tug like this before.”

  “I’m feeling the crazy lust,” she confessed. “And it’s not like me at all.”

  “Have you had a lot of lovers?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m totally conservative. I’ve got family watching my every move. I went to college in Portland for three years, but once I turned twenty-one I dropped out and came home to bartend.”

  “What happened, Shelly?”

  His voice, so deep and gentle despite the sexy, soothed her. She leaned her torso against him. His cologne, or deodorant or something, was woody and spicy at the same time. He smelled delicious. She wanted to lick his neck and see if he tasted as good as he smelled. “Grandpa had a stroke. He was still in the hospital when my aunt died in a car accident. Someone needed to take care of Grandpa, others needed to run the bar. We were down two employees and Grandpa needed help.”

  “Sounds like a terrible mess. I’m so sorry.”

  “Well, Grandpa recovered. Life is really hard sometimes.”

  “Who takes care of you, Shelly?”

  She gave into the impulse to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m a tough girl. I have the best friends in the world, too. So far we haven’t had emergencies at the same time, which is nice. We take turns helping each other.”

  His hands made soft circles on the outside of her jacket. She squirmed, wishing they were touching her actual skin. “Are you cold?”

  “Yes, maybe we should sit in my car.”

  “Okay. Or we could go inside the bar and talk.”

  “No.”

  He laughed at her strident tone. “Too much family.”

  “Way too much family.”

  “Your car it is.”

  She pulled him off her bumper. Her door was already unlocked and she slid into the back seat. Her emergency kit, stashed behind the passenger seat, was stocked with a blanket. She dug the blanket out and tossed it over her knees then extended a corner to him when he sat down, bulky enough to rock the car.

  “Thanks.” He shut the door, enclosing them into a private cocoon, insulated by the fog. “You’re all prepared for winter.”

  “You have to be around here. Yes, it’s Washington state, but we have some elevation here. You must be pretty outdoorsy.”

  “Sure,” he said. “You?”

  “My grandfather used to take us fishing.” She reflected. “I liked that. But now I work out in a gym with friends and I work strange hours, so I’m not outdoorsy anymore.”

  “Got it.” He turned to her. “Why don’t you come kneel between my legs?”

  Holy smoke. She’d known what she’d been inviting him into her car to do, but did he expect a blowjob first? She was so out of practice, and he was already hard. “Excuse me?”

  “It will be easier.”

  “For what?”

  “For me to get your clothes off,” he said patiently.

  “Oh, God,” she said in a small voice. “This is crazy.”

  Chapter Two

  “You aren’t saying no,” Elias said quietly.

  His calm voice was as soothing as his amazing body was not. “I’m totally not. I don’t get it. I’ve never felt like this.”

  “Then come here, Shelly. Do as you’re told.”

  The sexy demand had her jeans utterly soaked, though she wished he’d echoed her words. But she couldn’t think about how he was with other women. She needed him too much. Still sheltered under the blanket, she kicked off her tennis shoes before moving between his legs, awkward in the rear seat of her sedan. “Good thing my driver’s seat is pulled forward,” she joked. “We need room to maneuver.”

  “What are you going to take off first for me, Shelly?” he asked.

  “I took off my shoes.”

  “Let’s try your shirt,” he suggested. “I’m curious to know how you smell without that slight beer tang.”

  “Oh,” she said, self-conscious. “Bartender stank.”

  “It’s okay.” He leaned forward and reached for the zipper of her coat. “I like beer, but I’m looking forward to tasting your skin even more.”

  The teeth of her zipper clicked as he pulled it down. The pub logo jacket, large on her, fell off her shoulders. “You have a delicate build.”

  Her nipples tightened as the cold reached them. “I’m narrow through the shoulders, but not lower down.”

  “I like that. Baby-bearing hips.” His hands, warm despite the weather, slid down her cotton tee and found the sliver of skin between the shirt and her jeans. He undid her belt, then unbuttoned her jeans.

  “You’re a hips guy instead of boobs? Most guys like ass and boobs.”

  “You have both, so everyone must find you attractive.”

  “My tips are decent,” she agreed, “but I’m off limits to locals. My family, you know. When I was seventeen, my grandpa took a bat to one of his regulars after he hit on me outside the bar.”

  His fingers paused on the final button of her jeans. “Are you a virgin?”

  “No,” she assured him. “College, remember? But it’s been a while.”

  “Years,” he said.

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, over two years.”

  “I’m flattered.” He slid his fingers through her unzipped jeans. She gasped as they moved across her labia. “So wet. So eager.”

  She moaned as he opened her, pressed a finger inside.

  “Oh, honey, you are so ready.”

  “Please tell me you have a condom,” she gasped.

  She heard rustling, then
something was pressed into her hand. A foil packet. “Oh, thank you.”

  “Come up.” He pressed his fingers against her. She rose into a crouch and pulled her jeans down, kicked them off, helpless to do anything but obey. Her hands went to his waist, ignoring his shirt like he had hers. He wore jeans too, and she struggled with the belt strapped across his lean hips.

  A minute later, they were both naked from the waist down. She straddled him, already arching her hips against his, knowing her orgasm was only a thrust away. Feeling for him, she found that hot, hard length, already leaking precum.

  “You have a big cock, Elias.”

  “It will fit.” He curved his fingers around her bottom and lifted her, then thrust three fingers between her legs.

  They went in easily. She could hear the liquid sounds of suction.

  “I can’t wait to taste you.” He ignored her protest as he pulled his fingers out. Even in the semi-darkness she could see the moisture coating them, the smile of satisfaction on his lips as he licked one clean.

  That did it. She ripped the foil packet open and rolled the condom over him. “I can’t take this anymore. No more teasing.”

  “What?” Leisurely, he licked another finger dry.

  “Fuck me, Elias. I’m going to lose it if you aren’t inside of me pronto.”

  He chuckled, then closed his mouth over hers. She tasted the tang of her juices on his lips. So dirty, so raw, so sexy.

  “Where have you been all my life?” she gasped. “Oh, yes.”

  “Doesn’t matter, honey. I’m here now.” His hands dug into her bottom as he positioned her over his cock and she slid into place over his flared head. Even soaking wet, even stretched by his fingers, she still struggled to take him for a few seconds. She breathed hard, glorying in the outrageous sensations of him filling her. Then suddenly, her pussy relaxed, and he slid into her, inch by inch. She could practically feel him in her belly by the time he was fully seated.

  “I have never been anywhere near a man this well-endowed,” she groaned.