Page 9 of The One Who Got Away (Murdock Brothers #4)

Eloise

“If you don’t get that smug smile off your face, I’m sending you home.”

I laughed and backed my way through the swinging door into the kitchen. “I dare you to!” I called out before I let the door swing closed.

I hummed along to a Matt Nathanson song as I refilled our basket of Get Stuffed -- aka our whoopie pies.

I was happy if a little frustrated. Every time I got a moment alone with Gus, my mother found a way to push her way between us for the last few weeks.

A text, a request for help. Heck, she even sat between us on the couch one night.

We made out like teenagers in his truck before he left, sometimes with a mutual orgasm. It was hard to do anything with the neighborhood busy bodies always flicking their porch lights on to see what was going on.

But still, there was no denying the big grin staring back at me in the shiny fridge like a funhouse mirror. I picked up the basket and backed my way through the door.

I came to a stop when I spotted Michelle, our new hire.

“I didn’t know you were on today.”

Michelle smiled and took the basket. “Special request.”

I glanced at Jessie who was holding a backpack and a soft sided cooler “I got an SOS from Gus.”

I grinned. “No, you didn’t.”

She nodded. “Don’t tell your mother you got out early.”

Guilt swamped me, but I shook my head. “I won’t.”

“Go have fun.”

I took the backpack and unzipped it, quickly closing it. “Jessie!”

“What? I’m just helping with a little inspiration.” She nodded to the bathrooms. “Go on, get changed.”

I left the cooler and rushed over to the bathroom in our small dining area. I opened the bag and grinned at the lacy bralette inside. Definitely not one of my own. Did Jessie pick it out or Gus?

I dug out the toiletry bag and decided it was Jessie. Gus was thoughtful, but he was still a dude. I washed up and used the feminine wipes to freshen all the areas before swapping my uniform capris and T-shirt for the lacy ensemble and flowy dress that had been rolled up inside the bag.

It was a pretty lilac, soft as water, and swung along my hips making me look like I had more of a figure than I did.

I didn’t know what kind of magic Jessie had for picking dresses, but it made me feel incredible. There was even a fuzzy cardigan inside. It was a warm October day, but fall was officially here.

I found a pair of ballet flats at the bottom of the bag to complete the ensemble. Two condoms fell out and I quickly tucked them into my sweater pocket. I slipped out and both Michelle and Jessie whistled and whooped.

My cheeks flushed. “Stop it.”

“Hot mama alert. Now take down the hair.” Jessie said with her hands on her hips.

I tugged out the messy bun. I’d stopped flat ironing my hair because Gus liked to play with it, but it was a lot to deal with.

Jessie shook her head. “I can’t believe you straightened all those curls. I have to pin mine overnight to get them to even hold a bend.”

“You can have them.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Okay, go get your man. And keep the smug to a minimum tomorrow.”

“No promises.” I grabbed the cooler and practically skipped out the door. I was digging out my phone when I saw Gus standing beside his truck, his arms crossed.

“Damn, El. You take my breath.”

I practically ran over to him. “I can’t believe you asked Jessie to let me out today.”

“I’m dying. I needed a few hours alone with you.”

I winced. “I know. I’m sorry my mom has been a lot.”

He toyed with one of my curls. “It’s okay. She needs you, but God, so do I.”

I dragged the back of my knuckle over the bulge behind his zipper. “Is that right?”

He groaned. “Yes.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I laughed. “I like surprises. As long as there’s a place for us to be alone,” I said under my breath.

“Believe me, there is.”

“Good.”

He straightened and opened the passenger door. He helped me in, slipping a hand under the skirt of my dress for a moment. “This dress is going to end me.”

I bit my lip and cupped his face. “What a way to go though.”

He groaned against my mouth then slipped away and closed the door.

I stowed the cooler in the footwell then put on my seatbelt. “Where to?”

“Surprise.”

I sighed. “Fine.”

He turned up the radio and we took off down Hope Street toward the High School. When he turned off a windy lane near a new development, I frowned.

I’d never been over this way in Indigo Valley. When he stopped at the end of a dead-end street I straightened.

“So, we got a job over here. A company is flipping some of the old Cape Cod houses. They got in over their heads on one of them.”

“It’s empty?”

He grinned. “Handily it’s being staged for photos.”

My jaw dropped. “Gus, are we going to get into trouble?”

He shrugged. “Maybe we need a little trouble.” He hopped out and ran around to open my door. He reached in for the cooler, looping it over his shoulder before he helped me down.

My mouth watered at the muscles in his arms. He’d been working out a lot in the gym. While I was happy with some yoga and the elliptical machine, Gus had been working his ass off with a trainer.

Skinny Gus was definitely filling out. It helped that he spent more than a few days eating at my house then going to his own parents’ place to get fed as well.

He held a hand out for me and drew me up the pretty walkway. It was too late in the season to plant much, but there were some fat mums in decorative pots lining the path up to the house. More dotted the stairs much in the way I’d have loved to do at my mom’s house.

It was a breathtaking gray Cape Cod style house with crisp white trim and dormers. A large bay window dominated the front and tucked along the side was a small porch. The sun was high in the sky and gleamed off the polished windows.

“This is stunning.”

“I know. They fucked up the kitchen and it took all six of us to fix it.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Ripley too?”

He punched in a code on the door and the lock snicked open. “Yep. He wasn’t happy about it, but he chipped in. The pay was too good for him to say no.” He pushed inside, leading me into the entryway.

“Whoa.”

I slowly walked through the open floor plan.

A bright kitchen was now the heart of the house.

Built in cabinets had Cam’s stamp on it as well as the intricate touches to the tops that could only be custom work.

The wood was a weathered gray stain that matched the stone and shingles outside. It made the marble countertops pop.

All the appliances save for the stove were hidden behind cabinetry.

“Wow. Cam was all over this, huh?”

“Yep.” He walked in behind me, setting the cooler on the massive kitchen island. “I got to play plumber mostly. They needed it completely rerouted out to the road.”

I turned in his arms. “I didn’t know you knew how to do that.”

He shrugged. “I learned a lot of things working on houses in a rainforest.”

I smoothed my fingers over his pecs, my body humming at the warm muscles under his clothes. “Don’t diminish what you learned. It makes you an expert in a lot of things.”

His lips quirked, his dimple showing in his beardy cheek. “Yeah, and while I’m really proud of what we did in this kitchen, I only care about one room.”

I lifted my finger to his lips. “Just how staged is this house?”

He walked backwards down a hall drawing me with him. “They went all out. No fake beds.”

I licked my lips and stared at his mouth. “Is that right?”

I distantly noticed the high ceilings and crown molding, but there was only thing that had my full attention. The king-sized bed with the tufted headboard that took up most of one wall.

Gus bumped into the end of the bed and I tipped him onto his back. He laughed and scooted up the bed with me hot on his heels. I crawled over him, shoving my cardigan off my shoulders.

He reached behind his head and tugged off his Henley and my mouth watered. I hadn’t been able to see all of him yet. Just pushed aside clothing and desperate touches in the dark. His chest was lightly furred and muscular, making my mouth dry as dust.

I raked my fingers through the downy soft hair of his abs to his belt. “I don’t have to be quiet.”

“Thank God.”

He lifted his hips instinctively and I was just as hungry.

A whole house to ourselves for a while.

I kicked off my shoes then straddled his thighs.

He pushed himself up on his elbows. “You’re beautiful.”

I smiled. “Jessie’s handiwork.”

“A hoodie and leggings work for me,” he said against my neck. “But I do like this.” He tugged the stretchy dress off one shoulder to get to the equally stretchy bralette underneath the dress. It was just me and lace.

My nipples pushed against the material and I cupped the back of his head as he sucked one lace covered tip.

I shoved off the dress until it was around my waist. He sat up so that my breasts crushed against his chest and his mouth crashed over mine. His fingers dug into my hips and my ass, grinding me against his jeans.

“I swear, I feel like I’ve been hard for a month.”

I laughed. “It’s only been two weeks.”

“Years.” He scraped his way up my neck to my ear, tugging on it with a growl. “Years, El. I’ve thought about this for years.”

“Don’t give me performance anxiety.”

He laughed and rolled me onto my back. “Not a chance.” He pulled the dress down as he went and settled himself between my thighs. “Now I’m going to properly wear you on my beard, Miss Cross.”

I collapsed on the pillows. “Maybe the next round. I feel like I’ve been insane for ages.”

“Nope.” He rolled the lacy thong over my hips and tossed it at the end of the bed then covered me with his mouth.

My hips lifted under him and the sound of his laughter made everything inside me go golden as the sun shining in this room. I reached down to sift my fingers through his hair as he drove me absolutely insane.

No other man had ever made me so wild and so happy at the same time. I pushed up off the bed, my heels digging in as he lapped at me softly, then more forcefully. The abrasion of his beard and his firm hands holding me where he wanted me left me restless and crazed.

I tugged at his hair until he looked at me, his mouth wet from me.

“Tease.”

He grinned and his dark chocolate eyes danced with an evil glee that made my pulse skitter.

“You ain’t seen nothing.” He rose up to kiss me, my taste on his lips. I sighed then he slowly stretched me open with his two middle fingers until I was a shell of myself.

“Gus, please.”

“I thought I was teasing you.”

“I said you were a tease.” I lifted my hips as he sunk into me again and I groaned out his name. “Not that I wanted to be teased,” I finally managed to get out.

He laughed and he flicked my clit with his thumb pushing me over.

When I came back around, I realized I was scratching at his forearms and shaking.

“So good,” he said against my neck. “My girl.”

“Inside me,” I said on a croak.

He pushed up to look down at me. “Do you need to rest first?”

I gripped the back of his neck. “Inside me.”

He laughed into a kiss and pushed at his jeans.

I helped shove them down with my feet and hands until we were both laughing.

“My sweater.”

He frowned down at me as he got his jeans past his ankles.

“Condoms.”

“God bless, Jessie. Mine are in the other room,” he said as he coasted his lips up my stomach to my breasts. “Take that off.”

I sat up and struggled out of the bra as he searched for my sweater. He crawled back up the bed and I shook under him as he got himself suited up and then he was mine.

All mine.

I sighed as he stretched me so perfectly.

I wiggled until he was fully seated and Gus groaned into my shoulder. “Stop moving, love.”

The word dented my hazy, needy brain. I know it wasn’t I love you, but it was soft and exasperated.

“I don’t want to stop moving.”

I rolled my hips enough that he hissed out a breath.

“I’ve wanted you for so long, don’t make me go off like a damn teenager.”

“We’ve got all day.” I rolled him over and sat astride him, my breath hitching as he slid deeper.

He gripped my thighs, his eyes half blind.

I grinned down at him and lowered myself on him again and again, then caged him with my arms and my hair curtained around both of us. “Gus?”

He was barely coherent, his hips lifting against me to get in deeper. “Yeah?”

“Make me scream.”

He rolled me onto my back and slammed into me. I arched my back as he bottomed out inside me, his fingers fumbling between us to push me faster to the brink.

I held onto him, wrapping my arms and my legs around him until the world stopped spinning.

Until the room dimmed for a moment and I clasped around him just right. He groaned against my neck and I knew he was with me in every way.