Had Carter fallen for her again, too?
Unsure what to think, she told him, “Thank you for recommending I sell the crates from the cellar. I guess, in a way, you made all this possible.”
He lifted his hand to stroke his index finger down her cheek. “Being here with you again made me realize how much I want you to be happy, regardless of my personal interests.”
“Then, you’re not upset about the hotel?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged. “Hey, fate has its own idea of how things should be. Who am I to interfere?”
“That’s...noble.”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
A nagging thought hovered in her mind. “If neither of us owes the other anything, then where do we stand?”
“Good question.” His eyes darkened with emotion. “I guess I should start by asking you what you want.”
“You’re actually brave enough to ask a woman that? I’m impressed,” she teased.
Reaching out he set his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. Their noses touched before he lifted his head. “Are you going to leave me hanging?”
Feelings welled up inside her. She was torn between caution and surrender. “I want to be with you, Carter. I want to give this another try. What we had...I’m starting to believe it only comes around once in a lifetime. Here we are again.” She sighed, wary as she asked, “Do you think we can make it work?”
“I’ve been thinking about nothing else for the past twelve hours.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “What changed in twelve hours?”
Burying his fingers in her hair, he cupped her jaw and lifted her mouth to his. “This.”
The kiss he delivered made fireworks go off inside her. Sparks, color, excitement, wonder. He parted her lips and dipped inside her mouth, feeding her his taste. He smelled like the beach and the sea breeze, sunlight and eternity.
He dug his hands deeper into her hair as their affection intensified. Her twist came undone, the clip clattering to the floor, and her hair flowed down her back like a curtain over his fingers. He moaned, angling his mouth steeply over hers.
Their moment together seemed to transcend space and time, even when distracting noise tried to pierce their bond. The people talking and shuffling around them sounded as if they were at the other end of a tunnel.
Ellie vaguely heard Arnoff gasp and whine, “That should be my kiss. I saw her first!”
Russert replied sternly, “Leave my niece alone. She deserves happiness wherever she finds it.”
“Move it, Applebaum,” Bill Marquell said, followed by what sounded like a shove.
“It’s Applestone.” Arnoff sulked as Bill escorted him away from Ellie and out the hotel’s front door. The mayor and councilman mumbled low conversations to each other. Ellie couldn’t hear and didn’t care what they were saying.
Carter wrapped his forearm around her waist, leaning deeper into the kiss. She rose up on tiptoe, circling her arms around his neck. Nothing could break their connection. Even when she heard footsteps approach and her uncle coughed. “Ah-hrm, could you take this somewhere more private?”
Neither she nor Carter budged. They’d waited too long for this moment, for this chance to reclaim what they’d lost and found again. Footsteps faded away, until all fell silent around them except for the wind and rain pounding against the roof, rivaling the sound of her heart hammering in her chest.
The emotion Carter poured into the kiss made her tingle from head to toe. Her heart ached with joy. She felt his devotion surrounding her, swirling inside her, filling her soul. She met his intensity, kissing him back with everything she had in her heart to give.
But despite the depth of intimacy, Ellie sensed a shadow of hesitation from Carter. The same doubt lurked in the back of her mind, too.
Eventually, he broke the kiss. He grinned, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dining hall. “I bought something to celebrate your success.”
When they reached the bar he pulled out a stool for her. Taking a seat she wondered why the tribute was singular. She gazed at him curiously. “My success?”
“Sure, isn’t that worth celebrating?” He reached over the bar, pulled out a bottle of champagne that had been sitting over ice, and grabbed the two long-stemmed glasses beside it. As though he’d already prepared for this outcome.
“What about our success? We’ve been through hell and back to get to a good place with each other.”
“I think that’ll work itself out.” The hint of a frown settled between his eyebrows, but the crease smoothed away when he smiled. “This is a huge moment for you, Ellie.” He popped the cork. White foam frothed down the neck of the bottle. He filled their glasses half-way. “You have your dreams, everything you wanted. Cheers to you, baby.”