Never Close Enough Read online

  “I can’t wait for tomorrow,” he whispered in her ear. She slowly pulled away from him and a blush had warmed her cheeks. He brushed a thumb over her cheek and said, “Drive safe.”

  “You, too. See you tomorrow.” She slid into her car and he shut the door once she was inside. She backed out of her spot and gave small wave to him as she drove away.

  Porter watched her drive away and headed back inside to settle the bill. Tonight had gone better than he had expected, minus Josh making his appearance. He knew Ella was beautiful and that he was going to be attracted to her. He hadn’t expected to like her company so much, or to feel like he already had some sort of claim on her. He thought they had just brushed the surface of the deep connection he was sure they shared and had very few ideas on how he was going to keep his hands to himself tomorrow night.

  Chapter Seven

  Ella

  The non-date with Porter had been surprisingly comfortable. She had been worried that he would expect too much from her, or even worse, not expect anything and really only be meeting her because he felt sorry for her. He seemed happy to be there with her, interested in what she was saying, and it had been a total turn on when he’d stood up to the creep who tried to hit on her.

  She’d driven back to the house with her face still tingling from his touch. She had definitely reacted to his hand on her face and his mouth so close to her ear. She had immediately felt giant butterflies crammed in her stomach and she couldn’t really remember the drive home. She’d made it in the house, and after she’d put on some pajama shorts and a tee-shirt, she crawled into bed. She was checking her email on her phone when she got a text message. She didn’t recognize the number but knew it was from Porter.

  **Hoping you made it back to the house safely.**

  She felt a slow smile inch across her face.

  **Yes, I most certainly did. Thank you.**

  **No problem, I had a great time tonight.**

  Ella was trying to gauge how brave she was feeling, and decided that the beauty of texting was you didn’t have to look the person in the face while you said embarrassing things to them. She gathered her courage.

  **I did, too. I’m kind of regretting going for the cheek though. Wishing I had just gone for it and gotten a real kiss out of you.**

  Ella waited for a response and it seemed to take forever. She realized she was holding her breath when there was a burning in her lungs and she remembered to exhale. Finally her phone pinged.

  **I could always drive over to your house to rectify the situation ; )**

  She couldn’t believe he had just used a winky face. Was he flirting with her? It made her giggle a little bit at how juvenile she felt. Is this what teenagers did these days?

  **That’s kind of you, but I am already in bed.**

  **Well, I think I would able to work in those conditions, for your benefit, of course. I wouldn’t want you losing sleep berating yourself for not giving me a proper kiss goodnight.**

  She couldn’t help the enormous smile that was plastered across her face. She had a hard time reconciling the fact that this funny and sweet man who was flirting with her over text messages was the same man who was yelling at her for being irresponsible the night before. She wasn’t sure what had made him turn into this charming man, but she was glad she got to see this side of him.

  **Fortunately for both of us, the alcohol I’ve consumed will help me sleep. So that will save you a drive all the way over here. I do appreciate your attentiveness though.**

  **Alright, I will let you sleep. But in regards to the kiss, don’t make the same mistake tomorrow. Goodnight, Ella.**

  She still had a stupid grin on her face and thought that there was no way she was going to be able to stop herself from getting the kiss she was after tomorrow night. She pulled her covers up to her chin and snuggled into the soft sheets, feeling more lightweight than she had in months. She fell asleep smiling, thinking about Porter’s gentle touch on her face.

  The next morning she woke to beautiful bright light shining through the sheer fabric of the bed. It appeared as if the weather gods had smiled upon her and given her a sunny day at the beach, which was a rarity this time of year on the Oregon coast. She stretched her arms and legs and after remembering the sweet way Porter had said goodnight to her at the bar and their text conversation, the butterflies returned with full force. She was going to have to try to keep her mind occupied for the day unless she wanted to slowly torture herself with replaying the whole scenario in her head over and over again. She decided to take a jog on the beach to clear her mind.

  It wasn’t terribly early, but the beach was still relatively empty. Ella had the whole beach pretty much to herself, and took joy in the openness it afforded her while she ran along the shore. She had her iPod on and was using the upbeat dance music to keep her pace up. There were a few large, white, puffy clouds in the sky, but the sun was out in full force and it felt wonderful against her face. After a while, when she felt like she’d run long enough to counteract the drinks she’d had the night before, she found her way back to the house and sat on the porch steps admiring the crashing waves. She had been thinking about absolutely nothing when she suddenly felt her phone vibrating in the pocket of her jacket. She saw her sister’s name on the screen and answered with a smile.

  “Hey, Megan, what’s up? How is Patrick?”

  “Patrick is good. We are getting ready to go and look at a venue for the wedding. We are torn between getting an outdoor or indoor venue. You can never be too sure about the weather here, but we just want to see what’s out there. Ya know?”

  “Totally. Maybe you can find a place that has both, so that you’re safe either way,” Ella offered.

  “You are brilliant, sister of mine. Anyway, I was just calling to see how your romantic birthday trip was going.” Ella’s stomach dropped. She had been disconnected from her family and the real world for the last three days, and it hadn’t occurred to her that she hadn’t told anyone that she and Kyle had broken up.

  “Well, that’s an interesting story. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Yeah, I don’t have anything planned until later this afternoon. Is something wrong? You sound weird.”

  “Yes, everything is fine, but Kyle and I broke up on Friday.”

  “Wait, what?” Megan sounded just as confused as Ella had expected.

  “Well, it turns out that Kyle was seeing someone else and I walked in on them together on Friday. So we decided to end the relationship.”

  “End the relationship?” Megan parroted.

  “Yes.”

  “Ok,” Megan said slowly, drawing out the word while her brain processed all the new information. “So, Kyle was cheating on you? And you walked in on them, like, together?”

  “Yes. I saw them together, bolted, and came to the beach alone.”

  “Oh my gosh, Ella. Are you ok? Do you need me to drive to the beach to be with you?”

  “No, no, no. I’m fine. Don’t drive all the way out here. Besides, it’s for the best.”

  “Ella, Friday was your birthday. This all happened on your birthday? I’m so sorry.” Ella could hear the genuine concern in her sister’s voice and she had to remind herself that in reality she should be more upset about what had happened. Anyone else in her situation would still be crumpled on the floor, eating ice cream by the gallon, crying over the man she had lost. It wasn’t typical that she felt relieved and content; it was strange. “And what the hell is Kyle’s problem? Who is this slut he’s having an affair with?” Ella smiled at her sister’s loyalty.

  “Megan, it’s a long story. He met a woman at a work thing and they slept together. She showed up at our apartment on Friday and I had the unfortunate luck to walk in on them mid-romp. I left. He called. We broke up.”

  “Wow. So now what?”

  “I don’t really know, Meg. I’m here at the beach and I’ll be here until Sunday, while Kyle moves out of the apartment. After that, I guess it’s back to
life as we know it.” The thought of going back to Portland made her a little nervous. It made her think about Porter and what might happen between them. She felt silly for even thinking about him, seeing as how they hadn’t even had a real date. Still, the idea of being two hours away from him made her feel uneasy.

  “And you’re sure you don’t want some company? I could drive out there tomorrow and stay the night. We could have a girls’ night,” Megan said in a sing-song voice, trying to convince her. Ella started to refuse, but then thought about how long it had been since she and her baby sister had really had any time together alone.

  “You don’t have class?”

  “I have one early class tomorrow morning and I could drive out after. Then I don’t have class again until Wednesday.”

  “If you’re sure you want to and it won’t be any trouble, I’d actually really love to see you.”

  “Great! I will be there late morning; just text me the address. I’m excited to see you, Ella. I am so sorry that Kyle turned out to be such a jackass.” Ella laughed.

  “Thanks Meg, I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Oh, don’t tell Mom and Dad. I haven’t called them yet.”

  “I won’t, promise.”

  Ella ended the call, and was genuinely excited to spend some time with her sister. She took a moment to text the address of the house to Megan and then sent a second text to her:

  **Do me a favor. Text Kyle and tell him to take the bed with him**

  She got up from the porch steps and decided she would spend the next few hours relaxing, reading her book, and taking her time preparing for her date that evening. She had gone to the closet upstairs and picked out her date outfit with a little trepidation simply because she didn’t know what they were doing. She decided that she would go for a little dressier than the night before seeing as how this was a ‘real’ date. Around one o’clock she had run out of things to do and got an idea. She got her phone and started looking up numbers for salons in Lincoln City. She called a few until she found one that could fit her in right away. She figured that a little pampering was deserved and she also hoped it would help alleviate all the nerves that were building up. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

  A few hours later Ella was back from the salon and she felt amazing. The women who worked at the salon were so thankful that Ella had saved them from a slow Sunday; they made sure she looked her best when she left. She had told them the story about her breakup and how Porter had come to her rescue, albeit reluctantly, and that now he was taking her out on a date. The women were almost as excited as she was about it and it showed in their work. Ella’s hair had been expertly braided from the top part, around the front, and down the side creating a waterfall of hair that came together at a delicate and low side pony. The ends had been curled and the finished product looked completely feminine. Her makeup was minimal with a little shimmery eye shadow, mascara and a pale pink lip gloss. Her freshly manicured nails matched the pink in her lips. She looked at the clock and saw she had a half hour until Porter came to pick her up. She headed upstairs and smiled with excitement to think about the final touch of her preparation. The Dress.

  She had seen this dress when it came in on a shipment for her store, and she fell in love with it right away. It was a medium blue, strapless, sweetheart dress with a black lace overlay that covered her shoulders with capped sleeves. The sweetheart neckline accentuated the swells of her breasts and did fabulous things for her cleavage. The blue shell of the dress came to a few inches above the knee, and the lace extended a few inches below, giving the illusion of skin with the without being scandalous. The last detail was a skinny little black belt that sat right at her waist.

  She looked in the mirror and decided that if this dress didn’t work for Porter, nothing would. She pulled on her black matte pumps and did one final check in the mirror. Now she just needed her date to arrive.

  Chapter Eight

  Porter

  Porter had spent the day doing anything he could think of to keep himself busy, but nothing he did could keep his mind off of Ella. He thought about everything from the way she smelled, to the way he instinctively wanted to protect her, but mostly he thought about how crazy it was that he felt any of this three days after meeting her. As he pulled up to her house, he definitely started to feel a little nervous. He couldn’t remember the last time a date had been this important to him, or a woman, for that matter. He knew Ella was different; he could feel it. He was a few minutes early, but got out of his car and headed to her door. He stopped as he saw his reflection in the window by her front door and did a check to make sure he looked all right. He hadn’t spent a whole lot of time getting ready but he was confident he looked acceptable. He had chosen his dark jeans, a white shirt, and a black suit jacket. It was simple, but he really didn’t have the tolerance for anything fancy. Besides, he was sure if he was going anywhere with Ella, no one would be looking at him anyway. He made it to her door and rang the bell. He listened for any indication that she was coming and eventually heard the tell-tale sound of heels on stairs. A few seconds later she opened the door and Porter felt as if the floor had dropped out from under him.

  It was over for him and he knew it. Ella stood before him, and unlike any other woman he’d ever seen. She managed to be absolutely sexy, thoroughly beautiful, and was completely unaware of it. She looked at him and he knew she waiting for his reaction, hoping he approved of her. He slowly let his eyes roam from her head, all the way to her feet and up again. Porter managed to clear his throat and say, “You’re going to kill me with that dress, Ella.” She blushed and then to add insult to injury, she did a turn.

  “It’s just a dress, Porter. Is it ok for what we’re doing tonight?” She said as she finished her spin. Porter wasn’t sure how to answer, because every thought he was having started and ended with her body, and what her dress did to it.

  “You look amazing. I’m not even sure amazing covers it.” Porter saw the familiar pink rush to Ella’s cheeks and decided it was best to just leave instead of standing on the porch and staring at her all night. “You ready to go?”

  “Yep. Where are we going?”

  “I thought we could go out for dinner and drinks. Ever been to Inn at the Spanish Head?” He saw Ella smile.

  “I haven’t been there myself, but I remember when I was younger my parents would go away for the weekends to the coast and they would stay there. I always thought it sounded grown-up and fancy.”

  “Well, it has a really nice restaurant. Hopefully it will live up to your expectations.” He waited for Ella to lock the door and then they walked to his truck. He opened the door for her and then after she was safely inside, he closed the door and went to his side. As his truck made its way onto the main road Porter stole a glance over at Ella and felt himself smiling. She was looking out of her window at the ocean and she looked completely relaxed. Her hair was pulled around to the opposite side and from his view all he could focus on was the bare skin of her neck. The gentle slope from behind her ear, to where her neck met her shoulder, to the delicate lace that covered her bare skin; it was all he could do to keep from running a finger along it. He could only imagine how soft her skin felt there and he thought it probably felt a lot like silk. The more he thought about her, the more images popped into his mind. First his finger was along her neck, then his mouth, slowly moving along the curve she left open for him. His thoughts were interrupted by Ella’s voice.

  “What did you do today? Work on your boat at all?”

  “No. I need a part, so I am waiting for it to come in. I didn’t do a whole lot today, just kind of caught up on some stuff that I had been putting off.” What he didn’t tell Ella was that he had spent the entire day making sure that his house was clean enough to entertain, on the off chance that they decided to go back to his house after dinner. He hadn’t had a woman in his house for months, not even his mom, and he was pretty sure he needed to do some serious cleaning before he attempted to bring anyone o
ver. “What about you?”

  “Well, I went to get pampered for our date, which was amazing. I also spoke with my sister, and she’s going to come up tomorrow to stay for a night. It’s going to be fun. We’re going to be total girls, and watch movies, and eat junk food,” Ella said while smiling; she looked excited to spend time with her sister.

  “A little sisterly bonding? Sounds fun.” They chatted about a few more things before they pulled up to the restaurant. As they walked through the parking lot Porter found his hand on the small of Ella’s back. He hadn’t purposefully touched her but it seemed as if he had little control over it. His body just wanted to be close to hers. Luckily, it didn’t seem like she was opposed to his touch because she offered him a small smile. They walked up to the hostess Porter said, “Hi. We have a reservation for Masters.”

  The hostess, who looked to be still in high school, looked at her clipboard and said, “I see your reservation right here and we were able to get you the table you requested.” Ella looked up at Porter.

  “You requested a table?”

  “You’ll see,” was all he said in response.

  They followed the hostess and Porter watched Ella for any signs that he’d made a good choice of table. He had asked them to reserve a table on the far wall of the restaurant that was made of one giant picture window. The view from the table looked out over the ocean, above a bluff. Waves were crashing up on to the rocks below, and in just a few minutes they would be able to watch the sunset from their seats. The restaurant had done well and even managed to light a candle on their table as he’d requested.

  “Porter,” Ella said with a voice that sounded breathy and full of wonder, “this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” She turned to him and the smile on her face could have stopped his heart. He would go to any lengths tonight to make sure he saw that smile. He pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. After they were seated, he ordered a bottle of white wine. They were looking over their menus when he heard Ella give a small gasp.