And as Stacey continued to observe the couple and how they interacted with each other, she knew there was more that held their marriage together than just great looks. There was also that chemistry that radiated between them that she could feel from across the room. The same heated chemistry she detected between Galen and his wife, Brittany.
She had met Brittany Thrasher Steele when Stacey had first moved to Phoenix and found her to be friendly and very likable. That was good since Brittany would be her sister-in-law for at least a year. She hated deceiving everyone into thinking she and Eli were marrying because they were madly in love but that had been part of the agreement they’d made.
Stacey nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. Not for the first time this week she wondered if she had done the right thing in consenting to marry him. Although he seemed pretty confident, she was convinced that no one was going to believe they were madly in love and had kept their relationship a secret until tonight…when they would announce their engagement.
Less than a half hour later while standing talking to Cohen, Dee and Mercury, she felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach. She glanced across the room and her gaze landed on Eli the moment he entered the house. Her pulse began racing upon seeing him, dressed casually in a crisp blue shirt and pleated dark slacks.
He looked handsome. Good enough to eat. Savor. Enjoy. Her breath caught on all of the above and she couldn’t help noticing the interest of several single female doctors, all colleagues of Cohen’s, who’d been invited. At that moment, something happened that she hadn’t expected. Her heart rate increased as a tinge of green jealousy flowed through her bloodstream. What on earth was wrong with her? She had no reason to be jealous of any woman where Eli was concerned. It wasn’t as if they were in love or anything. Although she would admit that this week she had enjoyed her time with him so much that every once in a while she had to remind herself that nothing had changed and they were still emotionally detached.
“He looks hot,” Dee leaned over and whispered for her ears only.
Stacey had to agree. Eli Steele was hot. And as she continued to stare over at him, he scanned the room, and when their gazes connected she felt her nipples harden against her blouse.
He had specifically asked her to wear a skirt and blouse tonight, without giving her a specific reason why, other than saying he got turned on looking at her legs. Considering how he would act sometimes whenever he saw them, she could believe him.
She swallowed thickly when he began moving toward her, pausing briefly to speak with his parents. Moments later when he continued toward her, she felt the sudden urge to run. But she stood still. She knew their playacting was about to begin.
Something, Eli wasn’t sure what exactly, had his heart pounding in his chest. It had been doing so since the moment his gaze had lit on Stacey, picking her out in the crowded room.
She looked beautiful and had done just what he’d asked by wearing a skirt and blouse. It was a pretty pink blouse with lace trim at the hem and a short black pencil skirt. The outfit looked ultra-feminine on her and the skirt, which hit above the knee, showed off a pair of beautiful legs. The most gorgeous pair any woman could ever own. Her body—in or out of clothes—was what fantasies were made of.
But there was more to it than just his physical attraction to her, more to his obsession with her legs. They had spent a lot of time together this week and all of it hadn’t been in the bedroom. And at that moment he knew what it was. He sucked in a deep breath and nearly lost his step when the truth hit him right between the eyes. Galen had been right. He had fallen in love with her.
Damn, damn and triple damn.
He had begun putting the bits and pieces of the puzzle together this week. There had to be a reason he would seek her out every single chance he got just for the feel of not only thrusting into her body, but for the ultimate, overwhelming sensation he felt whenever he would shoot off inside of her. Sharing the very essence of him with her.
He had spent enough time with Stacey to know how she felt about love and commitment. No emotional entanglements. He’d heard it from her several times and for a while he’d agreed with her. Therefore, he knew he had his work cut out for him, but then he hadn’t wanted to fall in love with her. It just happened and he had no regrets. But the fall of Eli would cost her. He intended to make her a victim just like him. Willing or not.
“Good evening, everyone,” he greeted, coming to a stop in front of the small group, but deliberately beside Stacey. Everyone returned his greeting.
“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t be showing up,” Mercury said, eyeing his brother curiously.
“There was no way I would have missed it,” Eli said. His gaze then went to Stacey. “May I speak with you privately for a moment, Stacey?”
He saw the look of surprise and curiosity in both Cohen and Mercury’s features. Then there was the look of downright amusement in Dee’s. Cohen and Mercury were probably wondering what on earth he needed to talk to Stacey about. As far as either of them knew, they were merely acquaintances, definitely not what one would consider as friends.
“Sure, Eli,” Stacey said, smiling up at him.
And Eli baffled both her brother and his even further when he took her hand as they moved toward the French doors leading to the patio.
Stacey’s heart began racing the moment they were outside. In a darkened area of the patio, Eli pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She returned it so hungrily, giving in to the sensations swamping her. Sensations Eli could stir so easily.
She heard the groan that rattled in his throat, felt the hardness of his erection at the juncture of her legs as his hand cupped her backside while grinding his body against hers.
He was devouring her, reminding her of some of the benefits of marrying him, staying on as his wife for hire for a year. That meant twelve months of physical pleasure. Twelve months of letting herself go, indulging and becoming the sensuous woman she knew she could be. The sensuous woman she wanted to be.
He slowly pulled away from her mouth and on the dimly lit patio she could barely make out his features. But she didn’t have to see him to know desire was flaring in the depths of his eyes. And although she didn’t see him clearly, she did hear him when he whispered in a deep, husky tone, “I love you, Stacey.”
She looked at him questioningly and then glanced around. Although she didn’t see anyone outside on the patio with them, she figured there must have been someone within close range. Someone Eli wanted to hear his pretend words of love. In that case, she decided to go along with the program. “And I love you, too, Eli.”
He surprised her even further when he linked her fingers into his and asked, “Will you marry me?”
She paused for a moment. He had already asked her to marry him. He was definitely laying it on thick to repeat the question, but if that’s what he felt he had to do for appearances’ sake then who was she to argue? “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
At that moment she felt him slide a ring onto her finger and she glanced down. She couldn’t make out the design in the darkness but she saw the diamond sparkle in the moonlight. She blinked. The size of the diamond appeared large but she knew she had to be mistaken. It wasn’t like they were sharing a real engagement so the ring he gave her wouldn’t matter. There was no way he would spend a lot of money on a ring she was destined to keep. It was part of their arrangement that she didn’t have to return any gift he gave her including the engagement ring.
“Now it’s official,” he said, reclaiming her attention. “And we’ll marry on Christmas Day.”
Again she wondered why he was repeating what they’d already decided on that week. But if he needed to be reassured that she hadn’t changed her mind, then she would confirm what he’d said. “Yes, we’ll marry on Christmas Day.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “Come on, let’s go tell the others.”
She dismissed the excitement she heard in his voice and figured the sooner he could let peo
ple know they were engaged, the sooner people would assume he had cleaned up his playboy image, which was important to him. And that was the only reason he was marrying her in the first place.
When they walked back through the French doors, coming in from the darkened patio, she blinked at the bright lights and noticed several people had turned to glance their way. Apparently, they had seen him lead her out onto the patio and had wondered what was going on. Some of the women were staring at her and began whispering.
She was about to ask Eli what was going on when he spoke up loud enough for everyone to hear. “May I have your attention, please. Stacey and I have an announcement to make.”
The room suddenly got quiet and everyone, those not doing so already, stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. When Eli was satisfied all eyes were on them, he then said, “I know this is going to come as a surprise to some of you, especially to you, Cohen. But Stacey and I have been seeing each other for a while now and it didn’t take long for me to realize she’s the woman I want in my life. I’ve asked her to marry me and she’s accepted and we plan to marry on Christmas Day.”
Pandemonium broke out. At least among some. Eli’s brothers, as well as Cohen, just stood there with shocked looks on their faces. Eli’s parents, initially just as shocked, quickly recovered and smiled, as if pleased with the announcement.
Dee was the first person to rush over and hug her. Stacey whispered to Dee, “What’s going on? Why are those women staring at me like that?”
She noticed several of the women in the room were still openly staring like she’d grown two heads or something. Did they think her decision to marry Eli was a crazy one?
Dee threw her head back and laughed. “It’s not you they’re staring at per se, but it’s that rock on your hand. It blinded everyone the moment you walked back inside off the patio. Your ring is simply gorgeous.”
Stacey realized that she hadn’t really taken a good look at her ring. She glanced down at her hand and her breath caught in her throat. She nearly passed out in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
The ring he had slid onto her finger was the same one that she’d seen that day in the jewelry store window within the Christmas display. A ring by Zion. And it suddenly dawned on her that the one ring she had wished for was now hers.
“When did the two of you start seeing each other?”
“Why did you keep it a secret?”
“Why the rush on the wedding?”
Questions began hitting Eli all at once. Well prepared, he answered them easily, without missing a beat, while keeping his gaze on Stacey. She was staring down at the ring he’d given her. Did she not like it? Did she think it was too large? Too gaudy?
He had seen it the other day in the store window and he’d known it was hers. There was something about it that had made him immediately think of her and he had wanted to be the one to put it on her finger. And he had.
He had deliberately asked her to marry him, just like he’d intentionally told her he loved her. He was well aware she didn’t love him nor had a clue he’d told her the truth. He did love her. But he had to prove to her that he wanted to clean up his image more than just to become president of the business council. More than anything he wanted to clean up his image for her as well. Earning her love was more important than anything.
“Your father and I are happy for you and Stacey,” his mother came up to say, smiling brightly. “I can’t wait to get to know Stacey better. Already I admire the woman who was able to knock you off your high horse.”
He didn’t respond to his mother’s comments or that “I told you so” look in her eyes. He was relieved when she and his dad gave Stacey huge hugs and then moved on. He then leaned over and whispered to Stacey, “As you can see our engagement announcement has made my mother’s night.”
“Would the two of you like to tell me why I’ve been clueless about this?”
His gaze shifted from Stacey and met Cohen’s questioning look. He had known Cohen long enough to know although he was smiling, the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. And he figured Cohen wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew for certain Stacey was in good hands. Sincere hands. Eli understood and had expected Cohen’s doubt.
Tyson, Mercury, Jonas and Gannon were standing with Cohen and although they weren’t saying anything, it was obvious they wanted answers as well. Stacey had heard her brother’s question and slid to Eli’s side to give a united front. He appreciated her for doing that.
A party was still going on and Eli knew no matter what concerns Cohen might have, he wouldn’t cause a scene. Eli intended to give him no reason to want to do so. “My goal was to win Stacey’s heart and the last thing I needed was interference from any of you who think you know me so well. Those who thought I wasn’t ready to give up the single life and settle down.”
His comment seemed to make Cohen relax somewhat but he could tell from his brothers’ expressions they weren’t buying it.
“So Eli is the reason you didn’t want to follow me to Florida,” Cohen said to Stacey with a knowing grin. “I admit if you would have told me the two of you were seeing each other that would have given me concern, considering Eli’s reputation. But asking you to marry him is serious. Shows you mean a lot to him, and I’m happy for the both of you.”
“Thanks,” Eli said, smiling. “And I want you to leave Phoenix knowing Stacey is in good hands. I intend to take good care of her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated.”
A huge grin appeared on Cohen’s face. “That’s good to know.” Cohen then shook Eli’s hand before hugging his sister and congratulating them both.
Galen and Brittany then approached. A genuine smile lit his brother’s eyes and Eli couldn’t help but nod. He hated to admit it but Galen’s prediction had come true. Eli had figured things out before the wedding.
Chapter 18
“I think tonight went well,” Eli said as he led Stacey into his home and closed the door behind them.
“Yes, it did.”
Since Stacey had been the hostess they had hung back until everyone had left and had helped straighten up. Dee had helped while Eli had gotten a chance to talk to Cohen one-on-one. Eli was confident that he had effectively squashed any concerns or misgivings Cohen might have had regarding his relationship with Stacey, and he felt pretty good about it.
Eli frowned thinking his brothers were another matter. All but Galen were being downright difficult. They saw his defection as a threat to their way of life. First Galen and then him. The possibility that they weren’t immune to falling in love like they’d assumed had them literally terrified. He chuckled knowing their time would eventually come. If it could happen to him then it could happen to anyone.
“But I hated lying to everyone. What happens when they find out the truth?” Stacey interrupted his thoughts to ask.
He turned and watched her drop down on his sofa and cross her legs. “And what do you think is the truth that they will find out?” he asked her.
She ran her fingers through the curls on her head and he wasn’t surprised that he found such a simple act so sensuous. “That we aren’t in love and that our decision to marry was strictly business.” She nibbled on her bottom lip thoughtfully and then added, “I wished you hadn’t laid things on so thick.”
He smiled, knowing just what she was referring to. Once the announcement was made he hadn’t wasted any time showing how he felt about her. He knew it had been there in the way he’d looked at her, the way he touched her. He had even kissed her a few times in front of everyone, giving the impression that he adored his fiancée and looked forward to a wedding. He knew Stacey assumed he was playacting. She would be shocked to discover he hadn’t been.
He dropped down on the sofa beside her and lifted her legs to place them across his lap. “I couldn’t help it. You shouldn’t be so tempting,” he said, proceeding to remove the sandals from her feet.
“You took advantage of the situation.”
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He chuckled as he dropped one of her shoes to the floor, which within seconds was followed by the other. “I plead the fifth.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You would.” When her laughter subsided, she smiled and said, “Your mother seemed happy.”
He chuckled again. “Trust me, it wasn’t an act. Nothing would make her happier than for each of her sons to marry. We made her extremely happy tonight.” And he honestly knew they had.
“She invited me to dinner with the family on Thursday,” she said softly.
He glanced over at her. “You don’t want to go?”
“I’ll go but it will only compound the lies. More playacting.”
He bit down on his lip, tempted to tell her how he felt but he knew to do so would make her bolt. Cohen had even expressed his surprise that his sister had fallen in love again after vowing she never would. Only Eli knew she hadn’t yet fallen in love. But he was determined to do everything in his power to make sure she did. Right now she was sexually attracted to him. Lust, pure and simple. But he was a living witness that with the right person, lust could be transformed into love. It had happened with Galen, it had happened to him and he was determined that it would happen to Stacey.
“Dee didn’t seem to mind that you won’t be returning to your place tonight,” he said.
She smiled. “No, and chances are she won’t be returning there either. If she has her way she’ll be going home with Cohen tonight. She has loved him forever and has finally gotten the courage to do something about it.”
Eli reached up and began running his fingers through her curls, like he’d seen her do earlier. She said nothing, but merely closed her eyes to bask in his ministrations. God, he loved her. How could he have thought that he didn’t? However, there was one thing bothering him.
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