She felt a tickle in her nose, and she had just enough time to grab a tissue from the box on his nightstand before she sneezed.
She crumpled the tissue and tossed it into the wastebasket. When she settled back down, she saw that Chris had awakened and was staring right at her. She rolled over to face him, offered a crooked smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
“No worries.” He pulled her body closer to his, snuggling against her.
She sighed. It was so nice to be held this way, and being with someone she felt so comfortable with made it even better.
He inhaled deeply. “Your hair smells like grapefruits.”
She chuckled, amused by his quirky observation. “I use a shampoo with citrus oil.”
“I like it. Keep using it.”
Between them, she felt his body awakening. It was as if his body were reacting to her nearness. “Chris...”
“I know.” He smiled. “How about another ride? Just not in my car this time.”
She licked her lips and straddled him. “Okay. But watch your speed.”
“Don’t worry.” He leaned up to kiss her as their bodies came together. “We’ll go nice and slow.”
Chapter 12
Late Sunday morning, Chris sat in a lounger by his pool, a cup of coffee in hand. Eliza reclined on the lounger next to him, nursing her own cup.
He looked her way, admiring her beauty. She looked totally relaxed and at home, dressed in one of his old white tees and nothing else. Due to his height, the shirt’s hem grazed her knees, and the expanse of her long, shapely legs was bared to his eyes.
She glanced toward him, smiled. “It’s beautiful out here.”
“Thanks.” He’d built this place as his personal retreat, and had poured the best of his architectural skills into the design. “The pool deck is my favorite area of the house.”
“I can understand that. It’s unique.” She gazed out over the white marble deck toward the water. “I just have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Where does the water end?”
He chuckled. He’d spent a great deal of time and effort creating just the right design for his custom one-of-a-kind home, and the curved infinity pool was the jewel of his mountain retreat. “Without getting too complicated, it’s kind of like a huge fountain. Just over the edge of the deck, there’s another marble step that the water runs over. Beneath that, there’s a hidden reservoir and a pump system that cycles the water back into the upper level of the pool.”
“Nice.” She sounded impressed. “And what’s on the other side of the reservoir?”
“The mountain.” He laughed. “Just brush and grass. I didn’t develop any of that; I picked this spot because I wanted privacy and didn’t need a lawn. I wasn’t interested in the upkeep.”
“I get that. At any rate, this place is magical. I feel like I’m at some kind of fairy-tale palace.”
“If that’s true, that would make you the queen.”
She blushed. “Okay, smooth talker.”
He winked, then took a drink from his coffee cup. The weather, sunny and temperate, made it a perfect day for sitting out on the pool deck, and he couldn’t ask for better company. “So, now that I’ve given you the tour, what’s your favorite part of the house?” They’d spent about a half hour earlier walking through the place, and she’d taken in all the sights with great interest. Knowing she was nude beneath the borrowed shirt hadn’t made it easy to concentrate on explaining the finer parts of the design to her, but he’d promised her a tour and had delivered.
She sighed, sounding content. “Actually, I think the pool deck is my favorite part. The deck and pool are pretty awesome, and then when you add in this magnificent view of the city and the mountains, it’s truly special.” She gestured out toward the horizon.
His brow hitched. Yet another thing we have in common.
“At first, I wondered why you would choose to live so far away from everyone and everything. It took a while to get here, and then trying to get up that steep driveway was a killer.”
He chuckled. “I know. It weeds out the solicitors and other folks I don’t want to visit me.”
“I bet.” She shook her head, giggling. “Anyway, now that I’ve come up here and seen the house and the views, I totally understand. What a wonderful place to call home.”
“Since I live and work here, I aimed to make it feel like a vacation retreat; an escape from the rat race, if you will.” Draining the last of his coffee, he sat his empty cup down on the glass table next to his lounger.
She was silent for a few moments as she sipped her coffee.
He thought about how they’d spent last night. Making love to her had been amazing; he’d loved the way she’d responded to his touch. Looking at her now made him want to lift the shirt and take her all over again, here in the cool mountain breeze with the sun shining down on them. But before he could do that, there was something he needed to know. “Eliza, do your parents know we’re together?”
She set her cup aside and turned his way, her gaze serious. “That’s an odd question. But the answer is no. I don’t make it a habit to tell them about my love life—at least, not anymore.”
He shifted in his seat. “And how did that change come about?”
She shrugged. “They’re so overbearing and judgmental. If I even mention a man, they start asking me a bunch of questions about him and his ‘intentions.’ Sometimes it goes on for months after I’ve broken up with a guy. So I just gave up on explaining it to them.” She waved her hand in the air, as if dismissing the issue. “Besides, I’m too old to be telling them all my business.”
He agreed with her statement, but he didn’t know if Colonel Ellicott would ever really stop trying to protect Eliza like a hawk watching over its young. As baby of the family, Eliza had been the last to go off to college, and the Colonel had seemed to be determined to keep her living under his rule forever. As much as he respected the Colonel, Chris had seen him as something of a tyrant back in those days.
“In fact, my mom told me to lay off introducing them to guys.”
That surprised him, because he remembered how much Mrs. Ellicott loved to entertain. He couldn’t imagine her turning down an opportunity to show off her home. “Oh, really?”
She nodded. “Yes. Her exact words were, ‘Don’t bring another man home unless you mean business.’”
He chuckled. “What a demand. So, do you mean business with me?”
“Oh, yes.” She stretched, raising her arms above her head. Arching her back, she lengthened her body in a very feline manner, the hem of the shirt rising ever so slightly.
He swallowed as the blood began to rush to his lower regions. “You do?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She hummed her affirmative response as she stood, slowly walking toward where he sat. “I take your business very, very seriously.” Her eyes locked with his for a moment before she made a show of eyeing the crotch of his basketball shorts.
He groaned as she entered his space and eased the shirt up around her waist. Then she sat on his lap, one leg on either side of the lounger.
“In fact,” she said, grazing her fingertip over his jawline, “I think we should get back to business right now.”
A moment ago, he’d had more questions about her parents. But now, as he dragged her down to his kiss, all thoughts of conversation fled, leaving behind only his desire to fill her until she shouted for joy.
* * *
Eliza used her key to open the back door of her parents’ house and walked into the kitchen. It was midmorning, the second Tuesday in July, and the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee greeted her as she entered, closing the door behind her. She glanced around the empty kitchen, then listened for sounds that would help her locate her parents. Hearing the television playing in the parlor, she stopped at the counter to
make herself a cup of coffee, then carried it with her toward the sound.
Her father, Commander Vaughn Ellicott Sr., sat on the white chintz sofa, his eyes trained on an episode of In the Heat of the Night playing on the big-screen television. He must have heard her footsteps on the carpet, because he turned his head in her direction as soon as she crossed the threshold.
“Reporting for daughter duty,” she said, standing at attention and giving a crisp salute. She and her siblings often did that kind of thing, harkening back to their father’s long and illustrious career in the US Navy. Vaughn had admired his father so much that he’d gone into the navy himself after high school.
He chuckled. “At ease. Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Morning, Dad.” She came over to where he sat and bent to place a kiss on his forehead. “Where’s Mom? We’re supposed to be going shopping.”
He shrugged. “I think she’s still upstairs.”
Eliza smiled. It was obvious her father’s focus was on the old television show he was watching, so she left him alone. “I’m going to go up and get her, okay?”
He nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
She crossed the parlor and entered the foyer. There, on the bottom rung of the staircase, she stopped and looked at her father. For whatever reason, he seemed to be wearing his age today. The gray patches near his temples, the glasses perched on the end of his nose, and even the lines starting to show around his mouth and forehead stood out to her in a way they never had before.
She loved her father very much, but he’d been hard to please. As his baby, she’d wanted his approval more than anything. If she were honest with herself, she still craved that approval, even though she was grown. It was her longing for his approval that kept her from being honest with him about getting involved with Chris again.
It had been two and half blissful weeks since they’d made love, and she and Chris had been spending as much time together as their schedules allowed. No one in her entire family, except her sister Brianne, knew about Eliza and Chris’s relationship. Eliza had sworn Brianne to secrecy, and Brianne, relishing the idea of knowing something about her sister that no one else did, had kept it to herself.
She supposed her father could have changed his opinion of Chris over the years. Maybe he’d forgiven Chris for leaving her with a broken heart back then and would embrace the idea of them reconciling. But parts of her didn’t want to tell her father, because things were just starting to settle out with Chris, and she didn’t want to mess that up.
With a sigh, she started up the stairs, seeking her mother. She found Natalie Ellicott seated on the end of the bed in the master suite, phone in hand.
When Eliza entered the room, Natalie looked up and spoke into the receiver. “Okay, Jean. I’ll have to call you back later, my daughter’s here.” After disconnecting the call, she smiled her way. “Morning, Eliza. I’m just about ready. Let me get my purse and we can go.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Her mother disappeared into the walk-in closet, returning with her favorite black leather handbag. As she slung the strap over her shoulder, she stopped, eyeing her. “Eliza, is something wrong?”
Realizing her expression had given away her melancholy, she sought a quick cover story. The first one to pop into her head was, thankfully, a true one. “Listen, Mom. I’ve been thinking about moving out of the cottage.” She’d been thinking about it ever since she’d closed out her first day at five-figure sales in the boutique. While she loved her parents, she craved the full measure of privacy she could enjoy as an adult. And while the cottage was about a half mile from the main house, she was still essentially a boarder on her parents’ property.
Natalie frowned, showing her disappointment. “Oh, really? You know there’s no rush for you to leave, dear. We love having you so close to home, especially after you spent all that time living on the other side of the country.”
She recalled how often her parents had spoken of missing her when she’d been living in New York, running her boutique there. Closing her shop, then packing up her life and moving back home after her breakup with Burton, had been quite an undertaking, but now she was glad she’d made the journey. “I know, and it’s been great. But I really think it’s time I start looking for a place. Somewhere in the city, maybe. Closer to the boutique.”
They left the bedroom, went down the stairs together. On the first floor, Natalie took a moment to give Vaughn Sr. a quick kiss before they both exited through the kitchen door.
As they climbed into Eliza’s sedan, Natalie remarked, “When you came home, you said you wanted to use the cottage until you felt the store was well established. Do you feel that it is? It’s only been a few months.”
Eliza started the car, pulling away from the house. “Yes, Mom. I really do. Business is brisk at the boutique, and I’ve saved up some money. I’m thinking I may have enough to put down on a nice condominium or apartment.” Her more idealistic self often fantasized about moving into Marland Manor with Chris, but she had better sense than to mention that fantasy to her mother.
“All right, dear. If it’s what you really want, you know I won’t stand in your way.” Natalie clasped her purse in her lap, the way she always did when riding in a car. “I can’t speak for your father, though.”
Eliza sighed. She knew her father wouldn’t be thrilled to hear of her moving out of the cottage and moving on with her life, but she couldn’t let that stop her from doing what felt right. And that applied both to getting her own place and to being with the man she’d fallen in love with all over again.
Chapter 13
Wednesday afternoon, Chris reclined in his lounger on the pool deck, enjoying the view of the mountains. He’d turned in his final plans for the Museum of Sustainable Art earlier, and had decided to take the rest of the day off in celebration. For now, his only company was an ice-cold beer, but he was expecting Eliza to come over later and help him celebrate fully.
A smile tilted his lips as he thought of all the ways he wanted to touch her. The past few weeks had been great; having her back in his life seemed to make everything better.
The ringing of his cell phone caught his attention. Setting down the beer bottle, he grabbed the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. His eyes widened when he saw who was calling. He took a deep breath and answered the call. “Dr. Clark. How are you?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Marland.” As assistant national director of the Prescott George organization, Dr. Clark was known for being a straight shooter. “Forgive me if I skip the pleasantries, but what is going on in the San Diego chapter these days?”
“Well, sir, we’re working on a community service project now. We’re going to fund a building and the operation of a youth center in a low-income area and of course we’re continuing our program of purchasing backpacks and school supplies and...”
“Nice try. You know that’s not what I’m referring to, Chris.”
“I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking me, sir.”
Dr. Clark sighed. “Chris, we keep up with the activities of every chapter of Prescott George. We’ve seen the negative press the San Diego chapter has been getting. We’ve read about the break-in, the vandalism and the mismanagement of funds, and this doesn’t present our organization in the best light. Just what kind of dog and pony show are you running out there?”
Chris sighed. “Dr. Clark, the chapter leadership is looking into these matters. We haven’t gotten to the bottom of them yet, but we’re confident we will soon.”
“You’d better. Because if you don’t straighten all this out, we may have to cancel the gala.”
Chris bolted upright in his seat. “Dr. Clark, you can’t be serious. That gala is six days away.”
“I’m very serious. I never joke about things like this.”
He cringed. “Surely there must be some way for
us to work this out. Think of the expense the organization has gone to for the party. Canceling it now would lead to a serious loss of funds.”
“I know that. But if you don’t deal with the PR issue at your chapter, the Chapter of the Year, the repercussions could be even worse. You have three business days, Chris. Either fix this or expect us to cancel the party.” That said, Dr. Clark disconnected the call.
Stunned, Chris tucked his phone back into his pocket. He grabbed his beer, slumped against the lounger and drained the rest of the bottle. This mess at Prescott George had been the bane of his existence for the past few months, and now things were about to come to a head. He’d been so excited to discover that his chapter had been chosen Chapter of the Year. It was a recognition of the work he and his chapter mates had done, both in their professional fields and in their community. Now, with the possible loss of that honor hanging over his head, he didn’t know how to fix things. Frustration coursed through him, making him feel restless. He knew that whenever he felt this way, the only way to break out of it was physical activity. Getting up from the lounger, he went inside the house to change and returned a few minutes later in a pair of black swim trunks.
He went to the edge of the pool deck and stared down into the blue water. The pool had a single depth, eight feet. He loved to swim, and found it relaxed him in a way that other workouts couldn’t match. Lifting his arms, he dived in, breaking the surface with a splash.
Under the water, he swam laps along the curved length of the pool, staying to the upper section away from the waterfall. As he cut through the water, he felt the tension melting away with each stroke of his arms. His mind cleared, allowing him to think reasonably about the situation without involving his personal feelings. As his arms started to burn from exertion, he swam back to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out of the water.
He was drying his face with a thick white towel when he heard footsteps. Tossing the towel aside, he looked in the direction of the sound and saw Eliza walking toward him. She wore a soft pink sundress and flat sandals. The top of the dress bared her shoulders, and the hem grazed her midthigh, revealing the length of her gorgeous legs. Her hair hung loose, flowing in the breeze around her face like a wavy brown halo.
A San Diego Romance Page 10
