He trailed a finger down the length of her jaw. “And what do you want?”
She swallowed. “You,” Monica answered truthfully. She refused to hold back any longer. She was tired of denying herself, tired of living in fear of what would happen tomorrow. She was ready to live for today—for this very moment.
“I want you, Eli.” Monica said more forcefully. “Right now.”
“I want you, too,” he said. Taking her by the hand, Eli led her out of the bathroom and into his master bedroom. The large wrought iron bed presented a picture of down-filled heaven, with mountains of stuffed pillows in various shades and sizes.
“Wait,” Monica stopped him. “Before we go one step further, I want you to tell me the truth.” She saw the dejection on his face. Monica inwardly smiled. “You didn’t decorate this house by yourself, did you?”
The sexy grin upon his lips lit a fire deep within Monica’s belly. “I didn’t decorate it at all. My cousin, Indina, is an interior designer. This is all her doing.”
“I knew it was too good to be true.” She returned his grin.
“Give me a couple of minutes, I’ll show you something that’s truly too good to be true.”
The excited rush that flashed through her body was enough to weaken her knees. It didn’t matter since Eli swooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
With painstaking slowness, he undid the buttons of her blouse and peeled the silky fabric from her fevered skin. He trailed light kisses upon her flesh as he revealed more of it to his gaze.
She lay against the backdrop of pillows, clad only in a lace bra and panty set Nia had bought her as a gag gift. She had not worn it in ages. Monica wondered if she’d unconsciously known this would happen today.
She languidly reclined against the pillows as she watched Eli undress. He stripped out of his shirt and khakis, then hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his silk boxers and drew them down his legs.
Monica’s eyes widened.
He was gorgeous.
And he was hers.
“Come here,” she said, pushing up from her reclining position. Eli crawled to meet her in the center of the massive bed, their lips the first part of their anatomy to meet.
Monica moaned as Eli’s tongue invaded her mouth. An onslaught of hedonistic pleasure coursed through her body as he plunged into the deep recesses of her mouth, lavishing her in an erotic rhythm Monica could only hope was a precursor to what was to come.
Her back arched instinctively as his fingers traveled along her spine, finding the clasp of her bra and releasing her breasts from their lacy confinement.
Monica sighed in ecstasy as Eli’s hands closed over her aching breasts. He cupped them, sending pleasurable sparks streaming through her body as his thumbs played upon her sensitized nipples.
“You feel so good,” he breathed against her neck. He trailed his tongue across her collarbone nipping her skin with his teeth. “Lie down,” Eli commanded.
Monica floated as he lowered her onto the mound of pillows and covered her body with his. His tongue skimmed her shoulder on its way to the valley between her breasts. He traveled down the length of her body, punctuating her flesh with hot, moist kisses.
Monica moaned in satisfaction as he found his way to her stomach. Her lower muscles tightened as Eli burrowed his face against her abdomen, then he caught the edge of her lace panties between his teeth and tugged.
She lifted slightly off the bed so he could pull the flimsy garment down her legs. Monica lay before him completely naked, and to her astonishment, totally unselfconscious.
The embarrassment that usually overwhelmed her whenever she’d made love to Patrick was absent. She didn’t feel gauche or awkward in Eli’s arms. She felt womanly. Alive. Wanted.
Reclaiming her lips, Eli crushed her to him. Monica’s body responded violently to the sensation of Eli’s muscled form flush against her naked skin, her limbs shaking in stark excitement.
“Give me a minute, baby,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “I’ll give you a reason to tremble.”
Capturing her knees, Eli spread her legs open and plunged deep inside of her. Monica’s head reared back as her entire body arched off the bed. She clutched the silk sheets, lifting her hips to meet his insistent, methodical thrusts.
The sensation started deep in the pit of her belly, rapidly escalating as Eli repeatedly drove into her with his hard body. Monica opened her legs wider, wrapping them around his hips as they pumped in a rhythm that reverberated throughout her being. She ran her hands up and down his back, gripping the solid muscles and squeezing.
His pace quickened.
Surrendering to her body’s demands, Monica started to tremble as waves of passion spiraled through her.
The pleasure was pure and explosive. She cried out in exquisite release, her inner muscles clutching Eli’s flesh that continued to pulsate inside of her.
Taking shallow breaths, Monica tried to bring herself back to a place she recognized. Eli had just taken her to heights unparalleled, and for many moments after they were done, Monica was unsure of what to say or do.
In the end, all she could do was slip into blissful sleep, wrapped in the warmth of Eli’s strong embrace.
Every time Amanda tried to open her eyes, a piercing pain shot from the back of her head. So she decided to keep them close for as long as she could.
The insistent beeping made the task impossible.
With agonizing slowness, Amanda raised her eyelids from their resting position. The first person she saw was Jeffrey.
“Let me get the doctor,” he said, and was gone before Amanda could form a word.
Less than a minute later, a young woman who looked as if she should still be in high school, followed Jeffrey into the room. The green scrubs and white coat indicated she was the doctor, but Amanda was skeptical. When did they start giving medical degrees to teenagers?
“Well, we’re certainly happy you’re awake,” the young doctor said. She raised Amanda’s eyelids and shone a penlight into her eyes.
Amanda winced. “What happened,” she managed to ask through the pain pounding in her head.
“You blacked out for a little while. You have a severe case of anemia, Mrs. Daniels. My thoughts are that you overextended yourself today, and your body was just unable to keep up.”
“Is the baby...okay.” A tear formed in her eye and rolled down her cheek. If her baby was hurt...
“We have you on a monitor as a precaution, but it looks as if the baby faired just fine. I can’t say the same for you, however. I’m going to consult with Dr. Holmes, but I believe you will be on more restrictive bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy.”
“He mentioned the possibility earlier today.”
“You saw Dr. Holmes today?” Jeffrey asked. Amanda had forgotten he was in the room. Her head began to pound in earnest. She was not up for another argument. “You never told me you had an appointment with the doctor today.”
“You had to work. I needed answers to a few questions. It was nothing important.”
“But he said he was putting you on restrictive bed rest, right?”
“He said it was a possibility,” Amanda clarified.
“I think it just went from a possibility to a certainty,” the doctor interjected. “We’ll keep you overnight for observation and I’ll make sure Dr. Holmes sees you bright and early tomorrow morning to go over everything.”
The doctor smiled and left the room.
To Amanda’s utter relief, the other bed in the semi-private room was unoccupied. She didn’t want the world to witness the clash that was about to commence. She knew Jeffrey had been waiting for the doctor’s departure so he could pounce on her for not telling him about today’s visit with Dr. Holmes.
“Don’t start,” Amanda warned. “I’m not in the mood to argue.”
“I don’t want to argue with you, Amanda. I want to talk to you.”
“Talking leads to arguing.”
“It doesn’t have to. That’s my point.” He took her hand. “It wasn’t always this way between us. We used to talk to one another. We used to laugh. I want that back, baby.”
Amanda refused to let anymore of the tears welling in her eyes escape.
“You have no right to do this to me.” She choked on a sob. “I’m not the one to blame for the state of our marriage.”
“Neither am I,” he argued, though he kept his voice at a whisper’s pitch. But he was still defending himself to her, and Amanda had had enough. It was time for him to own up to what he had done.
“You slept with another woman, Jeffrey. How can you say you’re not to blame?”
“Why don’t you believe me when I tell you I have never been with anyone else? I’ve been in love with you since the very first moment I laid eyes on you.”
The tears she’d tried valiantly to suppress came down in earnest. She shouldn’t believe him, but God knows she wanted to. With all her heart she wanted to believe the man she married had never strayed. But how could she doubt something she’d seen with her own eyes? She had seen them together. It was not her imagination. Was it?
She couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.
Jeffrey brought her hand up to his lips and dusted her knuckles with feather-light kisses.
“I promise you, Amanda, I have never even thought of being with another woman. I don’t know what you think you saw, but it was not that. It’s never been about that.”
Amanda closed her eyes, hoping to blot out the sight of his face. Because when she looked at him, she saw sincerity. And honesty.
Deep in her heart, Amanda knew he was telling the truth.
But her mind refused to believe it.
Chapter Twenty
Standing at the stove, which sat in the middle of the island in his kitchen, Eli flipped several strips of bacon with a fork and turned down the heat. He searched through the utensil drawer for the wire whisk he knew was hidden away somewhere in here. He pulled it out and used the whisk to beat the eggs into a fluffy, light yellow froth.
Eli passed his hand over the skillet of melting butter to ensure it was properly heated, then poured in the eggs, using the whisk to scramble them.
He looked up to find Monica lounging against one of the marble columns that marked the entryway from the living room to the kitchen.
She’d thrown on one of his scrub shirts. With the early morning sun streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Eli could see her naked body silhouetted through the lightweight material. His body instantly hardened.
“Good morning,” Eli said, smiling. After last night, he would probably smile for the rest of his life.
Since the moment his eyes opened, Eli’s thoughts had been fixated on the time they’d shared in bed last night. He would have never imagined the ardor she possessed. Hidden behind her straitlaced outward appearance was an inherent passion that had both surprised and encouraged Eli to try things he had only dreamed of doing to a woman. From the satisfied look on her face as she stared languidly at him from across the room, Eli could only conclude Monica had enjoyed last night’s experimenting as much as he did.
Her enthusiasm had spurred him to go on for hours. He had never experienced anything like it. Even as a horny teenager it had taken his body a good half-hour to recover before he was ready to go again.
Not last night. Last night, he had been going for Olympic gold. Just one look at her this morning, and Eli was ready to defend his medal.
“You hungry,” he asked, motioning to her with his head. He piled the fluffy eggs, bacon, and seasoned potatoes onto a platter and walked over to the glass top table nestled into a bay window. He went back to the kitchen counter and grabbed the carafe of hot chicory coffee and small basket of croissants and flaky pastries.
“Where did you get all this,” Monica asked.
“The bakery down the street. I pass it on my morning jog, so I decided to stop in and pick up a few things.”
“It’s just after seven o’clock. What time did you go jogging?”
“Five-thirty. I like to get in at least five miles in the morning.”
“I feel like such a slacker compared to you.”
Eli leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers. “You have no need to workout,” he said in a deep voice. “You have the perfect body.”
Her brows rose. “You still think so after doing it with the lights on?”
“I know so,” Eli murmured against her neck. “You are exquisite.”
Monica blew out a haggard breath. “You sure know how to start a girl’s day off on the right foot.”
“If only we had the time, sweetheart, I would have you singing for the rest of the day.”
Monica took a seat on the edge of the table and crossed her legs.
Eli started to salivate at the sight of her delicate brown thighs peeking from underneath the hem of his shirt. Once again, his mind traveled back to last night. He could feel those soft thighs cradling his head as he consumed her sweet flavor. Eli closed his eyes, desperately fighting the urge to drape Monica over the table and fill her body with his own.
She rose from her perch on the table, took a seat and started filling a plate.
“What time do you have to be at the hospital,” he asked.
Her eyes went to the digital clock on the microwave. “In about another hour. I need to stop at my place so I can shower and change.”
Eli’s heart fell. There went his hopes for an abbreviated repeat of last night.
“Does your shift end at six?” he asked.
She nodded as she swallowed a fork full of potatoes. “Yeah, but I’ve got a ton of things to take care of for the banquet after work. I need to stop at the caterer to finalize the menu. Then, there’s the decorating company, whom I swear to you has no idea what they’re doing. I asked for ecru balloons, and the woman pulls out this awful eggshell.”
“Monica, you do realize you have subcommittees to take care of these things, don’t you? You’ve been running yourself ragged, tending to each tiny detail, when there really is no need. Is there anything left for the rest of the banquet committee to handle?”
“I just want to make sure everything goes well,” she answered defensively.
He’d single-handily ruined the mood of the morning. All of her sexy playfulness had vanished.
Since the damage was done, Eli decided to go for broke. It had been on his mind, and now was as good a time as any to bring it up.
“Why do you insist on doing it all?” he asked.
“I do not.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve got your hand in everything. Do you think the banquet will fall apart if you’re not the one to finalize the menu, or if someone else makes sure the decorator has the right color balloons? And what the hell kind of color is ecru, anyway?”
She wiped the sides of her mouth with a napkin and tossed it on the half-eaten plate of food. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Monica pushed her chair from the table and rose.
“Whether you admit it or not, you’re a control freak.”
She turned around, and Eli could physically feel the heat emanating from her glare. He’d messed up big time with that one.
Her eyes creased in anger. In a slow, steady voice that belied the fury in her stare, she said, “I left the catering details to Dr. Moore and had to end up finding another pastry chef because he gave them the wrong date. Nurse Cannon from Pediatrics was in charge of getting the tickets printed and we now have five hundred tickets with Memorial Methodist Hospital instead of Methodist Memorial. If I don’t step in now, we’re liable to have fluorescent pink tablecloths and Popeye’s Fried Chicken as our dinner.
“There is a lot riding on this banquet’s success. I have too much at stake, and I’m not trusting just anyone to do it.”
“They are not eleven-year-olds, Monica! These are professionals.”
“Who can’t remember the correct name of the hospital where they have worked
for years!”
This was hopeless.
Grabbing her hands, Eli brought them to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Look, the last thing I wanted to do was argue.”
“Well, something in your plan went awry.” She jerked her hands away and crossed her arms over her chest.
Eli threw his head back in frustration. The scent from the roses he’d also picked up on his jog was starting to give him a headache. The only reason he’d bought the damn flowers was because Monica had said yellow roses were her favorite. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think of a way to salvage their morning.
“All I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to kill yourself by doing everything,” he stated, hoping she didn’t take off on another tirade. “People are not going to give the center less money if the balloons are eggshell instead of ivory.”
“Ecru,” Monica answered.
“Ecru,” Eli conceded. “Are we okay?” he asked, opening his arms.
She hesitated for a moment before stepping into his embrace and Eli sent up a silent prayer of thanks. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. He loved the feel of her soft body against him. He could stay like this for the rest of his life. Too bad they both had to earn a living.
As if she read his mind, Monica gently disengaged. “I need to go,” she said on a deep sigh. “I want to catch Patty before she makes relief with the day shift.”
“Do you need me to come with you to the caterer tonight?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m starting to reconsider whether I need to go.”
Yeah, right. Eli would bet money that she would be at the caterer as soon as her shift ended.
“Just in case you change your mind, beep me. I’m sure I’ll still be at the hospital.”
With a forlorn sigh, she said, “I really need to be going.” Monica reached up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. “Thank you for the lovely breakfast.”
He reluctantly released her, but held onto her hand for a second longer. “Wait. Just breakfast?”
Monica looked back at him over her shoulder. “Well, I left fifty bucks on the nightstand for the services you provided last night.”
Deliver Me Page 21
