Her green eyes raked him from head to toe. “Jordan Krane, PA dash C.”
Connor sighed and shook his head. “You two play alphabet soup for now, but I expect to see both of you at Grayson House tomorrow. Thanksgiving Day is a bust, but the wedding is on. Ellie and I would love our best friends to be there.”
Trevor’s dark eyes filled with interest. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Ellie opened her eyes and stared up at the bag of saline solution hanging over her head. She frowned. When had she gotten an IV?
She heard voices. One of them distinct from the others.
“Connor?”
Soft footsteps sounded, and he was beside her. “Welcome back,” he said in a soothing voice.
An inexplicable feeling of joy moved through her at the sight of his face above her. He reached down and cupped her face with his hands and kissed her deeply.
Then just as quickly, the joy vanished, replaced with fear. “Amanda?” she asked as she looked beyond Connor to see she was in a hospital room. “What happened?”
“Amanda was caught before she even left the parking lot. You remember how slow the car moves? She had no idea her plan was doomed to failure by using the prototype as her getaway car.”
Ellie released a soft laugh. “That kind of makes me feel a little sorry for her.”
“Don’t feel sorry for Amanda. She got what she deserved.” Connor gently stroked Ellie’s cheek with his thumb. “Now, back to us. We never finished our discussion.”
Before Ellie could comment, a commotion came from the doorway. “She’s awake? Let us through.” Her bearing as regal as ever, Viola crossed to the bed and took up a position across from Connor, folding her in an exuberant hug. “My darling girl, I was so worried about you. I’m grateful beyond words that you’re safe.”
James and Julie Hawthorne crowded around the opposite side of the bed. “The best outcome possible. Thanks for bringing her back to us, Connor.” Ellie’s father shook Connor’s hand, treating him as if he were a conquering hero.
“What did I miss after Amanda drugged me a second time?” Ellie asked, her gaze shifting back to Connor.
He gave her a smile. “I’ll explain everything to you . . . later.”
The Elvises entered the room, wreathed in smiles. “We could tell when we first met you that you were a fighter,” Lenny said as he bent to kiss her bruised cheek.
Aaron, Ernie, and George crowded in. “We’re so glad you’re okay,” Aaron said with a heartfelt smile.
“I’m so happy to see you all, and I thank you for your concern and your love. And since you’re all here, there is one thing we need to talk about.” Again, her gaze found Connor’s.
“My dear,” Viola interrupted, “the only thing we need to discuss is how quickly you’ll be out of this hospital bed. We all missed Thanksgiving because we were so concerned for your safety, but now that you’re better, I’d love to get married, and then there’s the Holiday Street of Dreams that starts tomorrow. None of those things can happen without you.”
“I need to know something first, before any of this goes any further.” Ellie pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her hands tightened on the handrails as she fought another bout of dizziness. She had to say what had been haunting her since before Amanda had kidnapped her. “What role did you all play in Connor’s and my relationship?”
Viola and the Elvises fixed her with identical inquiring looks. “What are you talking about, dear?” Viola asked.
Ellie knew she should rest, but she had to know the truth. “I’ve never been drugged before last night, or so I thought.” She glanced at Lenny, George, Ernie, and Aaron. “What did you all do the night Connor and I got married?”
Ashen faces stared back.
“You’re asking if we drugged you? The answer is no,” Lenny said, his features as serious as she’d ever seen them. “Did we do what we could to fan the flames of love? Yes. We knew about your past together, and we knew you were both in town. All we had to do was make sure you both stayed in the same hotel, and that you happened to meet in the hotel bar.”
Ellie’s gaze clashed with Connor’s. “Did you receive an offer in the mail for a free hotel room that just happened to be one of the dates you’d be in town?”
“Yes,” he said. “I took advantage of that offer. Did you also get a voucher for a free drink in the lobby bar with the same deal?” he asked Ellie.
Ellie wanted to be mad about how easily she’d allowed herself to be manipulated, but it was hard when the chain of events had led her to this moment—and to the one man she’d never been able to forget. “You four should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Lenny’s shoulders slumped. “We might have overstepped our bounds there a bit, but it was only because we wanted you both to know how perfect you are for each other.”
Ellie narrowed her gaze on the contrite men. “What else did you do?”
A flush crept over George’s cheeks. “The flowers, the love notes you thought were from Connor . . . and the sheet music you thought was from Ellie . . .”
Connor’s lips thinned. “You didn’t think I could romance my wife myself?”
Ernie wrung his hands before him. “We should have trusted you two to find your own way.”
“How did you get them in the house?” Ellie asked.
“Viola gave us a key to the kitchen door.” Lenny reached inside his T-shirt for a key on a silver chain. “We’re sorry,” he said, his face filled with remorse as he slipped the chain over his head and handed the key to Connor. Lenny hesitated as he looked at the other three Elvises. “We didn’t drug you or manipulate you in any way to get you to the altar. You two were eager enough to get there all on your own.”
Connor looked from the Elvises to his grandmother. The betrayal in his eyes was tangible for a heartbeat; then as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. He turned back to Ellie and took her hand. “Are you mad about us meeting and getting married?”
“I should be mad. I don’t like being deceived or manipulated,” Ellie said, looking straight at Viola. The older woman winced but remained silent.
“But you’re not, right?” Connor asked with hope in his voice.
Ellie stared at the people gathered around her bed. Their faces were a mixture of confusion and remorse and love. Did she care how she and Connor had come together? Or who manipulated whom?
She looked up into Connor’s green eyes. He looked at her with love, a deep and abiding love that no one could have fabricated.
The thought invigorated her. Did she care? Heck no. When she’d been alone in the darkness of the warehouse, all she’d thought about were the moments she and Connor had shared.
“What about our agreement?” she asked.
“The only agreement I’ll settle on is that you’re part of my life forever, Mrs. Grayson.”
“You’re certain? Because as you know, no Hawthorne has ever been divorced.”
He gave her his most devastating smile and bent to kiss her. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Viola said, ushering the others out of the hospital room. At the door she turned back. “Wedding tomorrow at ten?”
“Grayson House opens at ten to the public,” Ellie replied, still trying to recover from the impact of Connor’s kiss.
Viola arched her brow. “It’s only fitting that we start the holiday showing of the house with a celebration this city won’t soon forget.”
“When are you going to tell us who your bridegroom is?” Connor asked.
“I can’t tell you now.” A smug smile pulled up her lips. “You need incentive to get out of that bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at Grayson House.”
When she was gone, Connor turned to Ellie and lifted her chin with the arc of his fingers. His lips descended, his mouth moving over hers, claiming her, and telling her all the things he had not yet said—that he loved her, needed her, wanted her. For the two
of them, after all they’d been through, love could be communicated in no other way. It was an emotion that didn’t need sound; it needed action.
Connor had shown her his love by sacrificing everything for her. He’d willingly handed over the things she thought he’d held most dear.
She’d been wrong.
His kiss told her that love, their love, was powerful, all-consuming, and triumphant. They had both needed to surrender themselves and all they held precious to realize what they meant to each other.
After a long while, Connor pulled back, but kept his hand at her cheek.
“Want to stay here tonight?” he asked, his words heavy with desire. “Or would you like me to see what I can do about getting you discharged?”
“I want to go home. With you.”
His hand fell away from her face. They shared a smile without speaking what was in both of their hearts. “Let me go find Jordan. She’ll be pleased to know you’re awake and ready to be set free.”
Ellie watched Connor walk out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. They would have to talk soon about what their future would hold.
A future with Connor.
Five weeks ago, Connor and her staying together seemed impossible. After what they’d lived through in the last several hours, losing him was not something she wished to contemplate. It was certainly not something she would accept.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“We did it,” Ellie said in awe as she stood beside Connor outside Grayson House, their breath curling in the chill morning air.
Sunshine glimmered off a light dusting of snow that had fallen in the last hour, covering the roof and the lawn, turning an already beautiful house into a fairytale setting.
“It’s not just a house—it’s magical,” Ellie said with a smile. The nineteenth-century mansion looked better than any other house on the street.
“It’s Christmas and family and love all rolled up in a pretty pink package,” Connor said.
He put into words the emotions inside her. Grayson House was a home—their home for one more day.
“Let’s get you out of the cold,” Connor said. With a hand at the small of her back, he ushered her up the stairs to the door.
Zanzibar waited for them in the foyer. At their entrance, the cat padded over to Connor and rubbed against his legs. A soft purring sound filled the air.
“Someone is happy you’re home,” Ellie giggled.
“That makes two of us. I’m happy you’re home and safe,” he said, yet worry reflected in his eyes.
Knowing there was more to be said, Ellie said, “But . . .”
Connor released a heavy sigh and waved her into the parlor. “I know you must be exhausted, but we’re finally going to have that talk. No matter what.” He took a seat on the settee.
She settled onto the settee across from him. To her surprise, Zanzibar jumped into her lap, curled up, and went to sleep. Exhaustion should have overcome her by now, but she was far too awake to contemplate sleep. Ellie summoned a grateful smile. “Thank you for everything you did to negotiate my release.”
Connor frowned. “You were only in trouble because of me and my connection to Amanda.”
Ellie shrugged. “What relationship isn’t a little bit complicated?”
He raised a brow. “I’d say being kidnapped and drugged goes well beyond complicated and into dangerous.”
She fixed Connor with an uncompromising gaze. “You’re worth any danger that might come our way.”
“If you want to get married again, without the Elvises, we can,” he said, his smile fading. “I want you to have the wedding you’ve always wanted.”
“It’s the person you marry who matters, not the wedding itself.” She set Zanzibar on the floor, then stood as she closed the space between herself and Connor. “There is one last thing I want you to know, to really understand if we are to be husband and wife.”
She paused while he stood and looked into her eyes.
“I’ll never leave you,” she said.
“I believe you not only because it’s you who’s saying it but also because I’ve put my past to rest.” At her incredulous look, he continued. “I found out why my mother left my father and me.”
“How? Why?” she asked in a disbelieving breath.
“Trevor helped,” Connor explained. “He found a hospice nurse who remembered my mother.”
“Hospice?”
Connor nodded, then explained all he’d learned about Mary Grayson.
Tears pooled in Ellie’s eyes, falling onto her cheeks. “Does it help to talk about her?”
“With you, yes.” Connor reached up and brushed her tears away. “I want to talk about anything and everything with you for years to come.”
She swallowed roughly. “What are you saying?”
His green eyes filled with an emotion she hadn’t seen in them before. “I love you, Ellie.” He reached for the divorce papers on the table beside them and ripped them in half.
Tossing them aside, he caught her to him, bent his head, and kissed her. This kiss was not to woo her. This kiss was meant to show her how much she meant to him. How much he wanted her, needed her, desired her. To show her heaven was within their reach.
After a while he pulled back, keeping her in his arms. “Can we talk about one more thing?”
“What’s left to discuss?”
“The honeymoon your parents are determined to give us?”
Ellie laughed. “Let’s go anywhere but Vegas.”
“How does Bora-Bora sound?” Connor asked with a lift of his brow.
“Romantic.”
He brought his lips to hers, and their exchange went on until that all-consuming passion flared to life between them.
Even as passion fired her blood, Ellie knew something between them was different. She couldn’t name exactly what it was, for it was only a feeling. A sense really, of something special—the thread of a promise that wove them together for all eternity.
Closing her eyes, Ellie drew in that power with every racing beat of her heart as he pulled her close, crushing her breasts, already peaked and tight and aching, to the hard, solid planes of his chest. With his hands, he possessed her, sculpting her curves.
They had married in Las Vegas. They might have even had a wedding night there. But this moment was the two of them coming together as one.
Slowly he broke their kiss and pulled back.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“I want you so badly it hurts, but not here. I want you in our bed, today and for the rest of our days.” His thumb moved over her fingers as though unwilling to break their connection entirely.
Ellie nodded. She would gladly follow him upstairs or anywhere he asked at the moment.
Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Stopping beside the bed, he brought both of his hands up to frame her face, tipped it up to his, and looked into her eyes. “I would have given everything I owned for you.”
“I know that now.” She rose up on her toes, bringing their lips together once more.
Their hunger for each other reignited as if there’d been no pause. Greedily she let him taste her, allowing a familiar tide to sweep them away.
Needing the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips, Ellie untucked his shirt and ran her hands underneath, branding his skin with her own as she pushed the fabric of his shirt over his head, then tossed the garment aside.
He bent to kiss her neck, then her shoulder, as he slowly lifted her sweater along her torso and over her head. Her bra followed, and her breasts sprang free. He reached for her, his eyes dark with passion, as he traced her every curve, possessing every inch of her body.
Their breathing ragged and desperate for more, they dispensed of their clothing until they stood naked with no barriers to their love.
Needing the promise of his body against hers, Ellie arched against him, and reaching down, she filled her hand with his heavy erection. Curl
ing her palm around his warmth, she stroked up, then down with her thumb. “I love how you feel in my hands.”
He shuddered and wrapped his arms around her waist. Now in charge of their lovemaking, he lowered her to the bed and leaned over her. He ran his hands over her body, teasing until he’d reduced her to a state of panting need.
Then he moved over her, parted her legs with his hard, muscled thighs, and with one powerful thrust, he filled her.
She arched beneath him as he completed her. They gave themselves over to desire as they were intimately joined, two hearts beating together, racing toward ecstasy.
Their passion leaped higher as they clung together, at the mercy of the other, eager to gain what they’d evoked, until finally, raw sensation flared, sharpened, and shattered.
Connor cried out, his voice merging with her own as a glorious rapture consumed them.
As they floated back to earth in each other’s arms, Ellie knew beyond a doubt that she belonged with this man, that their future was together, and that she could trust him not only with her body but also with her heart.
Early-morning light shone through the window when Connor finally stirred the next day. He smiled down at the woman who lay curled in his arms. He felt her closeness down to the marrow of his bones.
They’d made love several times during what had remained of the day and into the night. Now that they were committed to each other, their passion seemed to have no end.
He was tempted to wake her now and explore some part of her body he had yet to discover, except that they were expecting visitors very soon. Not only would the wedding party descend upon them, but the house would open for the Holiday Street of Dreams in less than two hours.
Slowly extricating his arm from beneath her head, he slipped from the bed. She could sleep a bit longer while he took care of a few last-minute details.
When he returned to the master bedroom forty minutes later, Ellie was still asleep. He bent down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then pushed aside her hair, revealing the small freckle on her earlobe. He kissed that, too. “Good morning, my wife.”
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