She nodded, not at all sure if she was making the right decision. “You can have the key I wrestled from my mother’s hand.”
“Good. Now get your purse and let’s get out of here. I’m taking you out for dinner.”
*
Mike watched Ellis from his seat on the couch. She was across the room with Belinda and Cherri, all three of them laughing at something. She was so different around her friends, so unguarded. He could see it in the way she threw her head back and laughed, the way she openly smiled at her friends. Things weren’t always like this between them. She seemed surprised every time she came home and found him there. It made him feel like she waiting for him to screw up.
She didn’t trust him. It wouldn’t have bugged him so much if he didn’t care about her. But he did. And there were times when he caught her looking at him, when her expression was soft and her shield down, that he thought she might be in love with him. He wasn’t sure how he would handle it if she told him that. Women had told him that they loved him before. He was horrified the first time he heard it, wondering how the hell somebody could love him after such a short time. He wasn’t looking to be loved by those women, but if Ellis loved him … it wouldn’t be so bad if she loved him. He might like to be loved by her.
“Are you afraid she’s going to vanish if you take your eyes off her?”
Colin sat beside him on Ellis’s couch. It was Sunday, one of those rare days when they all had time off from work. Ellis had invited them over for dinner. They had drinks, played cards, talked for hours. It was comfortable. It wasn’t his usual nightclubs and drunken nights but after years of that lifestyle Mike kind of liked this better.
“She looks good in green,” he said, acknowledging his friend’s comment.
“I’m guessing you’d say the same thing if she wore blue, orange, or yellow.”
Mike shrugged. “What’s your point?”
“You’re more pleasant when you’re getting some.” He glanced at Mike before returning his gaze to the television. “You’re not such a cranky arsehole.”
“Fuck you,” Mike said without heat. He liked this whole relationship thing.
“You think you can bear to be away from your sweetheart for a few days? Your birthday is coming up.”
Mike raised a curious brow. “No Vegas. I left two thousand dollars, the contents of my stomach, and half my brain there last time we went.”
Colin flashed him a wide grin. “I know,” he sighed. “I stank of tequila for two weeks afterward. But that’s not where I was thinking. A client of mine has a skybox in Pittsburgh. He was so pleased with the slot machine I restored that he gave me the box seats as a tip. Wanna go?”
Mike thought for a moment. It had been a long time since he and Colin had taken a trip. It was their tradition, but for the past few years it had been forgotten. “Ellis, can you come here for a second?”
She crossed the room, a slight smile on her face. She looked pretty with her hair around her shoulders and the sweater hugging her curves. He pulled her into his lap. She let out a squeak but quickly settled, looping her arms around his neck.
“You must want something.” She gave him a naughty grin. “Which means I get something in return.” She looked at Colin. “What do you think I should ask for, Colin? An all-day trip to the Garment District? Oh! How about to the outlets?”
“Too small, love. Go bigger. I’m thinking diamonds.”
“Tennis bracelet? Studs?” She shook her head. “We’ll negotiate after you tell me what you want.”
“There’s a football game in Pittsburgh that I would like to go to.”
“Go. Have fun. You don’t have to ask my permission.”
He was a little disappointed that she acquiesced so quickly. “It’s next weekend.”
“Okay.” She blinked at him.
“That’s my birthday weekend.”
“I know. I’ll just have to give your very special birthday present to somebody else.” She got off his lap and lightly deposited herself on Colin’s. She hugged his best friend, rubbing her nose against his cheek, teasing Mike with her naughty smile and gold-flecked eyes.
“How would you like Mike’s present, Colin?”
Before Colin got the chance to respond, Mike tugged Ellis off him.
“What?” She feigned innocence. “I got you some thick socks. It gets cold here.” She kissed his cheek. “Your birthday is on a Monday. We can celebrate when you get back.”
“You sure?”
She nodded and he almost believed her. But there was something off about her lately. There were things she was keeping from him. He would have to talk to her when everybody left. “I’m sure. Now let me go. I’ve got warm chocolate brownies and ice cream waiting. I’ll bring you some.”
They watched her walk away. Colin let out a low whistle. “Damn it, Edwards. Now I get why you’re nuts about her.” He watched her hips sway. “I’d…”
Mike punched his best friend of fifteen years on the leg. Hard. “Watch it, Irish.”
“Ouch! That hurt for fuck’s sake.” Colin rubbed his throbbing thigh. “I was giving you a compliment. I like her.” His eye settled on Cherri for the moment. Mike followed his gaze, seeing her through his friend’s eyes.
Cherri was a beautiful girl with long golden-blond hair that fell to the middle of her back and big bright green eyes. Her lush body was one that would be pleasing to any man. Plus she was sweet, and wholesome, always smiling, always polite. But she was just a girl, not even out of college, and yet Colin’s eyes were feasting on her. It was a look he had never seen from his friend.
“She’s only twenty-one.”
“What?” Colin tore his gaze from Cherri.
“Cherri’s a baby. She’s only twenty-one.”
“She’s my sister’s age. Bloody fucking hell,” Colin cursed softly. “But I talked to her. She never told me she was twenty-one. She doesn’t look twenty-one. She sure as hell doesn’t act it!”
“She’s not your type anyway,” Mike pointed out. Colin liked worldlier women, with grace and elegance. Cherri was none of those things, and while she was sweet she was no match for Colin O’Connell.
“And Ellis is yours?” he said hotly.
Mike didn’t respond, not wanting to get into it with his friend. It seemed Colin had a thing for Cherri, and Mike hoped for all their sakes that he stayed away from her.
*
Ellis stared at the pan of leftover brownies. She was supposed to be tidying the kitchen but she got distracted. Homemade. Fudgy. Chewy. Orgasmically delicious. All words she would use to describe them. She already had one brownie, a big one, with a side of vanilla ice cream. But she wanted another one.
Throw them out.
DON’T! What’s wrong with you? There are starving children in Darfur.
Then send them the damn brownies.
A pair of strong male arms wrapped around her, distracting her from her nemesis. Warm lips found the back of her neck. She sighed. They were finally alone. With their friends gone their night could finally begin. Falling in bed with him was the best part of her day. It was right up there with sweets, shoes, and clothes.
“What are you doing?”Mike asked her, his voice low and seductive.
“I’m having an argument with myself.”
She stared at the evil brownies. She had no willpower when it came to food or Mike. He was always bringing her sweets. Two days ago it was warm bread pudding. Today he made brownies. But he also took her on long walks. Sometimes he would put on Cuban music and dance with her until they were panting and laughing. Every night he made love to her until she was sweaty, out of breath, and exhausted. She moved more with him than she had her entire life. And there were moments with him when she was happier than she had ever been.
“What were you arguing with yourself about, Ellie?”
She picked up a brownie, breaking it in half before turning in his arms. She pushed a piece through his lips and then kissed him. Her tongue slid across
his perfectly formed lower lip. “About whether I should dump you or not.”
“What?” He looked alarmed for a moment.
“You make me eat too much junk food.” She slid another piece of brownie into his mouth and then followed it up with another kiss, deeper this time, tasting chocolate and a little bit of ice cream. He was as yummy as he looked.
“Mmm.” He cupped her face. “Stop that for a minute. I want to talk to you.”
Her stomach knotted. “I don’t like it when you want to talk instead of kiss.”
“I wanted to make sure that it’s really okay that I go to Pittsburgh.”
“Of course it’s okay,” she lied. It wasn’t really. She had made plans for them to have dinner in the city. But they could have dinner anytime. It seemed selfish of her to ask him to stay because of that. They had barely been together a month. He and Colin had been friends for fifteen years. She didn’t want to be demanding. She knew what it was like to have a boyfriend who tried to limit her time with her friends. She wouldn’t do that to Mike. “You spend your weekend how you want to. I’m not going to pout and moan every time you go away.”
He studied her face for a moment. “What if I want you to?”
“You’ve got the wrong girlfriend for that, buddy.”
He pulled away from her, and she had the feeling that he wasn’t happy with her answer. “You’re brutal for my ego.”
Ellis shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mike, but why are you making such a big deal about this? Did you want me to tell you not to go? I’m not going to do that. We’re in a relationship but our worlds don’t revolve around each other.”
He took another step away from her. “No?”
“No.”
“What’s it going to take for that to happen, Ellis?” Mike’s voice grew quiet. His shoulders stiffened. “Ever since we started dating you’ve been acting weird. I can’t tell if you want me to hang around or leave you the hell alone.”
“You know I want to be with you.”
“Do I?” His eyes flashed. “Belinda told me about your plans to start making wedding dresses. She told me you got two more orders yesterday. More. She thought I knew that you were expanding your business.”
“Oh.” Her heart stopped beating for a moment. “I—I…”
She had no retort for that. She didn’t want to tell him that she’d kept that huge news to herself because she was desperately seeking a way to keep some of herself away from him. “I didn’t think you would care that much.”
“You didn’t think I would care,” he snapped. “Why not? I want success for you more than you want it for yourself. What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
She’d hurt him. The realization came as a sharp blow. “Mike…”
He put his hand up to stop her, his angry eyes burning her skin. “What’s it going to take for you to trust me?”
She said nothing. She didn’t know if she ever could. She’d learned the hard way that the only person she could always trust was herself. She didn’t want to let her guard down only for him to step on her heart.
“Tell me, damn it. And don’t you dare lie and tell me you do because I feel it here.” He touched his chest.
“I don’t know.” She tried to push past him. She was in no mood to fight with him. She felt guilty for keeping the secret from him and angry that she had allowed him to become such a big part of her life in such a short time.
“You do know!” He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.
“Marriage!” she shouted. “Forever. For you to love me like my father loves my mother. That’s when I’ll trust you. But we both know that’s never going to happen. We aren’t ever going down that road.”
He gaped at her. “You said you didn’t want to get married. You don’t want a family. Do you?”
“I don’t know anymore,” she said, but even as her lips formed the word she knew she was lying to them both. “I don’t even know why we’re fighting. You wanted to go to the football game and I want you to go.”
“That’s not why we’re fighting and you know it.” He grabbed his keys on the counter. “Good-bye, Ellis.”
He walked away from her and her heart fell all the way to the soles of her shoes. What just happened? She was so afraid of him breaking her heart that she didn’t take into consideration that he had one of his own.
*
Mike lay in bed that night, his arms pillowed behind his head. He felt like an idiot, like a dumb-ass, like a petty teenage girl. He should be rejoicing. She didn’t want a serious commitment from him. Why was he pushing things? He had what he wanted. Her in his bed. In his life. She wasn’t demanding. She didn’t ask much of him. But he wanted her to. For the first time in his life he wanted to be more to someone.
It bothered him that she didn’t trust him, that she thought so little of him that she kept her success away from him. He’d waited his entire adult life to find a woman he wanted more than sex from and she … Well, she was being how he always had been. Never allowing anybody to get close enough to leave a mark.
But then she shouted those words at him.
Marriage. Love me.
Was that what she really wanted? Could he do that? Could he love her? He wasn’t sure he was capable of it. He thought his father loved his mother but he’d walked out on her. Could he be any better?
Maybe she was right. Maybe they were doomed from the start. Maybe he should let her go.
He heard the distant sounds of keys jangling. His complex was quiet, the walls thin. He often heard his neighbors’ comings and goings, but the sound got louder. He heard the creak of the door, heels clicking softly on the hardwood floors. And then she was there, in the same green sweater she had on earlier, the light from the hallway illuminating her in the dark room.
“Ellis.” He sat up, the sight of her causing his heart to slam into his rib cage.
She flicked the light switch and shut the door behind her. “Two things,” she started, her voice shaky. “I want to be with you.”
He nodded. He was wrong to blame her for being reasonable, but he wouldn’t admit to that tonight. “And the second thing?”
“I’m not good at apologizing.” She stripped off her sweater, revealing her nude-colored bra to him. He hardened. When she slid her jeans down her curvy hips it throbbed. “I should have told you about the dresses but you’ve got to cut me some slack.” She lowered her voice as she unhooked her bra. Her nipples hardened as the air brushed them. “I don’t know how to have a normal relationship. You’ve got to give me some time.”
He watched mesmerized as she stripped off her panties. She was baring herself to him. He had seen her naked countless times, but not like this. The back of his throat burned with emotion.
“Come here,” he choked.
She slowly walked toward him, her arms moving in an attempt to cover herself. He could feel more than see her self-consciousness. Didn’t she know how much he loved her body? How much he craved the sight of her light brown nipples. The sight of her soft rounded belly, of the plump thighs that he loved to slide between.
She pulled the blanket off him and stared at his tented boxer shorts. Tonight there would be no lighthearted love play, no easy smiles, no silly words. The anticipation of her touch on his body made him want to jump out of his skin.
“Lie back,” she softly ordered. She reached for the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his hips as she tugged them off. It was one of those rare nights when he wasn’t in the mood for foreplay. He wanted to pull her down and pump inside of her till she screamed. But she wasn’t having any of that.
She knelt before him on the bed, her lips brushing his toes, then the tops of his feet.
“Ellie…”
“Hush.” She kissed his ankles, his knees, his thighs, all while her hands stroked the length of his body. He reached for her, multiple times, but she pushed him away and kept kissing her sweet, nearly worshipping kisses. She cupped his balls and kissed each. She trailed her
tongue over them, then up his shaft. He jerked, not sure if he could take any more of her exquisite torture.
“Please, baby. I need you now.” He begged her. He never begged.
She shook her head and then took the whole length him into her hot, wet mouth. He groaned, gripping the sheets. This was different for him. He wasn’t used to being on the passive side of lovemaking. He was always in charge, always directed lovemaking. Not tonight.
“Stop, Elle. I’m going to come.”
Her sweet sucking didn’t stop and he exploded. He was still breathless when she rose above him to kiss his chin before she moved to his neck and shoulders. More tender kisses. She climbed on top of him, and he sighed with pleasure.
He loved when she was on top. He loved to feel all of her soft weight pressing into him. Her smooth skin, the rasp of her nipples as they scraped his chest. He was getting hard again. She rubbed her mound against him, taking her pleasure while making him fully erect. It didn’t take long. She was panting, her wetness seeping from her onto him. He couldn’t take it anymore and grasped her hips, angling her toward his throbbing cock.
“No,” she said firmly. “Let me do it.” She gently took him in one hand and guided him slowly, inch by inch, until he was buried so deep inside of her he felt like they were one person.
“Ride me,” he said in a ragged whisper.
She lifted herself, wiggled her hips, bore down on him once more—and then she hit her peak, her nails scrapping his arms as wave after wave of climax struck her.
He was greedy tonight. He barely let the waves die down before he took over, furiously pumping in and out her body while she lay breathless and moaning on top of him. Sex isn’t supposed to be like this, he thought as her mouth met his.
It wasn’t supposed to consume him.
He pushed inside of her harder, faster, ruthlessly. She bit down on his shoulder, dug her fingers into his skin, and then cried out. He felt her wetness squeeze around him and he lost all control. They came together this time. Hard.
It took a while for them to recover. Ellis had dropped into an exhausted slumber on top of him, her legs still spread across his hips. His cock still buried deep inside of her.
Dangerous Curves Ahead: A Perfect Fit Novel Mass Market Paperback Page 22
