That meant she probably saw him standing a while after they’d left, trying to make up his mind what he should do. She probably even saw him jog over to her house like a madman, which was probably why she hadn’t asked who was at the door when he’d knocked. She had known.
Suddenly, something passed through his nostrils and he picked up another scent other than hers. Spaghetti sauce. He lifted a brow. “You cooked?”
A smile touched her lips. “A girl’s got to eat. I have plenty left, if you want some.”
Heat suffused his body. He was hungry, but it wasn’t the thought of consuming spaghetti that had certain parts of him throbbing. He wanted her. He wanted to get inside of her. The spaghetti could wait. “May I come in?” he tried asking softly, but the words came out sounding rather husky, even to his own ears.
Instead of answering, she took a step back and he followed, hoping by the time he stepped over the threshold the flames that were raging wildly through his veins would have suddenly cooled. That wasn’t the case. The moment he closed the door behind him and, with a flick of his wrist, put the lock in place, he reached out and grabbed her by the waist to bring her closer to him. He wanted her to feel his hardness and to know what wanting her was doing to him. As much as he liked seeing a pair of sexy-looking shorts on her, he suddenly wanted them off her. But first he wanted to kiss her. He had to kiss her.
He lowered his head and took her mouth with a kiss that was meant to temporarily satisfy the flames that refused to cool, intended to slow down the fast beating of his pulse. Instead, it ignited a bigger blaze, one that amounted to a bonfire by the time he took hold of her tongue, mingled it with his and started sucking on it. And his pulse, the one he wanted to slow down, actually picked up speed, which then triggered a blood rush through his veins, making his nerve endings feel as if they would explode.
He wasn’t sure at what point something within him snapped, pushed him over the edge, made him crazy with lust, desperate for her. But it happened and he couldn’t stop it. His rational mind became irrational. His senses lost all commonality. The need to strip out of his clothes and to get her out of hers was as urgent as anything he’d ever endured.
He groaned deep within the pit of his stomach when he forced his mouth from hers. His hands went immediately to his shirt, nearly tore it from his body, sent buttons flying everywhere. He glanced over at her when his hands went to the snap on his jeans. She was leaning against the counter, drawing in deep breaths as she tried to breathe.
She was staring at him through glazed eyes, watching as he kicked off his sandals. Then, in one smooth sweep, he pulled down his jeans and kicked them aside. Before she could react to seeing him standing stark naked in the middle of her kitchen, he had reached out for her and was pulling her top over her head.
Before removing her bra, he leaned down and kissed her again, and while his mouth was busy on hers, his hands were inching downward, inside her shorts, just enough to slip past her panties and go straight for the center, finding her hot, wet and pulsating to his touch.
He actually let out a low growl as he lifted his head, ending the kiss, and bringing his hands upward to take off her bra. Within seconds, his mouth was there on her breasts, feasting greedily on her nipples like a starved maniac.
“Uriel.”
The sound of her moaning his name in a shuddered breath alerted him she was close, too close. She was about to come, but he intended to be inside her when she did. Backing her up against the refrigerator, he quickly pulled down her shorts and panties and then kicked them aside, lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He pinned her between him and the fridge, and entered her with one powerful thrust.
He felt her inner muscles around him begin to throb, start clenching him, and he drew back out and pushed back in, over and over again. They were skin-to-skin, flesh-to-flesh. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his back, and when she screamed out his name, the sound triggered an explosion within him that ripped everything out of him, blasted him off to another hemisphere, made him call her name at the top of his voice, and made him give her all that he had, and then some.
Moments later, he slumped against her, his body still intimately connected to hers. He pulled back, but did not pull out, and looked at her. Her eyes were closed, her face damp with perspiration, her hair falling in her face, and her lips swollen, begging to be kissed.
He leaned and kissed them, still needing to draw this out for as long as he could take it, needing to be connected to her in every way, as long as he desired. And he desired it with every ounce of the strength he’d lost making love to her.
And then, when he couldn’t play it out any longer, he swept her into his arms, not caring at the moment that their clothes were thrown carelessly all over her kitchen. He moved through her living room and walked up the stairs, and when they got to her bedroom they tumbled onto her bed and Uriel pulled her into his arms. He spooned her naked body to his, their legs entwined and his hands protectively placed on her stomach. “Rest,” he whispered in her ear.
It was only after he heard her slow, easy breathing, indicating that she had fallen asleep, that he closed his eyes to sleep as well.
Ellie shifted in bed a few times before opening her eyes to a darkened room. She pulled herself up in bed and glanced over at the clock. It was nearly seven at night. Had she slept that long?
And where was Uriel? Had he gone back to his place? Was he downstairs eating spaghetti? She then remembered she had left her laptop still on and sitting on the coffee table. Would he, out of curiosity, see what she was working on? What if he used it to check his e-mail, and noticed the document she was working on?
Not sure of any of those things, she eased out of bed and slid into her robe. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard his voice, loud and angry. She frowned, wondering who he was talking to. She reached the bottom stair and could see him, fully dressed and standing in her kitchen, talking on his cell phone. He’d said he wasn’t involved with anyone, but that didn’t mean women wouldn’t call him. Was he having an argument with an old girlfriend?
Deciding it was really none of her business, and that he deserved to have his conversation in private, she turned to go back up the stairs, when his next words stopped her in her tracks.
“For God’s sake, Mom, for once will you think of someone other than yourself? Don’t you know every time you hurt Dad, you’re hurting me, too?”
Ellie lifted a brow. He was talking to his mother? Mrs. Lassiter? She heard the pain in his voice and also the frustration. Immediately her heart went out to him.
“Look, Mom, this conversation isn’t going anywhere. You just refuse to understand what I’m saying. I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye.”
A part of Ellie wanted to go to Uriel, hold him and tell him everything would be all right, but he might not want that. That would be getting into his business, and until he invited her into it, she had to remain on the outside.
Ellie turned to head back up the stairs, and when she got to the top she eased down to sit on the step. She heard the back door open and close, indicating he had either left or gone outside to get some fresh air. Again she fought the urge to go to him, get him to talk about it.
She was about to get up and go back into her bedroom, when she heard the back door open and close again and then, moments later, Uriel rounded the corner from the kitchen and glanced up and saw her sitting on the top stair.
He didn’t say anything. He just stood there and stared up at her, and even then she felt his anger, but knew it wasn’t directed at her. Ellie’s natural instinct, the one that loved him, had always loved him, told her to go to him, risk having him tell her she was overstepping the bounds of what was permissible in their affair.
She decided to take the risk anyway, and slowly began walking down the stairs to him. When she reached the bottom step and stood directly in front of him, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned up on tiptoes and joined her mouth to his.
&nb
sp; He reciprocated her kiss, reached out and placed his arms around her waist as he eased her closer to him. His hands stroked her back and her backside, while his mouth mated totally and thoroughly with hers.
She gasped when he swept her off her feet and into his arms and headed toward the sofa, sat down and cradled her in his arms. He said nothing for a long time, just sat there holding her, with his chin resting atop her head.
She decided to break his silence by looking up at him and asking, “Are you okay?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just continued to look down at her, and then he pulled her back into his arms, rested his chin atop her head again and said, “I want to believe that my mother at some point did love my father, but at times, I’m really not sure.”
She gave his words a chance to float around them, and then she asked another question, one whose purpose was to make him think. “Why would you even believe that she didn’t?” she asked quietly.
He shifted her in his lap so he could meet her gaze, and then, in a quiet tone, said, “Because she is hurting him so much now. And I can’t imagine that a woman who professed to loving a man at one point, could deliberately hurt him the way she is doing. My father left the country this weekend because they were invited to the same party at the country club, and he knew she would be bringing her boy-toy. She parades him around like he’s the best thing to happen to her since gingerbread. My father still loves her. Nearly had a nervous breakdown when she asked for a divorce.”
Ellie didn’t know what to say. She had heard bits and pieces of the story from her aunt and her parents, but she hadn’t known how deeply the divorce had affected Mr. Lassiter. And she could clearly see the divorce had affected Uriel as well. She had a question to ask him, mainly because she needed to know.
“Is that the reason you won’t consider ever marrying, Uriel? Because of what’s happened to your parents’ marriage?”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and she wondered if he would reply. Finally he said, “Yes. I saw my father hurt. I felt his pain. I saw a strong and confident man nearly reduced to a whimpering, poor soul because of his love for a woman, and I made up my mind never to let it happen to me. No woman would ever touch my life that deeply or make me love her that strongly for that to happen. I refuse to let it.”
Ellie couldn’t say anything. He had pretty much told her in no uncertain terms, that no matter how enjoyable he found her in bed, no matter how much he might take pleasure in her company, when it was time for him to leave Cavanaugh Lake, he would do so without looking back, and possibly, as time passed he wouldn’t bother looking her up. If their paths crossed, she would have been just another woman from his past.
“How can I still love her for what she’s putting him through, Ellie?”
His question, since he’d asked, was one she felt she could answer. She shifted so she could reach up and place her arms around his neck. “You love her because she is your mom,” she said simply. “Our parents don’t always do what we want them to do, just like, as their children, we don’t always do what they want us to do. We love them anyway, and they love us anyway. Sounds like she’s going through a midlife crisis, and it’s sad they aren’t going through it together.”
Her parents certainly had, she thought, remembering how her parents, who didn’t even own bicycles, had gone out and purchased his and hers Harleys. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they’d joined a motorcycle club and traveled with a group on their motorcycles to Bike Week in Daytona every year. Once she’d gotten over the shock and saw how much fun they were having, she left them alone to do their thing.
“I asked her that, but she said Dad was too busy, never paid any attention to her, because he was working so much. Too bad she couldn’t appreciate that he was working so hard to continue to give her the things she’d always wanted. My mother never worked a day in her life. She has a college degree she never used. I never knew how selfish she could be until now.”
Ellie said nothing, she just relaxed in his arms and let him vent. It seemed there was a lot he needed to get off his chest. Moments later, when he was finished, he sat there and held her, and she sat there glad to be held. She looked up at him. “Did you get something to eat?”
He nodded. “Yes. Thanks. The spaghetti was good, by the way.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She glanced over at the window and saw it had gotten dark outside. She wondered if he would be staying for the night or if he would return to his home. As if he read her thoughts, he leaned closer to her ear and asked in a whisper, “May I spend the night?”
She twisted around in his arms again, and gently pushed him back against the sofa cushion, to sprawl her body over his. She smiled up at him and said, “Yes, you may,” before leaning up and placing her mouth on his.
In sleep, Ellie shifted her body to snuggle closer to him, and instinctively, Uriel tightened his arms around her. At least one of them was getting some rest, he thought, as he glanced around the room. They had left a small lamp on near the bedside. He had wanted to see her face while they’d made love. He had wanted to watch how pleasure infused her features when she came. Seeing it would make him explode inside of her, permeate her insides with the essence of him, and she would use her muscles to clamp tight on him, refusing to let him go until she was sure she’d gotten the very last drop.
The thought of a woman wanting that much of him, the thought of wanting to give a woman that much of himself clamored his senses; but then there was nothing about their relationship that was even close to what he was accustomed to with a woman. He had talked about his parents to her. Granted, she knew them, but still, he had told her things he would never have shared with another woman.
And she had listened. He had a feeling that, deep down, she truly cared. Ellie had offered words of encouragement regarding his father. The main thing he should do now was just hope that his father continued to get involved in things. His dad had agreed to go with them to the next NASCAR race in Indianapolis, and that was good. Another good thing was that he would be spending time with Zion this week.
At thirty, Zion was the youngest of the godsons and the one everyone thought needed the most attention, mainly because Zion was considered the loner, the one who would go for months without staying in touch.
The five godbrothers understood and respected Zion’s need for privacy when he was working on his jewelry pieces. Unfortunately the godfathers most often did not. When one would show up unexpectedly, interrupting Zion’s work flow, he would be quick to put them to work. Uriel could only smile at the thought that his father was sitting somewhere soldering jewelry pieces at this very minute. At least it would keep his old man’s mind occupied for a while.
Another thing Donovan had suggested was that his father start dating. If his mother was all wrapped up in someone, then maybe his father should find someone, too. But preferably, unlike his mother, who’d basically gone and robbed the cradle, he’d choose someone closer to his age. Donovan’s cousin Vanessa had hinted at introducing his father to her widowed mother. He’d seen Vanessa’s mother, and he would be the first to admit that the lady was very attractive. And Anthony Lassiter, at fifty-five, was a good looking man who kept himself in excellent physical shape.
Ellie shifted again and whispered his name, but he quashed the urge to wake her up and make love to her again. He’d certainly made up for not having slept with her last night. They had ended up making love on the sofa downstairs, and then had come back upstairs to make love again. And he had enjoyed each and every moment of it.
But he didn’t want to dominate all her time during the coming days, and wasn’t into her dominating his, especially since he still had a lot of reading about his publishing company to do. Evidently, she had completed whatever it was she’d been reading. He would spend the night, and tomorrow he would return to his place for awhile and do a few things over there. Five men could get pretty damn sloppy, e
ven in one day, and he needed to clean up the place.
“Uri?”
He glanced down and saw her sleepy eyes staring up at him. “Did my moving around wake you up?” he asked in a low tone.
“No. I woke up on my own.” A smile touched her lips. “And now, since I am awake,” she said, pushing him back among the pillows and straddling her body over his, “I might as well take advantage of it.”
And she did.
Chapter 15
Uriel paused in taking the fish off the hook and glanced over at Ellie. “What do you mean you don’t know how to clean fish?” The two of them had gone fishing, and he couldn’t believe, he refused to believe what she’d just said.
She shrugged. “I mean what I said. No one has ever taught me. When my dad and I used to fish he would clean them. The times I went fishing with you and your godbrothers, you all would do all the cleaning. There was no need for me to learn.”
Uriel squinted his eyes against the brightness of the sun. “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a need now. We both clean the fish we catch. I believe in equal opportunity.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the face she made at him before turning and prancing off the pier and walking toward her house, giving him a delectable view of her backside in a pair of shorts.
“And just where do you think you’re going, hot pants?” he called out to her.
She turned around with her chin lifted in the air and said, “Home. I don’t want to play with you anymore. I’m going to take a shower and relax. Later, after you’ve cleaned all the fish, come join me.”
He lifted a brow. “Umm, and what do I get?”
“What you’ve been getting all week,” she replied bluntly, before turning around and continuing her walk home.
Uriel couldn’t help the huge smile that touched his lips. Damn, had it been a full week already? Actually, it had been more than a week. Ten days, to be exact, and the woman had proven to be temptation and enticement all rolled into one.
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