Nothing was going as he’d planned. He’d thought he could leave her during the day and just show up at night for sex, but things weren’t quite working out that way. He’d tried it the first day, but now he was looking in her face 24/7. And he liked being inside her body, as well. He hadn’t missed a day making love to her since his godbrothers’ departure, alternating between his bed and hers.
They had taken out the time to go fishing, and she had helped him when he’d decided his living room needed a new coat of paint. They had done a movie night over at his place. He’d even been helping her pack up her aunt’s belongings in between bouts of lovemaking. Hell, they made love all the time and he was enjoying the hell out of it. But then they would sit down and talk as well. She told him about how she was thinking about going into business for herself, but wasn’t sure if that would be the right move. She even mentioned just hanging out at the lake house a few more months before getting back into the workforce. And because he had been in the corporate world a lot longer than she had, he’d given her advice on what companies to avoid. One thing he liked was that she listened and asked questions. Bottom line was that he enjoyed her company both in and out of bed.
Picking up both of their fishing rods as well as the bucket filled with the fish they’d caught, he made it back over to his place. He placed the fish in the sink and grabbed a beer out of the fridge, deciding he would cool down before cleaning the fish. Then he would take a shower and go find Ellie, and when he found her he would—
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts, but that was okay, since he knew exactly what he would do to her. He pulled his cell phone out of the back pocket of his shorts. “Yes?”
“Hey, Uri, this is Donovan. I’m a new uncle again. Morgan and his wife Lena just had a son. He came out looking like a slugger. I bet he weighed every bit of ten pounds.”
For the next few minutes, he and Donovan talked about the new baby and how the parents were handling things. And then Donovan asked, “How’s the fishing? They still biting pretty good?”
“Yes. You ought to grab your fishing rod and come down a few days.” Since Donovan had never met Ellie, he wouldn’t feel inclined to protect her honor like his godbrothers had. But Uriel had made up his mind about a few things this week. No matter who else showed up at the lake—except for her parents or his, as a matter of respect—he didn’t intend on spending a single night out of her bed.
For him to be involved in an affair was commonplace to Donovan, and he wouldn’t think anything unusual. With Ellie living next door, Donovan would only think of it as convenient. Before Natalie had come into Donovan’s life, he’d been Charlotte’s number-one player. In a way, Uriel still couldn’t believe Donovan had given all of it up. Just for one woman.
“Donovan, I need to ask you something,” he said, when both confusion and curiosity got the best of him.
“Sure. What?”
Uriel knew that although he and Donovan were thick as thieves, were more brothers than friends, he still wanted to word his question carefully. He didn’t want to offend anyone or give the impression Donovan had made one hell of a mistake. But his engagement was still too mind-boggling to think about, and Uriel needed his friend to explain why.
“This thing with you and Natalie. The two of you just met last month. She’s a gorgeous woman and a nice person to boot. I liked her off the bat, but you’ve dated a lot of women—lookers, stunners, women so attractive I could weep with envy. Just think of all the booty calls you’re giving up. My question to you is, is it—”
“Worth it?” Donovan finished for him.
Uriel released a long and deep breath. “Yes, is it worth it?”
Donovan didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he said, “I wish I could explain it, Uriel, but I doubt if I can. And to answer your question, yes, it’s worth it. She is worth it. I didn’t think I would say that about any woman. You know my philosophy. There were too many out there to settle on just one. Being inside the body of one was no different than being inside the body of another. But I found out that isn’t true. There is a difference when something comes into the mix you don’t expect. Love. Damn, man, it was the weirdest thing. I think I fell in love with Natalie the moment I met her, and one of these days real soon I’m going to have to tell you all about it. You won’t believe how we actually met. And although I thought it was all about sex, and once I took her to bed that would be that, I found out it wasn’t. There is a difference, and if you ever meet a woman—the woman who is wearing your name somewhere on her heart—you will know. Maybe not right away, but eventually you will.”
Uriel thought about what Donovan was saying. If he didn’t know his friend as the man he was, as the player he had been, Uriel would think he was nothing more than a lovesick puppy. But he knew that wasn’t the case. Donovan hadn’t been out there looking for love. He had been doing what he usually did when it came to women, which was looking for sex. But now he was making plans to spend the rest of his life with the same woman, and he actually seemed happy about it. Uriel could not detect one ounce of regret in his voice.
“Like I said, Uriel, you’ll know her.”
Uriel frowned, deciding not to waste time telling his friend it wouldn’t happen to him. That even if he met this woman, whose name he was supposedly wearing on his heart, he would wonder if she would eventually do to him the same thing his mother had done to his father. The thought of losing his mind over a woman was something he refused to consider.
“I know you met Natalie that one time at the Racetrack Café, but I’d love to bring her down to the lake to spend time with you. How about a fish fry next weekend?” Donovan was saying.
Uriel smiled. He had no problem getting out the fryer again. “Sounds like a great idea, and you and Natalie can have the whole house to yourself for the weekend.”
“And where will you be?” Donovan asked.
“Next door. The woman next door and I are…friends,” he said, knowing Donovan would get his drift.
“Oh, okay. If you’re sure it’s okay, I’ll make certain Natalie will be available for next weekend. I’ll call you later today and let you know.”
“All right.”
After hanging up the phone and placing it back in his pocket, Uriel still felt a bit confused, as well as somewhat curious. Maybe seeing Donovan and Natalie interact would help him understand the gist of it all. The one and only time he’d seen them together they’d been at odds with each other, and the only thing Uriel had felt flowing between them were tension and anger, at least from Natalie. Donovan had simply come across as frustrated.
Oh, well, he thought, as he went to work cleaning the fish, love and marriage might be for some people, but it definitely wasn’t for him.
A just-showered, fully relaxed Ellie slumped down in her favorite chair by the window, with her laptop in her hand, ready to write a couple of scenes today. And from where she was sitting, she’d be able to see Uriel when he left his house to come to hers.
She began typing, and as if she were in another world, one filled with love and passion, she brought life once again to Grant and Tamara. Her hands seemed to flow over the keys, knowing what they were about to say before they said it.
Moments later, when Ellie finally got to a love scene, she began typing, truly inspired. She and Uriel had been sharing a bed for more than a week and she had never known a more passionate man. Her cheeks couldn’t help but color with a blush just thinking about their nights as well as their mornings. And it just wasn’t in the things he did, but also the things he said. The man took pillow talk to a whole other level.
She wasn’t aware just how long she’d sat there typing, when she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. She glanced up and saw Uriel step off his porch and head over to her place. He glanced up and saw her sitting by the window and smiled before waving at her. She smiled back, noting he had showered and changed clothes.
Ellie shut down her laptop, but not before noting jus
t how much she’d typed. She smiled, pleased with her accomplishment for the day. And she was pleased with how things were going between her and Uriel. It was pretty nice waking up in a man’s arms every morning, after falling asleep once she’d been thoroughly made love to at night.
Then there were the other things they did together, like cook breakfast and dinner. He helped her pack up the last of her aunt’s belongings to give away and had helped store in the attic those things she wanted to keep. He had driven her into town to a nursery to purchase a couple of fruit trees she wanted for the backyard, and had even chopped wood for the winter months; if she decided to come back later in the year, there would be enough ready for the fireplace. And he had made watching movies with him special.
Sensations suddenly overwhelmed her at the thought that in two weeks he would be leaving Cavanaugh Lake to return to Charlotte. Their affair would be ending. She would remain here and finish the book, which shouldn’t take too long. Then she would return to Boston. She had decided to wait until the first of the year to decide if she wanted to go back into corporate America, or start her own business. Uriel had given her good advice regarding the pros and cons of both.
She didn’t have to look up to know he had entered the bedroom. She felt his presence. She was intercepting his heat. She knew, at that moment when they went their separate ways, her pain would be almost too much to bear, but she would. She had no choice.
Tilting her head back, she stared at him. He was leaning in the doorway, shirtless and wearing a pair of shorts that, in her opinion, looked just as scandalous as any she’d ever worn. They displayed just what a good physique he had: flat stomach; muscular thighs; strong legs. And a thick arousal pressing hard against his crotch. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t know what was behind the shorts. She knew every solid inch of him there, had seen it erect and nonerect. Her fingers had touched it, gently squeezed it, had given it her own personal massage. And one night, in a surprise move and with a bold degree of naughtiness, her mouth had tasted it, almost greedily, and several satisfied groans had escaped his lips. She now knew all the things that brought him pleasure, all the ways they could be done, what it took to push him over the edge, make him call out her name in a throaty growl. Remembering made an intense shudder ripple down her spine.
She had opened the bedroom window earlier, and a gentle breeze was coming in, stirring the heat he was emitting, as well as his scent. The air between them seemed to spark, and she had a feeling if she didn’t say something, didn’t start conversation, they were liable to go up in flames just from staring across the room at each other. So to break the silence, she asked, “Did you get all the fish cleaned?”
“Yes, with no help from you.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “You poor baby. Do you want some cheese to go with that whine?”
“Do you really want to know what I want, Ellie?”
“No,” she said, managing a faint smile, letting her gaze travel back down to his crotch, then back to his face. “I have an idea.”
A smile curved his lips. “And you’re probably right. But I can wait till after dinner for you to be my dessert,” he said, coming into the room. “Besides, we need to talk.”
She raised a brow. “About what?”
“More company coming. My business partner, Donovan Steele. I think I mentioned he’d gotten engaged.”
She nodded. “Yes, you did.”
“Well, I invited him and his fiancée to come to Cavanaugh Lake for the weekend for a fish fry.”
“This weekend?”
He chuckled. “No, next weekend. I haven’t forgotten my promise to take you rafting in the Smokies this weekend.”
“Good.”
“And I hope you don’t mind, but I gave them full use of my place for the weekend, which means I’ll be crashing over here,” he said.
“No, I don’t mind,” she responded. He’d been crashing at her place anyway. Since their affair had begun, the only night he hadn’t stayed was the one night his godbrothers had come to visit.
“How would you like to take a walk before we get into the kitchen to fix dinner?”
“A walk?” She’d said it like she hadn’t heard him right.
He grinned. “Yes, a walk. When was the last time you actually walked around Cavanaugh Lake, all the way to the east bank?”
“Too long ago to remember. Why the interest in doing so now?” She was curious enough to ask.
He leaned back against the dresser and said, “I’m thinking of buying a boat, nothing too big, but it’s something I’ve always wanted. I want to walk to the other side of the lake to make sure that old dock is still there. If it’s not, I’m going to have to build one.”
She nodded. “If it’s there, you might need to get it repaired,” she pointed out.
“No problem. So put on a pair of good shoes and let’s go,” he said, moving toward the door.
She laughed and gave him a hearty salute. “Yes, boss.”
He turned around and gave her a charming smile. “I’m not your boss.”
“Oh, then what are you?” she asked sweetly.
His gaze seemed clouded in an arousing heat when he said, “Your lover.”
He was her lover.
Uriel made a mental acknowledgment of the words he had spoken to Ellie earlier that day. That acknowledgment was followed by an image that popped into his mind. It was a scene that had taken place less than an hour ago, right in his bed, before Ellie had drifted off to sleep. It was one that affirmed his claim. Proven without a shadow of a doubt. He was her lover.
Even now, they were lying facing each other, her head resting snugly on his chest, their legs entwined, and their bodies still intimately connected. He felt himself getting hard again, just thinking about how things had started out with her being his dessert in the kitchen, and his late-night snack in the bedroom. And he had basically been hers.
He slid his arms around her, opening his hands on her bottom, to pull her snugly against him for an even better connection when he felt himself starting to get hard again. His shaft was happy, very contented, because it was where it wanted to be. It would probably protest if he were to pull out of her. A satisfied groan flowed from his lips. He was happy and very content as well.
He glanced over at the nightstand at the several packets of condoms. Although he placed them there every night, he had yet to use one. With Ellie, he enjoyed the feel of skin-to-skin, flesh-to-flesh. He enjoyed the feel of exploding inside of her, jetting his hot release into her—something he had never considered doing to another woman. She was on the Pill, but then, every once in awhile, when the possibility did cross his mind, he would envision a prissy little girl with skin the color of Ellie’s and eyes identical to his. And just like all the other times when such foolish images formed in his mind, he was quick to dismiss them. He felt his shaft grow even harder inside of her and tried like hell to ignore it. No luck. A shudder ran down his body, rippling along his spine, electrifying the hard muscles in his erection.
She must have felt it. She must have felt him. Not surprisingly, since he was stretching her again to accommodate his growing manhood. She slowly opened her eyes and met his. She smiled and gave him a sleepy but knowing look.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you, but I guess my friend wants attention.” And as he felt himself grow larger still, he added, “No regrets.”
She smiled as he held tight to her body, remaining inside of her as he turned and placed her on top of him. She gazed down at him and said, “And that’s why your friend and I like each other so much, and why we get along so well—because I have no regrets, either. We don’t have time to waste, since it will be the end of the month before you know it.”
Her words reminded him of just how true that was. It would be the end of the month soon, and he didn’t want to waste time. He wanted to savor every moment that he could with her, because when it ended, it ended. But for now, he was wrapping his arms
around her as she began riding him as if her very life depended on it, moving up and down, permeating the air with her scent, his scent, the aroma of their lovemaking. He had this.
His jaw tightened each time he lifted himself to meet her downward movement. This was the best of the best, the cream of the crop, off the charts. This is what made a man appreciate being a man…and what made a man appreciate having a good woman.
He tossed that very claim out of his mind. This woman was his temporarily. By rights, she should be doing all the things she’d done to him, and with him, for the past ten days to a man who would be a permanent part of her future. A man who would flood her body with his seed to make babies, a man she could commit her life to, as he would commit his to her. A man who would not place a limit on the time they spent together.
He was not that man; but for now, tonight, until the end of the month, they could both pretend.
Chapter 16
“And Donovan, this is Ellie.”
Uriel watched Donovan’s expression when he turned his attention to the woman by his side. Surprise, confusion and keen interest were showing in Donovan Steele’s gaze, but only someone as close to Donovan as Uriel would be able to detect it. Uriel could just imagine what his friend was thinking. Ellie was beautiful, and for him to even consider eventually walking away would be stone crazy. But then, Uriel knew those were the thoughts of the new, engaged and about-to-be-married Donovan.
The old Donovan would have understood and not questioned his motives or decision. He would have patted him on the back for making such a lucrative score—a worthwhile conquest—and would have given him a wink of envy. But not the Donovan that was deeply in love with the gorgeous woman standing by his side, so much so that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Jeesh. Uriel figured it was going to take some getting used to this Donovan Steele.
After all the introductions were made, Uriel saw how quickly Ellie and Natalie took to each other like old friends. When the conversation between them shifted to a subject he was certain neither he nor Donovan gave a royal damn about—namely the right shampoo and conditioner to keep the frizz out of your hair in this August heat—he caught Donovan’s attention and rolled his eyes, before saying, “I’ll help you get the luggage out of the car.”
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