She took a sip of her wine and continued reading. A short while later she lifted her gaze from the page to draw in a deep breath. With each lovemaking scene she could actually feel when Grant stroked Tamara"s skin. When he whispered words into Tamara"s ear he might as well be whispering them into hers, as well.
Ellie loosened the two top b.u.t.tons of her blouse, then shifted positions when the cotton material of her shorts suddenly seemed sensitive against her skin. She was beginning to feel hot. Aroused. s.e.xually deprived. Her lips curved. Maybe she was enjoying too much wine tonight. Too much wine and not enough man.
At least, not a certain certain man. man.
She could actually admit, in all honesty, that she"d only really been kissed twice in her life. And both times by Uriel. Kisses she"d receive from other men didn"t even come close. For one, long heartbeat of a moment, she stared into s.p.a.ce as she remembered the kiss that had taken place a few days ago in her kitchen. She recalled how her back had felt pressed against the refrigerator while a very hungry mouth had devoured hers.
There was no doubt in her mind that Uriel was all the real-life inspiration she would need, and that he was not only capable of stimulating her body to where she would probably not only put s.e.xy words on paper, but talk all kinds of stuff in her sleep. Especially if the size of the erection she"d felt that day, pressing hard against her, was anything to go by. No doubt he would teach her a lot, inspire her plenty and leave her wanting more, only to deliver time and time again.
The thought was tempting, so much so, in fact, that she could feel her inner muscles quivering, the area between her legs tingling and the heat invading her body and taking over her common sense.
Was this the opportunity that she had been waiting for all her life, at least since the time she"d decided she would love Uriel forever, marry him one day and have his babies? Even then, those had been the dreams of a teenager who didn"t know, hadn"t a clue just what she"d been hoping for. Now she knew.
She sighed deeply and placed the rubber band back around the unfinished pages, placed the letter on top to put the items away. Her decision had been made. She would be the one to finish her aunt"s ma.n.u.script. Darcy was right. Aunt Mable would want it that way. She would pay Uriel a visit tomorrow and tell him that she would indulge in an affair with him.
Picking up her items, she carefully balanced everything in her hands as she climbed the stairs. She turned on the light in her aunt"s room and went to the desk, placed the ma.n.u.script and letter in a drawer and locked it. She then glanced over at the clock. It was close to 2:00 a.m. Had she been reading that long?
She turned off the light to leave the room, when her gaze traveled to the window. She then recalled what Uriel had said about not being able to sleep sometimes at night, and that one of those nights he had been outside, sitting on the porch, and had seen her at the window, wearing a nightie.
Was he outside now, sitting on the porch? Restless, edgy, possibly even a bit h.o.r.n.y? What would he do if she appeared at the window, pretended she didn"t know he was there and started removing her clothes, piece by piece? Feeling naughty, wild, with a burst of erratic hormones she hadn"t realized she had until now, she turned the light back on and moved toward the window.
She might wait and give Uriel her decision tomorrow, but she intended to send him a very intimate message tonight.
Uriel stood at the kitchen sink and wet his hands to wipe across his face. He felt hot, filled with a fiery sensation, a primal urge, that even sleeping in the nude hadn"t eased. So he had slipped into a pair of shorts to come downstairs. He glanced at the clock on the stove. It was two in the morning. He should have guessed. This restlessness, edginess, was becoming a nightly thing around this time.
As usual, he"d had his dreams, and as usual, he had awakened just seconds before joining his body with Ellie"s. Would there ever be a dream when he would complete the act and relieve himself of his misery? When would he feel what it would be like to be inside her body, have her inner muscles clench him tightly, milk him dry? He would have to settle for a dream, since it seemed she had decided an affair with him was not what she wanted. This had been day three, and he had pretty much gotten her message loud and clear. There would be no summer fling between them.
In the morning he would go over there, give her some of the fish he"d caught and offer to fry them for her. He would then tell her that he"d accepted her decision and, as nothing more than friends, they could at least enjoy each other"s company for the rest of the summer.
But during the wee hours of the night, while alone in his bed, he would continue to dream about her and to do to her in his fantasies what she refused to let him do in reality.
He crossed the darkened kitchen and headed for the back door, opened it and stepped outside. It was hot, but the cool breeze from the lake was swirling around, spraying a light mist on his naked chest. The moment he sat down in the swing he glanced next door, and his pulse rate accelerated when he saw the light was on in Ms. Mable"s bedroom. The first time in three days.
He sat there with his gaze transfixed to the window. He had told her he"d sometimes sit out here at night and look over at the window. For that reason alone, Ellie would probably not come close to the window, knowing there was a possibility that he would be watching.
But still, that didn"t stop him from sitting and staring. He figured, sitting out here, being hopeful, was a h.e.l.l of a lot better going back to bed and dreaming and being disappointed.
The light went out and he mentally swore, followed by the muttering of a few choice words under his breath. This was pathetic. He had a cell phone filled with the names of a number of willing women, women he could call even now, at this hour, to initiate a long-distance booty call. Over the phone, they could engage in some pretty dirty s.e.x talk, and he knew any one of them would follow it up with a visit to the lake by morning. Probably before the sun even came up, there would be a knock at his door. So why was he sitting here with a hard-on as big as the state of Texas?
While he was pondering that question, the light came back on in the bedroom next door. Evidently, Ellie had decided she wasn"t ready to go to bed after all. He watched, and then his breathing almost thickened when he saw a slight movement of the curtain, a flutter. Was his imagination getting the best of him?
He slowly stood, deciding he wouldn"t torture himself any longer, when the curtain moved again. Actually moved. And then she was there.
At the sight of her he sucked in a deep breath and his already hard body got harder.
She was wearing a pair of shorts and a blouse. He couldn"t see all of her shorts but he could see most of her blouse. And it was open. Unb.u.t.toned all the way to her navel. And she wasn"t wearing a bra.
He blinked. For a second he couldn"t breathe. He refused to do so. He could only watch, stare, all but gape, while making out the fullness of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that he could see from a distance. His lips firmed. Did she have any idea what she was doing?
He dropped back down in the swing with his gaze glued to the window. It was dark over at his place, so Ellie didn"t know he was sitting on the porch watching her. Or did she?
He leaned back in his seat. If she was deliberately putting on a show, he fully intended to watch. With a barely functional mind, he took in all he was seeing, and when she slowly eased the blouse from her shoulders, letting it drop nonchalantly to the floor, leaving her bare, he couldn"t fight the rampant sensations, the hard-hitting desire that seeing her naked b.r.e.a.s.t.s evoked.
Intense heat seared through him, making his already hot body even more enflamed. And as he continued to watch, she leaned over and he could tell she was removing her shorts. After taking them off she held them in her hand, up to her chest, before tossing them aside. And then he could tell she was easing something else off her body and figured it was her panties. Moments later, she held them up on her finger and, as if they were a trophy, she twirled them around in the air on her finger a few times, before tossing them away as well.
The sudden flick of his tongue across his sensitized lips made his breathing almost come out in a growl. He couldn"t see much of her below the navel, but just knowing she was completely naked made his pulse increase to heart-attack range. She caressed her stomach the way a lover would, before placing both hands on her naked hips and traveling them lower.... Then she drew the curtains.
He eased out of the swing and putting one foot in front of the other. He moved down the steps, not caring that his bedroom slippers were not meant to be worn outdoors. Nothing mattered except for the woman who"d had the nerve, the audacity and the boldness to tempt him. Excite him to no end. Coax the untamed beast in him to come out.
He stalked through the trees toward her front door. Ellie evidently a.s.sumed the show was over. But he was about to let her know, in no uncertain terms, that as far as he was concerned it was just beginning.
Chapter 10.
Smiling, Ellie slipped into her nightie. Never in her life had she done anything so bra.s.sy and bold. Outlandish. Brazen. And she felt good about it.
There was a chance Uriel hadn"t been sitting out on his back porch tonight, and had missed her little show, but that was okay. She had taken the chance, not knowing one way or the other. And she had liked pretending that he was out there, sitting and watching. Getting aroused.
That possibility had made her shamelessly daring. She hadn"t intended to do that piece with her panties, but at the last minute she thought she might as well go for the gusto.
She could imagine him staring up at her with that intense look on his face, no smile, just a look of complete concentration, deep, unyielding attentiveness and hot-blooded awareness.
She breathed in deeply. The only problem now was that she was left in a bad way. Being an exhibitionist had made her realize more than ever just how s.e.xually deprived she was. That was why her skin suddenly felt hot to the touch. The juncture of her legs was tingling something awful, and the nipples of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s felt tender. She needed to take a cold shower to get rid of all these sensations before she became crazed with l.u.s.t of the most potent kind.
Deciding a cold shower wasn"t such a bad idea, she was about to turn toward the bathroom when she heard a pounding downstairs on her front door. She sucked in a quick breath the same time her pulse began racing. There could only be one person at her door. The same person she had performed her little act for at the window. Evidently, he"d been awake. He had watched. He had interpreted her message.
And he wasn"t waiting until tomorrow to let her know that he"d received it.
She stood glued to the spot, not sure what she should do. Maybe if she didn"t do anything he would a.s.sume she was asleep and go away. Fat chance. She had a feeling she had unleashed the uncontrolled beast in her neighbor, that same wildness she had detected the other day. A controlled Uriel she could handle. An uncontrolled one she wasn"t so sure about.
The pounding stopped and she wondered if he"d gone away. Or...had he decided to come into the house anyway? Because her aunt had been getting up in age, both Uriel and his parents knew Aunt Mable kept a spare key taped underneath the cushion of her wicker chair. Would Uriel be so bold as to enter her home uninvited?
Deciding not to wait and find out, she quickly put on her robe and moved toward the stairs. As soon as her feet touched the living room floor the pounding at the door started again.
Nervously, she walked over to the door, having a good idea of the voraciousness of the l.u.s.t she might have released, not only within herself but within Uriel as well. When she got to the door she leaned on it, could actually feel the fierce pounding of her heart against the heavy wood panel. "Who is it?"
"Uriel."
Hearing his name spoken from such a deep, throaty voice effectively made her heart beat even faster. On tiptoes she looked out the peephole, and although it was dark, she could make out his muscular form in the shadows. At that moment her entire body intensified with a need she hadn"t known until tonight that she was capable of feeling.
Her racing pulse didn"t abate as she flipped the lock and slowly opened the door. She pulled in a tight breath when they stood facing each other. It was as if he"d walked straight out of his bedroom, wearing nothing more than a dark pair of scandalously s.e.xy shorts and slippers. She held his gaze as intently as he was holding hers, saw that his breathing was just as rapid. Noticed the center of his throat and saw how his pulse rate was beating just as fast as hers.
She was tempted to lick her lips with her tongue, and then thought better of it upon remembering what the action had sparked within him the last time. Instead she swallowed deeply and said as calmly as she could, "Uri, is there something that you wanted?"
"Yes." He advanced forward, which prompted her to back up when he crossed over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He didn"t stop walking until he stood directly in front of her. "There"s something I want. And you"re it."
Uriel studied the look on Ellie"s face. He sharpened his gaze. She knew why he was here, although he could tell she was surprised by his appearance. Did she actually think her little performance at the window wouldn"t prompt him to rush right on over and take her up on what she"d been offering?
"I saw you at the window," he said, and when she didn"t respond he raised his brow and added, "I a.s.sume that was to let me know you"ve decided on the summer fling. Am I right or wrong?"
She held his gaze and for a second he thought she would claim that he was wrong, and that she had no earthly idea what he was talking about, and that he must have imagined the whole thing. But she didn"t. He watched as she gave a little bit of relief to those lips she had pressed so tight and said softly, "No, you"re not wrong."
She drew in a deep breath and then added, "But I didn"t expect you to come tonight."
He took another step toward her, coming so close the nipples of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against his bare chest through the material of her robe. "You actually thought I would wait?"
"Yes."
His scowl eased into a smile. "Baby, if you thought that, then you don"t know men very well. And you most certainly don"t know me. But I plan to change that. By the time our fling ends you"ll know me better than any other man you"ve ever been intimate with."
Ellie tightened her lips before she made the mistake of uttering that she hadn"t been intimate with many men, and could basically narrow it down to one-which had truly been a waste of her time. But she had a feeling that any time spent with Uriel would not be wasted.
Holding his gaze, she thought about getting to know him intimately. That meant they would be spending a lot of time together between the sheets. But then, wasn"t that what she needed to get inspired?
She then thought about how Tamara would handle it if she was in the same dilemma and immediately knew the answer. Tamara was confident with her s.e.xuality and would face up to Grant at every turn. So likewise, Ellie fixed Uriel with a challenging stare and said, "And you"ll know me better than any other woman you"ve ever been intimate with."
She watched as he slowly raised a pair of arrogant brows. Instead of backing down, she slowly raised hers. And then a smile touched the corners of his lips when he said, "We will see, won"t we?"
Before she could respond, before she could draw her next breath, he reached for her, pulled her into his arms and sank his mouth down hard on hers.
Resisting never entered her mind, which was just as well, since she was suddenly caged by his masculine strength-a strength that was more comforting than threatening. And when she felt his hard, engorged erection cradle intimately at the juncture of her thighs, she released a satisfied moan and shifted her full concentration into the kiss.
But then, he was making it impossible not to do so, with the way his tongue was taking hold on hers, savoring it like it was something he had missed and was ent.i.tled to making up for lost time. Every flick, every lick and every single thrust of his tongue, as it tangled with hers made her moan even deeper. It elicited intense sensations that were uncontrolled and unrestricted. This kiss was even more hot, demanding and overwhelming than the last, and she hung on, determined to keep up, hold her own and stand her ground.
Unexpectedly, he pulled his mouth back and she used that time to suck in a quick breath. When she met his gaze and he smiled, she knew at that moment he hadn"t finished with her yet. She saw the heat in his eyes.
"Do you prefer the bed or right here?"
She blinked. He had spoken, and she nearly blushed upon realizing what question he"d asked. The bed would be her logical choice but the other option definitely intrigued her. "Which do you prefer?" she decided to ask him, curious as to what he would say.
His smile widened into a s.e.xy grin and he replied in a low throaty voice, "Doesn"t matter. Either way, I plan on making you incapable of speech for a while."
She lifted a brow. His arrogance was showing again. "And what makes you think I won"t be able to talk?"
"Because you"ll be too busy moaning. That is, when you aren"t screaming."
She didn"t know what to say to that, figured there was nothing she could say. And when he leaned down and captured her mouth again, she figured some things were better left unsaid. This kiss would have wiped any words right from her mouth, anyway.
He deepened the kiss seconds before sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. He then headed up the stairs, and she knew once they reached the bedroom that she would be getting more than inspired. She would be indulging in pa.s.sion of the wildest and most exciting kind.
Chapter 11.
The trip up the stairs took a little longer than expected, when Uriel stopped midway up, after deciding he just had to taste her mouth again. He wasn"t sure why he couldn"t wait, all he knew was that he just couldn"t.
So, leaning against the rail, he balanced her securely in his arms while taking her mouth with slow deliberation, letting his tongue wrap around hers, mate with it, play with it and entice her to respond. She did. And when she entwined her arms around him and returned the kiss with the same intensity, he deepened the kiss even more.
By the time they reached her bedroom, his entire body was quivering with a need so keen and potent that he had to do everything within his power to hold on to what little control he had. Never had a woman brought him to this. Never had he felt so connected to a woman in so many ways. Never had he wanted a woman so badly.
The moment he placed her on the bed, he decided wasting time wouldn"t get either one of them anywhere, so he reached out and quickly removed her robe and swiftly dispensed with her excuse for a nightgown. It was one of those short nighties with satin spaghetti straps that didn"t cover much, not that he was complaining. The cool mint green highlighted her complexion, and the nightie was similar in design to the yellow one she"d been wearing that first night he"d seen her at the window.
When she was stretched out on the bed, reclining on her side facing him, his gaze swept all over her naked body, scanning her from head to toe, absorbing every inch of her. He was fascinated by the perfect details of her body, each and every curve, the flatness of her stomach, the graceful smoothness of her thighs, the allure of her long legs. But what part enticed him the most, what captured his gaze time and time again, was the beauty of her feminine mound. He had seen many in his day, but none that seemed more perfect, more alluring than hers. For him, hers held an unexplainable fascination. She had seen him naked before, but this was his first time he"d seen her without clothes, and he couldn"t get enough of looking at her. The more he looked, the harder he got. The more his erection throbbed. And the more it ached to get inside of her.
He could tell that his intense stare was making her nervous, so he backed away from the bed to remove his own clothes, which consisted of nothing more than the pair of nylon gym shorts.
Uriel heard her sharp intake of breath the moment he eased the shorts down his legs. He had come ready. He had come hard. What had she expected, after that number she"d pulled at the window? He had been a goner the moment she"d taken her panties off and twirled them around on her finger.
He slowly moved back to the bed, wanting to touch her all over, taste her everywhere, consume her in a manner that would leave no doubt in her mind that he had left his mark. Easing onto the bed to join her there, she shifted her body to make room and he took his place beside her. They faced each other, gazed into each other"s eyes, and he could feel the beat of her heart. He thought she had such an arousing scent, one that was reaching out to him on a primitive level, triggering everything male within him to respond, act and proceed.
He reached out and traced his hand up the side of her body, liking the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers. He traveled a path and touched her hip, paid special homage to a small birthmark on her upper thigh.
His hand then traveled in slow motion upward, toward her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and when he made an unhurried path around her nipples he heard her groan deep in her throat. Easing her down on her back, he lowered his head and captured a breast in his mouth and began feasting on her. And when she grabbed hold of his head to hold him to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, he responded by sucking harder. He had discovered a long time ago that there was something special about Ellie"s taste. It was delectable and was a scrumptious flavor to his tongue. And tonight it was his.
He intended to do whatever it took to make her aware of that fact. He didn"t want to encounter any regrets when the sun came up tomorrow. One night would not be enough for him. The next twenty-something days might not be enough for him either. But they would have to do. He would definitely miss their time together, but then all good things eventually came to an end. His parents had shown him that.
"Uri."
He heard her moan and felt her shudder almost uncontrollably beneath his mouth, and knew he had made her come, just from having his mouth on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He only looked up briefly to see the glow on her face before his mouth began tracing a path down from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s toward her belly, and when he took his tongue and drew a wet ring around her navel, her stomach muscles tightened. He liked the feeling beneath his tongue. He liked the sounds she was making. He d.a.m.n sure liked her.
At that moment, a turbulent sensation washed over him and he knew he had to taste her completely. This wasn"t a token hunger that needed to be appeased, this was greed of gigantic proportions, as ravenous as it could get. Her taste, mingled with her just-climaxed scent, was driving him to a state of craziness.
Possession.
And he knew before the night was over he would possess her. That sort of determination seemed odd, out of place for a mere fling, but it was what it was. He would try to make sense of it later. All he knew was that, at this very moment, he had to have Ellie.
With that thought in mind, he pulled away from her stomach and began easing lower, his attention latched on that part of her that aroused him the most, that small nub at her center that he knew provided its own taste of honey. He was there before she"d realized where he"d gone, and, by the time it registered, he lowered his head and took total and complete custody.
She screamed the moment his tongue entered her, and her scream only fueled his fire, intensified his need to taste her this way. And from her initial reaction, it was quite obvious no man had ever gone down on her before. He found it odd but gratifying-that he would be the first one giving her this experience. A first they would share together.
He immediately tossed the thought from his mind, that when it came to Ellie, they shared a lot of firsts. Like right now. No woman had ever mattered so much, no booty call was worth so much that he"d left his house in the middle of the night like a madman, needing her so desperately. Until Ellie. He had rushed over here to her, barely dressed, and was now lapping up her honeyed nub like his life depended on it. He hadn"t been prepared for this.