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 G.o.dbrothers 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 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 He was happy and very content as well. 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 h.e.l.l 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jeesh. Uriel figured it was going to take some getting used to this Donovan Steele. 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 d.a.m.n 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."
The two women went inside his house while he and Donovan went to the back of the car to open the trunk. Uriel raised a brow when he saw several pieces of luggage. "Hey, Don, you and Natalie are here just for the weekend, not for the rest of the year, right?"
Donovan chuckled. "Natalie wasn"t sure what to pack, so she tucked in a little of everything."
Uriel gave him a wry look, knowing how Donovan detested excessiveness in anyone...or at least, he used to. "And you"re still going to marry her with this one major flaw?" he asked teasingly.
Donovan threw his head back and laughed. "In a heartbeat. Tomorrow, if she"d agree to it. h.e.l.l, I tried, at a weak moment, getting her to fly to Vegas with me, but she refused."
Uriel shook his head. "I guess you"re going to have to work harder on her."
"Just like Ellie is going to have to work harder on you?"
Uriel raised a brow, and tried to keep his body from stiffening at Donovan"s words. "Meaning?"
"She likes you."
Uriel relaxed somewhat. "And I like her. But nothing is going to keep me from ending our relationship in eight days."
"Then I hope you know what you"re doing."
Uriel gave his friend another wry look, wondering if Donovan realized what he was suggesting. A serious relationship, one that could end in marriage, babies, and a little house with a picket fence was nowhere in his future, and Donovan, of all people, knew that.
Deciding it was time to change the subject, Uriel asked, "How are things going with the Steele Corporation? I understand you had a serious internal issue."
"Everything is fine. Fortunately, we identified the person trying to give company secrets to our compet.i.tor. A man in Morgan"s department who"d worked with us for years. I"m glad we made the discovery before he could do any damage."
Donovan then asked, "So, how does our publishing company look?"
Uriel knew that the reason Donovan was asking had nothing to do with the possibility that they"d made a wrong investment. That wasn"t the case, since they had checked out Vandellas Publishing thoroughly before making the purchase. It had been financially sound. Their main concern was making sure it remained a viable acquisition over the next three years, until they were ready to sell.
"I haven"t finished going through all the doc.u.ments as I"d planned."
"I can understand why," Donovan said, with a smirk on his face.
Uriel ignored him and said, "But I plan to do so this week. I"m anxious to go over their inventory lists to see how many books they published this year, and how many they plan to publish next year. I"m also curious to see who they gave high advances to and what promotional and marketing strategies they intend to use to make sure those books sell."
They carried the luggage to the door and when they entered they could hear Ellie and Natalie chatting away. He glanced over at Donovan. "They"re still talking about hair products?"
Donovan grinned. "Sounds like it."
"Then we need to pull them apart and give them something else to talk about, don"t you think?" Uriel said, winking at his friend.
Three days later, Ellie eased out of bed, thinking that this past weekend had been fun spending time with Donovan and Natalie, and in a way, she"d regretted seeing them leave. While Donovan had helped Uriel fry the fish, Natalie had helped her make coleslaw. And for dessert, Natalie had offered to make her aunt"s mouthwatering peach cobbler. That meant going to the grocers and getting all the ingredients they needed. During the drive, Natalie told Ellie her and Donovan"s love story and filled her in on their June wedding plans.
It only took being around the couple for a brief period of time to see how much in love they were. Ellie couldn"t help but wonder how it would feel to be loved that much by any man, to know that you, of all women, had been the one he chose to be with for the rest of his life, to be cherished by him, deeply loved to the point where he would want you to be the mother of his babies, the woman he wanted to make love to for the rest of his days.
Ellie glanced back over her shoulder at Uriel, who was sprawled out naked on top of the mattress, heart-stoppingly breathtaking. From the way his erection was growing before her eyes, he was getting aroused all over again. "Make it go down," she ordered, and couldn"t help but giggle as she slipped into the shorts he had removed last night.
Uriel"s hand, the one that had been thrown over his eyes to ward off the morning sun coming through the window, slid down just enough to look over at her. "You come back to bed and make make it go down, because I sure as h.e.l.l can"t. When it wants you, even a cold shower won"t work." it go down, because I sure as h.e.l.l can"t. When it wants you, even a cold shower won"t work."
Ellie figured there was no use reminding Uriel that it it had had her several times during the night. But what she had had her several times during the night. But what she would would remind him was that he"d promised to take her to dinner at that Italian restaurant in Gatlinburg. They were winding down the time they would be spending together, because in four days he would leave to return to Charlotte. remind him was that he"d promised to take her to dinner at that Italian restaurant in Gatlinburg. They were winding down the time they would be spending together, because in four days he would leave to return to Charlotte.
She glanced over at the bed and saw that Uriel had drifted back off to sleep. Would he ever give his heart a chance to share a love such as Natalie"s and Donovan"s? Or would he let what happened with his parents" marriage be the reason he would never want that kind of love, that kind of relationship, for himself? And for that very reason, she would never let him know just how much she loved him, just how much her heart would break in a few days when he would be leaving, going back to a world without her in it.
She slowly walked over to the bed, leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. She then glanced around his bedroom, saw a pen and a piece of paper lying on the dresser, and scribbled a note, letting him know she was going back to her place to shower, and to then start packing the last of her aunt"s things.
A short while later, back at her place, and after taking a shower and putting on her favorite shorts set, Ellie headed downstairs, wondering if Uriel was still in his bed asleep. He had mentioned last night that he would be spending the first part of the morning finishing up reading about some company he and Donovan had purchased a month or so ago.
She had just taken the milk out of the refrigerator for her cereal when the house phone rang. She lifted a brow, wondering who would be calling this early on a Monday morning. Most people she knew called her on her cell phone, which meant the caller was probably one of those telemarketers. She decided not to pick it up, but changed her mind, thinking it could possibly be her parents.
"h.e.l.lo?"
"Is Mable Weston there?"
Ellie frowned. Most people who knew her aunt were aware she"d pa.s.sed away. "May I ask who"s calling?"
"Yes, this is Lauren Poole."
It didn"t take long for Ellie to recall the name, and she leaned back against the refrigerator in surprise, quickly remembering that the last time her back had been against the refrigerator Uriel had pinned her there.
"h.e.l.lo. Are you there?"
The woman"s voice pulled her thoughts back to the conversation and the realization of just who Lauren Poole was. "Yes, I"m here."
"May I speak with Mable please?"
Ellie gnawed nervously on her bottom lip before saying, "Sorry, she"s resting." She breathed in deeply, while thinking that it wasn"t really a complete lie. "This is her niece, Ellie Weston. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, yes, her niece. Mable speaks of you often. She simply adores you."
"Thanks. And I adore her as well. Is there a message you"d like to leave? I"ll be happy to make sure she gets it." Now that that, Ellie thought, was was a lie. a lie.
"I just wanted to let her know that the Vandellas Publishing Company was sold to another company, but the buyout changes nothing, as it relates to her contract. She still has until the end of the year to turn in the ma.n.u.script, and the release date for the book is still July of next year."
Ellie nodded her head, thinking that was good to hear. "I appreciate you calling and will make sure she gets your message."
"Thank you. I"m looking forward to receiving the finished ma.n.u.script, and so is her editor at Vandellas. We all thought it was a beautiful romance, and we"re eager to get more stories by Flame Elbam."
Ellie drew in a deep breath. Now was the perfect time to tell Lauren Poole that her aunt had died, and that there was no way Aunt Mable, aka Flame Elbam, would supply them with more ma.n.u.scripts. "Ms. Poole."
"Yes?"
Ellie opened her mouth to tell the woman the truth, but closed it when she recalled the words her aunt had written in the letter Mr. Altman had given to her. Although the publishing company and Ms. Poole probably wouldn"t think so, Ellie believed she was doing the right thing by completing her aunt"s novel.
"Yes, Miss Weston?"
"Nothing. I"ll give Aunt Mable the message."
"Thank you."
After the phone conversation ended, Ellie drew in a deep breath and then slowly released it. She was doing what her aunt would have wanted. And she knew that, in addition to Uriel"s inspiration, her aunt was inspiring her as well. There was no way she could have gotten into the characters so deeply over the past three weeks without her aunt"s divine intervention. So she truly believed she was finishing the ma.n.u.script with her aunt"s blessing.
But what about Uriel"s?
Ellie went over to the table and sat down. He had only inspired her because she loved him. To him, this summer fling may have been about nothing but s.e.x, but to her it had been so much more. Every time he had touched her, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him, and she knew that the day he left to return to Charlotte would be the hardest day of her life.
But she wanted him to leave knowing the truth. Although the past three weeks were nothing but an affair for him, she wanted him to know that for her it had meant something more.
Chapter 17.
Uriel lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. In four days he would be leaving this place to return to Charlotte. When he pulled out of the driveway on Sunday evening, he would look straight ahead, wonder how well his a.s.sistant had managed things in his absence, and look forward to getting back into the swing of things at La.s.siter Industries.
He would not dwell on what he"d been doing for the past three weeks, the summer fling he thoroughly enjoyed. Why would he? It had been nothing more than an affair, and affairs were insignificant. After one ended, you rested up, gave yourself breathing room and prepared for the next one. Life moved on.
Then why did he suddenly feel like his was standing still?