There was no need to tell her that his father had needed him back in Charlotte. The blow of a divorce had ended up being more than Anthony Lassiter could handle.
Evidently his parents’ marriage had had issues that even he hadn’t known about, hadn’t even realized, until they’d announced they were going their separate ways. Even at his age it had been hard on him. It had been even harder to remain neutral and not take sides. He loved them both.
Uriel suddenly picked up on Ellie’s nervousness and knew there was something she wanted to ask, even if only out of politeness. So, to make things easier for her, he said, “If you’re wondering how my parents are doing since the divorce, they’re fine. Dad still goes through life day-to-day, trying to cope, and Mom is out there having the time of her life. She has turned into a real party animal.”
He stared down into this wine glass, truly regretting that he might have sounded bitter, but the truth of the matter was that he was. That was something he knew he had to work on.
“And how are your godbrothers?”
He glanced up, as her question made him smile. She had deliberately changed the subject and he appreciated that. She had met all five of his godbrothers during their visits to the lake on several occasions. So she had gotten to know them pretty well.
“They’re all doing fine. All successful in their own right.”
“That’s good to hear. I liked them. They were nice guys.”
Uriel chuckled as he took another sip of his wine. She was right, they were nice guys. Most people were only blessed with one good friend, but he had five, which hadn’t happened by accident.
Almost forty years ago, his father and five close friends who were in their senior year at Morehouse had made a pledge that not only would they stay in touch after graduation from college, but that they would become godfathers to each other’s children, and that the name of each of their first sons would begin with the letters U to Z. The men had kept their promise, and all six sons, Uriel, Virgil, Winston, Xavier, York and Zion, became god-brothers to each other.
“Do you see them often?” she asked.
He met her gaze, deciding it wouldn’t be wise to tell her about the club they had formed, the Guarded Hearts Club, and that they met at least once or twice a year, usually on the ski slopes or abroad in Rome, where Zion, who’d become a world-renowned jewelry designer, had lived for the past three years.
“Yes, we get together on occasion, several times a year. They are still single and prefer remaining that way. Don’t be surprised if they show up while I’m here.”
He then tilted his head, met her gaze and decided it was time they got something out in the open, discuss it if she felt the need, but definitely put it to rest. “And what about that girlfriend you used to hang around? Darcy what’s-her-name? Do the two of you still keep in contact?” he asked.
He watched as she shifted nervously in her seat while taking several sips of her wine. Saying Darcy’s name had brought up the past, specifically that day ten years ago, and they both knew it. After taking yet another sip of her wine she met his gaze and said, “Yes, Darcy and I are still close friends. In fact, I talked to her earlier today on the phone. She’s divorced and still living in Minneapolis, and she works for the city government there.”
She breathed in deeply and then said, “Uriel, about that day when we…”
“Kissed?” He went ahead and supplied the word when he saw she was having trouble doing so.
“Yes. My first kiss, actually. I wanted to see how it was done and decided I wanted you to be the one to show me. Darcy knew it as well, and dared me to take matters into my own hands.”
After pausing briefly, she then said, “I owe you an apology. What I did was stupid. But then, during those days I did a lot of stupid stuff.”
“I understand,” he said, finally accepting that he did. She was right. When you’re young you sometimes do foolish things.
“Do you really, Uri?”
He saw the intense look in her eyes. Her need for him to know that she had regretted her actions that day was there for him to see. Evidently, the rift between them had bothered her over the years. Some young women would not have given a damn. But she did.
“Yes, I do,” he finally said. “I’d admit at the time I had gotten pretty pissed off about it, but it didn’t take me long to get over it.”
Now that was a lie if ever he’d heard one. He hadn’t been able to get over it as quick as he’d made it sound, mainly because it had taken him a long time to eradicate her taste from his mouth no matter how many women he’d kissed after that day.
“I’m glad. I’d hoped that you had, but hadn’t been sure when I never saw you at the lake again. I knew you came whenever I wasn’t here, because my aunt would mention it, and I always assumed it was deliberate.”
“Just a coincidence,” he said, lying again. No need to send her on a guilt trip. Ten years was ten years. Now they were older, wiser, and from the sexual chemistry he felt flowing in the room, just as attracted to each other. But then, that was the crux of his problem. He never really knew if she’d been attracted to him back then as much as he’d been to her, or if it had been nothing more than playacting as part of her dare with Darcy.
That was a mystery he needed to solve, a curiosity that he needed to explore. “So, how long are you staying out here on the lake?” he heard himself asking her.
“A month.”
He nodded. So was he. That meant he had a month to satisfy his curiosity about a few things.
He gave the room one final glance, thinking for some reason that, with all the changes, it now suited Ellie more than Ms. Mable. Everything seemed much too modern for an older woman’s taste. It was as if Ms. Mable had somehow known her niece would take up residency here one day.
Uriel returned his gaze to Ellie before placing his wineglass on the table and standing. “I just wanted to come over and apologize about my state of undress earlier today, as well as to convey my condolences regarding Ms. Mable.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s good seeing you again, Ellie. I’ll be here for a month, as well, so if you need anything I’ll be next door. You can call on me anytime,” he offered.
She smiled. “Thanks, Uri, I’ll remember that,” she said, walking him to the door.
“Do you have a lot of plans for this week?” he asked as they crossed the room.
She shrugged. “Not really. I’ll be busy going through Aunt Mable’s things. I plan on starting that tomorrow.”
“Okay.” He paused for a moment and then said, “I’ll be going into Gatlinburg on Tuesday to get a bunch of supplies. If you make a list of the things you need I can pick them up as well.”
He could tell by the smile on her face that she appreciated his generous offer. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Good night.” And deciding he had stayed longer than he should have, a lot longer than he’d planned, Uriel opened the door and left.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Ellie’s eyes opened and she blinked a few times before remembering where she was. Then she closed her eyes, deciding to just lie there for a moment in the big bed until her mind and body became functional. Too much wine last night was definitely to blame for her feeling hungover this morning, a state she didn’t need to be in, considering all she had to do today. But she couldn’t get herself to move just yet. She wanted to lay there awhile, get herself together while remembering the unexpected visit she’d gotten last night from Uriel Lassiter.
She hugged the pillow to her chest as she remembered how sexy he’d looked sitting on the sofa. It had been nice of him to pay her a visit, to clear the air between them, so to speak. And now, with what happened ten years ago behind them, they could move on and be friends. From what he’d said last night, he would be staying at his lake house for as long as she intended to stay here, which meant they would probably be seeing each other on occasion. She could deal with that. He’d mentioned that his godbrother
s would probably be visiting him while he was here. What about a girlfriend?
If she had a man who looked anything like Uriel, she wouldn’t let him go anywhere without her for thirty days. Although she’d never heard of him ever bringing a woman to the lake with him before—at least Aunt Mable never mentioned it—Ellie refused to believe Uriel didn’t have a special woman in his life. For some reason, she just couldn’t imagine him being unattached.
One thing was for certain—although they had both downplayed it last night—sexual chemistry had stirred in the air between them, especially after their hands touched. She had felt a sense of relief when he hadn’t acted on it. Some men would have, and she doubted she was ready for the likes of Uriel Lassiter if he were to come on to her. The man was sexual magnetism on legs.
After he left, she had tried doing a few things—had even made an attempt to rearrange her aunt’s pantry, which was a wasted effort, since her aunt was known to be meticulously neat. For some reason, she hadn’t been able to sleep. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, she ended up getting out of bed around three in the morning and indulging in another glass of wine. She didn’t remember much after that.
Ellie slowly reopened her eyes and glanced at the clock. The day had already started without her, and she needed to get out of bed and begin getting some work done.
She had just thrown the quilt off her body, ready to ease out of bed, when a noise outside caught her attention. Deciding she didn’t want to be caught staring out the window just in case Uriel had decided to go skinny-dipping again, she slid off the bed and slowly pulled back the curtain and looked out.
She had a clear view of Uriel’s backyard, and he was out there jumping rope. And it looked like he was going at it one hundred times a minute. He was shirtless, and the only thing that covered his bottom was a pair of dark-colored gym shorts. No wonder the man was in good shape, with solid muscles. Her gaze scanned his body and she saw he had worked up a sweat. At that moment, her imagination went wild with thoughts of that hot, sweaty body rubbing against hers.
She swallowed deeply as she tried convincing herself there was no need for her to feel guilty about the tingling sensation she was feeling between her legs. After all, she was a woman who hadn’t been involved with a man in a while—almost four years now. She had been too wrapped up in schoolwork to care. But with school behind her, her hormones were letting her know she had more time on her hands; and after seeing a naked Uriel yesterday, her body was forcing her to realize that those needs she had placed on the back burner were now clamoring for attention of the primitive kind.
When Uriel stopped jumping rope and leaned over to pick up a set of barbells, she quickly dropped the curtain in place. It wouldn’t do well to be caught spying on him again. Besides, she needed to take a shower, get dressed and get some work done.
She made her way to the bathroom, thinking the best thing to do today was to stay busy. Then she wouldn’t have a reason to think about her neighbor next door.
Uriel opened his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of cold water. He chugged it, not caring that a few drops missed his mouth and oozed down his chin to join the sweat on his chest.
He emptied the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He’d needed that. He had doubled the amount of exercises he normally did each morning, just to work off a hard-on that wouldn’t go away.
He had awakened around three in the morning, unable to sleep, and had gone outside on the porch to sit a spell. He had known the exact moment the light had gone on in the upstairs bedroom next door, and his gaze had sought out the same window that Ellie had been staring at him from yesterday.
While he sat there in the swing, he had seen her pass by the window a few times before she finally came and stood there with a glass of wine in her hand and a skimpy nightie covering her body. She stared out the window at the lake and sipped her wine. The angle at which the lamp had shone on her had given him a pretty good view of her body through the thin material of her short, bright yellow gown. He had gotten a very private viewing, one he doubted very seriously she knew she was giving. She probably figured that, since his house looked totally dark, he was in bed, asleep. But he hadn’t been. His focus had stayed intently on her. He hadn’t moved, had barely breathed the entire time.
He was no longer ashamed of the thoughts that had flowed through his mind, or the fact that his senses, as well as his libido, had gotten aroused. She had captivated him enough to sit there in the dark, fighting off occasional mosquito bites, while keeping his gaze glued to her.
From his porch, he hadn’t seen all of her, but he had seen enough, and his body had been aching ever since. The thin material of her nightgown had barely covered a curvaceous body and a pair of firm breasts. Because of the way the window was made, he hadn’t been able to see anything below her waist, so he could only imagine. And that imagination had gotten the best of him. It still was.
He drew in a deep breath and decided it was time for a cold shower. Since coming of age he’d had his share of women, but he’d never been in what he would consider a serious relationship with any of them, and he’d always made absolutely sure the two of them were on the same page. He hadn’t wanted any woman to assume anything, and felt it was up to him to make sure they didn’t. One or two had tried and were dropped like a hot potato as a result.
Uriel wanted to think of himself as a unselfish lover, and he would be quick to admit to being in control of all his relationships. There hadn’t been any woman who’d made him regret walking away. There might be some things beyond his control, but managing a woman wasn’t one of them.
As he headed up the stairs for his shower, he decided that he would stay inside most of the day and get some reading done—and try like hell to forget about his next door neighbor. He figured she would be staying inside most of the day, as well.
She’d indicated last night that she would be going through her aunt’s things. He wondered if she was up, or if she was still sleeping off the effects of the wine she had downed. He had watched her consume a whole glass at the window, not to mention the glass she’d had while he had been there.
He recalled how he had felt sitting across from her in that living room last night. Once they had cleared the air about what had happened that day ten years ago, he had relaxed and opened up his mind and thoughts to numerous possibilities. Some had been too shocking to dwell on in her presence, so he had left before he was tempted to get into trouble.
He might have retreated last night, and would lay low most of the week, but when he felt the time was right, he would do something that was beginning to vex him. He had kissed the sixteen-year-old Ellie ten years ago, and now he had a strong urge to see how the grown-up Ellie tasted.
Ellie glanced around her aunt’s desk. The drawers were locked, and she figured there had to be a key somewhere. A serious expression appeared on her face as she tried to consider just how her aunt’s mind worked. Where would Aunt Mable hide the key?
She smiled and then reached out and picked up the framed photo of her and her aunt taken last year when Aunt Mable had visited her in Boston. On this particular night they had gone to a musical featuring a renowned pianist. It had been around Easter and the weather in Boston had been freezing. They were all bundled up in hooded coats while smiling for the camera.
That had been less than six months ago. Ellie fought the tears that threatened to fall at the memory. No, she wouldn’t cry. Her aunt had lived a good life, a full life, and she had been happy. Ellie wished she could live as full a life as her aunt had.
Instinctively, she carefully pulled the back off the frame and her smile widened when the key dropped out. Feeling quite smug at her accomplishment, she picked up the key and began opening the drawers. Most of the items, all neatly arranged, were office supplies—computer paper, ink cartridges for the printer, pencils and pens.
She opened another drawer and pulled out a stack of papers that were rubber-banded together. S
he lifted a curious brow when the first sheet said, in a bold font, Make me Yours, by Flame Elbam.
Flame.
Ellie quickly recalled where she’d seen the name “Flame” before and glanced across the room at the risqué painting on the wall. Raising her brow, she settled back in the chair, flipped through the pages and swiftly came to the conclusion that these pages were part of a manuscript. Who did it belong to?
She stopped flipping the pages when a word—one that denoted a male body part—jumped out at her, quickly grabbing her attention. She blinked a few times and then, for clarity’s sake, decided she needed to read the entire sentence, but she ended up reading the complete paragraph. Afterward, she swallowed deeply, felt the heat that infused her body and wondered where the heck an ice-cold glass of water was when you needed it. Whew! What on earth was her aunt doing with something like this?
Although that one raw word still stuck out in her mind, Ellie decided she needed to start reading at the beginning and not jump to any conclusions. After all, just because this was found in Aunt Mable’s desk really didn’t mean anything. Her aunt was a retired English professor, so she was probably editing the book for a former student as a favor.
Ellie figured that had to be it, and she was certain her aunt hadn’t started reading the manuscript yet—and could imagine her aunt’s gray hair turning a quick shade of white if she had read that passage she’d just read.
Taking the banded papers in her hand, Ellie went to sit at her favorite chair by the window. After she’d settled in comfortably, she began reading.
Uriel reached over to pick up his cell phone. “Yes.”
“How are things going, son?”
Uriel smiled, glad to hear his father’s voice. “Things are going great, Dad. I’ve been getting some reading done about that publishing company Donovan and I recently acquired. What about you? How are you doing?” Although his father had returned to work, Uriel was still somewhat concerned about him overdoing things. Long workdays were becoming a norm for Anthony Lassiter.
Bachelor Untamed Page 4