His response was quick. “No.”
She couldn’t do anything but drop her head to his chest and mumble against his shirt. “You’re not helping matters.”
“Am I supposed to?”
She lifted her head, gazed into his eyes and tried smiling reassuringly. “That would really help.”
“All right.”
He then pulled his hands from within her shorts, but he didn’t move away, just backed up. A little. A quiver slid down her spine at the intensity of the gaze holding hers. And she knew he was in a waiting mode, to see what she would do or say next.
“How did we go from just friends to this?” she heard herself asking, while still trying to force air through her lungs. She had never been kissed that way. Had never participated in anything so intense that it nearly snapped her senses.
He shrugged and then said, “I’ve wanted you pretty bad ever since I saw you that night at the window.”
She lifted a brow. “You saw me at the window one night?” At his nod, she asked. “When?”
“A few nights ago. Evidently, you couldn’t sleep and neither could I—which has been happening a lot lately—so I thought I’d sit on the back porch a while. The lights came on in your bedroom and sometime later you came to the window to look out at the lake. You were wearing a very short and ultrasexy nightie. I couldn’t see everything, but I saw enough.”
Ellie swallowed deeply. Yes, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he had seen enough. She remembered that night. She hadn’t been able to sleep and had drunk more wine than she really should have. “I didn’t know you were watching.”
“I know. It was dark, and not once did you glance over at the porch. You just stood there staring at the lake. I could understand why. It was a beautiful night and a full moon was in the sky. You were satisfied with just staring at the lake and I was satisfied with just staring at you. I’ve been back every night since then, feeling restless, edgy, but you haven’t been back.”
“And?” she asked, wondering why he was telling her this.
“And there’s nothing else to tell. Like I said, you hadn’t been back and I’ve been fine at fighting the temptation.”
Until today, evidently, she figured. He had been fine until today, when they had gone into Gatlinburg together. “And what made you kiss me?” she asked him, hoping he would answer, since he seemed not to mind talking about it.
“That day at the lake, when you took your friend up on that dare, I had enjoyed kissing you. I was curious to see if I would enjoy kissing you now. And today I just couldn’t leave until I found out.”
“And?” she asked, as she relaxed back against the refrigerator.
His brows rose. “I enjoyed it. Couldn’t you tell?”
Yes, she had been able to tell, but then it definitely had been a mutual exchange. “I need to finish putting things away,” she said, deciding it was time for her to rein in her senses and for him to do the same with his.
An affair would be a waste of their time, because it would be an affair that went nowhere. He wasn’t into long-term, and she’d figured whenever she did get back into the dating scene, that she would be. She never intended to spend the rest of her life alone, without a special man in it, as her aunt had done. She wanted to marry, have children. She wanted the white picket fence and the house that it surrounded. She had a feeling he didn’t.
“All right, I’ll let you call time out for now,” he said, taking another step back, giving her a lot of space.
“Excuse me?” She must not have heard him correctly.
“I know what’s probably going through your mind right now. You’re probably wondering if an affair—a short-term affair—with me is worth it. We’ll be here for a little less than thirty days, so the way I see it, we could either be bored to death or we can really enjoy each other’s company.”
She lifted her chin. “What makes you think I’d be bored?”
“Just a guess.”
Unfortunately, Ellie thought, he had probably guessed right. If she had the rest of that manuscript to read, then she would have had something to look forward to doing for the next couple of days. And packing her aunt’s things would keep her busy, but only for a while. But no matter how you looked at it, indulging in an affair with Uriel Lassiter was too much to think about. She wasn’t sure she could handle him. The man had more sexual energy than any man she knew. His kiss had confirmed that.
“I propose we have a summer fling, Ellie. At the end of the summer, when we leave here, you will go your way and I’ll go mine. No attachments. No follow-up visits or phone calls. No cards in the mail during the holidays, nor any getting together for an Easter feast. And when we do see each other again we’ll be friends. Former lovers who’ll always be nothing more than friends.”
He paused and she knew he was letting his words sink in. “I’ll give you a few days to think about it,” he said, backing up.
The lines around his lips eased into a smile. “You know where I’ll be once you’ve made a decision.”
She didn’t say anything, just stood there and stared at him and then stared at the door when he left.
Chapter 8
Uriel pulled the dinner out of the microwave and placed it on the table before moving to the refrigerator to pull out a can of soda. It was a nice day, and he had thought about eating outside on the porch but changed his mind. There was no way he could sit on his porch and not look over to where he knew Ellie was.
It had been two days since he had kissed her. He’d told her that he’d give her a few days to consider an affair between them, but hadn’t really expected for her to take all this time. What was there to think about? They were attracted to each other. There was strong sexual chemistry. They had enjoyed kissing each other, which meant sleeping together would be enjoyable as well.
That night, when he’d gone to bed and thought about it, he had figured out why she was holding back. Her parents’ marriage was a good role model for her to go by, and she wanted the same thing they had. So she was holding out for marriage and was not into casual affairs.
Sitting down at the table, he bowed his head and said grace before digging into his meal. He couldn’t help but grin when he recalled how she’d warned him about the amount of sodium in his microwave dinner. He would have to admit that he had enjoyed going grocery shopping with her that day, the first time with any woman. For some reason it had seemed natural to be with her in that store.
He wondered how long she would stay locked up in that house. Was she deliberately avoiding him or was she actually busy packing up Ms. Mable’s belongings? He had seen the Salvation Army truck over there yesterday. Still, the last two days had been nice ones, so she should have been outside enjoying them.
He was tempted to go over there once or twice, but had changed his mind. But that hadn’t stopped him waking up around two every morning, easing onto the porch and sitting in the dark, hoping that he would catch a glimpse of her standing by the window again. He hadn’t. In fact, the light in her bedroom never came on, which meant she was getting a good night’s sleep, even if he wasn’t.
For the last two days, he’d been lucky with his fishing rod and had caught enough for a fish fry this weekend. He wondered if Ellie would be interested in joining him. No matter what her ultimate decision would be about an affair, they would remain friends, although it was hard to be friends with a woman you wanted to take to bed.
At that moment he heard a car door slam, and wondered if someone was paying him a visit. Four of his godbrothers were here in the States and knew where they could find him, but he doubted they would come looking for him.
He stood and walked through the kitchen to the living room, to glance out the window. The car he’d heard was actually next door. Someone was paying Ellie a visit, and it was a man. He frowned. She’d said she was not involved with anyone, so who would come to the lake to see her?
Uriel squinted his eyes against the sun and saw it was Daniel Altman, the man who had been Ms
. Mable’s attorney for years. Evidently, the older man needed to finalize a few things with Ellie regarding her aunt’s estate.
Satisfied this was nothing but a business call, he headed back to the kitchen to finish his dinner, refusing to admit that for a moment, his deep, dark thoughts had been those of a jealous man.
“I wasn’t aware my aunt’s estate encompassed all of this,” Ellie said, after Daniel Altman had gone over everything with her.
The older gentleman smiled. “Yes, your aunt invested wisely, and that’s a good thing, considering how the stock market has taken a beating. Other than the money she’s set aside for that scholarship at Smoky Mountain Community College, everything of hers is now yours.”
The man then shifted uneasily in his chair. “Your aunt was a very private person, and there was one business deal she was involved with where she preferred that any correspondence relating to it come directly to me. I would deliver the mail to her.”
Ellie lifted a brow. “Why?”
“I believe this letter will explain everything. It’s addressed to you, and she would update it every so often to try and keep it current,” he said, handing Ellie the sealed envelope.
He glanced at his watch and said, “I need to leave now, but if you have questions about any of this, just give me a call tomorrow.”
He paused a moment and then said, “I’ll be retiring from practicing law in a few months and will be moving to Florida. I bought a small place in Ocala. I’m getting too old to handle the harsh winters here any longer.”
She smiled. “I am happy for you, Mr. Altman,” she said, getting up off the sofa to walk him to the door. “I’m going to miss seeing you around.”
Her aunt had left her enough money to open her own financial consulting company, and she was considering doing just that, and to work from here at Cavanaugh Lake.
Mr. Altman turned to her and said softly, “I considered your aunt a close friend as well as a good client, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
Ellie’s smile brightened. “Thanks, Mr. Altman.” And I believe I speak for my parents as well as myself when I say that we have appreciated your friendship and loyalty to my aunt over the years. She always spoke highly of you and indicated you always provided outstanding service.”
She thought she actually saw the man blush when he said, “I did my best.” He then quickly opened the door and left.
Ellie stood at the door and watched him hurry to his car, and couldn’t help wondering what that was all about. For some reason, she thought Mr. Altman had begun acting rather strange. For someone who was about to retire, he didn’t seem all that happy about it. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she’d think he was sad. Shrugging her shoulders, she went back into the living room to read the letter her aunt had left for her. It had been dated a month before she died.
To my beautiful niece,
If you’re reading this letter, it means I am no longer with you. There’s a lot I shared with you and some things I didn’t share. There are some things I could never bring myself to talk to you about. I admit I took the coward’s way out, but after reading this letter I hope you will understand.
A few years ago I did something that I thought I would never do, and that was to fall in love.
Ellie nearly dropped the letter. Aunt Mable? In love? She blinked and reread that passage of the letter again, to make sure she had read it correctly, and when she saw she had, she quickly read on.
He was a widower and we talked about getting married, but I had been alone for so long, all I really needed was companionship, and he provided that for me; and with this being such a small town, and not wanting our relationship to be dictated by traditional ideals, we preferred being discreet and keeping our business to ourselves. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to write, and he encouraged me to do so. I wanted to write a love story, and after much encouragement I sat down and started on it.
Ellie was feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she had a strong suspicion what her aunt was about to tell her.
I’m hoping by the time you read this I’ve gotten published. That is my dream. That is my goal. A publisher out of Texas has purchased my first story. They loved it! They gave me an advance, and understanding that I was a new writer, they were gracious enough to give me a year to complete it. I am attaching my agent’s card to this letter. Her name is Lauren Poole. She’s been a jewel to work with and the book has been a jewel to write. The manuscript is my baby. I’m entrusting it into your care if something were to happen me. I’m writing under the name of Flame Elbam. Note that Elbam is Mable spelled backward. That’s kind of cute, don’t you think? I’m hoping by the time you read this letter, I would have finished plenty of novels.
Always know that I love you and I hope that one day you will share the kind of love that I have shared in the last few years. Don’t wait as long as I did to find love. There is nothing more precious for a woman than sharing the love of a man that she can call hers.
Many kisses and much love,
Aunt Mable
Ellie couldn’t fight back the tears that fell from her eyes. It was hard to believe. Her aunt, who had never married, had become Flame Elbam and had penned a beautiful romance filled with more passion than Ellie could ever imagine.
It was a story she hadn’t finished, and now, with her passing, it would be a story that would never get finished.
Ellie shook her head at the cruelty of it all. She removed the agent’s business card denoting a New York address. Ellie would call her tomorrow, to see if there was something that could be done. Maybe a ghost writer could finish the final chapters. Surely, the publisher could find someone to do that.
And if that option wouldn’t be acceptable to the publisher, Ellie would make sure the company got back every dime of its advance.
She then wondered about the man who had been her aunt’s lover, and when she recalled the artwork hanging on her aunt’s bedroom wall, it all made sense.
To Flame, with all my love. D.
Her aunt never said who her lover was, but Ellie had a strong suspicion that the man who’d given her aunt the risqué painting and the man who had delivered the papers to Ellie this afternoon were one and the same, although she would not have thought so in a hundred years. But that just proved you couldn’t discount what people did in their bedrooms. In order for her aunt to write about such passion, she’d had to experience it at the hands of Daniel Altman.
Ellie stood. She would call Lauren Poole, and whatever it took, she would make sure the manuscript her aunt considered “her baby” got published.
“No, Xavier, I really mean it. The fish have really been biting the last few days,” Uriel said to one of his godbrothers, the only one who also lived in Charlotte.
“If I didn’t have plans for this weekend, I’d be tempted to head your way,” Xavier was saying.
Uriel nodded. He didn’t have to figure what kind of plans Xavier had. Like him, all of his godbrothers were Bachelors in Demand, who had no desire to marry anytime soon—or ever.
He and Xavier talked for another fifteen minutes or so, and then they ended the call. Uriel had been enjoying a movie every night this week, and had been getting in bed before ten. That would be just fine if he slept through the night, but he did not.
Tomorrow, after his early morning workout, he would start cleaning all the fish he’d caught, and then, if Ellie still hadn’t made contact with him by Saturday, he planned to go over there and have a talk with her. She’d made it pretty clear she did not want to indulge in an affair, and that was fine, although he wished otherwise.
He noticed Daniel Altman hadn’t stayed long, and now the house was completely dark. The lights in the upstairs bedroom were off, which meant she’d gone to bed and was probably getting a good night’s sleep.
He decided to take a shower and then check out the sports station to see what was happening there. He didn’t want to admit it, but he missed seeing Ellie over the past cou
ple of days and hoped he got a chance to see her tomorrow.
Ellie tossed around in the small bed, trying to get comfortable. Instead of sleeping in her aunt’s room for the past two nights, she had slept in the guest room, which was located on the opposite side of the house. That way, Uriel wouldn’t know when she turned on a bedroom light.
She hadn’t wanted him to know, especially that first night, that the kiss they’d shared had definitely made an impact on her. She knew he was still waiting on a decision regarding an affair, but she didn’t have one to give him. She didn’t want a short-term affair and he didn’t want a long-term one. A relationship would not work out between them, because they wanted different things in life. She had tried avoiding him, but eventually she would have to go outside.
And when she did she would see him. She remembered the kiss that nearly scorched her toes. The kiss that still could render her breathless, just thinking about it.
To keep Uriel off her mind, she had been able to pack up a lot of her aunt’s belongings over the past two days and had everything ready for the Salvation Army truck when it arrived. More than once, she had been tempted to call Uriel over to handle a big box for her, but had quickly changed her mind, not wanting to give him any ideas. He had pretty much told her what he was looking for in a relationship, and it wasn’t the same thing she wanted. He wanted a summer fling that would last while the two of them were here on the lake. But she couldn’t risk that because when it was over, her heart would break.
She’d had this crush on Uriel for years—one that had lasted through her adolescent years and all through her teens. Even after that incident that day on the pier, when he had walked off from her with anger in his eyes at what she’d done, she had still loved him and had come to the lake each year after that for five straight years, hoping the anger within him would have subsided. She had even tried calling him a few months later at college to apologize, after getting his cell number from his father, only to get cold feet and hang up when she’d heard his voice. When it became apparent to her that he would keep his word and not come to the lake while she was there, she had stopped coming.
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