“Before we leave, I want to say something.”
She pursed her lips and took a stance where she placed her small purse under her arm. Blake wondered if she was expecting him to say something awful.
“I know we’ve had some words.” He paused. “And our last meeting wasn’t the best.”
She nodded and appeared to soften a little.
“Tonight may be the last time we attend an event together. So I’d like us to attend the ball as two friends, with no strings, no overtones, no ulterior motives. How about it?”
She nodded. “I can do that.”
They arrived at the hotel. The ballroom walls were decorated with huge gold ribbons that denotated childhood cancers. The tables were covered with white tablecloths boasting the same gold emblems. Hostesses at the entry doors gave out gold-colored metallic ribbon pins. Ellie placed hers on the left side of her strapless gown. Blake followed her movements. They found their table and went to the bar for drinks.
“Blake, we finally got you to come,” a woman said from behind them. Blake turned to see Dr. Opal Calendar.
“Hello, Dr. Calendar. The timing works this year.” The fiftyish woman had white hair and bleached teeth. Her dress was blue and a little too small for her figure. He introduced her to Ellie as the director of oncology at the children’s hospital.
They shook hands. “I’ve heard of you,” Dr. Calendar said. “You run a foundation for girls.”
“I do,” Ellie said with a smile.
“Good work,” she said. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned. Giving the couple a kiss on the cheek, she excused herself.
Blake slipped his arm into the small of Ellie’s back and the two walked toward the dance floor.
“How does it compare?” he asked.
“What?”
He hadn’t relinquished his hold on Ellie. With his free arm, he gestured to encompass the room.
“I don’t do that,” Ellie said.
“Don’t do what?”
“I don’t compare fund-raisers. Each one is different and based on too many factors. I like the colors in the room.”
“Gold and white appeal to you?”
“They do here.”
“Don’t they remind you of a wedding reception?”
“A little, but I focus more on what the money will do for the charity’s mission than how well-appointed the room is.”
“Yet yours is decadent?”
“To the extreme,” she said.
Blake decided not to continue this line of conversation. Ellie was very protective of the foundation. Her heart was in it all the way, and from what Blake had personally witnessed of the finances, she didn’t spend a single penny on anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to maintain the business. Every other dollar went to programs for girls.
“How about a dance,” Blake suggested. The band was playing, and a few couples were already on the dance floor.
Ellie nodded and they stepped onto the wooden parquet. Blake turned her into his arms and pulled her close. Their steps matched as if they’d been dancing together for years. She anticipated his movements, followed his steps, swayed to the music as if she were part of it, part of him.
He realized he wanted her to be.
During the next hour, Ellie was barely an arm’s length away. They danced and laughed. He introduced her to some of the people he knew, and unlike a few of his other dates, Ellie seemed comfortable with everyone she met. Blake couldn’t help taking a little pride in her, knowing that she was his date and that the other people knew it, too.
Finally, the meal was served and the speeches began. Blake wanted to leave. He wanted Ellie all to himself. But they had to stay at least until the dancing began again.
The executive director, Dr. Martin Pine, stepped to the podium and made his welcome speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “before we return to the dancing, I’d like to introduce the newest member of our board. You may know him as the manager of the San Francisco House of Thorn department store chain. Blake Thorn, would you stand?”
Applause greeted Blake as he stood. He smiled, waved and returned to his seat. He so wanted to check the expression on Ellie’s face, but kept his eyes on the speaker. Suppose she thought he only got on the board to prove he was serious about giving back to the community? Or worse, suppose she thought he paid his way onto the board?
Neither was the truth, but their history might not support that. The music began again, and as their table emptied, she propped her chin on her hand. “Got to you, didn’t it?”
Blake smiled. Her tone told him all he needed to know.
She approved.
“So, tell me, Mr. Board Member, why this charity? What makes you want to be involved in an organization that works with children and the families of children with cancer?”
“After Will, Patty and Gloria began working at the store, I asked the employees to send me a list of charitable organizations that they supported.”
“This one was on the list?”
Blake nodded. “And not just once, but over and over again. I decided to go talk to the directors and investigate the group. Will was very helpful in getting me information.” Ellie’s expression changed. Blake knew what she was thinking. “It was all legal. That kid’s got a good brain. He interpreted all the information and presented me with a report that told me a lot of what I needed to know.”
“That’s good to hear. He just needed someone to believe in him. I’m glad it was you.”
Now, why did she have to say that? Blake was talking about one of the kids and now his focus switched to her, to the feel of her and the way her body moved against his.
“Are you thinking of moving him out of Security?” Ellie asked.
The music ended and they walked to the edge of the dance floor. Blake had his arm around her waist. Other couples took their places, and the band started another song.
“I’m thinking of sending him to college.”
Ellie threw her arms up and hugged him. She kissed him on both cheeks several times. Blake’s hands came up and pushed her back, stopping her.
“It’s not that I don’t want your praise,” he said. “But this is a public place, and I won’t hesitate to kiss you silly once I start.”
Ellie smiled. Blake wondered if he’d seen something else on her face. Was it the promise of something to come later tonight? He hoped so.
“Go on,” Ellie said. “Tell me about Will.”
“Since he’s been at the store, his grades have improved. The guys in the office make sure he does his homework and understands it.”
“All he needed was someone to care about him,” Ellie said.
“That’s all any of us need.”
Midnight came and went, and the two of them were still on the dance floor. Blake wanted to hold her, and this was the only place he could do it without explanation. As the evening came to an end around one o’clock, she was humming a song.
“You didn’t finish telling me how you came to support this particular group,” Ellie said as she picked up her pearl-covered evening bag and they headed out. “We diverted to Will. So, what’s the draw here?”
“A couple of employees have children with cancer. I didn’t know that until I asked about people volunteering at community events. The ones who volunteered at the children’s hospital did it often and are friends with the mothers of the kids. I thought it would be good to support them and do what I could. It will be more than writing a check.”
Ellie leaned forward and kissed him. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered.
Blake was smiling. How different they were tonight from the way they had been at the first ball. Had this been the way his brother met his wife? Had their parents had a rocky start, but eventually learned they couldn’t live without each other
?
Blake knew it had to be true. He couldn’t imagine living without Ellie. Both had told each other they weren’t dating, had no relationship. Blake said he didn’t want one, but he knew now that that was a lie. He wanted Ellie more than breath, and she apparently felt the same.
He touched his jacket pocket. Inside it was a surprise for Ellie, for them both, really. He imagined what her face would look like later tonight when he dropped down on one knee and uttered the most famous phrase in the world.
* * *
Ellie was still dancing on air when they got back to her house after the party. Stepping out of her shoes, she hummed along to the last song that had played before they left the ballroom. Blake took her arm and matched his dance steps to hers. After several turns, Blake pulled her close. His arm encircled her waist and he pulled her tight. They danced to their own music, each of them humming and singing only the words they remembered.
Hearing Blake’s deep voice warbling as he stumbled over several words had Ellie laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked teasingly.
“I’m sure my singing is at least as bad as yours.”
“Bad? I’m a regular Pavarotti.”
“You mean you wear a big clown suit?”
Both of them burst into laughter again. As the laughter faded, their heads came up, gazing into each other’s eyes. The air in the room seemed to change from normal to highly charged. Blake didn’t try to hide the need in his. He wanted Ellie. He’d wanted her since he’d first seen her, even when he was fighting against his feelings, even when he was comparing her to every other woman he’d ever known and finding her better...wanting her more.
His need only grew after they kissed and made love. He wanted her near him, wanted her every day and every night. But this night was their last. It was part of the agreement, how they had set up the pact. And Blake wouldn’t violate the pact, but he wouldn’t go out without a flaming end, either. He wasn’t planning to leave with a bang. What spurred him on was nothing less than detonation.
Blake moved. Both hands took Ellie’s waist and he stepped in until they were close enough that their breaths mingled. He looked at her face, his gaze moving slowly from place to place, mapping her features, memorizing every detail of her eyes, the way the pupils grew and darkened, the way her lashes swept down in a lazy blink, the way the tip of her nose begged for a peck, and then her mouth, the perfect curve of her upper lip, the rounded bottom that together turned him on faster than lightning could strike an open field. He settled his gaze on her mouth, tempting himself to close the small distance and take it for his own.
Her lipstick flowed across the surface, red and inviting. Her tongue came out and she wet her mouth. Blake’s body stiffened in all the right places. His erection strained against his clothes, pointing toward her, aching for her. Her head leaned toward him, her mouth slightly open. Blake knew she was as hungry for him as he was for her.
And she proved it.
Her arms clamped around his neck and she kissed him. Her mouth ground against his desperately. Something in Blake burst and he took control, drawing her closer, stepping between her legs, taking the comfort she offered. He felt her from shoulder to thigh, the softness of her, the length of her legs matching his, the feel of her mouth, aggressive and wanting. She wanted him. The knowledge excited him. He wanted her, too, wanted to be inside her, but he knew he’d have to wait. He wanted to show her his love, savor their time together, take it slowly, build the excitement until they were both at the point where they couldn’t go another second without each other.
Except Blake was almost there now.
She did that to him. No woman had ever gotten him so ready for her that he could hardly contain himself.
This one did. Ellie did.
Blake found the zipper of her dress and slowly pulled it down. His fingers brushed across her smooth skin and she gasped in his ear, her body arching against his. Blake felt her breasts pressing into his chest. His fingers tingled with the need to find them and rub his hands across the small buds. He wanted to taste her, beginning with her mouth and working his way to the core of her. He wanted to know the taut muscles of her thighs, familiarize his mouth with the soft places behind her knees, listen to her quiet cries of satisfaction.
“Have I told you how good you smell?” Blake murmured, nuzzling her neck.
“Only as often as I’ve told you.”
Blake felt Ellie’s grin. It empowered him, pushed him onward.
The dress fell down to her waist, and Blake helped it to the floor. Ellie wore long red stockings that stopped at her thighs and a bra that concealed only half of her breasts. Half-moons of golden skin angled toward him. He wanted to release the bra, allow the weight of her to fall into his hands, but he held back. Ellie’s breath rose, but he couldn’t separate the sound of hers from his own.
He kissed her shoulders, following the natural curve of her neck to the small space between the moons. His fingers flicked the catch of her bra, and his mouth moved over one heavy breast to the dark nipple. She cried out in pleasure as his wet tongue closed over the hard nub. Tremors started in his loins. He gripped her tighter, using her to balance himself, keeping his mouth to her as if connected.
Blake moved from one erotic planet to the next, each providing its own landscape, its own unique properties that only increased his need to be inside her. Lifting her from the dress, he took her to the stairs. One sexy step at a time, they danced up, twisted around, kissed, felt, tasted each other until they’d reached the top. Ellie removed his clothes, one piece at a time, as they went. Behind them lay a trail of pants, a shirt, a jacket and shoes that followed them to the bedroom.
Not bothering with the bedclothes, Blake removed the last of his clothing. Extracting a condom from his pocket, he quickly protected them and laid Ellie on the bed. He edged her legs apart at the knees and entered her. She was warm and wet and ready for him. He could hardly hold back. He wanted all of her. He wanted to sink into her, thrust with everything his body told him he needed to get the release.
Ellie was no help. Her hand kneaded his back, her legs spanning him, her body moving and pulling, asking him to take her, take her hard and fast, but Blake was determined to wait, to make her wait. He knew it would be worth it.
She was worth it.
Ellie’s eyes opened and closed as their bodies melded together. Her face showed the pleasure only two people could create. He thrust into her, reading her renewed expressions. Her body took him, squeezed him tight and engorged around him until he was ready to shout.
“Blake, now!” she begged.
“Not yet,” he groaned. He wasn’t ready to end the pain-pleasure mix that shot through his blood like a ballistic missile.
Ellie’s fingers dug into his skin as her body writhed beneath him, forcing their strokes to couple and release in an escalating rhythm. Blake must have been out of his mind to think he could pull off something like taking his time when he had Ellie in his arms. Everything about her was pushing his buttons. No—not pushing; they were stabbing them impatiently, like someone waiting for an elevator and thinking it would speed things up if they continually clicked the button.
In his case, it was working.
Her legs wrapped around him. She drew him in. Setting a new pace where the heat within them was fast enough to cause spontaneous combustion, she forced him to respond, to give her what she wanted. Blake needed to fulfill the promise his body made. To complete the vow he’d pledged to himself.
Taking her legs, he lifted them one at a time over his shoulders, joining the two of them in the most intimate way. He pushed into her, giving her everything he had. He held nothing back. All he felt for her, every ounce of feeling, poured from him as their bodies danced. His hips pumped up and down, in and out, from one side to the other. Each thrust produced a sound from her throat. Blake loved to hear them. Th
ey told him how she felt, forced him to confront the feelings he had. The runaway passion he felt and wanted to convey, not with words, but with the language only the two of them were privileged to know.
Ellie’s hands reached for him, then grabbed the bedcover as she writhed in pleasure. Her head whipped from side to side. Her body dug into his.
“Blake,” she cried. “Now!”
It was time, Blake thought. He couldn’t hold back. He couldn’t stop what was happening. A swirling tornado formed in his lower gut. It grew, taking him, then overtaking him. His body pushed with uncontrollable speed. He didn’t fight the feeling, didn’t try to prevent the sensation. He went with it, letting it grow in strength. Instead of bouncing him around, the wind was to his back, aiding him. His movements burned in the swirl of hot air.
“Now,” he said, his voice so low he could barely hear it.
All sound ceased to exist. And then.
Detonation.
Chapter 10
Blake didn’t want to open his eyes. He knew the sun was up. It had been tinting the horizon by the time they pulled the sheets back and got between them. The brightness filtered through his closed lids, but Blake didn’t want the night to end.
It had been more than perfect, and he remembered every moment of it. Even the most minute detail about last night was imprinted on his brain. He smiled, reaching for Ellie. Her naked body was warm and soft. He ran his hands over her hips and legs, down her belly and up to her breasts. She pushed her bottom into him, fitting perfectly in the spoon-style space.
Last night he’d said this was the last time. This morning he knew it couldn’t be. Not after the way they’d made love. He needed her in the worst way, in the best way. He needed to be with her all the time. She was the air he breathed and the food he ate. Ellie complemented him, filled in all the dark and light spaces in his life. She completed him. He’d never understood what that meant before.
The dawn not only began the day, but it started his new life. He was in no doubt that the new life included the woman in his arms. He couldn’t imagine a future any different from waking up, holding Ellie. He kissed her hair, sealing the turning point of his new reality.
Love in San Francisco ; Unconditionally Page 14