Bachelor Untamed Part 3

"Yes, I do," he finally said. "I'd admit at the time I had gotten pretty p.i.s.sed 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 a.s.sumed 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 s.e.xual 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 winegla.s.s 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 La.s.siter.

She hugged the pillow to her chest as she remembered how s.e.xy 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 G.o.dbrothers 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-s.e.xual 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 La.s.siter if he were to come on to her. The man was s.e.xual 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 gla.s.s 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 s.h.i.+rtless, 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 pa.s.s by the window a few times before she finally came and stood there with a gla.s.s 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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s. 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 relations.h.i.+p 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 a.s.sume 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 relations.h.i.+ps. 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 h.e.l.l 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 gla.s.s at the window, not to mention the gla.s.s 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. She lifted a curious brow when the first sheet said, in a bold font, Make me Yours 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 risque 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 ma.n.u.script. 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 gla.s.s 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 ma.n.u.script yet-and could imagine her aunt's gray hair turning a quick shade of white if she had read that pa.s.sage 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 publis.h.i.+ng 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 La.s.siter.

"I'm doing fine. In fact, I just wanted you to know that I'll be flying out later today for Rome. I have a meeting with one of our distributors there and plan to stay for a few days."

Uriel raised a brow. "Anything serious?"

"No. In fact, it's something one of the managers can handle, but I decided to go myself. Besides, it will give me a chance to see Zion. It's been awhile since I've spent some time with G.o.dson number five."

All that was well and good, but unfortunately, Uriel was reading between the lines. His father's eagerness to leave town could only mean one thing. His parents had been invited to the same social function, and instead of making an appearance while his ex-wife paraded her boy-toy around, he had opted to be somewhere else instead-somewhere like another country.

Uriel pulled in a deep breath. "I understand, Dad," he said, and in all honesty he really did. "Have a safe trip."

"I will. And by the way, I ran into Chester Weston the other day, right before he and Nancy left for a vacation in the islands. He mentioned that Ellie would be packing up Mable's belongings at the lake house. Have you seen her yet?"

His father's question triggered memories of Ellie standing at the window last night. "Yes, I've seen her," he said, deciding not to mention to what degree he'd seen her.

And because he didn't want his dad to ask any more questions, he said, "Okay, Dad, I better get back to reading those doc.u.ments. But if you need me to return to Charlotte to handle things while you're away, then-"

"No, no. The company will be in capable hands while I'm gone. I just wanted to let you know. Take care, Uri."

"You do the same, Dad."

When Uriel hung up the phone a part of him could actually feel his father's pain. He knew that more than ever he needed to have a long talk with his mother. What could she be thinking? He already knew the answer. Only of herself.

Stretching his body, he decided to walk out to the pier for a while. He had been holed up inside reading for a couple of hours now. Walking through the kitchen, he opened the door and stepped out on the porch. Instinctively, his gaze moved to the window across the way.

Uriel squinted his eyes against the sun, and he could see Ellie sitting in a chair by the window, where it seemed as if she was doing the same thing he'd been doing before receiving his father's call. Reading.

He hoped that whatever papers she was reading were a h.e.l.l of a lot more interesting than the ones he'd just gone over.

Chapter 5.

Ellie pulled in a deep breath at the next chapter break, inwardly acknowledging that she evidently had lived a sheltered life. How on earth had the author come up with this stuff? And did people actually do those kinds of things in the bedroom?

Well, to be honest, about eighty percent of the time they weren't in the bedroom, but were in places she would not have thought of making love, not even in her wildest dreams. It was plain to see that the imagination of the person who had written this story was a lot more vivid than hers.

The story wasn't just a bunch of pages filled with nothing but hot and heavy s.e.x. The couple was in love with each other; however, neither were ready to face up to that fact. The reader knew their true feelings, though. So, all the time the hero claimed that he could never love any woman-that it was nothing more than s.e.x-the reader knew differently. Ellie already knew that the heroine was chipping away at the hard casing that surrounded the hero's heart.

The intimacy they shared in the bedroom was what s.e.xual fantasies were about, and only someone who not only understood the lovemaking act, but who was familiar with it as well, could do these scenes justice. They were gripping, so earth-shakingly pa.s.sionate. Ellie was dying to find out which of her aunt's acquaintances had that much bedroom experience and pa.s.sion to pen such a romantic masterpiece.

Ellie thought about the many times Darcy had tried getting her to read a romance novel, and how she had rebuffed the very thought of doing so. Now she knew what she'd been missing.

The only downside to reading about such pa.s.sion was that it made you realize how much you lacked in your own life. To have a man kiss you to the point that you actually felt like swooning, or to think that something like multiple o.r.g.a.s.ms could actually occur during a lovemaking session, was too much to consider. But there had been something about the intensity of the love the couple shared that easily took your breath away.

At that moment, her stomach growled and she glanced over at the clock, unable to believe she had read through lunch. She was eager to finish the book, but she knew she had to eat and do a little of what she'd intended to do today. But a part of her couldn't wait to see what the next scene would bring.

Placing the pages on the bed, she stood and stretched. Glancing out the window, she saw Uriel sitting down on the pier, fis.h.i.+ng. It reminded her of the day she had pulled that prank on him. Not wanting to remember, she moved away from the window and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Uriel grimaced. He had been sitting here for a couple of hours and had yet to catch a single fish. For some reason, they weren't biting today, which for him was a huge disappointment as well as an aggravation.

He had stopped reading, to give his eyes a rest. From all accounts, Vandellas Publis.h.i.+ng Company, whose home office was in Houston, with a little more than a hundred employees, was financially sound, which was the reason he and Donovan had purchased it. They would hold on to it a few years before reselling it for a profit. That meant they needed to do anything they could to keep it financially sound until then.

He glanced at his watch. One thing for certain was that he wouldn't be enjoying fried fish for supper. He was glad he'd taken a hamburger patty out of the freezer.

Because he couldn't resist the temptation any longer, he glanced over his shoulder to Ellie's bedroom window and noticed she was no longer sitting there reading. He wondered what had captivated her to the point that she'd sat in that chair by the window for at least four solid hours. He wondered too what happened to her plans to go through her aunt's things today.

Reaching the conclusion that it wasn't really any of his business, he turned his attention back to the lake and to another question he was wondering about. Did Ellie have a boyfriend? Was that the reason she'd been standing at the window last night? Had she been hot and restless for a lover who hadn't been able to make the trip with her? Did that mean she would be expecting company any day now?

And why in the h.e.l.l did the thought of that nag him?

He stared intently at the lake, refusing to dwell on the thought. h.e.l.l, if truth be told, he was probably the hot and restless one. He treated s.e.x as the sport it was, and knew, without thinking too hard about it, just when was the last time he'd played. Valentine's Day. The woman was someone he'd met at the Racetrack Cafe. They had dated a few times before she'd begun getting possessive. She'd found out rather quickly that he didn't do possessive possessive very well. On occasion she would call. He had yet to call her back. One day she would learn that most men appreciated women who knew how to curtsy out of the picture gracefully. very well. On occasion she would call. He had yet to call her back. One day she would learn that most men appreciated women who knew how to curtsy out of the picture gracefully.

He decided he'd spent enough time out here on the pier. He always enjoyed fis.h.i.+ng, whether he'd had a good day or not. There was something about sitting on the water, especially Cavanaugh Lake with a fis.h.i.+ng rod and a six-pack. It was peaceful and relaxing. That was the main reason he'd bought the lake house from his parents.