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Moving away from the counter he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He popped the top and took a huge swig, not caring that he was standing, dripping-wet, in the middle of his kitchen. His mind was filled with too many thoughts of the woman he hadn’t seen in ten years.
Woman.
It was safe to think of her as a woman now, and not a kid any longer; although, at sixteen, she hadn’t really looked like your average kid, not at the rate her body had been developing. Even now he could recall how she had looked that day she and her friend had pulled one over on him.
He wondered how long had she been standing by the window watching him? How much of him had she seen? He would be the last person to admit to being an exhibitionist, and would never have considered a skinny-dip if he’d known someone was next door—especially if that someone was her.
When he finished off the beer, he sat the empty bottle on the counter, wondering if he was being unreasonable for still holding a grudge after all this time. She had been sixteen, and teenagers had a tendency to act silly and do stupid things. Hell, at that age he could remember all the trouble he and his five god-brothers used to get into. They would spend at least a week together every year while growing up, and would get into and do all sorts of crazy stuff.
He then thought about Ms. Mable and all the kindness she had bestowed upon him as a kid, and even through his adulthood. Although he hadn’t made it to the funeral, he had sent a floral arrangement. But he hadn’t spoken to anyone in the family.
The decent thing to do would be to go over there and offer his condolences in person. That was the least he could do. Nothing less. Nothing more. In addition to that, the gentlemanly thing to do would be to apologize for going swimming in the nude.
And with that decision made, he moved up the stairs to get dressed.
Ellie paced her bedroom, feeling the heat of embarrassment enflame her body with every step she took. Why did she have to share her most humiliating moments with Uriel Lassiter? First it had been the kiss, and now this. He had actually caught her spying on him while skinny-dipping. She didn’t want to think what he probably thought of her for doing such a thing. This was a great way to renew their acquaintance after ten years.
Realizing that wearing out the floor wasn’t getting her anywhere, she decided to sit in a chair—the same one she had sat in earlier, before getting into so much trouble. At least now she had pulled the drapes, so if he decided to go streaking across his back porch he would be doing so without having her as a captive audience.
She wished she could place the blame squarely at his feet without feeling guilty. After all, no one told him to parade around without any clothes on. She was a woman. Of course she was going to look. Come on now, get real.
The only thing real about it was how good he had looked. Even from a distance she had appreciated every inch of him that she saw; every body part, individually and collectively. She sighed deeply. When had she developed an interest in male body parts? Probably after seeing such outstanding workmanship on him earlier today.
Her cell phone rang and she didn’t have to wonder who it was. No doubt Darcy was calling to see what was going on after she’d all but hung up on her earlier. But given the choice between checking out a naked man and talking on the phone to Darcy, the naked man would win hands down.
She reached for her cell phone. “Yes?”
“Girl, you were wrong for doing what you did. The only reason I’ll forgive you is if you say you hung up because you decided to get naked and go join Uriel for a swim.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “You’ve been reading way too many of those romance novels, Darcy.”
“I haven’t been reading enough. That’s how it goes when you don’t have a love life. It’s me, a good book and Bruce when I need him. It’s safer that way.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile. Bruce was the name Darcy had given her little toy. Her friend was simply scandalous. “You have no reason not to get out and start dating again.”
“I do, too. I’m not ready. And until I am, Bruce will have to do. Now, enough about me, what about you and Uriel?”
Ellie frowned. “You’re saying it like we’re a couple.”
“You could be. You’ve always had a crush on him, you know. Some things you were able to outgrow, but I don’t think Uriel Lassiter was one of them.”
“I did outgrow him.”
“I don’t think you did, but I won’t argue with you about it. Just tell me how he looks now, and I’ll settle for above the waist, since you’re determined not to tell be about anything down south.”
Settling comfortably in the chair, Ellie closed her eyes and envisioned the much older Uriel. “Oh, Darcy,” she said, not realizing how much in awe she sounded. “He was always handsome. But now that I’m older, I see more things than just his eyes that used to make me drool. He has a cute nose and a nice set of lips.” Lips she once kissed. “I never realized until today how perfectly they’re shaped.”
“And you saw all of that from your aunt’s bedroom window?”
“Pretty much—especially when he looked up and saw me.”
“What! Are you saying he caught you watching him?”
Ellie opened her eyes, feeling her cheeks heat up all over again. “Yes, he caught me, so I can only imagine what he’s thinking about now. I acted no better today than I did that day ten years ago.”
“He was probably flattered that you were watching. Men like women who show an interest in their bodies. Besides, like I said earlier, he probably doesn’t even remember what happened then. Men typically don’t hold grudges.”
Ellie wasn’t all that convinced. “I hurt his pride. I could see it that day in his eyes. Men don’t typically forget something like that. I should have apologized about it. I never did.”
“What you should do is let it go and hope he has, too.”
Darcy’s last words were still ringing in Ellie’s ears a full hour later, after she had left the comfort of her bedroom to come downstairs. She planned to go to bed early, to get a good night sleep so she could be well rested in the morning.
Her mom had offered to postpone her vacation to come and help her pack up Aunt Mable’s things, but it was something she wanted to do by herself, no matter how long it took. There were a lot of fond memories in this house, and there was no rush. She had an entire month, and if she needed more time she would take it. Her aunt’s attorney, Daniel Altman, would be dropping by on Thursday evening to give her a listing of all the bank accounts her aunt had transferred to her name. When she had spoken with him on the phone last week, he’d given her the impression there were several of them.
She found that odd, since her aunt’s only source of income that she knew about was the monthly pension check from working forty years as an English professor at the Smoky Mountains Community College.
It had just started to turn dark, and Ellie went through the house, turning on the lights. With the approach of night, she suddenly realized that she had never been here in this house alone. All the times she’d visited, her aunt had been present. She hadn’t realized just how quiet things were at night.
Ellie had checked all the doors and was about to go upstairs and settle in for the night, when she heard a knock at the front door. The hard rap against the wood startled her, and automatically her hand flew across her chest at the same time she took a deep breath. The only person she could imagine at her door was Uriel.
The thought of coming face-to-face with him again after all this time gave her pause. Was he coming to have words with her for staring at him through the window? A part of her doubted it, reasoning that if that was the case, he would have done so sooner.
She moved toward the door, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She hadn’t expected company, but she figured she looked decent. She had changed her outfit earlier, putting on another shorts set, and a pair of flats were on her feet.
She took a look through the peephole to make certain it was him, but even after verifying that fact, she asked anyway. “Who is it?”
“Uriel Lassiter.”
Glancing down again, reassuring herself that she looked okay, and trying to keep her fingers from trembling, she slipped the chain off the door and slowly opened it. Uriel stood there, and at that moment she had to literally catch her breath.
On her porch, while leaning against a post with his ankles crossed and hands in his pockets, standing beneath the beam of light from a fixture in the ceiling, he looked like he ought to be on the cover of one of those hot and steamy romance novels Darcy enjoyed reading. He had the right height and the perfect build, she thought, trying to keep her gaze from roaming all over him. She had done that enough earlier, and definitely knew how the body beneath the pair of jeans and white shirt looked. And speaking of shirt, she tried not to notice how his was open at the collar, with the first two buttons undone, giving her a glimpse of the spray of hairs there. Something about them nearly had her mesmerized.
She forced her gaze to his face and met his eyes. “Uri, this is a surprise.”
Surprise in what way? To see him in clothes instead of naked?
She suddenly realized just how lame her words had sounded, especially after having spent the last few moments checking him out.
“I hope I’m not bothering you this late,” he said, in what she thought was a deep and throaty voice. “But once I realized you were here, I felt I should come over and apologize. Had I known, I would have dressed more appropriately for swimming.”
Thinking it was probably rude to have him standing on the porch while they engaged in any kind of conversation, she took a step back and automatically he entered inside. “No apology necessary.”
And to move on past that, she said, “And how have you been? It’s been a while.”
A smile touched both corners of his lips and she almost melted into a puddle on the floor. He’d always had a knock-your-socks-off smile. It was still devastating, when he flashed pearly white teeth against chocolate skin.
“Yes, it has been, and I’ve been fine. What about you? I regret hearing about Ms. Mable. I’m sure her passing was hard on everyone, especially for you. I know how close the two of you were.”
“Thanks, and yes, it was, but at least she hadn’t been sick or anything. She passed away in her sleep.”
He nodded. “That’s what I heard.”
She recalled that she had more manners than she were presently displaying, and asked, “Would you like to sit down for a minute?”
Belatedly, she realized how that sounded. It was as if she was putting a time limit on how long he could stay. But if he had picked up on it, he didn’t show it. He merely crossed the room and sat down on the sofa.
“Would you like anything to drink?” she asked, and then couldn’t help noticing how his jeans stretched tight across his thighs when he sat down.
“Yes, thanks. Water will be fine, unless you have something stronger.”
She couldn’t help but smile, since she’d brought a bottle of wine at a market in Gatlinburg. “Umm, I think I might be able to find something a little stronger. What about a glass of wine?”
“That will definitely work.”
“Okay,” she said, backing up slowly. “I’ll be right back.” She then turned, to head straight for the kitchen.
“Take your time.”
She glanced over her shoulder and met Uriel’s gaze. It was the same gaze that had looked at her earlier, when she’d been standing at the window. She drew in a deep breath, turned back and kept walking.
Her heart was racing a million beats a minute, and she was suddenly beginning to feel a tingle in her inner muscles. Ten years had passed and their parting hadn’t been great. Now they were alone. And other than giving him a glass of wine, she had no idea what to do with him.
Uriel pulled in a deep breath the moment Ellie left the room. “Damn,” he muttered, and the word nearly got caught in his throat. When he’d seen her standing at the window he knew she had turned out to be a beauty; however, he hadn’t figured on that beauty being so spellbinding that it had the ability to strip a man of his senses.
And one of the first things he noticed right off the bat was that she still had the ability to wear a pair of shorts. She still had the flat tummy, curvy thighs and long, gorgeous legs for them. The T-shirt she was wearing was a bit too large for her medium-built frame, but it looked sexy on her instead of baggy.
He tried getting his thoughts together by studying the room. The last time he had been here was about two years ago, right after he’d been told about his parents’ divorce. He had needed to get away, and his father had suggested that he come here for the weekend. Ms. Mable had invited him to dinner. It seemed that she had spruced up the place since then. New furniture, new paintings on the wall and a different throw rug on the floor.
“Here you are.”
He glanced around and his gaze met Ellie. Another thing he noticed was that her brown hair was shorter. He really liked the stylish cut and thought it was perfect for her oval face. Her almond-shaped eyes were framed by perfectly arched brows, and her high cheekbones blended in well with the sexiest pair of lips he’d ever seen. They had eased into a smile when he mentioned he’d like something stronger than water. That smile had emphasized the smoothness of her mocha-colored skin.
He crossed the room to take the glass from her hand, and suddenly wished he hadn’t. The moment their hands touched he felt it: a spark of sensation that went straight to his toes. A quick glance at her face and the surprise she was trying to hide indicated she had felt it as well. “Thanks.” He said the words as calmly as he could.
“You’re welcome” was her quick response.
He moved to sit back down on the sofa, took a sip of his wine, and after a moment of trying to get his pulse under control, he said, “Your aunt Mable was a special woman. Everybody liked her.” He figured discussing her aunt was a safe topic.
“Yes, and I miss her already,” she said.
He saw the sad look in her eyes and quickly thought discussing her aunt wasn’t a safe topic after all. He took another sip of his wine.
“I understand you’ve moved back to Charlotte,” Ellie said.
He glanced over at her, wondering how she’d known that, and figured her aunt must have mentioned it to her at some point. “Yes, I had moved to Detroit after graduating from college, to open a new branch office of Lassiter Industries, but two years ago I moved back home.”
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.
