A Steele for Christmas (8 page)

He stood and grabbed his jacket. “Only, a lot of the older members with clout don’t see me as a viable candidate because of my reputation with the ladies.”

Stacey frowned. “What does that have to do with your ability to be the leader they need?”

“Nothing, but they are making it an issue. They want a president who’s settled down. A married man. If I didn’t want the presidency so bad, I would tell them all to go to hell. But in this case, I can’t do that.”

She shook her head. And she thought that she had problems. She didn’t say anything for a minute and then she smiled over at him. “The one thing we have in common is that we have best friends who can come up with some crazy ideas.”

“Yes, I’d have to agree with you on that.”

She stood when she saw he’d finished dressing. He glanced at his watch. “I’ll make it back to the office in time for my four o’clock appointment,” he said. He looked over at her. “You have a little more than an hour before closing time.”

“Wednesdays are usually my slow days,” she said, glancing around, trying to recall where she’d put her purse. “And I plan to finish unloading all those holiday decorations.”

He didn’t say anything and she slowly held her breath when he walked toward her. He was fully dressed and she could admit to thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to having seen Eli Steele wearing nothing at all.

Eli came to a stop directly in front of Stacey. She looked good. She smelled good. And she was good. He doubted he would ever forget the feel of her legs wrapped tightly around him or the way her inner muscles had clamped down on him while he’d thrust back and forth inside of her.

And then there was the way her tongue had tasted when he’d made love to her mouth. Their tongues had dueled in a kiss that he wished could have lasted forever. He had come hard, harder than he’d ever come inside a woman before. He had felt it. His orgasms had been intense. Unforgettable. Each thrust inside her body had prepared him for the next…and the next.

“I enjoyed making love to you today, Stacey,” he said, remembering how her screaming his name had been incredibly erotic.

“And I enjoyed making love to you as well. It was quite an experience.”

That made him smile. “Excitement of a different kind?” he asked.

She returned his smile. “Most definitely.”

He paused a moment, glanced down at the floor and then back at her. Although they’d enjoyed today and he would admit it was the best lovemaking he’d ever experienced, he knew from here on out he would have to keep his hands off her. What Jonas said last week was true. If Cohen left Stacey in Tyson’s care, his brother would be difficult; especially if he found out Eli was sniffing behind her.

“Today was all there can and will ever be between us,” he said in a low voice tinged with regret.

“I know.”

He hadn’t expected her to be so agreeable. “You’re okay with that?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be? I told you what happened today wasn’t normal behavior for me. In fact, this is the first time I’ve made love in more than a year.”

He lifted a brow. “More than a year? But I thought you broke up with your fiancé around seven months ago.”

“I did. But he suggested we stop making love way before then. He claimed he wanted to make our wedding night that much more special.” She frowned. “The real reason he hadn’t wanted to make love to me was that he preferred banging around with Gail instead.”

He heard the bitterness in her voice and a part of him wondered if perhaps she was still carrying a torch for this Wallace guy, although she’d denied it earlier. “I can’t imagine a man not wanting to make love to you, Stacey. Like I said earlier, you were great.”

He reached out and gently cuffed her chin, forced her to look at him. “I felt things I hadn’t felt before.” He saw the skeptical look in her eyes and said, “And I’m not running a game on you, or telling you what I think you want to hear. You were better than in my dreams.”

“Dreams?”

He chuckled. “Yes. I’ve had several dreams of having sex with you, but the real thing is better than a dream any day.” There was no need to tell her that from the first time he’d seen her at Cohen’s birthday party, she had turned him on like nobody’s business and in a way no other woman had ever done.

“I like everything about you,” he said in a voice so deep he barely recognized it as his own. He then leaned close and swiped the tip of his tongue across her lips. “And I definitely like the way you taste.”

And then he kissed her, taking the fullness of her mouth in one sensual sweep. And while his tongue took control of hers, devouring her mouth, he reached up to run his fingers through the curls on her head. Stacey could bring out needs in him quicker than any woman he knew. It was a good thing they were both on the same page as to not wanting a repeat of today. But damn, he enjoyed kissing her. And he didn’t want to think about making love to her.

He slowly pulled his mouth away and licked his lips afterwards. His erection was throbbing again. If he didn’t get the hell out of there he would be stripping her clothes off again. And that wasn’t good, especially after they’d decided today was it for them.

He took a step back. “Ready for me to take you back to the restaurant to get your car?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then,” he said. “Let’s go.”

S
tacey scanned her gaze over the guest list. Cohen said he wanted a small party that only consisted of his closest friends. She chuckled thinking her brother had more close friends than he realized. There were those who worked with him at the hospital, the guys he played golf with on Wednesdays and, of course, the Steeles. Everyone was told they could bring a date and she couldn’t help wondering if Eli would jump at the chance to do so.

It had been almost a week since she’d seen him. Exactly one hundred and fifty-three hours since she had slept with him, made love with him and shared back-to-back orgasms with him. She’d heard he’d had an unexpected trip out of town, but that was a couple days ago. What happened to the days in between?

Stacey tossed the guest list aside thinking she really didn’t have to ask what had happened to those missing days. They had agreed their one time was the last. Her hormones had gotten the best of her that day and his testosterone had bombarded him. It happened. They had dealt with it. They’d since moved on.

And now she was dealing with this—a feeling of withdrawal. Of intense need from a long-denied addiction. And it wasn’t for just any man. It was for him. Eli Steele. But it had been a mutual agreement there would not be a repeat performance.

The bell on her door chimed letting her know she had a customer. Her heart began racing when she glanced to her right and saw the tall, dark-haired handsome man, and then she quickly sucked in a disappointing breath when she recognized Eli’s brother, Mercury.

Mercury Steele was almost two years younger than Eli, but just like with Eli’s other brothers, you could tell the men were related. Those green eyes and dimpled smiles were a dead giveaway. And speaking of their dimpled smiles, he had one on his face as he strolled over to the counter.

“Hi, Stacey, I’m glad you haven’t taken all your Halloween stuff down yet. Does that mean you still have a few items in stock?”

“Yes, in fact we’re having an After Halloween sale. I thought it would help to reduce inventory.”

“Good. A couple of the guys I represent were out of town playing football on Halloween and didn’t get to take their kids trick-or-treating. I thought I would host a private Halloween party in my home.”

Stacey nodded, thinking doing something like that was thoughtful of him. She knew Mercury—a former NFL star himself before an injury shortened his career—was sports agent to several well-known football and basketball players. “Come on. Let me show you what I still have.”

A few moments later she was ringing up all of Mercury’s purchases.

“I’m surprised you still have some of these left,” Mercury said, indicating the bag of candy corns. “Eli always had a weakness for them. He must not know you had any.”

She shrugged as she bagged his purchase. The mere mention of Eli’s name started her stomach quivering. “I’m not sure.”

“But then the reason could be because he’s been out of town for the past week and—”

She glanced back up. “He’s been out of town for a full week?”

“Just about. It was supposed to be a two-day business trip, but something came up and he had to extend that time.”

Stacey didn’t say anything as she ran his credit card through the system. She’d known about Eli’s two-day trip since his secretary had mentioned it when she’d come in to make a purchase. But she hadn’t known he’d eventually been gone all week.

“I heard about the party you’re giving Cohen.”

She glanced up at Mercury thinking how much he favored Eli. “Yes, and you will definitely get an invitation. And you can bring a date.”

“No, thanks. Women tend to get clingy when you take them to a party. They all but want to stamp ownership on you. Not worth the trouble to bring one. I’ll have more fun going solo.”

She wondered if all the single Steeles felt that way. And for the second time that day, she wondered if Eli would be bringing someone.

Eli glanced at his watch as he walked off the airplane to head toward baggage claim. A part of him was mentally drained. He’d figured he would be gone for two days but instead he’d been away for seven. The trial had taken a nasty turn when one of the former employees of the company he represented claimed Eli’s client had deliberately withheld safety information putting their employees at risk.

It had been hard reclaiming the upper hand to paint a picture of a corporation that cared about its employees after that, but he had and had eventually won the lawsuit. But in a private meeting afterward with the top brass at Byars, he had threatened to walk if the company didn’t make changes in its safety policies. He didn’t have the time or the inclination to represent any company that didn’t play by the right rules and whose mismanagement could endanger the lives of its employees. In the end, he was certain the people at Byars understood him loud and clear.

Grabbing his luggage, he walked out of the airport and headed for the car he’d left parked in the garage. The only calm to his hectic week had come from nights remembering that one day he’d spent with Stacey. Hell, it hadn’t even been a full day, just a few stolen hours in his bedroom. But the time had been both productive and effective because he had enjoyed the best sex of his life.

And that’s all it had been, he convinced himself as he moved toward his car. He and Stacey had both agreed to throw out emotional entanglements that day and that’s what he preferred. Emotional entanglements could be messy and it was the one thing he would not tolerate in his life.

Why was he even thinking about it? As far as he was concerned, sleeping with Stacey that one time was one of those “one and done” things. He’d been intensely attracted to her, had needed to get her out of his system, especially after their kiss, and making love to her had been the solution. So why did the thought of making love to her trigger a hunger within him? A craving that was invading every bone in his body, converging on every cell?

After tossing his luggage into the trunk, he opened his car door and slid onto the seat. It was a dusty hot day, unusual for this time of the year, and he would kill for a cold beer about now. His thoughts shifted back to Stacey and the day they had spent those hours together. He had actually fallen asleep with her sleeping beside him in his bed. When was the last time he had slept during the day and done so with a woman cradled in his arms?

Although he’d hated being gone for a week, in a way, he’d needed that time to put distance between them. When she had told him about her friend’s suggestion about taking a pretend fiancé to Memphis with her, he had come close to volunteering for the job.

And what had enticed him to share Lex’s conversation with her? Probably because she had told him of her best friend’s outlandish suggestion, he’d felt comfortable in doing likewise. Eli tried to switch his thoughts to other things but couldn’t. The image of Stacey and how she’d looked that day, beautiful and naked in his bed, came tumbling back to the forefront of his mind each and every time.

When he brought his car to a traffic light, he reached up and loosened his tie. The thought of Stacey was making him simmer inside. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn’t like he hadn’t slept with beautiful and desirable women before. He had, countless times. And he couldn’t help racking his brain trying to determine what had been different. Why was Stacey Carlson so embedded into his thoughts?

And why had he missed her like crazy?

Before he could talk himself out of it, he switched his car’s blinker on and pulled to the side of the road. Tugging his iPhone from his pocket, he strolled through his list of contacts to find Stacey’s gift shop. One of the requirements of all his tenants was to provide him with emergency numbers in case they needed to be contacted. His pulse began thumping wildly when he pressed her home number. It was Saturday evening. She might not be home. Probably had a date.

“Hello.”

He wouldn’t ask himself why relief swept through him when she picked up the phone. “Hello, Stacey, this is Eli.”

“Eli?”

He could tell she was somewhat surprised to hear from him. It was on the tip of his tongue to say, yes, this is Eli. The man who you slept with a little over a week ago. The man who gave you three orgasms back-to-back, and who would have loved to have given you a fourth. The man who can’t seem to get you out of his mind.

And the man who would give just about anything to make love to you again.

“Yes, this is Eli. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No. I just got home a few moments ago. I’d been out shopping.”

“Umm, buy anything?”

“Yes, mostly makeup.”

He wondered why she bothered. Her skin would probably look good without it. “I’m just returning from Chicago. In fact, I haven’t made it home from the airport yet and was wondering…”

“Wondering what?”

“If I can drop by and see you.”

She paused on her end, and he could imagine her nibbling on her bottom lip with her teeth. Then she said, “Yes. If you want to.”

“I do. We can go out somewhere if you’d like.” What he really wanted to do was take her to the nearest bedroom and jump her bones, pump inside of her real good more than a few times. He was getting hard just thinking about it.

“Are you sure you want to do that? Go out, I mean. You just got back to town and you’re probably tired.”

A look of disappointment crossed his face. Was she hinting at the possibility that she didn’t want him to come over, or go out with him? “So would you rather I not drop by, Stacey?”

“I don’t know, Eli. Can you give me one good reason why you’d want to?”

He could give her more than just one good reason. But since that’s all she had asked for… “I missed you,” he said simply. It was the truth. He had never admitted such a thing to any woman because he’d never missed any woman before.

She didn’t say anything for a moment and then, “In that case, yes, you can drop by because I missed you, too.”

A smile touched Eli’s lips. Hell, why was he smiling? Why did the thought that she missed him make him feel good? Vibrant? Hornier? “Give me your address and I’ll be there in a few.”

When he clicked off the phone he was still smiling.

Stacey placed her cell phone back by her bedside. There was no doubt in her mind why Eli was dropping by. She couldn’t help wondering what had happened to their “one and only time together” agreement?

Maybe she should not have admitted to missing him. But when he had openly admitted to missing her, she had weakened. The one good thing was that she knew where she stood with him. Unlike with Wallace there would not be any false illusions. Eli was a man who was up-front with women. He didn’t lead them on. He was not a man who’d ever commit to any one woman and that was what she needed since she would never commit to any man again. She refused to get emotionally involved with one. She had learned her lesson. Eli’s heart was just as off-limits as hers and that was a good thing. She wouldn’t want it any other way.

As she left her bedroom to head downstairs, an idea popped into her head. He’d mentioned he had just returned home and was on his way from the airport. That meant he hadn’t had a chance to unwind yet. She smiled when she thought of the bottle of wine that one of her regular customers had given her this week, and figured now was as good a time as any to open it.

A short while later, she heard the doorbell just as she finished setting the bottle of wine and the two glasses on her kitchen table. She had a small kitchen and the drawn curtains gave the room an intimate effect.

She couldn’t help the butterflies that flapped in her stomach at the thought that Eli had actually come here. She looked down at herself. The first thing she’d done after returning from shopping was to hop into the shower. With no plans to go back out today she had changed into a short caftan in a vibrant floral print that provided a somewhat exotic flare. She enjoyed wearing caftans during her downtime and thought they provided the ultimate in relaxing comfort.

She inhaled deeply as she moved toward the door and in her mind she detected his scent even before opening the door. It was robust, definitely male and it sent everything female inside of her reeling in anticipation of seeing him again. It had been a whole week.

With her heart beating like crazy in her chest, she glanced out the peephole just seconds before turning the knob and opening the door. And there he was. Eli Steele.

He stood there, in her doorway, his green eyes sharp, smoldering and sensual. He was staring at her like he was the big, bad wolf and she was Little Red Riding Hood and within seconds he planned to gobble her up.

She felt every muscle in her stomach quiver, tighten in response to that look, and without saying a single word, she slowly began backing up. He responded to her retreat by advancing toward her, taking time to close the door behind him, but continuing toward her with a stealthy, slow and furtive move that had her pulse racing.

And when he came to a full stop in front of her, her eyes locked with his and the heat, the need, the hunger, reflected in the green depths made the juncture of her thighs tremble and she could actually feel her panties get wet.

She felt breathless. Her nipples were painfully erect and pressing against the material of her caftan. A deep shudder passed through her and she could feel it all in her clitoris. It was beginning to throb, awaken with a life of its own. Whenever she thought of that day they’d spent together in his bed, she would sum it up in her mind as reckless impulse. In that case, what would you call this?

She dragged in a deep breath and said, “No emotional entanglements.” As if Eli needed to hear that as well, have it reinforced in the recesses of his mind. She watched his eyes darken even more, saw them become filled with even more desire.

He then repeated what she’d said. “No emotional entanglements.”

And then she watched as he took a single step back to shed his suit jacket, remove the already loosened tie from around his neck and toss both on her recliner. His white shirt was tucked neatly inside his pants but soon he began tugging it out, unbuttoning it. She could only stand there and stare, watch and get aroused by the second. When he was through undoing his shirt, he peeled it off and then stood there, bare-chested and showing strong, muscular shoulders and a flat tummy dusted with black hair that led a path past his waistline to be hidden by his pants.