Bachelor Untamed - Brenda Jackson [46]
“No, I got plenty,” Uriel responded. “You might want to pick up some wine coolers, though. You know how much Winston likes them.”
“Okay, we can do that. We’ll see you soon.”
He heard the sound of Ellie returning when he placed his cell phone back in his pocket. He turned toward her when she stepped into the clearing from among the trees, carrying a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade. He thought it would be best to let her know his godbrothers were coming.
“We’re going to need additional food, so I’m going to cook more fish,” he said, taking the hush puppies out of the fryer.
“Why?” she asked, with a bemused expression on her face.
“Xavier just called. He, Winston, York and Virgil are headed this way. They’ll be here in a half hour or so.”
He watched as a smile touched Ellie’s face. “It will be nice to see them again.” Without hesitating, she added, “I’ll put this pitcher of lemonade in your refrigerator, and then I’ll go back home to make some more slaw. I baked enough cookies the first time around,” she said.
“Okay.”
He watched as she walked up the steps to his porch and then went inside, thinking how good she looked in those cutoff shorts that showed a lot of shapely thigh, and he knew, if he noticed it, his godbrothers would notice as well. They were all hot-blooded bachelors.
When Ellie came out of the house, he said, “I prefer being the only man to see you in those sexy-looking shorts while we’re involved, Ellie.”
He could tell from her expression that his statement surprised her, had caught her off guard. She lifted her chin, probably to put him in his place about thinking he could dictate what she wore, but after their gazes held for a while, she lowered it. He could actually feel heat, desire and longing stroke across his skin, and after their gazes locked for several moments, he could tell that her entire body began to relax. They were in an intimate relationship, and he felt territorial. He could tell that at some point during the last few moments she had decided that she would accept what he’d said as his due for now. “That’s fine,” she finally said in a yielding tone, before turning to head back over to her place.
No, it wasn’t fine, he thought, placing more fish into the batter. He’d never been concerned with the outfit worn by any woman he was involved with, or who might be seeing her in it, no matter how sexy the outfit might have looked. He’d never had a jealous bone in his body. So why was he growing one now?
Uriel turned and looked out at the lake. He needed to think over a few things. Namely, why, for the first time in his life, he was acting like a jealous man.
Ellie looked at her outfit in the mirror. She had changed out of her shorts and top set, and was wearing a pale-yellow, crinkled chiffon blouse and a printed flowing skirt with bright yellow daisies. This was another new outfit she had purchased.
She thought about Uriel’s request that she change outfits. She would have done so anyway, just because she’d known her shorts would be considered a little too much…or in this case, a little too little, to go parading around wearing, especially among a group of men. To hear Uriel make the suggestion, though, like she hadn’t had the sense to know that, at first had gotten her ire up. But, when she had met his gaze, she had seen the possessiveness in the dark depths of his eyes. They had made love. Twice. Had spent the night in each other’s arms. Uriel was a man, and once in awhile they got foolish thoughts about certain things. As far as she was concerned, this was one of those times. She figured sooner or later he would figure that out on his own, without any prodding from her. But for now, although what they were sharing was nothing more than a summer fling, if he wanted to be territorial and protective, she’d let him have his way.
When she made it back down to the kitchen, she heard the sound of several car doors slamming. She glanced out the living-room window in time to see four men walking up the steps to Uriel’s front