Bachelor Untamed - Brenda Jackson [58]
They had taken out the time to go fishing, and she had helped him when he’d decided his living room needed a new coat of paint. They had done a movie night over at his place. He’d even been helping her pack up her aunt’s belongings in between bouts of lovemaking. Hell, they made love all the time and he was enjoying the hell out of it. But then they would sit down and talk as well. She told him about how she was thinking about going into business for herself, but wasn’t sure if that would be the right move. She even mentioned just hanging out at the lake house a few more months before getting back into the workforce. And because he had been in the corporate world a lot longer than she had, he’d given her advice on what companies to avoid. One thing he liked was that she listened and asked questions. Bottom line was that he enjoyed her company both in and out of bed.
Picking up both of their fishing rods as well as the bucket filled with the fish they’d caught, he made it back over to his place. He placed the fish in the sink and grabbed a beer out of the fridge, deciding he would cool down before cleaning the fish. Then he would take a shower and go find Ellie, and when he found her he would—
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts, but that was okay, since he knew exactly what he would do to her. He pulled his cell phone out of the back pocket of his shorts. “Yes?”
“Hey, Uri, this is Donovan. I’m a new uncle again. Morgan and his wife Lena just had a son. He came out looking like a slugger. I bet he weighed every bit of ten pounds.”
For the next few minutes, he and Donovan talked about the new baby and how the parents were handling things. And then Donovan asked, “How’s the fishing? They still biting pretty good?”
“Yes. You ought to grab your fishing rod and come down a few days.” Since Donovan had never met Ellie, he wouldn’t feel inclined to protect her honor like his godbrothers had. But Uriel had made up his mind about a few things this week. No matter who else showed up at the lake—except for her parents or his, as a matter of respect—he didn’t intend on spending a single night out of her bed.
For him to be involved in an affair was commonplace to Donovan, and he wouldn’t think anything unusual. With Ellie living next door, Donovan would only think of it as convenient. Before Natalie had come into Donovan’s life, he’d been Charlotte’s number-one player. In a way, Uriel still couldn’t believe Donovan had given all of it up. Just for one woman.
“Donovan, I need to ask you something,” he said, when both confusion and curiosity got the best of him.
“Sure. What?”
Uriel knew that although he and Donovan were thick as thieves, were more brothers than friends, he still wanted to word his question carefully. He didn’t want to offend anyone or give the impression Donovan had made one hell of a mistake. But his engagement was still too mind-boggling to think about, and Uriel needed his friend to explain why.
“This thing with you and Natalie. The two of you just met last month. She’s a gorgeous woman and a nice person to boot. I liked her off the bat, but you’ve dated a lot of women—lookers, stunners, women so attractive I could weep with envy. Just think of all the booty calls you’re giving up. My question to you is, is it—”
“Worth it?” Donovan finished for him.
Uriel released a long and deep breath. “Yes, is it worth it?”
Donovan didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he said, “I wish I could explain it, Uriel, but I doubt if I can. And to answer your question, yes, it’s worth it. She is worth it. I didn’t think I would say that about any woman. You know my philosophy. There were too many out there to settle on just one. Being inside