Bachelor Untamed - Brenda Jackson [62]
His jaw tightened each time he lifted himself to meet her downward movement. This was the best of the best, the cream of the crop, off the charts. This is what made a man appreciate being a man…and what made a man appreciate having a good woman.
He tossed that very claim out of his mind. This woman was his temporarily. By rights, she should be doing all the things she’d done to him, and with him, for the past ten days to a man who would be a permanent part of her future. A man who would flood her body with his seed to make babies, a man she could commit her life to, as he would commit his to her. A man who would not place a limit on the time they spent together.
He was not that man; but for now, tonight, until the end of the month, they could both pretend.
Chapter 16
“And Donovan, this is Ellie.”
Uriel watched Donovan’s expression when he turned his attention to the woman by his side. Surprise, confusion and keen interest were showing in Donovan Steele’s gaze, but only someone as close to Donovan as Uriel would be able to detect it. Uriel could just imagine what his friend was thinking. Ellie was beautiful, and for him to even consider eventually walking away would be stone crazy. But then, Uriel knew those were the thoughts of the new, engaged and about-to-be-married Donovan.
The old Donovan would have understood and not questioned his motives or decision. He would have patted him on the back for making such a lucrative score—a worthwhile conquest—and would have given him a wink of envy. But not the Donovan that was deeply in love with the gorgeous woman standing by his side, so much so that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Jeesh. Uriel figured it was going to take some getting used to this Donovan Steele.
After all the introductions were made, Uriel saw how quickly Ellie and Natalie took to each other like old friends. When the conversation between them shifted to a subject he was certain neither he nor Donovan gave a royal damn about—namely the right shampoo and conditioner to keep the frizz out of your hair in this August heat—he caught Donovan’s attention and rolled his eyes, before saying, “I’ll help you get the luggage out of the car.”
The two women went inside his house while he and Donovan went to the back of the car to open the trunk. Uriel raised a brow when he saw several pieces of luggage. “Hey, Don, you and Natalie are here just for the weekend, not for the rest of the year, right?”
Donovan chuckled. “Natalie wasn’t sure what to pack, so she tucked in a little of everything.”
Uriel gave him a wry look, knowing how Donovan detested excessiveness in anyone…or at least, he used to. “And you’re still going to marry her with this one major flaw?” he asked teasingly.
Donovan threw his head back and laughed. “In a heartbeat. Tomorrow, if she’d agree to it. Hell, I tried, at a weak moment, getting her to fly to Vegas with me, but she refused.”
Uriel shook his head. “I guess you’re going to have to work harder on her.”
“Just like Ellie is going to have to work harder on you?”
Uriel raised a brow, and tried to keep his body from stiffening at Donovan’s words. “Meaning?”
“She likes you.”
Uriel relaxed somewhat. “And I like her. But nothing is going to keep me from ending our relationship in eight days.”
“Then I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Uriel gave his friend another wry look, wondering if Donovan realized what he was suggesting. A serious relationship, one that could end in marriage, babies, and a little house with a picket fence was nowhere in his future, and Donovan, of all people, knew that.
Deciding it was time to change the subject, Uriel asked, “How are things going with the Steele Corporation? I understand you had a serious internal issue.”
“Everything is fine. Fortunately, we identified the person trying to give company secrets to our competitor. A man in Morgan’s department who’d worked with us for years. I’m glad we made the discovery before he could do