Seven
Aidan stood at the end of the long bar nursing a scotch as he watched his team of bartenders racing to keep up with the customers. The music was pumped up and so was the boisterous crowd. That’s the way Aidan liked it. Friday nights were always a little crazy in the bar since many of the resort guests had just arrived that afternoon for a week of fun. But tonight was especially insane because this was the start of the annual cardboard box convention. And those people were more than ready to party.
Three years ago, Aidan and Logan had discovered a shocking truth. There was no bigger group of wild, raucous party animals than this horde of almost one thousand cardboard box salesmen. Cardboard. Go figure.
The group used to have their convention in different cities every year, but once they found Alleria and met Ellie, that all changed. Now the group refused to go anywhere else. Ellie lavished so much special attention on them that the group was back for the third year in a row.
The box boys, as Aidan and Logan referred to them in private, were one of Ellie’s special projects. Attracting new business to the resort had been part of her job description from day one, and bringing the box boy convention to Alleria was one of her first successes.
The group’s presence here this week was just one of many reasons why Aidan hadn’t wanted her to leave the island when she first announced her plans to go to Atlanta.
Now, as he observed Ellie interacting with a small group of conventioneers gathered at the bar, Aidan was doubly glad he’d convinced her to stay. Glad, because not only could she charm these guys into spending more money on drinks, but also because Aidan could have her in his bed every night.
Not that he was getting used to her being there, he quickly assured himself. He knew it would all end when she became pregnant. But in the meantime, how could he complain about having awesome sex with a beautiful woman like Ellie every night? Hell, he wasn’t that big of an idiot, despite what his brother occasionally thought.
In fact, as he watched Ellie work the crowd and as he marveled at what an amazing businesswoman she was, he was tempted to congratulate himself for coming up with the deal that had kept her on the island in the first place.
The truth was, he’d only stopped in to have a drink because he knew that Ellie would be here, taking care of her special guests. Now that he was seeing her surrounded by those men, smiling and talking and joking with them, all he could think about was getting her out of here and taking her somewhere private. It took everything he had to keep from stalking across the floor, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her off into the night.
Just then, one of the box boys said something that must’ve been funny because Ellie threw back her head and laughed. The sweet musical sound set off a shock wave of desire that shot straight to Aidan’s gut. And instantly turned him as hard as a brick.
Damn. He gripped his glass carefully as he struggled to maintain an outer calm. He gritted his teeth and mentally talked himself down, but it wasn’t easy because he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from Ellie, who was still smiling and chatting easily with the men. That was just one more reason why she was so perfect for this job. She was friendly and could get along with anyone.
But that wasn’t helping his erection disappear.
The music in the club pounded; laughter from the customers at the table seemed harsher, louder. Aidan kept his gaze fixed on Ellie with such intensity that she must have felt it. She turned her head, her gaze caught his and something wild and indefinable jumped into life between them.
He downed the last of his drink, set his empty glass on the bar, nodded to Sam the bartender, and headed straight toward the group of men who were vying for Ellie’s attention.
*
Ellie had felt Aidan’s presence within a nanosecond of him walking into the bar twenty minutes ago. Even with her back to the entrance, even surrounded by all these people, she knew he was here. So what did it say about her that she could sense the man’s presence from across a large, crowded room?
It worried her, frankly. Would it always be this way? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Probably bad, if it meant that in a few years, she would be at home feeding her baby and suddenly realize instinctively that Aidan was out on a date with his latest “bikini babe.”
Yes, definitely a bad thing, she thought, as she recalled one night when she and her sister had watched their mother wander through the house, wondering and worrying aloud about the man she’d once been married to. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking of her?
Ellie mentally rolled her eyes. There was no way she would turn into that woman!
With a sigh, she tried to ignore all thoughts of Aidan and concentrate on the salesmen who were currently trying to impress her with all their best stories. She didn’t mind. They were nice guys, if a bit silly.
A few minutes later, they moved on from stories to jokes, and Ellie had to admit some of them were mildly amusing. Then out of the blue, one of the salesmen—was his name Larry?—told a knock-knock joke that was so funny, she laughed out loud.
“Hey, she liked that one,” Larry said, wiggling his eyebrows at his friends.
One of his buddies nudged him with his elbow. “Guess that means the next round of drinks is on you.”
She felt Aidan’s gaze on her and when she turned her head to meet that look head-on, her entire system jump-started into a frantic rhythm. Her heartbeat thundered in time with the pulsing music. Her stomach did a quick spin and at the very core of her, she went hot and damp.
She swallowed hard when he stalked toward her.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Aidan said jovially. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve got to borrow our Ms. Sterling for a few minutes.”
She smiled her apologies. There was some good-natured grumbling as Aidan took Ellie’s arm and guided her out from the circle of men. He smiled cheerfully the entire time, although Ellie could sense his underlying tension.
“No worries, gentlemen,” he said. “You’ll see Ellie again tomorrow. Enjoy your evening.”
“Aidan, what’s wrong?” Ellie asked.
He kept a firm hold on her arm as they walked quickly through the bar and out into the bustling lobby. He paid no attention to the bell captain or the concierge director who both called out his name, just kept walking across the marble floor and into the carpeted hallway that led to his suite.
“You’re scaring me, Aidan,” she said, hurrying her steps to keep up with his much longer stride. “Is everything all right?”
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Everything’s fine. I’m just in kind of a hurry.”
“Okay,” she said, and practically jogged to keep up with him.
They reached his suite and without a word, he swiped his key card, pushed the door open and urged her inside. As soon as the door shut, he tugged her up against his chest and kissed her hard on the lips. The impact was sudden and startling and hot and Ellie couldn’t get enough of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer to her.
Within seconds, he softened the kiss and she sighed, parting her lips to allow him entrance. Their tongues tangled gently and Ellie felt herself melting against him.
Without a warning, he stepped back, grabbed hold of her light summer dress and whipped it up and over her head, tossing it onto the chair.
Wearing only her bra and panties, Ellie grabbed his shirt and started unbuttoning it with frantic urgency.
“You’re overdressed,” she groused.
“Let me do it,” he said, laughing as he pushed her hands away. After ripping it off his shoulders, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her through the living room and into the bedroom. He tossed her on the bed, knelt above her and unzipped his jeans, releasing his enormous erection.
Ellie shivered as he gripped her bottom, lifted her up off the mattress and guided her onto his thick length. She groaned in pure delight as he filled her completely.
His mouth devoured hers as they moved together rhythmically and Ellie was so lost in passion, she wondered if she had been created for this moment. As his fervor met hers, they reached the pinnacle together and tumbled into rapture. Her heart was so full, she knew she had never felt so much pleasure, so much love before.
Moments later, he collapsed onto her. After catching his breath, he finally murmured in her ear, “I’m sorry I dragged you out of the bar, but I knew I was going to explode if I couldn’t be inside you right away.”
“I loved it,” she whispered, then cringed. She only hoped her voice sounded casual saying those words. But even if Aidan wasn’t spooked by the words, Ellie was. The L word was something she never said out loud.
But Aidan was already asleep, so she held him in her arms and they dozed for a while. Sometime in the middle of the night, Aidan woke her up and made love to her slowly. Afterwards, they slept. The next time Ellie awoke, it was morning. The sun was streaming into Aidan’s bedroom, but she was alone in his bed.
She sat up, looked around and told herself that she preferred it this way. The sooner she got pregnant and got used to her life without Aidan, the better off she would be.
*
Hours later, Ellie sat in the bar, chatting with the friendly box boys while Larry, the funny salesman, designed a one-of-a-kind cardboard box for her on his tablet.
When he was finished, he held the screen up so she could see it. “There, just for you. I’m calling it the Ellie. Wait, we can add a design, too.”
He tapped his fingers on the sidebar and the box was suddenly filled with a green and red circle pattern surrounded by curlicues.
“Oh, I like that pattern,” she said, fascinated by everything he’d done. Who knew the cardboard box guys could be so creative?
“Hi, Ellie.”
The deep voice came from behind her. She turned and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the tall, good-looking man. “Blake? What’re you doing here?”
“Just thought I’d stop in for a drink and I saw you.” He glanced around. “Can you take a break and talk?”
“Umm, of course.” She turned back to her salesman. “I’m sorry, Larry, but would you excuse me?”
“Sure, Ellie,” Larry said, eyeing Blake curiously. “No problem.”
She sucked in a bracing breath and tried to mask her distress at the fact that Blake was here unannounced, then gazed up at her ex-boyfriend. “Let’s go out to the terrace.”
He followed her to a quiet corner of the patio bar and found an empty table. He pulled a chair out for her and as he was sitting, she took the time to study him. He was classically tall, dark and handsome, with dark brown eyes and nearly black hair. Most women would swoon over his movie-star good looks, but Ellie had learned the hard way that looks weren’t everything. Not that Blake had hurt her irreparably, but he hadn’t turned out to be as nice or as honorable as she’d hoped he would be.
“Would you two like something to drink?”
Ellie looked up and saw Dee, her waitress friend, standing there, looking back and forth from Ellie to Blake.
“Maybe just a glass of water,” Ellie said gratefully. “Thanks, Dee.”
Blake ordered a beer and Dee was back in less than two minutes with their orders. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she said pointedly.
“I will,” Ellie said, smiling up at her friend.
As soon as Dee was out of hearing distance, Blake spoke. “You’re looking good, Ellie.”
“Thank you. I feel good.”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d run into you here tonight, but I’m glad I did. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. About us. I know I hurt you when I broke up with you, but I was… I don’t know, confused, I guess. You shocked me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” She smiled ruefully. “It wasn’t fair of me to spring my life story on you.”
“I guess I asked for it,” he said with a sheepish grin.
She chuckled lightly. “Yes, you did.”
He relaxed back in his chair and sipped his beer. “So I hear you’re seeing one of the Sutherland brothers. Is it serious?”
Her eyes narrowed. Was that why Blake was here? Was she suddenly more appealing to him now that she was involved with Aidan? And how had he found out about her relationship with Aidan? The island was like a small town, but they had been very discreet, she thought. “We’re good friends, that’s all.”
He surprised her by leaning forward and taking hold of her hand. “If that’s true, then I’d like you to consider giving me another chance. I thought we had a good thing going until you laid that bombshell on me.”
“Until I told you I wanted to have a child.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “But, hey, if that’s what you want, I’m willing to help you out there.”
Not if he were the last man on earth, she thought as she pulled her hand away. “That’s very kind of you to offer, but I think I’ll pass.”
“So you are sleeping with Sutherland.”
She smiled tightly. “I didn’t say that.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t have to. If you’re not interested in getting back with me, then I have to assume you’re doing the horizontal bop with him.”
The horizontal bop? Was this guy in high school or something? Aidan had been so right about Blake. He was kind of a jerk. She was lucky she’d never had to see this side of him.
Ellie pushed her chair out and stood looking down at him. “Your assumption is wrong, Blake. My refusal to get back together with you has nothing to do with anything but the fact that I’m just not interested. See you around.”
*
Aidan couldn’t believe it. He’d seen Ellie leading Blake out to this deserted area of the terrace, so he followed them, remaining back behind a thick, vine-strewn column in order to watch them. It was too bad he couldn’t get close enough to hear their conversation.
He refused to question why he even cared except to say that he was worried about Ellie. So that’s why he was loitering in the area. Okay, maybe skulking would be a more accurate description, but why quibble? He’d never liked Blake for so many reasons and here was another one. The guy was holding Ellie’s hand. What the hell? There was no way Ellie could be fooled by his good looks. The guy was a creep.
Maybe she agreed because at that moment, she slipped her hand away from his, then stood and walked away.
But why was she smiling? She shouldn’t be smiling after talking to Blake.
Aidan rounded the column and stepped out just as she was about to walk past him. “Hello, there.”
She stopped abruptly. “What’re you doing out here?”
“Just checking the foliage,” he said, brushing his hand along the flowering vine. He nodded toward Blake, who had taken off in the opposite direction. “What did he want?”
Ellie planted both hands on her hips. “Were you spying on me?”
“Maybe. I warned you what he was like. He’s a jerk. He’s not good enough for you.”
“I never said he was.”
“You were holding hands with him.”
“He grabbed my hand and I pulled it back.”
“Not right away.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. She moved closer, touched his chest and smiled up at him so sweetly that his jaw muscles began to loosen up. “Did you come out here to protect me?”
“I told you he was a jerk,” he grumbled. “I came out here to make sure he didn’t pull a number on you.”
“That was very nice of you, Aidan,” she said. “But you and I aren’t really a couple, remember? I have to take care of myself. Thank you, though.”
“No problem,” he murmured, then leaned in and whispered, “And we might not be a real couple, but if Blake had held your hand a second longer, I was going to have to break his arm.”
*
The next day, Ellie spent the day alone, cleaning her house, dusting shelves and scrubbing floors. She did a few loads of laundry and swept her front porch. Afterward, she got caught up on her reading and took a short nap. She realized she needed some rest after so many long nights waking up and making love with Aidan.
Not that she was complaining, she thought, grinning with happiness.
She hadn’t seen Blake since the night before and that was fine with her. If she never saw him again, that would be even finer. She just had to wonder why Blake had shown up at all. Why now? Not that it mattered, but still, she hated the thought that she and Aidan might be a source of gossip on the island.
She woke up from her nap as the sun was going down and thought about going over to the hotel bar to grab a quick dinner. But that would mean washing her hair and dressing up, so after weighing her choices, she decided to stay home and relax. She made herself a healthy salad for dinner, then picked up her book and tried to read, but she couldn’t get back into the story. She kept picturing Aidan stepping out from behind that column. He’d been watching her and Blake! He’d kept his explanation casual, but Ellie hadn’t been fooled. She’d seen a fierce possessiveness in him that she’d never seen before. Did it come merely from the fact that she was his partner? Or was there more going on under the surface?
Did Aidan care about her more than he was willing to admit? The possibility gave her a tiny sliver of hope, but she didn’t want to dwell on it too much. After all, a tiny sliver of hope could grow into a big fat obsession, right?
“And now you’re starting to obsess about obsession.” She sighed. Why couldn’t she just be happy with things as they were? She could, by gosh, and right then and there, she resolved to do just that. Be happy. After all, she’d never had this much fun with a man before, never felt as sexy and attractive and radiant as she’d felt lately. She was startled to realize that she had a sensual nature, and it was Aidan who’d helped her see it. Now she wanted to fully embrace that part of her.
She closed up her house, changed into her pajamas and slipped under the sheets. She fell asleep and dreamed the same dream she’d been having for a few weeks now. She dreamed about her baby. But for the first time ever, Aidan was there in her dream, too, smiling as he held their child in his arms.
She moved to join her little family and both Aidan and the baby dissolved into mist, to be replaced by an image of her mother sobbing over the man who got away.
Ellie was jolted awake with tears in her eyes and a deep feeling of loss in her heart.