Bachelor Untamed. Brenda Jackson

      “I hope I’m not bothering you this late,” he said, in what she thought was a deep and throaty voice. “But once I realized you were here, I felt I should come over and apologize. Had I known, I would have dressed more appropriately for swimming.”

      Thinking it was probably rude to have him standing on the porch while they engaged in any kind of conversation, she took a step back and automatically he entered inside. “No apology necessary.”

      And to move on past that, she said, “And how have you been? It’s been a while.”

      A smile touched both corners of his lips and she almost melted into a puddle on the floor. He’d always had a knock-your-socks-off smile. It was still devastating, when he flashed pearly white teeth against chocolate skin.

      “Yes, it has been, and I’ve been fine. What about you? I regret hearing about Ms. Mable. I’m sure her passing was hard on everyone, especially for you. I know how close the two of you were.”

      “Thanks, and yes, it was, but at least she hadn’t been sick or anything. She passed away in her sleep.”

      He nodded. “That’s what I heard.”

      She recalled that she had more manners than she were presently displaying, and asked, “Would you like to sit down for a minute?”

      Belatedly, she realized how that sounded. It was as if she was putting a time limit on how long he could stay. But if he had picked up on it, he didn’t show it. He merely crossed the room and sat down on the sofa.

      “Would you like anything to drink?” she asked, and then couldn’t help noticing how his jeans stretched tight across his thighs when he sat down.

      “Yes, thanks. Water will be fine, unless you have something stronger.”

      She couldn’t help but smile, since she’d brought a bottle of wine at a market in Gatlinburg. “Umm, I think I might be able to find something a little stronger. What about a glass of wine?”

      “That will definitely work.”

      “Okay,” she said, backing up slowly. “I’ll be right back.” She then turned, to head straight for the kitchen.

      “Take your time.”

      She glanced over her shoulder and met Uriel’s gaze. It was the same gaze that had looked at her earlier, when she’d been standing at the window. She drew in a deep breath, turned back and kept walking.

      Her heart was racing a million beats a minute, and she was suddenly beginning to feel a tingle in her inner muscles. Ten years had passed and their parting hadn’t been great. Now they were alone. And other than giving him a glass of wine, she had no idea what to do with him.

      Uriel pulled in a deep breath the moment Ellie left the room. “Damn,” he muttered, and the word nearly got caught in his throat. When he’d seen her standing at the window he knew she had turned out to be a beauty; however, he hadn’t figured on that beauty being so spellbinding that it had the ability to strip a man of his senses.

      And one of the first things he noticed right off the bat was that she still had the ability to wear a pair of shorts. She still had the flat tummy, curvy thighs and long, gorgeous legs for them. The T-shirt she was wearing was a bit too large for her medium-built frame, but it looked sexy on her instead of baggy.

      He tried getting his thoughts together by studying the room. The last time he had been here was about two years ago, right after he’d been told about his parents’ divorce. He had needed to get away, and his father had suggested that he come here for the weekend. Ms. Mable had invited him to dinner. It seemed that she had spruced up the place since then. New furniture, new paintings on the wall and a different throw rug on the floor.

      “Here you are.”

      He glanced around and his gaze met Ellie. Another thing he noticed was that her brown hair was shorter. He really liked the stylish cut and thought it was perfect for her oval face. Her almond-shaped eyes were framed by perfectly arched brows, and her high cheekbones blended in well with the sexiest pair of lips he’d ever seen. They had eased into a smile when he mentioned he’d like something stronger than water. That smile had emphasized the smoothness of her mocha-colored skin.

      He crossed the room to take the glass from her hand, and suddenly wished he hadn’t. The moment their hands touched he felt it: a spark of sensation that went straight to his toes. A quick glance at her face and the surprise she was trying to hide indicated she had felt it as well. “Thanks.” He said the words as calmly as he could.

      “You’re welcome” was her quick response.

      He moved to sit back down on the sofa, took a sip of his wine, and after a moment of trying to get his pulse under control, he said, “Your aunt Mable was a special woman. Everybody liked her.” He figured discussing her aunt was a safe topic.

      “Yes, and I miss her already,” she said.

      He saw the sad look in her eyes and quickly thought discussing her aunt wasn’t a safe topic after all. He took another sip of his wine.

      “I understand you’ve moved back to Charlotte,” Ellie said.

      He glanced over at her, wondering how she’d known that, and figured her aunt must have mentioned it to her at some point. “Yes, I had moved to Detroit after graduating from college, to open a new branch office of Lassiter Industries, but two years ago I moved back home.”

      There was no need to tell her that his father had needed him back in Charlotte. The blow of a divorce had ended up being more than Anthony Lassiter could handle.

      Evidently his parents’ marriage had had issues that even he hadn’t known about, hadn’t even realized, until they’d announced they were going their separate ways. Even at his age it had been hard on him. It had been even harder to remain neutral and not take sides. He loved them both.

      Uriel suddenly picked up on Ellie’s nervousness and knew there was something she wanted to ask, even if only out of politeness. So, to make things easier for her, he said, “If you’re wondering how my parents are doing since the divorce, they’re fine. Dad still goes through life day-to-day, trying to cope, and Mom is out there having the time of her life. She has turned into a real party animal.”

      He stared down into this wine glass, truly regretting that he might have sounded bitter, but the truth of the matter was that he was. That was something he knew he had to work on.

      “And how are your godbrothers?”

      He glanced up, as her question made him smile. She had deliberately changed the subject and he appreciated that. She had met all five of his godbrothers during their visits to the lake on several occasions. So she had gotten to know them pretty well.

      “They’re all doing fine. All successful in their own right.”

      “That’s good to hear. I liked them. They were nice guys.”

      Uriel chuckled as he took another sip of his wine. She was right, they were nice guys. Most people were only blessed with one good friend, but he had five, which hadn’t happened by accident.

      Almost forty years ago, his father and five close friends who were in their senior year at Morehouse had made a pledge that not only would they stay in touch after graduation from college, but that they would become godfathers to each other’s children, and that the name of each of their first sons would begin with the letters U to Z. The men had kept their promise, and all six sons, Uriel, Virgil, Winston, Xavier, York and Zion, became god-brothers to each other.

      “Do you see them often?” she asked.

      He met her gaze, deciding it wouldn’t be wise to tell her about the club they had formed, the Guarded Hearts Club, and that they met at least once or twice a year, usually on the ski slopes or abroad in Rome, where Zion, who’d become a world-renowned jewelry designer, had lived for the past three years.

      “Yes, we get together on occasion, several times a year.