Enjoy it, Delaney, because crab cakes are the only cakes you’re going to be sucking on for the rest of the night.
He needed to keep his wits about him. And not fall into the trap of getting hot and heavy about anything other than the sex. Until he had some answers to Ella’s questions.
With that in mind...
Picking his smartphone off the table, he keyed in his housekeeper’s home number. When Inez picked up he told her to take a holiday for a couple of weeks, all expenses paid. He could hear the suspicion in the older woman’s voice—Inez had six grown kids and eight grandbabies and was nobody’s fool—but after checking he’d remember to water the plants and suggesting a local girl to come in and do the laundry and cleaning while she was away, she finally took the bait.
Then he rang Sonny, listened to a lengthy update on the wedding arrangements, and then told his friend that he wouldn’t be around for a while and if he needed anyone to help out with tours to contact his business manager. Then he carefully layered in a request to tell Josie he’d be mostly off island till the wedding.
He knew Josie was likely to be his biggest problem. Like any annoying little sister, that girl was more curious than the proverbial cat, had got into the bad habit of thinking she could drop in on him any time unannounced—and had an even bigger mouth than Inez.
He tucked the phone into the back pocket of his jeans. And dispelled the small tug of guilt. Ella would get to meet all his friends at Josie’s wedding in three weeks’ time if she was still here, but until then it would be better if they both kept a low profile.
Their little heart-to-heart and that poignant insight into her childhood had been unsettling and he didn’t want any more weird moments like that again if he could avoid them.
When she’d told him about her parents’ break-up, the urge to take away the unhappiness in her eyes had been dumb enough. But much worse had been the freaky feeling of connection. Because he remembered exactly what it was like to be scared, to be confused, to feel as if your world were being ripped apart and there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about it. When he was a child, his mother’s black moods, those dark days when she couldn’t function, or when she cried—usually after his father had been by to screw her for old times’ sake—had scared the hell out of him.
He’d almost told Ella about it. Thank God, he’d managed to stop himself just in time. Because the last thing he needed was them sharing confidences about stuff that meant nothing now.
He’d ridden out the storm long ago and he’d survived. And Ella had too.
But, unlike Ella, his takeaway from his childhood had been nowhere near as sunny and sweet as hers. And that made her vulnerable in a way he hadn’t really considered until now.
Ella was an optimist, unrealistic expectations came with the territory, and he didn’t want her getting any unrealistic ideas about him and what he was able to offer her and the kid.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy seeing that bright light in her eyes, or knowing she thought more of him than he knew was there. He certainly didn’t plan to extinguish that light unnecessarily. Plus, after way too many bruising fights and angry words in his youth, and all those endless pointless arguments with his mom to get her to see the truth about his old man, he’d also become a big fan of avoidance when it came to talking about your feelings.
Especially if you had nothing to say on the matter.
Getting Ella together with Sonny and Josie and telling them about the baby would just create loads of unnecessary drama. He shivered as goosebumps pebbled down his spine at the thought. Because neither one of them could keep their noses out of his business and they had an opinion about every damn thing. And Inez was one of the biggest gossips on the island, so it made sense to keep her out of the loop too. He didn’t want anyone knowing his business before he knew it himself.
He put the glass down at the soft pad of footsteps on the stairs and glanced up, his pulse slowing to a harsh, jerky beat as Ella walked towards him.
The filmy dress she wore blew around her legs. The bodice only showed a small amount of cleavage, but he could still make out that magnificent rack and the bullet-tipped nipples outlined by the snug fabric.
Well, he guessed that was some compensation—however many problems this pregnancy was going to cause in the long term, he could totally get behind the changes his child was making to her body now.
He put a dampener on the thought when she opened her mouth in a jaw-breaking yawn. He needed to keep his dick under control tonight, at least until she’d slept off the effects of her flight. And suffering through another sleepless night might make him think twice before losing his cool with her again.
‘Hi, this looks amazing,’ she said, surveying the table. ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.’
‘You’re not the only one.’
She laughed, that musical lilt that had beguiled him from the get-go. ‘Why do I have the strange feeling it’s not a horse you want to eat?’
Smart girl.
He took her hand, kissed the knuckles. ‘As much as I’d like to eat you, tonight, it’s probably best if you stay in the guest room.’ He pulled out her chair so she could take a seat. ‘Alone.’ He bit down on the groan as she tucked the pretty dress round that tempting butt.
‘You don’t have to do that.’ The furrow of surprise and disappointment on her brow was almost comical. ‘Unless you want to,’ she added, as if his wanting her was actually in doubt.
‘Honey, you’ve just got off an eight-hour flight.’ He forced himself to be noble and ignore the growing ache in his crotch. ‘It’s the early hours by my count in the UK and...’ He was about to point out that she was pregnant, but stopped himself. No need to bring up that topic unnecessarily. ‘And I don’t want to wear you out,’ he finished.
The heart-pumping smile brightened her whole face. ‘That’s very considerate of you.’ Wasn’t it just? ‘But I should warn you, I’m not good with jet lag. I’ll probably wake up at the crack of dawn.’
He allowed himself a firm kiss, of exactly two seconds’ duration. Because any longer would only increase the torment. ‘Once you’re awake, you’ll find me in the bedroom at the end of the veranda.’ Most likely wide awake and ready for action. ‘I’m sure I can figure out a way to cure your jet lag.’ She blushed prettily and his voice lowered. ‘Sleep therapy happens to be a speciality of mine.’
‘I’ll bet.’ The eagerness on her face crucified him. ‘I’m sure that will come in handy, come cougar time.’