Page 44 of We Own Tonight
“I want us to spend the day together, talk, and it’s private here. I’m just a guy, Heather. At the end of the day, no matter what you think I am, I’m aman.”
“I’m truly sorry,” I say immediately. “I didn’t mean to freak.” Our bodies are close, almost touching, and I pull one of my hands from his so I can cup his cheek. “You’re more than just a guy to me. You’re a man who reminds me that I’m a woman. You look at me as if I’m special, and that’s difficult to accept. More than that, you’re a guy that I spent my entire life dreaming of, but right now, you’rereal.”
Eli’s arm tightens around my back. “I want to be Ellington today. Not Eli Walsh the actor or FBD member. Can we do that? Can we just be . . .ourselves?”
It’s a grand idea. To let go of the bullshit around us and just be two people getting to know one another. I want nothing more than to see who he really is. “Just the two of us?” Iask.
“No one else will be here today,” Eli says and brushes his lips againstmine.
“Then it’s nice to meet you,Ellington.”
His name falls from my lips, and Isigh.
“You, too,Heather.”
I push forward, pressing a sweet kiss on his mouth. His smile is warm against my lips, and he releases his hold on me. Eli takes my hand as we walk toward thehouse.
He opens the door, and my jaw drops. This is beyond words. As we step inside, I look around, trying to take it all in. The foyer hosts two huge staircases that lead to opposite ends of a balcony. There are two rooms off to each side at the bottom, one of which is a library. I’m not talking about a few books on a shelf, either. The entire wall looks lined. We walk deeper, and the other room opens to what looks like a more formal livingroom.
“Wow,” I say withawe.
“I bought this house a few years ago. I like to visit my mother here in Tampa, and Randy lives in Sanibel Island, so this is a goodmedium.”
“There’s nothing medium here, Eli. This is super-sized.” My voice cracks a little as he continues to lead me down thehall.
I try to stop counting rooms because it’s beyond what I thought it was from the outside. It’s at least three times the size I assumed. The house seems to get deeper and deeper, and when we reach the back area, there are huge windows that overlook thewater.
“Do you need anything before we go?” heasks.
“Go?”
“Yeah.” He laughs and points outside. “That’s my boat. We’re going to spend the day on thewater.”
My eyes turn to his, and I plaster a smile on my face. I love the water. Some of my favorite memories of my dad are from when he would take me boating when I was a kid. His boat wasn’t anything like the huge one currently docked to the pier,though.
Eli moves closer, and he pushes my hair back. “Is thatokay?”
I nod. “It’sperfect.”
He shows me to the bathroom, where I put more sunscreen on, check my makeup, and say a few silent prayers that I don’t get sea sick. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on open water, and that would be myluck.
We get on the boat, which is equipped with two damn bedrooms, a kitchen area, bathroom, and a sitting area, therefore it’s a house with a hull. He shows me around, and then eases the vessel out onto thewater.
I watch him command the boat and fight back a sigh. Everything he does is sexy. The way his muscles flex when he turns the wheel. How his brow furrows when he’s concentrating on steering. I don’t want to do anything but watch him, so that’s what I do. My focus is so singular, that I don’t notice when we’re out of thechannel.
“Want to drive?” Eli offers, dragging me out of mystaring.
“I’ve never driven a boatbefore.”
“I’ll help you.” He gives an encouraging smile and steps back so I have room to stand in front ofhim.
Too excited to say no, I move toward him and slip into the space. My hands grip the wheel, and I glance at him over myshoulder.
“Good, hold it steady and move the wheel a little if you want to go in a different direction.” Eli stands with his chest against my back, and I lean into him. “You’re doing great,” he says in myear.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Iadmit.
“Let’s go right. There’s a sweet spot for fishing over thatway.”
