Free Bachelor Untamed by Brenda Jackson Page B

the sky. You were satisfied with just staring at the lake and I was satisfied with just staring at you. I’ve been back every night since then, feeling restless, edgy, but you haven’t been back.”
    “And?” she asked, wondering why he was telling her this.
    “And there’s nothing else to tell. Like I said, you hadn’t been back and I’ve been fine at fighting the temptation.”
    Until today, evidently, she figured. He had been fine until today, when they had gone into Gatlinburg together. “And what made you kiss me?” she asked him, hoping he would answer, since he seemed not to mind talking about it.
    “That day at the lake, when you took your friend up on that dare, I had enjoyed kissing you. I was curious to see if I would enjoy kissing you now. And today I just couldn’t leave until I found out.”
    “And?” she asked, as she relaxed back against the refrigerator.
    His brows rose. “I enjoyed it. Couldn’t you tell?”
    Yes, she had been able to tell, but then it definitely had been a mutual exchange. “I need to finish putting things away,” she said, deciding it was time for her to rein in her senses and for him to do the same with his.
    An affair would be a waste of their time, because itwould be an affair that went nowhere. He wasn’t into long-term, and she’d figured whenever she did get back into the dating scene, that she would be. She never intended to spend the rest of her life alone, without a special man in it, as her aunt had done. She wanted to marry, have children. She wanted the white picket fence and the house that it surrounded. She had a feeling he didn’t.
    “All right, I’ll let you call time out for now,” he said, taking another step back, giving her a lot of space.
    “Excuse me?” She must not have heard him correctly.
    “I know what’s probably going through your mind right now. You’re probably wondering if an affair—a short-term affair—with me is worth it. We’ll be here for a little less than thirty days, so the way I see it, we could either be bored to death or we can really enjoy each other’s company.”
    She lifted her chin. “What makes you think I’d be bored?”
    “Just a guess.”
    Unfortunately, Ellie thought, he had probably guessed right. If she had the rest of that manuscript to read, then she would have had something to look forward to doing for the next couple of days. And packing her aunt’s things would keep her busy, but only for a while. But no matter how you looked at it, indulging in an affair with Uriel Lassiter was too much to think about. She wasn’t sure she could handle him. The man had more sexual energy than any man she knew. His kiss had confirmed that.
    “I propose we have a summer fling, Ellie. At the end of the summer, when we leave here, you will go your wayand I’ll go mine. No attachments. No follow-up visits or phone calls. No cards in the mail during the holidays, nor any getting together for an Easter feast. And when we do see each other again we’ll be friends. Former lovers who’ll always be nothing more than friends.”
    He paused and she knew he was letting his words sink in. “I’ll give you a few days to think about it,” he said, backing up.
    The lines around his lips eased into a smile. “You know where I’ll be once you’ve made a decision.”
    She didn’t say anything, just stood there and stared at him and then stared at the door when he left.

Chapter 8
    U riel pulled the dinner out of the microwave and placed it on the table before moving to the refrigerator to pull out a can of soda. It was a nice day, and he had thought about eating outside on the porch but changed his mind. There was no way he could sit on his porch and not look over to where he knew Ellie was.
    It had been two days since he had kissed her. He’d told her that he’d give her a few days to consider an affair between them, but hadn’t really expected for her to take all this time. What was there to think about? They were