A Steele for Christmas (15 page)

“Your father and I are happy for you and Stacey,” his mother came up to say, smiling brightly. “I can’t wait to get to know Stacey better. Already I admire the woman who was able to knock you off your high horse.”

He didn’t respond to his mother’s comments or that “I told you so” look in her eyes. He was relieved when she and his dad gave Stacey huge hugs and then moved on. He then leaned over and whispered to Stacey, “As you can see our engagement announcement has made my mother’s night.”

“Would the two of you like to tell me why I’ve been clueless about this?”

His gaze shifted from Stacey and met Cohen’s questioning look. He had known Cohen long enough to know although he was smiling, the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. And he figured Cohen wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew for certain Stacey was in good hands. Sincere hands. Eli understood and had expected Cohen’s doubt.

Tyson, Mercury, Jonas and Gannon were standing with Cohen and although they weren’t saying anything, it was obvious they wanted answers as well. Stacey had heard her brother’s question and slid to Eli’s side to give a united front. He appreciated her for doing that.

A party was still going on and Eli knew no matter what concerns Cohen might have, he wouldn’t cause a scene. Eli intended to give him no reason to want to do so. “My goal was to win Stacey’s heart and the last thing I needed was interference from any of you who think you know me so well. Those who thought I wasn’t ready to give up the single life and settle down.”

His comment seemed to make Cohen relax somewhat but he could tell from his brothers’ expressions they weren’t buying it.

“So Eli is the reason you didn’t want to follow me to Florida,” Cohen said to Stacey with a knowing grin. “I admit if you would have told me the two of you were seeing each other that would have given me concern, considering Eli’s reputation. But asking you to marry him is serious. Shows you mean a lot to him, and I’m happy for the both of you.”

“Thanks,” Eli said, smiling. “And I want you to leave Phoenix knowing Stacey is in good hands. I intend to take good care of her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated.”

A huge grin appeared on Cohen’s face. “That’s good to know.” Cohen then shook Eli’s hand before hugging his sister and congratulating them both.

Galen and Brittany then approached. A genuine smile lit his brother’s eyes and Eli couldn’t help but nod. He hated to admit it but Galen’s prediction had come true. Eli had figured things out before the wedding.

“I
think tonight went well,” Eli said as he led Stacey into his home and closed the door behind them.

“Yes, it did.”

Since Stacey had been the hostess they had hung back until everyone had left and had helped straighten up. Dee had helped while Eli had gotten a chance to talk to Cohen one-on-one. Eli was confident that he had effectively squashed any concerns or misgivings Cohen might have had regarding his relationship with Stacey, and he felt pretty good about it.

Eli frowned thinking his brothers were another matter. All but Galen were being downright difficult. They saw his defection as a threat to their way of life. First Galen and then him. The possibility that they weren’t immune to falling in love like they’d assumed had them literally terrified. He chuckled knowing their time would eventually come. If it could happen to him then it could happen to anyone.

“But I hated lying to everyone. What happens when they find out the truth?” Stacey interrupted his thoughts to ask.

He turned and watched her drop down on his sofa and cross her legs. “And what do you think is the truth that they will find out?” he asked her.

She ran her fingers through the curls on her head and he wasn’t surprised that he found such a simple act so sensuous. “That we aren’t in love and that our decision to marry was strictly business.” She nibbled on her bottom lip thoughtfully and then added, “I wished you hadn’t laid things on so thick.”

He smiled, knowing just what she was referring to. Once the announcement was made he hadn’t wasted any time showing how he felt about her. He knew it had been there in the way he’d looked at her, the way he touched her. He had even kissed her a few times in front of everyone, giving the impression that he adored his fiancée and looked forward to a wedding. He knew Stacey assumed he was playacting. She would be shocked to discover he hadn’t been.

He dropped down on the sofa beside her and lifted her legs to place them across his lap. “I couldn’t help it. You shouldn’t be so tempting,” he said, proceeding to remove the sandals from her feet.

“You took advantage of the situation.”

He chuckled as he dropped one of her shoes to the floor, which within seconds was followed by the other. “I plead the fifth.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You would.” When her laughter subsided, she smiled and said, “Your mother seemed happy.”

He chuckled again. “Trust me, it wasn’t an act. Nothing would make her happier than for each of her sons to marry. We made her extremely happy tonight.” And he honestly knew they had.

“She invited me to dinner with the family on Thursday,” she said softly.

He glanced over at her. “You don’t want to go?”

“I’ll go but it will only compound the lies. More playacting.”

He bit down on his lip, tempted to tell her how he felt but he knew to do so would make her bolt. Cohen had even expressed his surprise that his sister had fallen in love again after vowing she never would. Only Eli knew she hadn’t yet fallen in love. But he was determined to do everything in his power to make sure she did. Right now she was sexually attracted to him. Lust, pure and simple. But he was a living witness that with the right person, lust could be transformed into love. It had happened with Galen, it had happened to him and he was determined that it would happen to Stacey.

“Dee didn’t seem to mind that you won’t be returning to your place tonight,” he said.

She smiled. “No, and chances are she won’t be returning there either. If she has her way she’ll be going home with Cohen tonight. She has loved him forever and has finally gotten the courage to do something about it.”

Eli reached up and began running his fingers through her curls, like he’d seen her do earlier. She said nothing, but merely closed her eyes to bask in his ministrations. God, he loved her. How could he have thought that he didn’t? However, there was one thing bothering him.

“Your ring.”

She opened her eyes and looked over at him. “What about it?”

“Don’t you like it?”

Her eyes widened. “Don’t I like it? A ring by Zion. Are you kidding?” She held her hand out in front of her and stared at it. “I love it! It’s
my
ring. I actually saw it in that jeweler window one day and wished it was mine. To find out it really is sent me in one crazy tailspin. And because I saw it in that window and it’s a ring by Zion, I can imagine how much it cost. The fact that you spent that much on a ring that I’ll end up keeping is simply mind-boggling.”

He chuckled, glad he’d read her wrong earlier when he thought she hadn’t liked it. “I told you I was generous.”

She smiled as she slid closer to him. “Yes, you did.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I find your generosity contagious. Let me show you how much.”

She then pulled his mouth down to hers.

Stacey slowly opened her eyes as sunlight came in through the window and shifted in bed to discover she was alone. She stretched as memories of the night before came flooding down on her. Pretending or not, she had thoroughly enjoyed the attention Eli had bestowed upon her in front of everyone. He had made her feel significant, special and loved.

Loved.

She shook off the thought and knew love had nothing to do with it. Love was not driving Eli. Love was not why she was wearing one heck of rock on her finger. Love had nothing to do with her being sexually satisfied this morning after a night of making love nonstop.

It was lust and not love.

And it also had to do with all Eli’s ambitions in life and taking control and making sure he succeed in everything he wanted. Right now he wanted to be the president of that business council.

His mother was excited they would be having a Christmas wedding and had offered to help her with the guest list like she had Brittany. Similar to Brittany, Stacey was motherless, but Stacey had a feeling Eden Steele would remedy that and become the mother she’d lost. She appreciated the woman’s help and attention and felt bad it would only be temporary.

She knew now that breaking up with Eli would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do, because, regardless of her vow never to believe in fairy tales or forever-after, a part of her was compelled to do so again…because of the ring on her finger. Looking at it, seeing it on her hand, remembering him putting it there was making her accept what she’d been fighting for the past few weeks.

She had fallen in love with Eli.

That had been the last thing she’d wanted but she didn’t have to think hard as to how it happened. Each and every time they made love he would take a little piece of her heart although she knew he wasn’t sharing any of his. That was fine. Loving him was something she would work hard to get over. She knew the score with him. He’d been up-front from the beginning. It was about sex and nothing more. No emotional entanglements. That thought was uppermost in her mind when she shifted positions and drifted back to sleep.

But emotions she hadn’t counted on had sneaked into the picture and the ring on her finger hadn’t helped. It might not have any significant meaning for him but it did for her.

Loving him wasn’t something she would eventually work out of her system—at least not any time soon. So what was she going to do? How was she going to stay with him knowing how much it would hurt when their marriage ended and he sent her away? The pain would be worse than what she had endured with Wallace. Why had she allowed herself to fall in love with Eli? Why was she setting herself up for more heartbreak?

The answer was simple. She hadn’t been able to help herself. She had been warned those “Bad News” Steeles were irresistible; she just hadn’t known how irresistible they were.

Eli grabbed his cell phone on the single ring and smiled when he saw the caller ID. “News definitely gets around in this family,” he said to his cousin Donovan, who was calling from Charlotte.

Donovan Ridge Steele laughed. “It’s good to hear another of Drew’s boys has bit the dust. Two down, four to go.”

“You better not let Tyson, Jonas, Mercury and Gannon hear you say that.”

“Hey, that’s what they get for acting like they did when they heard I’d gotten engaged,” Donovan said.

Eli remembered that time over two years ago. He had been one of those bachelor Steeles who’d taken Donovan’s engagement as a personal affront. Donovan had been their older cousin and their hero since his womanizing ways had been legendary. So much so that a lot of people assumed he had to be one of Drew’s boys.

“I understand it will be a Christmas wedding,” Donovan said.

“Yes, so pass the word among the family. I want everyone here.”

Donovan laughed again. “To see another one of Drew’s boys tie the knot, they wouldn’t miss it.”

A short while later Eli had ended the call with Donovan, which had been followed by calls from his other cousins in Charlotte, all sending congratulations his way. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Stacey was still sleeping and he felt she deserved her rest. He had a couple of cases he could work on so he moved toward his office to do just that.

He grabbed his coffee cup and was about to go into his study when there was a knock at his door. He had a feeling who his early-morning visitors were. He shook his head. They hadn’t wasted any time seeking him out.

He opened the door and smiled down their frowns. “Good morning,” he said cheerfully. “I hope one of you brought breakfast because I am starving.”

Eli stared at his brothers across the table. Jonas had brought breakfast for everyone and they’d all dug in, deciding they would eat first and curse him out later.

Not surprisingly, it was Tyson who spoke up first. “You know what Cohen should have done was kick your you-know-what for messing around with Stacey behind his back in the first place.”

“And I should have suspected something was up when I saw the way you were looking at her that day at Ireland when we got together after work to celebrate Cohen’s promotion. You were probably involved with her then.”

Eli remembered that day. They had kissed earlier at her shop, so, yes, he definitely had been involved with her. “Yes,” he said to Jonas, taking a sip of his coffee. “I was involved with her then.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?” Mercury accused. “Why did you keep it a secret?”

“I knew how you guys would probably freak out about it. Besides, I didn’t want Mom getting her hopes up in case things didn’t work out,” he said, knowing those reasons sounded plausible.

“Well, we don’t like you pulling a Galen on us,” Gannon grumbled. “You know what Mom thinks this means.”

Eli shrugged. “She will only think that way if you all let her. In fact, all of you should be thanking me. She’ll be so busy helping Stacey plan our wedding that she won’t have time to harass any of you for a while.”

Smiles lit the faces of his brothers as they considered what he’d said. “Umm, you do have a point there,” Gannon said. Then his eyes narrowed as he asked, “Why the rush to get married on Christmas Day?”

That answer was easy. “Because I want to start the New Year off right with Stacey as my wife.”

They didn’t say anything, just stared at him as if they were trying to determine the sincerity of his words. Not wanting them to think too long and hard, he quickly spoke up. “Donovan called. The Charlotte Steeles have heard about it already.”

Mercury rolled his eyes. “Mom’s doing. I bet she was on the phone before the party ended.”

“Probably,” they all agreed simultaneously.

Eli glanced at his watch. “I hate to rush you guys off, but I have a house guest that I’d like to spend some time with today.”

His announcement that Stacey was somewhere under his roof brought out his brothers’ frowns again. “You better do right by her, Eli,” Tyson said in a snarl.

Eli waved off his brother’s words. “It might take a Steele a long time to find the perfect woman and fall in love, but when we do, we know how to do the right thing and be dedicated for life. We’re Drew’s boys in more ways than one.”