Possessing Eleanor (2 page)

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Ellie's gaze fixed on Jackson as soon as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the restaurant. She couldn't help smiling as he rose from his chair and came to her. He was again dressed in all black, but tonight, his shirt and tie appeared to be silk and he wore dress slacks instead of black jeans. Ellie noticed the other women giving him the once over, and she delighted in the fact that he never took his eyes off of her as she approached.

“Good evening, Eleanor.” He looked down at her with a killer grin. “I'm very glad you decided to join me tonight.”

“Hi, Jackson.” She gazed up at him, feeling a bit shy and uncertain now that he was standing so close. “Thank you for the beautiful rose.”

“You're welcome, my dear, but its beauty pales in comparison to yours.”

He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to their table. She hoped he couldn't hear the frantic beating of her heart or feel her slight tremble in response to his compliment.

After helping her remove her coat, he pulled out her chair, making certain she was comfortably settled before he sat down. Ellie watched him nod almost imperceptibly to the waiter before he turned his complete attention to her.

“This is one of my favorite restaurants. Have you been here before?”

“I have many times. The food is fantastic, and they do carryout. It's really convenient for me to stop here after work. Everything is still hot by the time I get home.”

“Yes, it would be,” was his simple reply as the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine. What with opening and sniffing and tasting and approving, it took a few minutes before they were alone again.

“You know where I live?” She couldn't keep the hint of concern from her voice.

“Of course. I wouldn't have asked you to meet me at a location that was inconvenient for you.” He stared at her intently while continuing in a quiet tone, “Eleanor, there's no need for you to look so worried. I just used the internet to find your address. I don't think I like your implication that I did anything unsavory.”

The internet, who knew?
Heat infused her cheeks and she dropped her eyes to the table to toy with her fork in utter embarrassment. He was absolutely right, of course. She had insulted him. He was incredibly thoughtful to have taken such care in selecting where they went.

“I'm sorry, Jackson,” she whispered.

“Apology accepted.” He laid his hand on hers, stilling her nervous fidgeting. “Look at me, Eleanor.” The low rumble of his voice was a caress in itself. When her eyes met his, they were darker, sparkling with emotion. He reached across the table and ran a finger along her cheekbone. “I love it when a woman's skin warms and flushes pink.”

Ellie had the strangest sensation his words held a deeper meaning, one that she couldn't quite grasp with him staring into her eyes with such intensity.

“I ordered our meal, and here comes the appetizer,” he announced matter-of-factly as the waiter arrived.

Ellie couldn't initially decide if she was annoyed by his actions or intrigued by his take-charge demeanor, but as the perfectly selected courses proceeded, she stopped thinking about it. Jackson put her completely at ease, guiding the conversation so they could begin to learn about each other. They both liked sci-fi movies, visiting museums of all kinds, and the current crisp fall weather. They both read voraciously, but disagreed good-naturedly over subject matter. Their political beliefs were similar enough to not cause undue upset, and they shared a strong pride in their individual career successes.

When the waiter arrived to clear away the dessert dishes, signaling the impending end of one of the best nights Ellie had spent in her life, she couldn't help her little sigh as she looked at Jackson. She was relatively certain her warm and fuzzy feelings weren't due solely to the bottle of wine they had shared.

Ellie became lost in her own thoughts as Jackson settled the bill with the waiter. Her gaze wandered to his lips, and she wondered if he was going to kiss her goodnight, or maybe more? Ellie was positive he would know what he was doing in the bedroom, and the thought of surrendering to his expertise was sending her heartbeat racing. He wouldn't be a cautious lover. There was nothing cautious or hesitant about Jackson Royce. Her nipples tingled, but it was nothing compared to that in her pussy, and she squirmed slightly in her chair.

“I've had the best time tonight, Jackson. Thank you very much,” she whispered somewhat raggedly.

“As have I, Eleanor.” He pushed back his chair, collected her coat and moved to help her up from the table. His hand tightened slightly on her shoulders as he helped her settle the garment in place. He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her lobe. “But our evening isn't over yet.”

Ellie shivered with excitement and swayed back slightly into his hold. The hard evidence of his arousal pressed firmly against her. What an intoxicating feeling to know this incredible man reacted to her with the same sexual intensity she had for him.

They left the restaurant in silence. When they arrived at her car, she steadied herself against the door while searching through her purse. It took a minute to find her keys with a trembling hand. She finally pulled them out and looked up at him expectantly.

“I'm going to follow you home, Eleanor.”

Okay, she had been hoping against hope there would be some lip locking here in the parking lot, but him
telling
her they were going back to her house was a bit too much of the macho, alpha male thing. The moisture soaking her panties was absolutely an unrelated freak occurrence she refused to acknowledge. She hit the remote, unlocking her car door.

“Dinner was wonderful, Jackson, and I really enjoyed being with you.” She hoped he caught the annoyance in her tone. “But I do not take men home on a first date.” She pulled on the door handle, but it didn't open due to Jackson's large palm pushing against it. She glared up at him and, for some unknown reason, was compelled to keep talking. “And if I ever decide to make an exception to that rule, I will invite the gentleman to my home. He will not order it done.”

Had she somehow come across as easy to him?

“I just spent hours talking with you, Eleanor. I am very well aware you have extremely high standards of behavior, which I approve of completely.”

“How wonderful,” she spat back at him.

“Your sarcasm in unnecessary.” He leaned down, his breath feathering along her pursed lips. “I have my own rules of behavior, and one of them is I do not start to make love to a woman in a public parking lot.”

When Ellie's mouth dropped open in complete shock, he chuckled and chastely kissed her forehead before allowing her to open her door.

She could have yelled at him, calling him every kind of arrogant male bastard. She could have tried to talk to him rationally about the strange feelings swirling through her. But instead, she silently got into her car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Ellie's nervous agitation had amplified tenfold by the time she pulled into her garage barely six minutes later. She closed the automatic door and went into the house, making her way slowly through the laundry room and kitchen. She dropped her purse on the table before crossing the living room to the front door. She leaned her head against the wood and took a shaky breath. With trembling fingers, she turned the knob. She was smart enough to realize letting this man into her home could have dangerous consequences where her heart was concerned. Not surprisingly, however, potential sexual fulfillment won out over rational thought.

“Come in.” Ellie stayed rooted where she stood as Jackson's monumental presence swept into her home.

Moving across the room with deliberate purpose, he removed his long black overcoat and laid it neatly on the back of the couch. He turned toward her, locking her gaze with his while he slowly removed his tie, set it on top of his coat and unbuttoned his top shirt button.

“Eleanor.” He held his hand out to her.

An invitation? A command? Certainly a promise of things to come. The one word hung in the air between them. What had she expected? She knew why he was here. All of a sudden, the reality of the man hit her like a ton of bricks. He wasn't going to settle for anything less than her total acceptance of the situation, her desire and his control.

“I don't think I can do this.” It was barely a whisper. “You ... I ... I'm kind of afraid of you right this moment.”

“I'm well aware of your unease and of your desire.” He didn't move a muscle.

“And you're getting off on it, aren't you?” She chewed on her lower lip, both dreading and anxiously awaiting his answer.

He lowered his arm, clasped his hands behind his back and widened his stance a bit, affecting the perfect military pose. Emotions played across his face, an odd but endearing mix of humor, pure sexual need and, as always, power.

“I am aroused by your dawning recognition of who I am and what I want. First, you ignored your own rule of no dating and agreed to meet me at a time and place of my choosing. Next, you enjoyed dinner tonight despite your reluctance regarding my orchestrating the meal down to the last detail. Most importantly, you have allowed me into your home with the full understanding that I will make love to you. You're not afraid of me, Eleanor. You're afraid of what you perceive as weakness in yourself, the desire to give up control.”

“The fact that you think you know me enough to make such a statement is crazy.”

“I'm only being honest, and it's vitally important you admit what's already happening between us.”

“But that's the problem, Jackson.” She took a few tentative steps in his direction. “I don't understand anything that's happened since you walked into my office.”

His cocky, I-know-I'm-irresistible nod helped restore some of her natural confidence.

“Besides your obvious physical attributes,” she ran her eyes along his body as she continued her cautious approach, “you personify every archaic male quality I loathe.”

The distance between them continued to lessen.

“Really?” He devilishly raised an eyebrow with the question.

“I'm thirty-four years old. Everything I have, everything I am, I have built and earned on my own. No man will ever take that away from me.” She had to look up in order to meet his eyes now that they were standing toe to toe.

“I'm not here to take anything away from you.” His hands gently cupped her cheeks. “I'm going to give you everything you need.” Jackson lowered his head toward her.

When their lips met, Ellie could do nothing but close her eyes and savor the heat traveling through her body. He gave her mere seconds before his tongue demanded entrance, which she granted him with an eager sigh. He tasted and teased while moving his hands to press her tightly against his solid frame. Ellie wrapped her arms around his back and held on for dear life. Jackson began devouring her in a way she had never experienced, and she reveled in it. Their tongues dueled seductively, and when Ellie caught his to suck gently, his hips moved against her. She ran her hands over the corded muscles of his back, loving the contrast between hardened male and cool silk shirt. When she made her way down to his tight ass and squeezed, Jackson growled against her lips before breaking the kiss.

With the little bit of space now between them, Ellie started popping open his buttons with shaking fingers. She was desperate to feel his skin and, in her eagerness, instead of finishing the job, she opened and pushed the material off of his shoulders far enough to expose his glorious chest. She touched him reverently before leaning in to run her tongue across a taut nipple.

Jackson placed one hand at the back of her head, cradling her to his body, as he used the other to untuck the ends of his shirt from his pants.

Ellie loved the taste of his skin. She licked from nipple to nipple then to his collarbone before nuzzling into the side of his neck.

Jackson fisted a handful of her curls and tipped back her head to stare down at her. The expression in his eyes, coupled with the tiny tug of pain at the back of her head, turned her legs to rubber and sent a shiver coursing through her body. Had he not been holding her so tightly, she would have slid down to the floor.

“The bedroom, Eleanor,” was all he said while sweeping her up into his arms in one fluid motion.

Ellie pointed silently to the hallway. She laid her head on his shoulder and gave herself up to the incredible sensation of being carried in Jackson's strong arms. When he set her on her feet once more, she tried to snuggle close and hold him again. She instantly missed his warmth and strength, but he placed her arms down at her sides and held them there by her wrists.

“I want you to hold still for a moment.” When she shot him a defiant, questioning look, he chuckled. “So that I can undress you. There's way too much clothing between you and me.”

How she stayed standing, she had no idea. In her limited experience, getting undressed before making love was a chaotic thing to be done quickly, but Jackson turned it into an art form all of its own. She felt like a treasured gift being opened as buttons slid agonizingly slowly through buttonholes before the blouse was drawn off of her shoulders and allowed to rub down her skin on its way to the floor. Instead of going straight for the bra, he reached around her waist to unbutton her skirt, sliding the zipper down, tooth by tooth, then gliding the garment over her hips and thighs, sending goose bumps rising in its wake.

He held her hand as she stepped out of the clothes at her feet. He then went down on one knee, trailing his finger along her leg. He took one ankle and lifted the foot to remove one shoe then repeated the torture on the other leg. Ellie was a quivering mass of need by the time his warm hands started to roll down her pantyhose.

“Jackson,
please
,” she begged as she reached down to run her hands through his jet-black hair. She couldn't take this much longer. He needed to speed things up.

Instantly, he stopped what he was doing. “You were told to stay still.”

He didn't look at her. He didn't move.

Okay, he had said that, but was it really necessary to carry the not moving thing so far? She just wanted to touch him, to let him know how she was aching for him. Her pussy was on fire, and her breasts were heavy and aching, but there was so much more. Every nerve ending was strung taut with anticipation. Her skin tingled. Her heart was racing, and her frantic pulse was beating in her ears.