Christmas with the Best Man Read online

  They spent the next half an hour watching people and finishing their drinks.

  “How far is Fifth Avenue from here?” she asked.

  “Not far.” He drained his cup.

  “Do you mind if we walk up there? I’d like to see about getting a couple of presents.”

  “No. I figured that would be the next thing on the list.” He leaned forward in his chair.

  She gave him a pointed look. “You think you know me that well?”

  He smiled. “No, but it doesn’t take much to figure out that a woman will find a place to shop.”

  She stood and looked down her nose at him. “I’ll have you know I don’t appreciate being lumped in with ‘all’ women.”

  “Honey, you don’t have to worry about that. You stand out.” Elijah grinned as he joined her.

  Helena looked pleased with his response. Despite being an accomplished doctor, she seemed to need reassurance as a woman. Had someone made her feel less of one?

  * * *

  Helena hadn’t had a man along on a shopping trip since she and her father had gone out for the day to find her a prom dress. It had been such a happy day. She hated that not long after that she had disappointed him by having to tell her parents she was pregnant.

  At the first store she and Elijah stopped in she picked up something for Grace and a couple of her nurse friends on the staff. She questioned whether or not she should get something for Elijah but their fling would be over before Christmas. Would it bother him if she got him a gift? Would he think she was trying to hang onto him? It didn’t matter, she really didn’t have an opportunity. He was never out of eyesight.

  He insisted on carrying her bags as they left the store. They must look like a happy couple out shopping for their families. Helena liked that idea too much, even knowing heartache was down the road.

  They were soon strolling past Tiffany’s windows. She pulled to a stop in front of one of them.

  Elijah groaned. “I knew we should’ve gone the other way.”

  She turned to look at him. “You do know that they sell other things besides wedding rings.”

  “Yeah, but a man stays far away from this place if he doesn’t want to get into trouble.”

  “You really do have a phobia about getting involved, don’t you?” She started on down the street. She certainly didn’t want him thinking she wanted something more than the week they had planned. “Did someone do a number on you? Was she after your money? Your name?”

  In her case it had just been a teenage boy who had convinced himself he’d loved her. Then times had gotten tough and he’d left. She knew what it was like to feel used. It was easy to understand why Elijah would be cautious.

  “Let’s just say,” he finally answered, “that I’ve watched my parents’ marriage and don’t want any part of that type of life.”

  She glanced over at him. “They seemed happy enough at the wedding.”

  “That’s just it. Theirs is a marriage of show.”

  “My parents really love each other. You can see it in the way they look at each other. After all the years you can feel the love between them.”

  “Not the case with mine.” There was a note of disgust in his voice. “I’m getting hungry. I know of a place just off Broadway where we can get a good hot meal.” He put his hand up for a taxi.

  “You could just say you don’t want to talk about it any more. You don’t need to buy a meal to change the subject.”

  “I’m killing two birds with one stone.” He opened the taxi door for her to get in.

  During the ride, Elijah sat so close his body warmed her along her left side. She looked at him, at his strong jaw, high cheekbones, and straight nose. But his best feature was his eyes. It wasn’t that they were an arresting blue, which they were, but it was because they twinkled when he laughed, turned darker just as he entered her, or sparkled when he teased.

  “Is something wrong? You’re staring at me.”

  “Nope, nothing at all.” She had to watch it or she’d fall under his spell and it would take her years to recover, if ever.

  The restaurant was on the bottom floor of an old brownstone on a tree-lined street. Stepping down a few steps they entered through a thick oak door and went down another step. The brick walls and the rich wooden tables and chairs along with the dim lighting gave the place a warm, old-world feel. Helena loved it immediately.

  They were shown to a center table for two. It was covered in a starched white cloth and had a small vase of flowers on it.

  “How did you find this place?” When he didn’t answer right away she stopped studying the architecture and looked at him.

  He gave her a sheepish look.

  “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” She didn’t want to hear about the other women he had brought here. Against all logic, she wanted to be special to him. However, that wasn’t going to happen. This was a week-long fling and his idea to boot.

  “It’s not what you think.” He took her hand across the table.

  “How do you know what I think?”

  He squeezed her hand. “Because it’s written all over your very pretty, very expressive face.”

  She pursed her lips. “No woman likes to be thought transparent.”

  A middle-aged man came to their table and took their drink order.

  “They have the best steak here.” Elijah picked up the menu the waiter had left.

  “What is it with men and beef? Steak is my father’s favorite meal.” Elijah gave her an odd look for a second. Did her comparison to her father bother him?

  They studied the menu and the waiter returned with their drinks. Elijah ordered his steak and she decided on the risotto.

  When they were alone again, Helena said, “I’m glad I let you come along this afternoon. It has been nice to have company.”

  Elijah chuckled. “You’re welcome. Pack mule that I have been.”

  “Hey, that was your choice.”

  “It was. I have to say I’ve not spent a day off like this one in a long time.”

  “So what do you usually do with your free time?” She really wanted to know.

  His forehead wrinkled as if he were giving her question a great deal of thought. “I like to travel when I can. I also do some work at a free clinic a couple of times a month.”

  She was astonished. After all, he was known as a playboy. “You do?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  “I’m not really, I guess. You’re a Davenport after all. I see the passion you all put into the hospital. I just thought you might want to get away completely from medical work on your days off.”

  “I love what I do and a buddy of mine started the clinic. And sometimes it’s nice not to be under the Davenport name all the time.”

  “Why is that?”

  * * *

  Elijah didn’t want to get into all his family’s ugliness. He’d had no idea Helena could pull so much information out of a person. She was naturally open and seemed unable to comprehend that others were not. Yet he felt he could trust her. He didn’t freely give trust and had certainly never given it to a woman he dated. He managed to keep any discussion superficial where they were concerned. In Helena’s case he didn’t think she’d let it go without an answer. He would share what was common knowledge but his own dirty secret would remain his.

  “I grew up in what I thought was a happy family.”

  He didn’t miss Helena’s wince at his use of the word “thought.”

  “We did things together much like what we did today. There were great family vacations. Family dinners, birthday parties and those big family Christmas events you love so much. We were taught to protect the family name. Being a Davenport was important. It meant something to be a Davenport. We were also taug
ht what happened in the family stayed in the family. Our business wasn’t to be in the media.”

  “That must have been hard to accomplish as a young adult.”

  “Let’s just say that I think my father put out money more than once to keep one or more of us out of the papers. Thank goodness none of us ever got into serious trouble. Anyway, having a well-known family name comes with scrutiny. Sometimes the light gets shined too brightly on you.”

  A dark look entered her eyes for a second. “I know how people can talk.”

  From the way she’d said it, there must have been a time when she’d been the subject of talk. “This is where the story takes an nasty turn.” He had her full attention. “When I was twenty-three I woke to my family name and pictures splashed all over the papers and TV. Someone had discovered my father had had a long-term affair.” His gut tightened. The memories of the implosion of his family, his disappointment in his father and the disloyalty to his mother still haunted him. He’d known and had let it happen. Let the media blindside everyone he loved. “There was also a child involved. Miranda is my half-sister. My father’s love child. When her mother died, she contacted my father as she had no one else to turn to, and that’s when his secret finally came out.”

  The shock on Helena’s face made him look away. “Y’all found out about her from the media!” she said in a tone of complete indignation. “I’m so sorry, Elijah. I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been for you. Your brothers and sister. Your poor mother.”

  Elijah could. He’d seen it first-hand. Had been responsible. “Yeah.”

  “And your mother stayed with your father after that?”

  “Remember ‘You protect the Davenport name’?” He fiddled with the corner of his napkin.

  She nodded.

  “My parents’ marriage is a sham. They appear in public as a happy couple but in private they lead their own lives. They have all these years.”

  “I see now. It makes sense.” Helena sounded thoughtful.

  “What’s that?”

  “Why you have such a dim view of marriage. I get it now.”

  Her sudden clear understanding made him uncomfortable. But then again, the other women he dated had never shown enough interest in his life to ask. Elijah discovered that some of the heaviness and guilt he’d carried for so long had eased.

  The waiter returned with a basket of bread. His arrival gave Elijah a welcome chance to turn their conversation to other subjects. With the waiter gone, he asked, “Do you like any sports?” Over the next hour, they ate and discussed movies, places they had visited and would like to visit, often laughing and agreeing.

  With dinner eaten, they headed back to Helena’s place. She was quiet during the ride. Elijah wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. Was she thinking about what he had told her? Or about them? When the taxi pulled to the curb in front of her building Elijah climbed out and help her out.

  “Wait a minute,” he told the cab driver.

  Helena looked perplexed and wouldn’t meet his eyes. Taking pity on her, he asked, “Aren’t you going to invite me up?”

  “I wasn’t sure if I should.” She shifted back and forth as if she was nervous.

  She really was insecure. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

  “We both have an early day tomorrow.”

  “That’s true. If you don’t want me to come up that’s your call, just say the word.” He wanted her again but if it wasn’t what she desired he’d not push.

  Helena suddenly smiled. Relief hit him. She wasn’t going to send him away. “I’d love for you to come up.”

  “Love for me to, huh?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t let that ego get you uninvited.”

  That was the woman he liked so much. “I certainly don’t want that to happen.” He paid the cab driver and returned to her.

  At her apartment door, she fumbled with her purse, looking for her keys. Elijah took it from her and found her keys then unlocked the door. “You don’t invite men to your place very often, do you?”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeah, but I like the idea that you don’t.” And he did. It had been a long time since he’d thought he meant something to a woman he’d spent a night with. Or to anyone else, for that matter. At one time he’d felt special to his mother, but then he had betrayed her and now he could hardly look her in the eyes.

  Inside Helen’s apartment, he controlled his impulse to grab her and carry her to the bedroom. He desired women all the time but never with this all-consuming need he had for Helena. Despite the intimacy they had shared she was suddenly shy, unsure. He wanted her willing and wild like she’d been the night before.

  Helena dropped her bags and purse in a chair near the door and pulled off her coat. “I don’t have any coffee but I can offer you tea.”

  He wasn’t really interested in anything to drink but Helena seemed to need a little space and something to keep her busy, so he agreed to a cup. Had the day been as rare for her as it had been for him?

  Elijah took a seat in the living area to wait as she moved around in the kitchen. She was a good doctor but she looked equally capable in a domestic role. She would make some man a wonderful wife, be a good mother. If he had children, which he had no intention of doing, she’d make the perfect mother. One day she would be in that role for another man. Elijah’s chest tightened in denial. He didn’t like the idea of another man having Helena. Where’d that thought come from?

  Forcing himself to focus on the amazing day they’d shared and what he hoped would be an equally amazing evening, he relaxed. When had he smiled or laughed so much? Helena saw wonder in everything. He’d lost that. It had been destroyed when he’d discovered his father, whom he’d respected beyond any other man, had been nothing but a cheat. Helena’s lively personality created a radiance that enabled him to see life differently. At least for a little while.

  She brought him a mug then left the room empty-handed. He didn’t like this separation between them. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

  She offered him an odd little smile. “In a minute. My feet are wet and I want to get these shoes off.”

  “We should have shopped for some waterproof boots for you. A must for winters here.”

  “Maybe next time,” she said over her shoulder as she went down the hall.

  A few minutes later she called, “Elijah, could you come and help me, please?”

  What was going on now? Setting his mug aside, he followed her voice down the hall. Reaching her bedroom door, he was greeted by a sight that set his blood roaring and his manhood tightening.

  Helena stood beside her bed in a simple short nightie that wouldn’t have been sexy on anyone else he knew but the sight had his mind running through all the ways he’d like to take it off her. She had pulled the covers away on the bed, making it clear she was inviting him in.

  Would the woman ever cease to amaze him?

  She grinned as she came toward him, taking his hand. “It’s my place and I get to have my way with you tonight.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  ELIJAH WASN’T SURE what was happening but he had every intention of enjoying it while it lasted. Helena had her way with him until he was hotter than a summer day on the Equator. He’d always been the aggressor in his affairs, never willing to allow a woman power over him. Helena had demanded what she’d wanted. He’d hesitated to give her free rein, but the pleasurable rewards of letting go had been almost more than he could endure.

  Best of all was the gentle smile Helena had worn while he’d lain spreadeagled across the bed after he’d had the most intense release of his life. He’d retaliated by loving her until she’d yelled his name loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

  Her bedroom was dim, almost dark, and cool when h
e woke hours later except for where a warm woman cuddled against him. Buzzing filled the air. Helena moaned and reached out a hand, patting air. He leaned across her and tapped the button on the clock, stopping the noise.

  “I’ve got to get up,” Helena murmured, her head facing away from him. Her arm lay across his waist.

  “We’ve got to get up.” Elijah glanced at the clock. They didn’t have time for what his body was begging for if they were going to make it to work on time. “You want the shower first or shall I take it?”

  She rolled her head and opened an eye. “I thought you might ask to share.”

  He gave her a wicked grin. “I bet you’d like that. I’ll go first.”

  “Always the funny guy.” She gave his bare butt a teasing slap as he climbed out of bed.

  Elijah looked down at Helena. She was stunning with her hair rumpled around her head and her glorious body twisted in the sheets. He hated to leave her. But there was tonight. “I don’t know that anyone has ever called me funny.”

  “Well, I like your sense of humor.”

  He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  * * *

  Helena had never shared her home in New York with a man, but she had to admit that Elijah sitting across from her while they ate a quick bowl of cereal was nice. She could get used to it. No, she couldn’t, she had to sternly remind herself. This was a week-long fling.

  Her phone rang. “Hey, Mom.” Over the next few minutes she chatted with her mother while watching Elijah. He gave her such a wicked grin she had to ask her mother to repeat herself. His smile grew larger then. The man had no idea of his charm. Then again, maybe he did.

  “I look forward to seeing you too. I can hardly wait. See you then.” Helena hung up the phone.

  Elijah had pulled on his sweater and was standing in the living room.

  “My parents are coming up in March. I’d love you to meet them.”

  Shadows filled Elijah’s eyes. He shook his head slowly. “That isn’t going to happen. Remember we said a fling.”