The Secrets of Seduction - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,59

and set her down on the bathroom countertop, taking her there, fast and furious. Sometimes, they didn’t even make it that far. The wall of the shower was closer and their need to touch and explore, to surge towards that blissful release, was more important than a horizontal surface.

Some nights, after they’d made love and eaten, satisfying all of their hungers, both of them would work a bit longer. Ella was frantic to get the story written as quickly as possible. There was the fear that someone else would discover the criminal activities that Edward had perpetrated over the years, and Ella wanted that scoop. She wanted to be the one to bring it to the world. But there was also a sense of closure. So many crimes needed to be punished. And until they worked through all of the details, discovered all of the officials that had taken bribes over the years, they couldn’t go to the authorities. Their concern was that one of those unethical officials would sweep all of the crimes under the rug.

Three weeks into their discovery, Ella leaned back against the deep cushions of Malcolm’s sofa, watching him. He was working at his desk, set up off to the side of the magnificent room. She smiled, noticing the crease between his eyes as he worked. He was holding bank statements, using a pencil to tick off line items as he cross checked them against something in the journal.

She shivered, thinking about the way he’d touched her earlier that night. He was such an amazing lover. He seemed to find a new place to touch her every time they came together, a place that sent shivers with need through her body.

Would this intense craving for him ever ease up?

She caressed her stomach. Yes, she was positive that she was pregnant now, although thankfully, the morning sickness had eased up. There were still mornings when she moved a bit more slowly than usual, she hadn’t had a period in too long, her breasts were extremely tender, and…and she craved black beans. She’d never really liked them before, but now, she couldn’t seem to get enough of them. She even bought some black bean burgers, which they’d eaten for dinner this evening. Malcolm had only lifted an eyebrow when she’d taken the package out of the cotton grocery bag. But he’d heated them in the oven, while she cut up lettuce, tomato and onions for their “burgers”.

“I love you,” she whispered. Not loud enough for him to hear her. Ella knew that he wasn’t in a place where he could handle that kind of a revelation from her. Nor did she believe that he loved her back. So, Ella hugged her feelings close to her heart, ignoring the slight pang at the idea of leaving him when this was all over.

She needed to tell him about the baby, she thought. Ella kept looking for the perfect time to tell him. But it never seemed to come. They were so busy with this investigation and discovering everything they could. And yet, was it fair for her to know something so important and keep that news from him?

No, it wasn’t.

She needed to tell him. Now! Tonight!

“Malcolm, I need …” The phone rang. He glanced at her, and then at the phone. It was after ten o’clock at night, it had to be important.

“Reynolds,” he snapped when he lifted the phone. His lips tightened and he leaned back in the chair, sighing as he rubbed his forehead. “Yes. Fine. If he’s agreed to the surgery, then that’s fine.”

There was another long pause, then Malcolm hung up the phone.

“Your…” she paused and corrected herself. “Edward agreed to the heart surgery?” She saw the truth in Malcolm’s eyes.

“Yes.”

She didn’t say anything. Instead, Ella stood up and walked over to him, curling up in his lap. She felt his arms go around her, tightening almost painfully. No words were spoken. She didn’t understand what he was feeling and Ella suspected that he didn’t either. That was okay, she thought as she turned to kiss his neck, then tightened her arms around him when she felt his shudder.

Chapter 15

Edward Reynolds recovered from heart surgery with astounding speed. In fact, he was shouting at one of the nurses when Ella’s news story was released into the world. The timing was perfect, the entire nursing staff was beaming when the police came by to handcuff him to the hospital bed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”