Chapter 5

She had seen photos – several of them and had studied them at length. She was aware that Axel Lakeside's hair was of a coffee brown color and his eyes a piercing golden brown with flecks of green in the irises.

She also made note of the fact that he was six feet three inches tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful chest. But nothing in his photos had prepared her for the sheer animal magnetism or the lines fanning the sides of his eyes.

Or the stern no nonsense tilt to his sensuous lips. Nor the fact that he overwhelmed and loomed just by being in a space. He opened the doors of the half-finished house himself and was dressed casually in a pair of ash gray sweatpants and black t-shirt that clung to his very impressive chest and shoulders. He was also barefooted.

"Ms. Logan." His deep voice was clipped and a trifle impatient. "You are five minutes late."

"I was…"

"This way." He glanced pointedly at the expensive, but simple smart watch on his wrist. "I went ahead with a meeting I was waiting on when you did not show up."

She was duly reprimanded and for the first time in her life felt gauche and uncertain. She followed him along a wide passageway, with cool wavery blue tiles.

Pushing a door open, he stepped into an office complete with a wide baronial desk on which sat a laptop, a landline, several folders, and a series of steel cabinets over one corner. A big bay window overlooked a wild patch of land where flowers bloomed in profusion.

There was also a cabinet open to reveal a bar with several shelves packed with liquor. On a table, the latest coffee pot resided, with remnants of very strong coffee. A sofa was tucked beneath the window and a few chairs were placed in front of the desk.

Gesturing towards one of the chairs, he went back to the person he was talking to on the computer.

Taking out her iPod and trying not to show that she was listening to his conversation, she turned it on. His deep voice was distracting.

"Go ahead." He ordered. "What about the emails to China?"

"Already sent, sir, and we are waiting on a response."

Ellie assumed the person; the well-modulated voice was that of his assistant. "I need Lenny on the phone as soon as I finish up here."

"Yes, sir."

Since admitting her inside his home and giving her a cursory look, he had ignored her completely. Ellie was not used to that and even though she was not in the least bit vain, she had to admit that she was irked by the man's obvious rudeness.

"Get back to me on the call to Tuscany." He clicked off before the woman could respond and Ellie felt a jolt when he lifted his head and speared her with eyes as bright and golden as newly minted gold.

"You have ten minutes."

"We agreed to twenty. I am supposed to shadow you…"

"Not a chance in hell." Leaning back in the butter soft chair, he steepled his fingers and continued to stare at her over them. "You were five minutes late, which shaved off some of the time I agreed on."

"You agreed on twenty minutes."

"You have now wasted a minute of the ten minutes. It is up to you if you want to sit there and argue or get on with the interview. Either way, you are leaving in…," he made a production of glancing at his watch. "Eight minutes and forty seconds."

She stared at him for several ticking seconds and had to admit to herself that she was intimidated. He was sitting there behind his desk, but there was a leashed power that emanated from him, giving the impression that he was a force to be reckoned with. And the interview was not off to an auspicious start.

Rousing herself, she looked down at her device as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Ms. Logan?"

The impatience in his voice was very evident.

"I…," she cleared her throat and start over. "I am a little rattled because we had originally agreed to twenty minutes- "She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. "I am not going to waste time debating and going back and forth, since my time is limited. I was a little late because I was meeting with the mayor."

She paused to give him a chance to say something and waited through the ponderous silence before pushing ahead. "Anyway, um, I would like to first start with your frame of mind, the one that contributed to you becoming the success you are."

He continued to stare at her in silence and she had to force herself not to shift on the padded seat.

"Next question."

"You haven't answered the previous one."

"I wasn't aware that there was one. And you are wasting my time. You already know my past. I was born in River Glades and left when I was seventeen to seek my fortune."

"I want to know the years you actually spent here." She was determined to move past the feeling of facing the firing squad.

"The basis of my story, the article I am writing on you is your life here. What you went through before you went away and what clinched it to make you finally leave here and pushed you in a direction that changed the course of your life. Things like that." She lifted a hand helplessly.

Axel had noticed her the instant she alighted from her vehicle in front of his porch because he had been peering through the drapes that his mother had placed at the window.

He had watched her making her way towards the porch until she was standing in front of the double doors. On opening them, he had felt the jolt of desire and lust sizzling through his body to settle at the core of him.

"My childhood was uneventful." He finally responded.

"I would not agree with that."

His thick brows that were several shades darker than his hair, lifted. "You know differently?"

"Your dad ran out on you. I had a similar experience…"

His cynical laughter cut through her sentence.

"Whenever I face anything, whether it be an opponent, a friendly rival, hell, a potential friend, I do my due diligence. The company owns a very top of the line investigative firm.

Your father was in the navy as soon as he stepped out of high school and he met your mother soon after, presumably, fell in love and was with her for several years. It took them a while to conceive for whatever reason and then right after, the relationship crashed and burned.

Your dad resides very comfortably in a retirement community and is very much in your life. Your mom has been married three times." His eyes flickered over her face and rested for a beat on her lips. "My old man skipped out on us and never returned until he realized that I had struck it rich."

They stared at each other for a few pulsing minutes before she bent her head to stare at her iPod. "You checked into my life."

"Don't take it personally." His sardonic tone had her looking up at him. "I do it for everyone who will be coming into my personal space. Anything else?"

She was thrown off. Her professionalism was shot to hell. He made her nervous and so acutely aware of her femininity that she was tempted to check if the lip gloss she had applied was all gone.

"The article…," she cleared her throat and swallowed before continuing, "is based on your childhood. I have been getting a feel of the place. I have spoken to Rosalyn at the café and Mayor Adelson…"

"Did he take credit for my iconic rise to fame?" There was a derisive look on his face that had her smiling. The transformation to an already exotically beautiful face had his senses stirring dramatically, sending confusion and anger coursing through him.

He had to get rid of her. The room was suddenly exceedingly small and his awareness of her was increasing.

"I had a feeling he wanted to, but I ended the discussion before it got to that."

She started when he glanced at his watch.

"Two more minutes," he told her brusquely.

"Oh. I – er – your mom. She is…"

"The heroine in this story, not me. She held her family together against all odds. You want to know about my childhood? It was rough, there was never enough food to fill our bellies.

But Caitlin Lakeside was determined to provide for us, even though it meant taking three jobs. She cleaned people's houses, tidied offices, stocked shelves, and did anything to feed her children. She is the ideal woman, something that is very rare."

Ellie found herself shaken to the core by the passion in his deep voice. Speaking about his mother had stripped him of the cynicism that was so much a part of him. As if realizing that he had become vulnerable in front of her, he wiped the passion off his face for it to become an expressionless mask.

"Ask your questions and be done with it for today. I have real work to do."

She gathered her composure enough to do just that and at precisely two minutes, with her scribbling furiously, he pushed away from his desk, indicating that the interview had ended.

Moving past her, he opened the door and ushered her out, following her as far as the front doors. He also made certain not to touch her.

"When next…?"

"I will have my assistant contact you with my availability." He told her brusquely.

Her eyebrows lifted as she turned to stare at her. "Your assistant is all the way out of town, and you are here, we both are." Taking the large tote off her shoulder, she dug in and found a business card. "You can call me direct instead, unless doing so is beneath you."

She withstood his piercing gaze as he took her card without even looking at it.

"Okay then. Goodbye Ms. Logan."

"Your mother insisted I call them by their first name…," her voice petered off at the impassive look on his face, "but you are not them." She nodded. "Looking forward to the phone call." With that, she left.

Ellie had to almost physically force herself not to turn around to see if he was watching her. Hearing the doors slammed shut, she entered her vehicle.

*****

He did not go back to his office but strode into the kitchen to remove the covered dish of casserole, his mother had sent over for him. He did not have much appetite, not while his emotions were churning out of control.

Removing the cover, he stared at the delicious combination of vegetable and chicken, the aroma was not the one tantalizing his senses or assailing his nostrils. It was her delicate and subtle perfume.

He could still smell it even though she was no longer here. Plopping down on the nearest barstool around the malachite counter, he stared at the meal with a frown, his thoughts knotted.

He wasn't in a relationship. Ever since the betrayal by a woman he thought was in love with him, he had stayed clear, only entering casual ones that lasted a little longer than a week.

He had avoided emotional entanglement after what had happened. The experience had changed him even more. Now, he no longer put on an effort and in fact, he was not even trying.

But for the first time in a while, he had felt the stirring of something very strong. He had taken one look at the exquisite woman interviewing him and felt a lust that had shocked the hell out of him.

Now there was going to be a problem being near her. He was an expert at hiding his emotions yes, but he was not going to push his luck. And he had no intention of getting involved with Ellie Logan.

*****

She decided to take Tom up on his offer. After leaving the home of Axel Lakeside, she returned to the cottage and tried to settle and get some work done, but that had been a wasted effort.

She couldn't concentrate and sat there staring at her black computer screen for several minutes until it became apparent that she wasn't going to be able to work.

So, with an impatient sigh, she gave up. The man had unnerved her and that was a bother. What was even more disturbing was how acutely aware of him she was. She supposed a man like him was used to having women fall at his feet.

She knew about his well-publicized romance with an actress that had gone wrong for some reason. What was it like to be loved by Axel Lakeside, she found herself wondering. And had he been in love with her? If so, was he pining? She could not picture a man like him lowering himself to such a demeaning position.

Fed up with the thoughts consuming her, she showered, donned black leather pants, a thin black cashmere sweater and matching leather jacket and jumped into her car and here she was, at the lovely Irish pub having a pint at the bar.

"What do you think?" Tom had served her the ale himself, leaving his other customers to his employee. The moment she stepped foot inside the darkened entrance, she had been the focus of every eye, including the few females present. They knew who she was and besides that, she had dressed to kill.

"It has an interesting taste," she admitted.

"It's called Murphy's and is dated back to the eighteen fifty-six." He grinned at her as he handed her some roasted peanuts to go with it. "Have you eaten?"

She stared at him over her glass. "Don't tell me you serve food here."

His grin widened. "This is an original Irish pub, and it wouldn't be one without our famous Irish stew with dumplings or our Guiness beef stew. How about a sample of each?"

"I am game."

While he went to place the order, she had the chance to look around. It wasn't a large space by any means, but it was neat and clean. There were four leaf clovers dotted all over the walls along with pictures of Dublin and Cork showcased on glossy posters.

Irish ballads permeated the air and set the mood even further. Tom McCleary seemed to be doing a bustling business in the small town of River Glades which was very surprising.

He came back after a few minutes bearing two plates. "Would you prefer to sit at a table?"

"I am fine right here. As long as I am not in the way."

"Not at all." He placed the plates in front of her. "I am enjoying the view," he added with a grin.

*****

"Darling, are you okay?" Caitlin asked her son anxiously as he left his position on the comfortable sofa to go and look out the window.

She had surprised him by stopping by on her way back from a church social and as usual had brought him some pastries to enjoy with his coffee. "I baked too much for the social and had leftovers," she told him. He doubted that was the entire story, but he took them with a smile.

Turning to look at her, he smiled slightly. "Just thinking about the sacrifices, you made. I had the interview with Ms. Logan this afternoon. It brought back some memories."

"I never think of it as a sacrifice," she admitted softly.

He smiled as he stared at her. She was wearing a peach dress with a matching cashmere sweater. Her thick coffee brown hair threaded through with gray was styled in a neat chignon at the back of her head and she looked lovely and graceful.

He recalled her wearing faded dresses that always looked too big on her. But they had shopped in the thrift stores and the items there were not exactly brand new.

"You are a very beautiful woman, why haven't you ever met anyone else?"

His grin widened as the blush stained her smooth cheeks. "Why mother, don't tell me you have a secret beau? Who is this gentleman that I am going to need to vet carefully?"

"You are too bad," she chided, shaking her head at his teasing. "He is not a secret beau, just someone at church."

"How serious is this and why am I just hearing about it?" The teasing note had disappeared from his voice as he continued to stare at her.

As far as he knew, she had only been with one man, the worthless excuse for a father and husband and even though she was almost sixty, she was very inexperienced when it comes to relationships. He was also aware that because of who he was, people were going to want to find ways to get piece of the action.

At the same time, he could not begrudge his mother for wanting to seek companionship. She had been without one for years and he suspected that in the past, she had been too busy and too broken up to even think of having a relationship.

"We are just friends, that's all."

Finishing his drink, he walked over to where she was seated and sat next to her. "You deserve to be with someone who is worthy of you." Taking her hand in his, he linked their fingers. "I never thought of you as wanting to be in a relationship.

Hell, you are my mother, and we prefer to think that you are not human, at least when it comes to that sort of thing. But you deserve someone who is going to look past…," he stopped abruptly as he searched for the appropriate word.

"Look past the fact that my son is a multi-billionaire." She supplied with her serene smile.

"I hate that word," he muttered.

"Even though it is true? I am not an idiot, darling," she squeezed his hand, "I know that there are unscrupulous people out there who would want to be with us because of the money."

She was anxious not to remind him of his past relationship with that greedy and immoral woman. "Why do you think I have been so careful? Bert and I are just friends. He lost his wife to cancer some years ago and they never had children. As a matter of fact, you know him."

"I do?"

She nodded with a smile. "Bert Granger owns the hardware store in town."

"Ah." A smile touched his face as he brought up the image of skinny man with the bushy head of steel gray hair and a pleasant smile. "We have been ordering supplies from him ever since we started the renovations."

"And he is very grateful for the business. He has been a fixture in this town for a very long time and is a decent man."

"I am sure he is." Lifting their joined hands, he kissed hers tenderly. "In spite of that and the fact that I happen to respect him, if he hurts you, he answers to me."

This time the blush was even more evident, and her eyes moistened as she stared at him. "I think he knows that."

*****

Ellie had enjoyed herself and the food had been surprisingly good. She had been to Ireland during one of her photo shoots and thought the place was lovely.

Tom had brought back that particular memory with his little pub. The entire experience in the pub was pleasant. She ended up drinking another pint before reminding him that she was driving.

"You could always leave your car and walk. It's not very far from where you are staying. I could accompany you."

She had refused of course, realizing that he wanted more than just to see her to her door. She had left with the promise that she would be back, and she was going to keep that promise.

Getting out of the car, she pulled the jacket, which was completely inappropriate for the strong breeze that had sprung up, snugged against her chest. Even the leather was no proof against the stiff wind. Inhaling the clean air, she made a hasty retreat up the steps and inside the warmth of the cabin.

She had added some firewood to the living room fireplace before she left, and the place was comfortably warm. Shedding her jacket and taking off her ankle boots, she sat on the sofa and stared at the mesmerizing flames.

She was far from sleepy. Slipping off her skintight pants, she padded into the room she had designated as her office and booted up her laptop.