He leaned over to whisper into her ear. Damn, she smelled good. Ellis chastised himself. You’ve kept it together this long. Don’t mess up now. “As soon as they announce the amount of money raised during the silent auction we can leave.”
Haven looked up into his face and for a moment their eyes locked. She smiled and responded just a little breathlessly. “Okay.”
He did it to her again. It never ceased to amaze her how Ellis could just turn on the charm at the drop of a hat. She clearly understood why he’d been able to keep a harem of girlfriends—although he wouldn’t call them that.
Someone tapped Ellis on the back. “McKenna! I’ve been trying to have a word with you all night.” The booming voice of Jack Wellstone, the organizer of the event, grabbed his attention.
“Mr. Wellstone! Helluva an event you’ve put on here.”
“Yes, it is. We’ve had a very successful night in no small part due to your generous donation.”
“You know you can always count on the McKenna’s to do all we can to support the Cure for Cancer Research Foundation.”
“We’re always grateful. Your parents would be so proud.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“What I really want to know is who your gorgeous date is? She’s been the talk of the event and seems to have enchanted everyone she’s met.” Jack looked around Ellis to Haven.
Ellis pulled Haven into his side and rested his hand on the small of her back.
Haven shivered.
Jack noticed, but his only response was to raise an eyebrow. He’d never seen Ellis appear to stake a claim on a woman before.
“Mr. Wellstone, this is Haven Shaw.”
Haven smiled and reached her hand out to shake his. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
A raven-haired woman sidled up next to Jack. She spoke with a southern drawl; however, her eyes never left Ellis’s line of sight. “Daddy, are you monopolizing Ellis’ time?” The woman completely ignored Haven.
Jack picked up his daughter’s hand, kissed and patted it. He knew the way that Ellis had looked at Haven and the way Haven returned his glances. His poor daughter didn’t stand a chance. “I’m doing no such thing, Aurora. Ellis here was just introducing me to his girlfriend, Haven Shaw.”
Ellis said nothing to correct him.
“Girlfriend? Ellis?” She laughed. “Everybody knows Ellis doesn’t do the girlfriend thing.”
Finally, Ellis responded. “As with everything, Aurora. Things change. I’ve already introduced Haven to your father. Haven, this is Aurora Wellstone.”
“Nice to meet you.” Haven hated her on sight but did her best to mask it, not just from them but herself too.
“Interesting.” Aurora’s eyes narrowed as she looked from Ellis to Haven. “Nice to meet you darlin’.”
Haven knew she didn’t mean it. Not one word of it. Still, Aurora scrutinized the two of them as if determining if she could believe her own eyes. “Well, suga, I’ve got rounds to make. Ellis, it was good seeing you again. If life gets a little boring, don’t hesitate to give me a holla’.” She turned to Haven for an uncomfortable few moments to emphasize her point, then, like a hurricane, Aurora walked away. Seconds later, so did an embarrassed Jack Wellstone.
“Wow. You dated her?” Aurora left a bad taste in Haven’s mouth.
“We didn’t actually date per se.”
“I guess it’s like that for all men.” An image of Dylan flashed through her mind.
“Like what?”
“Difficult to see past a fat ass and a smile.”
The entire carefree mood shifted, and Ellis wanted to change it back. As soon as the words left Haven’s mouth, the auction clock displayed two-million and twenty-three thousand dollars. The event was a success and raised an insane amount of money.
“How about we get out of here and go get some real food?”
Haven perked up. “Something fattening?”
He laughed. “I know the perfect spot.” Ellis took Haven by the hand and led her out of the building.
Chapter 15
Ellis chose the Monaco restaurant for dinner. It was intimate, served fantastic food, and had a live band with a dance floor. Reservations were hard to come by and usually took weeks to get a table. Tonight was no different. There wasn’t an empty seat in the place, and the dance floor was packed tight.
Fortunately, Ellis knew the owner, and they were seated right away. Haven wasn’t your spur of the moment kind of girl. She was a woman who liked order and with order typically came planning. But, on a scale of one to ten, for a day that wasn’t planned, she was having a fantastic time. Ellis was charming, sweet, and much too sexy for his own damn good.
Ellis was having similar thoughts. It was easy being with Haven. She had the cutest laugh and didn’t have any motives for wanting to be with him tonight, other than, he’d asked her. It didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes. Real easy. Haven was hella sexy without even trying to be, and that alone set her apart from most women. The more he thought about it, Ellis couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a night out this much with a woman.
He was about to pour Haven another glass of wine when she put her hand over the top. “I swear, if you don’t want me dancing on tables, you might not want to do that.”
He looked at her crossed legs. “I don’t know with those killer legs; I might.”
Haven’s lips turned up into a radiant smile. “Are you flirting with me, Mr. McKenna?”
“Only if you want me to.” He raised an eyebrow.
