“So, you pulled it off, I see,” Trevor said to Mitch, smiling as he glanced across the room to where his sister stood talking to his wife. He could tell from the smile on Gina’s face just how happy she was.
Mitch chuckled. “Did you think for one minute that I wouldn’t?”
Trevor grinned. “No. That night I talked to you, you were pretty damn determined. I’m glad you’re back in the family, Mitch.”
“And I’m glad to be back.” He glanced across the room to where his father-in-law was standing talking to Reverend Avery. “Excuse me, Trevor, there’s something I need to take care of.”
He walked over to the two men. “Excuse me, Reverend Avery, but I would like to speak with Mr. Grant privately for a second.”
Nathan Avery smiled. “Sure thing, son. We were discussing our grandson there. I’ll check out those little sandwiches Stella just put out.”
When Mitch found himself alone with Gina’s father at first it was hard for him to gather up his thoughts. And it didn’t help matters that Maurice Grant was looking at him through dark eyes that reminded Mitch so much of Trevor when he wasn’t too pleased about something.
Mitch cleared his throat. “There was a reason I didn’t ask for Gina’s hand in marriage this time, sir.”
“Oh? Were you afraid I wouldn’t give it to you a second time?” Maurice Grant said, unsmiling.
Mitch shook his head. “No, I felt it wasn’t needed. You had given it to me once and a part of me felt you knew I was doing the right thing by getting her back.”
“And have you done the right thing, Mitch?”
“Yes, sir, I have. I love your daughter very much.”
Maurice didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he let out a deep sigh. “I know you do. I’ve always known how you felt and I was fairly certain we hadn’t seen the last of you, although Gina was pretty convinced we had. So, I really wasn’t surprised when you showed back up in Houston.”
“You weren’t?”
“No.” The older man let out an amused chuckle. “In fact, I had expected you sooner.”
“I had a lot of issues to resolve.”
“And have you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. My daughter loves you very much, but I guess you know that.”
“Yes, sir, I know that.”
“And I guess I don’t have to tell you that I expect you to make her happy.”
Mitch shook his head, smiling. “No, sir, you don’t have to tell me that.”
“Good.” He extended his hand out to Mitch. “I’m glad to have you back in the family, son, and I know in my heart that you are the best man for her. You are the only man for her.”
A lump formed in Mitch’s throat. It had been important to him to regain this man’s trust and confidence. “Thank you.”
“Mitch?”
Mitch turned toward the soft, ultra-sexy voice and smiled when he saw Gina. “Yes, sweetheart?”
She glanced from him to her father, then back to him again. Concern showed in her eyes. “Is everything all right?”
He chuckled. “Yes, everything is fine. Come here, Mrs. Farrell.”
She closed the distance between them and walked straight into his opened arms. He held her tight and close to his heart. Tonight they would leave on a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, and St. Croix, for a four-week honeymoon. Two weeks for the honeymoon they’d never had the first time around and the other two for this marriage.
From now on everything between them would be strictly pleasure.
Irresistible Attraction
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom.
—PSALM 90:12
To my husband, Gerald Jackson Sr.
and
A special young lady, Sydney Rashan Snow
Prologue
Sydney Corbain smiled as she watched her brother Linc steal a kiss from Raven, his bride, as they waltzed around the room, their first dance together as husband and wife. Tears of happiness shone in her eyes and she took a deep breath, then exhaled. This was how it was supposed to be for two people who loved each other.
Her smile widened as she acknowledged there were actually six people dancing around the room who loved each other, happy and eager to start their new lives together. This was the first triple wedding she had ever attended, and she had to admit it was one of the most beautiful. It was evident that Leigh Walcott Alexander, the professional event planner, along with the owners of Leo’s Supper Club, the Hardcastles, had worked hard to make the wedding and the reception special for the three couples.
She didn’t think she had seen such beautiful brides as Raven and her two sisters, Robin and Falcon. They were simply glowing for their husbands and there was no doubt in Sydney’s mind they were women well loved.
She glanced around the room and her gaze met that of Tyrone Hardcastle, one of the owners of Leo’s. This wasn’t the first time tonight that their gazes had met…and held. She could feel something between them—interest, curiosity, awareness—as well as something else.
An irresistible attraction.
She sighed deeply, frozen in place, as they continued to look at each other. His gaze began moving slowly over her face, studying her feature by feature. She wanted to look away but could not. Her senses were on high alert and she actually liked the excitement. At twenty-six, a sexual attraction she could handle, an emotional connection she could not.
The two of them had been introduced last year when she’d come from Memphis to D.C. to see her brother Linc, and within seconds she had felt an aura of acute sexual awareness that radiated between them. It was there in the intensity of his gaze whenever he looked at her, making a shiver of heated desire course through her body. Even now she could feel her reactions being triggered. She knew from the psychology classes she’d taken in college that sexual attraction was normal and a part of every human’s makeup.
Sydney sighed again. There was nothing normal about the desire she was feeling for Tyrone Hardcastle. She was an attorney, for heaven’s sake, programmed to deal with facts—specifics and details. But at that very moment, Tyrone was making her too confused to play the role. The strange thing about it was that she had never felt these strong vibes from his identical twin brother, Tyrell. Her reaction to Tyrone was one sure way to tell them apart, as well as the difference in hairstyle. She hadn’t spent enough time with either to know their temperament. Last October, exactly six months ago, she had learned the painful lesson that a person could be one way on the outside and totally different on the inside. Rafe Sutherlin had been the one to educate her. She was glad she had found out what type of inconsiderate person he was before she agreed to marry him.
So here she was, fighting off vibes she had never felt for Rafe, or any man for that matter. Everyone who knew her was aware that she was levelheaded in some things and impulsive in others.
Like now.
She and Tyrone were flirting with each other without saying a single word, yet flirting just the same. But so what? It was fun, spicy, and harmless. Each time they saw each other their attraction became more tempting and enticing, and she felt that Tyrone Hardcastle was worth every minute she was putting into it. Juilliard educated with a doctorate degree, he was responsible for the music and entertainment at Leo’s. She had to give him credit for how his skillful selection of music, every noteworthy tune, had enhanced the event. Those in attendance would remember the varied sounds and resonance of the reception as much as they did the wedding itself. Both had been crafted together in a way that made it one unforgettable event.
She could also give him credit for how he looked tonight. He was not dressed like a behind-the-scene worker, detached from the activities. Like the rest of the Hardcastles who felt a definite closeness to the three brides, he was dressed in formal attire like everyone else.
No man, she thought, should look that good in a tux and have such a striking profile. He wore his sandy brown hair in twi
sts that fell to his shoulders. His skin was a golden brown and his eyes, still trained directly on her, were large, slanted, and clear brown. Like his twin, there was a distinctive mole on his left cheekbone and a strong cleft chin.
From what her sister-in-law Raven had told her, Tyrone was very much single, preferred to be called Roni by family and friends, and placed everything, including women, second to his music.
She shrugged. She didn’t have a problem with that since she’d also been accused of placing everything second to her career. At least that’s what Rafe had claimed. As she took a sip of her punch, thinking that even the fruity drink was first class, she decided to stop this game she was playing with Tyrone Hardcastle for now, since nothing could ever come of it.
But then, maybe, one day…
One
Nine Months Later
Tyrone Hardcastle clasped his hands around a mug of hot chocolate while sitting in a café in New York City in the middle of January, with the temperature less than fifteen degrees outside. He almost envied the two brothers and cousin he’d left behind in D.C. to run things at Leo’s.
Almost but not quite.
Even with the cold weather, nothing was better than being in New York in the wintertime. He had grown accustomed to New York winters while a student at Juilliard. In spite of the ice, snow, and cold, there was something invigorating about being back in the Big Apple, even for just a short while, especially since he was here to do something he got a lot of pleasure from: sharing his musical talent with others.
He thoroughly enjoyed his job as entertainment director at Leo’s Supper Club, a restaurant he owned along with his oldest brother Noah, his twin brother Tyrell, and his cousin Ayanna. During the year he occasionally traveled to a number of places to keep his finger on the pulse of the music industry, which was the reason he was in New York. He had returned to work as a visiting music professor at Columbia University for six weeks.
Tyrone glanced up, looked out the window, and studied the feminine figure moving across the street, then drew in a deep breath as a sudden feeling of heat slithered through his body. This was the second time he had seen her this week, and both times he had gotten this sudden feeling of acute desire. He wondered if she were someone he knew, but both times he’d only managed to catch a glimpse of her from the back. As she was also wearing a huge overcoat and a knitted cap, he hadn’t been too sure. Still, a part of him wondered, what was the possibility of two women having that same sensuous walk? As far as he was concerned, Sydney Corbain definitely had a patent on it. She also had a patent on the sudden rush of passion he was feeling. In all his thirty-three years, she was the only woman who could make him feel such an irresistible attraction.
Sydney Corbain.
Thinking of Sydney, he recalled the last time they had seen each other, at her brother’s wedding nearly nine months ago. He would never forget that day. They had not exchanged a single word yet somehow managed to take the art of flirtation to a whole new level. They had been rather creative, and she had definitely gotten a rise out of him…literally.
She’d had all the qualities needed to attract a man’s attention that day, and had definitely attracted his. From the moment she walked down the aisle as a bridesmaid his libido had gone into overdrive. Instead of the long gowns that most attendants wore, the three brides had decided to go with short bridesmaids’ dresses. There was nothing like seeing a great pair of legs to turbocharge a man’s mating instincts, and his had nearly overloaded. He couldn’t forget the perfume he’d gotten a whiff of when she passed him on her way to the altar. It had been soft, sultry, and sexy as hell.
At the reception things had gotten even more interesting. After posing for enough pictures to last the brides and grooms until their silver anniversaries, Sydney had changed into an outfit that showed not only a lot of leg but also a nice amount of cleavage. He hadn’t been the only man watching her, but he’d been the only man whose interest she had reciprocated.
Since he’d been technically working that day to make sure the music at the reception was everything the brides had wanted, he did not get a chance to speak to Sydney, but he had definitely enjoyed their flirting game. He had asked her brother Linc about her a few months ago when the newlyweds had patronized Leo’s one Sunday morning for brunch. According to Linc, she was doing fine and was busy back in Memphis working on an important court case.
Tyrone sighed deeply and made a quick decision to solve the mystery of the woman across the street and why she had made him think of Sydney. When he saw her enter a neighboring shop, he stood, threw more than enough money on the table for his bill, placed the straps to his saxophone case on his shoulder, left the café, and quickly crossed the street.
The evening was still young, and for once he didn’t have anything else to do.
Sydney smiled the moment she stepped across the threshold of Victoria’s Secret. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the subtle scent of everything feminine, a trademark of every Victoria’s Secret store she patronized. She liked feeling sexy as well as looking the part.
Opening her eyes, she walked into the store and immediately went over to a table where panties were on display. She was beginning to develop a fetish for sexy underwear, and before her were some of the sexiest. She picked up a pair of cotton low-rise V-string panties and definitely liked the feel of the material. She had begun wearing the scanty undies, liking the way they fit, the freedom of movement they provided, and the naughtiness of wearing almost nothing.
Her smile widened as she glanced at the tag. They were on sale! Deciding that a dozen or so were definitely a must-buy, she concentrated on selecting the size and the colors she wanted, then quickly decided that, while she was at it, she might as well buy the colorful sexy-looking bras to match.
“Can I help you, Miss Corbain?”
Sydney inhaled sharply, startled at the deep, masculine voice behind her, very close to her ear. Her heart started pumping enough blood to bring a dead man back to life, and a sizzle of awareness coursed rapidly through her body. She blinked to bring herself out of her sexy haze. Only one man had the power to make her feel overloaded from so much sensuous heat. However, that man was supposed to be in Washington, D.C.
Her arms filled with at least fifteen pairs of panties, she slowly turned around, tilting her head back to take a good look. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, and for a brief moment her words stuck in her throat as she tried to speak. Finally, after swallowing deeply, she found her voice.
“Tyrone Hardcastle! What are you doing in New York?” She allowed her gaze to soak up just how good he looked in his black leather overcoat, a sax case over his shoulder. And as always, his features were calm, composed, and utterly handsome.
Tyrone smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “I should be asking you the same question, although I think it’s obvious,” he said, indicating the bundle of brightly colored panties she cradled tightly in her arms.
Sydney shook her head. There was no point in getting embarrassed, although it wasn’t every day a man was present when she purchased her underwear. Even Rafe would not have dared.
She continued to hold Tyrone’s gaze, transfixed. His smile was a complete turn-on, vibrantly alive, sensuous, and blatantly male. She had always appreciated his smile, but found that she appreciated it even more today. The weather was rather cold outside, but he was definitely thawing her out. “Well, these purchases are only part of the reason. They’re an added perk, I guess you can say,” she finally answered. “There’s nothing like a Victoria’s Secret sale.”
Tyrone glanced around at all the scantily clad mannequins, then tilted his head at her. “You like shopping at this place, do you?” In his mind he was imagining her wearing some of the items he saw on display.
“Yes.” She decided to quickly change the subject. “You never told me what you’re doing in New York.” She wondered what he would think if he knew that since her brother’s wedding, he had been the object of her fantasies and a part
icipant in many of her heated dreams.
“I’m in town for six weeks as a visiting music professor at Columbia University. And you?”
She smiled. “I’m getting much-needed rest. For the past four months I’ve been involved in a very taxing litigation case. I’m proud to say that I won, but it took a lot out of me. When a friend who’s a television news correspondent asked me to come here and stay in her apartment and watch her dog for three weeks while she did an assignment in Barcelona, I jumped at the chance.”
She glanced at the snowflakes falling lightly outside the store’s display window and added, “Although I wish it could have been summer instead of winter.”
Tyrone shook his head and laughed. “Sweetheart, winter is the best time to be in New York.”
Sweetheart. Although she knew he hadn’t meant anything by the use of the endearment, it sent shivers up her body just the same. And then it started happening—the attraction she’d come to expect intensified. She knew the exact moment that he picked up on it as well. Her long sigh echoed simultaneously with his, and his eyes darkened as her gaze was drawn to his lips. He had such a pretty mouth for a man, one that was meant to kiss and be kissed. Then there was everything else about him: tall, muscular build, very nice features, and sandy brown hair. A woman couldn’t do much better, unless she happened to meet his identical twin.
Sydney blinked upon realizing he had said something. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” she asked, embarrassed he had caught her staring.
A grin tilted both corners of his mouth. “I asked what were your plans for later. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
His grin did things to her insides. “Dinner?”
“Yes, dinner. And since I know that you like French food, an evening at Au Petit Beurre would be nice.”
She raised a brow. “And how do you know I like French food?” she asked, although she already knew the answer.
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