At his table, the annoying Lynn Trellis was the last thing on Sin’s mind. He was daydreaming about a woman in a beach house by the Pacific Ocean.
He wondered what Nedra was doing. It had been days since he’d seen her. It seemed like forever. Each time he spoke to her on the telephone, he would close his eyes and visualize her lovely face. His feelings for her had always perched on a precarious edge, threatening to spiral out of control. After they kissed, it had taken all of the strength he had to keep his emotions in check.
He wasn’t surprised when she wanted to escape his presence. She wasn’t ready to face the fact that she might have feelings for him, and she did have them. One kiss had revealed that reality. His heart had soared at the thought that she could care for him, but sunk at the possibility of her returning to Oakland where it might be dangerous. Thank goodness it had worked out.
If she hadn’t agreed to accept his offer of the beach house, his only alternative would have been to kidnap her and make her go with him. He doubted if that would have worked. Nedra Davis was not a woman who could be forced to do anything.
The hours they had spent together driving from Tahoe to the Peninsula had been torturous. Even their arguments had been filled with the sexual tension between them. It was imperative that they part.
He had taken a charter flight home, made some calls to get a handle on just how much danger she was still in, and then spent the rest of the time away from her thinking about her. His midnight call on the night they had parted had been spontaneous, because he couldn’t get her out of his head.
He was in love with her. There was no doubt about it. Other than his mother, he had never felt like this about anyone else. The feeling was foreign. Was love an emotion that would make one willing to die for someone? He was willing.
He had to get a grip on himself. He had to regain control of his emotions. This time away from her would give him that opportunity. Her life might depend on it.
Discreet inquiries had revealed that the contract was still in force, but the authorities could do nothing. No crime had been attempted or committed.
He had a decision to make. Nedra would be back in town in less than a week. The only chance of saving her life might be his telling her about the danger she was in. It was only fair that she knew. Without that knowledge she could be a sitting duck.
He knew that she would have questions and he would answer them the best he could without divulging too much about himself or his contacts. Despite everything, he wanted her to think well of him. He didn’t want her to know about the shadows in his life. He’d already told her too much. The less she knew about him the better; but, to save her life he’d do what he had to do. Her life meant more to him than his own.
Having finished his lunch, Sin left the restaurant, making sure that he didn’t glance Lynn’s way. He could feel her eyes on him as he opened the heavy cut-glass door. A man was entering the restaurant and they collided. Sin offered an apology. The man nodded his acceptance and went inside.
Sin glanced at the retreating figure. He looked familiar. Hadn’t he seen him somewhere before? Unable to recall, he proceeded out the door.
Inside the restaurant, Lynn choked on bitter disappointment at Sin not having acknowledged her. Looking up at the man who had bumped into him her mood darkened further when he took a seat at her table.
“It took you long enough to get here,” she snapped. “I don’t like being kept waiting, even by the great Richard Ryan.”
****
Nedra listened to her mother on the other end of the telephone. She hadn’t spoken to Marva Davis in some time. She had missed the sound of her voice. Choosing not to use the cell phone that Sin had left her, she hiked down to a nearby conference center located less than a mile from the beach house. She used a pay phone there to call her.
Mother and daughter were close. They had been since Nedra was born. Marva had been nineteen then, full of hope for a bright future with her new baby and twenty-year-old husband. Her hopes for that future had been crushed the night of her child’s birth when her excited husband, returning home from the hospital, crossed the street between two parked cars and was killed. The hit and run driver was never caught.
Marva left the hospital with her newborn filled with bitterness and despair. She was angry with everyone, especially with God for taking her husband. She lived with those emotions for the next three years, putting all of her energy into raising her child. Then one day, her life changed forever. Nedra had heard the story often.
Her mother was heading home from her job in a law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. The bus stop where she stood was located in front of a storefront church. Each day she could hear the exuberant service, but she ignored it. On one particular day, there was something different coming from the church’s open doorway. A woman minister was preaching. It was the sound of her voice that drew Marva inside. She would explain later that she was simply curious, but God had a plan for her. Marva was saved that very day.
She enrolled in a seminary, earned her degree, and returned to lead the congregation at the church she had joined. Reverend Marva Davis had been the pastor of that same church for over three decades.
Her mother was a legend in Kansas City. Everything Nedra was today she owed to Marva, who was not only her mother, but her mentor, friend and confidante. The only problem was that presently she regretted having confided in her.
Nedra had mentioned that she was staying in a friend’s beach house, and the interrogation was on. She could almost see her mother’s stern expression over the telephone.
“You say he’s in the import business? How long have you known this man?”
“I met him some months ago at the church.” There was no need to elaborate on the circumstances. She hoped that the words “at the church” would stop the questioning. Wrong.
“He’s one of your church members?” Marva’s voice rose in disapproval.
Nedra was annoyed. She wanted to lie to her mother. It would be easier, but she’d never done so before.
“No, Mama, he’s not a church member. He’s a friend of some of my parishioners, and he loaned me his house for my vacation. I told you, I couldn’t take the snow in Tahoe. He was nice enough to extend this kindness.”
“Uh huh.” Marva sounded skeptical.
Nedra listened patiently as she was reminded how her mother had raised her to be a good girl.
“I have faith that you’ll use your head when it comes to this man, not your hormones.” Marva then recounted, for the umpteenth time, how careful Nedra had to be as a woman minister. “There must not be a hint of impropriety, daughter. A woman minister has a harder road to travel than a man. Always remember that.”
How could she forget it? She heard it every time she spoke to her. She truly believed that Marva had convinced herself that her thirty-eight-year-old daughter was still a virgin.
Nedra sighed. “I will, Mama. I’ve got to go now.”
“Go where?” Are you going to be with that man?”
Nedra’s temper flared. “No! What would make you say something like that? I told you, he’s not down here. How could you think something like that?”
“Listen, child, you might be able to fool yourself, but this is your mother. I heard how you said his name.”
Nedra looked at the telephone as if it had spouted the insanity. “What in the world are you talking about? How I said his name? I haven’t even told you his name!”
“You didn’t have to. There’s something going on between you two. I hear it in your voice. I’m telling you, be careful. Just remember, evil thoughts, evil ways. I’ve got nothing else to say except I love you and so does God.” Marva ended their conversation.
Nedra stalked out of the lodge, headed back toward the beach house. What was wrong with that woman? How could she think that there was anything between her and Sinclair Reasoner? All she had done was mention that a man had loaned her his beach house, and her mother had her sleeping with him! Well, t
hat was the last time she would tell her anything. She had planned on calling Carla and Sharon to see how things were going with them, but forget that. She wasn’t calling anybody. If her own mother had her sleeping with Sin, God knows what filth would be on the minds of her crazy friends if she mentioned whose house she was staying in. Forget all of them!
Deciding to walk off her anger, Nedra made a sudden detour and headed toward the beach. She was unaware of the tall, figure standing across the street watching her.
Walking the beach had always been good therapy for Nedra. She found comfort in the sound of the waves lapping lazily against the shore. She could sit for hours watching the changing tide. Finding a bench, she took a seat and let the ocean work its magic.
It wasn’t often that her mother upset her. She had to ask herself why she had allowed it to happen this time. Had her mother’s words hit too close to home? Had a truth been told that she wasn’t ready to face. Had her feelings for Sinclair become so strong that her mother could hear it in her voice?
Four days had passed since they parted. Every night he called to check on her and to say goodnight. Her heart fluttered with each phone call. She would find herself lying in bed thinking about him. Last night she wondered if he slept in the nude. Even now, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at the thought of his long, muscular body stretched across the sheets of her bed. Evil thoughts, evil ways.
“I hope that smile is for me?”
Nedra turned to look into the dark eyes peering down at her. His being here didn’t surprise her. In her heart she knew that he would come. She had been waiting.
CHAPTER 11
There were a few preliminaries to the inevitable. Nedra and Sin sat on the bench in silence until the sun set behind the horizon. Hand in hand they strolled back to the house, each mentally recounting the many reasons why they should not be together.
She berated herself for the brevity of her moral dilemma. Could years of self discipline be so easily dismissed? Marriage should precede fornication. That was what she had been told all of her life, even if she hadn’t always listened. Who was this man whose voice made her pulse race? How could one touch from his hand make her ready, and willing, to abandon sexual morals she had been practicing for years. Love should come before marriage. She firmly believed this. Had she fallen in love with Sinclair?
At the house she fixed two cups of herbal tea and they sat in the kitchen talking. It was reminiscent of their time together in Tahoe. Both savored the memory. They knew, even then, that as much as they tried to avoid it, this day was coming. How often could they keep moving closer to the edge of a crevice before falling in?
Meticulously, Sin began to stir the steaming brew. Nedra could tell that he had something on his mind. It didn’t take long before he pushed the cup aside, took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.
“I love you, Nedra. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I’d die before I would hurt you.”
Nedra’s breath caught in her throat. He had loved her for a long time? How was that possible? He hardly knew her.
“Listen, Sinclair, just because we might.... You don’t have to say....”
“I love you.” Every word was emphasized. He scooted forward. They were only inches apart. “I’m not asking you to feel the same way about me. There’s so little that you know about me and there’s so much you need to know that I can’t share. But I want to be honest with you. It wouldn’t be in your best interest to get involved with me. There are things that I’ve done....”
A finger against his lips halted his flow of words. “You don’t have to say anything more. I know what kind of man you are. You’re decent, gentle and kind. You’re a good man. That’s all I need to know.”
Sin kissed her finger. “But you’re a minister. You have a career to think about. I’ve got to take that into consideration.”
“I’m a grown woman, Sinclair, and I take responsibility for my actions. If there are consequences for my loving you, then so be it.”
Sin was stunned. His mouth went dry. “Did you say...?”
“That I love you? Yes, I did.”
He hesitated for only a moment, his doubts temporarily forgotten. In one swift move, he pulled her into his arms and captured her tantalizing lips. They were as sweet as he knew they would be. Running his tongue along the inner contours of her mouth, he lingered to enjoy the taste of her before thrusting his tongue deeper.
Nedra responded greedily. The heat of desire eroded resistance and dispensed reasoning as Sin left a fiery trail of kisses down her throat. When his mouth covered a hardened nipple, all thoughts of how short the time had been since she had known him became quiet echoes. As his lips paid homage to her heated flesh, even the echoes began to fade. She wanted him. She had wanted him from the first day he walked into her life.
Boldly, she thrust her tongue into his mouth, languishing in the corners, savoring his taste, his touch, the feel of his erection against her body. Her moan of pleasure filled the room.
“Nedra,” Sin gasped, fighting a useless battle for tenuous control. Somehow he found the strength to draw away from her, resting his forehead against hers in an effort to get a hold of himself. When he did, he pulled away.
“Listen to me carefully. There hasn’t been a day, a minute, a second that I haven’t wanted you. But I need to know that you’re absolutely sure about anything that happens between us tonight. If you have any doubts, let me know.” Tenderly, he cupped her face. “This is a big step for both of us and it could be a major mistake for you. I want you to understand that I won’t settle for a one night stand. With you, I want more. So, be sure.”
Nedra swallowed her uncertainty. “I’m sure. Are you?”
Sin blinked. Was he sure? Was he sure that the sun was a source of heat? That electricity was a source of light? That he loved and wanted this woman was the only sure thing in his life.
“Absolutely.”
He kissed her brow. No further words were needed. Nedra took his hand and led him into the bedroom.
It was evening. The sun had set leaving a large, full moon behind. Its rays filtered through the vertical blinds and the light silhouetted them both as Nedra helped Sin out of his shirt. He stepped out of his jeans, socks, and sneakers. When his black briefs followed, she held her breath. Exhaling slowly, her eyes moved gingerly from his large, swollen shaft firm, flat stomach, hairy chest, well defined biceps to the dark eyes waiting to meet her light ones.
“Now you.”
Unbuttoning her blouse, he peeled it slowly from her body. It floated to the floor. Her jeans followed. He replaced each discarded item with a kiss, until she was completely undressed. Starting from the inside of her thighs he licked his way back to her breasts, where each hardened nipple received his complete devotion
Nedra collapsed against him, her rubbery legs unable to hold her any longer. Lifting her, Sin cradled her in his arms before placing her on the bed.
Opening one of the cellophane packages he had put on the night stand, he prepared himself before joining her on the bed. As he poised above her, the intensity of his gaze caused Nedra to avert her eyes.
“Look at me.” The words were a quiet command.
She did as he asked. He placed a kiss above each eye.
“You have the most beautiful eyes.” He kissed her nose. “A perfect nose, and your lips...”
Before he could finish, Nedra captured his mouth with a kiss that held all of the passion emanating between them. She left no doubt that she wanted him. This was no mistake.
Her hands wreaked havoc in his hair, along his back and buttocks. Her body melded into his. Sin moaned his satisfaction as her curvaceous body withed beneath him, hot, moist, and pliant. She was driving him insane.
He had known from the beginning that being with Nedra would mean willpower would be a forgotten memory. No one else on earth stirred his emotions so passionately.
The feelings Sin evoked in Nedra were beyond her comprehension. Never had
she been touched with such reverence. She felt cherished. She felt desired. She felt loved.
“I want to please you,” she rasped, as he worked his way down the length of her body to her awaiting womanhood.
“There’s no way on earth that you won’t.”
“But, I’ve been celibate for years.”
Sin lifted feverish eyes in an effort to clear his mind and understand what she was saying. Celibate? For years? Of course!
A smile pursed his lips. His fingers inched into her apex, drenched with waiting.
He whispered, “You please me in every way.”
Sin eased inside her slowly, inch by inch, making sure that she could easily accommodate his size. Reaching her core, he tightened his hold on her buttocks while she wrapped her long legs around him, allowing him the deepest access.
He thrust gently. Words of endearment tumbled from his lips as he kissed her, caressed her and their bodies danced in perfect unison, increasing in intensity. Sin used every ounce of control he possessed to hold his release until Nedra shattered in ecstasy, a second later he exploded and shook both their worlds.
****
Nedra awoke to the warmth of Sin’s body wrapped around her. His muscular arm lay draped across her waist. His face rested cozily on her shoulder, mere inches from her face. Nedra sighed, fighting off feelings of guilt and regret. Both were contradictions to the peace she felt in his arms.
She brushed her lips against the soft locks that lay sculpted to his head. If she felt guilt, she should have done something about it earlier, before Sin ran a hot bath and bathed her aching body so sensuously that she had shattered like glass. After her bath, he draped her in a fluffy towel and carried her back to bed where they made love until they fell asleep.
She did love him. She loved everything about him. She felt like a teenager caught in the throes of first love. It was wonderful!
“No regrets?” His voice was silk.
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