by Wynn, Renee
In the kitchen, she prepared breakfast. Humming to herself, she opened the fridge and pulled out milk and eggs. Ashton loved pancakes. After mixing all the dry and wet ingredients together she set aside the batter and then rotated the bacon in the pan.
“You didn’t leave.”
She jumped. “You scared me half to death. I left you sleeping and snoring.”
He grunted. “I don’t snore.”
Nicole grinned. “I was going to give you another ten minutes and call you down to eat.”
He stood like an avenging angel in black jeans and a black shirt. He hadn’t taken the time to shave so a five o’clock shadow clung sexily to his jawline. He had on cowboy boots that had seen better days. His hair was damp—apparently from the shower—and glistening.
He frowned but continued to stare at her.
“Why are just standing there? Come on. Breakfast is almost ready. All I have to do is cook the pancakes.” She turned back to the stove, removed the bacon from the frying pan and placed it on a paper towel covered plate. “The coffeepot is already on the table but could you get the glasses of juice out of the fridge, please?” she threw over her shoulder.
She grabbed their plates started to move to the table when she noticed that he was still standing in the door. She put the plates on the table and walked up to him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked scanning his face. He looked tense and angry. She could feel it. “You look like you just finished running a race, tired and anxious all rolled up together.”
He didn’t say anything but continued to stare hard at her to the point it was making her uncomfortable. She took him by the hand and led him to the table. “Sit. I’ll get the juice. She pulled out the glasses of juice that she’d put in the fridge earlier, one with orange juice for him and one filled with cranberry for her.
They ate in silence. His eyes were still glued on her.
After a while, she stopped eating and pushed her plate to the side. She pointed to the food on his plates. “Why aren’t you eating? I’m on my second pancake and you haven’t even touched one.”
He pushed back his chair, stood up and started to pace. What in the world was wrong with him?
Ashton stopped and looked at her with agony in his blue gaze. “Are you leaving me?”
Didn’t he know that his apology erased some of the scars in their marriage? Granted there was still healing to be done. While alone yesterday evening, she’d thought about him and their situation. She came to the conclusion she wanted to try to save their marriage but it couldn’t be done with her living at another residence.
She stood up and moved toward him. “Where’s this coming from?”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”
“I did.”
“No, you told me I wasn’t leaving. You didn’t ask me to stay.”
He remained silent.
“Is it so hard for you to tell me what you’re feeling?
“Remember, I don’t have any feelings.”
“I’m not going let you make me angry. I come to realize you throw out smart remarks to keep from being exposed.”
“Would it do me any good to let you see?”
“Since you have up a wall, I guess you’ll never know.”
A long sigh escaped through his lips. “We need to talk.”
“I know,” she said. “But not now.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not ready. Once you’re willing to share everything—your feelings, then we can talk.” Nicole walked out of the kitchen.
###
“What’s eating you?” Brody asked.
Ashton stopped pacing and flopped in the seat next to Brody. They had just finished a round of golf and were relaxing in a private room at their country club. As usual, his friend’s head was leaned back, slouched in the chair with his eyes closed and a tumbler of whiskey in his right hand. Tiffany-shaded lamps and a crystal carafe of brandy rested on the small table between them.
He could have been a covert spy. Anyone watching him would’ve thought he was an easy target because of his laid back persona. The man was cunning and quiet as a mouse but intoned to his surroundings.
“Nicole,” Ashton admitted, then poured brandy into a glass on the table.
“Go easy.”
He didn’t want or need a lecture on his drinking.
“Alright,” Brody offered quietly, “you want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?”
“Not really.” He took a sip of the liquor and felt the fire of it burn right past the knot of pain in his chest.
“I’m listening,” Brody said without opening his eyes.
Hell, where should he start? How to begin?
“I told her I would apologize to Brent.”
Brody opened his eyes and sat up straighter in the chair.
“Then do it.”
“It’s easier said than done.”
“Close the gap between the three of you. Accept that your brother is in love with your wife and move on. You shouldn’t let it touch what you have with Nicole.” Brody watched him closely. “What are you afraid of?”
“Betrayal.” Ashton leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I’m afraid she’ll realize one day that she doesn’t want me. I’ve hurt her. I told myself saying I’m sorry should erase it. My ego got the best of me. The only important thing in this world is her and the baby. I love her but I can’t seem to utter the words for her to hear it.”
Silence dropped in room until the only sound was Ashton’s own breathing and the soft tick of the grandfather clock in the corner. His mind raced, his heart pounded and fear mixed with regret chased themselves through his brain. Every thought had one thing in common. Nicole.
“How do I stop holding back?” Ashton slanted a glance at his friend.
“I’m no expert but you need to cut yourself a break. Love isn’t for me but its right for you. Take a chance and open yourself up to Nicole. She’s the right woman for you.”
Setting his brandy snifter on the table, he stood. “Thanks for listening, buddy. I appreciate it.”
###
Nicole was lounged on the sofa in the library trying to read one of her favorite books but her thoughts keep straying to her husband. It had been three days and they still hadn’t talked. They ate breakfast together, slept in the same bed, made love, but the distance was there.
Feeling a presence, she sat up when he walked into the room. He moved to the long floor to ceiling window and looked out across the lawn with his back to her. “I’m going to talk. All I ask is that you please listen.”
“Okay.”
“For a long time, Brent talked about his girl, Nicole. I was trying to get the Asian office operational so I never really paid much attention to his calls about his personal life. During the two years, I lived in Hong Kong; I came to Dallas intermittently but never saw you.”
He slipped his hands in the pockets of his jeans but he still didn’t turn around. “The day I arrived back in the states for good, I didn’t tell the parents because I wanted to surprise them with the news that the Asian project was head of schedule by six months. Before I even saw you, I could hear your laugher carried in the wind. I felt as if someone had shot a dose of vitamin B-12 through my veins. The sight of you took my breath away. You represented everything I wasn’t, joyful, with exuberance for life that was unattainable to me. At that moment I fell in love you,” he whispered.
“Will you please turn around?” she said calmly. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
He slowly turned and looked at her with his dark, beautiful blue eyes.
She stood on shaky legs and walked to him. “Say it again.”
“I love you, Nicole. Our marriage has always been about love.”
“You couldn’t have loved me when you married me. I would have known if you did.”<
br />
Long fingers framed her cheeks. “I didn’t want you to pretend to feel something that you didn’t so I never said anything. I thought I was being admirable not wanting to burden you with my love.”
“What about all those women? You dated hundreds.’
“No, didn’t. There were only a few and they were distractions. You were the only woman I wanted. I was going to woo you gently and slowly but then it all blew up in my face. Brent came to the house and I lost it.”
“After the first time we made love, you had my heart. Brent wasn’t competition.”
“I was angry. I felt betrayed.”
Her fingers stroked his arm and gripped tight in apology. “I would never betray you. I know I can be impossible and stubborn but my loyalty to you never wavered.”
“Is that all you feel for me…loyalty?”
“I feel a lot of things for you, Ashton, but most of all, I love you.”
Seeing his relief, Nicole almost cried again at the pain she’d put him through. Through the years, she’d known that there was a spark that ignited every time they were in each other’s presence. It’d confused her and made her nervous. With confidence she leant forward and rested her head on his shoulder. “Never doubt it." His arms tightened around her.
“No matter what Brent thinks I would’ve never pursued you if he hadn’t married Melissa.”
“You would’ve let me go?”
“Yes.”
“And now?” she asked.
“I can’t. I said some things to you that I regret and I hope you’ll forgive.”
“I do.”
“Brent is another matter. He came to the office a few days ago, my father was there, and we tried to work it about. But he left angry.”
“Given time Brent will be happy.”
“Melissa and Brent are getting a divorce.”
“I’m sad about it. I’d hope he would’ve changed his mind.”
He frowned. “You knew.”
“He mentioned it when he came to the house. That kiss didn’t mean anything.”
“It did to him.”
“It was closure for both of us but more so for him.”
“I’m glad.” He covered her lips with his mouth. His hand roamed over her body until he found the snap at the top of her shorts.
She laughed. “Are you thinking something that you shouldn’t Mr. Sinclair?”
“When it comes to you I’m always thinking I want to make love to my wife.”
“You’re insatiable.”
“Only with you, sweetheart.”
“Wow, in the library…my favorite room in the house. Hmm…that’s a sexy thought, my love.”
“Say again. I like the sound of it.”
“My love…my love.”
There was love and tenderness in his beautiful eyes and although it felt as if it were the first time she was seeing those emotions, she knew they had been there the entire time. She just had been too stubborn to recognize the signs. Well, she’d finally gotten it right.
“I’ll never stop loving you and our children,” he swore with all the passionate intensity of his powerful temperament.
She gasped as his tongue found her sensitive spot. “Children? How many do you think we are going to have?”
“As many you your body can give me. Say around six or so.”
She laughed long and hard. “No way buster.”
He lifted his head. “Compromise?”
She squinted but didn’t say anything.
“Four?” he said, hopefully.
He had stripped and now they were lying on the sofa with the bright morning sun shining through the windows.
When he entered her, she thought that topic was for another time and she succumbed to the mastery of his lovemaking.
Epilogue
FIVE YEARS LATER
Nicole tucked her six-week-old infant son, Aiden, into his crib.
Blue-eyed and curly brown-haired, Aiden was a delightful mixture of both parents. Ashton Campbell Sinclair IV, called Trey, her oldest son, who was the spitting image of his father in looks and temperament was now three and half and curious. He hung over the side of crib watching his little brother sleep.
“Aiden’s sleeping again,” Trey complained, his little boy’s restive body humming with suppressed energy.
“That’s what babies do.” Nicole smiled as she thought about the forthcoming christening for her second son. She had a lot to do but with her aunt and Ashton’s mother’s help it would get done. It was only a few weeks away. It made her happy that her best friend, Danielle Evans, had agreed to be the godmother and she was so coming back to Dallas for a three month vacation. Since she was the face for Dreamlake Cosmetics she could afford to take some time off. Besides she needed the break. Danielle hadn’t taken a vacation in years and it was about time she came home.
Nicole looked around the room and thought about her life. She was happier than she could ever imagine. She had a successful news column in the local newspaper that appeared once a month, creating and heading public relations at Sinclair Industries had been challenging but rewarding. A staff of fifteen now rounded out the budding department. With the birth of Aiden, she decided to work from home part-time. It was the right decision for her and her family. Ashton had told her it was her call but she knew it made him happy to have her home with the boys. It wasn’t something she ever visualized in her future but she loved it.
Sinclair Engineering, a separate entity of Sinclair Industries was expanding all over the globe under Ashton’s leadership, which increased his travel but he was never away more than two weeks at a time. It wasn’t something she was happy with but it was necessary for the expansion of the business.
During her and Ashton’s first year of marriage, Brent had left Dallas for a short period of time. He returned but traveled a great deal more than Ashton. She rarely saw him at family functions. His and Ashton’s relationship was distant but friendly. Hopefully, in time they would become close, something that she knew her husband desired. Whenever she was in Brent’s presence, she detected sadness. She missed their friendship. Nicole wished with all her heart that he’d find someone to love as much as she loved Ashton. It was a shame that he and Melissa divorced. She’d hoped they would get back together. But after the divorce, Melissa moved away from Dallas.
Trey ran out of the nursery and greeted his father at the top of his voice
“Hi, you’re home early.”
He entered the nursery with Trey’s hand held in his. He looked down in the crib and ran his hand lightly across Aiden’s back and then his cheek.
Straightening, he released Trey’s hand. “I missed you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. “Hmm…you smell good. What did the doctor say?” He tried to take another kiss but she shook her head, nodding to their son who was watching them intently.
“I’m fine. I can resume normal activities.”
“Aiden, why don’t you go downstairs and ask Mrs. James to put in your favorite DVD?”
His eyes, so like his father’s frowned in concentration. “Before dinner, Daddy?”
“Yes, but just this once.”
“Okay,” he shouted and ran from the room.
Once their son was out of the room, Ashton grabbed her hand and led her to their bedroom.
Shutting the door, he pulled her off her feet against him and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her as close as possible to him. He inhaled her scent. His nostrils flared as he drew in another breath.
“Now where were we?”
Her laugh was giddy. “You’re insatiable.”
“I waited six weeks.”
He continued peppering kisses along her jawline until he found her mouth, “If you want to wait a little longer, I will.”
Nicole linked her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “Now, why would I want to do that?”
“I’m glad.”
And he began to show all the ways he loved her.
&n
bsp; ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Since childhood, Renee Wynn has been an avid reader and daydreamer. She started a journal at seven years-old. Inspired by her high school creative writing teacher, she wrote a play and the rest is history.
She lives in the northeast with the loves of her life, her husband, Michael and son, Derek.
Coming Soon: Book Two in the Whisper Series
WHISPER MY NAME
Whisper My Name
Chapter One
Brody Beaumont III stared hard at the woman across the room of the ballroom and didn’t care if she knew it. But there was something about the long-legged brown beauty had captured his attention. He’d been aware of her from the moment she came into his line of vision at the church, mostly because of her looks. She was exactly the sort of woman he liked, which were tall, slender and gorgeous. But he dated blondes with pale skin and huge breasts and she definitely was missing some key components, blond hair, and huge breasts. He’d dated black women before so her skin tone wasn’t a factor.
Brody could tell by her pursed lips that his direct gaze angered her. That fact alone excited him. A woman hadn’t made him so aware and alert in a very long time. It felt good.
When he caught the quick looks thrown his way, it only served to fuel a burning desire to get her in his bed.
She was dressed in a short pale pink dress with a wide light gray belt cinched at her small waist. It flared at the end, which caused it to be breathtaking. He further scanned her body. The bone sandals, with a thin strap around the ankle, added to her height. Although she was tall, it still didn’t match his 6’4 length. Besides natural beauty, the glorious mane of thick dark, hair that cascaded in loose curls around her face and shoulders made him itch to run his fingers through the strands. His groin tightened painfully at a vision of her stretched out in his bed and those large eyes enveloping him, making him weak with longing.
Brody watched as she maneuvered from one guest to another with fluid gracefulness and poise. The sound of her laughter was smooth and captivating.