A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [38]
Evidently she was someone who lived in this neighborhood, but with the hours she knew he spent at work, when did he have time to socialize with neighbors? And what in the heck were they laughing and chatting about?
Okay, okay, maybe Erica was getting carried away with her thoughts and the woman was the mother of five and her husband was a clone of Idris Elba. Umm, for some reason Erica didn’t think so, which meant she needed to protect what was hers. With the shortage of brothers a sistah had to be on her p’s and q’s for man snatchers, especially men already taken. There was no shame in some women’s game.
Hopefully she wasn’t blowing anything out of proportion, but she wouldn’t take any chances. She backed away from the window and moved toward her luggage. There was a reason she’d come to Dallas early. And a reason Brian had taken a couple of days off work to spend with her while she was here. They were to celebrate and she was ready to let the party began.
“Good morning.”
Brian turned away from the sink and smiled at the same time he felt heat rush through his groin. There stood the love of his life, looking sexier than any woman he knew. Some women liked flaunting their beauty. Erica didn’t need to do so, since she exuded hers naturally.
The sundress she was wearing made her appear even more feminine and showcased her gorgeous legs. He could vividly remember those same legs wrapped around his waist last night, holding on tight while they made love. He inhaled sharply at the memory.
He threw the dish towel on the counter and moved toward her, feeling desire escalate through his body with every step he took. When he was in reaching distance of her, he pulled her to him and captured her mouth, hungrily, as a surge of longing poured all through him. When a man loved a woman this much, and when she loved him back, that was definitely a blessing from the man upstairs.
When he released her mouth she tilted her head and met his gaze. “And good morning to you, sweetheart,” he said, leaning down and placing another kiss on her lips. He couldn’t resist such a move.
“I woke up and you weren’t there,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He smiled. It felt good knowing he was missed. “I got up early. You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. I wanted to grab the paper and drink a cup of coffee be fore preparing breakfast.”
“I figured as much. I heard voices outside the window and glanced out and saw you.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. I also saw your neighbor. She’s pretty.”
He chuckled. “Is she? I hadn’t noticed.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. She got close enough for her scent to be practically all over you. She was wearing Allure.”
He lifted his arm and took a sniff and smiled. “Umm, not bad.”
When she frowned, he chuckled and pulled out a chair from the table, sat down and tugged her into his lap. He’d been around enough women to know when the green-eyed jealousy monster had invaded their genes. He never cared before because he hadn’t placed a ring on any woman’s finger. Until now. This was Erica, the one woman that mattered. The one wearing his ring. And it was important to him that she knew she had his heart totally. When it came to her there was no competition.
“Her name is Donna Hardy and she started working at the firm a few months ago.”
Erica lifted a brow. “She works for you.”
“Yes, and I guess you can say that now since I’m officially a partner. So far she’s been holding her own and I think she’s going to work out fine.”
She nodded. “And what if I told you that I think she’s trying to get next to you?”
Brian shook his head and laughed out loud. “You got that all wrong.”
“No. I’m pretty sure I got it right. I’m a woman. My parents might think I was raised clueless about such things, but thanks to April I can pick up on stuff like that.”
“Stuff like what?”
“A woman who is interested in a man.”
He gave her a doubtful look. “And you figured all that by looking out the window and seeing us conversing?”
“Yes.