Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [54]
“Okay, Syneda, if that’s the way you want it, I won’t mention it. Justin and Lorren are the only ones that will know. But I want you to know up front that I don’t care who knows. We’re adults and don’t have to answer to anyone. I won’t ever be ashamed of what we’ll be sharing, and I don’t want you to be, either. You’re very special to me.”
The manly scent of Clayton filled Syneda’s nostrils as he embraced her. She liked being held in the comfort of his arms. “And you’re very special to me, Clayton.”
Clayton’s tongue traced the outline of Syneda’s lips. He then moved his mouth from her lips to her neck and began kissing her there.
His caress on a sensitive part of her neck aroused her, setting her body on fire with desire. He lifted his head.
“Where do we go from here?”
Syneda smiled up at him. “How about the bedroom.”
Smiling, he gathered her into his arms and took her to the very place she’d requested.
Late Sunday evening Syneda walked Clayton to the door wearing his white dress shirt. She looked down at herself. “This is becoming a habit.”
He smiled as he pulled her into his arms. “But it’s one I like. You look good in my shirt. I want you to return it to me in New Orleans.”
Syneda’s eyes widened. “New Orleans?”
“Yes. Let’s meet in New Orleans two weeks from now. Will you do it?”
She looked at him for a few minutes before saying, “Yes.”
Clayton smiled. “I can’t come back to New York this coming weekend. I promised Dex and Caitlin I’d babysit Jordan while they attend Caitlin’s high school reunion in San Antonio. I would invite you to keep me company, but Jordan would love telling her parents when they returned that Aunt Neda spent the weekend with her, too.”
Syneda grinned. “Yes, I can just imagine Jordan doing that.”
They looked into each other’s eyes, momentarily becoming lost in the memories of the weekend. Clayton had been right. Somehow this weekend had far surpassed the last. The last time they had spent together was due to a mixture of curiosity and hormones. This time they had become closer friends, as well as lovers.
On Saturday morning over breakfast they had again discussed the Drayton case. And this time although they still didn’t agree completely, they had respected the other’s opinion.
“Waiting two weeks to see you again will seem like forever,” Clayton said. He pulled Syneda into his arms giving her a goodbye kiss that was destined to be the longest on record.
Chapter 12
Clayton Madaris’s slow-paced walk and relaxed smile reflected an extremely happy man. As far as he was concerned he was on top of the world. What man wouldn’t be when he had found the woman of his dreams?
He could barely contain himself as he walked through the doors of the Remington Oil Building. The only thing that would make him any happier, he thought as he scribbled his name on the clipboard the security guard had handed to him, was for him and Syneda to have a Christmas wedding. But first he would have to make sure the future bride had fallen in love with him by then.
He shook his head, grinning. Very few people would believe that he, a man who’d always avoided any serious involvements, would be contemplating something like marriage. At times it was hard for him to believe, and he would find himself spending a very long time in the shower doing some serious thinking.
Then all it would take was for him to remember some of the reasons why he had fallen in love with Syneda to bring him back to reality. From the start, although they’d been at odds with each other, there had always been very good open communication between them. He liked the fact she was a very up-front person. She didn’t believe in sugarcoating anything. And the truth of the matter was that he’d found her combustible