Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [59]
Clayton shrugged. “You won’t have to,” he said smoothly. “I promised Syneda that I would not give anything away.”
“That should be interesting.”
“If it was left up to me, everyone would know.”
Justin chuckled when he saw Clayton’s annoyed features. “I gathered as much.” He took another sip of wine. “Give her time, Clayton. Things will work out.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
Justin stared long and hard at his brother. An amused grin touched his features. “You really have it bad, don’t you?”
“No worse than you had it for Lorren,” Clayton shot back, his eyes narrowing.
“I think there’s a major difference here, though,” Justin said, smiling, thinking of his wife and the love affair they’d shared before they had married.
“What?” Clayton asked, reaching for another cracker from the table.
“I was in love with Lorren. My intentions were honorable.”
Clayton put a hand on the sleeve of his brother’s jacket, claiming his full attention. “So are mine. I’m in love with Syneda.”
Justin stared at him, openmouthed. “Impossible. You would never allow yourself to fall in love,” he finally managed to say.
“Then that should say a lot for Syneda’s abilities, shouldn’t it?”
Recovering from the initial shock, Justin eyed his brother thoughtfully, not knowing what else to say. A grin spread across his face. “Care to hang with me for a while?”
“Where’s Lorren?”
“She’s upstairs. She wanted to get the kids tucked in bed before coming down. Well, well, well, take a look at who just walked in.”
It took all Clayton’s strength to tear his gaze from Syneda and Lloyd Jones to the person who had apparently caught Justin’s attention.
“It’s cousin Felicia Laverne. And take a look at her outfit.”
Clayton’s lips lifted in an amused smile. His attractive cousin was dressed in a silk leopard jumpsuit with matching short leopard boots and carrying a leopard clutch bag. Her face lit up in a warm smile when she saw them. She began walking their way.
“Justin, Clayton. It’s good seeing you guys,” she said, giving them both a quick peck on the cheek. She glanced around the room. “Where’s Dex?”
“He’s around here someplace,” Justin answered, scanning her from head to toe. “What’s with this outfit?”
Her eyes darkened. “My man’s been acting like a dog so I’ve decided to begin acting like a cat. I’m on the prowl tonight and would love to purr to any man for attention. So you better warn your rich friends to stay away from me. You know how much I like men with money.”
Justin chuckled. “None of my friends can afford you. After husband number two, maybe you should consider marrying a poor man.”
“Not on your life. I’m sure there’s some man out there with both honey and money.”
Clayton shook his head. He and Felicia were first cousins and had been born in the same year. Their grandmother said the moon must have been out of orbit that year, given his womanizing ways and Felicia’s inability to keep a husband.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later. I understand there are a lot of men here tonight, and I want to check them out.”
“Yeah, see ya,” Clayton said, turning his attention back to Syneda. Sometime during his conversation with Felicia, the dance had come to an end, and Syneda now stood across the room talking to his aunt Delores. He sighed. At least Jones wasn’t hanging around.
Clayton knew there was no way Syneda hadn’t seen him, so why hadn’t she come over and at least said hello? There would have been nothing conspicuous with her doing that. So why was she avoiding him?
Delores Brooks’s happy chattering seemed to recede into the distance as Syneda’s eyes drifted to Clayton. She had known the exact moment he had entered the room. Although the room was crowded, she had known.
Like a soft caress, his mere presence had touched her even while she had danced in the arms of another man. She frowned, getting annoyed with herself. Long ago she had made up her mind that getting deeply involved with a man was a personal complication she didn