One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [24]
She stood and began pacing the floor. She couldn’t help but think of her childhood, when her parents were still alive, her life with James after they had died, her present life and her future. She knew in her heart that if God ever blessed her with a child she could not give it away to Sterling or anyone else. She just couldn’t. She had never felt more sure of anything in her life.
So how was she going to deal with Sterling Hamilton when that time came? Now that she had agreed to his proposal, no doubt he was fairly confident she would not cause problems and do everything stipulated in his ironclad contract. But somehow she would try to work around that. In time, he would discover she was unlike any of the other women he’d ever been involved with. She was determined that somehow during their marriage she would convince him to keep her and not send her away. Ever.
A timid knock sounded on the door that connected her room to Sterling’s, interrupting her thoughts. “Maybe if I ignore him he’ll just go away,” she mumbled to herself.
No such luck she found out moments later when he said, “Colby, I know you’re in there so open the door.”
“No. Just leave me alone. I told you I wanted to be by myself for a while.”
“You either open this door or I’ll let myself in,” was his reply.
Colby rolled her eyes to the ceiling wondering what else was new. Seeing the lock on the door was firmly in place, she went into the bathroom.
When she came out moments later, she halted in her tracks. Sterling was leaning against the opened door frame. Her eyes narrowed at him.
“Why didn’t you open the door, Colby?”
“I’m not in the mood for visitors, especially the likes of you.”
Sterling’s face didn’t reveal a flicker of emotion, but Colby could tell he wasn’t pleased with what she had said. He stood leaning against the doorjamb, his hands in the pockets of his pants. He had changed into a shirt that she thought clearly showed how well-defined his physique was, especially his broad, muscular shoulders and upper arms. With great difficulty she tried not to concentrate on his well-built muscled body, but on the upheaval this man intended to place in her life.
He was glaring hard at her, so she decided to glare right back.
“Come here, Colby.”
“Get lost, Sterling.”
“We’re going out to dinner.”
His arrogant assumption riled her. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll order room service then.”
“Make sure it’s just for you and that it’s delivered to your suite, not mine.”
Sterling stepped farther into the room. Moving before her, he stood with his feet planted firmly apart and his hands resting on his hips. “Are you trying to be difficult?”
“You’re supposed to have all the answers. What do you think?” By nothing but sheer willpower Colby kept her voice steady. Whether she liked it or not, the man standing before her had plenty of sex appeal and his dark, piercing eyes were totally unnerving.
Sterling stared at her for a while. She was an attractive woman. In fact, he’d discovered since meeting her that she was even more beautiful when she was mad about something. That thought made a genuine smile touch his lips. In that case, she would always be beautiful around him because he seemed to have a knack for setting her off.
“Yeah, I think you’re trying to be difficult, and I have a certain way of dealing with difficult women.”
Their eyes locked and Colby noticed the smile on his face slowly began fading. Then he lowered his head toward her. A part of her wanted to step back but another part wouldn’t let her move. So she just stood there and prepared herself for the kiss she knew was about to take place. She smugly told herself she didn’t care if he kissed her, she wouldn’t be affected by it, although her heart