One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [50]
The ache in Colby’s throat kept her from swallowing.
She knew she was wrong to have listened in on Sterling and Kyle’s private conversation, but once she had heard Sterling’s heart-wrenching words, she couldn’t move.
No wonder he felt the way he did about his mother. The woman had had two sons. She had turned her back on Sterling, but Nicholas Chenault had grown up surrounded by her love. Love that Sterling had been denied.
Tears misted Colby’s eyes. No longer wanting to take a walk on the beach, she turned and softly tiptoed back up the stairs. Back in her room, she took off her clothes and slipped back into her gown. Getting back in bed, she punched her pillows a few times as she tried to settle in, but it was useless. She couldn’t push Sterling’s words out of her mind, nor her heart. Reliving that part of his life had affected him deeply. She had heard the pain in his voice when he was talking to Kyle. Tears flowed down her face. The man she loved was hurting and there was nothing she could do about it.
In the distance she heard a door closing and knew it was Kyle leaving. He had told her at dinner that he would be catching a plane that night to return home to his family.
A little while later, Colby got out of bed and slipped into her robe. Without giving much thought to what she was doing or why she was doing it, she left her room and headed downstairs in search of Sterling. She didn’t know what she would say to him when she saw him. All she knew was that she had to see him.
He was not in his study. She walked quietly through the rest of the large house, and when she didn’t see him anywhere, she slipped outside the back door.
The smell of the ocean was even more potent at night, she thought, inhaling the salty scent. She remembered how earlier that day the beach had soothed her troubled mind and had helped her put a number of things in perspective.
The moon’s glow led her way as she took several steps forward, feeling the soft, silky sand beneath her bare feet. She stopped when she came to a cluster of palm trees and took the time to enjoy the cool, gentle breeze.
“What are you doing out here?”
Sterling’s deep, masculine voice startled Colby and she swiftly turned around. “Sterling, you scared me.”
She leaned back slightly against a palm tree and looked up at him. The light from the patio didn’t reach far enough to light his dark features, but the soft light from the moon did. Colby’s breath caught in her throat. His chest was completely bare and the only thing that covered his body was a pair of black shorts.
Her eyes took in every vivid detail of him. His broad shoulders, steel-muscled chest and muscular thighs and legs indicated he kept himself in great physical shape. The heat of his body seemed to heat her own, and the scent of him was undeniably all male. She noticed his eyes, which were looking at her, cold, distrustful and filled with anger.
“I asked what you’re doing out here, Colby.” His voice was hard and tight.
“I was looking for you,” she said.
“Why? Did you think Kyle was still here and you would seize the opportunity to eavesdrop on our conversation again?” he snapped.
Colby was stunned speechless. She’d never given thought to the possibility that he would know she’d been listening at the door. She had barely made a sound. She was sure of it.
“But how did you know I was there? I was quiet.”
Sterling lifted a brow, mildly surprised at her admission. He thought she would have denied his accusations. Her honesty deflated his anger somewhat, but not completely. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Your scent gave you away. When I left the study to walk Kyle to the door, I picked up on it. Traces of your fragrance still lingered in the hallway. The perfume you wear is unique and has your name on it. I would pick up your scent anywhere and at anytime.”
“Oh.” Colby unconsciously gnawed at her lower lip. “Well, I didn’t mean to listen, it was sort