One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [51]
“An accident?” At her nod he said, “Deliberate eavesdropping isn’t an accident.”
She slightly raised her chin. “It wasn’t deliberate. You told me earlier today you thought I was a good storyteller. Well, listening to your story tonight sort of pulled me in,” she answered truthfully.
Sterling’s eyes hardened. “Everything I told Kyle was the truth.”
“I know and that’s what’s so sad.”
Sterling grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. Colby looked into his eyes and they appeared cut from stone. “I don’t want your pity,” he snarled.
Colby jerked her hand away from him. Her anger flared instantly and her spine became ramrod-stiff. “Pity? I don’t pity you, Sterling Hamilton,” she said, placing hands on her hips. “Why should I pity you? At least you did have one loving parent, so the way I see it, you should count your blessings.”
She took a step forward and Sterling unconsciously took a step back. He had been around Colby enough times to know what that fiery look in her eyes meant. She was about to give him hell.
“Let me tell you about pity. I save my pity for Otis Marshall, one of my students. He doesn’t know his father, and his mother is somewhere strung out on drugs. She has never bothered to come and see him since the day he was born. He was lucky enough to have a grandmother that cared, but unfortunately she recently had hip surgery and her medical bills were so enormous, they can barely make ends meet right now.”
Colby took another step forward. “Then there’s Maria Martin, who earlier this year confided to me that her stepfather was sexually abusing her. She has my pity because her mother chose to believe her husband’s denial instead of her own daughter’s accusations. Fortunately, we were able to get her in a foster home for now, but the authorities haven’t been able to locate her natural father.”
Sterling met Colby’s furious stare with a seemingly composed expression and that made her even madder. “You, Sterling Hamilton, don’t need my pity because you have more than enough pity for yourself. For once, you need to take a look around you. You aren’t the only person whose parent has walked away and not looked back. So get over it.”
“Have you finished?” Sterling asked in a hard, cold voice, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Not quite,” Colby replied, lifting her hand to her hair and pushing the thick mass of curls away from her face. “I want to leave you with something to think about.”
Her features became gentle and her voice became soft when she said, “A real mother would never have just walked away and not looked back. That incident you experienced as a child only proves one thing. You were better off without her in your life. Not being there was her loss and not yours. You made something of yourself. Just look at all of your accomplishments. I know your father had to have been very proud of you, and any woman with a lick of sense would be proud to claim you as her son. Good night, Sterling.” Then she turned to leave.
Sterling reached out for Colby and pulled her to him. Before she could draw breath, his lips captured hers. He had only meant to kiss her good-night, at least that’s what he’d convinced himself, but the moment his lips took possession of hers, blatant desire took control of him. This time he was not surprised by it.
As if it had a will of its own, his mouth latched onto hers wanting to see if she still tasted as good as the last time, knowing deep down that she did. But once he delved into finding out, he couldn’t stop. Especially when he felt her mouth melt beneath his and sensed a hunger in her as strong and keen as his own.
And he became a victim to it.
He used his tongue to brand her, and his arms held onto her tight. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to hold and to taste her until that very moment. Reliving that part of his life with Kyle had left him torn and feeling bruised. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Colby felt so right in his arms and was filling a void he hadn’t known existed.
Colby let her hands wander over the firm muscles of Sterling’s bare back