Star of His Heart - Brenda Jackson [36]
Rome nodded. “And how do you know when the time is right?”
Netherland couldn’t help but glance back at Ashton. His gaze held hers, and as she watched, his eyes seemed to go darker, deeper. A flush of heat spread up her legs and worked its way to her center. Then the curl of something hot and delicious settled there and stayed. Even shifting in her chair couldn’t get rid of it. Ashton’s gaze was doing things to her insides.
“Trust me, you’ll know when the time is right,” he responded to Rome.
“Some women don’t want to know they are wanted,” she decided to add to break whatever exchange was passing between her and Ashton.
“And some don’t think they want to know but actually they do. I would think any woman would want to know they were loved and wanted.”
Netherland had a difficult time swallowing her food when she thought of the two times Ashton had held her in his arms while she’d slept. Most times when she had awakened during the night to find his body tucked close to hers, he had instantly become awake and had whispered words to her that had made her feel wanted and loved. And they hadn’t made love either of those times. But yet, their minds and bodies had somehow connected in another way. It was in a way she didn’t want. It was in a way she hadn’t realized until now.
“I think being direct may not be a bad approach,” Rome said to no one in particular as he stood. He saw Jada gather her purse and belongings. Evidently her shift had ended. “Will the two of you excuse me for a minute?” He threw a few bills on the table and without waiting to see if Ashton and Netherland would excuse him or not, walked off, leaving them alone.
Netherland watched her brother move across the room to Jada. “I hope he takes things slow with her,” she said softly.
When she looked back around at Ashton he met her gaze directly. “Some things aren’t meant to be taken slow, Netherland.”
She stared into his eyes and felt her body melt. She forced herself to blink to rid her mind of thoughts that should not be there.
“I have to leave town for a while.”
Netherland blinked again when Ashton’s words registered. “You’re leaving?”
He smiled. “Yes. Something has come up in D.C. that I have to handle.”
Netherland nodded. She didn’t want to feel the sense of loneliness his words had instilled within her, but she did so anyway. She missed him already. “Are you gone for good or will you be back?”
Ashton gave her a smile. “Oh, I’ll be back. In fact I’ll be back in time for the Brothers Auction on Saturday night.”
Netherland nodded. She knew there would be a number of women who would be glad to hear that. “I hope you have a safe trip, Ashton.”
“Thanks.”
Netherland chewed at her bottom lip. Suddenly she was no longer hungry for the food on her plate. At that moment a hostess came up to take Ashton’s order. Netherland used that time to excuse herself and immediately went to her office. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it. She wondered why the knowledge of Ashton’s leaving was affecting her this way. She wondered why she felt such an extreme sense of loss. Ashton was a complication she didn’t want or need in her life.
Images flashed in her mind, especially the image of the two times he’d stood before her wearing nothing but a loincloth. Netherland lifted her head upward, seeking strength from the madness that consumed her and her mind. Maybe with Ashton gone those few days, her life, as well as her mind, would get back to normal.
Netherland sighed as she wondered if anything about her would ever be normal again.
Jada tried not to glance over at the man who had offered to drive her home. At first when he had asked she had hesitated but then she had accepted his offer. She knew from the other hostesses that he was one of Nettie’s brothers. She had noticed him right away when he’d come into Sisters the night before. There had been something about him that stood out, even when he’d stood next to Ashton Sinclair; and everyone knew that Mr. Sinclair at times seemed bigger than life. There had been