Star of His Heart - Brenda Jackson [6]
As he continued to watch her, getting even more turned on by the way she was nervously gnawing on her bottom lip, he knew that she was thinking about what he’d just said and trying to come up with a rebuttal. She finally met his gaze once again.
“Ashton?” Netherland said with what little patience she had left.
“Yes?”
She paused and took a deep breath. “I hear what you’re saying but I’m not buying it. I can’t. I don’t discount that you may believe what you’re saying, but I have to assure you that what you’re proposing won’t happen.”
Ashton nodded. “I understand,” he said sympathetically. He knew the understanding of mystical powers was hard for most people to understand and accept. He’d had a problem believing so himself until he’d been shown otherwise.
“And what do you understand, Ashton?”
“I understand how it would be hard to believe. But everything I’ve told you is true, Netherland. You and I will get married. You can’t continue to fight what will be.”
“No.”
“Yes. I didn’t want to break things to you this way. I wanted to court you properly, take you out and give us a chance to get to know each other. But you’ve made those plans difficult, near impossible. So the matter has now been taken out of your hands.” Ashton heard Netherland’s sharply indrawn breath and saw her body tense.
“What do you mean?” she asked softly.
He leaned toward her. Twin dimples indented his bronze-colored features as a slow smile spread across his lips. “It means you should start planning a wedding. And I’ll make plans for the wedding night,” he said softly.
Unexpected warmth rode up Netherland’s legs, beginning at her toes, and settled in her center. She inhaled deeply. She had to pull herself together. Ashton Sinclair was almost too much for her to handle. The soft huskiness of his voice and the determined intensity in his eyes stirred something to life deep within her.
“You’re wrong. There won’t be a wedding,” Netherland finally said firmly, looking at Ashton with a deep frown on her face.
He stood. His gaze was intent. He reminded her of her brother Dakota when he was hell-bent on having his way. “Yes, there will. You can bet Sisters on it. Good night, Netherland.”
Netherland watched, barely breathing, as Ashton turned and walked out of the restaurant.
“Some people have all the luck. I wish some good-looking man would ask me to marry him.”
Netherland blew out an exasperated sigh. “Have you heard anything I’ve said, Rainey? Ashton Sinclair didn’t ask me to marry him. He told me in no uncertain terms that we were getting married.”
“How romantic.”
“How ludicrous. Just who does he think he is anyway?”
Rainey smiled. “Evidently he thinks he’s the man who will become your husband.” Rainey leaned closer to Netherland. She had quickly slid into the seat Ashton had vacated, dying to get the scoop. “Did he actually say he was going to plan the wedding night?” she whispered.
Netherland nodded. “Yes, can you imagine his nerve?”
Rainey giggled. “Umm, right now I’m too busy imagining other things.”
“Rainey!”
“Okay, okay, I’m back in check. I’ll behave.” After a moment she said, “So, Nettie, what are you going to do? Go to the police?”
Netherland raised a brow. “The police?”
“Yes, if you think he’s harassing you.”
Netherland shook her head. That thought was too ridiculous to think about. Ashton wasn’t harassing her. He was just being a pain in the rear end. “He’s not harassing me.”
“So you kind of like having him here checking you out every night,” Rainey quickly concluded. Too quickly for Netherland.
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s just that so far he’s been harmless enough. Like you said earlier, he’s been good for business. And now that I know where his mind is, I’ll know how to handle him.”
Rainey lifted a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “And how do you plan on handling him?”
Netherland shrugged. “I’m sure a good night’s sleep will give me some answers.”
Chapter 3
Netherland didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Neither did she have any answers upon awakening the next morning. If it hadn