Temptation - Brenda Jackson [24]
He stood and went back into the kitchen. There was no doubt in his mind that when Sheila returned she would expect him to be packed up and ready to go. He would not disappoint her. Although he would love to hang around, he needed to haul it. There was too much attraction between them. Way too much chemistry. When they had gazed into each other’s eyes, the air had become charged. She had become breathless. So had he. That wasn’t good.
All there was supposed to be between them was business. Where was his hard-and-fast rule never to mix business with pleasure? It had taken a hard nosedive the first time he’d kissed her. And if that hadn’t been bad enough, he’d kissed her again. What had come over him? He knew the answer without thinking—lust of the most intense kind.
By the time he clicked his briefcase closed, he heard Sheila come back downstairs, and when she walked into the kitchen he had it in his hand. “Walk me to the door,” he said softly, wondering why he’d asked her to do so when he knew the way out. “Okay.”
She silently walked beside him and when they got to the door, she reached out to open it, but he took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. “I left my card on the table. Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, this was my last time coming by.”
She nodded and didn’t ask why. He knew she understood. They were deeply attracted to each other and if they hung around each other for long, that attraction would heat up and lead to something else. Something that he knew neither of them wanted to tangle with right now.
“Thanks for everything, Zeke. I feel rested.”
He smiled. “But you can always use more. She’ll probably sleep through the night, but she’ll be active in the morning. That little girl has a lot of energy.”
Sheila chuckled. “So you noticed.”
“Oh, yeah, I noticed. But she’s a good kid.”
“Yes, and I still can’t believe someone abandoned her.”
“It happens, Sheila. Even to good kids.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Go back to bed.”
Then he opened the door and walked out.
Zeke forced himself to keep moving and not look back. He opened the car door and sat there a moment, fighting the temptation to get out of his car, walk right back up to her door and knock on it. When she answered it, he would kiss her senseless before she could say a single word. He would then sweep her off her feet and take her up to her bedroom and stretch her out on it, undress her and then make love to her.
He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. How had it moved from kissing to thoughts of making love to her? Easily, Travers, his mind screamed. She’s a beauty. She’s hot. And you enjoy her mouth too damn much.
He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He would be doing the right thing by staying away. Besides, it wasn’t as though he didn’t have anything to do. He had several people to interview tomorrow, including several TCC members who wanted to talk to him. One of them had called tonight requesting the meeting and he wondered what it would be about.
He turned the key in the ignition and backed out the driveway. He looked at the house one last time before doing so. All the lights were off downstairs. His gaze traveled to her bedroom window. The light was on there. He wondered what she was doing. Probably getting ready for bed.
A bed he wished he could join her in.
Sheila checked on Sunnie one more time before going into her bathroom to take a shower. She felt heat rush to her cheeks when she remembered waking Zeke earlier. The man had a way of looking at her that could turn her bones into mush.
A short while later after taking a shower and toweling dry her body, she slid into a pair of pajamas. She checked on Sunnie one last time and also