Temptation - Brenda Jackson [54]
He crossed the room to where she sat at the table and took her hands into his and eased her up. He then wrapped his arms around her waist. “There’s no way I can forget about the woman I’ve fallen in love with.”
He saw immediate disbelief flash across her features and said, “I know it’s crazy considering we’ve only known each other for just two weeks but it’s true. I do love you, Sheila, and no matter what you think, I won’t forget you, and I am coming back. I will be here whenever you need me, just say the word.”
He saw the tears that formed in her eyes and heard her broken words when she said, “And I love you, too. But I’m scared.”
“And you think I’m not scared, too, baby? I’ve never given a woman my heart before. But you have it—lock, stock and barrel. And I don’t make promises I don’t keep, sweetheart. I will always be here for you. I will be a man you can count on.”
And then he lowered his mouth and sealed his promise with a kiss, communicating with her this way and letting her know what he’d just said was true. He wanted her, but he loved her, too.
She returned his kiss with just as much fervor as he was putting into it. He knew if they didn’t stop he would be tempted to haul her upstairs, which couldn’t happen since Sunnie was wide awake. But there would be later and he was going to start counting the minutes.
Sheila woke when the sunlight streaming through the window hit her in the face. She jerked up in bed and saw the side next to her was empty. Had Zeke left for Denver already without telling her goodbye?
Trying to ignore the pain settling around her heart, she wrapped the top sheet around her naked body and eased out of bed to stare out the window. Was he somewhere in the skies on a plane? He hadn’t said when he was returning, but he said he would and that he loved her. He loved her. She wanted so much to believe him and—
“Is there any reason you’re standing there staring out the window?”
She whipped around with surprise all over her face. “You’re here.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I’m here. Where did you think I’d be?”
She shrugged. “I assumed you had left for Denver already.”
“Without telling you goodbye?”
She fought back telling him that’s how Crawford would do things, and that he had a habit of not returning when he’d told her he would. Something would always come up. There was always that one last sale he just had to make. Instead, she said, “What you have to do in Denver is important.”
He leaned in the doorway with a cup of coffee in his hand. “And so are you.”
He entered the room and placed the cup on the nightstand. “Come here, sweetheart.”
She moved around the bed, tugging the sheet with her. When she came to a stop in front of him, he said, “Last night I told you that I had fallen in love with you, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need for you to believe in me. Trust me. I know, given your history with the people you care about, trusting might not be easy, but you’re going to have to give me a chance.”
She drew in a deep breath. “I know, but—”
“No buts, Sheila. We’re in this thing together, you and me. We’re going to leave all our garbage at the back door and not bring it inside. All right?”
She smiled and nodded. “All right.”
He was about to pull her into his arms, when they heard the sound of Sunnie waking up on the monitor in the room. “I guess we’ll have to postpone this for later. And later sometime, I need to look through some boxes Brad put in storage that belonged to his brother. His cousins in Waco swear they are not Sunnie’s daddy, and since Michael is not here to speak for himself, I need to do some digging. But I am flying out for Denver tomorrow sometime.”
He took a step back. “You go get dressed. Take your time. I’ll handle the baby. And please don’t ask if I know how to dress and feed her. If you recall, I’ve done it before.”
She chuckled. “I know you have. And you will make a great father.”
His smile widened. “You think so?”
“Yes.”
“I take that as a compliment,” he said. “And like I said, take your time coming downstairs. Sunnie and I will