Authors: Stephanie
Naja smiled. “Your cooking can’t be that bad.”
“Believe me, it depends on what I’m fixing. I have boxed meals down pretty well, but I’ve been known to mess those up a time or two.”
“Doesn’t sound or appear as if you are in any danger of starving.”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not.”
“So what brings you to Myrtle Beach?”
“My best friend Elton. He said I was long overdue for a vacation. So he offered up his beach home for a few weeks and I said yes. What about you?”
“Like yourself, I needed a vacation. But I’m also using this as an opportunity to meet my sister’s new boyfriend. I’m staying in my family’s beach house.”
“How long do you plan to stay?”
“Two weeks. You?”
“The same.”
“So you’re on vacation by yourself?”
One corner of his mouth tilted upward. “Is that your way of asking me if I’m involved with someone special?”
“Yes.”
His amusement faded. “No. I used to be, but not anymore.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”
“Not at all. She died.”
Naja’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She felt terrible for asking such a personal question, especially since it had such a tragic ending.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope my question didn’t seem too insensitive.”
“It wasn’t. You had no way of knowing. Besides, I don’t mind you asking. It’s a lot easier for me to talk about it now than it used to be.”
As much as she didn’t want to pry, she knew anything he revealed would give her insight to who he was as a person. While he was gorgeous, she didn’t want to take up with a man who wasn’t mentally stable. “Will you tell me about her?”
Sterling took a sip of his wine. “Amelia was beautiful, kind, caring and full of life, all the way up to the unexpected end.”
“Unexpected?”
“She died of a brain aneurysm.”
Naja instinctively reached out across the table. “I’m so sorry, Sterling.”
“So am I. As I said, it was sudden. Amelia was a total health nut. Ate right and worked out.
She was thirty eight when she passed.”
“Did the two of you have any children?”
“No, we’d tried unsuccessfully several times. We’d just decided to adopt a few months before everything happened.”
Naja’s heart tightened in her chest and she struggled to hold back the tears springing into her eyes. So much heartache. She saw the pain in his eyes.
“Amelia died eight months ago. At first it was everything I could do just to keep going. A lot of days I didn’t want to get out of bed. But my friend Elton refused to let me wallow in sorrow. He was there to pick me up when I needed it, gave me a shoulder to cry on if I couldn’t contain my sadness. More importantly he gave me several swift kicks when I needed them. He still does. I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for him.”
Sterling chuckled. “He says I need to balance out my work life and personal life. To an extent I agree with him. I’m ready to get back out there socially, but I want to take my time.”
“Then you should. No one knows you like you know yourself.”
“That’s true. What about you? Is there someone special in your life?”
“No. I run my own event planning business, which usually has me extremely busy so I don’t have a lot of time to date.”
“Ever been married? Any children?”
“No to both.”
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but the men you’ve dated in the past must have been complete idiots to walk away from you.”
She reached out and picked up a strawberry. “Who says they walked away?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any better. I would have thought they would’ve fought
harder to keep you.”
His comment gave her pause. He was starting to sound more and more like a guy who
wouldn’t go for a casual arrangement. That wasn’t good. While she was happy for her sister, she wasn’t looking for a permanent arrangement. Heck, she barely had time for casual. It’d been months since she’d done the horizontal—or vertical—tango with anyone. Sterling definitely seemed to be a good candidate, but she had to be certain.
“Sterling, do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
“No. I just turned forty-six in May.”
She smiled. Right in the age bracket she’d guessed. Man did he make forty-six look good. He clearly took care of himself. Considering what he’d just revealed about his former wife, that didn’t come as a shock.
“I’m thirty-one.”
“A very mature thirty-one,” he murmured.
“I’d like to think so. Which brings me to another question. Would you be open to becoming involved with someone while you’re here on vacation?”
Sterling titled his head to the side and studied her. “What do you mean involved?”
Okay then. He wanted straight and direct, she would give it to him. “Would you be open to a casual sex relationship?”
He took a sip of wine. After he swallowed, he cleared his throat. “To be honest, I haven’t had a casual relationship since I was in my late twenties. I was married to my wife for fourteen years, dated her for an additional two before that point.”
“So in other words, no.”
“Are you asking me if I would like to have a no strings attached affair with you, Naja?”
“Yes. I’m only here for two weeks like yourself. We’re clearly attracted to each other. I think we’re both intelligent, rational and professional people. You need to unwind and so do I. Why not do it together?”
He chuckled. “The corporate attorney in me likes your negotiation skills.”
“And the woman in me desires the man in you.”
“What if I told you you’re offering me something I’m not interested in?”
Naja grinned. “I wouldn’t believe you. You’ve tolerated my presence too long. You’re definitely interested. The question is in what.”
Sterling turned his attention to the water. “There’s a reason why I’ve been reluctant to get back into the social scene. I’m a man who doesn’t have time to play games. I have no desire to end up in a different woman’s bed every night. Nor am I looking to get married right away. What I want is true companionship. Someone I can take out, get to know without all the pressure and hassle of trying to figure out what comes next. If that leads to intimacy, wonderful. If it turns into something more, even better. But the most is important thing, Naja, is I want to take my time.”
Naja stifled a sigh. This man was saying everything she’d want to hear if she were in a position to have a relationship. But that wasn’t what she craved right now. When she returned home to Raleigh she had a schedule that would make any event planner scream. But she liked it that way.
She had a job she loved and couldn’t imagine doing anything better.
The unfortunate thing was her career had wreaked havoc on her social life before. Event planning wasn’t a nine-to-five job. Then men in her past hadn’t enjoyed having to compete with her first love. There were often inopportune times when she was interrupted by the call of duty.
As much as she hated to give into a challenge, she and Sterling were on complete opposite sides of the playing field right now. Her physical attraction to him was off the charts and he appeared to be just as interested, but not in the same way.
It was just her luck because something deep within told her he’d been just the man she was searching for when she’d decided to come to Myrtle Beach. Closing her eyes, she stifled a sigh. This wasn’t going the way she wanted, but so be it. Maybe she could find another prospect at Imani and Carson’s Fourth of July party. Two days. She could hold out until then.
Opening her eyes, she gazed over at Sterling and smiled. “Thank you for your honesty, Sterling.”
“I know no other way to be.”
“I appreciate the offer to join you for lunch.”
“I’m grateful that you prepared it. Hopefully this won’t be the last time we have the opportunity to share a meal.”
“I’m sure it won’t,” she murmured. “After all, we are neighbors.”
Too bad we can’t be more.
Her gaze dropped to the strong hand gripping his wine glass. Oh yeah, he could definitely work magic with those fingers. Too bad they wouldn’t be stroking her body in all the ways she craved. Shaking her head to clear it, she grimaced. No need to torture herself unnecessarily.
“Judging by the expression on your face it looks as if you are attempting to figure out the best way to escape.”
She stared at him, struggling to keep her mouth from falling open. “Excuse me?”
Sterling leaned a little closer to her. “I’ve been told I’m a pretty good observer and I’ve picked up on quite a bit while sitting here with you.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“More than you think. Ms. Westbrook, something tells me you’re a woman who is used to getting her way.” He paused, one corner of his mouth tilting upward. “And you should, within reason.”
Her mouth fell open. Somehow the man had managed to insult and compliment her at the same time.
“I think it’s safe to say you prefer to keep your involvement in any relationship casual, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I’m also guessing you do this because at some point you suffered a heartache so great you vowed to avoid all emotional attachment in any future relationships, right?”
Naja’s spine stiffened and she did her best to school her expression. “Well, Mr. Henson, you just reinforced the reason why I do choose to keep things
light
.”
His left brow arched high on his forehead. “Your indirect answer tells me I’m on the right track.”
Naja pushed back from the table and stood.
“I’m surprised, Naja. You didn’t strike me as the sort to run away.”
“I’m not—” She stopped when he smiled. “Okay, look. It’s clear we’re interested in two different things and I’m okay with that.”
“I beg to differ. I think we’re both seeking the same thing. Only one of us is not afraid to admit it.”
She shook her head as she closed her eyes. Who the heck was this guy? How had he read her so well in such a short amount of time? There was no way he’d pegged her that quickly without help.
Reopening her eyes, she focused on him. “Do you know my sister?”
Sterling frowned. “No, why?”
“Are you sure? Did she put you up to this as payback from me meddling her about Carson?”
“Who’s Carson?”
The pure confusion in his expression told her he had no idea what she was talking about.
Then there was only one explanation as to why he’d guessed as well as he had.
“You’re psychic, aren’t you?”
Sterling stared at her silently for several heartbeats before the corners of his eyes crinkled and he chuckled. When he seemed to realize she was serious he laughed harder.
Frustrated with the way the situation was going, she pressed her lips together to stifle a curse word. “Look, Sterling, I think it’s best I get going now. I’m sure you have things to do today and so do I. I hope you enjoyed your lunch.”
She turned to walk away, but he gripped her wrist. The instant he touched her, a wave of heat surged through her. She couldn’t disguise the tremor that followed. A gasp exploded from her as she glanced down at his hand.
Sweet mercy the man was potent. She knew right then not getting involved with him on any level was the smart thing to do. The man was dangerous. In so many ways she didn’t know where to begin. She’d never felt the sort of attraction she’d experienced with him. Ever. That scared the hell out of her.
“Are you back to attempting a hasty departure?”
“I’m not running,” she grumbled.
“Then what do you call it?”
Naja rolled her eyes and sat. “I call it making an attempt to get on with my day. You should want to do the same. When on vacation one should relax and do a little sightseeing.”
“After we finish this conversation, hopefully we’ll be able to do that together?”
“That would be a mistake. If you know you’re incompatible going into the situation, you usually don’t continue on.”
“You do if you know the exploration of what’s to come will be worth it.”
“So you are psychic.”
“No. I just know from firsthand experience not to waste a moment. To take a chance on something that could turn out to be so great you’ll regret it more if you don’t.”
Naja remained silent. How could she argue with his rational logic? It might not be the road she planned to travel down, but that didn’t mean it was wrong for him. Still, she couldn’t deny she was tempted. There was something about the man that just drew her in. It was more than his gorgeous, sculpted face, his broad shoulders and muscular but lean body.
His personality called to her on a level deeper than she was comfortable with. More
importantly, in a way she’d never experienced. She did want to get to know him better. The yearning to have him touch her body in a way it hadn’t been in a while surged through her.
She wanted him. But that was her libido speaking. Her mind screamed no and her heart beat so fast she was surprised it hadn’t exploded out of her chest.
“Tell me what’s going through that brain of yours.”
“Trust me. You don’t want to know.”
“Of course I do. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked.”
Naja reached for her wine glass. She needed something stronger, but the wine would do for now. “You truly are an attorney, aren’t you?”
“I am. I also enjoy it very much,” Sterling replied.
“You scare me.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Why?”
“Because you tempt me to say yes even when I know I shouldn’t. I know that even though I want to go about this another way, you’re good enough to persuade me to try it yours and that could end up blowing up in my face, in both of our faces.”
“I never took you to be a pessimist.”
Naja smiled. “I prefer realist.”
“If that’s so, you should be completely onboard with what I’m suggesting. It doesn’t get more
real
than that.”
She laughed. “Where are you from, Sterling?”
“Memphis, Tennessee.”
She fought back a grimace. That was a little more distance than she was comfortable with.
Then she stifled a groan as her words to her sibling a few weeks ago came back to her. She’d encouraged her sister to take a risk on something that could turn out to be the best thing that had ever happened to her. It turned out Carson seemed to be that and more for Imani.