One Hot Summer Anthology (20 page)

             
Naja looked at the slip of paper he had in his hand for a moment, then she took it. “Sterling, I—”

             
He put a finger to her lips. “No pressure, Naja. Just if you ever change your mind, you have a way to reach me.”

             
“But you don’t even know where I live.”

             
“I don’t need to know. You call me and I’ll be there. No pressure.”  

             
She stared up at him at a loss for words. Finally, she cupped his face between her palms and went up on tip-toe. She pressed her lips to his briefly, then pulled back with a gentle smile.

“Thank you for two of the best weeks of my life, Sterling. Have a safe trip home.”

              He caressed her cheek softly with his hand. “You drive safely as well.”

             
When he opened the car door, she slid inside. He stood there as she started the ignition. As she backed out of the driveway, he stayed in the same spot. There was ache in her chest that grew the further she drove away from the beach house. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she figured out what it was. Somewhere along the way, she’d gone and done exactly what she said she wouldn’t.

She’d fallen for Sterling.
             

             
More importantly, she didn’t know what the hell she was supposed to do about it. 

Chapter Eleven

“Sweet mercy, I need another vacation,” Naja grumbled to herself as she shifted through her paperwork.

It probably wouldn’t do her any good. Her concentration had been shot to hell for the past week. So much so, her assistants had noticed and were working hard to cover for her. It wasn’t her fault. Sterling had gotten under her skin. More than she’d wanted to admit to in the beginning, but now there was no hiding it. Even her sleep pattern had been affected. She needed to call him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

What would she say to him? How could she explain she’d broken her own rule and let emotions get involved? If she could kick herself in the butt, she would. Of all the idiotic things for her to do, she had to open herself up to the one man who had the ability to hurt her all over again.

It was something else keeping her from picking up the phone. If she didn’t take things any further with him, she had nothing to worry about. Even as she told herself that was what she should do, she pulled out the slip of paper that had his number on it as she’d done several times today.

This time she actually picked up the telephone receiver and dialed the number. The phone rang and just when she thought it’d go to voicemail he answered.

“Hello?”

It took her several swallows to get her voice to work. “Hi, Sterling.”

“Naja?”

“Yes, it’s me. How are you?”

“I’m good. You?”

“I’m well. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Not at all. I just finished up a meeting.”

Several moments of silence passed between them.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Naja?”

“I’m not one who usually participates in small talk, so I’ll just come right out and say it. I would like to see you.”

She heard the smile in his voice when he responded. “I’d like that as well. When would you like to get together?”

“Well, I know you’re in Memphis and I have plans to see my parents this weekend. So perhaps next weekend I can drive up or you can drive down.”

“What makes you think I’m in Memphis?” he asked.

“The area code to your phone number and you mentioned being from there.”

“Ah. I forget that on occasion. Actually, I live in Raleigh and have for about seven years now. I’ve just never bothered to change my number out of convenience.”

Naja almost dropped her phone. Sterling was in Raleigh? This had to be a cruel joke.

“Naja, did I lose you?”

“No. I’m just…I’m in Raleigh as well.”

He chuckled. “Isn’t that ironic?”

“I believe this would certainly fall into that category.”

“Well, I definitely want to see you. Are you free tonight?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Great. Want to meet at Shimizu? They have great Japanese food.”

Naja looked down at her desk aid to check her schedule. On occasion she booked appointments in the evening to accommodate people who couldn’t get free during the day. “Sound’s great. How about 6:30?”

“Works for me. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay.” Naja hung up and pressed her hand to her mouth to conceal her squeal. What in the heck had just happened? She reached for her cellphone again and dialed Imani’s number. Her sister answered on the second ring.

“What’s wrong, Naja?”

“Nothing. I promise. But you are not going to believe this. Sterling lives in Raleigh.”

“What
?
”

“I know. I still can’t believe it.”

There were a few moments of silence and she imagined Imani shaking her head.

“How did you find that out?”

“I finally got up the nerve to call him. In the process of making plans to meet up, he informed me he lives in Raleigh, not Memphis.”

“Wow. This really changes things.”

“Tell me about it.”

The man who’d plagued her dreams every night since she’d returned home was even more obtainable than she’d thought. That scared the hell out of her. While she’d just worked up the nerve to try something long distance now he was even closer and that made her nervous.

Sterling made her think about things she usually didn’t. He made her want to do stuff out of the norm for her. Yep, he was truly dangerous. She’d known it the instant she’d looked up at him as he approached her on the beach.

“Naja?”

She jumped when her sister called her name. “Sorry, I spaced out a little there.”

“So, I see. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I just need to get my thoughts together. But I’ll get it worked out. I always do.”

“Okay then. I’ll let you get back to what you need to do. But if you need me, don’t hesitate to call me. I’m always here.”

“I know. I love you, Imani. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how things turn out.”

“Love you, too, Naja.”

Naja disconnected the call and stared off into space for a moment. She had a lot to do before she met Sterling tonight and even more to figure out before then. Closing her eyes, she released a pent up breath and forced herself to relax. Stressing out wouldn’t solve anything. She would just wait until dinner and talk with Sterling to figure out where his mind was. Even though he’d been willing to meet her for a bite to eat didn’t mean he hadn’t changed his mind about her since they’d returned.

What shocked her was the amount of fear she had over the thought he had.

* * * *

             
Naja closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was so nervous she felt nauseous. Once she’d composed herself enough to get out of the car, she opened the door. She made her way through the parking lot and stepped inside the restaurant. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Sterling standing there. If it were possible, he’d gotten more handsome since she’d last seen him a week ago. Instead of the casual beach clothes she’d become used to, he wore a buttoned down shirt and a pair of slacks. The facial hair still adorned his face, but it’d had clearly been groomed. He was absolutely gorgeous.

             
The corners of his mouth curved upward. He held out his hand to her and her steps quickened. When she was within arms reached, he pulled her into his embrace. “Hello, beautiful.”

             
She didn’t get a chance to respond due to his mouth covering hers briefly. When he lifted his head she sighed.

             
“Hi,” she murmured.

             
He released her then turned toward the hostess. “We’re ready.”

             
The hostess bowed then led them into the restaurant. Naja could barely focus on the beauty of it from being so preoccupied at being in Sterling’s presence. Up until the point she’d spotted him, she’d wondered if it was all a dream. This was definitely not a hallucination.

             
Once they reached the table, Sterling held out her chair so she could sit. She ordered hot green tea in the hopes it’d settle her nerves. After their drinks had been placed in front of them and their food orders taken, Naja stared across the table at the man she hadn’t expected to see again. But she was grateful for the opportunity.

             
“So, how have you been?”

             
Naja opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. She couldn’t do this any longer. Trying to hold back had become exhausting. “I’ve missed you, Sterling.”

The smile spreading across his face was heartwarming.

“I’ve missed you as well.”

She closed her eyes briefly. “I’m scared to death of the things you make me feel.”

“Considering what I’ve told you of my past, do you think I’m not?”

Sterling reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Naja, I can’t swear to you everything will be perfect. I can’t even promise everything will work out between us. What I can assure you is I’ll be the man you need, want and desire every day you give me the opportunity to be. There’s something between us that can’t be denied and I want to explore it to the very end.”

She squeezed his hand fleetingly. “You make my heart race when you say things like that. I’m so afraid of being hurt again—”

“Naja, I—”

“But I’m even more frightened of the loneliness I’ve felt in the week I’ve been away from you. Like you, I don’t know where this will go, but I want to find out.”

“You don’t know how glad I am to hear that.”

She gave him a small smile. “Be patient with me, Sterling.”

“I will and you have to do the same with me.”

“Shall we kiss on it?”

He chuckled. “It would be my pleasure.”

Epilogue

A year later

             
Naja stretched slowly, yawning as she shifted in the bed. She didn’t want to get out of bed and fortunately she didn’t have to. As of yesterday she was officially on vacation. She looked forward to taking a break to the madness otherwise known as her life.

             
“Are you up yet, sleepy head?”

             
She smiled at the sound of Sterling’s voice. “Nope, just getting comfortable so I can get another hour or two of rest.”

             
“If you do that it will put us severely behind schedule for meeting Imani and Carson for lunch.”

             
She exhaled heavily, opening her eyes just a bit to squint against the bright sun. “You should’ve thought about that before you kept me up half of the night with your lusty demands.”

             
He chuckled. “You didn’t appear to be complaining all that much last night.”

             
“What can I say? I was under the influence.”

             
“I just bet you were. I’m going to go get breakfast started. You should have enough time to grab a quick shower if you want before you join me.”

             
“Sounds like a plan.”

             
She slid from underneath the sheet and headed for the bathroom. As much as she wanted to lounge around in bed she was anxious to see her sister. Naja hadn’t seen Imani her and Carson had come to Raleigh three months ago to share the news of their engagement.

             
She was happy for her older sibling. Carson made Imani happy and the two of them completed each other, in the same way she and Sterling did. Their age difference hadn’t made a bit of difference. If anything, it seemed to add to the layers of their relationship. Sterling had just the right amount of maturity she needed, but he also had a wicked sense of humor to balance it out. In other words, he’d proven himself to be all the man she needed.

             
She shuddered to think she’d almost passed up on the opportunity to have him in her life. Flipping the switch on in the bathroom, she made her way over to the sink. Studying her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. There was a spark in her eyes that hadn’t left since the moment she’d invited Sterling to be a part of it. Life was better than it’d had ever been and she looked forward to seeing what the future held.

             
Turning on the water, she closed her eyes and leaned over the sink. She splashed water on her face a few times before reaching for a drying towel. After wiping the water from her eyes, she checked her reflection once more and screamed. Jumping as the sound reached her ears, she squeezed her lips and eyes shut. A few moments later she opened one eye, then the other.

             
Nope. Nothing had changed.

             
She lost track of how long she stood there staring at her image before she smiled. Her smile turned into laughter and her laughter to tears of happiness. She dropped the towel and ran out of the bathroom in search of Sterling.

             
He sat on the edge of the bed, grinning like a loon. She threw herself at him and he caught her without hesitation, allowing her momentum to carry them both back onto the bed.

             
“I take it that you like it?”

             
She grasped his face between her palms. “Like it? I love it! I love you!”

             
Lowering her head, she pressed her lips passionately to his, kissing him with everything she had until she needed to come up for air. Once she did, he brushed her untamed hair out of her face.

             
“I love you, too, Naja, and I hope you will do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

             
Tears sprang into Naja’s eyes and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. The engagement ring sprinkling on her hand twinkled brightly in the well-lit room. How he’d managed to get it on her finger while she was asleep she’d never know. Nor did she care. All that mattered was he’d kept his promise. There wasn’t a day when she’d regretted giving him a chance.

Nodding frantically, she whispered, “Yes.”

              This time Sterling who initiated the kiss. It was tender and loving in a way that only he could be. When she lifted her head, she laughed.

             
“You know, on the way here, I thought to myself there is no way this vacation could top last year’s.”

             
One of his brows rose high on his forehead. “I assume you’ve changed your mind about that.”

             
“Oh, most definitely. I have a feeling this is going to be one hot summer.”

             
He chuckled. “Good thing I like it hot.”

The End