Forever an Eaton: Bittersweet LoveSweet Deception

by Rochelle Alers

  Zabrina placed her palm on Myles’s outstretched hand, smiling when his strong fingers closed over hers. The calluses from his martial arts training still hadn’t faded completely. She’d loved seeing him compete as much as he’d disliked competing. Her breath would catch in her throat when he walked into the center of the arena, bow to his opponent, then, in lightning-quick fashion, take him off his feet. The day he received his black belt she celebrated with the Eatons when they all went out to dinner at a restaurant featuring Asian cuisine.

  Myles pulled her gently into the circle of his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. “How you doo-in?” he asked in his best New York inflection.

  Zabrina smiled. “It’s all good.”

  “I have to take a shower, so you can either wait up for me or go straight to bed.”

  She let out an audible sigh. They were about to embark on something she couldn’t have predicted the night she’d met Belinda Eaton at the fundraising dinner. Belinda hadn’t mentioned Myles and she hadn’t asked because she didn’t want to hear that he’d married and fathered children, children that should’ve been theirs.

  “I’m going to turn in. My legs feel as if someone pounded them with a mallet.”

  Lifting his head, Myles pulled back and stared into the pools of brown and gold. “I’ll give you a full body massage.”

  “How much are you going to charge me?” Zabrina teased.

  “I’ll try and think of something comparable to what a masseur would charge for house calls.”

  “Can you give me a hint, because I may not have enough money with me?”

  Myles’s expression went from soft and open to sober within seconds. “I don’t want or need your money. And if you ever forget that I’ll make certain to remind you.”

  Zabrina was successful in not visibly flinching as his words hit her like stones hurled from a sling shot. Her eyes turned cold and frosty again. “What do you want from me other than the sex I’m willingly offering?”

  “What about the truth, Zabrina?”

  She was taken aback by his demand. “I’ve told you all I can tell you at this time.”

  Zabrina knew she hadn’t been completely honest with Myles not because she didn’t want to be but because she couldn’t. The first time she’d lied to Myles it was to protect her father, and she continued to lie to protect her son. How much more pain would he have to experience before reaching adulthood? As a parent it was her responsibility to protect her child, and she would do so until Adam was an adult, even if it meant forfeiting her life.

  Myles knew Zabrina was hiding something and he was certain it had something to do with Thomas Cooper. He wanted answers but not at the risk of alienating her. What he had was time—almost eight weeks—in which to wait and watch for her to let down her guard. “If that’s the case, then I have to respect your decision.”

  “Thank you, Myles.” Zabrina was relieved he’d decided not to push the issue.

  “Why don’t you go in and I’ll bring in your bag.”

  Zabrina walked into her childhood friend’s living room. The pale carpeting and fabric were a testament that Belinda hadn’t decorated her home with children in mind. Walls painted a soothing powder blue were the perfect contrast to the off-white sofa and chairs. The color was repeated in the silk throw pillows and the trim on the off-white rug. Milk-glass vases in varying heights lined the fireplace mantel. White trim on the mantel and French doors emphasized the room’s architectural details.

  She and Belinda used to spend hours fantasizing about the homes they wanted when they married, and Zabrina never would’ve imagined that she would become mistress of Cooper Hall. She would’ve traded everything—the mansion, fancy clothes, priceless pieces of jewelry and the allowance Thomas deposited into an account for her to keep the household running smoothly—to live in a hovel with Myles Eaton.

  “Brina?”

  She turned to find Myles standing at the entrance to the living room, cradling her quilted bag to his chest. “Yes.”

  “Come. I’ll show you to the bedroom.”

  Her heart beating a staccato tattoo against her ribs, Zabrina closed the distance between her and Myles. She hadn’t felt this anxious even when she’d decided to sleep with Myles for the first time.

  “Let’s do this,” she whispered.

  “Whoa. Wait a minute, Brina. Do you hear yourself?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Why are you making it sound as if this is a paid assignation? As if you’re offering yourself up to me for a price?”

  “Myles, don’t. You have no idea what it took for me to ask you to go to bed with me.”

  Myles’s expression was one of restraint and patience. “Stop beating up on yourself, Zabrina. Didn’t I tell you that I would’ve asked you if you hadn’t asked me? And if you hadn’t had too much to drink Saturday night there is no doubt you would not have left the hotel room without my making love to you. When I saw you with that...that dude I wanted to beat the crap out of him.”

  With wide eyes, Zabrina searched Myles’s face for a hint of guile. “Why? He didn’t do anything to you, or to me.”

  “I was jealous, Brina. I was jealous as hell because he was touching you.”

  She shook her head in an attempt to bring her fragile emotions under control. She loved Myles, always had and always would, but if Myles was jealous of her and Bailey Mercer then his feelings for her went deeper than he’d admitted.

  “You don’t ever have to be jealous of me with another man.”

  Reaching out, Myles cradled her chin in his hand, raising her face to where it was inches from his. “What about Cooper, Brina? Shouldn’t I have been jealous of him, too?”

  Zabrina pulled her lip between her teeth, increasing the pressure until she felt it pulsing in pain. “No. Remember, I told you we had separate bedrooms.”

  Raven orbs narrowed under a sweep of inky-black eyebrows. “You never slept with him?”

  “Yes, we did sleep together very early in the marriage,” she answered truthfully. She and Thomas had shared a bed the night they were married. They’d occupied a luxury suite following the private ceremony and the reception dinner at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel. The beauty and understated elegance of the hotel set on a cobblestone street in Society Hill had failed to offset her dark mood. They’d checked out the following morning and Zabrina had moved into her suite of rooms at Cooper Hall where she didn’t have to share a bed with her husband.

  It wasn’t what Zabrina said, but what she didn’t say that tugged at Myles’s heart. Not only did she crave physical fulfillment but her loneliness was a result of lack of companionship. Senator Thomas Cooper had earned the reputation of looking out for the residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania—everyone but his wife and son.

  He smiled and the gesture was as intimate as a kiss. “Let’s go to bed, darling.”

  Zabrina followed Myles to the rear of the house where walls of French doors covered with silk panels opened up to a bedroom. He touched a wall switch and the space was flooded with soft light from table lamps with pale blue pleated shades. Every piece of furniture and all the accessories were in varying shades of white. The absence of color in the bedroom was offset by the calming blues in the adjoining sitting/dressing room with blue-and-white-striped cushions on a white chaise. A blue-and-white-checked tablecloth on a small table with two pull-up chairs created the perfect spot for breakfast or afternoon tea.

  “It’s so beautiful.” She couldn’t disguise the excitement in her voice.

  Myles set her bag on the carpeted floor next to a bedside table. “Belinda moved her bedroom downstairs when she gave Layla and Sabrina the run of upstairs. There are two half baths in each of what used to be their bedrooms and a full bath on the second floor. There’s also a half bath off the kitchen wit
h a shower stall that I’ve commandeered, so you can have any of the ones upstairs.”

  Zabrina’s gaze widened when Myles slipped out of his tie and suit jacket, and she prayed he wouldn’t undress in front of her. Although she was more than familiar with his body, she still didn’t feel completely comfortable with him. Too much time had elapsed for her to pick up where they’d left off before.

  “I’ll try and wait up for you.”

  Myles winked at her. “Remember, I owe you a full-body massage.”

  She returned the wink. “If that’s the case, then I’ll make certain to stay awake.”

  Tossing his jacket and tie on the chair in the sitting area, he turned and walked out of the bedroom. Zabrina sprang into action when she opened her weekender, removing the nightgown she’d packed on top of the bag. She’d showered, shampooed her hair and brushed her teeth in the hope she would have less physical contact with Myles before sharing a bed.

  She undressed, pulled the nightgown over her head and slipped between the sheets. Reaching over, she turned off the lamp on her side of the bed and waited for Myles.

  Chapter 10

  Zabrina hadn’t realized she’d dozed off while waiting for Myles to join her in bed until the heat from his body warmed into hers. Stretching languidly like a cat, she smiled and snuggled against his length.

  “What took you so long?”

  With his arm around Zabrina’s waist, Myles pulled her closer, fitting his groin to the roundness of her hips. “I was only gone about fifteen minutes.”

  “That was fourteen minutes too long.”

  He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the lingering scent of her perfume. The fragrance wasn’t the same as the one she’d worn years before. It was more sophisticated, more woodsy than floral. Zabrina had matured and so had her perfume.

  “You’re demanding.”

  “Weren’t you the one who said that if you want something, then demand it.”

  He smiled. “Yes, I did. How are your legs?”

  “Better, now that I’m not standing on them.”

  “Do you still want that massage?”

  “Yes please.”

  Myles shifted, rising to his knees and eased Zabrina to lie on her belly. “When did you start wearing nightgowns to bed?” The white cotton garment with narrow straps crisscrossing her back was sensual and virginal. And because it concealed the curves of her slender body he found it was more provocative than a sheer garment.

  Resting her head on her folded arms, Zabrina sighed softly. “I started when I became pregnant. Walking around naked with a big belly wasn’t a nice sight. I couldn’t bring myself to look in the mirror until I was fully dressed.”

  Sliding to the foot of the bed, Myles began massaging her ankles. “That all depends on who’s looking at the belly.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I find pregnant women very sexy. They’re like beautiful ripe fruit bursting with life.”

  Zabrina moaned softly when his strong fingers kneaded the tight muscles in her calves. “You wouldn’t have said that about yours truly.”

  “I’m certain you were beautiful, Brina.”

  She moaned again. Myles’s hands had moved from her calves to her thighs. “That feels so good.”

  Myles concentrated on the tight muscles in Zabrina’s legs and thighs, his fingers working their healing magic. He remembered another time when he’d given her a full-body massage. It was the day after he’d taken her virginity.

  Zabrina had complained that every muscle in her body ached, and after giving her a bath he’d dried her off and gently massaged muscles she’d never had to use and muscles she didn’t know she had.

  Instead of returning home during spring break, Myles had arranged for Zabrina to meet him in Virginia Beach. They’d checked into a hotel, ordered room service and spent the week making love. He knew even before she’d offered him the most precious gift a woman could give a man that he was inexorably and hopelessly in love with Zabrina Mixon.

  Reaching up, he pulled her arms down to her sides to make it easier for him to slide the straps of the nightgown off her shoulders. The skin on her back was flawless. The glow from the lamp on his side of the bed had turned her into a statue of molten gold. Sliding a hand under her belly, Myles eased her off the mattress while effortlessly removing the nightgown. It was the second time in a week that she’d lain in his bed while he undressed her. He smiled. It was a habit he could very easily get used to.

  Zabrina gasped when she felt the brush of Myles’s penis over her buttocks. The hidden place between her legs grew warm, moist. She smothered a moan. It’d been so long, much too long since she’d felt the pleasurable sensations. Her libido had gone into overdrive during her confinement, but after she’d delivered Adam she felt absolutely nothing. Viewing an erotic film or reading erotic literature did nothing to arouse her and she was resigned to believing that she would never feel desire again. But Myles had proven her wrong. She felt desire, and being with him made her feel feminine, sexy.

  “Am I hurting you?” Myles asked in her ear. He’d straddled her body while supporting his greater weight on his arms.

  Zabrina moaned again, this time as a rush of moisture bathed her core. “No.”

  She bit her lip to keep from begging him to end the sensual torment that made her feel as if she were coming out of her skin.

  Myles didn’t know how long he could continue to touch Zabrina without being inside her, because it was becoming more difficult with each passing minute to keep from spilling his passion on the sheets. He’d become aroused the instant he’d walked into the bedroom to find her in his bed. It’d been a long time since he’d experienced an instantaneous erection. It hadn’t happened since he was an adolescent.

  Then he’d lost count of the number of times he’d embarrassed himself whenever he saw a girl he liked. Rather than approach or say anything to her he’d walk away before she noticed the bulge in his pants.

  By the time he’d begun sleeping with Zabrina he was totally in control of his body. Even when other women brushed up against him or leaned over to permit him an eyeful of breasts, he did not react. He realized then that it was the brain that dictated sexual desire. No matter how provocatively a woman dressed or flirted, if he wasn’t attracted to her then she couldn’t arouse him.

  He pressed a kiss on Zabrina’s shoulder. “You’ve lost weight.”

  “Not that much,” she mumbled.

  Myles’s thumbs moved over her spine. “You’re thinner now than when we were together.”

  “I haven’t lost my booty.”

  “It’s still not as full as it used to be.”

  Zabrina raised her head, peering at Myles over her shoulder. “I thought you were a leg man.”

  He smiled, flashing straight white teeth. “I like legs, but I like tits and ass, too.”

  “Myles!”

  “What’s the matter, baby?”

  “I have never known you to refer to a woman’s breasts as tits.”

  His hands stilled, his eyebrows lifting. “I may never have said it around you, but if you’re offended then I’ll say T and A.”

  Her cheeks flamed. “I’m not a prude, Myles.”

  “Out of bed, yes. In bed, no.”

  The heat in her face increased. Zabrina never saw herself as prudish. She’d thought of herself as reserved. Perhaps her aloof persona came from being raised by her father and not her mother. Isaac Mixon presented himself as a gentleman in every sense of the word. He was elegant, erudite and had impeccable manners.

  Being Isaac’s daughter had its advantages and disadvantages. His political savvy permitted him entrée into social circles that someone with lesser clout would never have broached. She was introduced to the sons and nephews of the political elite and if sh
e hadn’t been so besotted with Myles there was no doubt she would’ve accepted the advances of some of the young men destined for careers in public service.

  What she’d come to detest was performing as hostess for her father. Men, most old enough to be her father and grandfather whispered licentious comments to her in the hope she would take them up on their ribald suggestions. One man in particular pursued her relentlessly until she deliberately poured a drink in his lap. He called her a bitch, and unfortunately for him Isaac overheard the slur. Two other men had to restrain her father, while the lecherous cretin made his escape.

  Myles lowered himself until he lay prone over Zabrina’s slight frame. “You feel and smell so good, baby.”

  Zabrina welcomed his weight. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  There was so much emotion in her declaration that Myles felt his heart miss a beat before resuming. She missed him and he’d missed her. He closed his eyes. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “Will you make love to me, Myles Eaton?”

  A beat passed. “Yes, I will.” Rising slightly, Myles turned Zabrina onto her back. A slight frown appeared between his eyes when he saw hers filling with tears. “No, baby. Please don’t cry.”

  Tears were his Achilles’ heel. If Zabrina had come to him instead of calling him with the news that she was ending their engagement, Myles knew he wouldn’t have taken it so hard. Even if he hadn’t been able to get her to change her mind at least he would’ve been given the opportunity to challenge her. And if she’d cried he would’ve forgiven her and wished her the best.

  The call was impersonal, and her voice that of a stranger. There was little or no emotion in her voice when she recited what sounded like a rehearsed script. Stunned, he’d hung up, shutting out her monotone and closing the book on the sensual adventure he’d shared with the woman he’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And despite her sweet deception, Zabrina was back, back in his life and back in his bed.