A Silken Thread

by Brenda Jackson

  He began looking straight ahead down the long, seemingly endless hallway, counting the doors they passed on their way to hers. When they reached their destination, he would say good-bye, tell her that he hoped she had a safe flight home and then turn to leave. Simple. Yet for him, for some reason it would be hard. Whatever time they had shared over the past twelve hours would be just a memory. A memory she might eventually banish from her mind, though he doubted he ever would.

  “Thank you for walking me to my door,” she said when she came to a stop.

  He halted his steps as well and glanced at her, saw her smile and at that moment his breath was nearly snatched right from his lungs. What was happening to him? Why was his heart beating so fast? What were these emotions that were surging inside of him and rapidly consuming him?

  “Don’t mention it,” he heard himself say. “Have a safe flight back and hug that daughter of mine when you see her, will you?”

  She chuckled as her face lit up, and the sound flitted through parts of his body. “Of course I will. You know, Wilson, you’re a good father.”

  “I’ve always tried to be.” He paused a moment then said, “Good-bye, Rita.”

  “Good-bye, Wilson.” She then used her pass key to unlock the door and he began to walk off.

  He told himself to keep walking and not look back, and could attribute a number of things to the reason he suddenly stopped. It could have been the absence of the sound of the door opening and closing shut behind her, or the need to see her one last time even if it was just a glimpse of her fleeing back.

  But when he turned, what he saw gave him pause. Had him groaning silently. Rita was looking directly at him and there was a need he saw in the depths of her eyes that probably matched his own. A need that was twenty years in the making for him. The smile was gone and the intense look shaping her mouth and the longing in the deep set of her gaze almost froze him in place.

  And when she whispered his name in a soundless plea, one he would not have heard had he not seen her lips move, he began slowly walking back to her, not sure what he would do when he reached her.

  That uncertainty was taken out of his hands and instinctively he pulled her into his arms and lowered his head. Taking her mouth was probably the easiest thing he’d ever done. And the tastiest. Their tongues tangled, dueled and intimately connected.

  He leaned against the door and found it ajar, so without breaking the kiss he eased them both inside and closed the door behind them with his heel. Something flared through him, something he hadn’t felt in years, if ever. He was downright dizzy with passion. Hunger for her gnawed in the pit of his stomach, cutting a quick path to his groin.

  He was fifty-nine years old, for heaven’s sake. Where did all this greed and fire come from? All this animal lust? And why was it coming out in full blast for this woman? He didn’t have time to dwell on those questions when he felt the back of his legs touch the bed. It was only then that he pulled his mouth from hers, so they could both breathe.

  He needed to slow down, savor the moments, relish every second he had with her, but a part of him didn’t want to take things slow. First thing he needed to do was speak words to make her understand something and hope she believed him.

  Wilson reached out and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her skin was soft and smooth to the touch. His touch. “I never meant for this to happen, Rita. I tried to fight wanting you and it did no good. I need you.” He heard the crackle in his voice and knew he was a man who’d been pushed over the edge. He had gone over twenty years without a woman, yet tonight, now, he felt he needed her with an intensity that had every part of him literally shaking inside.

  And then he lowered his mouth to hers again, not wanting to give her the chance to think too deeply. Just to accept things as they were now. He decided not to question anything, just act on it. Pulsing heat began racing through his body when he began removing her clothes as well as his own, not stopping to think. As tension pricked at his nerve endings, he could tell she was pushed over the same edge as he was.

  When they were both naked together they tumbled back on the bed. He had known the instant she’d opened her arms to him outside that door that they would end up here. He gazed down and saw the most gorgeous naked female body. A woman whose breasts could probably still rival a woman’s half her age. Whose legs were slightly parted, open for him.

  He couldn’t contain himself when he shifted positions and lowered his head to her belly and placed a kiss there. Why he’d wanted to do that he wasn’t sure but the moment he did so he felt a need to enjoy other parts of her below the waist.

  So he did and kissed a trail down to the apex of her thighs. When he flicked a quick lick across her womanly folds before using his fingers to slide them open, he heard a moan from deep within her throat. He didn’t need any other encouragement or approval to go further.

  His hands slid down her thighs and lifted her hips to his mouth. He hadn’t done this to a woman in over twenty years but his tongue seemed hot, greedy and ready for the opportunity to get back in circulation. And the instant it slid inside her feminine charms, he went after her with a voracity and need that he knew neither of them had been prepared for.

  She continued to moan as she grabbed hold of his head to keep it in place, opening her legs wider and lifting her hips to his mouth for a more concentrated penetration of his tongue. Her hips began moving instinctively against his mouth and he continued to savor her with an all-consuming ardor.

  “Wilson!”

  His name became a whimpering moan off her lips and he felt the moment her body bucked into an orgasm. He kept his tongue planted inside of her and continued to feed his longing and enjoy this intimate time with her.

  Moments later when he shifted upward and met her gaze he lowered his body in place over hers. She stared back at him through glazed eyes and he felt something besides lust jolt inside of him. Not wanting to question what it was, he leaned forward and kissed her mouth, needing the connection.

  Sexual need, to a degree he hadn’t known could exist until tonight, rushed through him and at that moment he needed her with a ferociousness that was overwhelming, near blinding. Without preamble he slid inside of her. The body enveloping him felt tight, incredibly feminine, and when he eased his mouth away from her to stare down at her, there was something else he felt. A sense of belonging.

  And when her inner muscles began clenching him, he started to move, to thrust inside of her, stroke her with everything he had. He drove them to the edge then snapped them away before they could take a plunge.

  The respite didn’t last long. When he felt her legs tighten around him and she deeply moaned his name, he thrust one last time. They both exploded into a fiery ball of sensations that shook everything inside of him and had them both gasping for breath. They were overcome with unadulterated pleasure, intense heat and an obliteration of all thoughts but this one. The one centered on them and their needs.

  Wilson threw his head back and sucked into his nostrils a scent that was uniquely hers. He released the deep breath and drew her closer into his arms, as he remained inside her.

  It was only later when he had no more strength left that he managed to shift positions to hold her. Somehow he worked their bodies beneath the covers and held her in his arms while they slept.

  The ringing of the telephone woke up Wilson. It took him a few moments to remember he wasn’t in his own hotel room but was in Rita’s. When she didn’t answer the phone he opened his eyes and glanced around. Sunlight was coming through the window denoting another day.

  The bed was empty. He picked up the phone, saw it was a wake-up call and hung up. Thinking Rita had gone to the bathroom he waited a while before realizing he was in the room alone and she was gone and wouldn’t be back.

  Ah, hell. He had an idea what that meant. The reason she had skipped out on him, why she’d left without saying good-bye. Maybe he should be feeling some of that same remorse about what they’d done la
st night, but he didn’t. He could truly say that his and Karen’s marriage had ended years ago and the connection they shared now was on paper only. Last night had proven just how empty his marriage was, and how it would feel to be with a woman he enjoyed spending time with.

  He slid out of bed. He didn’t even have Rita’s cell phone number to call her. He must have been sleeping pretty damn hard for her to get out of bed and pack without waking him. But when a man had experienced the best lovemaking of his life, after his mind, body and senses had exploded the way they had, it was a wonder he could still see straight.

  He knew what he had to do when he returned to Hattersville. He would ask Karen for a divorce, which was something he should have done years ago. His daughter had taken control of her own life and now he needed to follow her example and take control of his.

  Chapter Nine

  Sunlight filtered through the window and hit Erica right in the face. She slowly opened her eyes and shifted in bed to snuggle closer to Brian, only to find the spot empty.

  She drew in a deep breath and sat up in the huge bed. Her luggage was still where it had been left last night. They had barely made it inside the house before they’d begun tearing at each other’s clothes. As far as they were concerned, two weeks was a long time not to be together.

  It seemed that the closer they got to their wedding, the stronger their need and desire for each other was getting. She smiled thinking that last night it might have even gotten a little out of hand. She’d practically been on her back since she’d arrived, but had no complaints about it. Making love with Brian was the best, and more than once she’d pinched herself to make sure everything that was happening to her was truly real.

  She frowned when she heard voices. At first she thought the sounds were being carried from downstairs, but then she realized they were coming in from the window.

  Grabbing Brian’s shirt she moved to the window. He was down below standing in the front yard. Since he had the newspaper in his hand she could only assume he’d gone out to get it. But Brian holding a newspaper wasn’t what grabbed her attention. It was the jogger he was conversing with. A woman who looked liked she had walked off the cover of Cosmopolitan. She was gorgeous, although Erica doubted all that hair flowing over her shoulders had actually grown on her head.

  Her jogging shorts should be outlawed, and who in the hell wore makeup to exercise? Only a woman after a man, a voice in the back of her head said loud and clear. And it wasn’t her own voice; it was April’s. If anyone should know it was April.

  Erica frowned. She’d never been the jealous type and trusted Brian explicitly, but there was something about this barely dressed woman practically leaning all over him, almost in his face, that had the hairs standing up on her neck.

  Evidently she was someone who lived in this neighborhood, but with the hours she knew he spent at work, when did he have time to socialize with neighbors? And what in the heck were they laughing and chatting about?

  Okay, okay, maybe Erica was getting carried away with her thoughts and the woman was the mother of five and her husband was a clone of Idris Elba. Umm, for some reason Erica didn’t think so, which meant she needed to protect what was hers. With the shortage of brothers a sistah had to be on her p’s and q’s for man snatchers, especially men already taken. There was no shame in some women’s game.

  Hopefully she wasn’t blowing anything out of proportion, but she wouldn’t take any chances. She backed away from the window and moved toward her luggage. There was a reason she’d come to Dallas early. And a reason Brian had taken a couple of days off work to spend with her while she was here. They were to celebrate and she was ready to let the party began.

  “Good morning.”

  Brian turned away from the sink and smiled at the same time he felt heat rush through his groin. There stood the love of his life, looking sexier than any woman he knew. Some women liked flaunting their beauty. Erica didn’t need to do so, since she exuded hers naturally.

  The sundress she was wearing made her appear even more feminine and showcased her gorgeous legs. He could vividly remember those same legs wrapped around his waist last night, holding on tight while they made love. He inhaled sharply at the memory.

  He threw the dish towel on the counter and moved toward her, feeling desire escalate through his body with every step he took. When he was in reaching distance of her, he pulled her to him and captured her mouth, hungrily, as a surge of longing poured all through him. When a man loved a woman this much, and when she loved him back, that was definitely a blessing from the man upstairs.

  When he released her mouth she tilted her head and met his gaze. “And good morning to you, sweetheart,” he said, leaning down and placing another kiss on her lips. He couldn’t resist such a move.

  “I woke up and you weren’t there,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  He smiled. It felt good knowing he was missed. “I got up early. You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. I wanted to grab the paper and drink a cup of coffee be fore preparing breakfast.”

  “I figured as much. I heard voices outside the window and glanced out and saw you.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yes. I also saw your neighbor. She’s pretty.”

  He chuckled. “Is she? I hadn’t noticed.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. She got close enough for her scent to be practically all over you. She was wearing Allure.”

  He lifted his arm and took a sniff and smiled. “Umm, not bad.”

  When she frowned, he chuckled and pulled out a chair from the table, sat down and tugged her into his lap. He’d been around enough women to know when the green-eyed jealousy monster had invaded their genes. He never cared before because he hadn’t placed a ring on any woman’s finger. Until now. This was Erica, the one woman that mattered. The one wearing his ring. And it was important to him that she knew she had his heart totally. When it came to her there was no competition.

  “Her name is Donna Hardy and she started working at the firm a few months ago.”

  Erica lifted a brow. “She works for you.”

  “Yes, and I guess you can say that now since I’m officially a partner. So far she’s been holding her own and I think she’s going to work out fine.”

  She nodded. “And what if I told you that I think she’s trying to get next to you?”

  Brian shook his head and laughed out loud. “You got that all wrong.”

  “No. I’m pretty sure I got it right. I’m a woman. My parents might think I was raised clueless about such things, but thanks to April I can pick up on stuff like that.”

  “Stuff like what?”

  “A woman who is interested in a man.”

  He gave her a doubtful look. “And you figured all that by looking out the window and seeing us conversing?”

  “Yes. The makeup, the hair and the way she got close, all in your face, gave her away.”

  “She was being friendly, Erica. Some people are just touchy-feely that way.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Men are so clueless.” Then she said, “Trust me, I could tell, Brian.”

  He shook his head. “Then you have to trust me and believe that the only woman I want in my bed, my life and my heart is you.”

  He meant every word he’d just spoken and he intended to show her how true it was. She had never doubted his love before and he didn’t intend for her to start doubting it now. And he knew she was wrong about Donna. The only reason she wanted to take up time with him was because she was trying to get acclimated to the office. But since he was now a partner, they would be spending less time together anyway, so Erica’s concern was a moot point now.

  He stood and began walking her up the stairs. “And just where are you taking me, Mr. Lawson?”

  He smiled down at her. “Back to bed.”

  “But I thought we were meeting your mom later for lunch.”

  “We are, granted her plane didn’t get delayed again.
When I spoke with her yesterday she was hoping to get a flight out today.”

  He decided they had talked enough and before taking another step he leaned down and gave her the heated kiss they both needed and wanted.

  “Here, drink this,” Lori Spencer said, shoving the glass of vodka into Rita’s hand. “You definitely seem to need it. And then as calmly as you can, please tell me what the hell happened.”

  Rita took the glass and glanced up at the woman who was her dearest friend in the entire world. Always had been, even when the two of them were in grade school. They’d even attended the same college. The only time they’d really separated was when Lori had moved to Atlanta after college to attend law school.

  Lori hadn’t stayed away from Texas too long, returning to the city she loved and landing a job as part of the Dallas Cowboys legal counsel. The woman actually bled blue and silver, and during football season could get just as rowdy as any male. But there was no mistaking—Lori was all woman. She was a beauty who didn’t look her age and had been a known cougar once or twice. In fact she was one now. Her current lover was eight years her junior.

  Rita lifted the glass to her lips and then frowned. She glanced up at Lori. “It’s straight.”

  Lori rolled her eyes as she took a chair at the table where Rita sat. “Is there a law against such a thing? Go ahead. It might grow some hair on your chest. But if you want to be a baby, just take a few sips.”

  In a way Rita wished she could go back to infancy, and then she wouldn’t be in this mess. She took her first sip and the drink seemed to burn a hole in her lungs while going down.

  “Now, tell me what happened that made you call asking that I pick you up from the airport instead of Brian, and then burst into tears as soon as you get into my car saying, ‘I should not have done it.’ What, pray tell, should you not have done?”