Shadows of Love

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  SHADOWS OF LOVE

  NOVELS in the Sin Series

  SIN

  SWEET SACRIFICE

  SECRETS

  STRANGERS

  All books are available in Ebook and Paperback format

  SHADOWS OF LOVE

  A novel by

  Crystal V. Rhodes

  CRYSTAL INK Publishing

  Indianapolis, Indiana

  SHADOWS OF LOVE

  Published in the United States of America by

  CRYSTAL INK Publishing, L.L.C.

  P.O. Box 53511

  Indianapolis, Indiana 46253

  This is a work of fiction. All events, characters, places and incidents are strictly products of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Crystal V. Rhodes

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission of the author

  ISBN: 978-0-9719586-9-2

  Cover Art by Judy Bullard of Custom Ebook Covers

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to the many readers who have kept the Sin series going. Thank you for your interest in and dedication to the love story between Nedra and Sinclair.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you Eunice and Mel, as usual your input was invaluable.

  Thank you, Shirley. It was the information you provided about your travels to that remote island years ago that uncovered a history that I felt needed to be shared.

  Keesha, your efforts were appreciated as well, and to Judy Bullard of Custom Ebook Covers, your creative cover designs are the best.

  Dear Reader,

  It has been an eventful journey that has led Nedra and Sinclair Reasoner to the Shadows of Love.

  In the novel Sin, this most unlikely couple found each other and fell passionately in love. Another man threatened to come between them in Secrets, while Sinclair was preoccupied with uncovering the mystery of the father he never knew.

  Nedra and Sinclair faced a parent’s worst nightmare in Strangers, and the man who fathered Sinclair appeared to demonstrate just how dangerous he could be. Now, Nedra and Sinclair find themselves in the Shadows of Love, where anything can happen—and it does.

  CVR

  PROLOGUE

  Entering the front door, the woman walked into the house with the confidence of someone who knew its interior well. She had worked for the owner since he moved here years ago. She was his cook and his housekeeper. It was a job that she enjoyed.

  Her employer was a nice man. He wasn’t demanding and he paid well. She didn’t work on weekends, so she usually prepared his meals for those days ahead of time. When she came back to work on Monday, she had no idea that it wouldn’t be another normal day, until she found her employer in bed unconscious.

  That was three days ago. Since his hospitalization, his condition had gone from bad to worse. This morning the doctor had informed her that the situation was grave. He might not recover. They asked about his next of kin.

  She could provide them with no information. All she knew about the man for whom she worked was his name and that he was an American.

  He had arrived on the island as a tourist, a man in his mid-fifties with an expensive camera strapped around his neck. He was a nice looking man, well dressed and soft spoken, with an air of sophistication rarely seen in these parts. Most visitors to this remote area flocked here at a specific time of the year. The vast majority were surfers seeking the perfect wave. But, he was different. He came off season, speaking flawless Spanish, demonstrating a keen interest in the

  history of the island and its inhabitants. He admired and respected the culture, which endeared him to many and made them feel good about themselves. A few weeks later, he purchased the house in which she now worked, and became a permanent presence in their midst.

  No one really knew him well. Where he came from or why he had chosen to live among them was a mystery. He was a quiet man who kept to himself. His fellow islanders assumed he was retired from whatever he used to do. He lived comfortably, was friendly to his neighbors, but he didn’t include himself in unnecessary conversation or gossip, and his choice to do so was respected.

  Everyone on the island was familiar with his morning ritual. At the same time each morning he would leave his house and head to the local café. There he would order a cup of coffee and a breakfast roll. Then he would go to a wooden bin in the corner of the tiny establishment where an assortment of old newspapers left by tourist lay in a stack. Withdrawing, one, he would sit at his table, sip, eat and read.

  Because this was his routine, she rarely fixed him breakfast, but three days ago word had quickly reached her that he hadn’t showed up at the café. It had been concern that brought her to his house earlier than usual and that was when she discovered him in bed, unresponsive.

  After getting the grim diagnosis about his condition from the doctor, she returned to his house and went into the bedroom that he had converted into an office. She was fairly certain that he kept his important papers in the wooden desk she polished weekly and she reasoned that since this was an emergency, it wouldn’t be illegal to break into his locked desk drawers. Secretly, she had always wondered what he kept in there.

  Yet, getting into the drawer wasn’t easy. She used every tool she could think of, but nothing worked. Frustrated, she decided to search the rest of the house and return to the drawer later. She didn’t expect to find anything, but much to her surprise, buried deep in the back of her employer’s bedroom closet, behind his well appointed suits and ties, she found a metal safe deposit box burrowed inside a suitcase. There was a key taped underneath the box. It fit the lock and when it was opened she hoped what was inside would offer clues to the mystery of who he was.

  CHAPTER 1

  “I can’t believe this!”

  Nedra Davis-Reasoner banged on the steering wheel of her luxury vehicle in frustration. This could not be happening!

  Refusing to believe the obvious, she turned the key in the ignition and pressed down on the accelerator one more time. Nothing. No sound at all.

  Looking down at the Burberry trench coat she was wearing, she sighed in resignation. This could prove embarrassing.

  Weighing her options, she considered which one would be best. Should she call her husband, Sinclair, at his office or the auto club for a tow to a garage? Sinclair was closer to her.

  She was just about to push speed dial when there was a knock on her driver side window. Startled, Nedra jerked around to see a man peering at her.

  “Hey! You need some help?”

  Nedra nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”

  ****

  Sinclair Reasoner was feeling great. In a few hours he and Nedra would be on the road to Sausalito where he would spend the upcoming week overdosing on golf. His best friend, newspaper mogul, Brandon Plaine, introduced him to the sport years ago. Since then he had been hooked.

  Brandon was vacationing with his family at their home in Hawaii, but Sin would still have plenty of playmates. There was Ray Wilson who was married to Bev Cameron, the mother of Sin’s half sister. The Wilsons lived on a houseboat in Sausalito and Ray knew every course in Marin County. Almost as knowledgeable was their other golfing buddy, James Starr. He and his wife, Dana, lived in Tiburon, not far from Ray and his wife. Dana was Bev’s younger sister. The two women were Nedra’s cousins.

  This week was about spending time with family, which was something he always enjoyed. Orphaned as a child, he had grown up on the streets of New York City alone, longing for such
a bond. Now, he cherished everything about being a part of his wife’s close-knit clan.

  There was a knock on his office door and his administrative assistant entered.

  “This just came for you, special delivery.” She handed him a single envelope, and placed the rest of the mail in his inbox. “And your wife is on line one. She tried to reach you on your cell phone, but it went to voice mail.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Reaching for the receiver Sin threw a cursory glance at the envelope he had been handed. It was from outside the United States, but he didn’t recognize the return address.

  “I’m going home now,” his assistant told him as she started toward the exit. “Enjoy your time off.” The door closed behind her. Sin pushed the speaker phone button.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up?” Absently, he slit the top of the envelope with a sliver plated opener and started to remove the contents.

  “Get in your car right now and come get me!” She sounded desperate.

  Sin froze. “Are you in trouble? Where are you?”

  She gave him the name of the garage where her car had been towed. “And hurry!”

  Tossing the envelope on the desk, Sin pocketed his cell phone, grabbed his suit jacket and hurried out of his office. When he arrived at the garage, Nedra was waiting outside. She snatched the car door open and slid inside as soon as he came to a stop.

  “Let’s go!” she ordered.

  Throwing her a puzzled glance, he pulled away from the curb. “What did you do, rob the place?”

  Covering her face with both hands, Nedra shook her head slowly and sank down in the seat.

  “Lord, have mercy!”

  “What happened? Did they stiff you on the car?”

  “Just drive, please.”

  Sin did as ordered, wondering what was wrong with his wife. She sat in the passenger seat holding her coat tightly against her body and looking glum. When he turned to head back to his office, she nearly jumped out her skin.

  “Where are you going? I thought you were going home!”

  “I left my briefcase. My laptop is in it. I want to take it with us. Now what’s wrong with you?”

  She ignored his question. “It’s past work hours, is anybody still there?”

  “No, not when I left.” Pulling into his private parking place in front of the Victorian mansion that housed his successful import business, he cut off the ignition and turned to face her. “Did something happen I should know about?” His voice deepened. “Did somebody hurt you?” He looked poised for action if she confirmed the latter.

  Understanding his concern, Nedra decided to show him rather than tell him.

  “Since nobody is inside, I’ll go with you upstairs. We’ll talk then.”

  When they arrived in his office, Sin closed the door behind them, leaned against it and crossed his arms. “So talk.”

  Tossing her purse on the desk, Nedra turned and let her eyes feast on the male specimen she had married. The man was downright fine. Who could resist that chocolate brown skin, those coal black eyes, that sexy cleft in his chin or the solitary gold earring he sported? Sinclair Reasoner turned the heads of women wherever he went. The slight sprinkle of gray in his hair and his well groomed moustache made him look distinguished. And when he flashed that smile of his, it was hard for a woman not to wet her panties. Sin’s nickname suited him well.

  Gazing at his fit, six foot two inch frame, Nedra considered herself a fortunate woman, but, Sin should consider himself fortunate too, and she was about to show him why.

  Nedra’s light brown eyes held his dark ones as she slowly unbuttoned her coat. She opened it with pain-staking care.

  Sin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. His shapely, five foot ten inch wife was standing in front of him dressed in a lacy black demi-bra, matching bikini panties, black patent leather high heels and nothing else.

  “Damn!” His manhood jerked involuntarily.

  Nedra gave an anguished sigh. “I was on my way here to surprise you, when my car stopped and there I was in the public streets half naked!” Her voice rose in distress.

  As he moved toward her like a man in a trance, Sin was trying to focus on what she was saying, but he was mesmerized by a pair of long nutmeg brown legs that seemed to go on forever. The curve of her bosom as they molded themselves to that bra had him throbbing. He broke into a sweat.

  Nedra slapped a hand to her forehead. “What was I thinking? I’m a minister for goodness sake! The mother of three children! I can’t run around town like this…”

  I wish.

  “…trying to play sex games with my husband!”

  Oh yes she could!

  Nedra grabbed his lapels. “All I wanted was for us to have a little playtime before we got on the road.”

  Yes!

  “You know I’ve never done anything like this before!”

  If only!

  She laid her head against his chest. “Some tow truck driver was behind me when the car stopped and helped me. I was so embarrassed. I was scared the whole time that somebody might find out I was running around like this.”

  Sin snaked his arms around her. Nedra snuggled against him. She was so glad that she had him there for comfort. That was until she heard the rumbling in his chest.

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “Are you laughing?”

  Sin shook his head vehemently. “Noooo!”

  The word came out in an unconvincing slur that ended in a definite snigger. He was trying to keep a straight face, but was unsuccessful. He broke into laughter. Nedra pushed him away in disgust.

  “I don’t believe it! You’re laughing at me!”

  He was and he couldn’t stop. Sin laughed and laughed while Nedra fumed. Leaning against the desk, her eyes were slits as she watched him double over and flop down on the sofa.

  “Go ahead. Enjoy yourself,” she said coolly, flipping her coat farther off her shoulders so that he could have a better view of her well toned body in the sexy underwear. She had felt the effect her mini striptease had on him when he was holding her. “And stay over there while you’re at it.”

  Sin sobered quickly. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he rose and sauntered over to his gorgeous wife. She put her hand up to stop his progress.

  “Oh no you don’t. Keep your distance since you seem to get so much humor out of this.”

  “You’ve got to admit that as sexy as you look, baby, what happened is kind of funny.” He made an unsuccessful attempt to stifle one last snicker before taking another step toward her. “The Executive Director of one of the most respected nonprofit organizations in town is running around the Monterey Peninsula naked.”

  “Half naked,” Nedra corrected. “And I was doing it for you, for us.”

  Sin took a step closer. “And it’s appreciated.”

  “We’re getting older and I don’t want our sex life to become boring. I don’t want us to become one of those conventional couples.”

  One more step and he was standing right in front of her. He kissed the tip of her nose. “When have we ever been conventional?”

  “That’s true.” She and Sinclair Reasoner had met under the most unconventional circumstances and their life together had been a roller coaster ride ever since. “And I’ve never regretted one moment that we’ve been together.” A flood of good memories overshadowed her annoyance. She caressed his cheek. He placed a kiss in the palm of her hand.

  “Neither have I.” Once again, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. “So let’s get this party started half naked lady.”

  Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed him back. “Are you sure you’re through laughing at me?”

  Sin faked one last snort. “That’s it. I’m out of laughs.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Feel this and you let me know.” He rubbed his hardening member against her seductively as the heat of his kisses singed the slender column of her neck.

  “Oh, I like that,” Nedra purred
.

  “Then I’m positive that you’ll love this.”

  Meandering lips wandered down the length of her throat, halting at the swell of her breasts rising from their lacey confines. Taking the flimsy fabric between his teeth, he tugged gently gaining access to one of her pebble hard nipples. He licked and nipped. His wife moaned her appreciation.

  “Let’s do this, baby,” she breathed hotly against the waves in his hair.

  Nedra’s eyes slid to the abandoned sofa, but her husband had other ideas. With one arm wrapped around her waist, he took his other hand and swept his desk clean.

  “Sinclair!” Nedra shrieked with surprise and delight as her purse and everything else on the desk’s surface scattered onto the floor.

  “Unconventional,” he reminded her. In one swift move, he lifted her up on the desk.

  Spreading her legs, he disposed of her panties. She removed his shirt. He released her breast from the confines of her bra. She unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and then pulled them and his briefs down his slender hips, and muscled thighs to the floor. With one manicured fingertip she stroked his engorged penis.

  “Looks like you’re ready.”

  “Always.” Sin gave her a kiss that left no doubt about that. He pulled back. “To keep it from being boring, let’s play no hands.”

  Placing them behind his back, Sin’s mouth and tongue became weapons of mass seduction as Nedra blossomed beneath his blistering assault. He savored her hardened nubs as though they were exotic fruit. He suckled. She convulsed. His deadly tongue worked relentless magic all the way down to the citadel that guarded her core. When he entered her, Nedra’s screams of pleasure echoed throughout the vacant building.