Love is Only a Whisper (Whisper Series)

by Wynn, Renee

  She grabbed them and scurried out of the bedroom and the house as quietly as possible. In the driveway, she opened the door to Ashton’s car grateful he hadn’t put it in the garage. She snatched her purse from the seat, snapped it open, and searched for the cell phone. Glad that there was still a signal, she pressed in a number and waited.

  “Hello.” A cheery voice came over the line.

  “Sally.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. You’re up,” Nicole whispered while she slipped on her shoes.

  “Nicole, why are you whispering?”

  “I need for you to come and get me.”

  “What? From where?”

  “Ashton’s house.”

  “Ashton? You mean… The strong, silent, brooding hunk, Ashton Sinclair? What are you doing at his house this time of morning? What’s wrong with your car?”

  Nicole was borderline hysterical. “Sally!” she shouted. “For once, could you please do me a favor and not ask questions? You only live ten minutes away. I’m walking to end of his lane right now. By the time I get there, you should be here.”

  “Okay.” She heard the puzzlement in her friend’s voice but Nicole knew she could count on Sally. “I’m heading to the car as we speak. I’ll be there in five,” Sally said.

  Nicole sighed with relief. “Thanks, Sal. I owe you but please hurry.”

  “Alright. You interrupted my daily yoga session. I still want to know why I’m picking you up at Ashton Sinclair III’s house at seven o’clock on a Sunday morning,” she said and severed the connection.

  Nicole groaned. As always Sally had to have the last word. Glancing back at the house, she couldn’t see anything with all the trees that lined each side of the long lane. Hopefully, Ashton wouldn’t realize she was gone. Damn! Damn! Shame crawled over her skin. Not once had she thought of Brent. All of her focus had been on how Ashton was making love to her. She wouldn’t think about it now. It happened and it was over. But how could she face Ashton again after last night? He wouldn’t speak of it, would he? No, he wouldn’t. He was too private.

  Ashton was a man who controlled his surroundings and life. He wouldn’t like the fact she walked out on him. Too bad. She refused to become one of the many women who fall at his feet. Isn’t that what you did last night? She squeezed her eyes tight. Last night was a big mistake. An unbidden wave of pleasure washed over her at the memories of their lovemaking.

  It was pure lust, but that didn’t stop the heat that scrolled against her skin, making her stomach flip. Nicole let out a groan. Forget it.

  There was no one to blame but herself. She’d gone willingly into his arms and enjoyed every moment in his bed.

  She inhaled, smelling his scent that clung in her nostrils and her skin. She would need a cold shower when she got home.

  He was in her blood. God help her. She wanted him to stay there.

  Chapter Three

  Fuck! Ashton looked at the condom on his now flaccid penis showing the evidence of Nicole’s innocence. He grimaced, discarded the condom and stepped into the shower. The hot water ran over Ashton’s back while he rested his head against the coolness of the tile and cursed again. He wanted to howl and break something. The damned condom broke. How in the hell could he be so careless to use the same condom more than once?

  Reaching for her throughout the night without putting on a new condom had been foolish and irresponsible but he hadn’t thought to retrieve a new one. He was too far gone. That had never happened to him before. The need had been so powerful and urgent he couldn’t have stopped if his life depended on it. When it came to Nicole, his control was shot to hell and he wasn’t amused by the reality of the situation. Years ago, when he first saw her, he’d been bewildered and frustrated by the sexual intensity between them. The power she held was strong. She didn’t know that he was firmly in her grip.

  For years he had practiced discipline whenever he was in her presence, but last night his resolve broke.

  He’d finally lost control with the one woman he’d sworn to he wouldn’t. What happened to his plans to court her properly? From the first moment he kissed her last night and she accepted him, he knew that she was his forever.

  She could be carrying his child and that would be disastrous, not for him but for her. She would never forgive him for not giving her a choice in the matter. But the image of Nicole swollen with his child caused warmth to flow over him. His heart started a rapid beat. A surprised peace settled in his chest and a need to see her.

  For the first time in his life, he saw a future with a woman…the one he loved. He wanted it. But only with Nicole. A chance with Nicole wasn’t something he ever deemed possible. But now things had changed and he was going to take advantage of it. He wouldn’t mess it up. She was finally his.

  His Nicole was independent, opinionated and stubborn. She was nervous but that didn’t stop the little spitfire from putting him in his place. She didn’t take any shit from him. He felt alive and whole again. She was exactly what he wanted—what he needed.

  He loved her so much and one day he hoped he would be able to tell her. The only cloud hanging was her belief that she was in love with Brent. He was her safe haven. Hell, he refused to believe that what she felt for his brother was anything else.

  He knew she pretended to be sleep when he left the bed. She was feeling guilty about what had transpired between them. Because of guilt, she would rationalize and come to the conclusion she made a drastic mistake.

  Hell, he could deal with her anger but he wouldn’t tolerate guilt. There was nothing to be guilty about. Brent was out of the picture.

  He had been her first lover. No man would ever touch her but him.

  His mind drifted to the first time he saw Nicole. When she’d first arrived in Dallas, at fifteen, to live with her aunt, he’d been living Hong Kong. He didn’t get to meet her until two years later when the Hong Kong office had been fully operational and he returned home to Dallas.

  It had been a bright, sunny and extremely hot day when he’d arrived at his parents’ house. Jet-lagged and irritable, he’d let his baby sister, Gia talk him into dropping by to see the parents before he headed to his penthouse.

  Nicole had been laughing and playing touch football with Brent and his friends on the back lawn of the mansion. He heard her before he saw her, her laughter drawing him to the soothing sound of her voice. When he’d rounded the side of the house, he’d stopped in his tracks when he’d actually seen her face.

  Her features were delicate with a button nose, and high arching cheekbones that had him squinting at the brightness of her beauty.

  At the time, her hair had been thick and curly. It had made her look young and fresh. Now the natural look was gone replaced with flowing waves around her shoulders. From that moment, she captivated him and it only got worse as the years progressed.

  No one saw him arrive. This gave him the opportunity to observe her unnoticed. When he heard her speak for the first time, the words riveted in the soft breeze , grabbed his heart and refused to let go. He didn’t know how long he stood there before Gia saw him and squealed his name. Everyone turned to watch as she ran to him, grasped him by the hand and pulled him into the crowd of people on the lawn.

  She’d quickly made introductions but when it came to Nicole, Brent had ushered her forward, with an arm around her waist to be introduced. Ashton had never forgotten how her wide hazel eyes rested on him or the sweetness of her smile. Behind the sunglasses, he had stared with relish, realizing no one could see what was in his eyes. But something had passed between them that day; she’d quickly lowered her eyes when he held her hand too long. He knew she’d felt the connection by the intake of short breaths she took.

  Later that day, he’d found out from Brent that she was seventeen but it hadn’t stopped him from silently observing her. He knew he was too old for her and that he would never pursue her. Besides she was Brent’s girl. The relationship with his brother had always been strained and he refused to make it
worse by going after his woman.

  Unfortunately, his need and love for Nicole had grown stronger causing him to become brisk and cold in his mannerisms toward her. It was the only way he could protect himself, and her. Ashton had tried to erase the pain of knowing she would never be his with numerous women. But it hadn’t worked. She was in his blood.

  When he’d learned Brent was contemplating marrying Melissa, he’d encouraged it. Not only because Melissa was in love with Brent, but subconsciously Ashton had wanted a clear field to Nicole.

  So he had bided his time and waited before he would actively start pursuing her. But last night had escalated everything. For first time in his life his brain, heart and libido were in harmony, creating the perfect trinity.

  Ashton turned off the shower and stepped out. Grabbing a towel, he quickly ran it over his wet body, then rubbed the water from his hair and discarded the towel. He wrapped another one around his waist, opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.

  The bed was empty. The towel dropped to the floor, he grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet and slipped them on. Frowning at the bed, he walked through the doors into the hallway listening for a sound. He moved to the other rooms and found them all vacant.

  Downstairs, he searched throughout the house. Everything was quiet. She was gone, leaving behind only her scent.

  ###

  Nicole finished buttoning her blouse and then twisted her damp hair into a messy knot. She had rushed through her shower, hoping to get packed and out of the house as quickly as possible.

  “Your cell rang several times while you were in the shower,” Sally said.

  “Thanks.” Nicole hurriedly threw clothes in the suitcase, trying to ignore her friend’s inquisitive stare.

  “Aren’t you going to see who it was?”

  Nicole continued to pack. “I will later. I want to finish packing.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t leave with you. I need to go to Los Angeles to see Gams,” Sally said.

  “Go and see your grandmother. I’ll be fine.”

  “I know but I can’t wait until we all get to Europe. It’s going to be fun.”

  “Is Danielle coming to Europe?” Nicole asked.

  Danielle Evans was the third member of their unique friendship. Their bond was so strong that they refused to be separated and had gone to the same college.

  So far, Danielle had been the only one who moved away. She’d been discovered in her freshman year of college by a framed fashion photographer and began modeling during the summers only. The modeling agency that had signed her wanted her full-time but she’d refused until she completed college.

  After graduation and pressure from her agency, she finally moved to New York to model full time. She was now one of the few African-American supermodels.

  “She’s in Milan on a photo shoot for Italian Vogue and a fashion show for Versace. Once she is done with her assignments she’s going to meet up with us,” Sally said.

  “That’s great. It will be good to see her again. It’s been ages since the three of us were together.”

  Sally squinted. “Why are you going back east today?”

  Nicole stiffened at the lie she’d told her friend about why she was leaving Dallas in a hurry. “I need to take care of some business.”

  “What business?”

  “You know my parents left real estate in New England. I’m thinking about selling some it. I’ll only be there for a few days and then I’ll head to Europe.”

  “It’s seems all of a sudden to me. Besides, don’t you have a lawyer who could take care of it for you?”

  “Why so many questions, Sally?”

  She shrugged. “Just curious…that’s all.”

  “Well, don’t be.” She retrieved a handful of shoes from the closet and threw them in a second suitcase on the floor. “Do you think I should take a jacket?” she asked Sally while looking through several of them hanging in the closet.

  “New England’s weather is a lot different from Texas. It would be safer.”

  Nicole pulled a short, white GianFranco Ferre jacket off the hanger, and put it in the case. She felt Sally watching her closely and knew she was dying to ask about her being at Ashton’s house so early in the morning.

  Nicole looked in the mirror and cringed. The shower had helped but she still looked like a woman who had crawled out the bed of a lover. Fire scorched her insides as thoughts of Ashton and all that he did to her. She squinted in the mirror, noticing a hickey on the side of her neck and hope Sally hadn’t seen it. Snapping the suitcases shut, she glanced around the room to make sure she had everything.

  “Well, I guess that’s it,” she said. “I believe I have everything.”

  Frowning, Sally threw a disgruntled look. “Are you going to pretend nothing happened between you and Ashton Sinclair?”

  Nicole rolled her eyes and looked at the watch on her wrist. “I wondered how long it would take you to bring it up.”

  “It’s not every day that my best friend gives up her guarded precious jewel to one of the most handsome and eligible bachelors in Texas.” Sally pointed a finger at her neck. “And get a hickey in the process.”

  “What are you talking about?” Damn.

  “Sleeping with Ashton.”

  Heat scrolled down her face and neck. “Don’t be silly.”

  Sally snorted. “Remember, I’m the one who picked you up… your hair was a mess; your lips were swollen, looking as if you were in a kissing contest all night and your dress wasn’t zipped all the way, which I might say was a nice color on you, besides all of that, you reeked of sex.”

  Nicole averted her eyes. “I’d learned that Brent—”

  “Whoa. Brent?” Sally eyes widened. “Did you sleep with Brent in hunky Ashton’s house? For goodness sake, please tell me it’s not so.”

  “Sally Beaumont! You were at Brent’s parents’ anniversary party. You know it was announced that Brent and Melissa got married. Besides I would never sleep with a married man. You know me better than that.” Shaking her head, she added, “Sometimes, the things that come out of your mouth are unbelievable. Brent and I never had sex. Our relationship was made up of something deeper.”

  “Whew!” She swiped a hand across her forehead in a dramatic move. “Thank the Lord for big favors.”

  Nicole frowned. “I thought you liked Brent.”

  “I do. I just don’t like him for you.”

  “You never told me that.”

  “Would it have made any difference?” Sally shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s a great guy. You’re so enthralled with Brent you couldn’t see straight. He’s no Ashton.” Sally stood up. “There’s no doubt in my mind you would’ve eventually tired of Brent. There’s no passion between the two of you.”

  “I’m not a shallow person. There’s more to a relationship than passion.”

  “Really? Then what was last night with Ashton?”

  “Sally…”

  “You need a man who can keep you tittering on the edge of a cliff and Brent just ain’t it. Now Ashton Sinclair” Sally fanned herself. “Now there’s a man worth giving up your virginity and anything else he wanted.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Yeah, but truthful.”

  “People make mistakes. Last night was mine. Things got out of hand. I’m so damn mad at myself. I don’t know what came over me. Hell, I don’t even like the man.”

  “Don’t fool yourself. You like him. Your feelings for Brent were nothing but hero worship.”

  “I have loved him for a long time,” she said stubbornly. “Ashton was just curiosity, nothing more.”

  “Now that’s the type of curiosity I would indulge any day.”

  “I can’t believe you said that, Sally.”

  “Well, it’s the truth. Did you know that when you were around Ashton you would never look directly at him unless the two of you were battling or having one of your debates? You were attracted to him and didn’t know it. Danielle
and I saw it.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, don’t get huffy. You’ve always treated Brent like he’s your knight in shining armor, and he’s not. He’s a man with flaws like the rest of his species. Ashton made you feel something you never felt. It scared the hell out of you. So what do you do? Run. Ashton is intense, handsome, masculine, and all man. He’s so much like my brother—”

  Nicole held up a hand to stop her. “Your brother and Ashton are best friends. But there are differences between the two of them. Ashton is rough and always glaring. Your brother is quiet and hardly smiles, but he’s sort of friendly in a brooding standoffish way.”

  “Standoffish? That’s putting it mildly. Neither of them knows how to have fun. They are too serious.”

  For a moment, Nicole relived Ashton laughing and teasing her last night. She shook her head to clear the memory. Last night wasn’t the real Ashton. It was a strange night for both of them.

  “Your brother has a sense of humor.”

  Sally chuckled.

  Nicole persisted. “He’s somewhat likeable. There’s nothing to like when it comes to Ashton.”

  Sally snickered.

  Nicole retorted, “He’s arrogant, bossy, condescending and pig-headed. Need I continue?” She didn’t stop to wait for an answer. “And he’s too stiff and conservative for my liking.”

  “Wow. He really made an impression on you. He must’ve had some likeable attributes to get you in his bed.”

  “Sally, you’re missing the point—”

  Her friend clapped. “I knew it! I knew it! You slept with Ashton,” she screamed.

  “Sally—”

  “Wow.” “My best friend is sleeping with the sexiest man alive.”

  “That’s enough. “Nicole frowned. “There will be no repeat.”

  “You really like him.”

  “I don’t like him!”

  “Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?”

  “I’m not listening to this.”

  “Don’t fool yourself, Nicole. You want Ashton but you don’t want to admit it. Besides, if you loved Brent so much, nothing would’ve made you fall into bed with another man. I would bet that you’re already in love Ashton.”