Love is Only a Whisper (Whisper Series) (13 page)

She stood, slipped on her shades and hoped she covered the confusion she was feeling. Brent told her many times her eyes reflected her feelings and thoughts.

“I’m not.” The lie sounded hollow to her ears.

He stared at her for a long moment. She was glad the
sunglasses enable her to put a shield between them.

They arrived at a marina that docked many yachts and sailing boats. She glanced around at the scenery as they walked up the plank to another yacht that looked out of place in the bay, probably because it resembled a large cruise ship.

She turned to him. “Why are we here?”

He winked at her. “You’ll see.”

Nicole was exhausted from sightseeing but the exhilaration
of being with Ashton out-weighed the tiredness.

“Good evening Mr. Sinclair, welcome aboard.” A man, who was
around her age, kept his face straight and eyes trained on Ashton. “Everything
is as you requested.”

“Thank you,” Ashton took Nicole’s elbow as she maneuvered
the steps up to the yacht’s door. “This is Ms. Travis.”

The young man gave a half bow and she offered a genuine smile.
“Hello.”

He blushed. “Ms. Travis.” He then slipped away quietly,
leaving them alone.

Ashton slipped an arm around her waist and whispered, “It
seems another has fallen prey at your feet.”

Confused, she asked. “What?”

He laughed. “Never mind. Come on our dinner awaits.”

“Ashton, I’m not dressed for—”

“Shh. It’s just you and me. We have total privacy.”

“What about the crew?”

“Not an issue.”

They continued down a foyer. “Is this yours?”

“No.”

She looked at him, waiting.

He grinned. “Not technically. It belongs to the
company.”

The dining room in the stateroom was decorated in off-white and gold. The furniture was smooth oak and fitted perfectly with the décor. Their dinner was laid on an oval walnut table housing fresh flowers and very expensive china and silverware.

“My lady.” Ashton pulled out the chair and waited for her to
be seated. He placed a kiss in her hair before seating himself.

Nicole settled back and enjoyed the fresh breeze coming
through the wide porthole. Two waiters brought bottles of wine and poured the
liquid into their glasses. Soft music played in the background. Nicole smiled
her thanks before they retreated, leaving them alone again.

It was a beautiful evening with a serene calmness upon the
waters.

The dinner on the yacht was a pleasant surprise. He had made
a few phones throughout the day but she’d assumed it was business. She felt
honored and special that he’d been actually making arrangements for their
dinner.

The waiters came back and placed the food on the table.

She sniffed the aroma of the food. “Very nice.”

She picked up the fork and knife and cut into the delicate flesh of the salmon filet. A béarnaise sauce, one of her favorites, was in a small crystal bowl to the side of the plate. She spread a little on her filet, and placed a small portion in her mouth. She almost groaned with relish. She enjoyed the burst of flavors that exploded on her tongue.

“This is really good, Ashton.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s a new chef that mother hired
last year.”

“I commend her choice.”

“I’ll tell her you said that.”

Sweet silence hung in the air as they ate. Finally, pushing the plate aside, she wiped her mouth and sighed.

“You only ate half the salmon.”

“I know but I’m stuff.”

As usual he was staring, but this time his eyes held a tinge of something she couldn’t decipher. Before she could mull it over , his cell phone rang. He ignored it.

“Ashton, the person is persistent. Please answer the phone.”

Cursing, he hit the button. “Sinclair.”

He listened for a moment and then stood. “I’m sorry but I’m going
to need to take this. I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.” He placed a hard
kiss on her mouth and left the dining room.

Nicole walked out onto the balcony, propped her arms on the rail. She leaned forward, taking in the dying sun moving behind the soft clouds.

She felt his presence and glanced over her shoulder.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.” He came to her side and then wrapped an arm around
her waist, pulling her close.

Nicole leaned her head on his shoulder as they sailed toward
San Francisco. The dim figure of Alcatraz, the historical prison that once
housed the infamous mobster, Al Capone came into the view.

Along with the brightness of the lights from the city she
felt different somehow as if today was a new beginning for her.

She lifted her head and glanced at Ashton. His dark gaze held hers captive. With a will of its own, she fingered his lips. His breath caught on a gasp at her forwardness. She knew she’d surprised him. He stood still, his breathing ragged.

Nicole kissed him and he let her control it. Finally she
pulled back and smiled at the stun look on his face. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Today.” She stretched her hand. “And all of this.”

“Is that the reason you initiated the kiss?”

“I’ve kissed you before.”

“No, I’ve
kissed
you. Why now?”

“I wanted to.”

“Why today, Nicole?” he stressed.

“The day and the moment warranted it.”

“Thank you…I think.”

“You’ve given me something that I can cherish.”

He sighed. “What?”

“Yourself.”

“You’ve always had me, Nicole. You just never realized it.”

Surprised, she couldn’t find the words to respond. The only
sound to be heard was the roar of the yacht slashing through the dark, deep
waters. Her emotions were riddled with confusion. What was happening between
them? She had no answers as they stood in silence, watching the bright lights
of San Francisco beckoning to them.

###

Nicole’s stomach churned as she turned off the teapot.
Ashton had gotten comfortable in the living room and it didn’t seem as if he
was leaving anytime soon. What was going to happen now? Did she want him to
stay? They’d only been back at her house for fifteen minutes. Although they’d
been together all day, she was now nervous. Who was she kidding? She was a lot
nervous. This was a different setting. It was just the two them, without the
bustling crowds or the crew from the yacht.

The calm and relaxed Ashton sitting in her living room wasn’t
the brooding oaf she always thought him to be. Although, he was confusing and
caused havoc to her emotions, she was drawn to the new Ashton she witnessed today.
But, he was a confirmed bachelor, a player of the highest caliber. The women
in his life were high-bred, sophisticated, experienced and older. She was none
of that. Then why was he sitting in her living room instead on a plane back to Dallas? She stared at the pot willing it to give her answers.

She felt his presence in the door of the small kitchen. He’d moved quietly. Funny, how she can feel him before actually seeing him. She stood at the stove with her back to him willing him to make the first move. The tension was palpable. Nicole squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and turned around.

There was no smile or question in his eyes but the tick in
his jaw was there. He was brooding. He did that whenever something was on his
mind. She tried to gauge his mood but every second caused the tension in her
stomach to escalate.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?” she asked to break the silence.

He stared not saying a word. With a quick sharp movement, he walked out of the kitchen. She frowned at his abrupt departure. Now what? Foregoing the tea, she moved with stilted steps after him.

“Are you leaving, Ashton?”

Clearly surprised at her question, deep lines furrowed his
brow. “Do you want me to?”

“You don’t need to stay. I’ll contact you.” He knew exactly to what she was referring.

There it was the mountain that stood between them and she
refused to climb.

“When are you due to have your period?”

She couldn’t believe they were discussing her menstrual cycle as if it was something he did normally. She thought of the many women he’d slept with in the past. She wondered how many women had been in her position. Jealousy reared its ugly head and she didn’t stop to examine the reason.

“It was the wrong time of the month when we had…sex,” Nicole said, heat running across her face at the lie. She cleared her throat. “My fertile time had passed.”

The softness she’d witness that morning was gone now, dimmed
by hardness. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’m not pregnant,” she affirmed. So he wouldn’t
see the doubt in her eyes, she turned away from him.

“Will you look at me?”

Nicole turned slowly toward him. He stepped closer, lifted her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. “Baby or not, I want you to give us a chance.”

“Why? Because we slept together?”

“Making love was only a part of it. There’s more that I
would like for us to explore.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, not trusting herself to speak. Everything was a rollercoaster but she didn’t want to slow it down or even get off.

She inhaled his scent. Ever since she met him, when she was seventeen, he’d worn the same smell, clean, masculine and with a hint of something she could never detect. She could always tell when he entered the room because of it.

What made her think of that? Needing a barrier, she back up and walked to the sofa table. She wiped her clammy hands on her skirt. His riveted blue gaze watched her every movement.

“Don’t do this, Ashton.”

“We already crossed that invisible line drawn years ago.”

“Please let it go.”

“I let you hide behind that damn crush you had for my brother but no more. There’ll be no one else in our bed but you and me.”

She sputtered and breathed deeply to control the anger that immediately flared. “I can see why you go from woman to woman. With those archaic ideas, no woman would stay with you. You need—”

He slammed her up against his chest. She stumbled during the process, grasping hold of his arms for support but it wasn’t needed because he held her tightly. She felt her heart beating against the rapid beat of his. She involuntarily parted her lips and waited. His tongue swiped across her lips, lightly biting but didn’t enter her mouth.

He followed it with soft kisses although she craved more. It seemed like an eternity of tease, but ended when he captured her lips, suckling her tongue in the process. She moaned deep when the seductive dance that she had come to know so well began. Intense pleasure clawed at her body. Her breasts hardened to painful peaks. Desperately, she molded her body to his, trying to get closer even though there was no space between them. With her hands in his hair, she tugged hard, opening her mouth wider to receive more.

He released his magnetic hold and took a deep breath. “I needed that.”

“We can’t keep doing this,” she whispered, as his lips skimmed across her cheek and finally her mouth again. She pushed half-heartedly at his chest. “I…need to think.”

Lifting his head, he frowned. “ Nicole, stop it.” His eyes were unreadable but direct. “One minute you’re hot and then the next you’re cold. It’s got to stop, baby.”

“I know.” Nicole tried to move out of arms but he held her firmly within his arms. “Everything
is so complicated…and confusing.”

“We’ve already slept together. It can’t get any more
complicated than that. We aren’t going back to the way things were before it
happened.”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a brief moment. “I know that. But you want to move forward. You’re going too fast.”

“Damn, Nicole it has been almost two months. Don’t you think
that’s long enough for you to make a decision about us?”

“I never thought of us as a couple..”

“I have spent a long time searching for you.”

“And your point?”

“My point is you need to ask yourself why I bothered to search for you. Grow up, Nicole, and see life as it really is. There are ups and downs, good and bad. You and I have something that is good. I know what it is but I need for you to figure it out. I won’t take only part of you. I want it all. I need…” He took a deep breath. “I need for you to make a choice, right now.”

She glared. “You’re pushing too hard. Brent is—”

“Bullshit! My brother isn’t part of the equation. It’s only you and me..” He pointed to her and then himself. “No one else. I could seduce you and you make you want me, but I won’t. There’s more to us than sex. I want you to see it and come to me with your own free will..”

“It’s too much.
You
want too much. You want to consume me. I need for you to give me space.”

He took hold of her shoulders. “Look at me, Nicole. What the
hell do you see? I’m the man you’ve known since you were a teenager. I haven’t
changed except for the feelings I have for you.” He touched his chest. “I don’t
play games and I’m not going to start now.”

The silence between them hung thick like branches of a
weeping willow tree, but tired and still.

“Baby, this back and forward shit…” He shook his head in
disgust. “You need to stop doing it. I’m crowding you but I knew the first
night together that we had something. It was special. But, I’m not going to beg
you.”

“I need time.”

“For what?”

“I want to get to know you. I need to see if this is real
between us. I need for it to be more than passion…sex.” She squeezed her eyes
and then rubbed at her temple. “You want a decision now and I can’t give it to
you.”

Her gaze was caught by the dark lashes fringing those deep
blue eyes. She almost missed the quick shadow of pain that crossed him face and
then disappeared. Was it real or her imagination because now his ever-present
frown was back in place? She wanted to smooth it away but couldn’t. He wanted
more than she was willing to give.

“I see,” he said and stepped back. “You have given me your answer.”