Chapter 76 76
She felt like an adult for the first time in her life, with a level playing field, and the resultant adrenaline gave her confidence.
Justin jingled his keys. “Oh.” he'd said.
The look on his face wasn’t encouraging. If anything he was eager to get on his way. At almost thirty, Justin Covington was in his prime, and just about the hottest thing Sherry had ever seen.
She moved three steps closer. “I thought you might like to take me out to dinner sometime,” she said.
The look on his face—as if he’d been poleaxed—was not flattering. Desperation lent wings to her feet. She moved forward with determination, went up on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the mouth. His arms went around her reflexively, but his entire body stiffened.
“Um, Sherry…”
She scattered kisses from his nose to his chin to his tanned neck revealed by an open-collared dress shirt. “I know you've been waiting for me to grow up,” she whispered. “Please tell me you want me. I know you do.”
His burgeoning erection gave truth to her words. But at her age, still more naive than most, she didn’t fully grasp the difference between male reflex and a more romantic motive. After one heartfelt moment when it seemed as if Justin might return her kiss, he set her away firmly, holding out a hand when she would have embraced him again.
“No, Sherry. I think of you as a sister.”
Confusion brought her up short. His body had responded…unmistakably.
“I think I’m in love with you, Justin,” she cried.
He winced. He actually winced. And her heart turned to ashes. The kindness in his gaze scorched her with humiliation.
“I can’t, Sherry. My friendship with Adam means too much. You’re barely an adult, too. And I’m too old for you. Don't get me wrong, I’m flattered. You’re an amazing young woman. And besides…”
He had said enough. Sherry didn’t want to hear any more. She was mute with misery, but he'd continued.
“Besides,” he said slowly, “most guys like to do the chasing. You might want to think about that. Men like gentle, feminine women. Soft, self-effacing. I guess it’s the whole caveman thing.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.” You're beautiful, Sherry. You don’t need to try so hard....”
Oh God….
Sherry groaned and lifted her head. The blasted memory from hell would never leave her. And now this? How could Justin be so cruel to her? How could he try to use her like this?
She stood and went into the bathroom for a hot shower, but even that didn't calm her nerves, and after she slipped into her nightie and into bed, sleep wouldn't come, and soon she was thirsty.
Sighing, she got out of bed, wrapped her robe around her and opened the door. The house was very quiet. The staff had retired to their quarters, and Justin must have gone to bed too, she thought. Better, because the last thing she wanted was to run into him now.
When she got close to the living room she noticed lights. Then she heard the crackle and realised that light was coming from the fireplace. Slowly, she tiptoed in and was taken aback to hear someone emit a soft snore. She turned to see Justin lying on the couch and felt a sharp jab in the vicinity of her heart. His legs were propped on an ottoman, and his hands were tucked behind his head. With his big body outstretched, the shirt he was wearing rode up at his belt line, exposing a tantalizing inch of flat, male abdomen.
Sherry wasn't a short woman, but Justin was taller still, giving her an odd and incomprehensible sensation of delicate femininity whenever she was close to him. Which was bizarre to say the least, because although she loved fashion and accessories as much or more than the next woman, she wouldn’t characterize herself as feminine in the traditional sense.
She stared at him for a long moment and then at the fire. It was so warm and cozy in here, and then she noticed that the fire needed another log. Stealthily, she removed the fire screen, lifted a two-foot piece of oak, kneeled and dropped it carefully onto the flaming embers.
She paused, fire poker in hand, and felt the sting of tears. What the hell was going on with her tonight?
“Do you see something I don’t see?” Justin spoke from behind her, startling her so badly she dropped the poker.
She picked it up, rearranged the logs and replaced the screen. At last, she turned to face Justin. Her feelings were too close to the surface, and she feared saying something stupid. “Just enjoying the blaze,” she said lightly.
He sat up, yawning. “Sorry to crash on you like that.”
“It's fine,” she replied, “I just came out to get some water to drink. Couldn't sleep,”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and ran his hands through his hair. “I suspect I'm the cause of that. I'm sorry,”
Sherry frowned, “Are you?” she asked, “Because since you brought me here, you must have thought hard about what you were going to ask me. Are you sorry for your actions and what you said, or just my reaction to it?”
His eyes roamed her body. From her messy bun, down to her feet in blue flip-flops and decided to be honest, “Only for your reaction to it,” he replied, “I'm not sorry about what I said… And I'm still hoping you'll consider it and say yes,”
He was crazy, Sherry thought as she turned away from him to once again stare into the fire, “Why me?” she asked after a while, “Last I heard you were dating Diana Salyers. Isn't she good enough for you to marry if you want a wife and children?”
His head lifted and he resumed his earlier position. But although his body language signaled relaxation, his gaze was guarded. “We broke up months ago, Sherry. We differed on some important issues.”
“And that was enough to forgo sex and a family with her?”
He grinned. “You know a lot about my personal life, I must say.”
Sherry sniffed. “You paraded her around all over Olkfield. Kind of hard to miss. But I’ll admit that I didn’t know it was over.”