"Isn't that right, Sterling?" she asked.

Sterling blinked when he realized both Colby's and Kyle's eyes were on him. It suddenly became apparent he'd been asked a question. "I'm sorry, what was the question? My mind was elsewhere."

He frowned when he saw Kyle's grin. He'd been caught gawking at Colby again.

"I was just telling Kyle that we're having girls."

"Girls?"

"Yes, all our babies will be girls."

Sterling released a deep agitated sigh. Thinking Colby was apparently laying it on thick for Kyle's benefit, when he himself didn't want to do so because of the smirk he saw on Kyle's face, he met her gaze directly and said, "You and I will have only one child and it will be a boy. I've told you there aren't any girls born into the Hamilton family."

Colby turned to Kyle and said, "In that case, when our daughter is born it will truly be one special moment, don't you think?"

Smiling widely, Kyle nodded in agreement. "I don't see how it won't be, Colby."

Sterling raised his eyes to the ceiling. It was apparent that Kyle was quite taken with Colby and had been ever since introductions were made before dinner. The fact that his best friend had taken an immediate liking to Colby had been surprising. To most people, Kyle was not a man of many words and by nature he was usually guarded, restrained. But that wasn't the case tonight. Somehow Colby had managed to wiggle her way through Kyle's shield and engage him in the topic he loved best-his wife and children.

After a few more minutes of conversation, during which Sterling felt like an outsider, Colby stood and said, "Well, I know you two have additional business to discuss so I'll leave you now."

When both men stood, she turned to Kyle. "Although Sterling and I haven't set a date for our wedding, I hope that both you and your wife will be there."

Kyle's smile deepened. "Oh, I plan to be there. Sterling and I agreed a while back that if he ever got married, I'd be his best man."

Colby smiled. 'That's wonderful, and I'll look forward to seeing you again. And I hope to one day meet your wife and children."

"I'm sure you will."

"Good night, Kyle."

"Good night, Colby."

Then she walked over to Sterling. On tiptoe she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Sterling."

Not waiting for his response she walked out of the room and up the stairs.

The room was silent for a minute or two before Kyle spoke. "Do you know what I think?"

Kyle's voice pulled Sterling from his thoughts. He'd been thinking that tonight Colby had played her part as the loving fiancee to a tee. "No, but as usual I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."

Kyle grinned. Then he walked over to Sterling and patted him on the shoulder. "I think that somehow you've found yourself a jewel. Colby Wingate is one precious gem."

She couldn't sleep.

Colby's mind was busy playing possible scenarios of how things might go when they saw James tomorrow. What would he say to Sterling? Would the two of them get along?

Throwing back the covers, she climbed out of bed and went to the window. She couldn't help but smile as today's memories flooded her mind. She'd had so much fun on the beach. It had been the most fun she'd had in years. And then later, after meeting Sterling's friend, Kyle, he had kept her entertained throughout dinner. Sterling, for the most part, had ignored her, so she had been grateful for Kyle's company.

The urge to walk on the beach tugged at her. Sterling had said it was a private beach so chances were it was pretty safe at night. In a matter of seconds, she slipped out of her thin, spaghetti-strap nightgown and into a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and her sandals.

She quickly ran down the stairs and was about to exit through the back door when the sound of Kyle's raised voice stopped her. It sounded like he and Sterling were having a disagreement about something. Curiosity made her move closer to the closed door where the two men were.

"I just don't understand your att.i.tude, Sterling. You're an astute businessman with a sharp eye for good investments. You've read the report. Why on earth would you not want to be included in on this deal?"

Sterling's hand tightened on the gla.s.s of wine he held in his hand. His eyes were dark; as dark as the liquid in the gla.s.s. "I have my reasons."

Kyle gazed long and hard at him. "Then how about sharing them with me. You know as well as I do this deal is a steal. Nicholas Chenault has done an outstanding job with Chenault Electronics since his father's death. And at the age of thirty, he's already proven to be an even better businessman than his father was. At the rate he's going, there's a good possibility Chenault Electronics will become the largest black-owned electronic business in the country."

"Then why does he need our help?" Sterling asked, slowly taking another sip of wine.

"Because of necessary expansion and further research. Chenault's development of that mangolid chip will move them into the twenty-second century. That fact is a given. He just needs more capital to back him. I think it will be a worthwhile investment."

"I don't want any part of it, Kyle. End of discussion," Sterling said angrily.

Kyle stared long and hard at his best friend. He then came and sat across from him. "No, Sterling, it's not the end of discussion. I want to know what you have against Nicholas Chenault."

Sterling's eyes clashed with Kyle's. His body began executing an emotional somersault as pain he thought he'd buried long ago resurfaced. He inclined his head in silent acknowledgement.

"I've never really told you everything about my mother have I, Kyle?"

Kyle frowned. He wondered why Sterling was deliberately changing the subject. "You told me she walked out on you and your father when you were only six weeks old."

Sterling nodded. He suddenly felt tired and drained. "Yes, but what I never told you is that after she left us and divorced Dad, she moved to Florida and married a very wealthy man a few years later. I only saw her once as a child and that was purely by accident. I was six years old at the time and had accompanied a youth group to Charlotte. She happened to be there and was staying at the same hotel I was."

Sterling sighed deeply. "She was there with her new husband and their one-year-old son."

He paused briefly before continuing. "I recognized her immediately. Dad never removed her picture from his bedroom dresser so I knew how she looked. Not knowing any better, I walked over to where she was standing alone holding her little boy and asked when she was coming home to me and my dad."

There was silence in the room before Kyle asked softly, "What did she say?"

Sterling chuckled. It was a deep heart-wrenching sound. "At that instant she recognized me, too, not as the little boy she had given birth to six years before, but as a threat to her new life with her husband and child. She denied even knowing me and went so far as to summon hotel security. She told them I was hara.s.sing her and her son. I got a good tongue-lashing from the security officer in front of all my friends. That day my mother denied my very existence, and it hurt like h.e.l.l."

Anger swept through Kyle. He could not believe anyone could be that cruel and heartless to a child. Even now he could feel Sterling's pain, his anger, his hurt.

"But what does all that have to do with Nicholas Chenault and Chenault Electronics?"

Sterling met his gaze directly. "It seems Nicholas Chenault and I have something in common."

Kyle frowned in confusion. "What?"

"The same woman gave birth to the both of us."

Kyle was shocked. He stood and began pacing the full length of Sterling's office. Then he stopped and met Sterling's gaze. "You mean to tell me Nicholas Chenault is your half brother? He's the little boy your mother was holding that day you saw her?"

Sterling nodded his head. He stood and walked over to the window. This time when he looked out he didn't see Colby. All he saw was darkness. It was the same darkness that had plagued his life since finding out as a child that his mother hadn't wanted him. He turned back to Kyle.

"Yes, so to bring it all home to you, Angeline Chenault, the widow of Alan Chenault, is my mother, and Nicholas Chenault, their son, is my biological brother."

"Does he know?"

"I doubt it. I doubt even Alan Chenault knew about his wife's past."

Sighing, Sterling took another sip of wine. "So for personal reasons, Kyle, I have no desire to enter into any type of relationship, business or otherwise, with Chenault."

The ache in Colby's throat kept her from swallowing.

She knew she was wrong to have listened in on Sterling and Kyle's private conversation, but once she had heard Sterling's heart-wrenching words, she couldn't move.

No wonder he felt the way he did about his mother. The woman had had two sons. She had turned her back on Sterling, but Nicholas Chenault had grown up surrounded by her love. Love that Sterling had been denied.

Tears misted Colby's eyes. No longer wanting to take a walk on the beach, she turned and softly tiptoed back up the stairs. Back in her room, she took off her clothes and slipped back into her gown. Getting back in bed, she punched her pillows a few times as she tried to settle in, but it was useless. She couldn't push Sterling's words out of her mind, nor her heart. Reliving that part of his life had affected him deeply. She had heard the pain in his voice when he was talking to Kyle. Tears flowed down her face. The man she loved was hurting and there was nothing she could do about it.

In the distance she heard a door closing and knew it was Kyle leaving. He had told her at dinner that he would be catching a plane that night to return home to his family.

A little while later, Colby got out of bed and slipped into her robe. Without giving much thought to what she was doing or why she was doing it, she left her room and headed downstairs in search of Sterling. She didn't know what she would say to him when she saw him. All she knew was that she had to see him.

He was not in his study. She walked quietly through the rest of the large house, and when she didn't see him anywhere, she slipped outside the back door.

The smell of the ocean was even more potent at night, she thought, inhaling the salty scent. She remembered how earlier that day the beach had soothed her troubled mind and had helped her put a number of things in perspective.

The moon's glow led her way as she took several steps forward, feeling the soft, silky sand beneath her bare feet. She stopped when she came to a cl.u.s.ter of palm trees and took the time to enjoy the cool, gentle breeze.

"What are you doing out here?"

Sterling's deep, masculine voice startled Colby and she swiftly turned around. "Sterling, you scared me."

She leaned back slightly against a palm tree and looked up at him. The light from the patio didn't reach far enough to light his dark features, but the soft light from the moon did. Colby's breath caught in her throat. His chest was completely bare and the only thing that covered his body was a pair of black shorts.

Her eyes took in every vivid detail of him. His broad shoulders, steel-muscled chest and muscular thighs and legs indicated he kept himself in great physical shape. The heat of his body seemed to heat her own, and the scent of him was undeniably all male. She noticed his eyes, which were looking at her, cold, distrustful and filled with anger.

"I asked what you're doing out here, Colby." His voice was hard and tight.

"I was looking for you," she said.

"Why? Did you think Kyle was still here and you would seize the opportunity to eavesdrop on our conversation again?" he snapped.

Colby was stunned speechless. She'd never given thought to the possibility that he would know she'd been listening at the door. She had barely made a sound. She was sure of it.

"But how did you know I was there? I was quiet."

Sterling lifted a brow, mildly surprised at her admission. He thought she would have denied his accusations. Her honesty deflated his anger somewhat, but not completely. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Your scent gave you away. When I left the study to walk Kyle to the door, I picked up on it. Traces of your fragrance still lingered in the hallway. The perfume you wear is unique and has your name on it. I would pick up your scent anywhere and at anytime."

"Oh." Colby unconsciously gnawed at her lower lip. "Well, I didn't mean to listen, it was sort of an accident."

"An accident?" At her nod he said, "Deliberate eavesdropping isn't an accident."

She slightly raised her chin. "It wasn't deliberate. You told me earlier today you thought I was a good storyteller. Well, listening to your story tonight sort of pulled me in," she answered truthfully.

Sterling's eyes hardened. "Everything I told Kyle was the truth."

"I know and that's what's so sad."

Sterling grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. Colby looked into his eyes and they appeared cut from stone. "I don't want your pity," he snarled.

Colby jerked her hand away from him. Her anger flared instantly and her spine became ramrod-stiff. "Pity? I don't pity you, Sterling Hamilton," she said, placing hands on her hips. "Why should I pity you? At least you did have one loving parent, so the way I see it, you should count your blessings."

She took a step forward and Sterling unconsciously took a step back. He had been around Colby enough times to know what that fiery look in her eyes meant. She was about to give him h.e.l.l.

"Let me tell you about pity. I save my pity for Otis Marshall, one of my students. He doesn't know his father, and his mother is somewhere strung out on drugs. She has never bothered to come and see him since the day he was born. He was lucky enough to have a grandmother that cared, but unfortunately she recently had hip surgery and her medical bills were so enormous, they can barely make ends meet right now."

Colby took another step forward. "Then there's Maria Martin, who earlier this year confided to me that her stepfather was s.e.xually abusing her. She has my pity because her mother chose to believe her husband's denial instead of her own daughter's accusations. Fortunately, we were able to get her in a foster home for now, but the authorities haven't been able to locate her natural father."

Sterling met Colby's furious stare with a seemingly composed expression and that made her even madder. "You, Sterling Hamilton, don't need my pity because you have more than enough pity for yourself. For once, you need to take a look around you. You aren't the only person whose parent has walked away and not looked back. So get over it."

"Have you finished?" Sterling asked in a hard, cold voice, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Not quite," Colby replied, lifting her hand to her hair and pushing the thick ma.s.s of curls away from her face. "I want to leave you with something to think about."

Her features became gentle and her voice became soft when she said, "A real mother would never have just walked away and not looked back. That incident you experienced as a child only proves one thing. You were better off without her in your life. Not being there was her loss and not yours. You made something of yourself. Just look at all of your accomplishments. I know your father had to have been very proud of you, and any woman with a lick of sense would be proud to claim you as her son. Good night, Sterling." Then she turned to leave.

Sterling reached out for Colby and pulled her to him. Before she could draw breath, his lips captured hers. He had only meant to kiss her good-night, at least that's what he'd convinced himself, but the moment his lips took possession of hers, blatant desire took control of him. This time he was not surprised by it.

As if it had a will of its own, his mouth latched onto hers wanting to see if she still tasted as good as the last time, knowing deep down that she did. But once he delved into finding out, he couldn't stop. Especially when he felt her mouth melt beneath his and sensed a hunger in her as strong and keen as his own.

And he became a victim to it.

He used his tongue to brand her, and his arms held onto her tight. He hadn't realized how badly he needed to hold and to taste her until that very moment. Reliving that part of his life with Kyle had left him torn and feeling bruised. Although he didn't want to admit it, Colby felt so right in his arms and was filling a void he hadn't known existed.

Colby let her hands wander over the firm muscles of Sterling's bare back and shoulders. She liked the way his skin felt underneath her fingertips. When his lips suddenly increased their pressure and demand on hers, her body shuddered with pleasure. He was holding her so close, she could feel his heat, his strength, and even the evidence of his desire for her.

She caught her breath when he released her mouth, and began placing a trail of b.u.t.terfly kisses around her nose, ears and neck. And when his hand pushed the robe from her shoulders, she almost drowned in the sea of desire that shone in his dark eyes.

Sterling breathed in Colby's scent as he looked at every detail of her. The thin, white, spaghetti-strap gown she wore was short and skimpy and didn't come close to fully covering her. Slowly, his fingers reached out and touched the gentle curve of her waist to the small of her back. When his fingers moved upward to graze the soft swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were pressing against the thin material, he heard her release a pa.s.sionate groan.

These were the b.r.e.a.s.t.s that would one day nourish his son, he thought as his fingers gently caressed each one. Wanting her in a way he had never wanted another woman, he leaned down and kissed her again, wanting her taste to fill him completely. This kiss was hungrier, more urgent, and more full of strained pa.s.sion. He pulled her even closer to the hard length of him. The feel and taste of her were all-consuming.