Colby glanced up from her meal. Her eyes locked with Sterling's and she drew a deep breath. Why did one man have to look so good?

Since arriving in Barbados three days ago, they had remained at the cottage, venturing out only to take short walks on the beach in the early mornings or late afternoons. But today they had taken a grand tour of the city.

Sugar was the primary crop in Barbados and many, many years ago, the British colony's numerous sugar plantations were worked by African slaves. Most of the residents of Barbados were direct descendants of those workers. While out and about today, she had enjoyed the Barbados people as much as she had enjoyed the island's scenery. The Bajans, the name the residents of Barbados called themselves, were very friendly, and as she discovered, the best-educated in the Caribbean. At the marketplace she had conversed with them on a variety of subjects. She had been amazed at how easily they could blend their West Indian ident.i.ty with a heavy British influence. One of the islanders had recommended this restaurant as an exclusive and sophisticated place to enjoy some of the Caribbean's cuisine.

She had looked forward to coming here, but now the only thing she could think about was getting back to the cottage, being in Sterling's arms and feeling his bare skin against hers. For someone who had just discovered her pa.s.sionate side only days ago, she was constantly anxious at the thought of them making love.

All she had to do was watch his mouth at work doing something as relatively simple as chewing his food, and she would remember that same mouth leaving trails of tender kisses over her body. He could arouse her to the brink of mindless ecstasy with that mouth.

"The food's fine," she replied silkily. "How's yours?"

"It's okay."

"Do you think you'll want dessert?" she asked after several minutes had pa.s.sed and he was still staring at her with a seductive look in his gaze. The heated desire she saw in his eyes made her pulse jump.

"Yes, I'll want dessert. But the dessert I want isn't on their menu," he answered huskily.

Colby couldn't help staring at him as the meaning of his words became clear in her mind. A warm, melting sensation rushed through her already heated veins. She briefly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her nostrils didn't pick up the smell of the spicy food before her, instead it picked up the scent of him, all male, arousing and enticing.

"Let's finish our meal and get back to the cottage," he suggested softly.

Colby nodded. She returned to eating her meal.

Sterling forced his attention back to his own meal. Suddenly his mind became overloaded with chaotic emotions. It was so unlike him to get caught up in a woman. But that's all he'd been doing since meeting Colby. He had somehow gotten caught up in her very existence.

He ate absently, his mind and thoughts were in turmoil. Why was she so different from all the others? He lifted his gaze and looked at her again. No matter what she thought, she was indeed beautiful. Her long, thick, black hair was wrapped upward, away from her face, clearly emphasizing her prominent features. Her makeup hadn't been heavily applied like that of a lot of the women he'd dated. And for some reason, he couldn't stop focusing on her lips. Those same lips he enjoyed tasting time and time again.

Sterling returned to eating his meal. There was more to Colby than her physical attributes. She was also a person you could talk to. She was a person who knew how to listen.

He lifted his head and again looked at her. She would make any child a good mother, of that he had no doubt. That very thought made him think of his own mother and her visit a few weeks ago. Even though he had tried not to think about it, he had. Angeline Chenault's visit weighed heavily on his mind at some of the oddest times. Like now.

"She came to see me," he said simply, as if Colby would immediately know who he was talking about.

Colby lifted her gaze to his, arching an eyebrow. "Who came to see you?"

He shrugged. "Angeline Chenault."

For a moment, she looked like she couldn't place the name, then she gave him a surprised look. "Your mother came to see you?"

He nodded before lifting the gla.s.s of wine to his lips. "Yes."

Colby stared at him, wondering if he was going to tell her any more than that. When moments pa.s.sed and he didn't say anything else, she asked bluntly, "What did she want?"

He met her gaze. "My forgiveness." He took another sip of wine before telling her the entire story of his mother's visit and everything that was said.

"Colby," he said raggedly after he had finished, "I don't know if I can forgive her for what she did to me, and most importantly, for what she did to Chandler. He loved her until the day he died."

A part of Colby was touched that he had shared this with her. It was something personal, and she knew he was not one to openly share himself with too many people. She reached out and took his hand in hers. "You can't hold it against her for how Chandler felt about her, Sterling. It was his choice to continue to love her. But as to what she did to you, how you handle this is up to you. Forgiving someone isn't really the hard part. Forgetting what they did is. But you have to be able to do both. Forgive and forget."

He felt her fingers tighten around his. Her words and her touch were what he needed. But there was something else he needed and wanted even more. He needed to lose himself in her.

He closed his fingers urgently around hers. "Come on, baby. Let's get out of here."

He signaled the waiter for their check.

The trees outside the window stirred gently in the breeze and a fine mist of rain suddenly blanketed the island. None of these elements of nature were noticed by the man who eased the woman down on the bed, letting her naked body absorb the coolness of the sheets beneath her.

"Colby," Sterling whispered her name softly in the darkened room as he moved over her. He kissed her the moment he entered the depths of her, joining their bodies as one. This is what he wanted, this is what he needed, being one with her, moving deeper and deeper into her, and with the rhythmic movements of their bodies being so much a part of her.

She had the ability to reach him on a level no other woman could and in a way no other woman would. When the heated waves of pa.s.sionate desire tore through him, he thrust deeper, wanting to touch the very core of her being and wanting her to feel the very core of his. He wanted to forget about all the upheaval in his life and just concentrate on making love to her.

Her soft moans became music to his ears, and the movements of her body beneath his continued to drive him over the edge. He was always amazed by the degree of her pa.s.sion. He lifted his head, their eyes met, and he thought he saw something flicker in their dark depths moments before the force of their shattering release shook them both.

Long moments later when she lay in his arms asleep, he reached out and brushed a tangle of hair back from her forehead. A silent question formed in his mind.

When the time came, how on earth was he going to let her go?

Chapter 18.

"Don't give me that look."

Colby smiled innocently at the man sitting across from her. They were in his private jet as it flew them high across the Atlantic Ocean, returning them from Barbados. "What look?" she asked.

Sterling grinned. "You know what look." He studied her, something he'd done a lot for the past seven days, and had reached the conclusion there was nothing about her that didn't turn him on.

"Looks are usually deceiving," Colby replied, widening her smile. "But in this case, you're right. I am giving you that that look. So what are you going to do about it?" she asked seductively. look. So what are you going to do about it?" she asked seductively.

Sterling couldn't help but grin again. "Obviously you think there's nothing I can do about it. Well, that's where you're wrong. I'm a person who believes that the sky's the limit."

Colby's eyes gleamed with laugher with Sterling's play on words. Her expression suddenly turned serious when he stood and began pulling his shirt out of his pants.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, watching him remove his shirt and then his shoes.

He smiled down at her. "I'm going to teach you a lesson about tempting me when you think I can't do anything about it."

She sat up straight in her seat. "Sterling, you can't. Your pilot's up front. He'll know what we're doing. We can't just-"

"Oh, yes we can. I'll lock the cabin door to a.s.sure our privacy. John's concentration is on flying this thing and not on what we're doing in here."

"But he'll know." Colby's heart began beating a mile a minute at the recklessness of her actions. If nothing else, she should have learned by now that Sterling Hamilton had a pa.s.sion that was all-consuming. All it took was her smile or her touch to set him off. And whenever she gave him that look, that look, where her eyes became dark as a raven's wing and emitted secret, seductive overtures and promises of steamy pa.s.sion, he would take her then and there. No matter where they were. He had made love to her in every room in their honeymoon cottage at least once, sometimes twice. And she didn't want to think about the number of times they had made love on the secluded beach. He had proved that when it came to pa.s.sion between a husband and wife, everything was proper. where her eyes became dark as a raven's wing and emitted secret, seductive overtures and promises of steamy pa.s.sion, he would take her then and there. No matter where they were. He had made love to her in every room in their honeymoon cottage at least once, sometimes twice. And she didn't want to think about the number of times they had made love on the secluded beach. He had proved that when it came to pa.s.sion between a husband and wife, everything was proper.

Their week in Barbados had been beautiful. It didn't take long for her to realize he didn't know the meaning of moderation. The word meant nothing to him. She'd discovered that reality the hard hard way, she thought, looking at the huge bulge pushing against the zipper of his pants. He had a voracious s.e.xual appet.i.te and thoroughly enjoyed making love. way, she thought, looking at the huge bulge pushing against the zipper of his pants. He had a voracious s.e.xual appet.i.te and thoroughly enjoyed making love.

Colby immediately got out of her seat when he began removing his pants. "Sterling, wait!"

He smiled that sensuous smile she had come to love. "I am waiting. I'm waiting for you to take off your clothes, too."

She quickly glanced around, expecting John to appear any minute. She didn't care that he was supposed to be flying this jet. She knew there was such a thing as autopilot.

At that moment, John's voice came over the intercom. "Mr. Hamilton, you have a call."

Colby released a huge sigh of relief. Sterling, however, had a huge frown on his face.

"Who is it, John?"

"It's Kyle Garwood. And he said it's important."

Sterling slipped back into his shirt and pants. "It better be," he mumbled. He looked at Colby. "It seems you've been saved by the bell for just a little while. I'll be back in a minute so don't think you're out of the woods yet because this wolf has every intention of mating when he returns."

Colby shook her head as she watched Sterling leave the room, pulling the door closed behind him. She knew he had all intentions of doing just what he claimed he would do when he got back.

She sat back down in her seat and thought some more about the past week. Although they had enjoyed the time they had spent together, in all reality, nothing between them had changed. She was still operating under the time clock he had established. She knew that as far as Sterling was concerned, the contract between them was still valid. Although he had shared the information with her about his mother's visit, he had given her no indication during the past week that her position in his life had changed. And that thought bothered her more than anything because she knew she had fallen even more in love with him.

Colby straightened in her seat when she heard the sound of Sterling returning. When he opened the door, she took one look at the expression on his face and knew something was wrong. She stood and immediately went to him.

"Sterling, what's wrong?"

He didn't say anything at first, and for a moment she wondered if he would.

"That was Kyle," he finally said, pulling her into his arms. "Nicholas Chenault contacted him to see if he could locate me."

"Why?"

"The blood clot on Angeline's brain burst and she was rushed to the hospital. She had to undergo emergency surgery and is now in critical condition. They're not sure she's going to make it."

"Oh, how awful."

Sterling sighed. "I'm surprised Nicholas Chenault wanted me to know."

Colby pushed herself out of his arms and looked up at him. "Why wouldn't he want you to know? Angeline Chenault is your mother, too. Evidently she told him the truth, and he feels you should know. I personally think you should be there with him during this time."

Sterling frowned. "How can you think anything like that? He doesn't know me. And even if Angeline told him about me, Chenault and I are strangers."

"The two of you are brothers, Sterling. You can't hold against him what Angeline Chenault did to you all those years ago. And as far as I'm concerned, you can't hold it against her anymore, either. She came to you and apologized and tried to make peace."

Sterling began pacing and muttering before coming back to stand before Colby. A dark scowl covered his face. "Do you know what you're asking of me?"

She met his gaze. "Yes. I'm asking that you do what you know in your heart is the right thing. I think you should go to the hospital and be with your brother during this time. I have a feeling he needs you."

"He may resent me being there."

"I honestly don't think he will. Otherwise, why would he have tried contacting you?" A confused expression then shone on Colby's face. "How did he know Kyle Garwood would know how to reach you?"

"It's well-known in the business world that Kyle and I are business partners on a number of ventures as well as good friends."

Colby nodded. "Are you going to go?"

Sterling rubbed the back of his neck, still unsure of what he should do. Again, against his will, he felt compa.s.sion for the woman who had turned her back on him, and now, thanks to Colby, he was beginning to feel compa.s.sion for his brother and what he was probably going through right now.

"I can't go. We're just getting back from our honeymoon, and I need to get you settled in. Have you forgotten I'm to fly to Spain next week to begin filming, and-"

"Stop making excuses, Sterling. Mac can meet us at the airport and take me to your home in the mountains. By the time I'm on my way, John can have the plane refueled and ready to fly you where you need to go. I'll be fine until you return. And I'm sure you'll get to Spain on time."

Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you sure?"

"Sure of what?" she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "That I'll be fine until you return or that you'll make it to Spain on time?"

Sterling grinned as he placed a kiss on her lips. Leave it to Colby to calm and soothe any frazzled situation. "I don't want to leave you, you know."

She smiled at his words. That was the first time he had even hinted at the possibility that maybe...just maybe, he liked having her around.

"You have to go, Sterling. It's time you let go of the past. Your mother asked for your forgiveness, and I think it's time you gave it to her...before it's too late."

Chapter 19.

Colby stared out the car window. "What a lovely town. I think I'm going to like living here."

Mac gave her a dubious look. "If you do, you'll be the first wife of a Hamilton who did. All the others hated this place."

She remembered Sterling telling her that. "I don't see why. Who wouldn't like living in a quaint and quiet town that's located within a stone's throw of the Smoky Mountains?"

"A bunch of bored women with nothing better to do than sit around complaining."

Colby smiled. She really liked Mac. "How much farther is it to Sterling's home?" she asked, shifting around in the seat to take a look at a new hospital they had just pa.s.sed. It seemed they had been riding for quite a while.

"Not much farther. His property is at the very end of town. We're already in Hamilton, North Carolina."

Colby raised a brow. "Is it a coincidence or do the Hamiltons have a city named after them?"

"In a manner of speaking it's named after them. Sterling didn't tell you all about his family's history?"

She shook her head. "Other than to mention there haven't been any girls born into the Hamilton family in over a hundred years, and the fact most Hamiltons are divorced men, he didn't mention anything else."