A Brother's Honor (18 page)

At the end, he got a standing ovation, and he wondered if she would be coming to the private party later given for the performers. Typically, it was invitation-only, but that hadn’t stopped her before, he thought, remembering that last time a few years ago.

He finally broke eye contact with her when everyone bowed for their last time. When he glanced back up at the spot where Shiloh had been sitting just moments ago, he saw she was gone.

Chapter Eighteen

O
ne twenty-three North Pinewood Drive.

There was no doubt in Ben Bradford’s mind that he was at the right house. Mona had said it was a white stucco single-story patio home that sat at the end of a brick road on a spacious lot. It was a nice house with gardens of flowering marigolds and zinnias adorning the windows. She had a perfectly manicured lawn with lush green grass that sloped into a small pond.

She’d mentioned that most of her neighbors were other professors who worked at the university. He couldn’t imagine having your coworkers as your neighbors. He liked the guys who’d been on the force with him while living in Boston, but he hadn’t wanted to look at their faces from sunup to sundown. When he left the precinct and went home, his main focus had been on his daughters. Ben’s girls.

Like he’d told Shana the other day, he was proud of them. They were strong, college-educated, hardworking women who’d made some good decisions in their lives. Granted, neither was close to settling down and giving him the grandkids he looked forward to spoiling one day, but he was satisfied that in due time they would both meet a couple of nice guys.

Every once in a while, he wondered whether they were too strong-willed and independent. But then he knew he wouldn’t change them even if he could and was convinced there were men out there just as strong who would complement his daughters perfectly.

Bringing the car to a stop in the circular driveway, he opened the door and got out. Glancing around, he could see in the distance a part of the university, the Rotunda. He drew in a deep breath, remembering how he had spent four years of his life there. He had fallen in love with a beautiful young woman named Sharon Sweet there.

He’d also played football, had been a valiant Cavalier with dreams of going pro. But a knee injury had ended those dreams. Still, his college days had been good ones, and he’d had fun. Those times had been good and he cherished the memories.

Now here he was, forty-some years later and falling in love all over again. And he was convinced he was falling in love. When it came to choosing the women to share his life with, he didn’t make things complicated. He was blessed with an inner sense of knowing just who was meant for him. He had known when he’d met Sharon, and he’d known when he met Mona. Now he had to convince Mona that their futures were entwined. This pizza date was a start.

He was well aware that she was leery of a serious involvement after what her husband had done to her, and then there was the issue of her blindness. To him, it wasn’t an issue. Since knowing her, he had a newfound respect for someone with a disability who was making the best of it. And she was. He’d watched how she got around the grocery store without help. Mona was a beautiful woman, a confident woman, a woman who had captured the eye and the heart of Ben Bradford. Unknowingly and without intent, she had done her job, and now it was time to do his. Operation Mona Underwood was now underway.

His heart didn’t miss a beat as he headed for her front door.

* * *

Gloria McCabe stared across the table at Shana as they both sipped on their glasses of wine. They had taken in a movie and had returned to Shana’s home. She studied her friend and wondered at her mood. “Is there a reason you’re down in the dumps tonight, Shana? I was telling you about the couple I caught on the plane locked in the bathroom, determined to join the
Mile High Club.
I didn’t get a reaction from you about it,” she said.

Shana glanced up and met Gloria’s inquiring gaze. She hadn’t been able to comment about a couple who hadn’t been able to control their urges over thirty thousand feet in the air, because she had been caught in a similar situation herself recently right here on terra firma. She wondered what her friend would say if she knew that Shana had been taken on her desk last night, and had loved every moment.

“Shana?”

Shana sighed. “Sorry, I guess I’m not very talkative tonight.”

Gloria laughed as she fluffed out her blond hair around her shoulders. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been quiet all evening. What gives?”

Shana broke eye contact with Gloria and stared into her glass of wine. She and Gloria had shared a lot, and Shana considered her a BFF. They had become friends before becoming neighbors. When Shana’s father had moved here, Gloria had been the attendant on the flights Shana would take twice a month from Boston to visit her father and sister.

It was Gloria who’d jokingly suggested that maybe Shana should save her money and just move to Virginia. Less than a year later, Shana had done just that. And it had been Gloria who’d told her about the condo that was for sale right next door to hers.

A friendship had been born, and since then, it had been nourished into the trusting relationship it was now. She knew all about Gloria’s abusive ex-husband and her current affair with a pilot, although the airline she worked for had a no-fraternizing policy.

She glanced back at Gloria and smiled. “I’m fine. I just have a lot to think about, and it would help if I asked you a few questions.”

Gloria raised a brow. “What about?”

“You and Eric.”

Gloria leaned back in her chair. “What about us?”

Shana took a sip of her wine. “What made you decide to break the rules and get involved when you know what the outcome will be if you’re discovered?”

Gloria didn’t say anything for a moment and then said, “I wanted to be with him—both physically and mentally. Things started out on a physical level. We were two divorcés who wanted to get wild, butt-naked and stay independent. But then we discovered we liked each other beyond the sex, and two years later it’s still beyond the sex...although the sex is still off the charts, mind you.”

Shana smiled, figuring it was. She’d seen Eric sneak in and out of Gloria’s house many times. “Doesn’t the sneaking around bother you?”

A smile slowly faded from Gloria’s face. “Sometimes it does, but then I remember I have more than most women right now. I have a man in my life I admire, a man who wants me as much as I want him, a man who understands there are times I don’t want to be crowded, but then knows there are going to be times when I don’t want to get out of bed as long as he’ll stay in it with me.”

Shana took a sip of her wine. “Sounds like a woman in love.”

Gloria shrugged. “I prefer thinking of myself as a woman who knows what she wants and is gutsy enough to go after it.” She paused and then asked, “Is there a reason why you’re interested in our hot and heavy affair?”

Shana smiled. The subtle lifting of her friend’s eyebrow conveyed that she expected an answer. “What if I told you I was recently in the position?”

“You’re having an affair?” Gloria asked, leaning forward as if it was paramount not to miss one word of Shana’s answer.

“No, but I did do something with a male client that I should not have. You know my rules.”

Gloria smiled. “You mean you actually slept with him?”

“I wouldn’t say we slept, but the gist of your question still leans toward an answer of yes.”

“Damn,” Gloria said, slumping back against her chair. “And you are such a stickler for your rules.”

“I guess I have to blame it on the hormones and the fact he’s so damn gorgeous. I was attracted to him from the first. I tried to ignore it but couldn’t.”

Gloria frowned. “Why place the blame on anything? You’re a grown-ass woman who can do what you want to do. You made the rules, and you can certainly break them. That’s not how it is with Eric and me. We didn’t make any rules.”

Shana began nibbling on her bottom lip. “But I shouldn’t break them. He’s a client, for heaven’s sake. If things don’t work out, it can be messy.”

“Says who? It’s not like you’re going to be working for him forever. How much longer will he be a client?”

Shana shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably no more than another month or so.”

Gloria slapped a palm to her thigh. “There you have it. Unless you get too attached, the affair will end in a month. But just think of what you’ll be getting until then. Unless after making out with him, you’ve decided he’s not worth it.”

Shana didn’t say anything for a minute and then, “Oh, he was worth it, and I don’t regret what we did. But I told him it couldn’t happen again and asked that he promise that it wouldn’t.”

“Did he?”

“Said he couldn’t do that.”

Gloria smiled. “Good for him. Some things you can’t always control, Shana. A strong sexual attraction is one of them.”

Shana stood and began pacing. “But that’s just it. I don’t want to be attracted to him, sexually or otherwise. But I know I will as long as I work for him. I told him if he couldn’t promise, I would have to end our business relationship.”

“You’d go that far?”

Shana drew in a deep breath. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, you do. If you want to be with him, Shana, you have a choice.”

Shana shook her head. “That’s just it. I don’t know what I want. I wanted him yesterday, but I want to think it was hormones working overtime and nothing more.”

“And what if it’s more?”

Shana stopped her pacing. “It’s not more. I told you about Jonathan.”

“Yes, but not all men are the same. I found that out, and maybe with this guy you’ll find that out, as well.”

Shana came back to her chair and sat down. “I have to make a decision by Monday.”

Gloria nodded. “Good luck, but can I give you some advice?”

“Yes.”

“I know you. You like having total control of your life and everything in it. But every once in a while, it’s okay to let go, lose control and forgo the norm.”

Shana drew in a deep breath. “There will be a price to pay.”

A smile tipped the corners of Gloria’s mouth. “Maybe. Maybe not. But only you can determine if that price, if there is one, is worth it.”

* * *

Mona’s heart was racing overtime as she glanced over to where Ben was sitting. She couldn’t see him—at least not clearly—but she felt him. His very presence was radiating emotions through her.

Her talking watch had announced the time just seconds before he’d rung the doorbell earlier that evening. Using what she had come to know as her “magic wand,” she had slowly walked to the door. After verifying it was him, she had opened the door and allowed him into her world.

“Did you enjoy the pizza tonight, Mona?”

An easy smile spread across her lips. “Yes, thank you. I thought your daughter would be joining us tonight.”

He chuckled. “She was invited but she made other plans. She’ll be sorry she missed this.” He had been glad Shana hadn’t come, since he’d wanted Mona to himself tonight. When she had opened the door, he had stood there and looked at her up and down, appreciating what he saw. She was wearing a beautiful printed sundress with a pair of cute sandals. Her hair was curly and crowned her face.

She had explained that her hand wand, which had been developed by students at the college, was magical. It filed in its memory every outfit she had in her closet and a description of each. All she had to do was scan her wand over an outfit and it told her just what outfit it was as well as the color and a description. Special tags had been sewn into the backs of her dresses to make them easier to put on correctly. Then the handheld wand replaced the cane and could detect any obstruction in her path. He’d found everything she told him fascinating.

“I had a good time tonight,” she said softly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”

“You mean out on a date?”

“Yes.”

He took a sip of his tea and watched her take a sip of hers. She had explained how she could locate everything on the table in front of her. All he had to do was tell her the location once. “When was the last time you went to the beach?”

“Oh, goodness. Years.”

“Would you go to the beach with me next weekend?”

He could tell his question had thrown her. “You want me to go to the beach with you?”

“Yes. I want you to walk with me barefoot in the sand, let the waves wiggle between our toes as we listen to the sound of the ocean.”

He watched as she slowly smiled, knowing that description had been tempting. “I don’t know, Ben. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You won’t be. In case you haven’t figured it out already, I enjoy being with you.”

After several moments of silence, Mona said, “You might think so now, but—”

“And I’ll think so later.” He cleared his throat. “But there is that one thing....”

She bunched up her forehead. “What one thing?”

“That you might not like
my
company.”

He watched the way her smile brightened her face, and she tipped that same face toward him. “Trust me, that’s not the case.”

“Great. Then it’s settled. We’ll do the beach next week.”

Her head lowered for a minute, and then she lifted her gaze to him. “Thanks. I appreciate you.”

“No,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “I appreciate you.”

* * *

Sunday afternoon, and Shana wasn’t any closer to making a decision than she had been two days ago. Although Gloria had given her food for thought, it was food she wasn’t quite ready to digest.

Jules had called and they talked, but her sister was the last person who needed to know what she’d done with Jace. Her sister had been full of questions about their father’s date with Mona last night. Jules hadn’t been happy to know it was past noon already and Shana hadn’t even called their father to get any scoop. That meant Jules would have to be the nosy one.

It wasn’t that Shana hadn’t wondered how her father’s pizza night had gone, but she had a lot on her mind. Like her father had told her the last time they talked, when it came to Mona Underwood, he could take care of himself and didn’t need her or Jules in his business. Maybe it was time Jules heard the same thing from their father herself.

Shana stretched as she came from the kitchen after enjoying a late breakfast. It had been past midnight by the time Gloria had left. One thing was for certain, Shana had slept like a baby every night since having sex with Jace. Sensuous shivers ran through her at the memory. One minute she was standing there in front of him, and the next she was spread out on her desk, naked, legs spread open with him planted fully inside of her. She wished she didn’t think about it so much or how much satisfaction she’d gotten from it, but so far she couldn’t stop remembering.