Page 115 of Shadow's Surrender
“We never need one at the club.”
“Are you too hungover to have dinner at my place? I’m grilling steaks, onions, and red peppers.”
“I’ll be there, babe. I thought we’d go for a bike ride tomorrow after work. There’s a rock festival in Silverton that I’d like to take you to.”
“That sounds great, but I can’t go. I’m sorry, but I have a committee meeting for the upcoming gala. We’ll be going over the programs, addressing all the invitations, and a bunch of other things. I’d love it if you were at my place when I got home, though.”
He chuckled. “You can count on that.”
“Hmm …”
“You at work?”
“Yes, but I’m leaving pretty soon. You can come by at any time.”
“I’ll be there in an hour, darlin’.”
“I can’t wait to see you,” she whispered. “Bye.”
Shadow put the phone down on the grass and looked back at the river. Part of him was still in disbelief that he’d found his mother’s murderer after all this time. Then all at once, an overwhelming urge to have his mother next to him grabbed hold of him like a vise.
“You’d really like Scarlett, Mom. She’s a good woman,” he said out loud. A strange idea then popped into his head. “Did you bring her to me? That would be something you’d do. She’s the type of girl I know you’d want for me to settle down with.”
Shadow tilted his head back and squinted. White clouds scuttled across the cornflower blue sky; several birds circled and dipped in the great expanse as if in a graceful dance. After a long while, he rose to his feet and walked up the small incline, then entered the club and made his way to his room and changed his clothes.
An hour later he had Scarlett in his arms, their lips fused in a fiery kiss. Her moans and small whimpers fueled Shadow’s constant desire for her, and he scooped her up in his arms and walked slowly to the bedroom.
