Free Redemption Rains by A D Holland Page A

saw her own beauty. The soft hair
flowing down her back framing a face that was slightly flushed with
lips that were full parted as if waiting to be kissed. Her eyes,
normally plain, pale blue had grown to a color that rivaled the sea
splashing outside her window. All dark blue and green with a fire
that burned from deep in her. This is what love does to a
woman.
    This thought startled Elizabeth so
much that she dropped the towel. She didn’t mean love, she had
meant lust. There was no way that she could love a man who made her
so angry, could she? No way! She told herself. If she loved
anybody, she loved Samuel, not Devin. She didn’t even know Devin
but she knew Samuel. She would not let a few heated kisses from
that man sway her from her chance with Samuel now. She had waited
so long for her stepbrother to notice her and now he was coming
here to be with her. But her heart did not flutter at this thought.
There used to be a time when she thought of no other man but
Samuel; imagined no other man as her husband, lover, and friend but
Samuel. Now she couldn’t get the thought of Devin’s hands resting
on her breasts out of her mind. His passionate lovemaking scarred
her mind and heart and threatened to block out all else.
    Stop this. You have to stop this.
Devin is nothing to you. He feels nothing for you. When this is
over, he will walk away and never look back. He won’t be there for
you then, Elizabeth tried to convince herself, but Samuel will. He
is the one you want.
    Turning on the cold water, she
splashed her face. Deciding that she needed to get control of this
crazy roller coaster ride her emotions were on, Elizabeth left the
bathroom and went to retrieve clothes from her closet. She chose
carefully, particular of how she looked. She told herself it was
because Samuel was coming, but this rang hollow as he glanced at
her reflection in the full-length mirror.
    The dress was long and flowing, in a
shade of gold that reflected the highlights in her hair, which she
left down. The waist was cinched with a wide belt that brought even
more attention to her robust figure. The sleeves were made from a
lighter, sheerer fabric than the bodice and reached down to touch
her wrists. The neckline was rounded and revealed the tops of her
breasts and a hint of cleavage. Slipping her feet into matching
sandals made from the softest leather, Elizabeth turned around to
admire her reflection. She looked good. She felt good. Amazing what
a little bit of makeup would do for your self-esteem.
    As she heard the key turn in the lock,
she turned to see Devin enter the room followed by a bellboy
pushing a trolley. He had not noticed her yet. She moved closer to
them, smelling the aroma of food coming from the covered dishes.
She couldn’t remember when she had eaten last and suddenly was
ravenous. Walking up to the table where the bellboy was putting the
different dishes, Elizabeth lifted the cover and inhaled the fresh
eggs and bacon sitting on the plate. As she moved to inspect the
next dish, she paused realizing that both the bellboy and Devin had
frozen in their movements and were looking at her.
    The bellboy’s look of appreciation
brought a slight flush to Elizabeth’s cheeks. She noticed that he
seemed to be staring at her breasts; he couldn’t seem to take his
eyes off of them in fact. She smiled prettily and turned to Devin
for a little assistance in this embarrassing situation. The look
she saw there brought her up short.
    Devin was looking at her with that
black, passion filled expression that he had worn the other night
when he had laid her on the bed. His face was flushed and his
breathing shallow, she noticed the little tick was back in his jaw.
Elizabeth felt the hot liquid flow through her and set her entire
body on fire. The slight flush brought on by the bellboy’s open
appraisal had blown into a raging inferno with the look she was
receiving from Devin. Who was she kidding? Just one look from this
man could set her