Private Melody by Altonya Washington Page A

beats around the bush waiting to be offered what I want.” Something haunting crept into her eyes then. “I know how fragile life is and I don’t intend on wasting any of it waiting.
    He toyed with a tendril of her hair, twisting it about his index finger before he met her stare. “I get it, Kia. Now will you sleep with me?”
    The rich tone of his voice, mingled with the sweetness of his words and the shortening of her name, were Kianti’s undoing. She snuggled down next to him. Both were asleep in seconds—neither stirred for the rest of the night.
    Â 
    Therin was first to wake the next morning. He dressed and started coffee before returning to the bedroom. From his position against the doorjamb, he studied Kianti for a long while.
    At first, he was simply taken in by the sight of her tousled and naked but for the sheet twisted around her lovely brown body. He finally had an answer for the nagging voice consistently asking what he thought he was doing. He was falling in love with the tiny, talented beauty he’d enjoyed the pleasures of the night before.
    The words gave him pause. Had last night evoked thesudden feelings of love? He’d bet everything he owned that it hadn’t. He’d been falling, cautiously but surely, perhaps from the moment he’d met her.
    She began to stir beneath the gray woven coverings and Therin braced off the jamb. He took a seat on the edge of the bed and leaned near, draping an arm across her prone form. Gently, he reached out to smooth a few locks of hair from her thoroughly kissed mouth. The top sheet was bunched loosely at her breasts, beckoning him to indulge. He let his fingers be nudged by the gradual heaving of her bosom as she breathed.
    He’d done his best to mask the fear in his voice and expression over the frantic sound of her heartbeat. He thought back to what she’d said about taking herself off the pills and the anger he’d felt then returned in a sudden wave. What the hell was that doctor of hers thinking?
    Kianti woke as if on cue and Therin forgot everything else while drowning in the sleepy dark pools of her gaze. A disturbed current eased into her stare as she took note of the clothes he wore.
    â€œYou’re going?”
    â€œOnly for a few hours.” His deep voice was soft while he stroked her temple. “There’s a meeting I need to go to.”
    Kianti propped herself on an elbow. She took in the sudden agitation which flashed on his handsome face.
    â€œCan I at least make you breakfast?” she asked instead of questioning the look.
    â€œI’ll grab something while I’m out.” He dropped a quick kiss to her mouth and stood. “This is my cell number.” He waved a card between his index andmiddle finger before pressing it to the nightstand. “Call if you need anything before I get back.”
    Realizing it was pointless to argue, she snuggled her head into the pillow. “’Kay.”
    He graced her with a wink and a smile before leaving the room.
    Â 
    Therin didn’t bother to put a smile in place when he spotted the four men across the café dining room. He greeted them with nods and handshakes and they all placed breakfast orders before getting to the point of the meeting.
    â€œThis is about Kianti,” Cube David guessed from his position at the opposite end of the rectangular table.
    â€œThat’s right.” Therin nodded.
    â€œAnd if you’re here, that means she’s told you who he really is,” Winton Terry noted, glancing toward the man who sat next to him.
    Again, Therin nodded while looking toward Brody. “In light of that, I don’t see how any doctor worth a damn could allow his patient to self-medicate or in this case, not medicate.”
    Brody smiled, but waited until the server had set out milk for Cube and coffees for the rest, to the table. “If you know that, then you already know at least two other things about