Beyond Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  Lena couldn’t help the smile that spread across her features. For some strange reason she found Morgan’s antics endearing. “Okay, let me tell you what’s so nice about it…from a Realtor’s viewpoint.”

  Smiling, he tilted his head downward to hers. “I’m listening.”

  “Well, there’s the scent of spring in the air,” she said, dimpling, then breathing in deeply. “That’s always nice. Not to mention the brisk breeze that’s not too cold. One of the reasons I bought a home in this area was for that lake over there,” she said, pointing to the huge body of water that ran through the subdivision.

  “I love walking around it, smelling all the dogwoods and seeing them bloom. But then, I need to be honest about something. Spring is nice but I like winter better mainly because I love snow.”

  He arched a brow, and a smile touched the corners of his lips. “You like snow?”

  She returned his smile. “Yes. I love watching the snowflakes fall to the ground and cover everything. I like drinking a mug full of hot chocolate while standing at the window looking at the snow fall and wishing I could just go out there and play in it. At least that wasn’t one of the things I had to give up moving from New York. Although I got to see snow more often while living in Buffalo, at least I still get to see it.”

  She glanced up in the sky and blinked against the sun’s brightness and then back at him. “So, how did I do?”

  “You went over your word count.”

  She stopped, tipped her head back and laughed; really laughed. Moments later she stuck her hands in her pockets and continued walking, shaking her head. “I would hate working for you.”

  He chuckled. “You already do.”

  Her head shot up and she stared at him with all amusement gone, wondering if he was trying to remind her of their relationship. “Sorry, I forgot.”

  This time it was Morgan who stopped walking. When she stopped as well, he reached out and lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “I didn’t say that to make you remember.”

  She shrugged. “That’s okay.”

  Morgan felt the spell that had surrounded them for the past few moments trying to break, but a part of him refused to let it. She had started to relax around him and her mood had been light, almost carefree. He liked that.

  “So what made you decide to leave New York to move to North Carolina?” he asked, wanting to get her talking again, as they resumed their walk. And he relaxed.

  She didn’t say anything for a while, and for a moment he wondered if she was going to answer. Then she said, “My dad. In my senior year of high school his health began failing and the doctors thought a change in climate would help him. So we moved here right after my graduation and I began attending the University of North Carolina. Dad died a month after my graduation from college.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  A small smile touched her lips. “So was I. He was a wonderful man and I loved him deeply.”

  She got quiet for a brief moment and then she continued by saying, “It was really hard for Mama. They had been together so long. There were too many memories in the house where we lived, so we eventually put it up for sale and bought this one. That helped some, but for a while I thought I was going to lose another parent when Mom went into a state of depression from all her grief.”

  He nodded. “How long did it last?”

  She titled her head to look up at him. “Who says it has stopped? She has good days and bad days, and trust me when I say today was one of her good days, and I have to thank you for it. This is the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. She actually cooked all of the dinner herself. I can’t tell you the last time she went into a kitchen other than to eat or to get a drink of water.”

  “I can’t accept your thanks because I don’t know what I did. Your mother is a nice person and like I told you earlier, I like her. I can’t imagine her getting depressed.”

  “Well, she does. And then there’s her obsession with grandchildren. Did she mention anything about that to you?”

  He smiled. “It just so happened that she did, briefly today while you were changing clothes and we were clearing the table. But that’s okay. Like I said the other day, I think all mothers believe it’s their duty to prod their children into parenthood.”

  Lena stopped walking. “So you think it’s a phase that will pass?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. If not, then you might have to do some serious thinking as to what you want as well. And if you want a baby, too, then you’re going to have to find a man who’d be more than willing to get you pregnant.”

  His voice was so low it could almost be defined as a whisper, and his words had sounded too serious. And the eyes staring down at her were more intense than ever.

  Lena took a deep breath, inwardly forcing her naughty twin to behave when she felt her fingers itching to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck, bring his mouth down to hers and kiss him in all the ways she’d always dreamed about.

  “Maybe we should head back now, Lena.”

  Morgan’s words gave her the strength she needed to regain full control. But for one fleeting moment she felt something had changed, shifted, gotten altered. As they began walking back toward her house she tried not to put too much emphasis on her surprise when he took her hand in his, making her aware of his touch, making her feel a little squeeze in her chest.

  Today she would take this, the casual versus professional rapport they were sharing. When they saw each other again it would be business as usual. But today was nice and she planned on making today’s pleasantries, as well as Morgan’s own special blend of kindness, a very special memory.

  Chapter 6

  “We’ll be able to finish up things once Morgan brings his attention back to the meeting.”

  Morgan snapped his head up to look into his older brother’s intense dark eyes. He glanced around the room and saw that Bas, Donovan and Vanessa were staring at him as well. So okay. He’d been caught daydreaming. No big deal. But with the smirk he saw on Donovan’s face he knew that his younger brother would make it a big deal. And Morgan didn’t have long to wait.

  “In defense of Morgan, he can’t help that he has a lot on his mind. The woman of his dreams, his perfect woman, still can’t seem to notice that he’s alive.”

  “Go to hell, Donovan,” Morgan said, glaring over at his youngest brother.

  “Okay, you two, knock it off. If you want to go at each other, save it for the next Saturday we’re on the court,” Chance said.

  Morgan nodded. It was a family tradition that he and his three brothers got together every Saturday to play basketball, mainly to get rid of any competitive frustrations they might get from working together. Depending on the depth of their frustrations, the game could get downright mean and ugly. “My pleasure,” he said, giving Donovan a look that clearly said…next time we’re on the court, your ass is grass.

  “Who’s his perfect woman?” Of course Vanessa had to ask. At twenty-six she was the oldest of the three girl cousins and headed the PR department. It had been challenging for the Steele Brothers to keep an eye out for their younger female cousins while growing up, especially when Vanessa and her best friend from high school, Sienna Davis Bradford, were always getting into trouble.

  “Lena Spears is his perfect woman,” Donovan was more than happy to say.

  A smile touched Vanessa’s lips. “Lena Spears? I know her and she’s a jewel. We’ve worked together on several community projects. Now, why doesn’t she notice that Morgan is alive?”

  “Can we get back to the meeting?” Morgan asked, deciding he didn’t want his personal business discussed, especially if everyone had to hear Donovan’s take on things.

  “You mean you want to get back to the meeting that wasn’t holding your attention anyway?” Bas said, rolling his eyes.

  When Vanessa laughed, Morgan glared over at her. “Did I happen to mention that I was in Atlanta with Cameron a couple of weekends ago and he asked about you, Van?”
>
  Morgan watched the amusement die on his cousin’s face, knowing he’d said something that would shut her up for a while. All it took was the mere mention of Cameron Cody’s name. Vanessa couldn’t stand the man.

  “Okay, knock it off, all of you,” Chance said, taking the role as leader. “Let’s get back down to business. We have important things to discuss.”

  An hour later when the meeting ended Morgan was the first to stand and head for the door. “Where’s the fire?” Bas called after him.

  Morgan smiled as he kept walking. Oddly enough, he felt there was a fire. Every time he thought about Lena a part of him would erupt into a smoldering blaze. It didn’t take much effort to recall their walk on Sunday. Even though there had been other people around walking and jogging, there had been something pleasingly intimate about strolling beside Lena, talking to her, listening to her talk. And on those occasions when their arms would occasionally brush, he’d felt a sharp sensation all the way to his toes.

  He checked his watch as he stepped onto the elevator. His smile widened. Lena would be receiving a package from him in about an hour and he hoped that she liked her gift.

  …If you want a baby, too, then you’re going to have to find a man who’d be more than willing to get you pregnant….

  Morgan’s words from yesterday still weighed heavily in Lena’s thoughts as she walked into her office. She would even admit that at one time she’d had thoughts of visiting a sperm bank. From a recent article she’d read in a magazine, more and more single professional women who were feeling the ticking of their biological clock were considering just that option. But of course being the ultra-traditional person she was, she had dissed the idea. She’d grown up in a home with both a loving father and mother and couldn’t see cheating a child out of a chance to have that as well. That reasoning always put her back at square one.

  “Good afternoon, Lena.”

  She smiled over at her secretary as she grabbed the mail off the table and began flipping through it. “And a good afternoon to you, Wendy. Did I get any calls?”

  The woman, who was only a few years older, smiled back and said, “Not since the last time you checked earlier, but you did get a package. I put it on your desk.”

  “Thanks, it’s probably those brochures I ordered last week,” Lena said, tossing the junk mail in a basket to get shredded while keeping hold of anything she considered important. “I’ll be in the back if you need me.”

  Entering her office, Lena removed her jacket and then took the time to hang it in the closet before taking a seat behind her desk. She eyed the box sitting in the middle of it, immediately thinking it definitely wasn’t the brochures she had ordered. It was a beautiful gift box, wrapped in red satin-looking paper with a huge white bow.

  She immediately pushed the button for Wendy.

  “Yes, Lena?”

  “Where did this box come from?”

  “It was delivered to you today by a private courier.”

  Lena lifted a brow as she studied the box. There wasn’t a card on the outside. “There’s not a card.”

  “It’s probably inside the box. You know, one of those ploys to keep nosy secretaries from reading it. Not that I would do such a thing,” Wendy said, chuckling.

  “So, you have no idea who sent it?” Lena asked.

  “Don’t you?” was Wendy’s quick response. “It’s your box.”

  Lena shook her head. “I don’t have a clue, but there’s only one way to find out.”

  “Wait! You want me to call for the bomb squad?”

  “Real cute, Wendy.” Lena chuckled as she hung up the phone thinking that her secretary was forever the comic, and Wendy’s comment made Lena see just how paranoid she was being about the box.

  Deciding she had wasted enough time as it was, she reached out and began opening it, not surprised when Wendy came into the room. “If there’s an explosion we blow up together,” her faithful secretary said. “But trust me, it’s probably safe. The guy who delivered it was too cute to be on the wrong side of the law.”

  It was on Lena’s tongue to say “whatever,” but when she removed the tissue paper her heart caught as she pulled out a beautiful handcrafted snow globe. Inside was a miniature replica of Charlotte’s skyline, and with a push of a small button, that skyline became covered as snowflakes seemed to drift from the sky over the city. Amazing.

  A part of Lena’s heart suddenly felt tight in her chest. She knew who had sent the package. Morgan. He had remembered her comments about the snow.

  “Umm, it doesn’t look like one of those explosive devices, so I guess we’re safe,” Wendy said, reclaiming her attention but only briefly.

  “No, it doesn’t and yes, we’re safe.” A few moments later she said, “Isn’t it beautiful?” still in awe of her gift.

  “Yes, if you like snow, and we all know that you’re one of the few strange ones who do.”

  Lena chuckled as she looked back at the box and saw there was something else inside. She placed the snow globe on her desk and pulled out another item wrapped in tissue paper. When she had it uncovered she couldn’t help but laugh. It was her very own Carolina Panthers cap. She then pulled out the card and it said:

  Lena,

  I saw the snow globe in a store today and it made me think of you. Hope you like it. And about the cap. I thought you looked so cute in mine that I wanted to get you one of your own. And I truly did enjoy our walk together on Sunday. We must do it again sometime.

  Morgan

  Emotions Lena wasn’t ready for touched her at that moment. She couldn’t recall the last time someone saw something in a store—other than an outfit Kylie might see that she would tell her about saying it would look good on her. But this was different. This was special. And it had come from a man. Definitely no man had ever taken the time to send her a gift such as this, one that reflected something she truly liked.

  “Before I get back to work, is there something you want to share with me?”

  Lena glanced up. She had forgotten Wendy was still in the room. She pulled herself together and cleared her throat and said, “It’s from Morgan Steele.”

  Her secretary and friend raised a curious brow. “And?”

  “And I think it’s time you got back to work.”

  A cute little frown, one that wasn’t at all convincing, appeared on Wendy’s face. “See if I share my next romance novel with you. From now on you’re going to have to buy your own.” With her head held high, Wendy then turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

  Lena grinned as she turned her attention back to the snow globe and cap. She then read the note again. She didn’t want to acknowledge the warmth she felt. She clenched her hands together trying to think logically and to fight both the tension and the excitement warring within her. A part of her, the woman in her, wanted to feel giddy at the thought that the very handsome Morgan Steele enjoyed the time he had spent with her walking on Sunday and wanted to do so again.

  A part of her was too afraid to come out of her protective shell to believe such a thing. It had been that same part of her that had encouraged her to turn down his invitation to go out with him those other times. The way she saw it she had two strikes against her when it came to a man like Morgan. She wasn’t the type of woman someone would associate him with dating, and although it appeared he and her mother got along great on Sunday, and he had even gone so far as to say he liked Odessa, she had no reason to believe he would be willing to take on a twosome if things were to get serious between them.

  But then, there was her Gemini twin who was right there in her mind taunting with the questions…But who wants serious? Even if there could never be a forever between you and Morgan, there could be a now. Why not just live each day at a time and take whatever you want?

  Lena knew the answers. She couldn’t think that way because she was the sensible one. The one who thought things through before she acted.

  Which was what she was driven to
do now.

  She needed to call and thank Morgan for the gifts. How should she approach that? Should she tell him how much receiving the gifts truly meant to her, or should she hide her true feelings and thank him, making no big deal of it, and move on?

  She reached for the phone deciding to let her conscience be her guide. She took a deep breath to pull back in control, making sure it would be her conscience and not that of her naughty twin.

  “Mr. Steele, Lena Spears is on the line for you.”

  Morgan smiled as he tossed the papers he’d been reading aside. “Please put her through, Linda, and hold the rest of my calls.”

  As soon as his secretary clicked Lena on the line, in a businesslike tone he said, “Morgan Steele.”

  “Morgan, this is Lena.”

  The moment he heard her voice, potent desire slid through every part of his body despite his best efforts to stop it from doing so. He inhaled softly and leaned back in his leather chair. “Lena, how are you?”

  “I’m fine. I was calling to thank you for my gifts.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did. It was very thoughtful of you.”

  He chuckled softly. “On occasion I try to be a thoughtful person.”

  “Well, you are. And there’s also another reason I called. The developers of the Palisades and I are close to reaching an agreement about those additional amenities I’m pushing for. I’ve come up with a list and was wondering if you had the time for us to go over them.”

  He raised a brow. “Now?”

  “Yes, now, unless you’re busy at the moment.”

  Morgan looked at his closed briefcase, and then across the room at the golf club resting against the wall where he’d been practicing his swing. He definitely wasn’t busy. Besides, it was time he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Using his skill in the area of research and development, for the past couple of weeks he had been researching just what Lena wanted in her life, and without her knowing it he’d put a plan in place not just to develop those wants but to bring them into the limelight.