His Temptation, Her Secret

by Barbara Dunlop

  “You’ve received a lot of requests.”

  He set one of the glasses in front of her. “There are a lot of good causes.”

  She slid up onto a stool and put the papers on the island countertop. “I notice you’ve favored health and educational causes in the past.”

  “I suppose,” he said.

  “Other than Highside Hospital and Invo North College, you’ve mostly donated to national organizations.”

  His gaze flicked to the papers.

  She took the opportunity to turn them to face him. “I’ve sorted and organized the requests.”

  He seemed surprised. He flipped over the first few pages. “This was a lot of work.”

  “There were hundreds of requests. I have some ideas, well, some recommendations on what you might want to consider supporting.”

  “We,” he said. “What we might want to consider supporting.”

  She met his gaze, feeling a familiar shaft of attraction. It took her a minute to form the word. “We.”

  “Whatever you want,” he said, setting down the report and heading for the family room.

  She scrambled to follow. “I don’t want to do it that way.”

  “I don’t have time to help. There’s a lot going on at the office.”

  “So I gathered,” she said. Her tone came out as a rebuke.

  He sat down on the sofa, setting the drink in front of him. “That’s how I make my money.”

  “You don’t seem very happy about it.”

  He glared at her for a moment.

  She told herself not to be intimidated. She sat down next to him, this time putting the report on the coffee table. “I was thinking about keeping things local, or maybe statewide. There’s a lot of good that can be done by focusing your contributions.”

  “Our contributions.”

  Sage sighed. “Whatever they are, they’ve dropped off in the past few years.”

  “Do whatever you want.”

  “I don’t want to do whatever I want.”

  “Sage.” Her name was a growl.

  She looked at him. “What? What? I can’t figure you out?” Her voice rose. “You don’t want to sleep with me. Fine. I won’t sleep with you.”

  The room went deadly silent.

  They both breathed deeply.

  He broke the silence. “You think I don’t want to sleep with you?”

  She didn’t know how to answer that. She’d offered. He’d said no. Was there any other possible way to take that?

  “I’m dying to sleep with you,” he said.

  She gave her head a little shake, certain she’d heard him wrong.

  “You are beautiful,” he said, his tone husky. His hand slowly rose, and his fingertips feathered her cheek. “You are so sexy and smart and funny.”

  “But...”

  “I can’t look at you without remembering what you offered, remembering my reaction, kicking myself for being such an idiot.”

  She could barely believe what she was hearing. “TJ?”

  “You were right. You are right. That is... I mean... If you still feel...” His head dipped toward her, his lips grazing hers, gently at first and then with clear purpose.

  Her surprise had her frozen. But then her body reacted with an avalanche of hormones. She all but fell into him, into his embrace, his name running over and over through her mind.

  His forearm was firm on the small of her back, pressing her tighter against him. His spread fingers tunneled into her hair, anchoring her for a deep, passionate kiss.

  She tipped her head, and her own arms wrapped around his neck. She could feel his heat, hear the hiss of his breath, smell the spice of his skin. And his kisses tasted like magic.

  But she was hot and needy and restless. She reached between them and peeled off her top, revealing her white lacy bra.

  He drew back, a look of awe in his expression. Then his tanned hand cupped her breast.

  “Oh, Sage,” he whispered.

  She flipped the clasp of her bra, tossing it aside.

  His gaze locked with hers, he threw off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt.

  She was past the point of no return. There was no going back. She stood and stripped off her jeans, dispensing with her panties.

  A smile grew on his face. Then he sobered, shucking his own pants. Then naked, he took her back in his arms.

  They were skin on skin. Their lips met and their legs entwined. Sage felt herself falling, falling into oblivion. Nothing existed but TJ.

  She touched him everywhere, and he returned the favor, her face, her breasts, her thighs. His hands were deft and certain, and her body flushed and sensitized, growing dewy and heated in his wake.

  She reveled in the feel of his muscles, his broad shoulders, bulging biceps, the flatness of his stomach, the strength of his thighs.

  “Yes,” he groaned in her ear. “That is so...”

  His entire body tensed, and in a split second she was on her back, sinking into the soft cushions as his weight came down on top of her. She felt like liquid beneath him, and she parted her thighs, wrapping her legs around the heat of his body as they merged together.

  As his pace increased, her arms wrapped tighter and tighter around him. Spasms of pleasure began in her toes, pulsating upward. He stroked harder, went deeper. She met him thrust for thrust, sensations intensifying.

  He reached beneath her, changing their angle, and a sudden burst of sunshine lit up her brain. Her body catapulted, throbbing hard, contracting right down to her core.

  “Yes! TJ, yes, yes.”

  “Sage,” he groaned. “My beautiful, beautiful Sage.”

  The light in her brain subsided to a glow, first red, then purple, then calming to blue, where she bobbed and floated on joy.

  “You were right,” he whispered in her ear, his body a soothing weight on top of her. “You were so very right.”

  * * *

  “Took you long enough.” Matt joined TJ next to the barbecue on the patio in TJ’s backyard.

  “Long enough for what?”

  A round of burgers and brats were sizzling on the grill. Eli and a few of his friends were climbing trees at the edge of the yard. And Sage was standing on the lawn in a white summer dress, chatting with Melissa and holding one of Caleb’s twins in her arms.

  TJ couldn’t pull his gaze from her.

  “Don’t play dumb. You’re staring like she’s a bowl of triple caramel swirl.”

  “Better,” TJ said without hesitation.

  Matt grinned. “I knew you’d take my advice.”

  TJ watched Sage sway, gently patting the baby’s back. “Right. Because I make all of my life decisions based on your advice.”

  “You should.”

  “It had nothing to do with you.”

  “I’m not saying I came up with the idea. I’m just saying I saw it first.”

  “Saw what first?” Caleb appeared behind them.

  “That TJ was attracted to his wife.”

  “Who wouldn’t be attracted to your wife?” Caleb asked.

  Both TJ and Matt shot Caleb a look of incredulity.

  “I mean mortal men,” Caleb qualified. “I’m obviously not noticing.”

  “You better not be,” TJ said, surprised by his visceral reaction.

  After last night, he was feeling very protective of Sage. It was only natural, he told himself. It might not be a normal marriage, but it was a marriage. And now, well, now that they’d made love, he couldn’t imagine her being with any other man. Not that he had a right to ask that of her. But she had said herself that she didn’t want an affair.

  Caleb clapped him on the back, nearly jolting the spatula out of TJ’s hand. “Don’t look so glum.”

  TJ suddenly remembered the burgers and quickly move
d to flip them over. “I’m not glum.”

  Matt shot TJ a sly look.

  “What was that?” Caleb asked, too quick not to pick up on it.

  “Nothing,” Matt said.

  “That wasn’t nothing.”

  TJ didn’t want to play games with one of his closest friends. “My relationship with Sage has shifted.”

  Caleb looked worried. “What happened?”

  “In a good way,” TJ said.

  Caleb’s brow went up. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” Matt said. “And I did notice. And I did suggest it. Unlike you, who’s been fixated on I don’t know what for the past seven months.”

  “You try operating on sleep deprivation,” Caleb said. “Wait. You’re going to be doing precisely that come spring.” His tone turned sarcastic. “You’re gonna love it.”

  “I honestly can’t wait,” Matt said, sounding completely sincere.

  Burgers rescued, TJ’s attention went back to Sage. She looked so natural holding a baby. She must have looked exactly the same way holding Eli. TJ experienced an acute longing for all that he’d missed.

  “I’m happy for you,” Caleb said, pulling TJ back to the present.

  TJ took in the expressions on both his friends’ faces, and he realized where conjecture had taken them.

  “It’s not like that,” he quickly put in, feeling a shot of guilt. “It’s...different than that. We’re in this thing. We’re healthy adults. Neither of us wants to run around with anyone else.”

  “Does she know that’s how it is?” Caleb asked with a frown.

  “It was her idea,” TJ said.

  “You can’t see danger signs?” Caleb asked.

  “They have limited options,” Matt said.

  “You’re in support of this?” Caleb asked Matt.

  “Well, I’m not in support of any of the alternatives. Perpetual sexual frustration? Cheating? An open marriage? Can you imagine TJ standing by while Sage heads out on a date?”

  “Stop!” TJ shouted. There was no way in the world Sage was going on a date.

  “It may be a bit unorthodox,” Matt said.

  “It may be playing with fire.” Caleb looked to TJ. “One of you is going to fall for the other.”

  “It won’t be me,” TJ said.

  There wasn’t any room in his heart. The knowledge made him sad. He realized he was sad for Sage. Because she sure deserved someone to fall head over heels for her.

  “Then it’s going to be her,” Caleb said. “What are you going to do if she falls for you?”

  “It was her idea,” TJ repeated with determination.

  He told himself she knew what she was proposing. She had to have known what she was proposing. As Matt pointed out, they didn’t have a lot of alternatives.

  TJ’s gaze continued to rest on her holding the baby. He didn’t want any of the alternatives. They’d made their choice, and right now he couldn’t wait for everyone to leave tonight so they could be alone all over again.

  Eleven

  There was a skip in Sage’s step as she made her way across the campus of Invo North College. She replayed making love with TJ again over and over in her mind. He was amazing, and she was content to take things moment to moment.

  For now, she was enrolling in college. She’d pored over the course listings, coming to the surprising conclusion that she wanted to major in data analytics. Math had always been her strong suit, and anytime her work had involved spreadsheets and data sets, she’d been fascinated with the power of the tools.

  After crossing the gorgeous campus, up a wide walkway lined with maple trees, she climbed the stairs to the admissions building. Through the glass doors, it was bustling with activity, lineups and conversations, with signs and monitors providing direction.

  She found the enrollment office on a building map and set off down a hallway. The office was large, bright and seemingly well ordered. She joined a lineup being served by at least a dozen officers behind a long counter. Although most of the people in the lineup looked to be in their late teens, she was happy to see a number of twenty and thirtysomethings as well. She hadn’t been sure how she’d fit in with the student population.

  The lineup moved smoothly, and soon she was standing in front of an older woman in a navy blazer, a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose.

  “Do you have your signed eight-twenty-four form?” the woman asked.

  Sage quickly flipped through the papers in her hand, finding the right form. “Yes.” She handed it over.

  The woman scanned the form, then typed something into her computer.

  “Did you select your courses online?”

  “I was wait-listed for a couple,” Sage answered. “But I wasn’t planning to take a full course load, so if I don’t get into everything this semester, it’s fine.”

  “Hmm.” The woman looked worried.

  “Is that a problem?” Sage had read through the website. Invo North Pacific definitely offered part-time programs.

  “No.” She smiled at Sage. “Can you wait just a moment? I’ll be right back.”

  “Why—”

  The woman was gone before Sage could finish her sentence. Feeling uneasy, she glanced both ways along the counter. Everyone else seemed productively engaged in the enrollment process. She hoped the length of time she’d been away from high school wasn’t going to trip her up. She had checked the mature student box.

  Another woman, this one younger, maybe in her forties, slimmer and very professionally groomed, arrived. “Mrs. Bauer?”

  The name took Sage by surprise. “It’s Costas. Sage Costas.”

  “I’m sorry. Ms. Costas. Of course. I’m Bernadette Thorburn, college president.” She reached across the counter, offering Sage her hand.

  Surprised again, Sage shook the woman’s hand.

  “Do you have a few minutes to talk?” Bernadette asked.

  “I suppose.” She looked to the admissions officer who was standing to one side. “Are we finished? Is there anything else you need?” Sage had been prepared with an original copy of her high school transcripts and her credit card.

  “Bernadette will be able to help you,” the officer said.

  Sage suddenly understood what was going on. TJ was a contributor to the college. They must feel his wife shouldn’t need to stand in line.

  “I’m fine enrolling this way,” she hastily told them. She didn’t want them to think she expected special privileges.

  “There’s another matter I’d like to discuss,” Bernadette said. She was smiling, and her eyes were friendly. Whatever she wanted to discuss didn’t look like it was going to be a problem. She pointed. “I can meet you at the end of the counter.”

  “Okay.” Sage gathered up her paperwork.

  She supposed whatever got the job done. Maybe they were going to let her into the wait-listed classes. That would be a bonus. Although she still wouldn’t want to take all of them at once. The statistics class would be her first choice.

  At the end of the counter, Bernadette held open a half door and showed Sage into an office overlooking the quad. The two sat down at a round table.

  “Welcome to Invo North Pacific,” Bernadette said.

  “Thank you. I’m happy to be here. I’m looking forward to attending.”

  “I hope your son is doing well.”

  Sage wasn’t sure how to react. “You know about Eli?”

  “Whiskey Bay is a small community. The college draws from a much larger area, of course, from all across the country and internationally too. But we like to keep the local culture alive as much as we can. It provides a more unique experience for students. There’s a lot to be said for the Pacific Northwest.”

  “I agree,” Sage said. “I grew up in Seattle.”

  “And I understand you were
valedictorian.”

  “That was almost a decade ago.”

  “And you’ve had life experience since.”

  Sage nodded.

  “Community involvement and influence, and I heard you whipped the Seaside Festival into shape. Donations were up. Attendance was up. But expenses were down.”

  That characterization seemed blown out of proportion. “I didn’t contribute much. Just logic and reason where it came to the budget, and I probably had more time than people have had in the past to pore over the books.”

  “Whatever it was, it worked. I have friends on the organizing committee, and they were impressed.”

  “Well, then, thank you.” Sage wasn’t sure what else she could or should say.

  “I’ve been authorized to bring a proposal to you.” Bernadette took a beat. “The board has advised me they’d like to nominate you as a trustee.”

  Sage struggled to understand the statement. “For the Seaside Festival?”

  Did it even have a board? Trustees?

  “A trustee for Invo North Pacific.”

  It took Sage a moment to find the words. “For the college? I’m not qualified to sit on a college board.”

  Bernadette gave a light laugh. “If I had a dollar for every time somebody told me that. No, let me rephrase. If I had a dollar for every time a woman told me that. Don’t sell yourself short, Sage. They’re not looking for a particular skill set. They want community members with life experience who understand the culture of the Pacific Northwest.”

  “Who can raise money.” Sage was beginning to understand. “You want Mrs. Bauer.”

  Bernadette shook her head. “It’s a whole lot more than that. You didn’t just hand out a check for the festival. You inspired others to get on board with funding it. Then you managed all that money, spending it prudently. The Seaside Festival is Whiskey Bay’s marquee event, and you improved it immensely, and in a very short time.”

  “Still...”

  “Let me add this. Gender balance is an issue for Invo North Pacific, like it is for most college boards. We have less than twenty percent female trustees. I’ll be blunt. We need more.”

  Again, Sage thought she understood. “I’ll be a token woman.”