His Temptation, Her Secret

by Barbara Dunlop

  Bernadette swiftly shook her head. There was a gleam of determination in her eyes. “There’ll be nothing token about it. From what I’ve heard, you are smart, energetic and determined. I have no doubt you can make a difference. And I can promise you this. It will be a rewarding and enriching experience.”

  Sage found herself curious about Bernadette. “Is it hard for you? Being a woman at the head of a college?”

  “You bet it’s hard. But it gets easier over time. And it’s important. And I am more than willing to do the work.”

  “You’ve sold me,” Sage said.

  It sounded challenging. It sounded meaningful. It was exactly the kind of contribution Sage wanted to make to her new community.

  * * *

  TJ couldn’t stop staring at Sage. The flicker of a hurricane lamp on the deck at Neo reflected off her creamy skin. Her hair was up, wisps brushing over her temples, highlighted by the flash of her dangling diamond earrings that matched the pendant necklace resting against her chest.

  He’d given her the jewelry last night at a rollicking at-home birthday celebration with cake and presents and singing. The children had loved it. Sage had been uncertain about accepting the jewelry. He knew she was bothered by the expense. But he wasn’t bothered at all—exactly the opposite. She looked stunning in diamonds, and he was thrilled to give them to her.

  The waiter had just popped open a bottle of champagne and filled their flutes. The breeze from the ocean was soft, the stars alight, the moon a thin crescent in the distance.

  “Happy birthday,” TJ said as he raised his glass to hers.

  “I don’t need two birthdays.” But she was smiling as she spoke, and she accepted his toast.

  “You deserve two birthdays. You deserve more than that for all the ones I missed.”

  She touched the necklace. “You don’t have to make up for lost time.”

  He wanted to make up for lost time. He wanted it for Eli and, though he knew it didn’t make any sense, he wanted it for Sage too. Her life had been tough while she was alone. There were a thousand ways he could have made it easier.

  He wished he could spend every second of the rest of his life with them both. But that was impossible. Reality was already crowding in.

  “I have to go to New York,” he told her.

  Her smile dimmed. “When?”

  Guilt and disappointment rushed through him. “Tomorrow. It’s just for a couple of days.”

  “Okay.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “It’s fine, TJ.” She smiled again.

  He still wanted to explain. “There are times when the owner of the company has to show up and sign things in person.”

  “That sounds important.”

  “They’re closing a very big deal. It’s a huge accomplishment for the New York office, and they’ll appreciate the attention. Not to mention the client. The client will like the attention as well.”

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  “I could. But the details would be boring. It’s a Japanese-American merger of two aerospace companies.”

  “The space station?”

  “Mars.”

  “You call that boring?”

  “They’re not actually going to Mars. Not this weekend, anyway. It’s all about testing systems and innovations that might someday help with a Mars mission.”

  “That still doesn’t qualify as boring.”

  “I’m just the money guy.”

  She touched her necklace again. “That you are.”

  Inspiration hit him. He leaned forward and took her hand, holding it across the table. “Come to New York with me?”

  Her surprise was obvious.

  “Come with me,” he repeated. “We can stay at the Plaza, dine at Daniel, take in a show.”

  “What about the kids?”

  “That’s why we have two housekeepers.”

  “But overnight?”

  “They love Kristy. They’ll barely notice we’re gone.”

  “I don’t know... It seems...”

  He raised her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “Come to New York with me. We deserve a weekend to ourselves.”

  She gazed deep into his eyes, and he felt like time stopped.

  He wanted her in New York. He suddenly realized how much he needed her in New York. Making love with her, then sleeping in separate bedrooms wasn’t cutting it for him. He wanted to hold her in his arms all night long.

  “Please,” he whispered.

  She hesitated but then gave the barest of nods.

  His smile went wide. “If we weren’t already drinking champagne, I’d order some.”

  “This is a strange life I’m leading,” she said half to herself.

  “Just relax and enjoy the ride.” He handed her a leather-bound menu. “Now, tell me about your day?”

  She opened the menu on the table. “I registered for college.”

  “Good for you.” He waited. He knew there was more.

  “Funny thing,” she said, her gaze staying fixed on the menu pages.

  “What’s that?”

  “They asked me something else.”

  “Oh.” He kept his expression neutral.

  “They asked me to serve as a trustee.”

  TJ immediately grinned. “I hope you said yes.”

  “Bernadette Thorburn was very convincing.”

  “Bernadette is like that.”

  “I’m really not sure I have enough experience.”

  “You’re going to be fantastic.” He opened his own menu, thrilled to learn she’d agreed to serve on the college board.

  It was exactly what she needed to use her talents and get more involved in the community. He wanted her to like it here in Whiskey Bay. No, he wanted her to love it here.

  “When are you starting?” he asked.

  “Not until October.”

  The answer confused him. “But they said—” He quickly stopped himself.

  She slowly raised her head to stare at him.

  He stilled. Then he swallowed.

  It took her about three seconds to figure it out. “You put them up to it.”

  He shook his head.

  She clearly wasn’t about to buy his denial. “You used your money and influence to get me a trustee gig?”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  The tone of her voice rose. “Why would you do that?”

  “I merely suggested they might consider you.”

  “You made a suggestion? Did you threaten to pull your donation?”

  “Sage, stop. I only suggested. They could say yes or they could say no. And they knew that. The rest was all you.”

  She closed her menu. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Have you decided already?”

  “What?”

  He looked pointedly at her closed menu, hoping against hope to move the conversation along.

  “Yes, I have. I’ve decided to go home and make myself a sandwich.”

  “You don’t want to do that.”

  She couldn’t be that angry. It wasn’t possible for her to be that angry over such a little thing.

  She reached for her purse.

  He touched her arm. “Don’t. Stop. Look at me.”

  She paused, gazing at him with suspicion.

  “How do you think these things work?”

  “I don’t really want to know how they work. And I sure don’t want to be involved.”

  “You wanted to be involved two minutes ago.”

  “That’s when I thought I legitimately had something to offer.”

  “You do have something to offer. You have a lot to offer. That’s why I put your name forward, and that’s why Bernadette agreed to set it up.” He too
k a breath.

  She didn’t immediately bolt.

  He took that as a good sign. “The way these things work is you get a little bit of influence, and then you parlay it into more influence, and so on, and so on. You did a fantastic job with the festival.”

  “Don’t pretend this was my performance at the festival. It was your money, plain and simple.”

  “Partly. Yes, of course, that was a factor. But so what? That’s how everybody gets in. You obviously liked what Bernadette had to say. You obviously think you can make a contribution. So make it. From this second on, I can’t help you at all. The door is open, you can walk through it or not.”

  She glared at him in silent suspicion.

  He wanted to say more, but he knew it was smarter to stop talking.

  “If that’s all true, why weren’t you honest to begin with?” she asked. “Why weren’t you up-front with me?”

  He acknowledged it was a fair question. He hadn’t wanted to manipulate her. He’d wanted to make her happy. He’d pictured her conversation with Bernadette over and over in his mind, and he quite simply got a kick out of thinking about her joy.

  “I wanted it to make you happy,” he said.

  She heaved a sigh. “It did. But then it made me mad. And now I’m not happy anymore.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”

  “You mean you didn’t think you’d get caught.”

  “I normally don’t.”

  “You do this all the time?”

  “No, no.” He could feel himself losing ground. “Not at home. In business. Just a little bit. Sometimes the direct approach isn’t the best approach. Sometimes it’s better to plant a seed and then stand back and let it germinate.”

  “I’m not a seed.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t want to germinate.”

  “I understand.”

  “I don’t want you germinating me ever—” It was obvious she struggled but then failed to stop a smile. “That didn’t sound right.”

  “It sounded sexy.” He dared to take her hand. “I won’t try to manipulate you again. I promise. But as for the germinating part...”

  “It’s not the manipulation.” She paused. “I mean, it is the manipulation. But it’s more the money. You don’t need to use your money to make me happy.”

  “I’m not.” He wasn’t.

  She gave a sad smile. She obviously wasn’t convinced.

  He’d have to work on that.

  * * *

  “You’re going on an airplane?” Heidi asked in a wary voice.

  Both kids were on the sofa in the family room, still in their pajamas after breakfast. Sage and TJ were in the armchairs across from them.

  “Kristy will be here the whole time,” Sage said, her guilt surging.

  “We’ll have a great time,” Kristy chimed in from where she was loading the dishwasher.

  “I’ve never been on an airplane,” Heidi said.

  “I was on a helicopter once,” Eli said. “I don’t remember it though.” He looked to TJ. “Will you go to the Mets game?”

  Sage and TJ exchanged a look. She hadn’t seen this one coming.

  “Are you telling me there’s a Mets game tonight?” TJ asked Eli.

  Eli moved up to the edge of the sofa. “It’s their first home game this month.”

  “I like baseball,” Heidi said, her expression growing hopeful.

  TJ closed his eyes and his chin dropped to his chest.

  “I’ve never seen a live major league game,” Eli added.

  “He’s your son,” Sage said to TJ, struggling not to laugh. “Dropping seeds and letting them germinate.”

  “Do they have ballpark franks?” Heidi asked. “Do they bring them to your seat?”

  TJ raised his head. “Are you two saying you want to go to New York?”

  “Yes!” both children sang out in unison.

  TJ raised his hands in defeat. “Kristy?”

  “Yes, boss?” Kristy moved from the kitchen into the family room.

  “Would you be able to come to New York overnight?”

  “You bet I can.”

  “Yippee!” Eli sprang to his feet on the sofa.

  Heidi followed a little more slowly.

  Sage felt her heart swell with joy. Seeing the kids this excited was so wonderfully ordinary.

  She leaned closer to TJ. “Thank you.”

  He retrieved his phone from his shirt pocket. “I told you, you never have to thank me for taking care of my son.” His gaze went to Heidi. “Or my daughter.”

  “Upstairs,” Kristy said brightly to the kids, urging them down from the sofa. “We need to pack your things.”

  “Our flight is in an hour,” TJ told her. Then he pressed a speed dial button on his phone. “I’m still getting you alone,” he said to Sage.

  She grinned, feeling lighthearted, happy and excited. She wanted to be alone with TJ too.

  “Hi, Danica,” he said to his assistant. “We’re going to need a second suite at the Plaza. There’ll be five passengers on the jet. And can you get us some Mets tickets. We’ll need five.” He paused. Then he frowned. “True. You better cancel that reservation. It sounds like we’re having hot dogs at the stadium.”

  Sage chuckled.

  “Thanks, Danica.” He ended the call. “This isn’t funny,” he said to Sage.

  “It’s a little bit funny.”

  “Do you know how hard it is to get reservations at Daniel?”

  “Poor baby.” She rose and cradled his face in her hands.

  “Kiss it better?” he asked hopefully.

  She leaned slowly down. He closed his eyes and raised his chin.

  At the last moment, she planted a kiss on his forehead instead.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said.

  Before she could react, she was in his lap, pressed against his chest, his arm firmly around her shoulders.

  “That’s not going to cut it,” he told her.

  “You must be really upset,” she teased.

  “Devastated,” he answered, and then he was kissing her mouth.

  She kissed him back, her lips melding with his, softening and parting. Her arms went around his neck, and she held him tight, her emotions in a free fall. He was such an amazing man. He was a wonderful father. Their lives might be exceptionally complicated, but right now, right this minute, for today and tonight and tomorrow, she would let them be simple.

  She and TJ and their children were taking a short vacation, just like families did all over the country. Well, most families likely piled in the minivan and drove down the highway to a seaside motel. But a private jet and the Plaza were almost the same thing...almost.

  “What is it?” TJ drew back and took in her expression.

  It was hard for her to put into words. Instead, she made a joke. “Like I said before, this is a strange life I’m leading.”

  “It’s a perfectly normal life.”

  “I feel like an impostor.” There. That was closer.

  It took him a second to answer. “The last thing you are is an impostor. You’re my wife. You’re the mother of my son.”

  His words warmed her, and she let herself lean into his strength.

  He smoothed his palm over the back of her hair. “Like I said before, relax and enjoy the ride.”

  “I will. I am.” It was the only thing that made sense. And it was what she wanted, anyway.

  She touched his face, smoothing her fingertips along the curve of his cheek and the jut of his jaw. Then she kissed him again.

  The children’s voices echoed down the stairs, and she knew they had only moments alone, but she kissed him deep and long, falling into the moment and into the fantasy she intended to perpetuate for the next two days.


  Twelve

  By the time the game had ended, both kids had been asleep on their feet. Kristy had taken them into the suite across the hall, promising them bubble baths in the oversize tub and a story once they were tucked in. TJ was finally alone with Sage.

  Theirs was a two-bedroom suite, but he had no intention of using the second bedroom.

  “I have room service coming,” he told her as she kicked off her runners.

  “Hot dogs and malted milk balls weren’t enough for you?”

  “They weren’t exactly what I had in mind when I planned this.”

  She was smiling as she made her way into the living room. “But it was fun.”

  “It was fun,” he agreed, peeling the heavy foil from the top of the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that was waiting for them on the bar.

  The game, in fact the whole day, had been more fun than he’d expected. They’d gone to the zoo, where Heidi had fallen in love with the cats. TJ had bought her a stuffed snow leopard, while Eli had chosen a rubber snake. Both Heidi and Sage had shuddered when Eli draped the python around his neck. TJ was gaining a whole new appreciation for the differences between boys and girls.

  “Thirsty?” he asked Sage, sliding two red wine goblets out of the overhanging rack.

  “Is that a thirst-quenching red?” she asked, coming up behind him.

  “It will complement the charcuterie board that’s on its way up. I’m chilling champagne to go with the chocolate strawberries.”

  “Are you planning to get drunk?”

  “We don’t have to drink it all.” He started to pour.

  She glanced around the room. “Does this seem normal to you?”

  “Does what seem normal?”

  “This room. The wine. The strawberries.”

  “I haven’t had this vintage before.” He glanced at the label. “But Caleb highly recommended it.”

  “You consulted with Caleb on the wine?”

  “Before we left Whiskey Bay. I didn’t call him between innings or anything.” TJ offered her one of the glasses.

  “Because that would be odd?” She accepted the glass.

  “I called him last night, after you agreed to come along.”

  “Before Eli and Heidi decided to crash.”

  “The night is still young.” TJ raised his glass and waited for Sage to take a sip.