Beyond Temptation (15 page)

She hoped they would pass by the table and not see her as they were leaving the restaurant, but it seemed that was one layer of hope that wouldn’t be granted.

“Well, if it isn’t the woman who thinks she’s going to be the future Mrs. Morgan Steele.”

Lena glanced up, smiling. She refused to let Cassandra’s snide comment rattle her. “Hi, Cassandra, Debra, Karen and Jamie. I see the four of you are leaving.”

“Yes, we are,” Debra Kendall said, almost apologetically. And not for the umpteenth time Lena had to inwardly question why someone as nice as Debra would hang around with someone like Cassandra. Maybe she believed that sooner or later her kindness would rub off on Cassandra.

“So, what do you think of Morgan running for office?” Karen Smith asked, after looking at Cassandra and getting her cue.

“Excuse me?” Lena asked.

Cassandra smiled. “Oh, didn’t you know? Now that Chadwick has announced he’s running for office, speculation is high that Morgan will, too. He’s very well thought of in this town.”

Lena didn’t say anything. She was still recovering from Karen’s comment about the possibility of Morgan being a political candidate.

“Of course it’s not definite whether Morgan is even interested,” Debra said, as if to smooth things over.

“But if he does,” Cassandra said, grinning, “he’s going to need a woman who will complement
him. Someone well groomed with a good name, a sense of fashion, style and grace, and a pedigree. Wouldn’t you agree, Lena?”

Before Lena could say anything, it was Jamie who spoke, smiling sweetly. “And I’m sure if you care anything for Morgan as well as recognize what an asset he would be in this community in politics, then you’d agree that all of us need to give him all the support he needs and the chance to win. I understand entering politics has been his lifelong dream. If you really care for him, you wouldn’t take that dream away. In fact you would work hard to make it become a reality.”

Then three of the women walked off. Debra, however, remained behind long enough to at least say goodbye.

The cold chills Lena had gotten earlier were there in full force. Why hadn’t Morgan mentioned he was thinking about entering politics? Did he just assume she would want to be a politician’s wife? Well, she didn’t. She was a person who liked her life the way it was. She and her mother lived a quiet and peaceful existence, and she had no intention of being thrust out into the limelight.

Besides, how much did Morgan know about her? Oh, he’d learned a lot about her this afternoon
and probably from the two chats they’d had, but that had all been sexual. What did Morgan really know about her? Nothing. If he did, he would know that she and politics didn’t mix because she was too opinionated when it came to certain issues and she didn’t know how to remain quiet when it involved a subject she was passionate about.

She thought about what Cassandra and her group said as well as what they didn’t say. The people she hung out with, as well as those her parents hung out with, had a lot of influence and power. They would back Morgan fully if he had what they perceived as the right kind of wife by his side. But she knew they wouldn’t use any of that to help get him elected if he was intent on marrying her.

Her father had once told her there was more to be an elected official than working on balancing the budget, attending meetings and making speeches. There was a matter of respect and Morgan had it, from a lot of people; but it seemed he ran the risk of losing it because of her, mainly because she was not a fit.

She paused and sat quietly for a moment, and when she felt a tear slide from her eye to wet her cheek, she knew why. At some point during their
business relationship, those sexy chats and their romp between the sheets yesterday, she had fallen in love with Morgan. And she had fallen hard. So hard that she knew what she had to do. She could only think of one other time she’d actually felt noble in her life. The first had been at thirteen when she’d actually saved Paula Brewster’s baby sister from drowning in the community pool, and the other time was now.

To help Morgan retain his regal public image and give him all the support he needed to pursue what evidently was his lifelong dream, she knew what she had to do. Summoning the waiter over to the table she said, “Please bring me my check, and when Mr. Steele arrives let him know something came up and I had to leave.”

N
ot ready to go home yet, Lena returned to her office. She had placed a quick call to her mother to make sure she was okay and had eaten dinner. After Odessa had assured her that she was fine and not to worry about her, Lena decided to stay and work late at the office.

Wendy had already left for the day and the office was quiet. Although Lena tried concentrating on the listing of new homes she had in front of her, she found her focus wasn’t what it should be. One part of her was absorbed with anger for a
certain group of people—those who thought they were influential enough to dictate how people should live their lives and with whom. Then another part of her knew that bowing out was the best thing. It had nothing to do with pride, confidence or self-esteem but everything to do with making a sacrifice for the man she loved. Under any other circumstances, she and Morgan might have had a chance to make their “marriage of purpose” work, but now entering into such an agreement with him would serve no purpose. He needed a different type of woman to be by his side and have his baby, and that woman wasn’t her.

She glanced up when the phone on her desk began to ring. She picked it up. “Yes?”

“It’s Morgan.”

Lena’s throat suddenly felt tight. She swallowed past the lump before saying, “Yes, Morgan?”

“I’m outside at your office door. Let me in.”

When she heard the click she pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it a few moments before hanging it up. The last person she wanted to see right now was Morgan. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and slumped back in her chair. If he had given her time, she would have told him to go away because she couldn’t see him now.

Not bothering to slip back into her shoes she stood and headed down the hallway toward the door. She could clearly see Morgan through the glass front. As usual, he was dressed immaculately like the businessman he was. He was wearing a navy blue suit, a light blue shirt and a printed tie that coordinated perfectly.

She turned off the alarm and unlocked the door and then stepped back as he entered and watched as he raised a brow and searched her face. “Are you okay?”

She wondered if he’d found out about her conversation with Cassandra and her nasty-girl squad but then figured that he couldn’t have. “Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “You tell me. We had a dinner date and when I arrived one of the waiters said you had been there but left, and that you’d left a message that something had come up and you had to leave. Of course the first thought that crossed my mind was that something had happened to Odessa. I tried calling you at home and she picked up. When I asked for you she said you were at the office working late. So what was the big emergency, Lena?”

If only he knew. But at the moment she didn’t
plan on telling him anything. “There was no big emergency, Morgan. I figured there were some things I could be doing here and figured our talk could wait. No biggie.”

He continued to stare at her and then gestured to the hallway leading to her office. “Do what you were doing before I got here while I bring everything in.”

She arched a brow. “Everything like what?”

“Dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yes, dinner,” he replied. “Have you eaten?”

“No, but I didn’t expect you to bring me anything.”

“No, what I expected was to have dinner with you at McIntosh’s. So I got takeouts.”

Her brows arched a little higher. “
McIntosh
doesn’t do takeouts.”

“They do if you know the right people.”

At the moment that wasn’t what she needed to hear. She threw up her hands. “Yes, you’re right,” she all but snapped. “It’s all about connections, isn’t it?”

He frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” she said and quickly turned away from him. After taking a deep breath she turned back toward him. “I’m just not in a good mood at the moment.”

He nodded as if he understood when he honestly didn’t have a clue, she thought. “Look, I have a tray table around here somewhere. I’ll go dig it out.” And then she walked off, leaving him standing there.

By the time Lena had located the tray table, Morgan had brought in all the bags of food, and a delicious scent filled her office. If she wasn’t hungry before, she was certainly hungry now. She also noticed that Morgan had brought in his briefcase.

“Need help with anything?” he asked.

She glanced over in his direction. He had removed his jacket and looked rather comfortable in her office. “No, I don’t need help. Thanks for asking.”

“No problem.”

She continued what she was doing as she drew in a deep breath. She and Morgan were virtually acting like strangers and not like the two people who had mated like rabbits yesterday. A part of her wished she could remove what happened yesterday from her mind. And then there was the chat they’d had online last night. How can you move from a high level of intimacy to a lower one that was basically nonintimate?

“Now that does it. I set you up over here,” she
said, after placing a tray table near the sofa. “And I’ll just use my desk.”

She met his gaze, and the smile that touched his lips let her know he’d caught on to what she’d done. She had deliberately placed him away to the other side of the room. “Any reason I can’t share your desk with you?” he asked, with eyes that glinted with mischief.

She shrugged as she moved toward her desk. “I thought you’d want more room.”

“What I really want, Lena, is more of you.”

She quickly turned back toward him and paused to take a deep, calming breath. His words hadn’t been what she’d expected. And the impact they had on her was unnerving. The sexual excitement, desire and longing that she’d tried not to think about were now hitting her in the face. She felt her heart as it began to race and her stomach began fluttering.

Before she could say anything he said, “But I’ll behave and stay on this side of the room…for now.”

She glared at him and started to say something, but then changed her mind and crossed the room to her desk.

Once Lena had settled in at her desk and begun eating, the mischief that had been in Morgan’s
eyes a few moments ago was replaced with concern. Something was going on with Lena and he couldn’t help wondering what. Had she heard anything about the possibility of him going into politics? Even if she had, why would that have driven her to cancel their dinner date and leave the restaurant before he had arrived?

And from the moment he had walked into her office, he had sensed her withdrawal. She was definitely not acting like the woman who had shared his bed for almost four hours yesterday. He didn’t know what was bothering her, but he was determined to find out, and whatever it was, he intended to remove it from between them.

He settled on the sofa and placed the tray table in front of him and unloaded the bag with his food. He glanced over at her. She was eating, not saying anything, so he decided to break the silence. “I dropped by your house and left your mom something to eat as well.”

He watched as she quickly lifted her head and a surprised look was on her face. “You did?”

“Yes. She said she’d already eaten but would save it as leftovers for tomorrow.”

Lena nodded. “Thanks. That was thoughtful of you, Morgan.”

“You’re welcome.” He watched as she took another sip of the iced tea that had been included with her dinner. When her lips touched the edge of the cup his stomach clenched, as he remembered how his lips had devoured hers yesterday, which then reminded him of something else.

“Did your mom ask why your lips were bruised when she saw you last night?”

Lena lifted her head and their gazes connected. “No, she didn’t ask,” she responded softly. “Why?”

“Just curious.” And what he didn’t add was that asking her about it would make her remember, just in case she had forgotten.

“Everything tastes good, Morgan. Thanks again for thinking of me.”

“I always think of you, Lena.”

Heat. Awesome heat, vibrant heat flowed all through Lena. It wasn’t what he’d said but rather how he’d said it. And she wondered if this was a game he was playing with her. And had yesterday been a game as well? She inhaled deeply. No matter what, she refused to let Morgan get next to her until he was totally up front with her. Then she would be up front with him and let him know their deal was off. She was not the woman he needed to move his career forward.

For the next few moments they continued to eat in silence, sharing little or no conversation. But each time she would glance over at him, he would be watching her with an intensity that made it almost impossible to chew her food. He could generate so much heat within her from just a look, and she could feel even more heat radiating from the depths of his eyes each time he looked at her.

So she tried not to look over at him, but she still felt it. The chemistry, the attraction and the desire that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she was fighting it.

“Would you like some dessert?”

She raised her head and met his gaze. “What?”

He smiled. “Dessert. I think they put everything in my bag. I bought slices of chocolate cake.”

“No, thanks. I’m full. I’ll just save it for tomorrow.”

He nodded and then stood. “Okay. I’ll start discarding the trash. Do you have a Dumpster nearby?”

“Yes. It’s out back.”

She watched as he began putting everything back in the bags. He had rolled his sleeves up and she couldn’t help but notice all the hair on his arms. But then, she’d noticed yesterday just what a hairy man he was. He had hair all over—his
chest, his thighs and even that thick thatch where his manhood rested.

“You’re through?”

She looked at him. He was standing in front of her desk. “Excuse me?”

He chuckled. “I asked if you were through. All the food is gone off your plate, but you’re still sitting there, holding your fork like you’re going to take another bite where there’s nothing left.”

“Oh,” she said and immediately dropped the fork down on her plate. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

“No problem. I’ve been sitting over there thinking about some things as well.”

She lifted a brow. “You have?”

“Yes. It seems my mind has been busy a lot lately.”

She nodded. His mind wasn’t the only thing that had been busy a lot. He had used his mouth and hands yesterday with a skill that was absolutely astounding.

“I’m taking the trash out. I’ll be back in a second.”

“All right.” It was only when he left the room that she finally let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t help wondering what was next. Would he be leaving when he returned or would he be staying? And if he stayed what did he intend to do?

He didn’t leave, nor did it seem he intended to. When he returned she had deliberately placed work on her desk to look busy. He had merely crossed the room, folded up the tray table and then sat down with his briefcase. She started to ask what he was doing but it had been obvious. He’d evidently brought work with him to do and intended doing his while she did hers.

For the next half hour or so, the only sounds that could be heard in the room was their breathing and papers shuffling. But there was something comforting, relaxing and intimate about them sharing space that wasn’t cyberspace.

He finished working on whatever papers he had long before she did and stood, stretching his muscles before walking over to the window. Her office was located in one of those minimalls that faced a busy street. When Morgan opened one of the blinds, she saw that the parking area was pretty well lit and already the floodlights had come on and it wasn’t even six o’clock yet.

She knew Morgan was standing there, studying the casual surroundings out the window. She, however, was studying him. Her gaze flowed across the contours of his back that was covered
with his dress shirt, remembering how she had placed love bites on that back yesterday. At the time she’d thought they were merely nibbles, but now, considering how she felt about him, she knew they’d been love bites.

And then there were his slacks, the way they fit his thighs and hips, and the way he had his hands shoved into his pockets showed just what a fine tush he had. She decided she had read enough and placed her papers aside. More memories of yesterday filled her mind, and suddenly that ache between her thighs returned. On top of that, her body began humming with awareness, and it became charged as if certain parts of her had lives of their own.

She tried fighting the feelings. What she and Morgan needed to do was to talk. He needed to tell her about his decision to get into politics, and she needed to explain to him why it wouldn’t work between them. The last thing she should be doing was sitting there ogling him and inhaling his scent, remembering his taste and the very feel of him buried deep within her.

Hard Steele.

She blinked when he suddenly turned and caught her staring. The depths of the dark eyes gazing back at her caused a hot flame to burst to
life within her. If nothing else they had proven yesterday that when it came to the sexual chemistry between them they had a tendency to act on it, regardless of the time or the place.