MrTemptation (19 page)

She came out of the bathroom and flopped down on the bed.

Preston was tucking his shirt into his waistband.

“Hey you,” he said, smiling at her, and grabbed her hand.

“Hey there.” She squeezed his hand in return. They looked at
each other as if they shared a secret, which actually they did. Some secrets
weren’t so bad.

“I’ve got to get back to the office,” he said.

She didn’t try to persuade him to stay. She felt guilty for
keeping him this long.

“Give Auntie Anne my thanks.”

He smiled. His smiles were caresses. “See you later?” he
asked.

“I’m leaving for New Haven tonight,” she reminded him,
“unless you have something else in mind.”

Preston shrugged on his suit coat. “I was thinking we should
have some dinner before you go?”

She didn’t need any persuading. “I’d love to.”

His brows furrowed into a devastating scowl. “You could
catch a train in the morning, you know.”

Cadence grasped his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Yeah, I
could.”

He growled. She loved how he could be so serious one second
and so playful the next.

They exited her room and she walked him to the elevator.

She’d met the most wonderful man, successful, kind and
gorgeous beyond belief. She knew they could be good together. She wanted to be
part of his life. Was she asking too much?

They walked slowly, hand in hand, into the elevator. He
pressed the button for the lobby.

“I could go with you,” he said. “I’m good at moving boxes.”

“I can’t depend on you for everything.”

“Yes, you can. You’d have much more fun with me helping.”

“I’d get nothing done with you there.” She laughed.

“What happens when you get back?” he asked, conceding at
last.

“What’s supposed to happen?”

He frowned. “I thought you and I could get together.”

Was he for real? Her brain warned her to be careful but her
body had other plans. “We haven’t talked about what comes next.”

“No, but we should.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Dinner tonight will be a celebration,” he said.

“And after dinner?” she asked.

“That’s up to you.”

The last couple days had been the happiest in her life
thanks to him. She couldn’t have managed without his support. It was a
no-brainer that she wanted to be with him again.

His green eyes and dark lashes held her like an embrace.
She’d like to celebrate. She’d like to howl at the moon. Most of all, she’d
like to make love until it was time to head back to Connecticut.

“Dressy or casual?”

“Let’s do dressy,” he said, his voice smooth. “I want to woo
you in style tonight.”

Her pulse quickened. “I can’t wait,” she said. It wasn’t a
lie.

“Good. I’ll pick you up at eight.” He winked and pulled her
in for a hot, wet kiss, which was cut short by the ping of the elevator.

She stepped back and waited for the doors to open. Not
because she’d be embarrassed or cared who would see them but because one kiss
was never enough with Preston.

She loved how her lips tingled after he kissed her. Who was
she kidding? Her entire body tingled and the sensation was pure joy.

The elevator door opened. He put his hand on her arm,
sending fire to her sex. He was so hot, so alive, she shuddered.

Frank was waiting at the curb in a no-parking zone.

Nothing about Preston surprised her, not even the driver who
always seemed to be at his beck and call.

“I would like us to wait before we tell my mother about us.”
He held her hand while he spoke.

Us
. She loved hearing him call what they’d shared
“us”.

“Why would there be a problem?” she asked, totally confused.
She didn’t understand the need for secrecy, especially from Auntie Anne.
Wouldn’t she be happy for them? Wouldn’t she consider a relationship between
her son and the daughter of her best friend a good thing?

“I’m afraid if we told her that we were involved, she would
insist I take myself off the case,” Preston said solemnly, “and I won’t do
that.”

His mouth set into a hard line, his eyes glazing slightly.
What he’d said vaguely disturbed her. What did her case have to do with them?

“Don’t worry. She won’t find out from me.”

Preston wasn’t fooled. “You’re not okay with keeping a low
profile, are you?”

His handsome, chiseled face, his green eyes, the Armani all
worked against her.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to cause problems. I’m
fine about keeping it between us. For now.” She leaned in to lick his bottom
lip but he backed away. “Is there a problem?”

“We’ll talk later.”

“Okay.” She’d learned to guard her life from prying eyes.
She would have to be more careful about guarding her heart.

They kissed one more time before they said their goodbyes.
Preston climbed into his seat in the back.

Cadence sighed and returned to her room. She felt empty
inside and unbearably lonely. She wished Preston didn’t have to go to the
office and she didn’t have to leave for New Haven after dinner. She wished
their responsibilities and obligations would go away so they could be together.

For the first time in her life, she was being selfish. She couldn’t
help herself. She had never reacted this way to a man before. Preston seemed to
have this strange effect on her every time he looked at her. She wanted to rip
both their clothes off and make love no matter where they were.

She smiled, thinking about what they would do next and
where.

She dressed and put on some makeup. She had decisions to
make, challenges to meet. There were pieces of the puzzle still missing. Would
Preston fill them in or was he as much in the dark as she was?

We’ll talk later
. A ripple of apprehension traveled
up her spine. He’d had something important to tell her. Why couldn’t he have
just spit it out?

Would she ever know the complete truth? Up until now, she’d
lived a life of pure fiction. The ramifications of what her mother had done,
had pretended to be, made her head spin.

Cadence really hadn’t known her own mother.

Could she keep her mother’s secrets buried?

She checked her email on her cell phone. Replied to the
congrats from friends and professors on her graduation. Sent thank you notes
for the gifts she’d received.

What would they all think if they found out she wasn’t the
mayor’s daughter? What would Victoria think?

Victoria was entitled to the mayor’s money fair and square
since she’d been legally married to him. The money would be all Victoria and
the evil twins would inherit. Cadence would let go of her claim to preserve the
Burke name but she’d like to tell her stepmom she knew about the affair with
the mayor just to see the witch’s reaction.

Maybe she’d do just that after she returned from New Haven.
A niggling voice reminded her, Victoria and the twins would make trouble if
they could.

What if this scandal broke, like a scab coming off a deep
wound? The press would eat Victoria alive. Her ambitions would go up in smoke.
Cyrus’ career in politics would be officially dead.

The Burke reputation depended on Cadence’s ability to keep a
secret.

The roller coaster ride continued and it was all she could
do to keep herself from crying out in frustration.

* * * * *

Preston noticed the subtle change in Cadence. Her cautious
nature, her suspicions of a person’s motives had returned with a vengeance.
Much as he tried to convince her he was open and honest about his attraction to
her, she doubted him.

He’d loved her from a distance for a lot of years. He’d
known no other woman would ever appeal to him the way Cadence did.

Her family had done a real job on crippling her self-esteem.
What could he do to break down the wall she’d built around herself?

For sure, he was going to be with her and take care of her.
He intended to be the strong shoulder for her to lean on, the person she could
depend on.

He would tell her tonight at dinner.

He slumped back in his seat. It’d rained and the sidewalks
and streets reflected the city lights. He and Cadence would build their life
together here in the world’s greatest city.

He’d been unhappy Mom picked this time to retire but now he
saw it as an opportunity. It was time for him to take over Night and Night,
International. He and Cadence would continue the work her mother had started,
funding the education of single moms. The work would reconnect Cadence to a
mother she believed had betrayed her trust. The reconnection was vital, he
decided, to build Cadence’s confidence in connecting with him.

* * * * *

Jarred into the present by the ringing, Cadence picked up
the phone. “Hello?”

“Miss Burke? You have a guest here in the lobby.”

“A guest?” For a second, she feared Cyrus had returned.

“Mr. Preston Night.”

A rush of happiness swept through her. Preston was already
here for their dinner date.

“Please send him up in five minutes,” she said and hung up.
She hoped he hadn’t made reservations for any earlier than eight thirty. She
was definitely running late.

Who could blame her? They were going to celebrate so many
changes in her life. Some wonderful. Some not too great.

All that mattered was she and Preston would be together.

She’d been daydreaming as she packed. What wonderful dreams.
Kind of sappy. Definitely lusty.

She closed her suitcase and hurried into the bathroom to
take care of business, including brushing her teeth.

Preston Night turned her on. Was it love? At a distance, she
could think more clearly—she was out of her mind to believe Preston Night
thought of her as anybody but a client. Close up, all bets were off. Her
imagination went into overdrive. Blame the man’s sexy body, his mind-blowing
kisses and the Armani suit.

The man was too good to be true.

She enjoyed the sex. They certainly had chemistry going for
them. Just the thought of his touch made her nipples tingle with anticipation.

Smiling into the mirror, she nodded her approval. Her teeth
sparkled. Her hair looked terrific.

Dinner tonight and then goodbye. She would leave for New
Haven on the eleven o’clock train. He didn’t have to hold her hand all the way.
He’d been willing, of course. It’d be way too easy to let him.

She was a big girl. She could take care of herself.

As soon as she turned off the faucet, she could hear tapping
on the door. Her heart took an extra beat.

She hurried to the door, practicing her best smile. Not the
one that told the world she was a perfect daughter. The one that was genuinely
felt.

When she opened the door, the hello lodged in her throat.
Her dream hadn’t been an exaggeration or a fantasy. She saw with delight he was
immaculately dressed in a light-gray pinstriped suit, a sky-blue shirt and a
silky, shiny, blue-and-silver-striped tie. The color set against his tan skin
and sandy hair accentuated his natural good looks, and the fitted form of the
suit showed off his perfect physique to a capital T.

The whole package worked against her resolve to make it an
early evening.

He was carrying an armload of white roses.

“Uh…” Thanks didn’t seem like enough.

“Do you like them?” he teased her with a wink and a brief
kiss on the lips. He handed them over.

“They’re beautiful.” They smelled heavenly. “Why so formal?”
she asked with a flicker of amusement on her lips.

He smoothed down his tie. “I did say dressy.”

“Look at me. I’m still in my bathrobe.”

“At least you have fresh breath.”

She laughed at his comment. She couldn’t help herself.

He strode past her. How she loved to watch him walk. The
confidence he showed in each step would make any woman with a libido swoon.

He turned, a James Bond glint of desire in his eyes.

She sighed. She’d always been so disciplined, so able to
keep charming men at arm’s length. He could break down her resistance with one
look.

It wasn’t fair.

She filled an ice bucket with water from the bathroom sink.
When she came out of the bathroom, he was sitting on the bed.

She ignored him and began arranging the bouquet. “How did
you know I love white roses?”

“I make what you like a priority,” he replied.

“Really?”

“Actually, I took a lucky guess.”

He could’ve brought her a bunch of dandelions and she would’ve
been thrilled.
This is what falling in love feels like
, she mused. He
was all she’d dreamt about and so much more.

And yet the narrative she couldn’t help listening to, the
one that kept playing over and over in her head, kept reminding her he was being
this way because he wanted something from her.

We’ll talk later.

She finished fussing with the flowers. She wouldn’t spoil
this evening with her doubts.

He rose and came to stand inches from her. “How about we
give this bed a workout?” He kissed her on the forehead, her cheeks, then the
tip of her nose.

“Hungry?” It was the only thing she could think to say in
the heat of the moment.

He kissed her lips and she parted her mouth to allow him
entry. His tongue delved inside to stroke over hers. He tasted sweet like
cinnamon candy. He cupped her face with his hands and tilted her head sideways
to deepen the kiss.

She hungrily kissed him back, swiping her tongue against
his, nibbling his lips. Their bodies melded together and she swore her toes
curled as the heat blew off them in waves.

“Always,” he replied, sliding his tongue delicately across
her lower lip.

“I’m hungry too. But first we should go eat dinner,” she
replied, gasping.

He kissed the curve of her neck and came to the hollow of
her throat. He stopped and she waited with sweet anticipation for him to
continue.