Tantalizing Maria (The Temptation Saga 7)

“God, what a sexy little pout.” Jeff shook his head, biting his lower lip. “God damn it all to hell.”

And he crushed his mouth to hers again.

Chapter One

Thirty-Two Years Later

“Mia, and the lovely Angelina.” Jefferson Bay’s deep voice was laced with sarcasm as he opened the door to his hotel room.

“We need to talk,” Maria said.

“Perhaps you and I had best talk in private.”

Maria shook her head. “This is Angie’s business. After all, she’s the one who’s about to lose her inheritance.”

“So you didn’t find a suitable suitor after all?” He clicked his tongue. ?

??How very sad. But how very lucky for me. I now own half a ranch.” Grandpa Norman had done one thing right, anyway. He might have disinherited Jeff in favor of his older brother, Wayne, the golden boy, but he left a loophole. Any unmarried daughters couldn’t inherit from Wayne, and their portion would revert to any of Norman’s living issue.

In other words—Jeff.

His grandfather had been one big male chauvinist pig. And that sad fact was going to work in Jeff’s favor.

“You don’t own anything yet, Jeff,” Maria said, her voice shaking. “Angie still has over a month to get married.”

Yes, of course. The codicil. Seemed Grandpa’d had a change of heart, and an unmarried daughter could marry within two months of the golden boy’s death and still inherit. “Let me guess. She’s holding out for love, right? Love is overrated.”

“Is it?” Maria inched closer to him. “Is it really? Don’t you remember?”

Jeff stilled his hammering heart. This woman still affected him, but he had to keep his head. “I remember only that you betrayed me by sleeping with my sainted brother. I may have loved you, but you didn’t return my love.”

Maria’s eyes misted. “That’s not true, Jeff. You know it’s not.”

Jeff inhaled, his heart betraying him once again. God, he had loved this woman. More than his own life, he’d loved her. And part of him still did. Beside her stood the daughter who had come between them, the daughter she’d conceived with his brother, the daughter she’d named after his long-dead mother. Angelina was a beautiful girl. Her creamy skin was much like her father’s, and her dark hair as lustrous as her mother’s. Green eyes, like sparkling emeralds, pierced into him. A twinge of regret niggled at him. She was innocent in all this, after all.

Still, Jeff was entitled to her share of Bay Crossing, and he meant to have it.

“I know only your betrayal, Mia. You slept with my brother and had his child—this beautiful girl in front of us. It’s only fitting that I be the means to the end of your and Wayne’s love child.”

“Damn it, Jeff, you know I was never in love with Wayne.”

“Really?” As much as he wanted to believe what she said, he couldn’t. “A marriage that lasted this long and produced three children? You’re lying.”

“You were going to prison.”

God, to think of the stupid mistakes he’d made when he was young. But he hadn’t killed anyone. “I was innocent! I would have fought, Mia, if I’d thought there was even a ghost of a chance that you and I could be together.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He raked his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. Because I’d lost everything. I’d lost you.

“Because you made it clear you thought I was guilty. Dear Granddad had all but hanged me already.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were innocent? I would have believed you. I would have stood by you.”

“No, you wouldn’t have. You had already run to Wayne by then.”

“I ran to Wayne because—” She choked into sobs. “My God, I can’t do this.”