His Secret Temptation

“More? You’ve already given me enough.”

“Window dressing.” He shrugged off her wary expression as she eyed the jewelry boxes he lifted out and avoided thinking about the care that had gone into the selection of the last one. He started opening boxes, feeling her tense as each sparkling piece caught the light. “My family will have certain expectations.”

“These are too expensive. I can’t.”

Her resistance exasperated him. He thought she’d be pleased. What woman didn’t love jewelry?

“You have agreed to be my fiancée for the next two weeks. I would hope you would appreciate what this opportunity means for you.”

Her lips firmed in defiance and silver lightning flashed in her eyes, but she nodded. “Very well.” She reached out to touch the heart necklace. “But I’m not going to keep any of this. You’ve spent too much already.”

“Fine. But for the next two weeks you’ll wear it. Starting with this necklace.” Simon snapped the jewelry boxes closed, all but the one containing the diamond and emerald heart. Her calm dignity made him feel as if he’d wounded her in some way. He clenched his teeth in irritation. “I’ll take your bags out to the car.”

“Give me five minutes and I’ll be down.”

When she emerged from the apartment building, the diamond and emerald heart sparkled between the lapels of the tweed jacket. Gone was the exhausted, financially challenged law student he’d met two days earlier. In her place walked a beautiful, sophisticated woman who was just beginning to discover all the wonderful experiences life had in store for her.

“It appears as if we’re ready to go to Savannah,” he said, pleased he had been responsible for this transformation. Then, on the heels of satisfaction, came concern. “My mother is going to love you.”

All at once it hit him what he’d done. He’d found a girl his parents couldn’t help but approve of, dressed her up, and was about to take her home to meet his family. What if they did fall in love with her?

She gazed at him, her gray-green eyes opening wide. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It just might be.”

Chapter Four

As Simon’s BMW raced south along the freeway, Caroline pulled a small notebook out of her purse and opened to a clean page. With a click, she activated her pen. “What do I need to know about your family?”

His eyebrows rose. “This isn’t class, you know. There won’t be a test in the end.”

Caroline tapped the pen against the pad. Did the man take anything seriously?

“How long have we been dating? Where did you take me on our first date? What kind of music do I listen to? What won’t I eat?” She blasted him with the questions, then settled back to await his answers.

“We’ve been dating six months. I took you white-water rafting for our first date. After which you begged me to take you home and make passionate love to you all night long, but I refused because I’m not that sort of guy.”

She was not amused by his rakish grin or his attempt to lighten her mood. His words hit a little too close to the dream she’d had about him last night and the way she’d lost her head during that exploratory kiss this morning. If he hadn’t stopped… Her cheeks heated.

“I’m not sure that’s the sort of story you want to share with your mother.” Her tart tone didn’t dim his smile one bit. She heaved a sigh. “You may like to fly by the seat of your pants, but that’s not my style. And let me remind you that’s what landed us in this mess in the first place.”

“My mother’s not going to ask me what sort of music you listen to or what you like to eat. She’s going to want to know about your family and where you grew up.?

??

“I grew up in a small town in Alabama. My mother was a housekeeper.”

“Is she still in Alabama?”

“No. She died two months after I graduated from high school.” Simple words, complicated emotions.

She’d loved her mother, loved her because she was Caroline’s whole world and as protective as a mama alligator. But Caroline wasn’t blind to the effect of her mother’s constant rhetoric about putting her education first and not letting any man get in the way of getting her degree and starting a career.

“My mother sacrificed everything so I could go to college.”

It was easy to sound calm and rational now, but back then, with no money and no one to turn to for help, she’d been terrified and lonely. Looking back, it amazed Caroline that she’d had the nerve to move to Atlanta and start college.

“What about your dad?”