His Secret Temptation

She closed her hand around the kiss and watched as he turned on his heel and strode from the room. Staring at the closed door, her heart clenched with regret, she longed to call him back. Instead, she fell onto the bed and clutched his pillow to her face, inhaling his masculine scent until the tears that had eluded her earlier began to spill.

Chapter Twelve

Christmas morning, instead of waking with a warm armful of Caroline, Simon woke with a sore back and a short temper. Rather than head upstairs to face what a mess he’d made of things, he raked his fingers through his hair and followed the scent of coffee into the kitchen.

There, he found Sarah and his mother.

“Good morning, Simon,” his mother said. “You look tired. Did you stay up waiting for Santa?”

He kissed her on the cheek. “One of his elves called in sick. He made me help him fill stockings.”

The rest of the family joined them a short time later. Jerry, Delores and Harold passed through on the way to spend the day with Delores’ side of the family. All, except for his cousin, who appeared rather the worse for wear after all he’d consumed the night before, seemed chipper despite the lack of sleep.

Simon wished some of their Christmas cheer would rub off on him. He was feeling surly, and the bright smiles Caroline bestowed on everyone except him wasn’t improving his mood. She was clever, staying close beside him to fool his family into thinking nothing was amiss, but they might as well have had half the country between them for all they interacted. While futility churned in his gut, he had to content himself with sitting beside her during Mass and tucking her arm through his as they walked to and from the church.

“Did I mention that Charles and I were married in this very church?” Elizabeth remarked as they descended the steps at the conclusion of services. “Have you two given any thought to where you’re going to get married? I know you both live in Atlanta, but it’s such a big, impersonal city. You could have the wedding here.”

“We haven’t discussed the wedding at all,” Caroline answered before Simon could get past the image of her dressed all in white, her full-skirted figure gliding down the aisle toward him. “I’m afraid I haven’t been able to think about much except finishing law school.”

“I’d love to help you plan the wedding. Perhaps in April when the azaleas are blooming.”

Simon felt tremors quake through Caroline and knew he had to cut off his mother’s planning. “I think my girl has enough on her plate for the time being, Mom. Can we just make pancakes, open presents and enjoy Christmas?”

Elizabeth caught the warning in his tone and nodded. Beside him, Caroline withdrew even deeper into herself.

Christmas breakfast was a chaotic production. Simon took charge of making the pancakes, and he roped Sarah into helping him. They fought over who would pour and who would flip. The pancakes changed in diameter from one batch to the next as they argued over which size was optimum based on batter consistency. He made such

a ruckus in the kitchen that by the time breakfast had been consumed and they were ready for presents, Simon noticed that Caroline was back to smiling.

The family gathered in the front parlor to sort through the mound of presents beneath the tree, and Simon took advantage of an age-old tradition to stop Caroline beneath the mistletoe.

He wrapped his arms around her and dipped his head until their lips met. His heart gave a huge thump as her hands smoothed over his back, returning his hug. He lingered for another kiss, savoring the softness of her lips beneath his and the response he coaxed from her. Slanting his mouth over hers, he licked the inside edge of her lower lip and heard her soft groan. Her tongue darted out to tangle with his. Her head dropped back to yield her mouth to his ardent demand. For a long moment he drank from the sweetness of her surrender, wanting to banish the long night away from her loving touch.

“Merry Christmas,” he murmured against her ear, releasing her mouth at last. His breath was unsteady and rushed. He squeezed her hard and pushed her to arm’s length.

She regarded him from beneath her long lashes, eyes bright. They turned toward the rest of the family and found everyone except Charles avoiding looking their way.

“Are you two going to come open presents or do you plan to wear out the mistletoe?” his father demanded good-naturedly.

Simon sat on the floor by the tree and began handing out gifts. He was surprised to see one for everybody from Caroline. When had she had time to shop? He even found one that had his name on it. When he glanced at her, a question in his eyes, she shrugged. A pile of gifts surrounded her feet, and she seemed a little overwhelmed to be included.

Hannah led off the present opening. Her first gift was from Sarah: a photo of a watercolor that Hannah had been admiring for months that would be waiting for them when they returned home. Around and around they went. When it was Simon’s turn, he picked up the gift from Caroline and turned it over in his hands, spinning out the anticipation. He tore the wrapping free and began to laugh.

“A Scrabble dictionary?” he demanded, rising up on his knees and sliding one hand into the hair at her nape to hold her still for a hard, quick kiss. “I’ll treasure it always.”

She laughed merrily, a sound that rang in Simon’s ears like wind chimes on a cool spring morning. Her gray-green eyes sparkled with pleasure and suddenly he forgot how to breathe. How had this woman slipped under his skin so quickly? When had his focus become so narrow that he wanted nothing more than to see her eyes dance with happiness and darken with passion?

“When you’ve had a chance to look through it, perhaps you can challenge everyone to a rematch.”

“There’s nothing I like more than a challenge,” he responded, infusing the words with a second meaning for her to interpret. Color rose in her cheeks.

He handed her the present he’d bought her. She accepted it with a puzzled expression. He’d led her to expect jewelry, but the box was too big. As she tore off the wrapper and exposed the blue-gray Swarovski crystal box beneath, her gaze shot to his, bombarding him with disbelief. He might have spent ten times the amount and not pleased her a tenth as much. She unveiled the delicate crystal figurine, a single arching flower stem in silver ending in lavender drops. It was a work of art he’d known she’d appreciate.

Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes as bright as the crystal as she took his face in her hands and kissed him long and sweet. His throat tightened at her joy. They’d reconnected again, heart to heart, and not until this moment had he understood just how much he’d missed her.

When all the gifts had been separated from their wrappings, Elizabeth glanced meaningfully at Charles and brought out a tiny box that she gave to Caroline.

Caroline glanced at Simon in confusion, and he shook his head, mystified.