Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

The house contained four other bathrooms and they were just as elegant. The walls behind the bathtubs displayed a convergence of ceramic-tile styles against a backdrop of decorative squares and mosaic insets that appeared hand-carved.

But the elegance didn’t stop there. The master suite connected to the main house by a glass breezeway with elevator access. There was also an in-law suite on the first floor that was the size of a small apartment. The massive great room with its thirty-foot ceilings and eight-foot-wide brick fireplace added an expressive intricate touch, and the huge kitchen with its granite-top island and ceramic tile floors did more than add a finishing touch. They provided enhancements not normally found in most custom homes, including the one he was living in now.

He turned and leaned against a kitchen counter. Although when he’d made the request he hadn’t thought it was possible, Lena had done just what he had asked her to do. She had found a home more perfect than the one he now owned. “I really like this house, Lena,” he said quite honestly. “Not only is it a home but it’s also a private retreat.”

He watched the smile that appeared on her face. “I like it, too, and hoped that you would. I have others to show you but I thought this one was yours.”

Morgan shook his head. It definitely was his…and hers. “So what’s next?” he asked.

“I prefer you not put a binder on it yet. I feel confident that I can work with the developer to get a few more amenities. I’m not saying he will give us any, but it’s worth a try, and I wouldn’t be doing my job as your Realtor if I didn’t get you the best bang for your buck.”

He swallowed and wished she hadn’t said the word bang. At the moment he would gladly take the best bang for his buck. Even now with her standing across the room he couldn’t help but notice her bare legs and would do anything to get up close and personal just to run his hands up her voluptuous thighs. After getting a glimpse of her yellow bra that day he wondered if she always matched her underthings with her outerwear. He would love to investigate, to check things out for himself by going up under her skirt to see just what was beneath it.

She glanced down at her watch. “Oops, I need to leave. I almost forgot I need to pick my mother up a little early today since they’re having a meeting at the center. I’ll barely have time to make it once you take me back to the restaurant to pick up my car.”

“Then I won’t. I’ll just take you straight to the place to get your mother.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that, really.”

“I’m sure I don’t but I don’t mind. Besides, I’d like to meet your mother.”

She lifted a brow. “Why?”

“Because I’ve heard a lot about her.”

A bemused look touched Lena’s features. “You have?”

“Yes.”

“From who?”

“Kylie, Tiffany. She wasn’t able to make it to Kylie’s wedding. I understand she was under the weather.”

Lena nodded knowing it was a lot more than that. “It just so happened that Chance and Kylie got married on what would have been my parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary had my father lived. They’d already been married twenty years before I was born.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that. I’m sure losing your father was hard on her.”

Lena nodded. “Yes, it was. They had a rather close relationship, and although he’s been gone for six years now, she still has some rough times. The holidays are extremely hard, especially Christmas since it was the day they married. And of course his birthday, which happens to be on the Fourth of July. She goes into a state of depression every year around those days.”

Morgan nodded as he thought of his own parents. They would be celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary in a few years. They, too, had a close relationship and he knew if anything were to happen to either parent, the remaining one would have a difficult time adjusting as well.

At that moment he felt an astounding respect and admiration for Lena. She had technically placed her social life on hold to take care of her mother. He and his bothers had unanimously decided when and if the time came not to place their parents in a nursing home if it was reasonably possible not to do so. Like Lena, they would become their parents’ primary caretakers.

When he saw her glance down at her watch again, he said, “Come on. I want to make sure you’re there to pick up your mother on time.”

It was on the tip of Lena’s tongue to tell him that she preferred that he not go. She could just imagine what her mother would think if a man accompanied her to pick her up as it had been over three years since she was actually out on a date. The last guy she’d dated had been Dr. Derek Peterson, who’d had the nerve to tell her that they could pick up their relationship once she put her mother in her own place and stop spending so much time with her. She was glad she hadn’t gotten any further with him than the first kiss. After saying what he’d said the man had really turned her stomach.