Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

Her mother laughed out again, and then the laughter was followed by the sound of Morgan’s voice. Lena paused as she put the flowers in the vase, as her mind, her thoughts and every sensation in her body focused on that voice. It was strong, husky, yet in some ways gentle. But then on the other hand, there was a sensuous quality about it that touched something deep inside her, in the most provocative places. There wasn’t a nook, corner or crevice of her body that hadn’t at one time or another been affected.

“Lena?”

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her mother call out her name. “Yes?” she called back.

“Morgan needs help setting the table.”

Lena lifted her brow. Morgan was setting the table? She picked up the vases and walked out of the kitchen. She placed one vase in the middle of the dining room table and the other on a table in the living room. She glanced up and saw the white linen tablecloth in Morgan’s hands.

“I guess Ms. Odessa is going to make me work for my supper,” he said, smiling.

“At least I’m letting Lena help you,” her mother replied, amused as she left them alone to go back into the kitchen.

“I like your mom, Lena. She’s fun to be around.”

Lena nodded, thinking it strange that none of the guys she’d brought home to meet her mother had ever made such an observation. “I don’t know why Mom felt I needed to help you with this,” she said, leading him into the dining room and removing the flowers off the table that she had put there mere minutes ago. “And you should feel honored you get dining room space. Usually our guests just cram with us in the kitchen.”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Lena glanced up at him, saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew that he would not have minded. That was one thing she had discovered about Morgan. He was so unlike Derek in that he didn’t have a conceited bone in his body.

It didn’t take them long to spread the linen covering over the table and smooth the center and sides. They worked quietly, not saying anything, and then suddenly they came up short upon realizing they had moved into the same area when they accidentally bumped into each other. His hands reached out, gripped her around the waist to steady her, and her body automatically went into an immobile mode; she felt suspended in space. The hands at her waist felt warm, strong yet gentle.

Breathing deeply, she tilted her head up and looked into his face, met his gaze and nearly got scorched from the deep, hot intensity from his eyes. That look alone overwhelmed her, made her pulse race and her breathing come out forced.

“Sorry,” she muttered, quickly taking a step back. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No harm done. Neither was I,” was Morgan’s easy response…which was a lie, he thought. He’d been drawn to her scent like a bee drawn to honey.

“Dinner’s ready. I need more hands to bring everything out,” Odessa called out from the kitchen.

Thinking it would be best not to bump into her twice since he wouldn’t be able to handle it, Morgan used his hand and gestured for her to go ahead of him and he followed her into the kitchen.

Morgan pushed away from the table with a huge smile on his face after finishing off a plate of Odessa’s peach cobbler. He licked his lips. “That was the best peach cobbler I’ve ever eaten,” he said. “My mom makes a banana pudding that’s to die for, and I can see someone killing for your cobber as well, not to mention everything else you served today. Dinner was wonderful.”

Over the rim of her iced tea glass, Lena watched the smile of pleasure that appeared on her mother’s face, and shook her head. Morgan was a real charmer all right.

“I’ve eaten so much I’m going to have to trek around my neighborhood and walk it off,” he added.

“No need to wait until you get home since Lena walks every day after dinner anyway. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the company.”

Lena quickly gazed over at her mother, studying the older woman’s innocent features. She couldn’t help but wonder if her mother had hatched some crazy idea about her and Morgan getting together. First dinner and now a walk—just the two of them. “I’m sure Morgan has had enough of our company for one day, Mom, and wants to call it a day.”

Morgan glanced over at her. “Quite the contrary. I enjoyed both of your company and I’d love going for a walk.”

Think! Think! Lena tried unscrambling her mind to come up with a reason she couldn’t go walking with him. All through dinner her naughty twin had tried to surface by putting all kinds of thoughts into her head. “It’s kind of windy out. It will mess up my hair,” she said, saying the first thing that popped into her head, although it sounded rather lame.