Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

“I love walking around it, smelling all the dogwoods and seeing them bloom. But then, I need to be honest about something. Spring is nice but I like winter better mainly because I love snow.”

He arched a brow, and a smile touched the corners of his lips. “You like snow?”

She returned his smile. “Yes. I love watching the snowflakes fall to the ground and cover everything. I like drinking a mug full of hot chocolate while standing at the window looking at the snow fall and wishing I could just go out there and play in it. At least that wasn’t one of the things I had to give up moving from New York. Although I got to see snow more often while living in Buffalo, at least I still get to see it.”

She glanced up in the sky and blinked against the sun’s brightness and then back at him. “So, how did I do?”

“You went over your word count.”

She stopped, tipped her head back and laughed; really laughed. Moments later she stuck her hands in her pockets and continued walking, shaking her head. “I would hate working for you.”

He chuckled. “You already do.”

Her head shot up and she stared at him with all amusement gone, wondering if he was trying to remind her of their relationship. “Sorry, I forgot.”

This time it was Morgan who stopped walking. When she stopped as well, he reached out and lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “I didn’t say that to make you remember.”

She shrugged. “That’s okay.”

Morgan felt the spell that had surrounded them for the past few moments trying to break, but a part of him refused to let it. She had started to relax around him and her mood had been light, almost carefree. He liked that.

“So what made you decide to leave New York to move to North Carolina?” he asked, wanting to get her talking again, as they resumed their walk. And he relaxed.

She didn’t say anything for a while, and for a moment he wondered if she was going to answer. Then she said, “My dad. In my senior year of high school his health began failing and the doctors thought a change in climate would help him. So we moved here right after my graduation and I began attending the University of North Carolina. Dad died a month after my graduation from college.”

“I’m sorry.”

A small smile touched her lips. “So was I. He was a wonderful man and I loved him deeply.”

She got quiet for a brief moment and then she continued by saying, “It was really hard for Mama. They had been together so long. There were too many memories in the house where we lived, so we eventually put it up for sale and bought this one. That helped some, but for a while I thought I was going to lose another parent when Mom went into a state of depression from all her grief.”

He nodded. “How long did it last?”

She titled her head to look up at him. “Who says it has stopped? She has good days and bad days, and trust me when I say today was one of her good days, and I have to thank you for it. This is the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. She actually cooked all of the dinner herself. I can’t tell you the last time she went into a kitchen other than to eat or to get a drink of water.”

“I can’t accept your thanks because I don’t know what I did. Your mother is a nice person and like I told you earlier, I like her. I can’t imagine her getting depressed.”

“Well, she does. And then there’s her obsession with grandchildren. Did she mention anything about that to you?”

He smiled. “It just so happened that she did, briefly today while you were changing clothes and we were clearing the table. But that’s okay. Like I said the other day, I think all mothers believe it’s their duty to prod their children into parenthood.”

Lena stopped walking. “So you think it’s a phase that will pass?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. If not, then you might have to do some serious thinking as to what you want as well. And if you want a baby, too, then you’re going to have to find a man who’d be more than willing to get you pregnant.”

His voice was so low it could almost be defined as a whisper, and his words had sounded too serious. And the eyes staring down at her were more intense than ever.

Lena took a deep breath, inwardly forcing her naughty twin to behave when she felt her fingers itching to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck, bring his mouth down to hers and kiss him in all the ways she’d always dreamed about.

“Maybe we should head back now, Lena.”

Morgan’s words gave her the strength she needed to regain full control. But for one fleeting moment she felt something had changed, shifted, gotten altered. As they began walking back toward her house she tried not to put too much emphasis on her surprise when he took her hand in his, making her aware of his touch, making her feel a little squeeze in her chest.