Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

Lena grinned as she turned her attention back to the snow globe and cap. She then read the note again. She didn’t want to acknowledge the warmth she felt. She clenched her hands together trying to think logically and to fight both the tension and the excitement warring within her. A part of her, the woman in her, wanted to feel giddy at the thought that the very handsome Morgan Steele enjoyed the time he had spent with her walking on Sunday and wanted to do so again.

A part of her was too afraid to come out of her protective shell to believe such a thing. It had been that same part of her that had encouraged her to turn down his invitation to go out with him those other times. The way she saw it she had two strikes against her when it came to a man like Morgan. She wasn’t the type of woman someone would associate him with dating, and although it appeared he and her mother got along great on Sunday, and he had even gone so far as to say he liked Odessa, she had no reason to believe he would be willing to take on a twosome if things were to get serious between them.

But then, there was her Gemini twin who was right there in her mind taunting with the questions…But who wants serious? Even if there could never be a forever between you and Morgan, there could be a now. Why not just live each day at a time and take whatever you want?

Lena knew the answers. She couldn’t think that way because she was the sensible one. The one who thought things through before she acted.

Which was what she was driven to do now.

She needed to call and thank Morgan for the gifts. How should she approach that? Should she tell him how much receiving the gifts truly meant to her, or should she hide her true feelings and thank him, making no big deal of it, and move on?

She reached for the phone deciding to let her conscience be her guide. She took a deep breath to pull back in control, making sure it would be her conscience and not that of her naughty twin.

“Mr. Steele, Lena Spears is on the line for you.”

Morgan smiled as he tossed the papers he’d been reading aside. “Please put her through, Linda, and hold the rest of my calls.”

As soon as his secretary clicked Lena on the line, in a businesslike tone he said, “Morgan Steele.”

“Morgan, this is Lena.”

The moment he heard her voice, potent desire slid through every part of his body despite his best efforts to stop it from doing so. He inhaled softly and leaned back in his leather chair. “Lena, how are you?”

“I’m fine. I was calling to thank you for my gifts.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did. It was very thoughtful of you.”

He chuckled softly. “On occasion I try to be a thoughtful person.”

“Well, you are. And there’s also another reason I called. The developers of the Palisades and I are close to reaching an agreement about those additional amenities I’m pushing for. I’ve come up with a list and was wondering if you had the time for us to go over them.”

He raised a brow. “Now?”

“Yes, now, unless you’re busy at the moment.”

Morgan looked at his closed briefcase, and then across the room at the golf club resting against the wall where he’d been practicing his swing. He definitely wasn’t busy. Besides, it was time he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Using his skill in the area of research and development, for the past couple of weeks he had been researching just what Lena wanted in her life, and without her knowing it he’d put a plan in place not just to develop those wants but to bring them into the limelight.

For now he needed to continue to stick with his plan, although he was about to sharpen his strategy. “Unfortunately, I’m rather busy at the moment. How about if we got together tomorrow?”

“Okay, when would be a good time for me to drop by your office?”

His office was the last place he intended for them to meet, especially when he presented his proposal to her. “My secretary mentioned earlier that my calendar for tomorrow is full and I’m flying out of town on business Wednesday morning and won’t be returning until late Sunday. What about sometime later tomorrow, after my last appointment?”

“How late are we talking about?”

He knew she was asking because she had to pick up her mother from the adult day care center by six. “Let’s say around four. You should be able to cover everything in a short while, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. And, Lena?”

“Yes?”

“My last appointment is out of the office on the other side of town. I prefer not driving back into this area if you don’t mind. Is there another place where we can meet? What about your office?”