Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

He knew from something she’d said last week that her office officially closed at four, which meant her secretary would have left for the day. Originally, he’d thought of some pretense to get her to his home and speak with her there, but the more he’d thought about, he’d concluded that although he wanted to be completely alone with her, he was willing to do so while on her turf if it would make her feel more comfortable and in control of the situation.

“My office?”

“Yes. Will that be a problem?”

She paused briefly, then said, “No. My office is fine. I’ll look for you at four.”

“All right. I’ll see you then.”

When Morgan hung up the phone he smiled broadly. Tomorrow couldn’t get there fast enough to suit him.

Chapter 7

The next day was the busiest Lena had had in a long time. She was excited over a new sale, but on the other hand, every time she glanced at her watch or clock, butterflies would take off in her stomach to the point where she was about ready to pull her hair out. Just the thought that within hours Morgan would be arriving, invading her space, had her unsettled.

She had tried talking Wendy into working late, but since it was Wednesday, prayer meeting night at church, her friend had refused to stay, saying she needed all the prayers she could get to be blessed with a good man.

As Lena settled back in her chair to go over a new contact she’d acquired, her thoughts drifted to last night. Unlike with the other nights, it hadn’t been her mother calling out for her dad that had awakened her. It had been an ache deep within her, gnawing away at her to the point it made her stomach tremble. She had wanted to blame it on nervous energy, but she knew it was more. The inner turmoil and fierce turbulence she’d felt had been a stark reminder of just how empty, unfulfilling and unsatisfying parts of her life were.

She was thirty-one, a relatively healthy young woman, single—a point her mother still reminded her of on occasion. She knew it downright bothered her mother that she didn’t have a man in her life.

Maybe her naughty twin was right about some things. If she accepted that her life would remain as it was, then why couldn’t she become involved in someone just for sanity’s sake? It would be someone who on occasion would take her to dinner or a movie, someone who could be her escort to the different social functions she attended during the year, and someone who would eventually become her exclusive lover.

She tried recalling the last time she’d shared a bed with a man. Had it been over six years ago? Not since the death of her father? Sheesh! No wonder she was having sleepless nights with feelings of emptiness that wouldn’t go away. She possessed a healthy sex drive like the next woman, and should she deny herself a relationship with a man just because she never intended to get serious about one?

She sighed deeply and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering if those were the thoughts of her naughty twin or thoughts of her own. For the first time in a long while she was convinced that she and her twin were on the same page. And she knew the reason.

Morgan Steele.

Morgan had a way of making her acutely aware that she was a woman, a living, breathing woman with real needs. Being around him at times unsettled her. All it took was one of his warm smiles, the sound of his deep husky voice or even one of those impersonal glances he could send her way to drum up heat deep inside her. He could look at you with an intensity that took your breath away, strip you of every wall you wanted to erect and pull you to him like metal to a magnet.

And those were the very reasons the thought of being alone with him today was so unnerving.

“I’m out of here, Lena.”

Lena glanced up at the doorway and saw her secretary standing there smiling. She then glanced at the clock on her wall. “It’s not four o’clock yet.”

Wendy chuckled. “I know but I didn’t take a lunch and decided to check out early to run by the cleaner’s. Do you need anything before I leave?”

Yes, for you to knock some sense into me. Instead she said, “No, I’m fine here. I don’t expect Morgan to stay long, so I should be leaving within a few minutes myself.”

Wendy nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lena settled back in her chair and began making a list. She had placed Morgan’s file on her desk. First they needed to discuss the amenities for the home he was interested in buying, and then they would go over the potential sale of his home. He would need to make a decision and soon as to whether or not he wanted to sell his house to the Edwardses or his brother Donovan. Then there was the decision of whether he wanted to place a binder on the new house contingent on selling his present one.