Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

Just the thought that once they were married he would have a right to this, a chance to share a bed with her every night, had him getting hard all over again. But he had to admit what he felt was something a lot more than just physical.

He loved her.

Lena slowly opened her eyes and glanced around the room. When she saw it was almost dark outside she jerked up in bed and glanced over at the clock. It wasn’t quite six yet.

She eased back down, released a long, ragged breath. She was alone, and for a moment that was a good thing. She needed to get her thoughts together. She closed her eyes again, and it didn’t take much to remember what she and Morgan had been doing for the majority of the afternoon. She felt sore between her legs like you wouldn’t believe. But that wasn’t all. Her mouth felt sore as well and she couldn’t help wondering if it was swollen. But each time she thought about Morgan’s kisses, deep, intense, and the way he would explore her mouth, plundering it, stealing her breath away and mating almost nonstop with her tongue, she wondered just what kind of vitamins he was on.

Her nipples felt taut with her just thinking about how she responded to him, greedily taking what he was offering and then falling into peaceful sleep afterward. And when she would wake after her catnap he would be there, wide awake, with dark eyes staring down at her, focused, intent, hungry. His breathing would get shallow and she would automatically melt in a pool of succulent desire.

She heard a sound downstairs and knew that now was the perfect time to get up, get dressed and get out. The last thing she needed was for him to walk into the room while she was still in bed. If nothing else, she had discovered that when it came to Morgan Steele, she had little, if no, resistance left.

Slipping out of bed she began putting on her clothes. When she had awakened that morning she’d been a little confused, and now she was more confused than ever about just what was happening between her and Morgan.

Morgan pulled himself out of the pool after taking one last lap around it. Never in his life had he felt so rejuvenated, so bursting with energy…and so filled with love.

Now he fully understood how Chance and Bas felt. He clearly comprehended those possessive stares they would give their wives, and realized why on those days they would rush home from the office or show up late from lunch with twisted ties around their necks and silly grins on their faces.

He now had a firm handle on what emotions his two older brothers were dealing with. Hell, the only reason he had finally left Lena asleep to come downstairs for a swim was that, had he been in bed when she’d awakened, he would have been tempted to make love to her again.

Tempted, hell! He would have made love to her just as sure as there was a Charlotte sky overhead.

He began drying off with the huge towel, knowing that he and Lena needed to talk. They needed to announce their intentions to marry to their families and to anyone else who wanted to listen. He was ready to go to the tallest building and begin shouting.

“I’m leaving now, Morgan.”

He turned and saw her standing in the doorway that separated his family room from his patio. Seeing her standing there, looking as sexy as sexy could get, and remembering what they had shared most of the afternoon sent a shiver of deep desire combined with hot excitement through him.

He tossed aside the towel and began walking toward her. When he got within three feet of her he noticed the apprehension in her eyes, the uncertainty, and he wondered, how could she not know, not sense how he felt at that moment? But then he had to admit they hadn’t had a normal relationship. He had been a man with a plan, first using business and then ultimate pleasure to seduce her, win her over. But he had a feeling he hadn’t completely won her over. She was having doubts, and from the look in her eyes, lots of them.

He could get on bended knee and tell her to hell with that business proposal. He wanted to marry her because he loved her. But would she believe him? He doubted it. Lena was a woman who would need more action than words, and that’s just what he would give her. By the time she walked down the aisle to him, there would be no doubt in her mind just how deep his emotions were for her.

Instead of saying anything when he reached her, he took hold of her hand and gently pulled her closer to him. Then he leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers. He pulled back, cupped her jaw and intently studied her lips. She definitely looked like a woman who’d been well kissed all afternoon.

“What are you going to tell Odessa if she asks what happened to your lips?”

Lena’s shoulders shrugged, but he saw the mocking challenge in her gaze and immediately sensed some sort of withdrawal taking place. It was a withdrawal he refused to have.