Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

“Now that does it. I set you up over here,” she said, after placing a tray table near the sofa. “And I’ll just use my desk.”

She met his gaze, and the smile that touched his lips let her know he’d caught on to what she’d done. She had deliberately placed him away to the other side of the room. “Any reason I can’t share your desk with you?” he asked, with eyes that glinted with mischief.

She shrugged as she moved toward her desk. “I thought you’d want more room.”

“What I really want, Lena, is more of you.”

She quickly turned back toward him and paused to take a deep, calming breath. His words hadn’t been what she’d expected. And the impact they had on her was unnerving. The sexual excitement, desire and longing that she’d tried not to think about were now hitting her in the face. She felt her heart as it began to race and her stomach began fluttering.

Before she could say anything he said, “But I’ll behave and stay on this side of the room…for now.”

She glared at him and started to say something, but then changed her mind and crossed the room to her desk.

Once Lena had settled in at her desk and begun eating, the mischief that had been in Morgan’s eyes a few moments ago was replaced with concern. Something was going on with Lena and he couldn’t help wondering what. Had she heard anything about the possibility of him going into politics? Even if she had, why would that have driven her to cancel their dinner date and leave the restaurant before he had arrived?

And from the moment he had walked into her office, he had sensed her withdrawal. She was definitely not acting like the woman who had shared his bed for almost four hours yesterday. He didn’t know what was bothering her, but he was determined to find out, and whatever it was, he intended to remove it from between them.

He settled on the sofa and placed the tray table in front of him and unloaded the bag with his food. He glanced over at her. She was eating, not saying anything, so he decided to break the silence. “I dropped by your house and left your mom something to eat as well.”

He watched as she quickly lifted her head and a surprised look was on her face. “You did?”

“Yes. She said she’d already eaten but would save it as leftovers for tomorrow.”

Lena nodded. “Thanks. That was thoughtful of you, Morgan.”

“You’re welcome.” He watched as she took another sip of the iced tea that had been included with her dinner. When her lips touched the edge of the cup his stomach clenched, as he remembered how his lips had devoured hers yesterday, which then reminded him of something else.

“Did your mom ask why your lips were bruised when she saw you last night?”

Lena lifted her head and their gazes connected. “No, she didn’t ask,” she responded softly. “Why?”

“Just curious.” And what he didn’t add was that asking her about it would make her remember, just in case she had forgotten.

“Everything tastes good, Morgan. Thanks again for thinking of me.”

“I always think of you, Lena.”

Heat. Awesome heat, vibrant heat flowed all through Lena. It wasn’t what he’d said but rather how he’d said it. And she wondered if this was a game he was playing with her. And had yesterday been a game as well? She inhaled deeply. No matter what, she refused to let Morgan get next to her until he was totally up front with her. Then she would be up front with him and let him know their deal was off. She was not the woman he needed to move his career forward.

For the next few moments they continued to eat in silence, sharing little or no conversation. But each time she would glance over at him, he would be watching her with an intensity that made it almost impossible to chew her food. He could generate so much heat within her from just a look, and she could feel even more heat radiating from the depths of his eyes each time he looked at her.

So she tried not to look over at him, but she still felt it. The chemistry, the attraction and the desire that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she was fighting it.

“Would you like some dessert?”

She raised her head and met his gaze. “What?”

He smiled. “Dessert. I think they put everything in my bag. I bought slices of chocolate cake.”

“No, thanks. I’m full. I’ll just save it for tomorrow.”

He nodded and then stood. “Okay. I’ll start discarding the trash. Do you have a Dumpster nearby?”

“Yes. It’s out back.”

She watched as he began putting everything back in the bags. He had rolled his sleeves up and she couldn’t help but notice all the hair on his arms. But then, she’d noticed yesterday just what a hairy man he was. He had hair all over—his chest, his thighs and even that thick thatch where his manhood rested.