His Secret Temptation

He banded her against his body, leaving no room for her lungs to expand. “And heartless as well.”

She relaxed against his heartbeat, finding peace and fulfillment in his arms. As the warm water poured over their heated bodies, the soothing sweep of his fingertips along her back could have kept her immobile all night. But that was impossible.

“Go,” she said, pushing at his chest.

Leaving her to turn off the shower, Simon exited and caught a towel on his way out of the bathroom. Caroline had three heart-pounding seconds to appreciate his perfect backside before the towel obscured it from her view. She took her time drying off and applied a fabulous new lotion to her skin. She heard Simon leave and she entered the bedroom to put on a nightgown. This one was black silk. As she slid its cool softness over her head, she wondered if she had bought these garments with the hope that Simon might see her in them. Why else did a woman purchase gorgeous lingerie except with the wish that she might be admired wearing it?

Caroline climbed into bed and lay watching the play of firelight on the ceiling. Her body tightened in anticipation of waking in Simon’s arms, for surely he would no longer avoid her bed now that they’d made love. Exhausted and hypnotized by the shadows dancing above her, Caroline at last considered that night’s rash, impulsive behavior.

Anxiety twisted in her, but she firmly pushed it to the back of her mind. Making love with Simon had not been a mistake. It had been amazing and magical and everything would work out just fine when they returned to Atlanta. She would go back to cleaning his house and finishing law school.

What about when he dated other women? When he finally found the one he’d bring home for real? She sighed, but couldn’t convince her muscles to relax. She would just have to accept that she and Simon were not meant to be. First thing tomorrow, she would do just that.

Chapter Ten

Simon shrugged into his tuxedo jacket and buttoned his shirt as he descended the stairs. He cursed the obligation that dragged him back out into the night when he’d much rather gather a warm, much-sated woman into his arms and drift off to sleep.

A virgin.

His breath hitched as triumph stormed his emotions. He wanted to beat his chest and do a Tarzan yell. His, claimed in the most primitive way possible. Despite two incredibly satisfying orgasms in the last hour, his shaft twitched with renewed interest. He was quickly proving insatiable. Simon rubbed his hand across his mouth and discovered he was grinning.

How was it possible that she hadn’t lost her innocence before now? Who the hell had she been saving herself for? And now that she had proved to be the sort of girl who didn’t give herself casually, what did that mean for him? Had she chosen him deliberately or on impulse?

She’d bestowed on him an incredible gift and burdened him with an equally compelling responsibility. This wasn’t the sort of girl he could expect to dismiss with a thank-you for a nice evening and a noncommittal, “I’ll call you.” Caroline was built for love and marriage. She was a rare treasure that deserved a place of honor in a man’s heart and home.

Her words came back to him then. She had no expectations beyond the moment. She’d made light of her decision to give herself to him. Was that because she assumed he would treat it lightly? What had she learned about him that would make her think anything else?

The car rolled past the country club’s grounds, forcing him to pause the questions racing around in his head. The party hadn’t slowed a bit in his absence. He’d re-dressed in his tuxedo, but had left his tie behind, and had never felt less like being anywhere. Simon spied his father dancing with Sarah when he reentered the ballroom, but even the sight of the judge shaking his hips couldn’t generate a smile.

“There you are, Simon.” His mother disengaged from the conversation she was having with a tall, blade-thin woman in a white dress. “How is Caroline feeling?”

“Better,” he said shortly. “I’m sure she’s already sleeping.”

“You’ve been gone almost two hours. I was starting to worry.”

“She drank a couple of glasses of punch before I got to her,” Simon explained, hoping Caroline would forgive him for yet another misdirection that had her at its center.

“Simon, shame on you for not warning her. One glass, maybe, but two?” Elizabeth shook her head. “Oh well, there’s nothing to do now, except be there with aspirin when she wakes up in the morning.”

He nodded absently to his mother, looking past her for any sign of Hannah. He had an urgent need to collect his passengers and return to the house before Caroline fell asleep. He wanted answers from her.

“Have you seen Hannah?”

“I thought I saw her talking to that high school friend of hers, Jennifer Shafer. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you. I think she’s ready to go home.” His mother reached up and touched his hair. “Your hair is wet. Did you shower?”

Simon spotted Hannah at the same moment his mother asked her question. “What?”

She put her hand on his arm to keep him from charging off through the crowd. “How sick is Caroline anyway?”

He motioned to Hannah before redirecting his attention to his mother. Her arched eyebrows and the knowing smile twitching the corners of her mouth told him the gig was up. To play dumb or to not play dumb, that was the question.

“Not as sick as I thought at first.”

His mother’s eyes went wide with amusement. “I see. No wonder you were gone so long. If you two needed some time alone, you should have said something. I could have found a reason to get everyone out of the house.”

Simon stared at his mother in dismay. Were they really discussing his sex life?

“It’s not as if I don’t understand,” she continued, smoothing her skirt. “Your father and I were young once. In fact, just last week—”