The Sweetest Temptation

by Rochelle Alers

  “I’m going to ask you one more time, Faith, and I want the truth. Are you my darling?”

  Ethan’s query was so soft Faith thought she’d imagined it. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she nodded. “Yes,” she finally admitted, the single word resembling a sob.

  There came a beat. Ethan rested his arm over the back of her seat. “You are the first woman I’ve ever known that’s the complete package. I find you aloof, but to me that’s an integral component of your appeal, along with your beauty and intelligence. Whether you know it or not you’re a siren, a temptress. You’ve got my nose so wide-open that a semi could drive right up to my brain. You, Faith Whitfield, have become my sweetest temptation.”

  In one quick second their gazes met and held. Leaning to her left, Faith pushed a button on the dashboard. The haunting, moaning sound of a sax filled the car. She didn’t want to talk because what she was experiencing at that moment could not be verbalized. She willed the tears filling her eyes not to fall, but failed. Reaching for the hand draped over the back of her seat, she brought it to her mouth and kissed his fingers as moisture dotted his skin. Ethan emitted a ragged sigh but didn’t take his eyes off the roadway.

  The remainder of the trip from Manhattan to New Jersey was accomplished in complete silence until they reached the city limits for Hackensack. Ethan activated the Bluetooth device and within minutes was connected to an Italian restaurant. He ordered entrées and salads as if he’d memorized the menu.

  “I’ll pick it up in about twenty minutes.”

  Disconnecting the call, Ethan stared at Faith staring back at him, complete surprise freezing her delicate features. “No cooking this weekend, and that’s an order. I’m going to make certain you get some sleep.”

  She couldn’t stop a hint of a smile finding its way across her lips. “Yes, sir,” she countered, saluting him.

  * * *

  Faith sat on the rug, across a low table from Ethan, her legs tucked under her body. He’d started a fire in the fireplace in the family room, lit dozens of candles, tuned a radio to a station featuring classical music and set the table with the food he’d ordered from his favorite Englewood Cliffs restaurant. She swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti tossed with an incredibly delicious pesto sauce before touching a napkin to the corners of her mouth. The pasta was the perfect complement to veal scallops in a butter sauce flavored with lemon and capers.

  Picking up a bottle of rosé, Ethan refilled his wineglass, then added a small amount to Faith’s. He flashed a dimpled grin. “Are you ready for dessert?”

  Pressing her palms to her flat stomach, she shook her head. “I can’t eat another morsel.”

  “Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll clean up here.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want help?”

  Rising to his feet, Ethan circled the table and sat next to her, his left hand cradling the back of her head at the same time his right arm went around her back. Deliberately, as if in slow motion, he eased her up from the floor.

  His head lowered until their mouths were inches apart. “You have to learn how to relax.”

  She closed her eyes against his intense stare. “I know how to relax.”

  “Your body’s very tense.”

  Faith opened her eyes. She wanted to tell Ethan that her tenseness came from him being too close, that she found it difficult to draw a normal breath. She felt an intangible strength coming from him, seeping into her where her apprehension as to whether she could risk becoming involved with a man vanished like a wisp of smoke.

  In Ethan James McMillan she’d discovered a man she’d learned to respect and trust more than the others she’d known. Whenever they were together she hadn’t had to concern herself with countering unsolicited advances as she had in the past. Most times she hadn’t progressed beyond the one-date rule when she found herself sparring with her dates because they hadn’t respected her enough not to kiss or touch her without her permission.

  At first she’d thought his rigid self-control was a result of his military training, but then realized it probably was a combination of upbringing, moral and ethical fortitude.

  “I’ll be all right after a leisurely bath.”

  Ethan brushed a light kiss over her lips. “I’ll tuck you into bed after you finish with your bath.”

  “I’ll try and wait up for you.”

  He smiled at her as he would a child. “Thank you.” Ethan had promised to tuck her in when it was her bath, bed, body and life he wanted to share. He wanted Faith Whitfield so much that he feared blurting out how much he needed her. And his need surpassed any emotional or physical craving he’d ever known. He wasn’t certain when he’d fallen in love with Faith, but knew what he felt for her went beyond reason or comprehension.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, Faith pulled Ethan’s head down and she kissed him. Her lips caressed his until they parted. She swallowed his breath as their tongues met in a slow, heated joining that sent shockwaves throughout her body.

  Ethan’s hands slipped down the length of Faith’s back, cupping her hips as he pressed his heated groin to her body. A turbulent rising desire held him in a stranglehold that rendered him light-headed. He had to stop, he had to get away from Faith or embarrass himself when he spilled his passion like a bumbling adolescent in his first sexual encounter.

  His hands came up and he cradled her face between his palms, breaking off the kiss. “Go take your bath,” Ethan whispered hoarsely. “Please.” He was pleading with Faith and didn’t care if she knew it.

  A shy smile softened her mouth. “Okay.”

  Ethan managed to nod as he watched Faith turn and walk out of the dimly lit room. Ten minutes later he’d cleared away the remains of their dinner, adjusted the fireplace screen and extinguished the candles.

  CHAPTER 13

  Ethan walked out of his bedroom, down a hallway and into the guest bedroom suite. The door was open, and as he stepped inside he noticed the lamps on the bedside tables were on the lowest setting, casting long and short shadows throughout the space.

  His gaze swept over the made-up bed, and he went completely still. Faith wasn’t in bed, so he assumed she was still in the bathroom. He turned to leave, then spied her on the chaise in the sitting area.

  Placing one foot deliberately in front of the other, Ethan approached the woman whose very presence kept his emotions in a constant state of turmoil. He valued their fragile friendship, but at that moment it wasn’t friendship he sought from Faith. That he could get from any woman. What he wanted from the woman with whom he’d found himself totally enthralled was something deeper—a closeness that could only be achieved through the intimate act where they would cease to be separate.

  What he wanted more than to have Faith love him as he loved her was for her to learn to trust him. The night he’d taken her to the Rainbow Room and they’d made a toast to trust, he’d known that a man had hurt her—deeply.

  I want trust. I want to be able to trust you. Ethan didn’t know why, but he was able to recall her plea as if it’d been etched in his brain. And there was no doubt she’d loved whomever she’d given her heart to because she was still hurting.

  Had he been her first love? Had she given him her innocence? Or was what she’d shared with him a once-in-a-lifetime love? The questions haunted Ethan, and he feared the answers would be a resounding yes!

  He’d married Justine, believing they would spend the rest of their lives together, but in the end he’d had to walk away or lose himself completely. He’d suggested going to marriage counseling, but she refused, saying she didn’t need someone telling her what to do, that she knew how to be a wife.

  His ex-wife’s mood swings, inconsolable crying jags and her penchant for throwing objects, some that’d missed him by mere inches, had become the bane of his existence. Her volatile behavior forced him to accept assignments overseas, and in the end it was he who’d filed for a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Justine didn’t contest his decision
and within eight months of exchanging vows it was over.

  Moving closer, Ethan stared down at Faith sprawled gracefully on the chintz-covered chaise. A hint of a smile found its way over his features as he stared at the delicate white cotton nightgown trimmed in pale blue lace with tiny pearl buttons dotting a pleated bodice. His heated gaze inched slowly from her exposed neckline to her long, smooth legs. His smile widened when he saw the sexy red polish on her pedicured toes. It was obvious that Faith did take time out for pampering. His smile faded when her eyes opened and she stared up at him.

  “I almost fell asleep waiting for you.”

  Folding his lanky body down beside her, Ethan leaned over and pressed a kiss to her eyelids. “Why didn’t you get into bed?”

  “I was waiting for you to tuck me in.”

  Shifting slightly, he gathered her in his arms, scooping her up and coming to his feet. The heat from her scantily clad body burned Ethan’s through the T-shirt and sweatpants he’d slipped into after taking a quick shower. He carried her effortlessly to the bed.

  “Not here,” Faith said in protest.

  Ethan went still at the same time sucking in a lungful of breath, holding it until he felt the band of tightness constricting his chest. “Where?” he asked, hoping his silent prayer would be answered. Since coming face-to-face with Faith Whitfield, he’d lost count of the number of times he’d fantasized sharing a bed with her.

  “I’ll give you one guess,” Faith teased with a sensual smile.

  Shock and surprise froze Ethan’s features. “You know what this means, don’t you?” Faith nodded. “There’s no turning back once we sleep together.” She nodded again. He held her steady gaze. “I’m in this relationship for the duration, Faith.”

  Seconds ticked off as the deafening silence rose to a crescendo. “So am I.”

  Faith was tired of the pretense, the denial, of fighting her feelings for the man holding her to his heart. She’d been wrestling with issues of trust that bogged her down so much that she’d forgotten to live and grasp the happiness that was right in front of her. Work had become a balm providing a barrier against a loneliness she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

  Looping her arms around Ethan’s strong neck, she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his heat, inhaling his distinctive masculine scent. I love him. The three words assailed her with the velocity of a rocket launching toward the heavens.

  She’d held him at bay, not touching or kissing him whenever the urge was so strong as to make her feel as if she were coming out of her skin. She’d worked herself into an exhaustive state so as not to be reminded of the strong passions within her. The closest she’d come to succumbing was when she’d kissed Ethan in the family room. It was she who’d initiated the kiss, slipped her tongue into his mouth, and the evidence of his arousal had signaled they both were close to yielding to a desire that had to be resolved.

  Inwardly, she was able to reconcile her love for Ethan when she still wasn’t able to put the insecurities of her past to rest. It’d been she who was always the first to profess her love, and the result had made her a victim to men who’d used her love for control and domination.

  She smiled. Her love for Ethan would remain her secret, until he proved to her that he wouldn’t use it to change her into someone she either couldn’t or wouldn’t become.

  Ethan carried Faith into his bedroom and placed her on his bed, his body following hers onto the firm mattress. The glow from the recessed light in the space between the bedroom and adjoining bathroom provided the only source of illumination as he tried to make out her expression. He sat up, supporting his back against the headboard, and then eased Faith up to straddle his thighs.

  Was she ready for him and what they were about to share? He was certain he was more sexually experienced than she was, but would that be enough to bring her to climax?

  The questions kept coming, bombarding Ethan relentlessly. Why, he mused, did it matter so much with Faith when it’d never been that way with other women? He’d slept with them and did what was necessary for them both to achieve physical satisfaction. But he knew the answer before the questions formed in his mind. It mattered because she was different, and not only had he fallen in love with her, but he also loved her enough to offer his protection as her husband and as the father to any of their potential children. The notion of fathering a child shocked him.

  Cradling her face between his palms, he brushed a light kiss over her parted lips. “There’s something you need to know.”

  Faith stared at the shadowy face inches from her own. “What’s that?”

  There came a beat, the sound of their heavy, measured breathing breaking the fragile silence. “I love you.”

  The emotion in the deep voice elicited a rush of tears she was helpless to hold in check. They overflowed and trickled down her cheeks. They landed on Ethan’s hands when he undid the tiny pearl buttons on her nightgown. Faith bit down on her lower lip when the bodice parted and he touched her. His fingers closed over one breast, squeezing gently before cradling the other. Without warning, a rush of heat and moisture bathed her core, leaving the area pulsing and ready for his complete possession.

  Ethan let his senses take over as he registered the quickened cadence of Faith’s breathing, the twitching muscles under his hands as he covered her small, firm breasts. She let out a soulful moan when his mouth replaced his hands. He suckled her at the same time he slid his hands under the narrow straps holding up the nightgown, pushing them off her shoulders and down her arms, the delicate fabric pooling around her narrow waist.

  Faith grasped her lover’s head, holding him fast as she buried her face in his close-cropped hair. He was making her feel things she’d forgotten, suppressed emotions she believed she would never experience again. Love and lust merged in a turbulent passion that made it impossible for her not to move. A spark of desire cut a swath from her breasts to the area between her legs as she rocked back and forth over the rising erection under her hips.

  Ethan pulled a nipple into his mouth, teeth nipping gently before shifting his attention to the other breast. He’d managed to temper his desire for the woman sharing his bed because he wanted to offer a passion that would make Faith forget every man she’d ever known. Forget them because he wanted to become the last man in her life.

  Rising several inches off Ethan’s lap, Faith struggled not to let out the screams building up in the back of her throat. She squeezed her thighs together in an attempt to stem the increasing pulsing sensations.

  “Oh, no!” she gasped.

  Ethan released her breast with a soft popping sound. His head came up and he tried to make out Faith’s expression. “What’s the matter, baby?” There was no mistaking the concern in his query.

  Struggling not to climax, Faith gulped in a lungful of air. “Do it now, Ethan. Please.”

  She was begging him to make love to her, but it was of no import because she wanted Ethan in the most intimate way possible. She, who’d looked for and treasured foreplay, wanted no part of it now because her lust was akin to a craving that had to be assuaged or she’d lose herself in an abyss of longing that would go on forever.

  Letting his senses take over, Ethan registered the quickened pace of Faith’s breathing, the rocking sensations of her hips against his erection and the moans that alternated with sighs that signaled she was as ready for him as he was for her.

  His hands went to the nightgown around her waist, pulling it up and over Faith’s head. His T-shirt followed; he eased her off his lap, then removed his sweatpants and briefs.

  He felt Faith’s gaze following him as he leaned over and removed a condom from the drawer of the bedside table, and with steady hands he ripped open the packet and slipped the latex over his erection. The rising scent of desire mingling with the sensual feminine perfume wafted in his nostrils as he eased Faith down to the mattress. Parting her legs with his hand, Ethan positioned his rigid flesh at the entrance to her femininity.

&n
bsp; Burying his face between her neck and shoulder, he breathed a kiss on the fragrant flesh. “Stop me if I hurt you.”

  “Don’t talk, Ethan. Just do it.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he whispered in her ear.

  Faith closed her eyes. She’d ordered him not to talk when she wanted to tell him to shut the hell up and make love to her because she wanted and needed to feel the desire and passion that made her wholly woman. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth when Ethan slowly eased his sex into her body. He hesitated before he pushed inside her, inch by inch. A shared sigh came when he was fully sheathed, their bodies fused in a joining that made them one.

  Her lips quivered as long-forgotten passions swirled throughout her, calling to mind what she’d been missing for a very long time. Ethan’s slow, gentle lovemaking temporarily swept away her fears, doubts, as she surrendered to the passion holding her captive. The fire at the top of her thighs flared to life with the quickened thrusts, awakening a response so deep that their coming together had become an act of complete possession.

  What had begun as soft whimpers escalated to moans of erotic pleasure before erupting into cries of pure delight when Faith surrendered to the ecstasy. Rising up off the mattress, she went completely still, then collapsed, her heart pounding uncontrollably as a passion she’d never experienced held her suspended for several seconds before freeing her in an awesome climax that left her crying and struggling for her next breath.

  Making love with Faith elicited more than sexual desire for Ethan. Their lovemaking signaled a new beginning, a chance for both to love again. Her heat, smell, the silken feel of her skin and her erotic moans shattered his control. He fastened his mouth to Faith’s and breathed in the last of her passion as he released his own inside the latex protecting her. His tongue plunged into her mouth over and over as the moment of shared ecstasy quieted.