His Secret Temptation

by Cat Schield

  “You look great,” John said. “Don’t know what my buddy was thinking when he let you get away.”

  Before she’d gotten to know him, Caroline had wondered if John had picked up on the lack of sexual chemistry between her and Greg or if he was just a jerk. As time went on she’d discovered he drank too much and played too hard for a married man with two beautiful little girls.

  “How is Greg?” She didn’t really care what her ex was up to, but keeping John talking about his best friend was better than listening to him compliment her.

  “He got married.”

  “How nice. Tell him I said hi.” Anxiety prickled as John leaned close to murmur in her ear.

  “Come have a drink with me.”

  “I’m having lunch with someone.” She glanced over her shoulder, but didn’t see any sign of Simon. Keeping her distaste buried under politeness was getting harder by the second. “How’s Diane?”

  John rolled his eyes and swallowed the rest of his drink. “Pregnant again.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “It’s not wonderful yet.” He forced a laugh. “We’re not sure it’s a boy.”

  Disgust rose in her. She sidled away from him. “Tell Diane congratulations, won’t you?”

  John stepped into her path and loomed over her. He traced her necklace with a single finger while his gaze swept over her body. “You were always my favorite of Greg’s girlfriends.”

  Caroline recoiled. “John, I have to go.”

  “You know, you really were the hottest girl he ever dated.”

  But not one worth getting to know. Greg had dumped her after three months because she wouldn’t sleep with him.

  “I checked on our table.” Simon came to her rescue, standing close enough to be considered territorial. “It’s ready.”

  Although he didn’t touch her, Caroline’s pulse gave a little start of pleasure. She didn’t bother to introduce the two men. The way Simon stared at John told her such pleasantries would be a waste of time.

  “Excuse us.” Simon spanned his fingers over her waist and drew her away. “Ex-boyfriend?”

  “Ex-boyfriend’s friend.”

  “Some friend. Why the hell was he touching you like that?”

  His fierce concern thrilled her. She hadn’t had anyone looking out for her since her mother died. “Because I’ve never been good at handling myself when it comes to aggressive men.”

  “Just tell them to back off.”

  Caroline slipped into the seat he held out for her and sighed. The run-in with John left her unsettled and embarrassed. “Being assertive is not something I do well. Mostly I avoid the ones who make me uncomfortable.”

  Simon unfolded his napkin and dropped it into his lap, his gaze never leaving her face. His expression was grim as he said, “Well, stay as far away from that one as you can. He’s bad news.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t stop the smile she felt coming on. Being protected by him gave her a sense of security she’d never known with a man. “And thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  “You’re welcome.” He picked up his menu. “I recommend we start by trying the fried green tomato appetizer with goat cheese and tomato chutney.”

  The unpleasant encounter was buried beneath a delightful main course of shrimp and oyster gumbo with Andouille sausage, rice and corn bread, followed by cheesecake for dessert.

  “How am I supposed to fit into any dresses after all that food?” she complained as they entered a small boutique.

  “I suggest you inhale.”

  Caroline pulled a face at him.

  Simon prowled about the store, radiating impatience, and selected item after item that the saleswoman placed in a huge dressing room. Caroline had been right to worry that he wouldn’t listen to her about the clothes and decided she might not have a say in what he bought, but she could at least choose what she tried on.

  Caroline browsed the racks, running the tips of her fingers along the expensive fabrics and surreptitiously checking the price tags. She had occasionally considered what it would be like to remake herself, but she’d never had the finances or the need. Now she had both and refused to let Simon rush her transformation.

  “Stop shopping and try something on.” Without her notice, he had come up behind her. His voice flowed over her like the silk blouse she held. “Why are you resisting?”

  “Because everything is too expensive.” Caroline turned and found him closer than she’d expected. His subtle, masculine cologne embraced her.

  “Stop looking at the price tags.”

  “I can’t. I’ve never paid full price for anything before.”

  “And you’re not now. I’m paying.”

  “Simon—”

  He shook his head. “It’s too late to back out now. Find something in your size and try it on.”

  He reached out, aiming for a dress just beyond her. His arm grazed her breasts. Caroline caught her breath in a sharp inhalation that he stood close enough to pick up on. While she prayed he hadn’t noticed, Simon switched his attention from the dress to her. Their eyes met and locked. Her knees quivered.

  “It’s not my color.”

  He held the dress beneath her chin and grunted. “Then pick something else. We have a lot more shopping to do.”

  “You could make yourself scarce and leave me to it.”

  “No.” The charmer had become a brusque businessman with a mission. “I want to make certain you get the right things. The dressing room is full. Go try something on.”

  She slid away from him and seized a dress she’d spied earlier, a long gown of sage green, a color Caroline considered unexpected in an evening dress. The silk flowed against her legs as she carried it away. Although by far the most expensive thing she’d seen, she couldn’t resist trying it on.

  Seven outfits later, Caroline stepped out of the dressing room in the gown. The halter-top bodice bared her back almost to the waist. A floor-length silk skirt cascaded from the snug waistline, clinging to and then ballooning away from her legs, providing provocative glimpses of her form. She’d never worn anything this revealing before and had hesitated before leaving the dressing room.

  Caroline wondered if Simon would approve, but when she glanced in his direction, she noticed he no longer occupied the chair by the front windows. She drifted over to the three-way mirror to admire herself from several angles.

  “That’s very nice.”

  Caroline looked past her reflection and spied Simon over her shoulder. The cool reserve of the past hour had melted. His gaze flowed over her like a hot spring, bathing her skin in warmth and tingling bubbles. She looked pretty, felt desirable, and it was magic.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, running her fingers along the skirt.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  * * *

  Simon heard the husky timbre of his voice and silently cursed. After discovering her in his bed, he’d spent all day yesterday dismissing his abrupt sexual attraction as exhaustion and surprise. What guy wouldn’t be delighted to find a beautiful woman waiting for him after a long business trip?

  But Caroline was way too serious for his taste. He’d reasoned that her dissimilarity to the women he usually dated—as well as her obvious disapproval about the way he was handling the situation with Francine—made her a safe bet to take home to Savannah. It was a business arrangement between them, nothing more.

  Now feeling desire ignite, once again, he considered that perhaps he’d miscalculated.

  The boutique’s compact size and lack of other clientele lent an intimacy to the shopping excursion they would not have found at a major department store. He moved forward until the warmth of her bare back seeped through the cotton button-down shirt he wore. The three-way mirror captured the color that flooded her cheeks and the way her pupils widened in reaction to his nearness.

  “I like the way the dress fits you through here.”

  He slid his palms around her rib cage, fingers spread to
sample as much of her body as he dared in public. She pulled in a shaky breath. He felt the disturbed vibration. Watching himself touch her and observing her reaction at the same time turned him on to such a degree he couldn’t walk away just yet.

  “And it emphasizes your small waist.” He slid his hands down to span the narrowest part of her torso, his thumbs whisking along her bare spine. “Do you like it?”

  He meant the dress, not the way he’d stepped across the line and caressed her. Her hands covered his, not just passively accepting his touch but maintaining the contact. Confusion spread through his mind, cooling the heat raging through his body.

  She watched him in turn, her rosy flush the only thing that betrayed her. “Yes.”

  Did she mean the dress, or had she just agreed to an unspoken question? Had he asked a question? He hadn’t meant to. Or had he?

  He surveyed her expression, but found no answers. He’d never been indecisive when it came to a woman before. Either he pursued them, or had a damned good reason for walking away. He never dated anyone where it would complicate a business relationship, and he avoided the ones like Francine that set off his “crazy” alarm.

  Caroline fell into the first category. That made her off-limits. Even if he hadn’t struck a deal with her, he sensed she would prefer a practical, reliable guy. Someone like his brother, Dane.

  He recalled her encounter with that loser at the restaurant and her words came back to him. She claimed she wasn’t good at handling aggressive men, but how experienced was she with men in general? His flirting had flustered her. She was in her mid-twenties; could she be as ingenuous as she appeared?

  Simon reined in his runaway libido and stepped back. The amount of concentration required for him to do so gave him pause.

  “Then it’s yours.” He glanced at his watch and told his body to simmer down. “And we’ll take the black one. Get changed, we have lots more shopping to do.”

  As Simon dragged her from store to store and made purchase after purchase, he watched Caroline grow more and more overwhelmed. He closed his ears to her protests as she became the owner of four pantsuits, three dresses for luncheons, and a variety of slacks, skirts, blazers, blouses and silken camisoles she could mix and match to her heart’s content.

  “I fail to see when I’m going to have the opportunity to wear half this,” she complained as they passed the lingerie department.

  “You’ll wear it.” If not on the visit with his family, then in her new career as a lawyer. Simon stepped among the racks of colorful bras and underwear, as intent on lending his opinion here as he had been everywhere else. “Come on. We’re not done yet.”

  Caroline halted as if she’d stepped in a puddle of glue. “No. I’ve let you bully me into buying everything you wanted me to have, but here I draw the line.”

  “I haven’t bullied you,” he argued, startled that she’d perceived his opinions as bullying. “I know my mother’s expectations. I’m simply trying to cover all the bases.”

  “Understood. But your mother isn’t going to see my underwear.” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave a great imitation of a million-year-old boulder. “And neither are you. Make yourself scarce for an hour.”

  Although her point was valid, he wasn’t ready to abandon her to her own devices. He’d enjoyed remaking her into someone his family would approve of, outfitting her from head to toe. He’d just assumed he’d also dress her from the skin out.

  He liked the idea that she would wear the scraps of satin and lace he bought for her. Lingerie he chose with an eye toward what would enhance her charming curves.

  Shifting his weight, Simon tilted his torso forward into her space. For a long moment they stood motionless. Caroline glared at him, her delightful chin thrust forward, her color high. Simon noted the way her pupils expanded, a sure sign that she recognized the strong pull between them.

  Although instinct told him to argue that she would benefit from his expertise in this department, he reminded himself she was coming with him to his parents’ house as a partner in crime. He’d promised nothing more intimate than a few kisses. And a promise was a promise.

  Simon stepped back and cast an impatient glance at his watch.

  “Half an hour. You’ll need this.” He pulled a credit card from his wallet and handed it to her.

  He spent the time buying her some new luggage, a dull and tedious task when he visualized her browsing the racks of silk and lace. Half an hour later she awaited his return wearing a satisfied smile and holding a medium-sized bag of mysterious items wrapped in tissue.

  Curiosity took big bites out of his normally even temper. What had she purchased that pleased her? Silk underwear? A lace teddy? A peek-a-boo nightgown that would show off her long, slender legs? Telling himself he had no business wondering didn’t banish the itch of not knowing.

  “Where to now?” she groaned as he guided her out of the department store and along the downtown Atlanta street.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She frowned. “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they mean trouble. Like when your car doesn’t start and you’re late for class. Or when you get to work and find out someone called in sick and you’re short staffed. Or when your friend convinces you to go out for a drink and you end up at a karaoke bar—”

  “I get it.” He broke into her litany and laughed. “Does anything good ever happen to you?”

  “Sometimes.”

  He wasn’t sure he believed her. “Well, I promise you nothing but good surprises.”

  Despite his assurances, he could tell she remained skeptical. That’s why, when she found out he’d arranged an appointment for her at an exclusive spa where they would massage her, cut her hair, manicure her nails, and transform her into someone new, Simon felt more pleased than he expected to have successfully overcome her doubts.

  While the spa staff swept Caroline away for three hours of pampering, Simon headed down a couple of blocks to his favorite jewelry store. His family would expect her to possess a few trinkets given by him for various occasions. He had always enjoyed giving women jewelry, and buying for Caroline was especially easy.

  His first choices took little thought, a string of Mikimoto pearls with matching earrings and a pair of diamond earrings. Next, he lingered over the display cases, searching for something a little more unusual. At last, he decided on a diamond and emerald heart pendant.

  The last purchase took him the longest, her engagement ring. He rejected his first impulse, a one-carat diamond in a filigree setting that looked antique despite being brand-new, and settled on a three-carat solitaire with flanking diamonds. The stone was bigger than the one Dane had given Francine. It was a whopper of a ring, guaranteed to make everyone ooh and aah.

  With a pleased grin pulling at his lips, Simon returned to the spa and found Caroline finishing up. He’d expected a change because although she seemed pretty enough, her hairstyle did little to enhance her appeal.

  What stood before him stole his breath.

  Her blond hair, while a gorgeous blend of corn silk and wheat, had been blunt cut and lacked flair. She preferred to pull it back away from her face, a look that flattered her bone structure but limited her sensual appeal. His mother would not believe he’d date a woman without some evidence of latent fire.

  Now with her hair expertly trimmed to coax awake the natural wave, she’d come to life. No longer the overworked law student, her eyes sparkled with confidence as she shook her loose hair and dipped her chin toward her shoulder in a flirtatious pose.

  “Why can something as simple as a haircut make a girl feel like a million bucks?” she asked, preceding him toward the door, a bag with the spa’s logo dangling from her finger.

  Simon followed after a heartbeat, his long legs enabling him to catch up in time to push the door open for her. She slipped past him, her slim form brushing against him with disturbing results.

  By the time he
recovered, he had to stretch his stride to draw even with her. She flashed him a playful sidelong glance. Despite all her protests and refusals, she’d enjoyed herself today. How long since she’d had any fun? He thought about the notes they’d exchanged. All work and no play, he’d teased, not realizing just how serious things were with her.

  As he escorted her back to the car, she hid a huge yawn behind her hand. “Sorry. I had no idea shopping was so exhausting. And I still have to pack everything. What time did you want to leave tomorrow?”

  “Midmorning. I have some things I need to do in the office before we leave.”

  Originally he’d intended to fly to Savannah, but given their limited time together thus far, he thought a four-hour drive might give them the chance to get to know each other and prevent them from saying something that would tip his mother off to their scheme.

  “Around ten?”

  She agreed without argument, and he realized how many times he’d imposed his will on her today. Not that she lacked a spine. She had demonstrated a strong one when she had turned him away from the lingerie department.

  Instead, she had a way of flowing around him, letting him be in charge yet voicing her opinion on the things that mattered to her. He found it a welcome change from the women he’d dated who issued ultimatums, and his mother, who charmed with a stick in her hand. Yet he sensed if he pushed her too hard, she would just melt away.

  “Ten it is.”

  * * *

  In the morning Simon knocked on Caroline’s apartment door and entered at her greeting. The shabby condition of the building should have clued him in to the quality of her apartment, but the tiny, garden-level studio dismayed him.

  Neat and organized, the single room held a double bed, a small desk that doubled as a dining table, a love seat and a chair. Mismatched appliances lined one wall. A dingy carpet covered the floor.

  The clothes occupying the two suitcases he’d bought her probably cost more than all the furnishings and fixtures combined. He hadn’t appreciated the desperate level of her finances until now. It disturbed him to think about her living here. Bars on her windows kept out intruders, but was she safe? He wanted to tell her to pack, that he’d find her a better place to live, but knew she’d refuse his help. He’d never met a woman who needed saving more than Caroline.