His Secret Temptation

by Cat Schield

  “And Hannah’s still determined not to say anything to Mom?” Simon questioned, already knowing the answer.

  “She doesn’t want to upset her.”

  It seemed that he wasn’t the only one keeping secrets from their mother. But keeping them from him and Dane were another matter entirely. Hannah needed to know her brothers would be there for her.

  Simon raked his fingers into his hair, venting his frustration on Dane. “Does she consider Mom might be the perfect person to talk to?”

  “It’s not our decision to make,” Dane reminded him. “And since when are you so worried about keeping Mom in the loop? You got engaged without telling her.”

  Hell, what could he say to that?

  Returning to the first floor, Simon tracked his sister to the kitchen where she was raiding the refrigerator and holding court. He stole up behind Caroline and slid his arms around her shoulder.

  “How’s my girl?”

  “Your sister’s fine,” she told him, going stiff in his embrace.

  “I meant you.” He turned her around and nudged her into the hall. Dane had gone out to move the car so they were relatively alone. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s girl-speak for you bet your life something’s wrong.” His gentle teasing defrosted her coolness a little. “I’m sorry about the kiss earlier.”

  “That’s not it,” she fired back, her cheeks flushing bright pink. A ragged breath slipped from her lungs. “I hate lying. You know that my mom died from cancer. What I didn’t tell you is that she lied to me about being sick because she’d spent her whole life savings so I could go to college and refused to use that money for radiation and chemo treatments. I was so angry when I found out. It never occurred to her that I’d rather have a mother than a college degree.”

  “Oh, Caroline, I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  Simon started to put his arms around her, but Caroline flinched backward. Her chest heaved with strong emotions. It took a couple of seconds for her to calm down, but then she lifted her chin to a determined angle.

  “So now you see why I dislike lying to your family. Every time I deceive them it brings up all the guilt I feel because my mother sacrificed everything to give me a better life.”

  Her heartbreaking story tugged at him, but he wasn’t ready to let her go. Something was happening between them, and he needed to keep her close until he figured out what it was.

  “You and Hannah certainly hit it off.”

  “I think she’s really wonderful. Sarah too.”

  He’d seen the way his sister had taken to Caroline and on the way downstairs had come up with a way to capitalize on that. “Do me a favor and see if you can get her to confide in you. Something is going on with her pregnancy, but she’s been evasive with Dane and me. And she’s trying to keep it from my mother.”

  Caroline shook her head. “Do any of you tell each other the truth about anything?”

  Simon shrugged. “We used to be a little better before Mom got sick. Now we make sure we keep her stress at a minimum.”

  “Have you seen her schedule?” Caroline demanded, eyes snapping. “Your mother thrives on stress.”

  “She can’t stand to let anyone see how hard this year has been for her.”

  His concern must have finally reached her because Caroline’s head bobbed. “My mother was exactly the same way. I’ll see what I can find out about Hannah.”

  “Thanks.”

  As he watched her go, slim hips rocking with her impatient stride, Simon dug his fingers into the back of his neck, hoping to release some of the tension in his body, but knowing that not even a full-body massage would do it. The only cure for what ailed him required taking Caroline up to their room and spending the afternoon making love to her.

  The same notion had become a litany in his head. If he made love to her. When he made love to her. After he made love to her. A thousand different scenarios had played through his mind last night as he lay on the couch in his father’s study, his forearm resting over his eyes, his body tight with frustrated hunger.

  Today he’d witnessed how the last strand of his self-control had begun to fray, and he still had fourteen days and thirteen nights to get through.

  Heaven help him.

  Chapter Eight

  Caroline stared at herself in the full-length mirror. So this was what being Cinderella felt like. Of course, Cinderella never wore a strapless gown of black taffeta with pearls at her ears and around her neck. And she most certainly never had a sexy hunk like Simon playing both her Fairy Godmother and the Prince. Poor girl. She had no idea what she was missing.

  A soft knock sounded on her bedroom door. Caroline caught up her black-and-white clutch, dropped in her lipstick, and surveyed her reflection one last time. After experimenting with a few different hairstyles, she’d decided on a loose French twist with lots of cascading tendrils to frame her face. The dress’s simple style bordered on severe and required some softening. She hoped Simon would approve.

  Her stomach clenched in anticipation of seeing him. Heat bloomed in her cheeks as the memory of that afternoon’s kiss replayed through her mind. Had she really begged Simon to take her upstairs? If Hannah and Sarah’s arrival hadn’t interrupted them, would that have happened? Was she crazy to want to take that step with a man she barely knew? Caroline couldn’t deny that she was playing a dangerous game with her heart, but being in his arms felt so right.

  Opening the door, she found Hannah and Sarah awaiting her in the hallway. They looked beautiful in their gowns. Hannah wore a white empire-waist dress overlaid with black netting. The style flattered her rounded belly. She’d accessorized with long black gloves and black open-toe pumps. Her long blond hair had been curled and pinned into place on the crown of her head.

  Sarah had chosen a form-fitting sheath of black satin sewn with hundreds of black beads. She shimmered with every movement. Her straight, mink-brown hair in its chin-length bob suited her sharp bone structure and angular features. Diamond chandelier earrings cascaded from her ears and added the perfect amount of glamour.

  “Well, don’t we all look amazing,” Hannah exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see what Mom’s wearing. She always flies to New York City and brings home something extravagant.”

  Hannah, the more gregarious of the pair, linked arms with Caroline and Sarah. The trio headed toward the stairs. Delores advanced along the hallway from the opposite side of the house, and they waited until she joined them before heading down. The magnificent curved staircase was wide enough for the four of them to walk abreast. They glided downward, a graceful quartet that captured the attention of the four men awaiting them at the bottom.

  Caroline had eyes only for Simon. He stood beside his father, elegant in his tuxedo, gaze glued to her as if no one else existed. When she paused on the last step, he walked over and took her left hand. He turned it over and kissed the underside of her ring finger. The gesture spread heat through her body.

  “You look beautiful.” No smile accompanied his compliment but the intensity in his expression told her everything she needed to know.

  “What, this old thing?” she teased breathlessly, awed by the possessive blue flames flickering in his eyes, aware a similar fire consumed her. It might be only for two weeks, but she wore this man’s ring on her finger, and she was determined to make every moment count.

  “Have you seen your mother?” Charles questioned Hannah after he’d been suitably appreciative of her dress. “She chased me out of the bedroom over two hours ago.”

  “We stopped at her door, but she said she wasn’t quite ready to make an appearance,” Hannah answered.

  “She probably wanted to make sure all of us would be at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her,” Sarah added.

  And when Elizabeth arrived at the curve of the staircase, resplendent in a strapless dress of white chiffon with a band of black satin and beading edging the bodice and another band cinching in her
tiny waist, they were all attentive. Today’s wig had been styled into an intricate knot at the back of her head. She wore a string of huge black pearls around her long graceful neck and matching earrings dangled from her ears. As elegant as Caroline had felt standing in front of the mirror ten minutes earlier, she now felt like an ugly duckling.

  “You all look wonderful,” Elizabeth exclaimed, surveying them with satisfaction. She turned to Caroline. “I have a diamond choker that would be perfect with that gown.”

  Before Caroline could refuse, Simon chimed in. “Thanks, Mom, but I think she looks perfect.”

  Elizabeth patted him on the arm. “Of course you do, dear.”

  The “bachelors” of the group, Harold and Dane, drove separately, leaving Simon and Caroline to chauffeur Hannah and Sarah. Hannah’s chatter from the backseat masked the fact that Simon didn’t have two words to put together. Caroline guessed at the source of his pensive mood. She hadn’t had an opportunity to tell him what little she’d learned about his sister that afternoon because he’d slipped in to dress while she was in the shower. He probably thought she appreciated the space and privacy to get ready for the party. He’d been wrong.

  In fact, when she’d emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a towel, and found the room empty, she’d collapsed onto the bed, swamped by a heightened sense of longing and an ache in her heart. Grappling with her disappointment, she’d come to a decision. She only hoped she’d have the courage to follow through.

  They arrived fashionably late for cocktail hour and had fewer than twenty minutes to socialize before dinner was announced. Caroline noticed their arrival caused a bit of a stir. Thanks to the lunch Elizabeth had invited her to, the news of her recent engagement to Simon made her the focus of a great deal of interest.

  While Simon seemed oblivious to the attention they drew, he never released her hand. Caroline appreciated the support, but couldn’t shake the feeling that each set of curious eyes drilled right through her sophisticated outer layer to the destitute law student below. For a moment the expensive gowns and jewelry that circled the room reminded her of the parties the Barry family used to host. The ones her mother worked. The same parties Caroline helped at once she got old enough. It felt weird to be here as a guest instead of one of the waitstaff.

  She spotted Dane across the room, conversing with a bubbly brunette. He looked relaxed and very handsome in his tuxedo. Would he be equally at ease when Francine showed up on Monday? Or would the redhead create the sort of chaos Simon had hoped to avoid by pretending to be engaged to Caroline? Would Francine stir up trouble between the brothers? Caroline dreaded finding out.

  “Stop staring at my brother.” Simon lifted her left hand and kissed it. The diamond on her engagement ring was no match for the sparkle in Simon’s eyes. “Concentrate on me.”

  “I wasn’t staring at your brother, I was wondering who the beautiful woman standing next to him was.”

  Simon shifted his stare. “Jasmine something or another. They dated once upon a time.”

  “And did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  Although she had no claim to him, something uncomfortably close to jealousy churned. “Date her as well?”

  She heard the hard tone of her voice and wished the words back. What was wrong with her? Simon had been hailed by an equal number of men and women. He was obviously well liked by both sexes. No reason for her to behave like an insecure, possessive female.

  “No.” He frowned. “At least I don’t think so.”

  Unable to tell if he was teasing or not, Caroline felt her insides lurch. How many women had Simon dated and forgotten? How could she dream of being the one who could catch his attention for more than a week or two? Maybe their interrupted interlude earlier that afternoon had been a blessing in disguise.

  “Now that I think about it, I don’t think we dated.” Simon squeezed her hand. “Why?”

  “No reason.” Caroline impaled him with a long, pointed look, but resisted the urge to ask him how long before he forgot all about her. She didn’t want to know the answer. Sometimes ignorance was bliss.

  Elizabeth had reserved a table for ten, but Harold declined to join them, so Dane invited Jasmine. Watching them laugh and converse reminded Caroline that she wasn’t the only one dreading Francine’s arrival.

  Earlier that afternoon, she might not have learned anything about problems with Hannah’s pregnancy, but she certainly had learned a great deal about how Francine made everyone’s life miserable with her need to be the center of attention and the way she liked to play Simon and Dane off each other.

  Hannah’s rant about her future sister-in-law had softened Caroline’s attitude toward Simon and his crazy plan. She stopped resenting him for putting her in such an untenable situation and completely sympathized with his problem.

  * * *

  Excellent food and a robust cabernet revived Simon’s good spirits. Tonight’s event was his mother’s pride and joy. The black-and-white gala, sponsored by the country club each year, raised a great deal of money for cancer research. Simon looked upon this party with fond memories.

  He’d kissed his first girl at this gala at the advanced age of thirteen. His brother had laughed at him that night. Having much better luck with girls, Dane had kissed his first girl at twelve and lost his virginity at sixteen. Simon could have explained to Dane that his first kiss wasn’t a milestone like starting to shave. It was a coming-of-age moment, a romantic setting, and the magic of the first tentative touch of her tongue against his.

  His brother didn’t understand. Maybe that was Dane’s problem with Francine. He wasn’t romantic enough.

  Simon enjoyed watching Caroline experience her first country club party and grinned as her eyes grew wider with each tidbit of gossip Hannah lavished on her. Leave it to his sister to spill all the dirty secrets of Savannah’s well-to-do. She had a story about every man in attendance, married or not, and each tale ended with a warning.

  “And whatever you do, don’t let him dance you toward that potted plant over there. His wife nearly got into a catfight with Audrey Stall last year.”

  “Honestly, Hannah,” Caroline said, laughter in her voice. “You should have warned me to bring a notebook. How am I supposed to keep all these men straight?”

  Simon was happy to see Caroline relax and enjoy herself. He also liked how well she got along with his sister and Sarah. Not that he was surprised. Caroline revealed a warm, fun-loving nature when she wasn’t lecturing him about all the things he was doing wrong. Despite her reservations about their pretend engagement and the effect its eventual end might have on his family, he believed that this vacation from work and school was good for her.

  “Why don’t you forget about dancing with anyone but me?” Simon suggested. Shortly after dessert had been cleared, he had put his arm across the back of her chair, preparing to glower at anyone bold enough to try to steal her away from him.

  “I could,” she agreed, tossing him a saucy grin. “But I’ll bet your mother has already made sure your dance card is full.”

  “I don’t care. I don’t want to dance with anyone but you.” He leaned forward to press his lips to hers.

  He intended to keep the kiss light until her tongue flicked out to tease him. She grazed his nape with her nails and put her other hand on his thigh. Pulled off balance by the desire that surged between them, Simon forgot about the tableful of people around him. Her soft murmur of delight speared straight to his groin and laid waste to his control. He dipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like chocolate and the full-bodied cabernet they’d had with dinner. The combination went straight to his head.

  “Simon, let that poor girl come up for air.”

  His mother’s words and tone acted like a blast of frigid air. He lifted Caroline’s hand off his thigh and freed her mouth. The dazed, passion-drugged look on her face made easing back from her sheer torture.

  “Honestly, Simon, what will our friends think?�
� Hannah’s imitation of their mother was dead-on.

  He speared his sister with a murderous look and raised his eyebrows at his father, who covered his amusement by coughing loudly into his napkin. Elizabeth hadn’t missed the jab and had a disapproving glare of her own for Hannah.

  “Oh good, the music is starting.” Charles stood up and held out his hand to Elizabeth. “Shall we, my dear?”

  Shooting one last warning look at her wayward children, Elizabeth stood up and let her husband escort her onto the dance floor. The band played an old-fashioned waltz and Charles swept his wife into a dramatic twirl. Beside him, Caroline murmured her appreciation.

  “They’re really good,” she said, her gaze riveted on the pair.

  Simon noticed her wistful sigh and wondered if she was thinking about her own experiences on the dance floor. Hadn’t she gone to prom? Was she pondering how much she’d missed in her life?

  “My father loves to dance.” Simon toyed with a tendril of hair that dangled beside her ear. “He claims that’s how he got my mother to fall in love with him. He was the only man who never stepped on her toes.”

  “I’ll wager there was a little more to it than that.”

  “I never asked, do you like to dance?” He kept his voice low so he wouldn’t be overheard.

  Her pale shoulders lifted and fell. “I haven’t done much dancing lately. I’m afraid I’m woefully out of practice.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  She smiled. “I’d love to dance with you.”

  Simon wondered if tonight would mark another memory he’d never shake. He hoped so. But before he could take her up on the entreaty in her eyes, a long-fingered hand caressed his shoulder. He turned at the sound of his name and recognized the woman who had purchased a date with him at last year’s bachelor auction. The stunning redhead wore a figure-hugging gown of black silk and enough diamonds to finance a corporate takeover.

  “How wonderful to see you,” she said, her voice at odds with the assessment in her eyes as she looked Caroline over. “Dance with me, won’t you? For old time’s sake?”