Beyond Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  Lena pulled back and met his gaze. “You did?”

  “Yes. I would never tell Chance but Bas, Donovan and I have always looked up to him. He seemed to always make the right decisions when it concerned not only the company but us as well. My father was a strict disciplinarian. He was a good man, but strict. He and Bas butted heads more times than I care to remember, and when Bas dropped out of college and had no contact with the family for almost a year, he did maintain contact with Chance.”

  Lena nodded. “But why did it bother you when Chance married?”

  Morgan smiled. He knew she was asking mainly because Chance had married her best friend. “It bothered me because since Cyndi’s death, he hadn’t really shown any real interest in a woman until Kylie. I thought she would come and disrupt our little family circle.”

  “But she didn’t,” Lena said defensively to the point it made Morgan chuckle.

  “No, she didn’t. In fact I think she’s the best thing for Chance and Marcus, as well as for us. And now with Bas married and Jocelyn getting ready to manage one of Cameron’s construction companies here, it seems the Steele brothers are getting married one by one, although the jury is still out on Donovan, and will be for a while. He claims he’s having too much fun to settle down.”

  Lena inhaled a deep breath knowing whether by accident or intentionally, Morgan had given her the opening she needed for them to start talking about their issues. “Morgan?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were thinking of running for public office?”

  For a few moments he didn’t say anything, and then he released her and took a step back as if he needed full control of his mind and body to respond to her question. “I hadn’t really made a decision. Before I had merely thought about it.”

  She nodded. “And now?”

  “And now I have made a decision and will officially announce my candidacy next week.”

  She inhaled deeply. “When were you planning to tell me?”

  “This afternoon at dinner. And then tonight, which is why I came over here. But I kind of got distracted.”

  They both had. She moved across the room to stand at the window. Opening the blinds she looked out. Like him she needed full control of her mind and body. After several moments she turned toward him. “I hope you know this changes everything and I can no longer agree to your business proposal.”

  Immediately, she felt his inner tension. “One has nothing to do with the other, Lena.”

  She shook her head. “Yes, it does. I’m not cut out to be a political wife.”

  “I think you are.”

  “You need someone else by your side, Morgan. Someone who would complement you and—”

  He crossed the room. “What the hell are you saying?” he asked angrily. “Don’t you think I’m old enough to know what I want and need?”

  “Yes, but when you had made that decision things were different. Then all you needed was a woman who would have your baby. Now you need a…”

  “Trophy wife?” he asked in a tone of voice filled with even more anger.

  She sighed deeply. “Yes, if you want to refer to it as such.”

  “So me wanting you as the mother of my child means nothing?”

  “It did before but not now.” Lena felt a tightening around her heart when she added, “Don’t you see what I’m trying to do?”

  “Honestly, no, I don’t. Mainly because I know what I want and who I want, and let me tell you something else, Lena. I refuse for you or anyone else to decide my future for me.” He crossed the room to the coatrack and got his jacket and slipped it on. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

  Lena knew he was angry but she didn’t know what else she could say or do to make him see reason. Why couldn’t he understand that things needed to be back on a professional level between them?

  When they reached her car, he asked before opening the door, “So what was tonight about, Lena?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do. Why did you let me make love to you tonight if you knew things would be over between us?”

  When she didn’t say anything he shook his head, understanding completely. “So it was one of those kinds of nights.”

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

  “Nothing but sex, pure sex and nothing but sex.”

  She cringed. His words had made it sound so dirty. “Why are you giving me a hard time about my decision, Morgan? I would think you would be overjoyed.”

  He stared at her before moving aside and opening the car door for her. “Yes, you would think that and you know what, Lena? I’m going to announce my candidacy without you or anyone else beside me.”

  When she got inside the car, she watched as he walked over to his own, and instead of getting in he stood there, staring at her. She held back the tears that threatened to fall. Why couldn’t he see that everything she was doing was because she loved him?

  “Let me get this straight,” Kylie said, glaring at her best friend. “You actually told Morgan you couldn’t marry him because he’s decided to run for public office?”

  Lena was glad they were the only two in the house. They were in the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen table when Kylie stood at the counter folding laundry.

  Chance was out playing the usual Saturday morning basketball game with his brothers; Marcus and his latest girlfriend had left earlier for the mall, and Tiffany had gone to spend the weekend with her grandparents.

  “Calm down, Kylie. I wouldn’t want Chance to blame me if you went into labor early. And yes, I told him I couldn’t marry him. It would not have been a real marriage anyway.”

  Kylie tossed the items she was about to fold back in the laundry basket and came and sat across the table from Lena. “And just what do you mean it would not have been a real marriage?”

  Lena sighed. She knew that Kylie would be upset because she had held all the facts of her pending engagement to Morgan from her. “First promise that you won’t get mad.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “I won’t promise you anything because I’m already mad. I can’t believe you let Cassandra Tisdale and her band of Merry Hussies get to you.”

  “They didn’t get to me.”

  “Sounds to me like they did. So let’s get back on track. What do you mean that your marriage to Morgan would not have been real?”

  Lena didn’t say anything for a long time. Then she said, “Morgan and I entered into a business agreement.”

  Kylie lifted an arched brow. “What kind of business agreement?”

  “I was to marry him and have his baby.”

  “What!”

  “You heard me. He asked me to marry him just to have his baby.”

  Kylie stared at her for a long moment. And then she did the one thing Lena hadn’t expected. She burst out laughing.

  And she continued laughing to the point where Lena began getting slightly irritated. Personally, she didn’t see anything funny, she thought, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest and glaring across the table at Kylie. “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, especially when I’ve evidently brought so much amusement into your life this morning, but can you please explain to me what the hell is so funny?”

  Kylie stopped laughing, slightly. She then got up and went to the kitchen counter and grabbed a paper towel to dab at her eyes and said, “I’m so sorry, Lena, but Morgan pulled one over on you.”

  Lena’s glare deepened. “Meaning?”

  Kylie dabbed at her eyes some more and chuckled a few times before saying, “Meaning, he would have told you anything to get you married to him.”

  Lena inhaled deeply, still not knowing just what Kylie meant. “Kylie, I’m going to count to ten, and if you don’t get that rump of yours back in this chair and tell me what you’re talking about, then you will be going into labor early.”

  Kylie saw the threatening look in her eyes and knew her best
friend meant business. “All right, all right,” she said, coming back to sit down at the table.

  “Now talk.”

  Kylie raised her eyes to the ceiling. “You’re so smart I’m surprised you hadn’t figured things out, Lena. Think,” she said, reaching across the table and tapping a finger against what at the moment she considered her best friend’s thick skull. “For months Morgan has been after you. He asked you out several times.”

  She glared at Kylie. “So? I’m sure he’s asked several women out. Big deal.”

  “No, Lena. For Morgan it wasn’t just a big deal. I think it almost became an obsession.”

  Lena frowned. “An obsession?”

  “Yes. Not to the point that he would have resorted to stalking you or anything like that,” Kylie said, grinning. “But he was determined to get you.”

  Lena considered Kylie’s words for a moment, then asked softly, “In bed?”

  Kylie immediately knew where Lena’s thoughts were going and reached out and captured her hand. “No, Lena. I think it was more serious than that.”

  Lena’s frown deepened. “What’s more serious than a man going after a woman for the sole intent of getting her in his bed? And you knew about this and didn’t tell me?”

  Kylie shrugged. “I knew what Chance was telling me, which wasn’t much, but enough to figure out what was going on. The reason I didn’t tell you is that my husband asked me not to. He felt sooner or later sexual chemistry would do the both of you in. The brothers knew how bad Morgan wanted you, so they figured out why he’d hired you to sell his house and buy another.”

  Lena’s eyes widened in startled shock. “Are you saying the reason Morgan hired me as a Realtor was that he wanted to sleep with me?”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not what I’m saying, and will you please be quiet for a moment so I can give you my take on things?”

  When Lena reluctantly nodded, she said, “My take on things is this. For Morgan it was more than having you in his bed. I honestly think he was quite taken with you, Lena, and he concocted this plan to get you right where he wanted you, as a permanent part of his life. Remember that day at lunch I told you about his belief about his perfect woman? In his mind you’re it and he would have done anything for you to become a part of his life like he wanted to become a part of yours. But first he had to prove himself to you, let you see that he’s not like those guys you dated before.”

  Lena bit her bottom lip. A part of her couldn’t buy what Kylie was saying. Mainly because she couldn’t see herself as any man’s perfect anything. “I think you’re wrong, Kylie.”

  “And I think I’m right, Lena. If all Morgan wanted was to sleep with you, once he’d done that he wouldn’t have come back, and I know the two of you have slept together.”

  Lena leaned forward. “And how do you know that?”

  Kylie smiled. “The same way you knew that Chance and I had slept together without me having said one word. I was celibate for over fifteen years and I know you haven’t been with anyone since your dad died. Although I hadn’t seen you in the past couple of days when I talked to you a couple of days ago you sounded funny.”

  Lena leaned back in the chair and lifted a brow. “Funny how?”

  “Like you were tired, exhausted, sexually fulfilled. And when I talked to your mom yesterday and she happened to mentioned the fact that you had swollen lips, I thought that—”

  Lena straightened in her chair. “Mom told you that?”

  Kylie couldn’t help but giggle. “Yes, you know mothers don’t miss anything. They see everything. Trust me, although she might not have said anything, she noticed.”

  Lena nodded. “So what did you tell her?”

  Kylie smiled. “I told her it must have been a soda bottle. I heard Donovan give that excuse to Chance once.”

  Lena inhaled deeply. “Okay, Morgan and I did sleep together, once.”

  Kylie lifted a brow, then reached out and touched a mark on Lena’s upper arm. “Once? This sure looks like a recent passion mark to me.”

  Lena rolled her eyes. “Okay, more than once. So he got what he wanted.”

  Kylie shook her head. “I’m sorry you think that way. You know what your problem is, Lena?”

  “No, what do you think my problem is, Kylie?” she asked sarcastically.

  “I’ve known you all my life and you’ve always felt you’ve had to complete against skinny females. Why can’t you believe and accept that there are some men who don’t give a damn about a woman’s weight? They see beyond all that and see what’s in her heart. Why can’t you believe Morgan is one of those men? To him, you are his perfect woman. You and not Jamie Hollis or any other slim woman who wants to catch his eye. But until you believe in your own beauty, both inside and outside, what he sees doesn’t really matter.”

  Donovan glared at his two oldest brothers. “I refuse to play another game until the two of you calm Morgan down. What the hell is his problem?”

  Bas smiled as he grabbed the ball from Chance. Morgan had called time-out for a bathroom break and they were using the time while he was gone to discuss him. “If I recall, you pissed him off that day when he was daydreaming in the meeting. You should have figured then there would be hell to pay. Stop whining and take it like a man.”

  “No, it’s more than just that particular day,” Chance said, concerned. “He’s been playing pretty rough with all of us. I wonder what’s going on.”

  “Whatever it is, I bet it has something to do with Lena,” Donovan said.

  Bas rolled his eyes. “What else is new?”

  “Hey, look at who just walked in,” Chance said.

  Both Bas and Donovan squinted their eyes against the gym’s bright lights. “Isn’t that Jamie Hollis and your ex, Bas?” Donovan asked.

  Bas frowned. “You make her sound like she used to be my wife,” he said of the woman with Jamie, Cassandra Tisdale. “I wonder what the hell the two of them are doing here.”

  Donovan grinned. “Oh, I know the answer to that one. Jamie is after Morgan. In fact there are bets going around that she’s going to be the one he eventually marries instead of Lena.”

  Chance shook his head. “Does Morgan know that?”

  “Yes, I told him. I also told him that I’d heard that Cassandra had even boasted about it to Lena,” Donovan said.

  “No wonder Lena dumped him,” Bas said, frowning.

  “Lena didn’t dump me,” Morgan said angrily, approaching his brothers from behind. “Ready to play another game?” He then glanced up into the bleachers, recognized the two women and frowned. “What the hell are they doing here?”

  Bas turned to his brother and grinned. “Evidently, they came to see you get your ass kicked all over the basketball court today.”

  A few hours later Morgan was back at his place soaking in a hot tub of water. He and his brothers had played some pretty rough games today, but then he’d need the brutal workout to work out his frustrations. Now he could settle down and think.

  He shook his head at the audacity of Cassandra and Jamie. They had tried their best to get him to agree to meet them some place for drinks and to play a game of tennis. He leaned back in the water thinking he wasn’t stupid. He had seen that same look in Jamie Hollis’s eyes that he’d seen in other women on a manhunt. She was a woman with a plan just like he had been a man with a plan. A plan that had backfired on him.

  He wondered if Lena had figured things out yet and if she had, did she even care? Well, hell, he cared and if she thought he had given up on her she had another thought coming.

  He got out of the tub and began drying off. Something Bas had said earlier piqued his interest. Evidently Lena was a part of Vanessa’s latest community project, and there would be a meeting at her house sometime this evening. There was no reason for him not to stop by and give his regards to the ladies.

  Vanessa Steele rolled her eyes at the man standing on her doorstep. “What are you doing here, Morgan?”

  He
smiled. “Do I need a reason to visit one of my favorite cousins?”

  She frowned. “No, but it does seem odd since you haven’t been over here since Christmas.”

  He chuckled. “Only because the last time I dropped by you told me not to come back.”

  Her frown deepened. “I told you not to come back if you had to bring Cameron Cody with you. That man is not welcome in my home.”

  Morgan shook his head. “Wasn’t it just last Sunday that Pastor Givens spoke about forgiveness?”

  She lifted an arched brow. “I’m surprised you remembered the sermon since you, Donovan and Bas usually fall asleep during service. It’s a sin and a shame.”

  “No need to get ugly about it.” He shoved away from the wall. “So, are you going to invite me in or not?”

  Vanessa stared at him as if she was considering his question, and then she moved aside. “Only because Dane’s going to drop Sienna off and he might hang around if you’re here.”

  Morgan entered the house and glanced around, heard feminine voices coming from the back and smiled when he heard one in particular. He then turned to Vanessa and asked, “Why does Dane have to drive Sienna over here?”

  Vanessa couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her lips. “Because they’re driving to Memphis right after the meeting to spend the weekend.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Sienna has some special news for Dane.”

  Morgan nodded. From the way Vanessa had said it, he had an idea just what that news was. He then thought of Lena and the day she would tell him some special news. But first he knew he had to win her over. First he had to get the wife, and then the baby.

  “Well, ladies, look who just showed up,” Vanessa said to the three women in her kitchen.

  Everyone turned and stared at Morgan, but it was Lena who held his gaze the longest. “Hello, everyone. I just decided to pay Vanessa a visit, so don’t mind me,” he said.

  Jocelyn, who was still trying to get to know her husband’s family, smiled over at him and said, “It’s good seeing you, Morgan.”

  “Same here, Jocelyn.” He then glanced over at Kylie. “And how are you, Kylie, besides pregnant?”