The Tempted

by Amanda Stevens

  Tess felt as if a noose were slowly tightening around her neck. She was still caught in Royce Spencer’s trap. She was still bound by the same secret she’d sworn six years ago to take to her deathbed. And Jared? Nothing had changed between them. Not in all this time. They were still never meant to be.

  “So Royce wins,” she said angrily. “No matter what I do.”

  “At least you’re alive,” Melanie said harshly. “And as long as you’re alive, you still have a chance to find Emily.”

  Chapter Eleven

  By the time Jared’s furniture arrived on Thursday, the lake house sparkled from all the polishing, scrubbing, and elbow grease Tess had applied to the task. She’d done most of the work herself because she couldn’t afford to take any of her crews off her contracted jobs. She had a lot of goodwill to make up, although her customers had been very understanding about her absence. Still, she looked at Jared’s contract as almost a side job, and it was her responsibility alone to fulfill it.

  And, truth be known, maybe she was a little curious to see what he intended to do with the place. As she’d supervised the movers, she’d been struck immediately by the expensive but serviceable pieces of furniture he’d chosen. The sturdy leather sofa and chairs were in sharp contrast to the delicate white brocade fabrics that had adorned the house six years ago.

  Evidently, he’d meant what he said. He wanted the lake house to be a place where kids could be kids, and Tess, perhaps for the first time, considered what his own childhood must have been like. She’d never been to the Spencer estate in Jackson, but, judging from the former grandeur of the lake house, she could well imagine the opulence, the stiff formality that would be the routine.

  Tess had always resented the Spencers and their money, but now as she thought about the way Jared had grown up, the constant competitions, the impossible expectations, the sly manipulations, she realized that she was the lucky one. Her mother had allowed her at an early age to be her own person, to make her own decisions, and no matter what, Tess had known that she had Joelle’s unconditional love. Tess had tried to raise Emily that way, too, but all the love in the world hadn’t saved her from harm.

  As Tess parked her truck in front of the lake house on Friday afternoon, she sat for a moment, reluctant to go inside. She wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t the tasks that still waited for her inside that made her hesitate. She’d never been afraid of hard work, and although she seldom went out on jobs herself these days, unless one of her crews was shorthanded, physical labor still didn’t deter her.

  But if it wasn’t the work, then why did she get this uneasy feeling every time she came here? Why did she have the constant need to look over her shoulder, as if someone was watching her every move?

  Tess had been to the house almost every afternoon this past week, so she knew there was nothing inside to be afraid of. So why the unease, the hesitation?

  The hair at the back of her neck tingled as she gazed up at the windows, imagining someone inside, staring down at her.

  “All right,” she muttered, climbing out of the Explorer. “This is getting me nowhere fast.”

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, and she glanced worriedly toward the lake. Storm clouds gathered over the water, and Tess shivered, not keen on being caught on the wrong side of the lake in bad weather. It had been raining the night she and Melanie had had the accident. The night Tess had been fleeing from this very place in terror.

  Don’t think about that now, she warned herself sternly. She still had work to do inside, and if she didn’t get started, she’d be here all night.

  Using the key Jared had given her on Monday, she let herself into the house. It was only a little after three, but the coming storm made the house seem dark and gloomy in spite of all the windows. Tess quickly flipped on lights.

  Better, she thought as she stood in the foyer glancing around. The house really was a masterpiece of design, with large, airy rooms leading into one another and floor-to-ceiling windows that provided breathtaking views of the lake, the pool and the gardens. She walked over to the wall of glass in the living room and stood for a moment, watching the storm bearing down over the water. An unexpectedly close clap of thunder sent her scurrying away from the windows.

  “Okay,” she muttered, gathering up the supplies she’d left earlier in the week. “Get busy and forget about the storm.”

  She paused at the bottom of the stairs, glancing around in satisfaction. The hardwood floors gleamed, the windows sparkled, and every nook and cranny had been scoured free of every speck of dust. Tess was nothing if not thorough, and she took a great deal of pride in her work. Not even a Spencer could find fault, she decided.

  The place was still sparsely furnished. The leather furniture was scattered about the large living area, along with sturdy pine tables and armoires. But there were no accessories, no paintings on the walls, no lamps, no priceless objects of art. But somehow the room was more appealing than it had ever been before.

  Tess remembered how it had looked on that fateful night six years ago, the sparkling chandeliers, the Chinese rugs, the white silk upholstery that had made her a nervous wreck as she’d moved about the room serving wine to the glitterati who’d come to celebrate the Spencers’ anniversary. As if a glass of spilled wine was all she’d had to worry about, Tess thought dryly.

  She shook her head, dispelling the memories, and hurried upstairs for one final inspection.

  As she started down the hall, a noise somewhere in the house made her go stone still. Already jittery from the bad weather and from being alone, she felt a thrill of alarm go up her spine.

  Nothing to be afraid of, she told herself firmly. Probably just thunder—

  No, there it was again, and it was definitely not thunder. The sound was coming from somewhere down the hallway.

  Tess’s first thought was that perhaps someone had gotten inside the house, a homeless person seeking shelter from the coming storm. Or what if it was a convict hiding out from the law? Or Royce? What if he’d followed her out here?

  What if her imagination ran completely away with her? Tess thought scornfully.

  The noise, she decided, was nothing more than a tree branch scraping against the side of the house. Or, a tad more alarming, a mouse.

  She walked down the hall, flipping on lights, but as she came to the end of the corridor, she paused, listening. Thunder rumbled outside, and she stood for a moment, rubbing her arms where electricity prickled along her skin.

  This is crazy. There’s no one here—

  There!

  The sound came from the third-floor attic. When Tess moved to the bottom of the steps, the rustling became more pronounced. Mice? she wondered again.

  She climbed the steps slowly, telling herself there was nothing to be afraid of. No reason she shouldn’t check out the attic and put her mind at ease once and for all so she could get on with her work.

  The door to the attic was at the top of the stairs, and Tess remained poised on the top step, putting her ear to the wood. The rustling stopped, but after a moment another sound came to her. A very faint groan.

  Her heart in her throat, Tess reached for the doorknob and turned it, but the door was locked. She rattled the knob uselessly as an impossible thought came to her. Could Emily be locked inside that room?

  That’s crazy! Tess told herself furiously. Emily had been missing for over a month. She couldn’t have been locked up here in the lake house for all that time. She couldn’t! It was impossible!

  But what if she was?

  Tess shook the knob frantically, then put a shoulder into the door and shoved. “Emily!”

  Almost too late, she saw a shadow on the door that hadn’t been there before. Someone had come up behind her in the hallway.

  Whirling, Tess lost her balance and pitched forward down the stairs.

  SHE CAUGHT HERSELF before she fell, and Jared came rushing up the steps toward her. “Tess? You okay?”

  She sat down weakly on the stairs
, massaging her right ankle. “Why did you sneak up on me like that?” she snapped. “You almost scared me to death!”

  She looked pale as a ghost, Jared thought. He knelt in front of her. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I saw your truck out front, so I let myself in and came looking for you.” He glanced down at her ankle. “Are you okay? Do I need to get you to a doctor?”

  “No, I just twisted it.” She stood, putting weight on the foot, and grimaced. “I’ll live.” She turned and glanced back up the stairs. “I was trying to get in the attic. The door’s locked. Do you know why?”

  Jared rose, too, and walked past her up the stairs, trying the door for himself. “I don’t think it’s locked. I think it’s just stuck.” He put a shoulder against the wood, and, after a split second, the hinges squealed ominously. He shoved the door open and reached inside to turn on the light.

  Tess came up behind him. “What’s in there?”

  “Junk mostly, left behind by the previous owners, I’d guess.” He stepped back. “Want to see for yourself?”

  She moved in front of him, walking through the door as her gaze swung around the cluttered space.

  “Why did you want to get in the attic?” Jared asked her.

  She glanced back at him, her expression guarded. “I thought I heard something. I think you may have mice.”

  “Then why were you calling for Emily?”

  In the stark light from the bare bulb suspended from the ceiling, he saw her flinch. But she said nothing as she moved around the room, searching.

  “Tess?”

  She gave him a guilty look. “My imagination got the better of me, okay? I thought I heard a…cry or a groan. It sounded like a child.”

  No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Jared heard the noise, too.

  Tess’s face went even paler, and she glanced frantically around the attic. “Did you hear that?”

  He strode by her to the window. “There’s your culprit.” He nodded toward the window. When Tess came to stand beside him, he pointed outside. A weather vane on the roof turned in the wind. The metal moaned as it twisted, sounding a little like a child in distress.

  “That’s all it was. Nothing to be alarmed about.”

  Tess wrapped her arms around her middle and glanced around. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Shall we go?”

  She nodded and followed him out. He closed the attic door and the two of them descended the steps together. At the bottom, he paused and took Tess’s arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I told you. I just twisted my ankle. It’ll be fine—”

  “I’m not talking about your ankle. Tess.” He gazed down at her, searching her face. “Why would you think Emily would be up in that attic?”

  “I didn’t. I mean…not really. But I hear her all the time, calling out to me. I see her everywhere.” Her eyes filled with tears and she turned away. “Every house I drive by, every building I pass, I can’t help wondering if she’s inside. I know it sounds crazy, but I have the strongest feeling, even after all this time, that she’s somewhere close by.”

  Not crazy so much as wishful thinking. But Jared understood. He caught himself thinking the same thing at times. If he could just search through every house in Eden, he’d be able to find her.

  “Let’s get you downstairs and have a closer look at that ankle.”

  “I told you, I’m fine—”

  But a clap of thunder caused her to jump. The lights flickered and went out. In the murky light from the window, Jared saw her shudder.

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “Nothing’s changed up here at the lake, I see. We always used to lose power even in the mildest storms.”

  “There’re some candles in the kitchen,” Tess said. “I put them there myself.”

  Downstairs, Jared insisted that she sit while he retrieved the candles from the kitchen and got them going in the living room. Tess watched as he placed them around the room. In the flickering light, his features looked dark and mysterious. She shivered, thinking about what she’d told Melanie on Monday. “I was never afraid of Jared.”

  It was true. He’d never been a threat to her physically, but there was danger here just the same. Danger in the memories. In the emotions. In the attraction.

  Danger in being trapped in a storm with the only man she’d ever been in love with.

  Danger in the desire that was stronger than ever to tell him the truth about their daughter.

  But more of her conversation with Melanie came back to her. “Don’t lose sight of why you left town,” she’d warned. “Why you never told Jared about Emily. Think back to that night, Tess. Remember how terrified you were. And with good reason. Royce Spencer would have killed you if he’d known about the baby. And there wouldn’t have been anything Jared, or anyone else, could have done about it. You did the right thing.”

  Then why did she feel as if she was being torn in two different directions? Tess wondered. If she’d done the right thing, why had guilt eaten away at her all these years? Guilt for keeping Emily from Jared. Guilt for walking away from an accident that had trapped Melanie in a wheelchair. Guilt that she should have been able to do something, anything, to stop Royce Spencer from ruining all their lives.

  And she was still letting her fear of Royce control her. Maybe it was past time for the truth to come out. Maybe it was high time Royce Spencer be made to pay for what he’d done all those years ago.

  “…if the truth comes out now, what do you think Royce would do? He’d be more dangerous than ever. And supposing Jared did believe you? What could either one of you prove? Nothing. Royce would get away scot-free, and then, in time, he’d come after you. He might even come after Jared, too. And neither one of you would see it coming.”

  Her thoughts in turmoil, Tess got up and limped over to the window. The storm was a mild one. It would pass quickly, leaving no damage other than fallen leaves and bruised flowers. Power would be restored and everything would return to normal.

  Tess wished she could take comfort in that knowledge, but the tempest inside her would never be over. Not until Emily was back home, safe and sound. Not until Jared was out of her life, once and for all. Or until she told him the truth. Because she couldn’t have it both ways, Tess realized. She could not continue to see Jared and keep her secret. It would destroy her.

  And when he found out? She shuddered to think of that time.

  He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. Tess knew that she should move away, but instead, she found herself relaxing against him, drawing comfort from his touch, drawing courage from his strength.

  “Why did you come out here alone?” he asked her.

  She turned in surprise. “We had a deal, remember? I faxed you the contracts.”

  He frowned down at her. “Yes, but I didn’t expect you to do the actual work yourself. I thought you’d send one of your crews. I only meant for you to organize.”

  Tess shrugged. “My crews are all busy. I can’t afford to short-change my regular clients any more than I already have. There was no one left to do the work but me, and besides, I don’t mind.”

  “Why do I have a feeling there’s more to it than that?” Jared mused.

  Tess frowned. “I don’t know what you mean. It’s purely a matter of management and economics.”

  “Nothing to do with pride?”

  “Pride?” She stared up at him blankly.

  “A way to put us both back in our places? A way to remind me, yet again, that we were never meant to be?”

  Tess’s heart thudded against her chest. “The thought never even occurred to me.”

  “Then maybe there’s hope after all,” he murmured. His gaze on her deepened, and Tess knew what was coming. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him because she was powerless to stop it.

  No, that’s not true, a little voice whispered. You don’t want to stop it.

  No man had kissed her since Jared. No man had held
her since Jared. Her relationship with Alan had been nothing more than a tender friendship, two needy people trying desperately to chase away the loneliness. There’d been love, but no romance. Touching, but no passion. Tess had told herself that she didn’t miss a physical relationship with a man. In some ways, holding hands with Alan had been just as fulfilling, especially toward the end, but staring up at Jared now, she realized how badly she’d been deluding herself.

  Making love with him had been like sharing a piece of heaven. The two of them alone on his boat, the night wind cooling their feverish bodies as they moved in perfect sync, their souls melding…

  Together, they’d found paradise, and they’d made Emily under a deep velvet sky filled with stars.

  He thumbed away tears Tess hadn’t even realized were falling. And then he lowered his mouth to hers.

  It was a gentle kiss, warm and experimental, with just a hint of urgency. With just a whisper of the old passion, as if he was holding off, waiting for her reaction. Now was the time to back off, Tess told herself. Now was the time to pull away. But she didn’t. Instead, she opened her lips, tentatively touching her tongue to his.

  She felt a shudder go through Jared’s body as his arms wrapped around her and he drew her close, kissing her deeply as his mouth moved against hers, as his tongue met hers in a breathtaking dance of desire.

  Tingles skimmed along her spine as she wound her arms around his neck. They were standing so close she could feel his heartbeat against her own. The wild rhythm was like a synergist, a chemical reactor that stoked her memories, that fueled images of the way things had been with Jared, of the way things would still be if they gave in to their wildest yearnings.

  He broke the kiss, burying his face in her hair. “Tess, Tess. Do you have any idea how much I want you? How much I need you?”