T is for Temptation

by Jianne Carlo

  “Jake,” he muttered. “Tee is my, um, my”—he hunted the room for an escape—“my girlfriend,” he blurted out.

  “Girlfriend?” Elaine repeated. The fragile peach skin on her forehead crinkled. “Are you courting this Tee?”

  “Yes.” He sighed, relieved the end of the interrogation appeared in sight.

  “You love this Tee?” Elaine probed.

  Love, Jake thought. He didn’t know if it was love he felt. He just knew the thought of never seeing her again scared him harebrained. His heart ached with need. A cataclysmic realization hit him; it deep-sixed rational thought, behavior. He wanted Tee for a lifetime, not a month, not three, forever—till death do us part forever. And she’d wanted three days.

  “Leave the boy alone, Elaine,” Kieran ordered. His tone brooked no argument.

  “Alex, does Tee love Jamie?”

  “Oh no. I’m not getting between the two of you.” Alex shook his head. “Ask Jake, not me.”

  “Tee may be in trouble. I need to get back to her.” Jake swallowed, and he looked his mother straight in the eye. “She needs me.”

  “Will you stay for the evening meal, Son?”

  “I don’t know how to get back to her or even where she is.” Jake shrugged. “I’ll be here until I can figure something out.”

  Elaine tiptoed. “Bend down, Son.”

  He dropped his head.

  She kissed his cheek. “Close your eyes.”At his grimace, she shook her head. “Don’t argue with your mother. Close your eyes.”

  Jake let his lids fall.

  “Open your hands.” Something small but heavy dropped into his palms. “You can open your eyes now, Son.”

  His eyelids flew up, and he broke into a broad smile. “Is it?”

  Elaine had dropped an exact copy of Douglas’s miniature trunk into his hands.

  “When you open it, it will take you where you want to go.”

  Ecstatic, Jake picked Elaine up with one hand and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.” He paused and added, “Mother.”

  “Oh, Son. Jamie, I love you.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Oh no. Don’t start.” He cringed and waited for the waterworks to flood his mother’s face.

  However, she smiled wanly, sniffed a couple of times, and her pink mouth settled into a satisfied, maternal smile of contentment.

  “Jamie, there is a caveat attached to my gift. I am forbidden from traveling through time unless I find a way around a spell set on me when I married your father. I cannot travel to you, but you can use the chest to come to me. Whosoever touches you while you open the lid travels with you. There are Gaelic words carved into the trunk. When you speak them and open the lid, it will take you to me, wherever I am. This chest is designed to magnify your gifts, whatever they are. Use it wisely and sparsely.”

  Jake nodded. “Of course.” He hesitated. “If Alex and I touch the chest when I open it, he’ll come with me?”

  “Yes, Jamie, once he’s next to you. It’s best if only the people who will travel are in the room. If you’re not traveling to me, then you must use the trunk differently. Know where you want to go, place and time, close your eyes, and visualize it in detail. Then lift the chest’s lid. Do not speak the Gaelic words.”

  The evening meal seemed interminable. Jake focused on conversing with his mother and father. Stephen and Tiny made caustic comments about every aspect of his and Alex’s appearance and behavior. By the time the servants served the last course, Jake’s impatience threatened to overwhelm his good manners. Kieran rescued him by rising from the table and toasting their safe journey.

  Jake jumped down from the dais. “Come on, buddy. The attic room.” He strode to the staircase.

  Halfway there he halted, pivoted, and walked back to the table. He kissed his mother and shook hands with his brother and his father.

  “I’ll be back,” he promised.

  Grosvenor Glee

  The chest took Jake and Alex back to the Davies suite at Claridge’s. While Alex grumbled about their missing belongings, Jake took the elevator to the lobby. To his utter relief, he saw George Brown’s sandy-blond shock of hair bent over the concierge desk. Brown tapped a pen against his temple. As Jake approached, he caught a glimpse of the Times crossword puzzle.

  “George, you cannot begin to imagine how good it is to see your face.” Jake beamed at him and clapped him on his shoulder.

  “Mr. Mathews, sir, wonderful to see you again. You may be interested to know Mrs. Trent stopped by earlier today.”

  He wanted to kiss the man. “Tee was here. Thank God.” He clapped George on the shoulder again.

  Brown straightened and took two steps back effectively putting himself out of the range of Jake’s arm.

  “What did she want? Why isn’t she in the suite upstairs? Hell, I didn’t check her room. Is she upstairs?”

  “Mrs. Trent is not in the Davies suite. I believe she’s staying with her father at Grosvenor House.”

  “I wonder why Henry’s in London.” Jake drummed his fingers on the desk. “It doesn’t matter. Why did she stop by?”

  “Looking for you, sir.” Three vertical lines formed in between Brown’s eyebrows.

  “How long was Tee here?”

  George cleared his throat. “Actually, sir, Mrs. Trent had lunch with my mother. They spoke for some time.”

  “How did that come about?”

  Brown groaned. “It’s a sin for a grown man to have to admit this, sir. My mother walked me to work. She met your wife, ah, I mean Mrs. Trent in the women's facilities. Mrs. Trent invited her to lunch.”

  “Do you know Grosvenor House at all?”

  “I certainly do, Mr. Mathews. My cousin is the concierge at the Grosvenor.”

  An idiotic smile spread across his face. “You’re my man, George Brown. I presume Tee and Henry are staying in a suite. By chance, can you find out which one?”

  “Of course. My cousin’s on duty until,” he said and checked his watch, “midnight. I’ll ring him up.”

  “I know this is stretching it, but do you think you can get me a key to the suite tonight? I’d like to surprise Tee.”

  “Ah, Mr. Mathews, I relish a challenge.” He quirked an eyebrow. “It’ll take me half an hour to arrange everything.”

  “My debt to you is going to rival the US national deficit.”

  Brown cleared his throat. “I took the liberty of ordering the maids to clear everything from your suite while the detectives were in pursuit of you three. I have a few odds and ends and some of Mrs. Trent's nightwear.”

  “Is there anything you really want in life?” Jake saw a flicker in the other man’s hazel eyes. “There is. Tell me about it.”

  “I fancy owning a pub and a bed and breakfast on an island in the Caribbean. I buy a lottery ticket weekly. Who knows?”

  “Who indeed? Hold that thought.” Callum Ferguson’s land in Tobago sprang to mind, and he grinned. “We may be able to make your dream become reality.”

  “Mr. Mathews, sir, are you serious?”

  “Deadly, George, deadly, and I think we can drop the formalities. Let’s stick with Jake. Deal?” He stretched out his hand, elation and a giddy joy coursing through his veins.

  George beamed and shook hands with him.

  Two hours later, Jake thanked the Grosvenor’s concierge for his assistance. “Are you absolutely positive this is Mrs. Trent’s entrance to the suite? Her father is in the other room, and there’ll be hell to pay if I sneak into his room by mistake.”

  “I would bet my life on it, sir. The maid did a turndown service at ten this evening. Mr. Inglefield refused it, but Mrs. Trent allowed the maid in and chose from a selection of chocolates.”

  Jake palmed a bill to the concierge as he shook the man’s hand. “Thank you.”

  He inserted the key card into the slot, slipped the door open, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The scent of roses, lavender, and spice perfumed the room. Jake let out one of th
ose long, satisfying exhales.

  Tee lay on the bed, curled up on her side with the blankets kicked down to her knees and both hands slipped under one cheek. Her sweetness pierced his soul. A lump rose in his throat, and Jake sat on the edge of the bed and stared at his woman. Never again would he be parted from her.

  His pulse pounded. He cradled his throbbing head in his hands. The sour taste of fear rolled across his tongue. He had never needed anyone before, but the fact he did now couldn’t be escaped. Resignation worked its way into his thoughts. Reality had changed, and he had to deal with it.

  He undressed in record time, letting his clothing fall to the carpeted floor, slid onto the bed, and scooted over to center of the mattress. Jake snaked an arm around Tee’s waist and drew her T-shirt-clad form against his chest.

  Drawn to the curve of her neck, he nuzzled the sugary skin there and breathed in, relishing that Tee scent, heaven, and home. He closed his eyes and savored a moment of absolute contentment. His arousal had other ideas. It jerked against the small of Tee’s back.

  She stirred. “Mmm. Jake?”

  “I’m right here, witchy woman. Damn, I missed you.”

  Her eyes flew open. “Jake. Jake. It’s you. You’re here. Oh, thank God.”

  She spun in his arms and tangled her hands in his hair. Tee dropped butterfly kisses on his chest, to the pulse at his neck, up his throat, all along his jawline and finally covered his lips with hers.

  She poured her heart into the kiss. Jake tasted alcohol-tinged chocolate mixed with the celebratory cigar he’d smoked on the way over. She devoured him, eating his mouth, tempting his tongue into a dazzling salsa. Jake fed on her essence, absorbing it into his soul.

  Tee broke the kiss. She stared at Jake.

  “It is you. You’re here. I thought I’d never see you again. Oh Jake, my Jake.” Her hands framed his face, stroking his skin. Tee ran her thumb across his lower lip.

  “How did you get back? When? How did you know I was here?” Tee kissed him after each question. “Oh God. I’m scared I’m dreaming. Pinch me.”

  He chuckled. “Relax, witchy woman. I’m here, in the future, with you.” He slid his hands under her T-shirt, squeezed a bottom cheek in each hand, and sighed against her forehead. “The most perfect ass in the world, and it’s mine.” He kneaded the firm mounds.

  “I have a lot to tell you.” Jake brushed his lips across her eyelids.

  Tee pushed at his chest. “I saw you marry that girl. How could you?” She pummeled his shoulders, the blows so light they could almost be a caress.

  “I didn’t marry anyone. Listen to me, Tee. You saw my twin brother, Stephen, handfast with her.” Jake studied her face.

  Tee’s eyelids flew up, and her bow-shaped mouth dropped open.

  “It’s true. It’s a long, unbelievable story. I have a mother, a father, and a sister. I haven’t met my sister yet. Her name’s Helen, and apparently she’s a handful.” Jake tucked a curl behind Tee’s ear. “I’m surrounded by strong women who know their own minds.”

  Shifting onto his side, head propped in his palm, he examined her expression, knowing he walked a fine line over the next few minutes. With so much at stake, he had to read her reaction right. Had to, his future depended on it.

  “Are you too tired, or do you want to hear everything now?”

  “Do you think I could sleep after the bombshell you just dropped?” Tee sat up and straightened the tangled sheets, fluffed the pillows, and switched on the lamp.

  Jake reached over, adjusted the lighting to the lowest setting, and patted the bed. “Come, curl up here with me, and I’ll tell you the whole tale.”

  “I can’t find my panties,” Tee muttered, hunting under the comforter.

  “That T-shirt’s more than long enough.” He thumped the bed. “Come on. We’ll pull up the sheets so you won’t be embarrassed. I think we’ll have to wean you into full nudity in the bedroom.”

  Tee found her underwear, bunched it up, and threw it at him. Since it proved to be an itty-bitty lace triangle, he grinned and suggested, “Maybe you should put it on after all. I have this notion of taking it off with my teeth.”

  “Oh my.”

  “I love the way you blush all over.” He crooked a finger. “Come, witchy woman mine.”

  Snuggled into the nook of Jake’s arm, she rested the side of her face against his chest. “All right, tell me.”

  Jake recounted the events since she left BrodickCastle.

  “You can’t dislike Douglas anymore. He gave you back your family. What did it feel like, meeting your parents? Your brother?” Tee circled a finger around his nipple.

  “I’m still not sure. It’s like a disconnect, as if it’s happening to someone else.” He tipped up her chin and kissed her, tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue.

  Color stained her throat, her cheekbones.

  “Why is Henry here?” Jake asked.

  “He came to rescue me and pressure the authorities into dropping the charges.” A secret little smile curled one corner of her mouth. “We talked about me, my powers. He’s always known about them, and it doesn’t seem to bother him. Douglas advised him not to talk to me about them. No, don’t frown like that. He must have had a reason. Look at the trunk, the way it all worked out.”

  “That’s still a question mark as far as I’m concerned. What did your mother have to say about everything?”

  Those rosy lips flattened into a thin line.

  “Tell me, babe.”

  So she did.

  “It’s her loss, not yours. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Tricia Inglefield wouldn’t allow Tee to move in with him. She’d use her cold scorn to intimidate and subdue her only child. He’d bet his company on it.

  “Let’s talk about why you’re not sure you want to move in with me.”

  She covered her face with her hands, but not before a shadowed grimness owned her features. “I’m not sure. But, I know one thing—I’m not moving into a house you own and decorating it with your money. Tony had all the power in our relationship. That’s not going to happen again.”

  “Okay, I can deal with that. Why don’t we look for a place together and share everything fifty-fifty? We can rent. We don’t have to buy.”

  “And what do I do while you’re working? I know how important the business is to you, and I know it takes up a great deal of time. I don’t know anyone in Florida, and although I don’t have a formal career…” She chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds. “I work with physically handicapped kids at a horse farm in Trinidad. I know it isn’t the same. You have a hectic schedule, and you work with high-powered executives, famous people.”

  He remembered Tee’s remark on the way down the islands and the way she grimaced, as if embarrassed. “I don’t have your hectic schedule,” she’d said.

  “I’m not like Tricia. I don’t do lunch at our country club. I’d grow horns if I became a member of a crochet club. Can you see me at a mall every day? After a few months, I’d come to resent the most important part of your life, your company. And then where would we be?”

  “Is that a flat out no?” Tight and stretched to shattering point, Jake couldn’t look her in the eyes. Why’d she keep harping on his business? Why not say it aloud? She didn’t want him, not the way he wanted her.

  “I don’t want you to end up hating me, and it seems inevitable.”

  “Spit it out, Tee. Say the words.”

  “And there’s my dad’s appointment. Trinidad’s not like the US. Can you see your president’s daughter living with someone while he’s in office?”

  “Throw your mother in there too, why don’t you? She thinks I’m the equivalent of trailer trash.” He rolled onto his back and stuck his hands under his head. Naked, erect, and angrier than a wounded lion on its last breath.

  She rose onto her forearms and scowled at him, amber eyes on fire. “Don’t even go there, Jake Mathews. I would love to rub Tricia’s nose in the fact I�
�m dating you. And I can’t wait to tell her about your title. God, that’ll be so satisfying. You think I want to end up like her? Crocheting doilies and gossiping being the highlight of my day? I want to do something with my life. And maybe volunteer work doesn’t add up in your world, but it makes a difference. I see how the kids improve.”

  “Ah hell, Tee.” Deflated, he tugged on his earlobe. “Why can’t we make this work? Okay, I’m a selfish idiot. I never thought about those details. I thought about waking up and holding you in my arms. Coming home and finding you there. And for the record, I think what you do with the children is nothing short of amazing. I saw the cards from the kids on your dresser at Greenbriar. You do make a difference.”

  Mutiny still ruled her mouth, and she didn’t appear convinced of his veracity. Then her lower lip trembled, and a lone tear escaped. “Damn, damn, damn. I’m so bloody confused, and I hate being teary.”

  “Oh, babe. Don’t cry.” Enfolding her in his arms, he kissed her temple and whispered, “Stay with me. Let’s find a way to make this work. Can you really break it off right now?”

  Her head shook against his chest, and she muttered, “No. I don’t even want to. I’m just trying to take charge of my life and think things through.”

  “Which you’ve done like a pro and put me to shame. Have I overstayed my welcome? Do you want me to leave?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Do you really want to rub Tricia’s nose in it by flaunting our relationship?” The thought appealed, but it occurred to him revenge wouldn’t win her blasted mother over.

  “You bet.” Her head rose, and in a mercurial mood change, her lips lifted and curved with glee. “And I’m going to introduce you as Lord Ferguson at every cocktail party. I can’t wait to tell her.”

  “Sorry, I already did.”

  “You didn’t.” She slapped his bicep. “When? She didn’t mention a word. What did she say?”

  “Something to the effect of impossible. I sucker punched her, and she never saw it coming. Blast, I’ll pay for that eventually, won’t I?”

  “Tricia’s not the type to forget and forgive, more like remember and continually punish.”