“I know exactly what I want, Lena.”
Something in the way Morgan said those words heated her blood. Was she imagining things, or had his voice dropped suggestively lower when he’d made the statement?
“I need to know your likes and dislikes,” Lena said, after a calming, deep breath. “I’d like to ask you some questions,” she said.
“Ask away.”
“Are you interested in a single-story or two-story structure?”
“Two-story.”
She nodded as she jotted the information down. “How about a swimming pool?”
“Umm. Do you swim, Lena?”
She looked up, surprised by his question. “Yes.”
Morgan nodded. “Then I’d like a pool and a nice yard. It really doesn’t matter how big the living room is as long as the house has a large master bedroom. That’s where I plan to spend most of my time.”
Figures, she thought, jotting the information down. Lena couldn’t resist the image that suddenly flashed through her mind. It was a vision of a sleeping Morgan, naked and tangled in silken sheets…
MILLS & BOON
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BRENDA JACKSON
is a die “heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the “going steady” ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she’s always believed in the power of love, Brenda’s stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband of thirty-three years live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons.
A USA TODAY bestselling author, Brenda divides her time between family, writing and working in management at a major insurance company. You may write Brenda at P.O. Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, by e-mail at [email protected] or visit her Web site at www.brendajackson.net.
Beyond Temptation
Brenda Jackson
To Gerald Jackson, Sr.,
my husband, hero and best friend.
To my readers who have been
waiting patiently for Morgan’s story.
To my Heavenly Father who gave me the gift to write.
And lead us not into temptation…
—Matthew 6:13
Dear Reader,
For all of those cynics that don’t believe in true love, I say, “Of course there is a soul mate out there for everyone, and no one should settle for anything less!”
For example, take the case of Helena (Lena) Spears. I know people like Lena, and I’m sure you do, too. Lena lovingly takes on the role of primary caretaker for her elderly mother. She never has time for herself, and because of her family obligations, she has dating “challenges.” After many disappointments, Lena gives up on finding a man who will accept, support and love her.
And although she doesn’t know it at first, Morgan Steele is just the man that Lena needs—if only she could open her heart, mind and soul to what he is offering. But never fear, because Morgan is a Steele. And what Morgan wants, Morgan is determined to get.
I hope you enjoy reading how Morgan and Lena work through their issues and discover what is waiting for them beyond temptation.
Brenda Jackson
Acknowledgements
To Gerald Jackson, Sr., my husband, hero and best friend. To my readers who have been waiting patiently for Morgan's story. To my Heavenly Father who gave me the gift to write.
And lead us not into temptation
Matthew 6:13
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
About the Author
Chapter 1
“Mr. Steele, your two o’clock appointment has arrived.”
Morgan Steele’s pulse immediately kicked up a notch with his secretary’s announcement. He inhaled deeply and deliberately cleared his mind of everything except the woman who was about to walk into his office. Helena Spears.
“Give me a few minutes, Linda, before sending her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
After clicking off the line he stood and threw the papers he’d been reading into his briefcase before snapping it shut and inwardly telling himself to relax. Getting Helena to his office had been the first hurdle, and he was determined to make it over the rest. He was smart enough to know that if at first you don’t succeed you try again, and today he was a man with a more defined plan.
Putting his briefcase aside he found himself glancing toward the door, his pulse kicking up another notch as he remembered the night—a little more than a year ago—when he had first seen her as she walked into that charity ball wearing a very sexy fuchsia-colored dress. There had been something about her entrance that had momentarily taken his breath away, left him awestruck, mesmerized. And moments later when he had gazed into the warmth of her cinnamon-brown eyes, he had felt it. It had happened just the way he’d known it would once he found her—the perfect woman he had been holding out for all these years.
The only thing that hadn’t happened as he’d assumed it would was her acceptance. Lena, as she was known to her family and friends, wasn’t seeing things quite his way. She’d tried to explain to him, in a nice way and more than once, that she wasn’t interested in a man-woman relationship of any kind. She liked her life just the way it was and had no intentions of wasting her time indulging in a meaningless affair. Nor, she’d gone further on to add, was she interested in a meaningful one, either. She had been there, done that, and she’d learned a valuable lesson and had no intentions of doing a repeat.
All that was well and good but she wasn’t dealing with any regular man. At thirty-three