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Chapter 9
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Perfect Temptation Chapter 10
Surprise ricocheted through her and all Mattie could muster in response was "Huh?" followed by a long pause and then an equally ineloquent "Well, no."Sure, she'd fantasized endlessly about him asking her out, but she'd never wondered why he hadn't. "I was the scrawny best friend of your kid sister. I figured I was too young and you simply weren't interested." "When you first moved to Palo Verde, when you were ten? Yeah, you were too much young." He put his glass down and pushed away from the counter to step nearer to her. "When you were thirteen? Yeah, you were just the scrawny best friend of my kid sister." With two more steps, he closed the distance between them. He stopped, with his feet planted on either side of her own. Mattie's heart began to pound at his closeness. She inhaled sharply, trying to catch her breath, but that just pulled Bard's warm, masculine scent into her lungs and did nothing to clear her head. "By the time you were fifteen? You weren't scrawny." His focu
Perfect Temptation Chapter 11
Clearly, she’d caught him off guard.Brad blinked in surprise, then said, “I told you before. I don’t want another wife.”“Who said I want another husband?”“You did. Last night by the pool. Whether you realize it or not, you still harbor some fantasy about us ending up together.” He stopped backing away from her and before she knew it, she was standing close enough to touch him.“Those were the fantasies I had as a teenager. Don’t you want to know about the fantasies I have now? The ones where I am not saintly? The ones you asked about last night?”She brought her hand to his cheek. The jutting bone of his jaw rested squarely in her palm, and a day’s worth of beard stubble brushed her skin. The only thing more erotic than these blatant reminders of his masculinity was the heady knowledge of her power over him.All those years ago she hadn’t been the only one harboring secret fantasies. Tonight, she wouldn’t be the only one finally acting them out.“Mattie, this isn’t a good idea.”“I
Perfect Temptation Chapter 12
Fifty pounds of pressure bore down on Brad’s chest as he struggled into consciousness. His head pounded. His body ached. His tongue clung to the roof of his mouth— a mouth so dry, it felt like someone had poured a bag of cat litter into it. To make matters worse, he had the distinct feeling that put in a good dent into Jessica’s bottle of Scotch wasn’t the only stupid thing he’d done last night.Why the hell had he thought it would be a good idea to come clean with Mattie? Why the hell hard he thought she needed to know how he’d felt about her back in high school? And why the hell had he given in to the need to kiss her?As if that would ever be enough. As if he’d ever be able to kiss her again without wanting to touch her. Without wanting to stripper clothes from that luscious body. Without needing to see—once and for all—the body that had fueled his teenage fantasies. Needing to explore every responsive inch of that body. Needing to drive her completely over the edge again and again
Perfect Temptation Chapter 13
She flashed him a smile full of audacity. “Oh, Brad, but you are a nice guy. Last night only proves it.” She took another bite of the apple. “You see, nice guys always do the right thing.”“They do?”“Oh, yes.” There was something unconsciously erotic about the sight of her white teeth sinking into the mottled red skin, about the crunch and the crisp, fresh scent.“Back in high school,” she continued, “ you stayed away from me, because it was the right thing to do. And last night, you didn’t take me to bed because you thought it was the right thing to do. Undoubtably out of some misguided notion that you were protecting me.““I—“ he tried to protest, but she cut him off.“The point is, again you did the right thing. Because that’s what nice guys do. And that’s exactly why you will not be leaving today.”“It is?”“Yep.”He was sure she hadn’t moved, yet she seemed closer— more tempting— than she had been even a few minutes ago.“You see, Brad, I need your help. Or rather, my shop need
Perfect Temptation Chapter 14
“What?” Lucy had somehow made it down to her knees and was holding the incriminating book in both hands, staring at the cover in confusion. When she heard no response, she looked up. Great. Just great. Mattie thought. How has she managed to hire what had to be the only nineteen year old in northern California who would never heard of the Kama Sutra, and the only eighty year olds, who apparently had? She struggled to her feet, Then reached for the book with one hand and pulling Lucy to her feet with the other. “ It’s nothing. Just a library book I checked out. By accident. Just a silly mistake.“ Now that was the understatement of the century. “A silly mistake, my behind,” Edith cackled. “The Kama Sutra. The Joy of Sex. Dating for Dummies. The Multi-Orgasmic Couple. The Girlfriend's Guide to Great Sex.” Edith pointed to each of the books as she listed off the titles. Picking up the books, Mattie said, “This is my business. My personal, private business.” “Poppycock.” Edith stood, h
Perfect Temptation Chatper 15
Did people actually do these things?Mattie stared in fascination at a pen-and-ink drawing of a man with his arm stretched above his head and his hands tied to the headboard with a handkerchief.The drawings intrigued her. Sex with Mike had been...uninspired. And for the first time, she regretted that.Oh, she didn't blame him. Not just him, anyway. She hadn't done much to spice up their marriage, either. But now she found herself wishing she'd tried something a little different while she'd had the chance.What about Brad? A niggling little voice in the back of her mind asked. If she ever got Brad into bed, would she need such tricks to keep things interesting? Or would merely being with him be enough? She suspected the latter.After all, she had a lot sexual frustration to work out. After years of anticipation, she wouldn't need any kinky to keep her interested—all she needed was him in her bed. All that gorgeous naked flesh of his at her mercy. Just his skin against hers. His mouth,
Perfect Temptation Chapter 16
Mattie stared at him in disbelief in complete silence. At that moment, he studied her waiting for an answer. He smiled ruefully. "No, I suppose not." His smile faded and his gaze turned solemn. "Is that why our marriage ended? Because I wasn't affectionate enough?" His words tugged at her heart and, for an instant, she saw him not as the attractive grown man he was—or even as the heartless businessman he tried so hard to be—but as a child. A little boy, lonely and uncertain. The surge of emotion she felt in that instant was dangerous. All this time she'd been telling herself she only lusted after him. Now she wasn't sure if that was the case. When had love gotten more complicated than sex? She forced herself to answer his question. "I don't know." Determined to regain control of the conversation, she smiled brightly and said, "But I have a plan to help you figure that out." "You do?" "Absolutely." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a single sheet of paper on which s
Perfect Temptation Chapter 17
As she scrounged together the store's financial and employment records and saved the files onto a Zip disk, Mattie felt a bit like she had the time her grandmother caught her reading Cosmo's "50 Tricks to Drive Him Wild." Nervous and a little ashamed, even though she hadn't really done anything wrong. For someone struggling to be strong, financially independent woman, she'd sure made some rotten decisions about money in her lifetime. Trusting another man with her finances terrified her, but Brad wasn't Mike. He wouldn't make the same mistakes Mike had. Besides, she'd only take his advice if she trusted it. If there was any chance—any chance at all—that he could fish A Stitch in Time out of these economically troubled waters, shouldn't she let him? Which was more important, the store or her pride? The store, obviously. Because it wasn't just the store that was at stake. It was the jobs and the future happiness of Edith, Abigail, and Lucy. frankly, she didn't give a fig about quilts,
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