Perfect Temptation

Brad Sumners successful entrepreneur, former high school football quarterback, and all-around Greek God. Of all the things Mattie Wilcox could imagine him needing advice about, women were dead last on the list."Let me see if I've got this right." Mattie eyed her best friend and roommate speculatively."Your brother needs advice and, since you're leaving town, I'm elected?"Jessica Sumners tossed two suitcases on her bed."Come on," she cajoled. "You and I have been best friends since the sixth grade. We practically grew up together. He thinks of you as a sister." She scooped the entire contents of one dresser drawer into her arms and then dumped it into one of the open bags.Mattie raised her eyebrows at Jessica's uncharacteristic packing. Seeing Jessica-who was normally so calm and sophisticated-this rattled was a bit amusing, really. But who wouldn't be rattled under the circumstances? Packing for a nine-week trip in less than an hour would make anyone panic. But Jessica? Jessica, w

There was a naked woman in his sister's living room.Nearly naked, anyway. She wore only a bright yellow towel wrapped sarong-style around her torso and a blue towel twined like a turban on her head. Other than that, she was completely naked. Gloriously naked.She was a tiny little thing-small enough that her cheek could rest right against his heart-but he didn't, not even for a minute, mistake her for anything other than a full-grown woman. Though slender, she had curves in all the right places. That yellow towel hid little and stressed everything else. That bare length of her thighs, the swell of her hips, the arch of her breasts, the delicate jut of her collarbone.He swallowed, trying to ease the sudden dryness in his mouth. She was obviously just out of the shower and he was instantly aware that her skin would still be moist and the droplets of water would pool at the hollow of her throat.His gaze slipped up to her eyes. They widened, mirroring his own surprise. Her lips parted,

A few hours later, Brad found Mattie in the backyard, sprawled in a lounger by the pool, an open bottle of Fat Tire Amber Ale resting on the table beside her chair. She held a worn deck of playing cards in her hands, the familiar blue-and-white pattern faded with time and use, and she shuffled them from one hand to the other. She paused, looked up when he approached, and then tapped the stack against her palm.She still wore jeans, but she'd lost the shoes and traded the UCLA sweatshirt for a worn T-shirt that said, Teachers Do It With CLASS! Madison lay at her feet, slowly twitching her tail in sedate contentment.His traitor dog opened one eye and glanced at him dismissively before deciding, with a sigh, to ignore him.Mattie looked sorely tempted to follow her namesake' example. She shuffled the cards twice more, and he could sense that she was watching him from her peripheral vision. Mattie had never been able to hold a grudge and he could see her annoyance beginning to crumble.F

No regrets? No regrets my ass.The thought echoed through her mind with every heart-pounding, knee-rattling step Mattie took along the bark-strewn jogging path. Squinting against the morning sun, she caught a glimpse of the last mile marker.Okay, you can do it. Only one more mile. One. More. Mile.She shoved aside thoughts of the pain and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't shove aside thoughts of Brad as easily.Every time she pushed his image away, it crept back in when she wasn't looking. Mercilessly, relentlessly. And annoying as hell.She'd spent most of her life dreaming of what it would be like to be kissed by Brad Sumners. At eleven, she'd imagined a chaste peck on the cheek. At fourteen, she'd longed for a romantic kiss, like something out of a movie. But last night's kiss wasn't at all what she'd bargained for. It was neither chaste nor charming. She hadn't i

Are you crazy?"Brad considered her question as he slid the laminated card back into his wallet. Crazy? He didn't think so.Confused? That was another matter entirely.He achieved every major goal he'd set for himself in the past fifteen years. Now, when it mattered most, he'd failed. What he couldn't figure out was why it pissed her off."Look Mattie, all I..."She cut him off with a firm shake of her head. "No. Absolutely not.""But...""I am not going to help you find a wife.""Find a wife?" It took him a second to comprehend the conclusion she'd leaped to. By that time, she'd already spun on her heel and stormed off down the street.He caught up with her in a few steps, but she refused to look over at him. "I don't need..."She jerked to a stop, then whirled around. "You don't need? This is all about what you need, isn't it?" She glared at him, her eyes shooting daggers. "What about what I need?"It was just as well she didn't give him a chance to answer. He didn't have the slight