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Chapter 30
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Perfect Temptation Chapter 31
Losing Brad at twenty-one, when she'd never really had him, was devastating. Losing Brad at twenty-nine after lying in his arms, sleeping by his side and making love to him long into the night? There were simply no words for it. She wondered why the Nobel committee gave out awards for simple things like medical research and promoting world peace, but ignored the efforts of the brokenhearted to keep stumbling along as if nothing was wrong. Worst of all, she couldn't talk about her heartache with anyone. Jessica called every few days, but their conversations were brief. Mattie answered Jess's questions about 'how it had gone with Brad' as quickly as possible then changed the subject. Jessica—half a world away—would only worry if she knew how Mattie felt. Edith, Abigail, and Lucy tried to be supportive and understanding. But she didn't want to burden them. So for their sake, she insisted—repeatedly—that she was fine, relieved even to have the house back to herself, but she didn't thin
Perfect Temptation Epilogue
"You know, when I asked you to look out for my brother while I was gone, I didn't mean you had to do it forever."Mattie looked at her best friend—now her sister-in-law—and smiled. "Well, I did promise. And you know how seriously I take promises."There was a glimmer of sorrow in Jessica's eyes as she raised her champagne in a silent toast. For an instant, Mattie wondered if there was something going on in Jessica's life that her friend hadn't told her about. Then the moment passed, and Jessica said, with mock solemnity, "Thank you for making my brother happy.""Trust me, I've been waiting a long time for this.""You know, he always did want to be part of your family.""Watch it, I might start to worry that he married me just for that," she teased, even though she didn't really believe it.But looking out across her father's lawn, she could see why. Brad's parents—who'd nearly had a fit when she insisted on holding the reception in her father's backyard rather than the country club—sa
Perfect Temptation Chapter 1
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
Perfect Temptation Chapter 2
Mattie pulled the elastic scrunchie out of her hair, then scraped her fingernails over her scalp."Brad means nothing to you now." Hours later, and she was still trying to convince herself.She pulled her clothes off, wadding them into a ball and shooting them across her bedroom into the laundry basket. She crossed the hall to the bathroom, continuing her monologue while she waited for the water to run hot. "I mean it, too. You're not fifteen anymore. You're past that." She braced one hand on the tile wall and thrust the other under the stream of steamy water. Perfect."He'll visit. You'll be sympathetic. That's it." As she stepped into the shower, she noticed the bottle of Fresh Freesia shower gel. Jess was always leaving fancy gels and shampoos in here for her.Mattie started to reach for her own bar of Ivory like she always did but paused. What would it hurt? Surely one fresh freesia shower wouldn't spoil her forever. As she flipped open the cap and inhaled the light floral scent,
Perfect Temptation Chapter 3
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,
Perfect Temptation Chapter 4
Nine weeks?He had just two weeks before he had to be back in the Bay Area. Since his birthday fell toward the end of those two weeks—and since the thought of spending his first birthday since the divorce alone depressed him even more than the divorce had-he'd hoped to spend those weeks with Jess.He hadn't seen her enough in the past couple of years, and he didn't like the thought of the one family member he actually cared about drifting out of his life. Besides, he wanted her perspective on his divorce. He wanted to know if he was really an asshole Ginger said he was.Almost as if she'd read his mind, Mattie chimed in. "Look, Brad, she told me you need advice about women." As she spoke, she started moving toward the front door. "And don't worry. I've got you covered on that front. Just not today. Come back tomorrow. We'll talk about it then."She opened the door to show him out, but he didn't move. Something in her expression brought to mind the first time he'd seen her. It was the
Perfect Temptation Chapter 5
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
Perfect Temptation Chapter 6
Her honestly surprised him. As a preteen, she'd done little to hide her crush on him. At first, he'd been flattered but uninterested. By the time she'd been old enough to stir his interest, he'd been playing ball for her father's team for three years. So when her father asked him to back off, he had."We were?""Oh yeah. At sixteen, I thought you were everything I wanted in a husband."Now he couldn't help wondering if there's been more to her crush than he'd expected. But unlike when she'd take about the store, her tone held no regret. Only whimsy.He couldn't resist playing along. "Tell me about us. What kind of couple are we?"Her lips curved into a smile every bit as playful as the glint in her eyes. "The perfect couple of course.""How did we fall in love?" It wasn't the only question he had about this little fantasy of hers, but it was probably the safest."Over Christmas, while you were still in college." SHe tilted her head back, her eyes drifting closed. "Our first kiss was l
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