His Secret Temptation Read online

  His Secret Temptation

  By Cat Schield

  Who’s the sexy blonde stranger sleeping in Simon Holcroft’s bed? The workaholic returns from a business trip to find someone stretched out on his sheets. Between the laundry basket at her side and the smell of orange cleaner, he deduces that the young woman is his maid—and resists the urge to kiss her awake.

  But when his brother’s fiancé—his own ex—bursts in and strips down to her panties, Simon has to get her dressed and back where she belongs. So he introduces the maid as his fiancée. But his little white lie gets bigger, because now he has to bring his supposed bride-to-be to meet the whole family. One offer-she-can’t-refuse later, Simon has bought himself a temporary fiancée.

  In debt up to her eyeballs and all alone for the holidays, how could struggling grad student Caroline Sampson not accept her gorgeous client’s fantasy proposal? But acting like she’s in love comes more easily than she ever expected.

  60,000 words

  Dear Readers,

  April is a bit of a mixed-bag month, isn’t it? In some countries, like here in the United States, it’s tax season, which for many is either a very stressful time or a time of “Hurray! Tax-return money arrives!” We also get Easter weekend, which comes with days off for some. April is also the month where we finally (hopefully) really start seeing the change of seasons from winter to spring, let out a long breath and kick our children outdoors for longer periods of time (surely it’s not just me who does that?).

  So I guess it’s only appropriate that our releases this month are also a mixed bag. Carina Press is able to bring you an assortment of titles to help bust you out of any lingering winter blues. The month starts off with a smokin’-hot bang via Abby Wood’s erotic contemporary cowboy romance Consent to Love. Joining her in the first week of April are Sandy James with her contemporary romance Rules of the Game, and Regency romance The Perfect Impostor by Wendy Soliman.

  Also in the contemporary romance genre in April we have His Secret Temptation by Cat Schield, Serious Play by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon, and North of Heartbreak by Julie Rowe. Historical romance author M.K. Chester joins the April lineup with Surrender to the Roman, and Juliana Ross heats up the Victorian era with erotic historical romance Improper Relations. Returning with three more books in her White series is author Susan Edwards.

  Talented Natalie J. Damschroder returns with another crowd-pleasing romantic suspense, Acceptable Risks. And if you love that book, make sure you check out her previous romantic suspense, Fight or Flight, from our 2011 release schedule!

  For those of you who prefer your romance a bit more…otherworldly, Kaylea Cross’s Darkest Caress is a paranormal romance of magical races, darkly handsome men and fiercely independent women. Ella Drake takes us to her vision of our post-apocalyptic world in Desert Blade, and new Carina Press author Kay Keppler’s Zero Gravity Outcasts takes readers on a science-fiction adventure with a hint of romance.

  Fans of male/male romance should be on the lookout for Brook Street: Fortune Hunter, the next in author Ava March’s regency historical trilogy.

  Last, but certainly not least, we’re very pleased to present debut author Christopher Beats’s steampunk noir Cruel Numbers this month. Visit Christopher’s alternate historical world in which the North loses the War of Southern Secession, one girl’s talent for analytical machines has made her a valuable asset in the new world, and steam-powered gadgets may give war veteran Donovan Schist the edge he needs to save his life, and hers.

  I think April’s schedule of releases is a good reason to wish for just one more snow day—so you can stay inside and read! I hope you enjoy these books as much as we have.

  We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Executive Editor, Carina Press

  www.carinapress.com

  www.twitter.com/carinapress

  www.facebook.com/carinapress

  Dedication

  To The Unsinkables, my fellow 2010 Golden Heart finalists.

  May all your writing dreams come true

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  “What the hell?”

  Simon Holcroft dropped his suitcase. It landed with a thud on the Brazilian maple flooring. The sound reverberated around his master bedroom, echoing the sonic boom in his chest. Absolute silence followed. Setting his hands on his hips, he contemplated his unmade bed and the woman asleep in it.

  Nine days touring Australian wineries. A twenty-six hour flight back to Atlanta, seated beside a man who snored like a chainsaw, followed by a two-hour delay in customs. Start to finish the trip had been a test of patience and endurance. No rest. No relaxation. No fun. Only frustration.

  By the time the elevator swept him toward his tenth floor condo, he was ready to trade his newly purchased K2 Hellbent skis for a hot shower and clean, lavender-scented sheets.

  Instead, he got Goldilocks.

  From the coved ceiling above his king-size bed, diffused light spilled over the stranger. She slept on her side, her hands clasped beneath her chin. Her pose appeared serene, but he sensed an inner turmoil shadowed her dreams. She’d twisted in her sleep. Her restless movements had pulled her yellow T-shirt tight against her small, round breasts.

  How long had her troubles pursued her into oblivion? His own difficulties with suppliers and distribution channels had eaten into his shut-eye for the last three months. Expanding the business would double his income, but what he wouldn’t give for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

  The woman’s straight blond hair cascaded over his gold-toned sheets and across her face like a scarf. Worn khaki shorts showcased slender calves and long thigh muscles. Her bare foot dangled over the edge. She fit into his cream-and-gold decor like a decorative throw pillow, the perfect feminine accent for his sensual, luxurious, wholly masculine room.

  Appreciation tickled his nerve endings, sharpening his curiosity. Who was she?

  He stepped closer. His toe nudged an empty laundry basket. At the same time, a blend of citrus and ginger struck his nose. He reached out to shake her awake, but stopped, his hand hovering over her shoulder as he recognized the orange smell as the cleaning product used in his bathroom. The ginger scent rose off her warm skin.

  So, this was his maid. Interesting.

  Although she’d been cleaning his house for the last six months, they’d never met. They had, however, traded notes on a weekly basis. Witty, humorous exchanges that he’d enjoyed to no end.

  Okay, so this explained the who. The why would have to wait until she slipped free of Morpheus’s grasp.

  Simon swept one finger along her cheek and tucked the curtain of her hair behind her ear. She stirred and frowned, but didn’t awaken. He studied her face. Delicate, curving eyebrows, high cheekbones, and full lips combined to produce an arresting face that hovered between pretty and beautiful.

  She wasn’t at all as he’d pictured her. In his mind, she was one of those brainy girls in high school, long on smarts, short on looks. He’d imagined her with hunched shoulders from c
arrying a backpack loaded with books, short brown hair that required nothing more than finger combing and tortoiseshell glasses because all those hours spent studying in the library’s dim lighting would have ruined her eyesight. Bookish, unattractive, and since he knew she was in college, twenty-one at the most.

  Surveying the woman in his bed, he’d badly misjudged.

  Desire jostled him. Despite his exhausting travel schedule and being awake for almost thirty hours, the sight of a woman in his bed, even one fully clothed, had a predictable effect on his libido. A golden opportunity had tumbled into his bed, his territory. What man wouldn’t want to claim a prize of this caliber?

  Would she burst on his tongue like an exotic fruit from the South Pacific or satisfy him like a peach from his mother’s garden? He didn’t need to touch her to know her skin would heat beneath his caresses. Skimming his fingertips against her curves would alert him to those areas where she was most sensitive.

  Simon scrubbed at his face, striving for restraint, but fatigue left him raw and open to the relentless throb of hunger and need. In the last year his love life had been nearly nonexistent. Between traveling for business and visiting his parents in Savannah, dating had fallen pretty low on his to-do list. Most of his time and energy had gone into building his wine import business into a twenty million dollar a year organization. He’d surrendered his free time, sacrificed personal relationships and made a hell of a lot of money he rarely spent.

  All because he couldn’t stop competing with his older brother.

  Fortunately, he had a few women friends he could call who understood his busy schedule and didn’t mind the occasional evening together that led to nothing more serious. He sent his mind back and had a hard time recalling the last time he’d picked up the phone.

  It had been a while. A long while. Which accounted for the ridiculous urge to kiss Goldilocks awake.

  As if the intensity of his thoughts reached into her dreams and startled her back to consciousness, she stirred. Her lashes fluttered as she sucked in a breath and reached her fingers and toes in opposite directions, stretching her long, lean body. A groan worked its way past her lips.

  Simon’s groin tightened as her actions raised her shirt and bared a three-inch strip of her flat stomach. If he thought finding a stranger asleep in his bed had rattled him, he was leveled by the blast of sexual awareness that struck when she opened her eyes and blinked sleepily up at him.

  He inhaled a measured breath and manhandled his wayward instincts under control. In the heartbeat before her brain engaged they stared at each other.

  “Someone’s been sleeping in my bed,” he teased, keeping his tone light. “And it looks like she’s still here.”

  His words snapped her out of immobility. Moving with the jerky panic of someone who’d awakened to find her worst nightmare come to life, she scrambled off the bed.

  “Are you Simon?”

  “Yes.”

  Her body sagged a little as he identified himself. “I’m so sorry.”

  She stood taller than he’d estimated earlier. In bare feet the top of her head would tuck perfectly under his chin. He contemplated for a moment how her long body would feel stretched against his in a lazy, slow dance. He would make sure both of her arms were around his neck because he would want to feel every shifting line of muscle and bone.

  “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” he said.

  “Of course not. I’m your maid. Caroline Sampson.” Her words tumbled out in a frazzled rush. “I clean your house.”

  Amusement flared. “Yes,” he drawled. “I gathered that.”

  She brushed her hair behind her ear. His fingers twitched at the memory of those silky locks against his skin. He ground his teeth at his body’s sharp reaction and crossed his arms over his chest. “It appears you’ve been making yourself at home. Did you find my bed comfortable?”

  Worry roiled in her gray-green eyes. “I’m sorry about falling asleep in your…but your sheets are so soft and smell so—” She broke off and took her full lower lip between even white teeth.

  So…what? What scent had enticed her? Would that same fragrance lure her into his arms?

  “You probably want to fire me over this. Please don’t. I swear I’ve never done anything like this before.” She lifted her hands in a beseeching gesture. “I really need this job.” Her gaze skipped toward the darkness outside the large windows. “Do you know what time it is?” A line appeared between her brows. “I’m supposed to be meeting my study group at six-thirty.”

  “I’m afraid you’re out of luck. It’s almost eight.”

  He leaned against the dresser. His hip nudged the book balanced on the edge. He picked up the tome and glanced at the title: a law book. Curious, he opened the cover and flipped pages. Two sheets of folded paper fell to the floor. Her eyes went wide when he bent and scooped up what turned out to be a letter and a badly overdue bill for law school.

  “May I have my book back, please?” The words were polite enough, but her stiff tone and tight lips told a different story.

  Simon couldn’t recall the last time a woman had intrigued both his mind and his body at the same time. A hardworking law student in obvious financial straits, demonstrating a fascinating mixture of determination and vulnerability, she brought out the mischief-maker his mother always complained about.

  He offered her a slow smile. “Come and get it.”

  Her body went rigid at his dare, but something flickered in her eyes. A look that said she wasn’t offended by his challenge. Quite the opposite. Sizzling sexual tension arced across the ten feet separating them, reminding him that although they’d never met, they weren’t exactly strangers either.

  She had as little time for a social life as he did. Work and school ate up all the hours in her day and drained her energy. But the notes she wrote him had a wistful quality when she spoke of her lack of a love life and often he was left wondering what might happen if he showed up one day unexpectedly…

  The chime of his doorbell interrupted the charged atmosphere. Silently cursing, he set her book down.

  “Excuse me a moment, won’t you?” He pivoted toward the door, leaving her staring after him in dismay. Before he passed into the hallway, he paused and pinned her in place with a smoky grin. “Don’t go away.”

  The encounter had banished his exhaustion and given him a reason to smile. For the first time in months his spirits returned to their normal cruising altitude. Hell, if she had that kind of effect on him, maybe he should consider hiring her as a live-in maid.

  Simon turned on lights as he headed toward his front door, but what awaited him on the other side made him wish he’d ignored the intrusion. Warning sirens shrieked in his mind when he spied the woman standing in the hallway.

  “Francine.”

  “Hello, handsome.” His future sister-in-law snapped the compact shut and brought her emerald green eyes to bear on him. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Her voice vibrated with a sexy drawl that suited her lithe body and provocative expressions.

  His night had gone from Goldilocks asleep in his bed to the Wicked Witch of the West making a house call. What was next? “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’m visiting my parents. We’re celebrating Christmas this weekend because I’m spending the holidays with your family.” Wearing a glamorous chartreuse gown that drew attention to her considerable cleavage and tiny waist, Francine had dressed for a party. Or a seduction. “I’m flying to Savannah on Monday morning. Or if you want, we could drive together.”

  She reached out to fiddle with his tie. He pulled it from her grasp.

  “I didn’t mean Atlanta,” he snapped, amazed she’d had the guts to show up here after his response to her last email. “I meant here, in my condo. I thought you understood that I don’t want trouble with Dane.”

  If she heard the warning in his tone she gave no sign. “I came to deliver your Christmas present.”

  “You don
’t need to get me anything for Christmas.” Simon’s breath hissed between his clenched teeth. He certainly didn’t plan on getting anything for her. That was his brother’s job.

  “But it’s already gift wrapped.” She cultivated a secretive smile and traced her neckline to draw his attention to the plump curves of her breasts. “And I put a big red bow on it. Let me in so I can unwrap it for you.”

  “I’m tired and not in the mood for your games. You can give it to me in Savannah.”

  She dropped her coat off her shoulders, baring her creamy skin. “It will be too late for this particular gift once we get to your parents’ house.”

  At last comprehension dawned. “I suppose you’re referring to your email?” His stomach turned to stone. Disgust rose like bile and burned the back of his throat. “What possessed you to send me a picture of you wearing nothing but a bow around your neck?”

  “You didn’t like it?” Her cat-crafty eyes devoured his torso from throat to groin. Without waiting for an invitation, she advanced on him. “I thought it was rather tastefully done. I know Dane enjoyed it.”

  Simon stepped back to avoid contact with her. As she passed, she raked her nails across his chest. He shoved her hand aside. Her moves were so obvious he wondered why his oh-so-smart brother didn’t tire of her games.

  An only child, she’d grown up the center of her parents’ world. It drove Simon crazy the way they still cosseted and spoiled her. She was accustomed to getting her own way. Tantrums or manipulation ensued when she didn’t. Simon had grown weary of her excessive neediness after dating her for two years. They probably wouldn’t have lasted that long if his brother hadn’t shown an interest in her.

  “You sent us both the same email?” He launched his fingers into his hair to keep from throttling her. Damn the woman. She didn’t deserve his brother. “What were you thinking?”

  Francine paced across the living room to the large floor-to-ceiling windows where thousands of lights kept the night at bay. With the stunning view of downtown Atlanta as her backdrop, she turned and pouted.