Temptation. Donna Hill

searched his mouth. Her slender arms clung to him, her only means of knowing that she was still on earth finding herself within the warm cavern.

      How long had she waited to feel this way? A day? A week—forever? Somehow she believed her search was over. Cole would show her what it was like to be a real woman.

      Then reality stung her with vehemence. She couldn’t. Not with this man. Not with someone who knew Jordan. Then their long-kept secret would be discovered. She couldn’t do that to Jordan’s memory.

      Without warning, she tore herself from Trent’s embrace. She shook her head warning off his spontaneous approach.

      “No. Please. I shouldn’t have done that.” She turned away and started up the small incline toward the entrance.

      Trent took off after her, reaching her just before she came to the door. He grabbed her arm. “I wanted to,” he said in a raspy voice.

      Noelle remained with her back to him afraid to see the truth that she sensed would be in his eyes.

      “I’ve wanted to from the moment I saw you, Noelle. So don’t blame yourself.”

      Slowly she turned to face him. He saw the doubt in her eyes. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand.

      “What are you so afraid of?” he asked gently.

      She tilted up her chin, exhibiting a confident air. “You’ve got it all wrong. I just don’t want you to think that I was trying to…” She searched for the word.

      “Romance me into helping you,” he said finishing her sentence once again. The beginnings of a smile tilted his full lips. “Like I said, Mrs. Maxwell, I wanted that kiss.”

      The light in his eyes ignited. “And I think you wanted it, too.”

      He moved his hand down to stroke her arm.

      She stared at him for a brief moment. “Good night, Mr. Richards.” Her tone was suddenly formal. “Please let me know if you’ll accept my request.”

      Without another word she turned away, hurrying into the safety of the villa.

      For several moments Trent leaned against the ornate pillar, silently fuming. He could have kicked himself. He’d obviously misread her. He shook his head at his own macho stupidity. Just because he let his hormones lead the way didn’t mean that she was on the same wave length.

      He slammed his fist against the pillar. Damn it! This was going to be even more difficult than he thought. Not only did he have to hide his identity, and keep his feelings for Noelle in check, he also had to get her to realize that he wasn’t some oversexed, oversized teenager on the make.

      Noelle lay in her bed staring sightlessly up at the sheer netting that draped her bed. For years she’d kept a lid on her desires. She’d willingly substituted gratitude and loyalty for physical pleasure. And now, in one fell swoop, Cole Richards walks into her life and opens up the trap door to her heart.

      She squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t let herself be swept away by a torrid desire for a man she hardly knew. And even if she did, which was highly unlikely, she’d had no experience with casual affairs and wouldn’t know how to conduct one. For all the years of her marriage she’d stuck to the letter of her vows. Forsaking all others. She’d never allowed temptation, unhappiness, or physical incompleteness to lead her into infidelity. Although she wasn’t particularly religious as an adult, her childhood years of churchgoing had left its indelible mark.

      In any event, Cole Richards appeared to be the type of man who would never settle down and she knew she could never tolerate that.

      Could she even trust a man, any man with her feelings, with them knowing who she was and the millions that she represented? Why would Cole Richards be any different from the others who had been attracted by the wealth and power? This time couldn’t be any different. Could it?

      She turned on her left side, trying to still the racing beat of her heart. Even as she did visions of Cole, the scent of him, the feel and taste of him filled her.

      She flipped onto her right side, pushing her face into the pillow. She’d just have to find some way of dealing with the irresponsible way he made her feel. She’d disguised her true feelings for years. This time wouldn’t be any different. Because Cole Richards was going to help her prove that Trent Dixon caused Jordan’s death whether he wanted to or not.

      Nothing could interfere with that.