He stood and then asked, "So what's the next procedure?" He watched as she opened her folder.

"As far as this house goes, it's as good as sold. It has too many strong points for it not to be a quick buy. All the expensive moldings, the marble in the bathrooms and the bathrooms period. They're beautiful and s.p.a.cious and you're using all the cabinet s.p.a.ce to the best advantage. This house is rather large for one person. You're evidently someone who likes his s.p.a.ce."

He shrugged. "Not really. I don't mind sharing my s.p.a.ce with the right person."

"Well, to answer your question," Lena replied, "what's next is the installation of a lockbox. You don't have a problem with me showing your home when you're not here, do you?"

He wasn't crazy about the idea but knew he couldn't tell her that. "No, I don't have a problem with it."

"Good. I'll try to call before I drop by with anyone."

"That's fine. Do whatever you need to do." He came around the table to stand in front of her. "I'll walk you out since I need to leave myself. I have to drop back by the office to finish up some paperwork and then I'm expected to show up for dinner later at Bas and Jocelyn's place."

Lena smiled as she stood. "I can't help but smile every time I think of how Bas talked Jocelyn in changing their wedding date from June to February."

Morgan grinned. "Chase did the same thing with Kylie. Both Jocelyn and Kylie got cheated out of June weddings because of my eager brothers. I'm glad Jocelyn was able to finalize everything she had to do so she could move from Newton Grove to here permanently. Otherwise, we would have been tempted to ask Bas to take another leave of absence or he would have driven us all nuts."

"They seem so happy."

"They are, and so are Chance and Kylie. Marriage seems to agree with some people."

"Well, yes, I'm sure it does."

He watched how she quickly gathered up her belongings. He got the distinct impression that his closeness was bothering her. "I better get going," she said.

"Okay, I'll see you out."

As he walked her to the door he said, "I'd like weekly updates. Will that be a problem?"

She glanced over at him. "No, that won't be a problem. I'm checking on an area of homes a few miles from here. It's a new subdivision but I don't think the property is more than what you have now. You like a lot of land, don't you?"

"Yes, more yard for my children to play."

He could feel her gaze on him. "You want children?"

"Sure, one day. Don't you?"

"Yes, but..."

He turned to her when they reached the door. "But what?"

"Umm, but nothing. I'll see you later, Morgan," she said, offering him her hand for a business handshake. "And I appreciate you allowing me to handle things for you."

He glanced at her hand before taking it. "Like I said, you come highly recommended. One thing you'll discover about me, Lena, is that I choose my business a.s.sociates carefully." As carefully as I choose my lovers, As carefully as I choose my lovers, he decided not to add. he decided not to add.

He saw the expression on her face the moment their hands touched. He also felt her response. Although she might wish otherwise, the chemistry between them was still there. He was tempted to lean in and kiss her. Take her mouth the way he'd thought of doing so many times. Once he slipped his tongue between her parted lips, there would be no stopping him. A kiss could be defined as friendly or intimate. Any kiss they shared would definitely be intimate.

The moment he released her hand she turned and he watched as she quickly began strolling down the brick walkway to her car, liking the sway of her hips as she did so. Today she was wearing another powerhouse business suit. This one was a mint green and brought out the rich brown coloring of her skin tone. Something else it brought out was the primal male inside him when he'd gotten close enough to notice she was also wearing a mint-green bra, which made him wonder what else under her clothes was the same color.

He sighed deeply as she pulled back out of his driveway. Part of his plan was to take things slow so she could get to know him, but all he could think about while sitting across from her at that table was speeding things up a bit, saying the h.e.l.l with slow and taking her into his bedroom and making love to her like there was no tomorrow.

But he knew doing such a thing would only result in a satisfaction of overstimulated hormones and he wanted something a lot more out of a relationship with Lena. So for now the between-the-sheets fantasies had to take a backseat to what was really important, even if the waiting killed him, because everything he was doing now would be all worth it in the end.

Lena let out a deep breath as soon as Morgan's home was no longer in sight. Talk about temptation, she thought, coming to a stop at a traffic light and pursing her lips. Each time her gaze had met his she had been tempted to reach across the table and trace her fingers across those delectable lips of his. That would have given her only a little contentment. What would really have satisfied the woman in her was to have plastered her mouth to his and kissed him the way she often thought of doing.

But that wasn't all. She could vividly recall when he had shown her his bedroom. The moment she had seen the king-size bed with royal-blue satin sheets, an all-consuming need had spread all through her body. And when he had left her side to show how the remote to his window blinds worked, her gaze had devoured him, appreciating how his lean and firm thighs fit his designer trousers and how his broad, muscled shoulders fit the white shirt he wore. And just for a moment, when he had leaned across the bed to brush a piece of lint off the bedspread, she had imagined herself in that bed, tangled in those sheets with him. By the time she had taken a gulp of that ice-cold tea he'd prepared, she had needed it to cool off.

Inwardly she groaned when the traffic light turned green. She had to let go of this obsession since it would lead nowhere. She glanced at her watch again. She and Kylie had their regular lunch date, and today they would plan for Kylie's baby shower.

She smiled thinking that her friend was having another baby after almost fifteen years. But this time the pregnancy would be totally different. Kylie was not that sixteen-year-old who had found herself facing a teenage pregnancy alone after her parents had turned their backs on her. Now she was a woman married to a wonderful man who loved her and who would make her baby a wonderful father.

Lena couldn't help but be happy for her best friend, and inwardly she could admit she was a little envious although such happiness could not have happened to a more deserving person than Kylie. But still, that didn't stop Lena's heart from aching from what she didn't have. Here she was, at thirty-one still the bridesmaid but never the bride, still the G.o.dmother but never the mother. And what was so sad was knowing she would never be a bride or a mother.

She inhaled deeply, refusing to give the state of her future any more thought that day.

"What's this I hear about you selling your home, Morgan?"

Morgan lifted a brow. He highly suspected that Bas had heard the news from Donovan, not that it was a secret.

"Yes, you heard right," he said, accepting the gla.s.s of wine his brother was offering him.

"How come?"

Morgan gave a sigh of relief. At least Donovan hadn't told Bas everything. "What do you mean how come?"

"Just what I ask," Bas said, dropping into the lounge chair across from where Morgan sat. "How come? You love that house. As you've told us so many times, it's perfect for you."

Jocelyn was in the kitchen and Morgan could only hope she wasn't privy to their conversation. "Things change."

"Bulls.h.i.t. Tell that to someone else. Things might change but you don't. You've had this obsession with things being ideal in your life for as long as I can remember. So what's really going on with you, Morgan? What's the real reason you're selling your house? Discovered you're sitting on a gold mine or something?"

"Wished it was that simple," Morgan managed to say finally, studying his gla.s.s of wine for a moment before lifting his gaze to Bas's curious one. "Colin Powell once said, and I quote, 'There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.'"

Bas rolled his eyes. "Will you give it to me straight, Morgan?"

Morgan smiled as he momentarily traced his finger around the rim of his gla.s.s. Bas was a troubleshooter; he looked for problems where there weren't any. Morgan glanced back up and met his brother's gaze. "Okay, Bas, you want me to give it to you straight? Then here goes. Lena Spears."

Morgan watched his brother's expression. For a moment he looked genuinely bewildered. Then slowly, Morgan saw the exact moment he figured things out. For a while there Morgan had gotten worried since Bas wasn't normally a slow man.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bas said sharply, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Trust me, I do. I want her, Bas."

"Tell me something I don't know, Morgan. That's been evident now for over a year. It's also been evident to everyone but you, it seems, that she doesn't want to be wanted...at least not by you."

"Then it's up to me to convince her otherwise."

"And you'll go so far as to sell your house to do it?"

"Whatever it takes. Wish me luck."

Bas shook his head, smiling. "You need more than luck, brother. You need prayer. I get the distinct impression that Lena likes her life just the way it is."

"I got that impression too, and I wanted to know why such a beautiful woman would not want a man in it."

"Did you ask Kylie?"

"Yes."

"And what did she say?"

"At first she was tight-lipped, like she didn't want to betray Lena's confidences or something. Then she mumbled something about the men in Lena's past not being able to get past the fact that she and her mother are a package deal."

Bas frowned. "If that's true, then those weren't men, they were a.s.sholes who must have been hatched. Who in their right mind would even think about making a person choose between a lover and a parent?"

"How about someone like Dr. Derek Peterson?"

Bas's frown deepened. "He's a good example that what I said is true since everyone knows he's an a.s.shole."

Morgan chuckled. Derek, who'd always taken ego trips even while in high school, was not a favorite of the Steele Brothers since that night a few years ago when he'd tried pulling his aggressive macho ways on Vanessa. Ignoring their advice she had gone out with him. The date had ended rather quickly when she had to resort to kneeing him in the groin when he proved he didn't know the meaning of the word no. no. He never forgave Vanessa for using that technique on him, and to this day was still p.i.s.sed at the Steele brothers for having taught her how to use it. He never forgave Vanessa for using that technique on him, and to this day was still p.i.s.sed at the Steele brothers for having taught her how to use it.

"Well, he must not have been the only one for Lena to have developed a complex about it to the point where she thinks the majority of men think that way. I intend to prove otherwise, and certain things can't be rushed. Using her as my Realtor will buy me some time."

He took a sip of his wine, determined to make Bas understand as he'd done Donovan a few days ago. "I'm serious when I said I want her, Bas. But more importantly," he said, meeting his brother's gaze, "I intend to have her."

"So, Mom, how was the trip to the zoo?"

"It was nice. Mr. Bannister got sick again and Ms. Lilly wanted Mr. Arnold to share his wheelchair but he wouldn't."

Lena nodded. She knew Ms. Lilly was an older woman in her early eighties who had begun showing signs of Alzheimer's last year. On several occasions she had a.s.sumed Odessa Spears was her daughter and would try to make her follow her commands. "What about Ms. Emily? How did she do today?" she asked, and glanced over and watched her mother smile.

"Why, Emily did just fine with this being her first trip and all. But she had company. Her granddaughter and great-granddaughter went with us as chaperones. Did I ever tell you that she had six grands and two great-grands?"

Lena's stomach tightened since she knew where this conversation was headed. "Yes, Mama, you told me."

"And Emily agrees with me that it's a shame that I don't even have a grand. She said she can't believe a young woman as pretty as you can't find herself a man."

Lena sighed deeply. There was no way she could tell her mother that men were out there a dime a dozen and she didn't have to "find" one. The problem was hooking up with one who didn't have stipulations that weren't acceptable to her. Lena knew her mother's heart would be crushed if she ever discovered the real reason men didn't come calling and those who did usually stopped real quick, as if in a hurry once they discovered her role in her mother's life.

"Mom, like I told you, my job keeps me busy."

"No job should keep a woman too busy for a man. You're thirty-one. I was married to your father before my twenty-first birthday and we were so happy together. That man was my life. You came along twenty years later and then the both of you became my life. A woman couldn't have been happier. A husband and a child have a way of fulfilling a woman's life."

"I'm sure that's true, Mom, but-"

"And take a look at Kylie. I love Tiffany dearly with her being your G.o.dchild and all, but a new baby is nice and it didn't take Kylie long after her marriage to do her duty."

Lena shook her head. Her duty. Her duty. She didn't want to think about what her mother figured her duty was. She didn't want to think about what her mother figured her duty was.

"But I don't want to talk about Kylie. You're my daughter and I want to talk about you."

Lena sighed. Her mother hadn't been this talkative in a long time. A part of her was happy about it, but she would be even happier if they discussed another subject. "Mom, we've talked before. They don't make men like they used to," she said, coming to a stop at a traffic light.

She glanced over at her mom and met her gaze when Odessa asked, "Is that what's bothering you? Are you figuring there isn't a man out there like your daddy was? Probably not, but it's the woman who usually makes the marriage and not the man. You just have to let him think that he does. Why, I can recall when your father..."

Lena pulled off when the traffic light changed to green as her mother relived pleasant memories. She was grateful for the change in subjects, because if they had stayed on their same conversation path, there was no way she wouldn't eventually have lost it. Having lunch with Kylie and seeing how pregnant she looked made her unconsciously rub her stomach wishing more than anything a baby could be there.

She cleared her throat in an attempt to keep her tear ducts from working. For some reason she'd been in a melancholy mood lately, but she knew it would eventually pa.s.s and she would snap out of it.

Considering everything, she really didn't have much of a choice.

Chapter 3.

Lena glanced around when she entered the restaurant. She had been on her way to the Steele Corporation for a meeting with Morgan when she received a call from her secretary saying Morgan wanted to meet with her here instead of his office.

She sighed, feeling tired from a restless night. Her mother had had another outburst for her father and it had taken a while to get her settled back down. It always pained Lena to watch her mother relive her grief. After taking her mother to the day care this morning she had stopped by to visit with Delphine Moore, her mother's social worker.

Delphine had explained that the reason her mother kept having her bouts of grief, even after six years, was that she hadn't yet found anything to fill the void in her life left by her father. G.o.d knows it hadn't been for lack of trying on Lena's part. According to both Delphine and Lena's mother's family physician, Odessa's issues, both mentally and physically, stemmed from the same thing. She needed something motivating in her life, something that would give her the will and desire to keep living.

Something like a grandchild.

The conversation she'd had with her mother a few days ago was still firmly embedded in Lena's mind. She knew her mother was lonely and that was understandable. She also knew her mother probably saw her life slowly drifting away without the love of a grandchild to cherish. A part of Lena wished more than anything she could give her mother a granddaughter or grandson to love during her remaining days on earth, but such a thing wasn't possible. Kylie had suggested that she try looking into programs where elderly adults could volunteer to act as surrogate grandparents. Since her mother got around fairly well with minimum help on her good days, that was one idea worth checking out. Lena's heart sank every time she thought of her mother being unhappy.

"May I help you, miss?"

The waiter's question reined Lena's thoughts back to the present. "Yes. I'm to meet Morgan Steele here."

The waiter smiled. "Yes, please follow me. Mr. Steele is waiting."

As she followed the waiter it wasn't long before she was staring into the contours of Morgan's handsome face when he stood for her approach. As usual he was dressed in a tailored suit and looked the epitome of a successful businessman. By the time she reached his table, her heart was jumping crazily in her chest. Although the eyes staring at her were intense, his facial expression was solid, unreadable. But that was all right, she tried a.s.suring herself. If he were to look at her any other way, with even a hint of an open invitation right now, her Gemini twin would be tempted to come out, and heaven forbid if that happened. She had dreamed of Morgan last night, and those dreams were still vivid in her mind. Her body had been flooded with adrenaline of the most sensual kind. In her fantasy he was an expert lover, and she would bet that in reality he would be the same.