Too Much Temptation (25 page)

“That’s good, Grace, because I’m not about to share.”

She scowled. “I wasn’t asking you to. I like what
we
have, Noah. I like your attention and I love having sex with you.” She bit her lip, blinked hard. “It’s…it’s enough for me. Please try to understand.”

Oh, he understood well enough. Grace wanted nothing more from him than sex. Noah almost laughed at the irony of it.

Grace gave him exactly what he’d asked of her, when almost from the first he’d known it wouldn’t be enough. Grace was sunshine and happiness and loyalty, the type of woman who made a man better, more complete. She was sexiness personified, real and caring and good deep down to her soul.

She was everything to him, and he’d blown it.

Noah wanted to rage, to shake her. But Grace stepped up to him and hugged him tight. “You’re very important to me, Noah. I’ve always cared about you, you have to believe that. But this is all so new, so…unexpected.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Let me enjoy it, please?”

He’d die for her, so how could he refuse her now? Noah touched her warm cheek, smoothed her long, thick hair. “Anything you want, Gracie.”

Her eyes darkened with deliberate suggestion. In an effort to relieve the tension between them, she teased, “That’s the spirit.”

Noah managed a smile over his aching sense of loss.
Amazing Grace
. How long would she be content with him? The thought of her with another man put him into a rage. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, let that happen. He’d keep Gracie so sexually satisfied, so limp and sated, she wouldn’t have the strength to look at other men. “Tell me what you want, honey.”

“I want what you promised. Sex on the beach, on the ocean. I want to explore Florida and see your condo. I want to enjoy
you
, all of you. I want to pack as much pleasure into this weekend as we can.”

And then what?
Noah wanted to ask. Instead, he said, “You got it.”

The panicked shadows left Grace’s dark gaze and the strain eased from her face. “Where do we start?”

He squeezed her waist and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll rent a boat.” He stepped toward the desk and the phone book. “You can get into your bikini.”

Grace blushed. “I already told you that’s not going to happen. But I did splurge and get this nice tank suit that matches the sarong.”

Noah looked her over as she pulled the suit from her case and held it up in front of her body. He nodded. “That’ll be fine.” Then he added, “I’ll have it off you in no time anyway.”

Grace drew in a shuddering breath. “I’m counting on it.”

With some trepidation and a lot of antagonism, Ben rapped on the front door of his grandmother’s mansion. He’d been to her house a handful of times and was awed by the size and elegance of it each time. In comparison, his rooms at the hotel were no more than a hovel.

He still preferred them.

Surprisingly, Agatha’s housekeeper, Nan, wasn’t the one to open the door. Agatha saw to the chore herself.

Ben was deliberately ten minutes late and he waited for Agatha to mention it, but she didn’t. Instead, she said, “Thank you for coming, Ben.”

Ben tried to relax, but it was impossible. He stepped inside. “Yeah, well, you didn’t give me much choice.”

Slanting him a look, Agatha said, “Well, well. I had no idea I had such control over you. That kind of information will come in handy.” She turned and headed toward the library, leaving Ben to follow.

He scowled at her narrow, straight back. Her sarcasm was misplaced, but then, he’d asked for it by dishing out his own. Ben was fair, so he said nothing.

As usual, Agatha wore an expensive silk suit, this one a stormy gray, with low-heeled pumps that made her steps echo throughout the large entryway. Her silver hair was in a severe, elegant twist and she wore a simple silver pin in her lapel with matching studs in her ears.

For a fleeting moment, Ben wondered if Agatha Harper had ever been a soft woman, if she’d ever been a loving mother. Perhaps Pierce, his father, had merely been a product of his rigid upbringing. Ben shook his head and shut the library door behind him. He’d be damned before he started making excuses for the man who’d gotten his mother pregnant, then turned his back on her.

“Okay, Aggie, let’s hear it. What dire circumstance do you envision me dealing with?”

Agatha flicked her gaze at him while tidying a stack of papers on a dark, massive desk that Ben wouldn’t keep if it were given to him. “This is serious, young man, so you’d be better served to stop baiting me.”

She was probably correct, at least partly. Ben sighed. “Yeah, all right. So what’s up?”

“It’s about your brother.”

Ben raised both brows. “Hold on here. Are you acknowledging that Noah
is
my brother?” His shock was only half feigned. “But Aggie, you do realize that would have to mean Pierce was my father.”

“And I your grandmother, yes.” Wearily, she seated herself behind the desk and nodded toward a chair. “Please, take a seat.”

A little numb at the turnaround, Ben scooted the padded leather chair a little closer. It was unaccountably heavy. The damn thing likely cost as much as his hotel. He dropped into the posh padding with a sigh. “I gotta admit, I’m waiting with bated breath.”

Agatha folded her old, wrinkled hands on the desktop and eyed Ben. “Noah is ruining his life.”

A guffaw of hilarity escaped Ben. “Yeah right. He’s happier than he’s ever been.”

Agatha frowned. “On the surface, maybe. He’s a proud man and wouldn’t want others to know how he really feels.”

“He’d tell me.” Ben stared at her, taking pleasure in pointing out the truth. “He tells me everything.”

Agatha seemed startled by that news, but not unhappy about it. “Tell me, Ben, how can he possibly be happy? He’s built up so much at the restaurant, and now he’s walked away from it all. He’s in love with Kara, yet he’s pulled out of the engagement. He’s destroying his reputation, his business associations, and his love life.”

Ben shook his head with a disparaging show of pity. “Christ, you really don’t know him at all, do you? I figured since Noah was your chosen one, the heir apparent, you’d paid closer attention. I sort of assumed you were an astute woman, given all your wealth. Hell, Aggie, you might as well have been wearing blinders, you’ve missed so much.”

That was one too many insults for Agatha to calmly ignore. She shot to her feet, then had to grab the edge of the desk to steady herself. Ben slowly stood, watching her with concern. She looked…wobbly. He’d never seen her that way before.

Guilt over his appalling behavior crowded in. Agatha was an elderly woman, in her late seventies, and he’d taken pleasure in his insolence.

Ben shook off the guilt. He owed her nothing.

Yet his concern remained.

Agatha took several moments to gather herself. She stared at the desk while doing so. When she finally looked up at Ben, she was once again in control. “I do know my grandson. He’s a mover and a shaker, a man who likes to see things through. I’ve let the restaurant go because I know it’ll be impossible for Noah to watch it fall apart.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “You love that restaurant.”

“So does Noah.”

He shook his head impatiently. “No, I mean I thought you loved it too much to let it crumble.”

Agatha stepped out from behind the desk to pace. “I don’t think that will happen. Noah will return before it does. But…” She looked up and held Ben’s gaze. “It’s worth the risk.”

Because she loved Noah. Oh, Ben doubted she’d ever admit it, she was such a crusty old witch, but it was there in her faded blue eyes, in the strain on her aristocratic face. Ben turned away from her to run a hand through his hair. Everything was suddenly more complicated.

“So what the hell do you want from me?”

“Your help in setting things right.”

“Yeah?” He faced her again. “And how do you figure to do that?”

In an uncommon show of nervousness, Agatha bit her bottom lip. Just as quickly, her chin lifted in imperious demand. “How do you feel about Kara?”

Ben shrugged. He considered Kara spoiled and self-indulgent and weak—typical of her upbringing. But he didn’t say any of that to Agatha. “She’s all right.”

“She’s perfect for Noah.”

“Not even close.”

Agatha didn’t appear to hear him. “I want to prod Noah back to his senses. To do that, I need you to temporarily replace him.”

Shock rolled through Ben. “Replace him…where?”

“Everywhere that counts. You can step in as my manager, for the restaurant and my other business ventures. Given your success at the hotel and diner, it’s obvious that you’re capable of handling the task. At least for a short time.”

Ben didn’t dare blink. He had no idea when he’d see anything this bizarre again. Agatha giving him a compliment? Or had it been? She’d stipulated that “for a short time.” He was still pondering that when she threw the rest at him.

“And I want you to pursue Kara.”

His mouth fell open. Only Aggie could be that outrageous.

“That ought to shake Noah up,” Agatha went on. “If he thinks he’s losing Kara, he’ll realize his mistakes and come back where he belongs.”

A slow burning in his gut made Ben shake. He rounded the desk toward Agatha, and given the way she backed up, he knew he didn’t look exactly receptive to her idea.

“You old bitch.” The words were spat out from between his teeth, but Ben couldn’t remember ever being so angry. “You would connive and plot against your own grandson. Noah gave you everything he had, and all along you’ve just been using him.”

Agatha reached behind her until she found her chair. She dropped into it, then braced her hands on the arms. “That’s not true.”

“Bullshit.” He leaned over her. “You act like you took care of him…well, that’s backwards, Aggie. Noah’s been propping you up since the day he arrived. But were you ever grateful? Hell no, you ground him under every chance you got.”

She clutched a hand to her chest. “That’s a lie! I did my best for Noah.”

Ben snorted. “Like you did your best for Pierce? Yeah, we all know how that turned out, don’t we? The man was a waste of humanity as far as I’m concerned.”

Agatha pushed upright, heaving in her anger. Her chair skidded out behind her on the hardwood floor. “How dare you!” Her voice rose to a shout. “He was my son and I loved him!”

“Like you love Noah?”

Her thin nostrils flared and her eyes filled with tears. “What would you have me do, damn you? Just give up on Noah, watch him ruin his life?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Agatha. Maybe you could try being honest? Maybe you could tell Noah how much you appreciate him? Give him the respect and admiration he deserves?”

For a long, frozen moment, neither of them moved. Agatha hugged herself and stared beyond Ben. “Pierce was a great man, a wealthy man. As his son, you could have had so much.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. Was that a threat, an enticement? He had no idea. “You just don’t get it, do you? Pierce had nothing I wanted, including himself, including you. Hell, I count myself fortunate that he stayed out of my life. And believe me, he wasn’t missed. My mother and I managed just fine.”

“You could have had more. New cars, luxury vacations, influence, and—”

“Everything Pierce had?”

Her mouth trembled. “Yes.”

Gently, feeling a twinge of pity, Ben said, “And look how he turned out.”

Agatha turned away. Her shoulders were hunched, making Ben feel like a monster. But damn it, she had to stop tampering with Noah’s life.

Ben knew it was time to go. But first he said, “Noah is a better man than Pierce ever was.”

Seconds ticked by, and Agatha finally said, “I know.”

Ben stared at her back. “Come again?”

She straightened, turned. “I said I know. The same can be said for you.”

Suspicion bloomed. “Still trying to finagle, Aggie? Use any old trick, including false flattery, to get what you want?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s true, Ben. You’re a fine young man.”

His anger on the rise again, Ben told her, “I’m not that easy. You made it clear what you thought of me years ago.”

“Yes.” Her smile was slanted, real. “And you’ve made it quite clear what you think of me.”

Damn her, did she want his sympathy now? Panic crawled over Ben, joining the uncertainty, the hesitation.

The neediness.
No.

Ben drew one breath, then another. He had to get out before he said something stupid. “One question before I go, Agatha.”

She agreed with a weary nod of her head. “All right.”

Ben folded his arms over his chest. “What the hell do you have against Gracie?”

Surprise flickered over her face. “Why, nothing. She’s a lovely person.”

“Yeah, I think so. One of the finest people I know. Then why are you so hell-bent on breaking her and Noah up?”

Agatha shook her head. “No, you’ve misunderstood. I tried to encourage Noah to marry her.”