From Boardroom to Bedroom

bsp; There it was. The reason she couldn’t fully enjoy her first sexual experience. Nigel didn’t even know her real name. Guilt and disappointment spiraled through her. She’d finally chosen to give herself to someone, and her pleasure had been robbed by her lies. She had nobody to blame but herself.

How could she let this go any further? Clearly Nigel cared for her on some level. He’d taken his time, he’d made love to her with his mouth, and now he looked as if he was perfectly content with nothing more.

Why couldn’t she have met him before the deceit? Why couldn’t she just tell him who she was and why she was here?

Because her brothers were counting on her and she couldn’t let them down. Miranda had no right to take ownership of a family legacy that meant nothing to her anyway.

“I may be inexperienced,” she told him. “But I’m not naive or dumb. You’ve got to be...frustrated.”

Again, he let out a throaty laugh. “I’ll admit to being a trifle uncomfortable.”

His smile slowly faded and those lingering eyes continued to hold her in place. Another burst of arousal slid through her, coupled with fear of all the unknown components that made up this warped relationship.

At some point, this was all going to blow up in her face and they were both going to end up hurt. The longer she stayed, the more involved they became, the more Sophie knew there would be no good way for this to end.

his mussed hair and stared down at her, then offered a soft

envisioned you several times,

dress and stood, tugging the material down to cover her thighs. “You’ve been busy,” she joked, though her nerves were even more out of control than they’d been

you, I’ve never met a woman like you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and raked his thumb over her chin. “Nobody has been able to distract me from work before and nobody has ever made

too deep, too intimate... But she knew tonight was just a stepping stone for

the same,” she replied, still recovering from his touch. “I just

the truth where she could. Maybe he’d even turn out to be understanding. After all, he’d have to see that her attraction to Nigel had nothing at all to do with her

he took it badly? What if he threw her out...and then called Miranda to tell her

felt so guilty, so ugly.

this attraction,” he told her. “I need you to

think you gave me an extra project to get in my pants. But I’m glad to know you find my ideas

of the effort she’d put into this faux job. If she’d learned anything from her father, it was how to

her and her brothers and shown some real care toward them—in his life or in his death. Money and assets aside, she didn’t know why he wouldn’t leave them a part of

so heartbreaking. Like she just had to sever any