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.

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

you

been busy,” she joked, though

has been able to distract me from work before and nobody has ever made

knew tonight was just a stepping stone

recovering from

have to see that her attraction to Nigel had nothing

he threw her out...and then

made her miserable. She’d never felt so guilty, so

you have nothing at all to do with this attraction,” he told her. “I need you to know that. In a very short time, you’ve proven to

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

could be a little proud of the effort she’d put into this faux job. If she’d learned anything from her father, it was how to work hard no matter the

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

and her father had had a strained relationship, having everything removed from her life where he was concerned seemed so final, so heartbreaking. Like she just had to sever any