A Christmas Temptation

“I’ll do my best. I’ll give you a call in the morning with an update, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Love you, Soph.”

“Love you, too.” Sophie hung up and drew in a deep breath, blowing it out through her nose. She considered calling Jake and telling him to not come, but maybe Mindy was right. Maybe it was time for the two of them to really hash things out. Maybe that would finally let her forget him for good.

In the meantime, Sophie didn’t dare start the decorating until Mindy arrived tomorrow. Plus, after her long drive, and her hellish workweek, she was simply exhausted. A nap wasn’t merely in order; it was a necessity. She grabbed her suitcase and headed upstairs.

Eden House slept twenty people comfortably, which meant that Sophie and Mindy had always each had their own bedroom. Sophie’s was the second on the right in the upstairs hall, directly across from Gram’s master suite. It was beautifully decorated in white and soft tones of gray and pink, with a cloud-like four-poster bed and the most picturesque view of the backyard and woods beyond. Sophie changed into comfy lavender silk pajama pants with a tank top and climbed under the fluffy comforter. Not bothering to set the alarm on her phone, she closed her eyes, let her head sink into the feather pillows and tried as hard as she could not to think about whether or not Jake was going to turn up on her doorstep.

When Sophie woke, the room was much darker. From somewhere beyond her door, she’d heard a banging sound. Bang bang bang. She bolted up in bed and clutched the covers to her chest, her brain slowly whirring to life. How long had she been asleep? She fumbled for her phone. Her nap had lasted for hours. Bang bang bang. Sophie jumped. Then she heard the more pleasant ring of the doorbell and she realized what all that banging was. Jake.

She grabbed a thick cream-colored cardigan, tucked her feet into her boiled-wool slippers and hurried down the hall. As she descended the staircase, clutching the banister, she craned her neck, trying to see through the sidelight. The snow was coming down so fast now it was impossible to make out much more than a dark jacket and a tall figure.

Was it Jake? Logic said yes, but what if it wasn’t? Sophie was not a paranoid person, but if that was a strange man out there, she’d better be prepared. She was all alone in this house, practically a sitting duck. Frantically, she scanned the foyer for something to defend herself with. Nothing too scary. She just needed a little insurance. Unfortunately, everything her eyes landed on was too bulky, like a lamp, or useless, like a book. Then she spotted the cast-iron fleur-de-lis doorstop next to the front door. It was heavy but fit into her hand nicely. It would have to do, although she couldn’t imagine having the nerve to ever hit anyone with it. The threat was most important, she decided.

Gripping it tightly in one hand, she held it flat against the side of her leg. With her other hand, she flipped the dead bolt and unlocked the door.

Icy cold rushed in with a gust so fierce that she fell back on her heels. Before her stood the most handsome mirage she’d ever seen. Jake. In a puffy black coat and a gray stocking cap that made his eyes look even more intense, like he was seeing right through her. “Jake? What are you doing here?” Of course, she knew the answer. She just wanted to hear it from his mouth.

His shoulders were bunched up around his ears. The wind whipped, sending snow flying past him and into the foyer. “Can I come in?”

Her heart pounded in her chest. “Yes. Of course.” She opened the door wider, watching as he stepped inside and stomped the snow from his feet. “What are you doing here?” Again, she waited for the answer. Jake was here because there was no way he was going to give up after their one conversation in her office. He had no problem walking away from Sophie the woman, but he couldn’t leave Sophie the business deal alone.

Her hand dropped to her side. The doorstop plummeted, landed square on her foot and tumbled to the floor with a thud. “Ow!” Sophie’s foot crackled with unimaginable pain. She jumped and raised her injured foot, hopping her way over to the staircase. Jake mercifully shut out the cold behind him.

“Soph. Are you okay?” He rushed over to her. His voice held enough true concern to make her feel light-headed.

Sophie wasn’t sure where to look. At her injured foot or at Jake. “Why did you have to show up and make me drop a doorstop on my foot?”

“Why are you walking around the house with a lead weight in your hand?”

“If you were an intruder, I was planning to knock you out with it.”

“I guess I should have called first, huh?”

“That would’ve been nice.”

He dropped to his knee and tugged off his gloves, setting them on the stair tread. He reached for her foot. He was so close now, his cheeks bright pink from the cold, but the rest of his face had its normal tawny tone, the one that looked so perfect with the dark scruff on his jaw. She had an irrational desire to touch it.

“Can you take off your slipper so I can look at it?” Impatient Jake didn’t wait for her; he simply removed it himself.

“You still haven’t told me what you’re—Ow!” She recoiled from the pain.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. I just... I think we need to get some ice on this and get it elevated. There’s a chance you broke your foot.” He stood, tugging off his hat and rolling his broad shoulders out of his jacket. To her horror, he tossed them onto her grandmother’s upholstered settee.

“Jake. That’s velvet and there’s snow on your jacket. The water will leave a mark on the fabric.” She knew she was being a pain in the butt, but she couldn’t help it. He was being thorough, determined Jake—the guy who never gives up on what he wants, no matter what it takes. She had to remind him that he was on her turf. If there was an upper hand to be had here, it was hers.

“We need to get your foot elevated. Can I carry you somewhere so you can lie down?”

The idea of lying down near him had her thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts—she nearly answered that her bedroom was right upstairs. Nearly. She needed to retrain her brain to stop thinking about him that way. There had been a time when she was skilled at keeping herself in the friend zone, but she was out of practice. “I can walk.” She had no idea if that was true. Her foot was throbbing like it had its own heartbeat.

“I’m sure you can. But I’m not going to let you hurt yourself when I can stop it.”

“So I’ll sell you my two billion dollars in Manhattan real estate?” She might as well just put it out there. His true intentions would go far in reminding her that however gorgeous and sexy he was, Jake was a threat to the future she wanted for herself.

“No. So you’ll listen to me when I say that I need to hide out here for a few hours until the storm passes.” Placing his knee on the tread immediately below her, he reached out for her. “Come on. Put your arm around my shoulders.”

Sophie was prepared to protest some more, but this close, Jake’s heady scent filled her nose, and that switched her brain into a far too accommodating creature. She’d long ago developed a serious weakness for his heavenly smell of soap and sandalwood, and the years apart had not managed to dull her reaction to it. Sophie raised her arm and he came in closer, making the fragrance even more intense. He wrapped his hand around her waist and scooped up her legs with his other arm. She had no choice but to curl her other hand around his neck and turn her face into his chest as he straightened and picked her up from the stairs.

“Where to?” he asked.

Sophie was too mesmerized by the sensory delights of being this close to Jake to think of an immediate answer. He was wearing the softest black cashmere sweater, which was a delicious contrast to the way his facial hair scratched at her temple. His body radiated so much warmth, she just wanted to stay like this. Everything about him seemed designed to draw her in. “Across the hall. The arched doorway.”

Jake carried her into the sitting room. “I’m going to set you down on the couch.” His warmth quickly evaporated as he let go, a very real reminder of what a disappointment it was when he decided to step away. He grabbed a pillow for behind her back and another to go under her foot. “Now ice?”