Too Much Temptation. Lori Foster

      

      “Are you saying you didn’t really want me?”

      The question threw him. “I want you all right.”

      “You’re not drunk this morning?”

      “Dead sober.” He’d never be drunk again.

      “Then…” She shifted, looked up at him. “Okay.”

      His knees almost gave out. Was Grace trying to kill him? He tightened his hold on her upper arms and tugged her the smallest bit closer. “Okay? What the hell does okay mean?”

      “Yesterday you were so drunk, I knew I couldn’t take advantage of you.”

      “You couldn’t…” She left him speechless.

      “I especially wanted to touch you. Leaving you in your boxers wasn’t easy. But I promise, I behaved.”

      She behaved? “Grace, are you saying we really didn’t do anything? As in nothing? As in not even kissing?”

      “You don’t remember?”

      “Not much.”

      “Oh.” That one word held a wealth of disappointment. “You, uh, well you did kiss me a couple of times. It was…really nice.”

      The timid way she confessed that made Noah want to kiss her again. He had to kiss her.

      The Novels of Lori Foster

       Too Much Temptation

       Never Too Much

       Unexpected

       Say No To Joe?

       The Secret Life of Bryan

       When Bruce Met Cyn

       Just a Hint—Clint

       Jamie

       Murphy’s Law

       Jude’s Law

       The Watson Brothers

       Yule Be Mine

       Give It Up

      Anthologies Featuring Lori Foster

       All Through the Night

       I Brake for Bad Boys

       Bad Boys on Board

       I Love Bad Boys

       Jingle Bell Rock

       Bad Boys to Go

       I’m Your Santa

       A Very Merry Christmas

       When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys

       The Night Before Christmas

       Star Quality

       Perfect for the Beach

       Bad Boys in Black Tie

       Truth or Dare

       Bad Boys of Summer

       Delicious

      Published by Kensington Books

      Too Much Temptation

      LORI FOSTER

      ZEBRA BOOKS

       KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       www.kensingtonbooks.com

      ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

       119 West 40th Street

       New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2002 by Lori Foster

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

      To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

      All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use.

      Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Sales Manager: Attn.: Sales Department. Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018. Phone: [phone].

      Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      First Brava Books Trade Paperback Printing: March 2002

      First Kensington Books Mass-Market Paperback Printing: February 2003

      First Zebra Books Mass-Market Paperback Printing: December 2007

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4143-6

       ISBN-10: 1-4201-4143-0

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Epilogue

      When it comes to love, he plays to win.

      Chapter One

      Noah Harper stood frozen in the carpeted hallway of his fiancée’s house while his skin prickled with some vague, unsettling emotion. It wasn’t really anger or grief. It sure as hell wasn’t jealousy.

      If Noah hadn’t known better, he might have sworn it was…relief. He shook his head at the thought. No, he’d wanted to marry Kara. He’d accepted it as his fate and even viewed it as part of a grand plan for the future. Not really his grand plan, but then, he didn’t think in grand terms. His grandmother did.

      Noah liked Kara, respected her and her parents, and his grandmother adored her. Almost from the time he’d met Kara, everyone had assumed they’d eventually marry. In one month, they would have.

      But now…

      Without a conscious decision, Noah moved toward the obvious sounds of soft moans, low encouragement, and rustling sheets. He wasn’t in any particular hurry, because he already knew what he’d find.

      He was wrong. Very, very wrong.

      Oh, Kara was in bed all right, doing exactly what he’d suspected she was doing: having very passionate sex, when all he ever got from her was perfunctory attendance. It was her partner who was so unexpected.

      Not that it really mattered.

      Noah’s eyes narrowed as Kara gave a particularly ardent moan and bowed her slender body in a violent climax. He watched,