Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted (The Sterling Wives Book 1), стр. 27

Nine

Grant drove a little too fast getting home. He didn’t care about rules or limitations or, apparently, traffic laws right now. Frustration was grinding away inside his head, filtering down into his body and getting entirely too comfortable. How could last night with Tara go so spectacularly only to have everything fall apart this morning? Damn Astrid and her amateur sleuthing. Damn that stupid kiss cam.

And there in the back of his head was the real thing that was bothering him—why did everything he touched seem to go just ever-so-slightly off the rails? Was this a sign of what was to come now that he was at the helm of Sterling? Because Johnathon never had a problem running the company and he’d certainly never seemed to have a problem with women, especially Tara. Yes, their marriage had ended, but he’d been the one to cut it off. He had three years of wedded bliss with her and a good year before that. Grant would’ve gladly taken that time with her. He would’ve taken a fraction of it.

Grant pulled into one of three garage bays at his home in La Jolla, perched up on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. He turned off the ignition, drew in a deep, cleansing breath and knew he had to find a way to win out over his own inner struggle. His heart and body had been greedy last night. Tara was right there, breathtaking and bold, everything he’d ever wanted in a woman, and everything that wasn’t his to have. And so he’d gone there. He’d stomped on loyalty. He’d slept with the woman who had once been his best friend’s wife, the woman who he also had to run Sterling Enterprises with. It was as stupid a choice as he could have made. He had to own that.

He strode into the house, his big empty showplace. It was modern and minimalist, and situated in one of the most enviable settings in the world, windswept but pristine, with the untamed cobalt ocean at its feet. It was everything he could ever want in a home. Except that it was also a multimillion-dollar testament to his unwanted bachelorhood. He didn’t want to be the sole inhabitant. He’d never wanted it that way. Hope had always been in the back of his head, or perhaps in the center of his heart. He’d always thought he’d meet the right woman, get married and have children. He’d even envisioned little ones riding tricycles or kicking a ball through these expansive halls, across the wood floors that cost a fortune, quite possibly ruining them, and Grant not caring at all. Sure, it was traditional and not terribly original, but it was his true desire. Coming from a loving family and having four siblings might make for dull cocktail-party conversation, but he’d always been thankful for it. In this high-stakes, big-money world he lived in, those roots kept him grounded.

In his bedroom, he took off his clothes, forcing himself to throw them in the hamper destined to go to the cleaners. His shirt held the faintest traces of Tara’s beguiling scent. It was going to be hard enough to breathe it in at work. He didn’t need to torture himself with it.

He climbed into the shower, lathering up his chest and attempting to scrub away the remnants of last night. The hot spray wasn’t doing nearly enough to help him shake off the effects of Tara. He was twice torn, between what was and what should have been—the business he’d helped build was now at his command, but if that fateful moment hadn’t happened on the golf course, Johnathon would’ve been here to lead the way instead. He never would have had last night with Tara. He didn’t want to regret it, but how could part of him not? He couldn’t ignore the feeling that he had betrayed his best friend by taking Tara to bed. It didn’t matter that Johnathon wasn’t here anymore. He wouldn’t have liked it if he was. And Grant truly wished his best friend was still alive. For all of Johnathon’s faults, Grant still missed him. He missed talking to him every day, reining him in at his more erratic moments and marveling at his brilliant ones. He missed having a true partner in this business that was all consuming. The two of them had been through so much together. It was impossible to turn his back on the memories.

He had to hustle to get back to the office before nine. As he strolled out of the elevator and into the reception area, his stomach sank. The full staff wasn’t in yet, but it was still entirely too quiet. There was an unmistakable air in the office. There were whispers and glances. The office grapevine was just as aware of Astrid’s findings as he’d feared—they all knew about the kiss cam. They knew about the very real heat between Tara and him.

Roz the office receptionist was unpacking her bag. “Good morning, Mr. Singleton.” She eyed him with suspicion as he walked past.

“Morning,” he replied, doing his best to act as though nothing was going on. Still, a walk down the hall told him that his wariness was warranted. People knew about the kiss and they were talking about it. It was now his job to squash that as quickly as possible. That started with keeping Tara in the office on the opposite end of the building. He needed as little proximity as they could get away with. It was too dangerous. He knew how tempted he was by her.

He sat at his desk and his assistant checked in with him a few minutes later. If she knew