Read Online Temptation's Kiss by Janice Sims - Free Book Online Page A

happy? There wasn’t a day that he didn’t hear his brother’s laughter. Maybe he was happy. Maybe Aisha had been the love of his life. He supposed that after Malcolm died he’d had to take his frustrations out on somebody and he’d targeted Aisha. For all he knew, Aisha could be innocent. She could be telling the truth when she said Malcolm was the father of her child. Time would tell.
    As he drove, he forced himself to think of the evening ahead. He didn’t want his melancholy thoughts to intrude on the evening. He was going to see Patrice again, a woman who was lovely, innocent and still untouched by Hollywood. He could see it in her eyes—the joy she derived from her craft. When she acted, she embodied the character she portrayed. Technically, she was close to flawless. He didn’t think anyone was perfect, but those whom he believed got pretty close were Denzel and Robert DeNiro. Patrice was actually just getting started in the business. However, she had something a lot of young actresses didn’t possess: talent.
    He tried to tell himself that was the only reason he’d been excited when she’d phoned—she was an up-and-coming talent, and it was always fascinating to watch someone like her grow as an actor. However, he was not the type of man to delude himself. He had gotten excited as soon as he’d heard her voice because he was attractedto her. Take away the talent, and she was still a very intriguing woman. Yes, he was physically attracted to her. She, frankly, made him sweat. There was something else below the surface that drew him to her. He couldn’t put his finger on it yet. Finding out what it was would take some investigating. He instinctively knew that getting to know her better would be a pleasurable experience.
    Â 
    Patrice was pulling her dress over her head when someone knocked on her bedroom door. She smoothed the dress over her hips and called, “Come in!”
    Nina strode into the room. She was still in her bathrobe. She gasped when she saw Patrice. “You’re wearing that?”
    Patrice glanced down at her dress. It was pale yellow and made from a cotton material that was soft and smooth and felt wonderful against her skin. Sleeveless, it was scoop-necked and displayed a modest amount of cleavage. Her arms, which were two of her best features, looked lovely in this dress. The hem fell a couple inches above her knees, showing off her toned legs, and it was cinched at the waist. “I like this dress,” she told Nina, peering at her with a disapproving expression.
    â€œI like it, too,” Nina said, frowning. “But it looks like you’re going to a picnic or something, not dinner with a guy.”
    â€œThat’s good,” Patrice said, moving around Nina to go to her vanity where she sat down, put a towel aroundher shoulders and began applying a bit of blush and lipstick.
    She’d moisturized after her shower and didn’t think she needed to wear any makeup other than the blush and the lipstick, so she’d forego the foundation.
    Nina stood next to her with a look of consternation on her pretty face. “Can’t you put on something more…seductive?”
    Patrice met her sister-in-law’s eyes in the mirror. She burst out laughing. “Do you think I would try to seduce T.K. in front of you and Patrick?”
    Nina turned away. “What if Patrick and I retired early? It was a long drive from Albuquerque.”
    Then Patrice knew what her sister-in-law had been planning all along. She and Patrick were going to disappear once the evening got underway so that she and T.K. could be alone.
    Patrice rose and went to stand directly in front of Nina. “Listen to me, Nina Sutton. If you and Patrick claim you’re exhausted and try to go to bed before dessert I’m going to feign tiredness, too, and T.K. will have no alternative but to go home. Do you hear me? I can’t believe you were