Read Tempting Mr. Wrong (Wrong Man) for Free Online Page A

was taking Chris’s letter seriously. She respected that. It was honorable.
    Mya snuggled next to her. Mya. She loved her godfather. And that was the only reason Carly was letting Lance stay with them.
    Mya sat up, put her hands on Carly’s cheeks and stared into her eyes. “What’s wrong, Aunt Carly?”
    “Nothing’s wrong, sweetie.”
    “Are you upset that Uncle Lance is here?”
    She often forgot how intuitive Mya could be. “No, I’m not upset. He wanted to come see you. And he’s going to fix some things in the house.”
    “I want him to stay forever,” Mya announced.
    Not gonna happen. But she didn’t say that to her ever-hopeful niece. “You know, peanut, that might not be what Lance wants. He just got out of the army and I know he has other things he has to do. But isn’t it nice that he took time to visit us now?”
    Mya nodded dramatically. “Yes, but I want him to live with us.” She tilted her little head in deep thought. “Maybe if I’m really good and adorable he will want to stay.”
    “Maybe,” Carly said with a chuckle. “But you would have to be super-, über adorable to pull that off. Now, come on, let’s get breakfast.”
    As Mya ran happily from the room, Carly made her way toward the bathroom. She couldn’t help but notice that the door to Lance’s room was open, the bed already made with perfect hospital corners, but Lance was nowhere in sight.
    When she walked into the kitchen, she saw Mya had the television on, cartoons already queued up. The sun was beginning to rise, but the backyard was still awash in gray tones and shadows. Peering closer she saw a movement near the shed at the far end of the yard. Curiosity had her quickly crossing the room and reaching for the back door. It was unlocked.
    “Can I have Lucky Charms?” Mya asked, oblivious to Carly’s nosiness.
    It had to be Lance outside. Who else—besides a four-year-old—would be up this early? Carly moved sideways, intent on figuring out what in the world he was doing out there, but then her niece’s question registered.
    Shaking her head, she turned toward Mya. “Nice try. No Lucky Charms. I think we’ll hold off on the sugar until at least nine a.m.” But she felt like the biggest hypocrite in the world. Not only could she go for the marshmallowy goodness herself, but how often had she also had sugary cereal growing up? Hell, some of her relatives had let her get away with eating ice cream for the most important meal of the day. Mya simply giggled and returned her attention to the TV.
    Carly started a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she meandered over to the window again. Thank God she wasn’t holding her coffee cup because it would have most definitely been dropped and splattered into a million pieces on the floor. Lance was working out in the backyard. But not just working out. Half-naked working out. And currently he was doing one-armed pushups as his rippling muscles quivered with the exertion.
    Damn. She knew something else that was currently trembling, and she had to cross her legs to keep from losing it completely. Her mouth dropped open, and she knew that drool was soon to drip out of it. She knew Lance was built, but witnessing his naked top half working out really drove that point home.
    Holy hell.
    As if he felt her presence and knew she was standing there gawking at him, Lance looked up. No time to even pretend to be doing something else, she was totally busted. Taking it in stride, Carly winked and then strolled back to the kitchen and fixed her coffee. As Lance sauntered in the back door a few moments later, she took a long, deep gulp, the hot liquid scalding her throat. Not that she felt it because Lance still remained shirtless and her brain therefore remained inoperable.
    “Morning,” he said with his deep, chocolatey voice.
    “Oh, hey,” she said, determined to avoid the fact that she’d just been ogling him.
    “Hey, kiddo,” he called to Mya, who waved back.
    “I made coffee,”