An Irresistible Temptation: Master of Fortune / The Temptation Of Rory Monahan

“Then invite me along,” he said. A shy man never got what he wanted.

“It’s with my family.…Still want to come?”

“Yes. What’s the occasion?”

“My sister’s birthday. My mum’s having a dinner party for her.”

Henry realized that Astrid thought she had taken a risk by inviting him. And he wasn’t about to pass it up. “I’d love to.”

“Good. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Henry. Thanks for the lift.”

“You’re welcome. Drive safely, Astrid.”

She got in her car, and he backed up to let her leave in front of him. She was completely unlike any other woman he’d ever met and he was beginning to understand that was part of what attracted him to her.

Chapter 6

Astrid had had second, third and fourth thoughts about inviting Henry to her parents’ house for Bethann’s birthday, but she’d asked and he’d accepted, so there was no turning back now.

Henry hadn’t been in the office the past two days so she hadn’t seen him since she’d invited him. He’d sent her a text message the night before, asking what time to pick her up. Now she was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom wishing that she’d turn into someone else. Someone who knew what she was doing with her life instead of a woman who just bumped along.

The bell rang and she sighed.

She walked through the flat and opened the door to find Henry standing there. He wore a striped button-down shirt with an open collar and a pair of dark trousers. He hadn’t shaved but the light beard on his jaw made him look even sexier than he normally did.

“Come in,” she said, stepping back so he could enter. “I have to grab my bag and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Take your time,” he said.

She went down the short hall to her bedroom and gathered her stuff as quickly as she could. When she came back Henry stood in front of the wall where she’d hung her family pictures.

“Is this Bethann?”

“Yes. When she passed her A levels. That’s my parents’ place, as well.”

“Everyone looks happy,” he said.

“We generally are,” she said. She’d taken that happiness for granted. Thought that because she had a sunny outlook, her life would follow that path. But experience had taught her otherwise.

“Ready then?”

“Yes,” he said, walking toward her. But instead of continuing on to the door, he stopped and pulled her into his arms.

He kissed her, and she shut her eyes, savoring that moment of closeness. A moment that passed all too quickly as Henry ended the kiss and then put his hand on the small of her back to lead her to the front door. He waited while she double-checked her lock and then they went downstairs.

A neighbor whose name she didn’t know snapped a photo of them and then asked to have his picture taken with Henry. This was his life, she thought as she snapped a photo and then returned the camera.

Henry’s mobile rang when they were in the car and on the A. He glanced at the caller ID.

“It’s my mum. I have to take it.”

“No problem,” she said.

He put the phone on speaker. “Hello.”

“Hi, Henry, it’s Mum. Have you had a chance to talk to your friends about the television idea?”

“Yes. They are taking the idea up the chain of command. I think we will hear something soon.”

“That’s good. What are you doing today?”

“A birthday party for a friend,” Henry said.

Astrid liked the respect and affection in his voice as he spoke to his mother. It was clear that their relationship was a close one. She continued to listen in on their conversation until he hung up.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

“It’s fine. She dotes on you, doesn’t she?”

“Too much I think. But for a long time it was just the two of us, and she’s never stopped taking care of me.”

“That’s really sweet. When did she remarry? I think you said you had some half brothers.”

Henry talked and drove, weaving effortlessly through the traffic. His car had a powerful engine, and he drove fast but not recklessly. There was that sense of controlled power that she was continuously aware of with him.

“She married Gordon when I was nine. I’d started playing rugby and he was at a tourney we went to. They met there. My mum…she’s vivacious. Everyone is entranced by her when they meet her.”

“Much like her son,” Astrid said.

“I don’t know about that. I don’t think I’d look nearly as good in her hats,” he said very seriously.

“Are you having me on?”

He laughed. “I am. I got a lot of things from my mum.”

His Sat Nav with the Mr. T voice directed him off the motorway and toward her childhood home. She started worrying about how her parents would be with Henry.

They thought nothing of delving into someone’s past. And Henry…he certainly had had an interesting one. He parked on the street in front of the house, and she reached over to stop him from getting out.

“Yes?”

“Listen, everyone is going to be curious about you. Don’t take it personally. They are just that way.”

“It’s fine. I’m hoping maybe they’ll answer a few questions for me.”

“What about?”

“You. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me your secrets, and I think meeting your family will show me another side of you.”