They’re discovering the healing powers of passion

Burned-by-love architect Hunter McKay came home to Phoenix to open her own firm, not rekindle her fleeting high school romance with playboy Tyson Steele. But when she runs into the sexy surgeon at a nightclub—and he unleashes that legendary Steele charm—Hunter fears she’s headed straight for heartbreak once again.

Tyson hasn’t forgotten the one who got away. A weeklong fling should be just enough to get the sultry beauty out of his system for good, even if he has to let Hunter set the ground rules. But the rules are suddenly changing for the no-strings bachelor. Can Tyson convince this sensual woman that he’s the real deal—that they deserve a second chance together?

Deciding not to believe him, she looked past his shoulder to the door. “How did you get into my office without Pauline announcing you?”

He shrugged. “I told her she didn’t have to bother. I like announcing myself. Besides, she was packing up to leave, and she told me to tell you that she would see you Monday morning.”

Hunter glanced at her watch. She hadn’t realized it was so late. That meant they were alone, and that wasn’t a good thing right now with her present frame of mind. The best thing to do was to send him packing. Picking up the manila folder off her desk, she offered it to him. “Here’s what you came for.”

Tyson moved toward her with calm, deliberate strides, and when he came to a stop directly in front of her, she tried ignoring the sparks going off inside her. Instead of accepting the folder, he reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek. “That’s not what I came for, Hunter. This is.”

And before she could draw her next breath, he leaned in and captured her mouth with his.

Dear Reader,

They are back!

I love writing about men who defiantly reject the notion of falling in love. Men who honestly believe there is no woman out there who has the ability to tame their wild heart.

When I began writing about the Steele family, introducing them in my first book, Solid Soul, where my readers got to meet Chance Steele, I knew these men would be special. When I had accomplished the feat of marrying off all the Steeles in Charlotte, North Carolina, I gleefully turned my attention to their rambunctious cousins who lived in Phoenix. They are the ones known as the “Bad News” Steeles.

There are six brothers. So far we’ve married off Galen, Eli and Jonas. Now, in Possessed by Passion, you’ll get to see how Tyson Steele puts up a bitter fight until the end. Like his brothers, Tyson thinks he knows how to play the game and win. However, an old flame by the name of Hunter McKay shows him it’s not always a game. Once in a while, it’s all about possession. And when you throw passion in the mix, a lot of things can happen.

Thank you for making the Steeles a very special family. I look forward to bringing you more books of endless love and red-hot passion.

Happy reading!

Brenda Jackson

Possessed by Passion

Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BRENDA JACKSON is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred romance titles. Brenda married her childhood sweetheart, Gerald, and has two sons. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. She divides her time between family, writing and traveling. Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.

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To the man who will always and forever be the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr.

To all my readers who waited patiently on another novel about those “Bad News” Steeles, this one is especially for you.

And to my readers who gave me their love, support and understanding as I endured a difficult time in my life, I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.

Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Copyright

Chapter 1

“I understand you became an uncle last night, Tyson. Congratulations.”

Tyson Steele glanced over at the man who’d slid onto the bar stool beside him. Miles Wright was a colleague at the hospital where they both worked as surgeons. “Thanks. How did you know?”

“It was in this morning’s paper. Quite the article.”

Tyson shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. Leave it to his mother, Eden Tyson Steele, to make sure the entire city knew about the birth of her first grandchildren. Twins. A boy and a girl that represented a new generation of Steeles in Phoenix. Everyone was happy for his brother Galen and his wife, Brittany, but his mother was ecstatic beyond reason. Within the past three years, not only had three of her six die-hard bachelor sons gotten married, but as of last night she also had a grandson and granddaughter to boast about.

He wondered if Galen was aware of the article in this morning’s paper since he hadn’t mentioned it when Tyson had spoken to him earlier. Knowing their mother, Tyson wouldn’t be surprised if the announcement appeared in the New York Times next. A former international model whose face had graced the covers of such magazines as Vogue, Cosmo and Elle, his mother still had connections in a lot of places and had no shame in using them.

Miles’s beeper went off and with an anxious sigh he said, “Need to run. I got an emergency at the hospital.”

“Take care,” Tyson told his colleague, who moved quickly toward the exit door. He then glanced around. Notorious was a popular nightclub in Phoenix, but not too many people were here tonight due to the March Madness championship basketball game being held in town. Usually, on any given night, Tyson could have his pick of single women crowding the place, but not tonight.

His brothers had tried talking him into attending the game with them, but he’d declined after his team had been eliminated in the previous round. It didn’t matter one bit when they’d laughed and called him a sore loser. So what if he was.

Tyson took another sip of his drink and checked his watch. It was still early, but he might as well call it a night since it seemed he would be going home alone, which wasn’t how he’d envisioned spending his evening. Taking some woman to bed had been at the top of his agenda. Scoring was the name of the game. Women hit on him and he hit on women. No big deal. It was the lay of the land. His land anyway.

He stood to leave at the same time the nightclub’s door swung open and three women walked in. Three good-looking women. He sat back down, thinking that maybe the night wouldn’t be wasted after all.

Not to be caught staring, he turned around on the bar stool. The huge mirror on the wall afforded him the opportunity to check out the women without being so obvious. Good, he noted. No rings. That was the first thing he looked for since he didn’t believe in encroaching on another man’s territory. Tyson figured it must be his lucky night when they were shown to a table within the mirror’s view. The women were so busy chatting that they didn’t realize he was checking them out.

For some reason his gaze kept returning to one of the women in particular. She looked familiar and it took a second or two before it hit him just who she was.

Hunter McKay.

Damn. It had been years. Eighteen, to be exact. She had been two years behind him in high school, and of all the girls he’d dated during that time, she was the only one with whom he hadn’t been able to score. She’d had the gall to ask for a commitment before giving up the goods, and unlike some guys, who would have lied just to get inside her panties, he’d told her the very same thing then that he was telling women now. He didn’t do commitments. His refusal to make her his steady girl had prompted her to end things between them after the first week. It had been the first time a Steele had ever been shot down. For months his brothers had teased him, calling Hunter “the one who got away.” He frowned, wondering why that memory still annoyed him.

When he’d returned to Phoenix after medical school he’d heard she attended Yale to fulfill her dream of being an architect. After college she had made her home in Boston and returned to town only occasionally to visit her parents. Their paths had never crossed until tonight.

He’d also heard she had gotten married to some guy she’d met while living in Boston. So where was her ring? She could be getting it cleaned, resized or...maybe she was no longer married. He couldn’t help wondering which of those possibilities applied.

Hunter had been a striking beauty back then and she still was. It had been that beauty that had captured his interest back in the day and was doing so now. It didn’t appear as if she’d aged much at all. She still had that young-girl look, and those dimples in both cheeks were still pretty damn pleasing to the eyes.

The shoulder-length curly hair had been replaced with a short natural cut that looked good on her, and he couldn’t help it when his gaze lingered on her lips. He could still remember the one and only time he’d kissed her. It has been way too short, yet oh so sweet.

He felt an ache in his groin and didn’t find it surprising since it was a familiar reaction whenever he saw a beautiful woman. But it was Hunter who was affecting him, not the other two women. He remembered them from high school as well, but had forgotten their names. What he did recall was that they had been Hunter’s best friends even back then.

“Ready for another drink, Doc?”

He glanced up at Tipper, who’d been the bartender at Notorious for years. “Not yet, but do me a favor.”

Tipper grinned. “As long as it’s legal.”

“It is. Whatever drinks those three ladies are having, I want them put on my tab.”

Tipper glanced over at the table where the women sat and nodded. “No problem. I’ll let their waiter know.”

“Thanks.”

Tipper walked off and Tyson’s gaze returned to the mirror. At that moment Hunter threw her head back and laughed at something one of the women said. He’d always thought she had a sensuously shaped neck, flawless and graceful. He’d looked forward to placing a hickey right there on the side of it. It was the place he would brand all the girls in high school who’d gone all the way with him. It had been known as the Mark of Tyson. But Hunter had never gotten that mark. What a pity.

His cell phone pinged with a text message and he pulled his phone out of his jacket to read his brother Mercury’s message. My team is up four. Be ready to celebrate later tonight.

Tyson clicked off the phone and rolled his eyes. When hell freezes over, he thought. If his brothers thought he was a sore loser, then Mercury could be an obnoxious winner, and Tyson wanted no part of it tonight. After returning the phone to his jacket, he let his gaze return to the mirror and to Hunter. He couldn’t help but smile when he made up his mind about something. Her name might be Hunter but tonight he was determined to make her his prey.

* * *

Hunter McKay appreciated sharing this time with her two best friends from high school—Maureen Santana, whom everyone fondly called Mo, and Kathryn Elliott, whose nickname was Kat. Both had been bridesmaids in her wedding and because they’d kept in touch over the years, they’d known about her rocky marriage and subsequent divorce from Carter Robinson. Mo, a divorcée herself, thought Hunter had given Carter far too many chances to get his act together, and Kat, who was still holding out for Mr. Right, had remained neutral until Carter had begun showing his true colors.

“Here you are, ladies,” the waiter said, placing their drinks in front of them. “Compliments of the gentleman sitting at the bar.”

Their gazes moved past the waiter to the man in question. As if on cue, he swiveled around in his seat and flashed them a smile. Hunter immediately felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach, a flutter that should have been forgotten long ago. But just that quickly, after all these years, it had resurfaced the moment she stared into the pair of green eyes that could only belong to a Steele.

“Well now, isn’t that nice of Tyson Steele,” Mo said with mock sweetness. “I wonder which one of us he wants to take home tonight.”

“Take home?” Hunter asked, while her eyes remained on Tyson. For some reason she couldn’t break her gaze. It was as if she was caught in the depths of those gorgeous green eyes.

“Yes, take home. He doesn’t really date. He just has a history of one-night stands,” Mo replied.

“Do we have to guess which one of us he’s interested in?” Kat asked, chuckling, and then took a quick sip of her drink. “If you recall, Mo, that particular Steele was hot and heavy for Hunter back in the day.”

“That’s right. I remember.” Mo turned to Hunter. “And if I recall, you dumped him. Probably the only female in this town with sense enough to do so.”

With that reminder, Hunter tore her gaze from Tyson’s to take a sip of her drink. In high school, Tyson, along with his five brothers, were known as the “Bad News” Steeles. Handsome as sin with green eyes they’d inherited from their mother, the six had a reputation as heartbreakers. It was widely known that their only interest in a girl was getting under her dress.

Galen Steele, the oldest of the bunch, had been a senior in high school when she’d been a freshman. Tyson was the second oldest. After Tyson came Eli, Jonas, Mercury and Gannon. Each brother was separated the closest in age by no more than eleven months, which meant their mother had practically been pregnant for six straight years.

“Tyson gave me no choice,” Hunter said, finally replying to Mo’s comment. “I liked him and for some reason I figured he would treat me differently since his family had been members of my grandfather’s church. Boy, was I naive.”

Kat chuckled. “But like Mo said, when you found out that you’d be just another notch on his bedpost, at least you had the sense to dump him.”

“I didn’t dump him,” Hunter said, sitting back in her chair. She didn’t have to glance over at Tyson to know he was still staring at her. “When he told me what he wanted, I merely told him I saw no reason for us to continue to date, because he wasn’t getting it.”

“That’s a dump,” Mo said, grinning. “And be forewarned, nothing about the Steeles has changed. Those brothers are still bad news. Hard-core womanizers. Getting laid is still their favorite pastime.”

“At least three had the sense to get married,” Kat added, taking another sip of her drink.

“Oh? Which ones?” Hunter inquired.

“Galen, Eli and Jonas.”

Hunter vaguely remembered Eli but she did remember Jonas since they’d graduated in the same class. And she couldn’t help but recall Galen Steele. He had gotten expelled from school after the principal found him under the gymnasium bleachers making out with the man’s daughter. His reputation around school was legendary. “So, Galen got married?”

“Yes, a few years ago, and his wife just gave birth to twins,” Mo explained. “Last night, in fact. The announcement was in the papers this morning. It was a huge write-up in the society section.”

Hunter nodded as she tried ignoring the fact Tyson still had his eyes on her. “What does Tyson do for a living?”

“He’s a heart surgeon at Phoenix Baptist Hospital,” Mo responded.

“Good for him. He always wanted to be a doctor.” She recalled their long talks, not knowing at the time their conversations were just part of his plan to reel her in. Unfortunately for him, she hadn’t been biting.

“Don’t look now, ladies, but Tyson has gotten up off the bar stool and is headed this way.”

Although Kat had told them not to look, Hunter couldn’t help doing so. She wished she hadn’t when Tyson’s gaze captured hers. He’d been eye candy in his teens and now eighteen years later he was doubly so. She couldn’t miss that air of arrogance that seemed to surround him as he walked toward them. He appeared so powerfully male that every step he took conveyed primitive animal sexuality. There was no doubt in her mind that over the years Tyson had sharpened his game and was now an ace at getting whatever he wanted.

He was wearing a pair of dark slacks and a caramel-colored pullover sweater. She was convinced that on any other man the attire would look just so-so. But on Tyson, the sweater emphasized his wide shoulders, and the pants definitely did something to his masculine build.

“I understand whenever a Steele sees a woman he wants, he goes after her. It appears Tyson’s targeted you, Hunter,” Mo said as she leaned over. “Maybe he thinks there’s unfinished business between the two of you. Eighteen years’ worth.”

Hunter waved off her friend’s words. “Don’t be silly. He probably doesn’t even remember me, it’s been so long.”

It took less than a minute for Tyson to reach their table. He glanced around and smiled at everyone. “Evening, ladies.” And then his gaze returned to hers and he said, “Hello, Hunter. It’s been a while.”

Hunter inhaled deeply, surprised that he had remembered her after all. But what really captured her attention were his features. He was still sinfully handsome, with skin the color of creamy butternut and a mouth that was shaped too darn beautifully to belong to any man. And his voice was richer and a lot deeper than she’d remembered.

Before she could respond to what he’d said, Mo and Kat thanked him for the drinks as they stood. Hunter looked at them. “Where are you two going?” she asked, not missing the smirk on Mo’s face.

“Kat and I thought we’d move closer to that big-screen television to catch the last part of the basketball game. I think my team is winning.”

Hunter came close to calling Mo out by saying she didn’t have a team. She knew for a fact that neither Mo nor Kat was into sports. Why were they deliberately leaving her alone with Tyson?

As soon as they grabbed their drinks off the table and walked away, Tyson didn’t waste time claiming one of the vacated seats. Hunter glanced over and met his gaze while thinking that the only thing worse than being deserted was being deserted and left with a Steele.

She took a sip of her drink and then said, “I want to thank you for my drink, as well. That was nice of you.”

“I’m a nice person.”

The jury is still out on that, she thought. “I’m surprised you remember me, Tyson.”

He chuckled, and the sound was so stimulating it seemed to graze her skin. “Trust me. I remember you. And do you know what I remember most of all?”

“No, what?”

He leaned over the table as if to make sure his next words were for her ears only. “The fact that we never slept together.”

Chapter 2

Tyson thought the shocked look on Hunter’s face was priceless. He also thought it was a total turn-on. Up close she was even more beautiful. There had been something about her dark, almond-shaped eyes and long lashes that he’d always found alluring. But what was really getting to him was her lips, especially the bottom one. The curvy shape would entice any man to want to taste it. Nibble on it. Greedily devour it.

She interrupted his thoughts when she finally said, “And if you recall that, then I’m sure you remember why.”

“Yes, I remember,” he said, holding tight to her gaze. “You weren’t one of those high school girls who slept around. You wanted me to make you my steady girlfriend and I had no intention of doing that.”

“You just wanted me in the backseat of your car,” she said.

He smiled. “The front seat would have worked just fine, trust me. I wanted you and my goal was to get you. For me it was all about sex then.”

“Just like it’s all about sex for you now?” she asked smoothly.

“Yes.” He had no problem being up front with her or any woman, letting them know what he wanted, what he didn’t want and, in her particular case, what he’d missed out on getting. She was the lone person in the “tried but failed” column. He intended to remedy that.

“I heard a while back that you’d gotten married, Hunter.”

She took another sip of her drink and he remembered the one and only time he’d sampled the beautiful lips that kissed her glass. “Yes, I got married.”

He looked down at her ringless hand before glancing back up at her. “Still married?”

“No.”

Her response was quick and biting, which only led him to believe the divorce had been unpleasant. That might be bad news for her, but he saw it as good news for him since he was known to inject new life into divorcées. Over the years he’d taken plenty to bed, not necessarily to mend their broken hearts, but mainly to prove there was life after a shitty marriage.

“How long ago?”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious.”

For a second, she didn’t respond, and then she said, “Two years.”

He nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “Sorry to hear about your divorce,” he said, although he was anything but. Although his parents had a great marriage and it seemed his three brothers’ marriages were off to a good start, he was of the opinion that marriage wasn’t for everybody. It definitely wasn’t for him and evidently hadn’t been for her.

“No need to be sorry, Tyson. I regret the day I ever married the bastard.”

He’d heard that line before. And as far as he was concerned there was no need for her to expound. It really didn’t matter to him what she thought of her ex. What mattered was that divorcées were his specialty. He would gladly shift her from his “tried and failed” column to his “achieved” category. Every one of his senses was focused on getting her into his bed.

“So what brings you back to Phoenix, Hunter?” he asked with a smile.

* * *

Hunter was glad a waiter appeared at that moment to place a drink in front of Tyson. Evidently he was a regular, since the man had known just what to give him. It took only a minute but that had been enough time to get herself together and recover from Tyson’s charismatic personality. It was quite obvious that he was a man on the prowl tonight and had set his sights on her. Mo and Kat had said as much, but at the time she hadn’t believed them. The man had been a player in high school and eighteen years later he was still at it. She couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t gotten past that mentality.

“Now, where were we? Oh, yes. I asked what brings you back to Phoenix.”

She took another sip of her drink. There was no way she would tell him how after their divorce and the dissolution of their partnership, her architect husband had underhandedly taken all their clients. Starting over in Boston would not have been so bad if he hadn’t deliberately tried to sabotage her reputation as an architect. Tyson didn’t have to know that because of her husband’s actions she’d decided to start over here. Instead of telling him all of that, she decided to tell him the other reason she’d come back home.

“My parents.”

He lifted a brow. “Are they ill?”

She shook her head. “No, they aren’t ill. My brother thinks they’re having too much fun.”

Hunter realized just how ridiculous that sounded and added, “A few months ago they purchased ‘his and hers’ Harleys, and before that they signed up to take skydiving lessons. Lately, they’ve been hinting at selling the house and buying a boat to sail around the world.”

Tyson appeared amused. “Sounds to me like they’re enjoying life. Maybe your brother needs to take a chill pill.”

“Possibly, but his hands are full right now with his teenage sons and he feels Mom and Dad are driving him as crazy as they claim he’s driving them. I decided it was best I came home to keep peace.” Hunter had no idea how she would manage to do that. Her parents were intent on having fun and her brother was intent on getting them to act their age.

“You’re an architect, right?” he asked her.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Someone mentioned it at one of the class reunions that you never attended.”

He was right, she hadn’t attended any. At first it had been school keeping her away, and later trying to build her career and finally trying to save her marriage. Although Carter had made sure they attended all of his high school reunions, he had been dead set against attending any of hers, and as usual she’d given in to him.

“I understand you’re a doctor.”

He nodded. “Yes. A heart surgeon.”

She smiled. “And I bet you’re a good one.”

“I owe it to my patients to do my very best.”

And there was no doubt in Hunter’s mind that he did. She remembered he was devoted to whatever he did, even if he was chasing girls.

“I’m glad you’re back in Phoenix, Hunter.”

“Why?” She really couldn’t understand why he would be.

He leaned in closer. “Because we have history.”

She couldn’t keep the smile from tugging at her lips. “History?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of history?”

“I think of you as the one who got away.”

She had to keep from laughing out loud at that. “You mean the one who never made it to the backseat of your car?”

“Pretty much.”

“It’s been eighteen years. I would think you’d have gotten over it by now.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “I had. However, seeing you again brought it back home to me, so I’ve come up with a plan.”

She lifted a brow. “What kind of plan?”

“A plan to seduce you.”

Hunter’s breath caught in her lungs. His audacity was almost as great as his arrogance. What man told a woman he planned to seduce her? “Seriously? Do you think it will be that easy?”

The smile that appeared on his face almost made her heart miss a beat. Although all the Steele brothers had those killer green eyes, she recalled that Tyson and Mercury were the only ones with dimples. Why was it that whenever he flashed those dimples, her pulse rate went haywire?

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” he said smoothly. “What I said was that I had a plan. I see no reason that we can’t rekindle what we had years ago.”

“There’s nothing to rekindle. Need I remind you that we didn’t have anything mainly because you were only interested in one thing?”

His smile widened as he lifted his drink to his lips. Without saying a word, he was letting her know that nothing about him had changed and that he was still only interested in one thing.

“I suggest you go find someone else to seduce.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that. I want you.”

“You can’t always have what you want. That’s life.”

Whatever he was about to say was lost when Mo and Kat appeared. “My team lost,” Mo said, grinning. She glanced at her watch. “Tomorrow is a workday so we figured it’s time to go.”

Great timing, Hunter thought, and she stood.

Tyson stood as well and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll take you home, Hunter, if you aren’t ready to leave just yet.”

If he thought for one minute she would go with him, especially after admitting his plan to seduce her, he wasn’t thinking straight. “Thanks, but I am ready. It was good seeing you again, Tyson.”

“Same here, Hunter,” he said, and she thought she saw something akin to amusement in his eyes. “I have a feeling we’ll be running into each other again.”

Hunter hoped not. She had enough to worry about with her parents, without being concerned about Tyson Steele trying to get her into bed. “Good night.” She walked toward the door with Mo and Kat, feeling the heat of Tyson’s gaze on her backside.

As soon as they were out the door she turned to her friends. “Why on earth did the two of you leave me alone with Tyson?”

Kat grinned. “Because we knew you could handle him.”

“Besides, it was quite obvious you were the one on his radar and not us,” Mo added. “So how did it go?”

Hunter shook her head. “You guys were right. Nothing has changed with Tyson. He’s still looking for a pair of legs to get between.”

“And you didn’t make yours available to him again?” Kat asked, grinning. “What a shame.”

“For him I’m sure it was, especially since he told me of his plan to seduce me.”

Mo’s eyes widened. “He actually told you that?”

“Without cracking a smile or blinking an eye.”

Both Mo and Kat stopped walking to stare at her. “You don’t sound worried.”

Hunter stopped and glanced at her friends, lifting a brow. “Why would I be?”

“We’re talking about Tyson Steele, Hunter. The man who’s known to get what he wants. I heard from women that he’s so smooth you won’t miss your panties until they’re gone. And for him to already have a plan of seduction for you sounds serious.”

“Only in his book, not mine.”

Kat tilted her head. “And this from a woman who’s gone without sex for two years now.”

“Actually four. If you recall, Carter and I slept in separate bedrooms for two years before our divorce. You can’t miss what you never got on a regular basis anyway. I haven’t had an orgasm in so long I’ve honestly forgotten how it feels.”

“Then you’re in luck,” Mo said with a huge smile on her face. “There are quite a few women around town who claim the orgasms those Bad News Steeles give a girl can blow her mind to smithereens and have her begging for more. Rumor has it that you haven’t truly been made love to unless it’s been by a Steele. They’re supposed to be just that good in the bedroom.”

Hunter rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s nothing more than a lot of hype.”

“But what if it’s not?” Kat asked seriously. “And just think. One of those Bad News Steeles has plans to seduce you. If Tyson succeeds then you’ll never forget how an orgasm feels again.”

“Whatever,” Hunter said as they resumed walking. By the time they reached the car, Hunter decided whatever plan Tyson thought he had for her was no big deal, since she doubted their paths would cross again anyway. And even if they did, she was certain it was just like she’d told Mo and Kat. All those rumors about the Steeles were probably nothing more than a lot of hype.

* * *

“Is there a reason you’re visiting me this time of night, Tyson?” Eli Steele asked gruffly, moving aside for his brother to enter his home. “And why aren’t you at the basketball game with Mercury and Gannon?”

“I had better things to do.”

Eli rolled his eyes. “In other words, your team didn’t make it to the finals. Everyone knows what a sore loser you are.”

Tyson frowned. “I’m not a sore loser.” He then glanced around. “Where’s Stacey?”

His once die-hard bachelor brother had defected and married, just like his brothers Galen and Jonas. The only thing redeeming about that was he’d married Stacey Carlson. She was the sister of a good friend and former colleague of Tyson’s by the name of Cohen.

“Stacey’s in bed, where most people with good sense are by now,” Eli said, dropping down on the sofa. “I hear Brittany and the babies might be going home tomorrow.”

Tyson nodded. “So I heard.”

“Word also has it that Mom has volunteered to help out for a few days. I hope she doesn’t get on Galen’s nerves.”

Tyson chuckled. “I doubt that she will. He’s been in her good graces ever since he was the first to get married. Besides, helping out with the babies will keep her busy.”

“And the busier she is the less chance she has to get into your business—and Mercury’s and Gannon’s—right?”

“Right,” Tyson said, knowing Eli understood. Before he married, he’d gotten the Eden Tyson Steele’s “sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong” treatment, just like the rest of them. Now, with three sons married, she was relentless on the other three, prodding them along to get them to the altar. Tyson vowed it wouldn’t work on him. “So who do you think the babies look like?”

Eli chuckled. “With those green eyes, forehead and lips, they favor Galen all the way. I haven’t heard their decisions on names, have you?”

“Nope, but rumor has it they’re allowing Mom to do the honors.”

Eli shook his head. “No wonder she’s blowing up the newspapers. She’s up there on cloud nine.”

“Fine. She can stay there for a while,” Tyson said. “Just as long as she’s not into my business while she’s up there.”

“You and Mercury and Gannon will get a slight reprieve, but don’t think she’ll let you guys off the hook for good.” Eli didn’t say anything for a minute as he stared across the room at his brother and then he said, “Okay, get it out. There’s a reason you dropped by so late.”

Tyson sat down in the wingback chair across from the sofa. “There is. Hunter McKay’s back in town.”

Eli’s forehead bunched. “Who’s Hunter McKay?”

Tyson rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you don’t remember Hunter. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Back in the day, the old Eli remembered bodies and not names.”

A smile curved Eli’s lips. “True. So was she one of those bodies?”

“Hell, no! She was my girl.”

“You never had a girl, Tyson.”

His brother was right and for the life of him Tyson wasn’t sure why he’d said what he had just now. “Sorry, saying that was a huge mistake.”

“I hope there’s not a reason why you made it. And lower your voice or you’ll wake up my wife and she needs her rest.”

Tyson didn’t need to ask why. It seemed that all his married brothers had wedded women they enjoyed spending time with in and out of the bedroom. “There’s not a reason.”

Eli stared at him for a long moment and then asked, “So what’s the big deal about this Hunter McKay being back in town?”

“It just is.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Eli said, sitting straight up on the sofa. “That name is coming back to me. Isn’t Hunter McKay the girl who dumped you in your senior year of high school?”

“She didn’t dump me.”

“That’s not the way I remember it. And why are you interested in Hunter McKay? Didn’t I hear something about her getting married some years back?”

“She’s a divorcée now. I saw her tonight at Notorious and got that much out of her. And it was a nasty divorce.”

“How do you know?”

Tyson stretched his long legs out in front of him. “She called her ex a bastard.”

“Okay, her ex was a bastard. That doesn’t explain why you’re here at midnight.”

Without hesitation Tyson said, “I want you to find out information on her.”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Do I look like a friggin’ detective?”

“No, but she’s an architect and as president of Phoenix’s business council, you would know if she’s set up her own business in town or was hired by an established firm.”

“And you want to know that for what reason?”

Tyson’s lips curved into a smile. “Because I plan to seduce her. And before you conveniently forget your own reputation before marrying Stacey and start acting holier-than-thou, just for your information, I gave Hunter McKay fair warning of my intentions tonight.”

“You actually told her that you plan to seduce her?”

“Yes. You know how I operate, Eli. I don’t play games and divorcées are my specialty. I’ll be doing her a favor, especially if her ex was the bastard she claims he was.”

Eli frowned. “You claim you gave her fair warning, so now I’m going to give you the same, Tyson. I had a plan for Stacey, although my plan was different from yours. My plan backfired. In my case it was for the best. My advice to you is to tread lightly and with caution, or you’re liable to get possessed by passion. Once that happens, it will be all over for you.”

Tyson frowned. “Possessed by passion? What the hell are you talking about?”

“You’re cocky enough to think that once you get Hunter McKay in your bed, you’re going to blow her mind.”

Tyson smiled confidently. “Of course.”

“Have you given any thought to the possibility that she’ll end up blowing yours?”

Tyson stared hard at his brother. “No, I haven’t given it any thought because that won’t be happening.”

Chapter 3

Hunter studied the older woman sitting across her desk. Pauline Martin had come to her highly recommended by Hunter’s brother, Bernie, who was a good friend of the woman’s son. Ms. Martin’s husband had died last year and she wanted to do something other than stay in the house and stare at the walls. The administrative assistant position seemed perfect for her. From the interview, Hunter had known she was just what McKay Architecture Firm needed. Now if she could only get some clients.

She was scheduled to meet with an advertising firm later that day to discuss ideas on how she could promote her business. There were a number of architectural companies in Phoenix and the key to succeeding was to make sure hers stood out.

Hunter stood. “I’m looking forward to us working together, Pauline, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks, Hunter.”

An hour or so later Hunter had snapped her briefcase closed to leave for the day. Starting over in a business wasn’t easy but, as her parents had reminded her that morning when she’d stopped by their house for breakfast, she was a fighter. What Carter had done was wrong, but instead of getting bitter, she had to do better. She had to look ahead and not look back. No matter what, she couldn’t let him break her.

And more than anything, she couldn’t believe all men were like Carter Robinson. Had he really expected her to remain his wife while he engaged in all those affairs? And when she had confronted him about it, he’d only laughed and told her to get over it. He’d said she wouldn’t leave him because she had too much to lose, and that no matter what she accused him of, his family would stick by his side.

And they had.

Even his mother, who’d said she sympathized with Hunter over her son’s wretched behavior, had stuck by him in the end. For Hunter, that had hurt more than anything because she’d assumed she and Nadine Robinson had had a good and close relationship. At least they had until the day Hunter had decided to bring her eight-year marriage to Carter to an end. Then Nadine had proven Carter right. Blood had been thicker than water.

Even with Carter’s high-priced divorce lawyer, at least the judge who’d handled the divorce had sided with her and ordered Carter to give her fifty percent equity out of the company. He hadn’t even wanted to do that. And the judge had been more than fair in making sure he did the same with their home, as well as all the other assets Carter had acquired over the years. Some she hadn’t known about until the day the private investigator she’d hired had uncovered them.

So now she was back in Phoenix. In a way she felt like a stranger in her own hometown, since she’d made Boston her home ever since enrolling in MIT for her graduate degree. She’d been working a few years when she’d met Carter at a fund-raiser her architecture firm had given. He was a member of the Boston Robinsons, a family that took pride in their old-money status and the rich history that came with it.

They’d been married three years when she’d first found about Carter’s affairs. He swore they meant nothing and begged her to forgive him, and she had. He became attentive for a year or two, and they’d even tried having a family, but with no success. Hunter wasn’t exactly sure when his affairs had picked back up again, but she’d begun noticing the usual—lipstick on the collar, the scent of another woman’s perfume and suspicious text messages. That’s when she hired a private investigator. The PI’s report had been the last straw. There was no way she could remain married to Carter after that, regardless of what her in-laws thought. In the end, they had sided with Carter in his campaign to destroy her.

She drew in a deep breath, refusing to give in to her sorrows. Somewhere out there were women in far worse situations than she. Her grandmother used to repeat that adage about making lemons into lemonade and Hunter intended to do just that.

At that moment the image of Tyson Steele came into her mind. Not that it had actually ever left since they’d run into each other last night. In fact she had dreamed about him. Of all things, in her dream she had let him do what she had refused to let him do eighteen years ago, and that was to take her in the backseat of a car.

Hunter shook her head. She couldn’t believe how scandalous that dream had been and it was even worse that she had totally and thoroughly enjoyed it. Luckily it had been just a dream and not the real thing. But the dream had been enough. She had awakened panting, with heated lust rushing through every part of her. It had taken a long cold shower to calm down her body.

During the four years of her sexless life, the last thing she had thought about was having an affair. So why now? And why Tyson Steele? He was arrogant, confident and too cocky to suit her. They hadn’t held a conversation for more than a few minutes before he was telling her of his plans to seduce her.

She shook her head as she headed for the door. Some men’s attitudes simply amazed her. But then again, he was a Steele. Hearing three of his brothers had married meant there could be hope for him, but she wouldn’t be crazy enough to put any money on that assumption.

But what really should be hilarious was that Tyson Steele thought he could seduce her. She figured he’d been all talk and that his words had been meant to get her sexually riled up, and they had...to a point. After her shower this morning her common sense was firmly back in place. All it had taken was a look around her apartment to remember all she’d lost because of a man. The last thing she needed was to get involved with another man for any reason.

But what about just for sex?

She almost missed her step when the idea popped in her head. Where had such a thought come from? She was a good girl. The granddaughter of a retired minister. A woman who’d always worked hard, played fair and been a good wife to her husband. And as Nadine had often claimed, the best daughter-in-law anyone could ask for.

Yet, regardless of all those things, she’d gotten royally screwed. And because of all those things Carter had figured she would never leave him. That she would stay married to him regardless. What he’d failed to take into consideration was that everyone had a breaking point. When she had taken as much as she could, she had walked away without looking back. She only wished she’d been strong enough to do it sooner.

As she locked up her office she figured she might as well dream about Tyson Steele again tonight. Dreams were safe. Besides, she had no reason to think their paths would cross again. For one, she didn’t intend to return to that nightclub where he apparently hung out.

His parents attended the same church as hers, the one where her grandfather had been pastor before he’d passed away years ago. During breakfast this morning she’d deliberately asked her mother to bring her up-to-date on church members, former and present. It seemed the Steeles were still members of their church, and her mother said that although she would see Eden and Drew Steele on most Sundays, she rarely saw their sons and couldn’t recall the last time one of them attended church.

Deciding she didn’t want to think about Tyson Steele, she stepped inside the elevator to leave the office.

* * *

Tyson had stepped out of the shower and was toweling off when his cell phone rang. He recognized the ring tone. It was Eli. With three surgeries today back to back, he hadn’t time to think about much of anything but his patients. The surgeries had gone well and he’d delivered good news to the families. Before leaving the hospital, he had made his rounds, completed his reports and given final instructions to the nurses caring for his patients. Now he was at home, on full alert and eager for any information his brother had for him.

He grabbed the phone off the vanity. “Eli, did you find out anything?”

“This is going to cost you.”

Tyson rolled his eyes. “Who do you think I am? Galen?”

It was a running joke in the family that Galen worked the least but made the most. While attending college Galen and his two roommates had decided to do something to make money and since all three were computer-savvy, they created video games. After their games became a hit on campus, they formed a business and by the time they graduated from college they were millionaires. The three were still partners today and usually released one game a year around the holiday season. Galen enjoyed flaunting the fact that he was able to work less than twenty hours a week and still make millions.

Eli chuckled. “With twins Galen won’t have as much free time on his hands.”

Tyson smiled at the thought. “You think?”

“We can hope.”

Tyson tossed the towel aside to slide into a pair of briefs. “So what did you find out about Hunter McKay? Did she establish a company here?”

“Yes. She opened an architect office in the Double-Row building a week ago.” Eli paused a minute and then said, “And you were right. Her divorce from her husband was pretty nasty.”

“How do you know?”

“The one good thing about being president of the business council of a major city is getting to meet other such individuals. The one from Boston, John Wrigley, and I have become pretty good friends. I gave John a call today. According to him, Hunter divorced her husband on grounds of adultery and had the goods from a PI to prove it. Her ex hired this high-priced attorney to fight to keep Hunter from getting a fifty-fifty split of the architectural firm they owned together, but the judge sided with Hunter. In the end Hunter’s ex retaliated by making sure she didn’t get any of their clients.”

The man was a bastard just like Hunter McKay said, Tyson thought, easing a T-shirt over his head. “I think I’ll pay her a visit tomorrow.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“As a client,” Tyson added.

“A client? That does surprise me. I didn’t know you were interested in getting a house designed.”

Tyson smiled. “I wasn’t before now.”

“Hell, Tyson, you don’t even own any land.”

Tyson’s smile widened. “Shouldn’t be that hard to buy some.” Even through the phone line Tyson could imagine Eli rolling his eyes.

“And you would go to all that trouble just for a woman?”

Tyson thought about his brother’s question. “But she’s not just any woman. She’s the one who got away. And now she’s back.”

* * *

The next morning Hunter walked into her office and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes did a double take. Was Tyson Steele actually sitting in her reception area, chatting so amiably with Pauline that neither noticed her entry?

“Good morning,” she said, breaking into their conversation.

Pauline and Tyson both glanced up, and Pauline smiled brightly. Tyson stood as he gave her a slow perusal, his gaze moving over her from head to toe. His eyes returned to meet hers and she tried ignoring the acceleration of her heart, a result of the intensity of his stare.

What were the odds that the same man she had been dreaming about for the past two nights would be in her office this morning? And they were the kind of dreams that heated her just by remembering them.

An excited Pauline interrupted her thoughts. “Good morning, Hunter. I think we might have our first client.”

“Do we?” Hunter asked, her gaze switching from Tyson to Pauline.

“Yes. Dr. Tyson Steele is here to see you about designing his home.”

Hunter found that hard to believe, especially after what he’d told her two nights ago. He was more interested in seducing her than anything else. “Is he?”

“Yes, I am,” Tyson said.

She tried ignoring the slow, languorous heat that flowed through her body at the sound of Tyson’s deep, husky voice. She looked back over at him and wished she hadn’t. She’d thought he was sinfully handsome when she’d seen him at the nightclub, but as he stood in the sunlight streaming through her office window he looked triply so. The man was totally gorgeous, one hundred percent male perfection. He looked like scrumptious eye candy in his jeans and dark gray hooded sweatshirt. For her, there was just something about a nice male body in a pair of jeans and it was almost too much for her this early in the morning.

“In that case, Dr. Steele, you and I definitely need to talk,” she said, moving toward her office.

She heard Tyson close her office door behind him the moment she set her briefcase on her desk. She turned around and fought back the urge to moan. The way he was leaning back against the closed door, he was sexiness personified. And his razor-sharp green eyes were on her. Why, today of all days, had she worn a dress, one shorter than she would normally wear? Shorter but still appropriate for conducting business. Yet from the way Tyson was staring at her, one would think otherwise. In fact, one would think she didn’t have on any clothes at all. Sexual vibes were pouring off him in droves and she could feel desire flowing through her veins.

Clearing her throat as she tried getting control of the situation, she said, “Please have a seat, Tyson, and tell me just what it is that you want.”

Realizing that wasn’t a good question to ask him, she rephrased it. “Tell me what design of home you’re interested in.”

* * *

Tyson thought she had asked the right question the first time. He certainly had no problem telling her exactly what he wanted. But first he had to get his libido back in check. It had begun smoldering big-time when he’d glanced up from his conversation with her administrative assistant to see her standing there. She was what sexual fantasies were made of, and when it came to her he had plenty.

She was a constant visitor to his nightly dreams. If that wasn’t bad enough she’d also crept into his daytime thoughts. All this from a woman he hadn’t seen in years. Usually he didn’t waste time fantasizing about any one woman before moving quickly to another. But it seemed he was focused on Hunter McKay and no one else, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Eli thought he was obsessed with her and Tyson was beginning to wonder if that was true. He had never been obsessed with a woman before and was convinced he only wanted her in his bed, nothing more. Every time he thought about them having sex his pulse went crazy. He couldn’t help wondering if there was more to his desire for Hunter than her being the one who got away. Why was he turned on by almost everything about her? Like her dress, for instance.

He knew it was just a dress, but on her it looked simply fantastic. He especially liked the way it complemented her legs. The other night she’d been wearing slacks so today was the first time he’d seen them. Now it came back to him that in high school, she had been a majorette, and the one thing he had liked was that she had a gorgeous pair of legs. She still did. And in that dress and a pair of three-inch pumps, she was definitely presenting challenges to his peace of mind. She looked neat, professional and way too appealing.

“Tyson?”

Hunter’s voice brought his focus back to their conversation. He stepped away from the door and slid into a chair across from her desk. Doing so put him in close proximity to her and he enjoyed inhaling her scent. She was wearing the same perfume she had the other night and he thought the fragrance was definitely her signature. He met her eyes and said, “I have no problem telling you what I want.” He let that statement hang in the air between them for a moment before adding, “As far as a design for a house, of course.”

“Of course,” Hunter said, moving around her desk to sit down behind it. “Before I can help you there are a few things I would need to know,” she said, picking up a notepad and pen.

“Like what?”

“Like the location of the property the house will be built on. I need to verify there aren’t any restrictions in the area that might prevent you from building the type of home you want. And I need to make sure your lot is large enough to fit whatever design you have in mind.”

He nodded. “I find your inquiries interesting. Why don’t we have dinner tonight and talk about them?”

She leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “We need to discuss it now, Tyson, because I have no intentions of having dinner with you.”

“Why?”

“Because after work is my time. A business dinner means extending my work time into my pleasure time.”

“We can make it both.”

Her mouth flattened into a hard line. “No, we can’t, and I don’t have time to play games. If the only reason for your visit is to—”

“Try my hand at seducing you?”

She held his stare. “You warned me the other night that would be your main objective.”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. “It still is. Trust me. I haven’t changed my mind about it. But I do want to talk about a house design, as well.”

Tyson was serious about that. Although he would admit he’d initially had an ulterior motive for seeking her out today, all it had taken was for him to wake up to the noise outside his window to know he had put off moving long enough. Currently, he leased a condo in a very prestigious area of Phoenix not far from the hospital. It was large and spacious and had a great view of the mountains. But unfortunately it came with some drawbacks. Like the close proximity of his neighbors. Over the years he had gotten used to car doors slamming, horns honking and the early morning ruckus of parents hustling their kids off to school. Maybe it was time to pursue his dream of living in the countryside.

She was still staring at him, as if she was trying to figure out if he really was serious about getting a house designed. He decided to put her mind at ease. “What you might see as a problem is the fact that I haven’t purchased the property yet. It doesn’t matter, Hunter. You design my house and when I get ready to build it I’ll buy enough land for it to sit on.”

She was still staring and he had no problem with her doing so because he knew she was also thinking about him. Sizing him up. Trying to figure him out. He wished he could tell her not to bother because he was too complex for her to try.

“I need to ask you something, Tyson,” she finally said after a few moments had passed.

“Yes?”

“When did you decide you wanted a house designed, and why did you come to me?”

He could tell her about his conversation with Eli yesterday, but decided to omit that part. “To be honest with you, I hadn’t given much thought of designing a house. I live in a condo and that suited me just fine. However, I knew you were an architect and I knew my plans for you, so I decided I wanted to see your work.”

“Let me get this straight,” she said, sitting up in her chair. “You planned to seduce me so you came up with the idea to have me design a home for you. A home you never thought about owning until after you saw me the other night. You would go to all that trouble to get a woman in your bed?”

He couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips. “No. I wouldn’t go to all that trouble to get a woman in my bed, Hunter. But I would go to all that trouble to get you there.”

She frowned. “Don’t waste your time.”

“It won’t be. I know women, Hunter. I can read them as well as any book that’s ever been published. You gave me the same looks I was giving you at Notorious. The ‘I want to sleep with you’ looks.”

“I was not!”

“Yes, you were. Maybe you didn’t realize you were doing so, but you were. The sexual chemistry between us was strong that night. I felt it and I saw no need to play games. That’s why I told you my intentions up front. Did you honestly expect me not to explore all those heated vibes you and I were giving off that night?”

“But to invent this—”

“I didn’t invent anything. What I’ve done is take another look at my living situation. Of my brothers I’m the only one who doesn’t own a home. Never gave much thought to doing so. My condo is not far from the hospital and pretty convenient to everything I want. But this morning I noticed things I had chosen to ignore. Like the closeness of my neighbors. The noise and such. And the more I thought about it, the more that house in the country, the one I had thought about building years ago when I first got out of med school, suddenly appealed to me again. So I thought—”

“That since I was an architect and you had plans to seduce me anyway, that you would kill two birds with one stone?”

“I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

* * *

Hunter shook her head. After a minute she said, “That night after I left the club I thought about you a lot.”

“You did?”

She heard the delight in his voice. “Yes, I did. I tried convincing myself that I imagined it. There was no way that at after eighteen years you were as arrogant and conceited as you were back in high school. But, Tyson, I was wrong. You are. You assume all you have to do is say what you want and you’ll get it. You love women, although you’ll never fall in love with one. You enjoy sharing your bed with them but that’s about all you’ll ever share. You—”

“Don’t blame me,” he interrupted. “Blame my father.”

She lifted a brow. “Your father? What does your father have to do with it?”

Tyson smiled. “I’m Drew Steele’s son. My brothers and I inherited his genes. We got some from Mom, of course, but the womanizing ones came from my dad. He used to be a player of the worst kind in his day, and even got run out of Charlotte because of his scandalous ways.”

“And you’re actually using your father’s past behavior as an excuse for yours?”

“Like I said, it’s in the genes. But since my father is happily married to my mother and has been for over thirty years, I figure there’s hope for me and my brothers. At least my mother is convinced there is and she might be right. Three have gotten married within a three-year period. Not that I have any interest in getting married, now or ever.”

“I don’t blame you,” she said, not able to stop herself. “I tried it once and once was enough.” He would never know just how much she meant those words.

“Are you going through the ‘I hate all men’ stage?”

She tried not to notice the breadth of his shoulders when he leaned back in his chair. Or the way his jeans stretched tight over his muscular thighs. “I have no reason to hate all men, Tyson. In truth, I don’t hate my ex. I pity him.”

He held her gaze. “So the reason you won’t share my bed has nothing to do with him.”

“No. It’s mainly because of your attitude.”

“My attitude?”

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong with my attitude?”

“You act entitled.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. I guess it’s from women always letting you have your way. Giving you whatever you want. They make it too easy for you.”

“And you intend to make things difficult, Hunter?”

A smile touched her lips. “I intend to make things impossible, Tyson.”

“Nothing is impossible.”

He stood and she couldn’t help but admire how sexily his body eased out of the chair. “And since you won’t have dinner with me, how about lunch tomorrow?”

“Give me one good reason why I should.”

“Because I’m a potential client who merely wants to discuss ideas about the kind of country home I want you to design for me.”

Hunter stared at him. Was he really serious about wanting her to design his home? There was only one way to find out. “Lunch tomorrow will be fine. Make an appointment with Pauline on your way out.”

“No, I’m making one with you now. Put me on your calendar for tomorrow. Noon. At Gabriel’s. I’ll meet you there.”

He headed for the door. When he reached it, he turned around and smiled. “And you look good today, by the way. Good enough to eat.”

And then he opened the door and left.

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