Free Recipe for Temptation by Maureen Smith

perspective on the female psyche. In all the time they’d been friends, not once had Michael suspected that Lexi was secretly carrying a torch for him. He knew she wasn’t.
    Marcus seemed hell-bent on proving otherwise. “She’s never liked any of your girlfriends—”
    “Neither has Dad.”
    “—and she never misses an opportunity to tell you why she thinks someone is wrong for you.”
    “Again, neither does Dad. That’s what people who care about you are supposed to do.”
    “All right,” Marcus said, pinning his brother with a direct gaze. “Since you’ve got an answer for everything, here’s something else for you to consider. Lexi’s marriage only lasted two years. Why do you think that is?”
    Michael met his gaze steadily. “Not everyone can be as lucky as you and Samara.”
    “Ain’t that the truth,” Sterling murmured.
    Michael and Marcus fell silent, suddenly reminded of the way their parents’
    marriage had ended in bitter divorce after their mother was caught cheating on Sterling.
    Although Michael had made peace with her long ago, he’d never forgotten how her infidelity had torn their family apart. Seeing their father reduced to a shell of his former self had taken such an emotional toll on Michael and Marcus that they’d both vowed they would never get married or have children.
    Marcus had had a change of heart.
    Michael didn’t think he ever would.
    Leaning back in his chair, Marcus said quietly, “You’re right, Mike. Samara’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and not a day goes by that I don’t count my blessings.
    I guess what I’ve been trying to get at is that it’s not too late for you.” He glanced at his father. “For either of you.”
    Sterling guffawed. “I’m too damn old to be bothered with all that.”
    “No, you’re not,” Marcus protested.
    “Trust me, boy, I am. But your brother isn’t.” Sterling cut a sideways grin at Michael. “Back to what we were discussing before—”
    Michael held up a hand. “There’s nothing going on between me and Lexi. We’re just friends, and that’s all we’re ever gonna be.”
    Seeing the look that passed between his father and Marcus, Michael felt a surge of irritation. Pushing back his chair, he stood and walked over to the railing that wrapped around the veranda.
    New visitors to the house always gushed over the sprawling backyard, which boasted a gazebo, a guesthouse, a small pool and a series of garden beds that added vibrant splashes of color to the landscape. A surrounding canopy of trees kept out the scorching summer heat and gave the yard an air of seclusion. In a glowing feature article published several years ago, Better Homes and Gardens had described the yard as an “architectural paradise” and “a slice of heaven to rival Callaway Gardens”—lines that Sterling couldn’t resist quoting to anyone who visited the house.
    Not surprisingly, the backyard was the family’s favorite gathering place, playing host to summer cookouts, pool parties, birthday parties, scavenger hunts for the twins and—most memorable of all—Marcus’s wedding. Michael couldn’t help smiling at a mental image of Samara, a vision in white wafting down a rose-strewn aisle in the picturesque garden. If the day hadn’t been so profoundly special, Michael might have teased his brother about the tears that had streamed freely down his face as he’d gazed upon his bride. But the truth was that even Michael had gotten choked up during the ceremony.
    And in the deep, dark recesses of his heart, he’d wondered if he would ever get his own fairy-tale ending.
    “So what’s going on between you and that doctor you were arguing with the other day?” Sterling asked, breaking into Michael’s thoughts.
    Michael frowned. Just when he’d fooled himself into believing he could go an entire hour without thinking about Reese St. James.
    He turned, arms folded across his chest as he glared balefully at his father.
    Undaunted,