Seducing His Wife 

By Lynn Chantale

 

Haunted by nightmares, Sheridan Sinclair just wants to get through one night without reliving the terrible accident that led to her miscarriage. And she longs for the arms of the man who betrayed her. Matthew Sinclair has always loved his wife, but when she refuses to speak to him after her accident, he's left to wonder what went wrong. When a stolen kiss ignites their forgotten passion, he'll use their love as a means to get her home and in his bed again. Will a husband’s plan of seduction be enough to heal a wife’s broken heart?

Excerpt:

 

Matthew rubbed his eyes. Sheridan always had the ability to make him ache. From the first moment he saw her, she exhilarated him. Even after all these months, she made him feel alive and all was right with his world again.

 

But something about her was wrong and not just the brace he glimpsed on her wrist. She wasn’t the same Sheridan. Something traumatic happened to his wife. Maybe it was the accident, maybe not, but the tragedy was enough for her to avoid him, enough to lose weight. He tried to comprehend the possibilities, but he wasn’t the type of man to jump to conclusions. He leaned over and picked up the phone, breathed deep, and dialed her number before he lost his nerve.

 

* * * *

 

Sheridan laid her needlepoint on her lap and picked up the phone on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you?” The rich timbre of Matthew’s baritone voice sent tingles down her spine.

She wiggled her toes in excitement. He actually called. “No. I couldn’t sleep.”

“You have a moment?”

“Yeah.” She picked up her needlepoint again, cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear.

“I’m working on a presentation, and I haven’t found my attention-getter.”

“What’s it about?”
“Employee turnover.”
“Start with the amount of money a company loses each time they have to train someone who doesn’t stay for more than ninety days.”
He chuckled. “That’s not really why I called.”
“I know. You’ve had your presentation done for weeks, but I’m glad you called, anyway.”
“Really?”
She swallowed hard. She hadn’t meant to admit she was glad to hear from him, but the words had already been said, and she wasn’t prepared to lie to him. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll do what you ask on one condition.”
“I’m listening.”

“Don’t ever ask me why I left.”

He remained silent for so long she pulled the phone from her ear and checked the display screen to make sure he hadn’t disconnected the call.

“But…” He fell silent again. “Fine. I’ll agree if you share the same bed with me. We’re not doing separate rooms and all that crap.”

She almost laughed. “What is this, quid pro quo?”

“I get what I want, and you get what you want. What’s the harm in that?”

At the moment, she couldn’t see any harm. All that mattered was he not ask her again why she left. “None, I guess. What time?”

“Does tomorrow afternoon work for you?”

“All right.”

“I’ll drop the keys off at the store before I go to work. What time will you be there?”

“Any time after six. I have inventory,” she responded.

“So early? And here I am keeping you awake. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She would’ve been up anyway, and she enjoyed talking to him, despite everything. “I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. Oh, and Sheridan?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

The line went dead. Sheridan slowly returned the phone to the cradle and turned the ringer off. The soft smile she wore moments ago faded. She was going back home. She clasped a hand over her pounding heart. What had she agreed to? Panic seized her and shook her hard. She and Matthew would be in the same bed. Had she lost her mind? She breathed deep.

The situation wasn’t permanent. She was merely helping Carolyn so she could get Sean back as quickly as possible. The thought steadied her. And speaking of Carolyn…