The Perfect Temptation by Leslie Lafoy

spoke of this,"
     
    Alex replied, trying to be kind
about her dismissal of the notion,
     
    "I have no intention of
making him a lover. He simply
    doesn't interest me in that
way."
     
    Again Preeya patted her hand.
This time a quiet chuckle
    accompanied the gesture. "My
dear, you are the worst liar in
    the world. You really must stop
trying. You're embarrassing
    yourself."
     
    It wasn't the first time she'd
had that fact pointed out.
     
    Rather than continue an obviously
failed protest, she
    changed the avenue of approach. "He's far too full of his
    own viewpoints to be even
marginally tolerable."
     
    Preeya considered her for a
moment, a smile tickling the
    comers of her mouth and her dark
eyes shining. "I've been
    listening to the sounds and watching your faces. It feels and
    looks very much like a lovers'
quarrel."
     
    "Well, it's not."
     
    ''What is it that you are arguing
about so passionately?"
     
    They were, thankfully, to the
summary part of the exchange.
     
    Alex sighed in relief. "How
to properly parent Mohan.
     
    He contends that the days should
be filled with riding, hunting,
    fishing, sailing, and all warmer
of wild, uncontrolled sports."
     
    "Ah," Preeya said,
leaning back in her chair and nodding.
     
    "Your gentleman
wants Mohan to be a boy. You want him to
    be a prince."
     
    "He is a
prince," Alex righteously countered.
     
    Preeya laced her fingers and
stared at the dining room
    wall. Quietly, her gaze still
focused in the near distance, she
    said, "Mohan
is both a boy and a prince. You are both right.
     
    Perhaps you might seek a way by
which Mohan can benefit
    from the wisdom and vision you
both possess."
     
    As always, Preeya was right. Alex
barely kept herself
    from sagging as her anger
evaporated in a single instant. In
    its absence, she felt nothing but
overwhelmed and belea guered.
     
    The threat of tears
tightening her throat, she strug gled
    for control
of her wildly careening emotions. "He's not
    my gentleman:'
she asserted, clinging to the only real certainty
    she could see.
     
    "He very
much wants to be," Preeya replied softly. "For
    what other reason would he make
the effort to assist you in
    the guidance of Mohan? Nothing
requires that effort of him.
     
    He is offering it out of his
desire to be , meaningful to you."
     
    She didn't want him to be
meaningful. She didn't want
    his help with anything
beyond guarding Mohan. She didn't
    want to need him
for more. Needing people made you weak
    and vulnerable; it obligated you
to them. And she had
    enough obligations already.
     
    "While you ponder that
truth," Preeya went on, "you should
    also consider another, Alex, my
dear. He knows that you're
    only pretending to find him
unattractive. His are the eyes that
    can see through a thousand veils.
Perhaps you should ask
    yourself if it might
be pointless and foolish to continue to
    wear them."
     
    Pointless, no doubt. But foolish?
It would be even more
    foolish to let them fall, to
consciously allow Aiden Terrell to
    look fully into her soul. Better
that he only suspect that she
    lacked any moral depth than to
blatantly display the unflattering
    truth for him.
     
    "Alex, dear?"
     
    She recognized the tone. Part of
her relaxed in the knowledge
    that the personal inquisition was
over. Another part
    braced, wondering which word
Preeya had picked this time.
     
    "What does 'manly'
mean?"
     
    Yes, it would be that one. Preeya
had an uncanny ability
    to pick the most sensitive words
out of any English conversation.
     
    "It means virile," she
explained matter-of-factly.
     
    "Masculine. Very much a
man."
     
    "Like your gentleman."
     
    "Yes, but he's not mine," she corrected weakly.
     
    Preeya arched a brow and smiled
broadly as she rose to
    her feet. Gathering up the
plates, she said, "He is standing in
    the hall. It is not wise to make
men wait too long for you. But
    for just long enough that they do
not take your appearance
    for granted."
     
    Alex had the distinct and '