Temptation, The Complete Serial Series 1-4 (The Temptation Serial Series) (18 page)

I dressed and came into the kitchen to find Morgan whispering on the phone with someone. I assumed it was Shane.

“I’m fine. We’re both fine. I know.”

She saw me and waved, rolling her eyes. Definitely Shane.

“You can,” she told him. “Okay. Love you. Bye.”

Ending the call with a press of the button, she got up and poured a cup of fresh coffee for me. “You love me.”

Morgan giggled. “I do,” then she sighed. “Shane wants to come here for a little while. He misses me.”

“You miss him, too.”

“I do, but he needs to train.”

I smiled. “Go home.”

The coffee cup that was in the process of making its return trip to her mouth stilled and she looked up at me.

“Morgan, I’m fine. I actually like it here. If you go home you can work on your pictures, tear down some wall portraits with Shane, and relax a little.” She’d been on edge since returning from D.C.

“Tear down wall portraits?”

“Fixtures, paintings, portraits…the way you two fuck against a wall is impressive. I could have sworn that everything hanging on the walls of the spare bedroom was going to crash to the floor.”

Her face turned bright red. “Ohmigod. I am so sorry. You heard that?” She covered her eyes and then peeked out from beneath her hand. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“I actually think you two may have triggered the alarm that night.”

She threw her head back laughing. “You should hear us when we aren’t trying to be quiet!”

“You were
trying
to be quiet? No way, Sin.”

She crossed her heart. “I swear. We were trying so hard.”

Tears pricked my eyes and I doubled over. They would sound like primates going at it if they got any louder!

From the counter, my cell phone vibrated. When I checked it, I saw a text from an unknown number and every muscle in my body froze until I saw who it was from. Archer.

Archer
: Hello, Brooklyn. Thank you again for letting me have lunch with you the other day. I know you’re busy preparing for your show, but was wondering if you might want to have lunch again today. Archer Jennings.

“It’s Archer. Wanna do lunch with him?”

Morgan shook her head. “Nah, I’m going to stay here and work my magic,” she said, pointing to her laptop and camera. “You go ahead, though.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally. I’ll probably Skype with Shane, too.”

I typed my reply.
Lunch @ Lyra’s. 11:30 okay?

Archer
: Sounds wonderful. See you then.

“You should wear a sundress,” Morgan advised.

“Why?”

She shrugged. “It’s hot and you look hot in them.”

“I’m not trying to look hot for Archer.”

Morgan smiled knowingly. “Believe me, I get it. Maybe you’ll bump into Colt in town.”

I didn’t think she understood at all. I was in trouble.

“I can’t stay here, Sin.”

She looked up at me, blowing over the surface of her coffee. “Why not?”

I swallowed, not knowing how to respond. I just couldn’t. Could I?

***

Morgan dropped me off at Lyra’s and with a wave, she backed out of the parking space and drove in the direction of home. I froze.
Home. Holy shit.

Movement in the window of the restaurant caught my eye. It was Archer, already seated in a booth. I forced my legs to move and pulled the door open, making my way to the seat across from him. The pleather of the booth stuck to my legs as I tried to slide in.
I shouldn’t have worn the sundress.
The seat groaned and squeaked, and truth be told, sounded like huge fart noises. I wanted to sink under the table and disappear when people began to turn around.

Archer gently appraised me and smiled. “You look lovely, Brooklyn.”

“Thank you.”

Rose came over and brought a glass of ice water before I even asked her for one. She was amazing. “You ready to blow them away tonight?”

I smiled and picked at the hem of my dress. “I hope so.”

“You’ll do great! Want a salad?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

She turned her attention to Archer. “And for you?”

“I’ll have the same, thank you, and an order of grilled chicken.”

“Sure thing,” Rose replied, turning on her heel and heading to the next table over.

Archer seemed preoccupied. He stared out the window.

“Are you okay?”

He looked at me and smiled. “Yes, but I need to confess something to you.”

The bell on the door behind him sounded and in walked Colt and Dalton. Colt looked left, right, and his eyes found mine. Then he saw Archer and I watched as his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. C was jealous.

He didn’t wait to be seated, but seated himself next to me and told Dalton to sit, gesturing to the seat across from us. Archer was kind. He moved over and made room immediately.

“Who’s this?” Colt asked.

“Archer Jennings. We met here the other day during the lunch rush and decided to have lunch again today.”

“Is that right?” Colt’s hand found my thigh, the warmth of it burning through the thin, black cotton of my dress. Then it moved and made its way beneath the hem of my skirt, leaving me a quivering mess.

“I’m Officer Stone. This is Officer Dalton. We’re friends of Brooklyn.”

Colt offered him his right hand and Archer shook it. Dalton just nodded to his seatmate and watched Colt and me, his eyes dancing with laughter.

Rose stopped by and took their orders, rushing away to the kitchen. She always took care of her boys in blue.

Colt’s thumb drew lazy circles across my skin, igniting a fire in me. The mere sparks I felt before were now a raging inferno, and if he didn’t stop soon, I was going to drag him out of there like a cavewoman and have my way with him out back.

Finally, I forced his hand away and he smirked as Archer and I began to eat our lunch. Colt’s and Dalton’s meals were delivered a short time later. Both dug in to enormous juicy burgers, piled high with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. The smell of their fries made my mouth water.

Tomorrow, I vowed. Tomorrow, I would have one of those burgers.

Colt nudged me. “Ready for tonight, B?”

Archer looked from him to me and back to Colt. “Yeah.”

Colt asked Archer, “You going to the show, man?”

“Brooklyn invited me, so, yes, I plan to go. Not like there’s much to do at the Inn and Out.”

Everyone laughed and the awkward tension was replaced by camaraderie. Thank goodness.

When we were all finished eating, Colt helped me out of the booth. I smoothed the back of my skirt to make sure it wasn’t showing my ass and then walked outside with the three men. “I can drive you home, Brooklyn,” Archer offered.

“We’ll take her,” Colt answered him, and then explained, “I have to grab something from my place anyway. We’re already heading there.”

Dalton laughed. “We are?”

“We are,” Colt answered confidently.

“Okay, thanks. It was nice seeing you again, Archer,” I told him, shaking his hand.

“Yeah. I guess I’ll see you tonight, then.”

I smiled and nodded as Colt put his hand on the small of my back and led me toward his cruiser. His pace was rushed as he pushed me forward. “Where’s the fire?”

Dalton was still standing near the front door, smoking a cigarette and talking up a leggy redhead who had just pulled up.

“Where’s the fire?” Colt repeated, still pushing me quickly to the side of the building. His cruiser was almost in the back of the parking lot. Colt pushed until I was at the driver’s side and then he grabbed my arm and turned me around. “I’ll show you where the fire is.” His mouth crashed down on mine and the only way to describe the clashing of teeth, lips, and tongue was
claiming
. Colt was claiming me with every stroke. He grabbed the back of my thighs and lifted, hoisting my legs up and pinning my back against his car. The warm metal burned so good. His hair, short and delicious. I raked my fingers through it, holding him in place. I didn’t want it to stop.

I could feel him against my core as he rocked against me, hard and long and ready. And I was ready, too. Holy shit. His hands kneading my ass, the muscles of his back under my hands, his abs—they felt like heaven.

He pulled back. “That’s where the fucking fire is, B.”

I couldn’t even…

So I kissed him again and ignited that son of a bitch myself. Dalton’s clapping pulled our attention away. “Thank fuck! It’s about time you got a cure for those blue-ass balls of yours, man.”

Against my lips, Colt muttered, “I’m gonna kill him.”

I threw my head back laughing, and Colt eased my feet to the ground.

His soft lips met mine again. “To be continued,” he warned.

I nodded. “To be continued.”

I’d been watching her since I got to town. I knew she was neighbors with the cop and the old man, and while I knew she and Stone were friends, I didn’t realize how friendly they were until he sat down beside her, looking like he wanted to tear me to shreds.

Good luck with that. I was at least his equal in strength and I would fight for Brooklyn to the fucking death. She and I had come too far to let someone stand between us now. It wasn’t going to happen.

I needed time with her. I can’t believe I almost told her how I felt about her just before he waltzed in. How foolish that would have been! She obviously wasn’t ready yet.

A new plan. I needed a new plan. Pacing the shag carpeted floors, it hit me. I needed to tell her who I worked for. That would earn her trust. She would see me as her hero, and every woman swooned over the hero. I would be that for her. And she would come to me. Willingly.