Illicit Temptations (Tempted #1)

“I remember.” I whispered hoarsely as he reached forward, tucking a strand of my messy hair behind my ear.

“Damn…” He said softly, holding my eyes captive to his own. He watched me so intensely that I couldn’t look away from him. I watched him swallow before he dropped his hand and put some space between us as he cleared his throat. “Did you like the flowers?”

“The flowers?” I asked before the arrangement of pink and purple roses flashed in my head. “They were from you? How come you didn’t sign the card?”

He shrugged before standing and walking towards the kitchen. “I wanted to do something for your birthday and I didn’t know what to get you or even do for you since you weren’t talking to me. I don’t know my mother always loved flowers and even when my father was working or whatever and he couldn’t be around, he’d send her flowers.” He poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Thank you for the flowers they were beautiful.” I said feeling remorseful for picking a fight with him just to put distance between us, especially since the reason I had cooled things with Mikey was out of guilt for the feelings I was having for him while I was involved with Rico. That prick. I had even defended him to Mikey when he tried to warn me off him.

“I text you before the opening I wanted to wish you luck.” I said my words sounded like a consolation prize for being a bitch and walking away from him.

“Yeah, I saw that.” He said taking a sip of his coffee, turning around to meet my gaze. “Thanks.” His voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Okay, I get it. I should’ve called, but-“

“But you were too busy making it work with your boyfriend.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So how’d that work out for you?”

I stood from the couch angrily crossing the few feet that separated me from him.

“You’re really going to play that card right now Mikey?” I asked furiously. I didn’t need him to throw in my face how much I sucked at pinpointing someone’s character. He didn’t know all the details hell I didn’t even know all the details. “Excuse me for being such a poor judge of character it’s apparently not my strong suit since I also told myself you weren’t really a dick.”

He set his coffee mug on the counter before stepping precariously close to me.

“Say it again.” He demanded, barely audible. He was close, too close to me hogging up all my air. I planted my palms on his chest and pushed.

“You’re a dick.” I hissed. He closed his hand around my wrist and leaned against the counter tugging on my wrist pulling me against him. I wriggled my hand free, but he took hold of my hips and flipped us around so that my back was against the counter. He let go of my hips bracing one hand on each side of me as he gripped the edge of the counter and boxed me in.

“Christ that mouth of yours is going to be the death of me.” He said huskily, his eyes diverting back and forth between my eyes and my lips.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that considering bullets were flying passed your head last night.” I said my voice sounding raspy. I cleared my throat, wishing that I didn’t sound so much like a phone sex operator. I was mad at him, my voice should sound angry not sexy. I let my eyes wander his body because I was the queen of mistakes. How was it that even in a rumpled suit he looked so enticing? I conceded that there was definitely something wrong with me because I was engaging in this ridiculous sexual tension while we were hiding out in a safe house waiting on word for why the hell we were shot at in the first place. My mind should’ve been on my dickhead ex-boyfriend trying to figure out what his part in all this was but instead I was itching to hump Mikey’s leg like a bitch in heat.

“It didn’t work did it Princess?” He said looking down as my body betrayed me and arched slightly to his craving his touch. He smiled coyly giving me what I needed wedging his leg in between mine.

“What?” I croaked closing my eyes because Naughty Nikki the phone sex operator was back. Yes, I now named my alter ego.

“Staying away from me pretending this thing between you and I didn’t exist wishing that it hadn’t just been a phone call that sent you over the edge it didn’t work did it?” His voice sounded so controlled making me resent him and fight the urge to knee him in the balls. “In fact, I’d say it backfired right in your pretty little face.” He nuzzled the side of my neck, pushing away my hair with his nose, his lips grazing my skin ever so slightly. “Should I do it Nikki? Should I slip my fingers under your skirt and see how much it didn’t work?”