Dare to Tempt

by Carly Phillips

  She must have caught something in his expression, because she stiffened. “What are you thinking?”

  “That it’s no coincidence that your ex has come out of hiding now. You just went viral with a famous boyfriend.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “And God forbid I have a good life after I ruined his,” she said, using air quotes. “That bastard.”

  If Damon got his hands on the son of a bitch, he’d kill him. “You still need to call the police.”

  She nodded. “I know.” She took her phone off the table and dialed. “Mack? I need you to come right over. I’ll explain when you get here.”

  Mack? Who the fuck was Mack? And why was there a sudden gnawing jealousy in Damon’s gut at the thought of her calling another man?

  Chapter Three

  As Damon and Evie waited, she paced the floor of her cozy apartment. The place had a pretty, feminine touch, with a cream-colored sofa and bright floral pillows, matching glass cocktail and end tables in the center of the room, with watercolor paintings on the walls and a television in front of the couch.

  From the way she circled the room, not meeting his gaze, he knew her revelations had her feeling vulnerable. She didn’t want him to look at her as weak, and though he viewed her as tough, she’d never believe him.

  She sighed and rubbed her hands on her arms. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thanks, but I would like you to sit down and try to relax. Maybe we can talk some more.” He wanted her to trust him, not pull away.

  She joined him on the sofa, and he slid closer, the now familiar scent of her perfume a reminder of how good she’d tasted when his tongue slipped between her lips. A rush of arousal threatened and he cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. This wasn’t the time or the place to react to her as a soft female.

  Especially because she was eying him warily. “So, let’s talk about who might want you off the playing field instead.”

  He leaned close and tapped her on the nose. “I know what you’re doing and I’m not going to let you change the subject.”

  “There is no subject,” she said, those luscious lips pouting.

  She obviously felt more in control discussing his case than she was dealing with her own problems, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with deflecting.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Your ex having a grudge against you is the subject.” He glanced around the small apartment and thought about how quiet her building seemed to be. He hadn’t run into anyone when he’d arrived, he’d come up by himself on the stairs and hadn’t seen people waiting near the elevator. “I’m worried about you staying alone here,” he said again.

  “What?” Her voice rose. “I’ll be fine. As you know, I have a deadbolt, and believe me, I use it. I also have a concealed-carry permit. I’ll be fine.”

  Before he could respond, a knock sounded.

  “Mack is here.” She jumped up and headed to the door.

  Damon followed close behind her.

  Before she could look into the peephole, he heard the sound of the locks being opened, and the man let himself in, key in hand. “Jesus, Evie, what happened? You scared me when you said to come right over.” He pulled her into a hug she eagerly returned.

  Folding his arms across his chest, Damon stared hard at the guy he presumed was Mack, wondering what the odd feelings were flooding his system. One thing he knew, he didn’t like them one bit.

  “Holy shit. What’s Damon Prescott doing here?” The man, who was as built and muscular as Damon himself, held out a hand. “Hey, man. Mack Wolfe. Evie’s brother.”

  “He’s a detective with the Miami PD,” she said.

  Damon shook his hand, his entire body relaxing at his introduction. “Good to meet you. I’m Evie’s—”

  “Client,” she chimed in before he could say anything else, presumably like fake boyfriend or real boyfriend if he’d wanted to perpetuate the ruse even with her family.

  He shut the door behind him and Evie immediately turned the deadbolt.

  “Okay, what’s going on? Why the panicked call?” Mack asked.

  She blew out a long breath. “I received a package today.”

  His expression hardened. “From John?”

  She nodded. “No one else can cause that kind of reaction, as you well know.”

  “Son of a bitch. I’m going to kill him.” He curled his big hands into fists.

  “What’s John’s last name?” Damon asked Mack because he already knew Evie wouldn’t want him to know or get involved in any way.

  “Coltrane,” Mack said to a glaring Evie.

  She glanced at Damon. “You have your own issues to worry about. I can handle my ex myself.”

  Mack looked from Evie to Damon and grinned. “Well, this is interesting.” But he sobered quickly. “Where’s the box?”

  With a groan, Damon said, “I didn’t know there was a stalking issue. She was upset and I tossed it.”

  Mack winced.

  “I put it down the trash chute.”

  Mack pulled out his phone and asked for a patrol car to meet him at Evie’s address. “We’ll find it and check for a card or at least find out what florist it came from.” He turned to Damon. “Now as much as I’m a fan and respect you, I want to talk to my sister.”

  It took everything inside Damon to walk away, but first he had something to say. “I don’t think you should stay here right now,” he said to Evie again, watching as a scowl took hold of her pretty face. He glanced at her brother, hoping for backup.

  “The man’s got a point,” Mack said.

  “Seriously? I can take care of myself and I’m armed. I’ll be fine.”

  “And I have a gated community, a lot of space between neighbors, and cameras everywhere,” Damon said, realizing his house was the safest place for her. “I just want you to be safe.”

  Mack raised an eyebrow. “Or she could move in with her brother, the cop, instead of a client she barely knows.”

  Clearly Mack had shifted to big-brother mode, something Damon recognized because he’d feel the same way about Bri if the situation were reversed.

  “You have to work. I’m home full-time right now,” Damon said, frowning at the reminder of his own situation. “Besides, I’m telling you my security system is second to none.”

  “Or she can think and speak for herself and stay home,” Evie said to them both, her eyes flashing with annoyance. And damned if her defiance wasn’t a turn-on.

  “I think it’s time for you both to leave. Damon, I’ll keep working on your situation. Mack, I love you. Please dig into whether you can prove it was John who sent the package.” She pushed her brother toward the door, and Damon understood he had no choice but to follow.

  But if she thought he’d go home and pretend today hadn’t happened, she was wrong. He’d be checking on her soon and often.

  * * *

  Evie shuffled the men out of her apartment, closed up and flipped the locks behind them, leaning against the door with a groan. Damn these men who thought they knew best. Yes, she understood their concern, but she wished they’d trust her to protect herself. The only reason John had gotten the best of her last time was because she’d been coming home from a party for a friend, wearing a dress without her gun, her guard down.

  And though he’d frightened her today, once she gathered her wits, she trusted herself. She had to or she would lose all sense of her own identity. Ever since he’d attacked her, she’d questioned herself and her judgment. She couldn’t let him get to her again or drive her out of her home.

  Instead of focusing on her fear, she turned her attention to Damon’s case and figuring out who had framed him. Luckily for him, she’d recently wrapped up two cases when Bri had approached her with Damon’s, and she could give him her full focus.

  She opened her notepad, turned on her laptop, and began looking further into his backup quarterback, Gregory Emerson. She researched him as far back as she could, trying to get a feel for the type of p
erson he was. A check with the police department revealed he didn’t have a record. True to what Damon had said, he appeared to be a great guy, a smile always on his face, no skeletons that she could find at a surface glance.

  Before she turned to her computer guy to see what else he could dig up, she wanted to make sure she was looking in the right direction. Which meant she needed to look into Damon’s trainer as well.

  Before she could go down that rabbit hole on her laptop, her phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hi!” Quinn’s voice provided a welcome distraction. “Are we going to yoga class tonight?”

  Evie winced. “I forgot.” But relaxing and going for a latte with her friend after the snake incident was exactly what she needed. “But yes, let’s go. Coffee shop after?”

  “You know it.”

  She let out a relieved breath. Not only did she have a lot to tell her friend, she knew she’d feel better after getting Quinn’s take on everything that was going on in Evie’s life.

  She didn’t know what scared her more, John’s resurgence, Damon’s insistence that she stay with him, or the part inside her that had wanted to accept his offer. But she had her gun, she knew better than to walk around unaware, and she’d taken self-defense classes since the incident with her ex. She was as prepared as she could be and she intended to live her life.

  A little while later, Evie met up with Quinn at Downward Dog, a yoga studio in downtown Miami. She caught up with her friend, who dressed similarly in leggings and a sport bra with an oversized tank top and dropped armholes. At times like this, she couldn’t cover her scar and just did her best not to look at it, but she couldn’t help feeling exposed and vulnerable with the reminder of her judgment lapse there for everyone to see.

  They both carried their own mats, and after hugging hello, they headed inside to wait for the instructor. Not a lot of people had shown up yet for class, and they had their pick of space.

  “So, how’s it going with Damon’s case? Did you two meet up and talk?” Quinn asked as she rolled her red mat onto the floor.

  Evie did the same with her purple one. “I have ideas but nothing concrete.”

  “Are you two getting along?”

  She lowered herself to the mat and glanced at Quinn, who sat cross-legged on the floor. “We are.” All she could envision was the look on his face when he said he just wanted her to be safe.

  “Hey, what aren’t you telling me?” Quinn asked.

  “Nothing.” Evie shook her head to clear her mind, which she’d have to do soon anyway when class started.

  Quinn narrowed her gaze. “Then what’s with that dreamy expression on your face, hmm?”

  “I’m just thinking, that’s all.” She lengthened her legs out in front of her and bent forward, stretching her muscles.

  “Thinking about a dark-haired, indigo-eyed, sexy athlete?”

  “Just because you fell for Austin, don’t put those fairy-tale dreams on me. I’m just fine on my own.” A glance at the scar on her arm reminded her of that fact, even if the tingle in her lower regions contradicted her. Every time she looked at Damon, her body came alive. Not that she’d admit as much to her best friend, who just happened to be his soon-to-be sister-in-law.

  “Okay, ladies, let’s get started.” Nadia, their instructor, walked into the room, and for the next hour, between Downward Dog and Shavasana, Evie forgot everything and managed to relax and put everything out of her mind.

  Until she and Quinn sat down at their favorite coffee shop, their lattes in hand. She’d asked for decaf because the last thing she needed was to be hopped up and awake all night. It was just past dinnertime and she planned to reheat something later at home.

  “What’s going on? For someone so outgoing, you’ve been quiet. You know you can talk to me, right?” Quinn leaned in, her green eyes focused on Evie’s face.

  She bit the inside of her cheek, despite knowing she was going to tell her best friend everything. She just didn’t find it easy, and Quinn knew her well enough to wait her out.

  Wrapping her hand around the warm cup, she stared at the white cover and finally decided she was ready to explain. “John found me today. He sent a gift.”

  “Dammit.” Quinn looked at her with worried eyes. “Tell me what happened?”

  Evie reiterated the entire story, including Mack’s idolization of Damon and, more reluctantly, Damon’s offer for her to stay with him.

  “No kidding? Damon the bachelor wants you to move in?” Quinn grinned. “I love it.”

  “It’s not like that. He was worried about my safety.” And Evie would keep telling herself that because to think otherwise was dangerous.

  “Right. And he could have offered to pay for you to stay at a hotel and he didn’t. Damon doesn’t bring women home, which tells me he’s invested,” Quinn said, looking proud of her conclusions.

  “After one night of play dating?” Evie let out a noise of disbelief. “He was being … chivalrous.”

  Quinn’s smile grew wider. “Another word I wouldn’t have associated with Damon.” She took a sip of her coffee.

  “Back to the flowers, you’re sure it’s John?” Quinn asked.

  Running her hand over the smooth wooden table, Evie thought about the afternoon. “Mack didn’t find a card with the flowers and the flowers were in a plain white box. I wanted to dig, but he insisted it was his job.”

  “As your brother or as a detective?” Quinn raised an eyebrow.

  Chuckling, Evie said, “A little bit of both.” Even though it killed her to take a step back in her own life and investigation, she’d let her brother handle it. “You know, Damon thinks John surfaced now because we went viral in that picture and he’s jealous. I have a life and he doesn’t. We know he blames me, but it was his fault he lost his law license, his job, his marriage. Not mine.” Her hand squeezed the cup too tight and the top popped off. At least she’d drunk enough coffee so it didn’t spill.

  “So Damon knows everything about John?” Quinn asked pointedly.

  Evie shook her head. “Not everything.” She not-so-absently rubbed the scar on her arm. “That’s on a need-to-know business and he doesn’t need to know. I’m just hoping that with that one prank, John got his digs in and he’s done with me.”

  “I hope so.”

  But they both knew that wasn’t true. It wasn’t in her ex’s nature to give up.

  “So, how’s that adorable baby?” Evie changed the subject to Quinn’s favorite topic.

  “Jenny is so cute! She knows my voice and turns toward me when she hears me. And she smiles at us. Close to a laugh.”

  Her eyes lit up as she described the baby that had been left on Austin’s doorstep and turned out to be his. He’d asked Quinn, who’d been his assistant at the time, to move in and help, and they’d fallen in love. Which effectively made her Jenny’s mother since the baby’s biological mom had signed away her parental rights.

  “And I want to go shopping this weekend for furniture. She can’t stay in a Pack ’n Play forever and we need to make her room into a nursery.”

  “Sounds great. I’m thrilled for you. You know that, right?” If anyone deserved happiness, it was Quinn. She always did things for others. As a child, she’d helped her parents raise her siblings, and she was the perfect executive assistant. She hadn’t planned on a family of her own, but now that she had one, she literally glowed with happiness.

  Evie expected Austin to propose any day now and she knew Quinn would say yes. Because happily ever after was in the cards for some people. Just not for Evie. Damon was a job and she intended to handle it and him well.

  * * *

  Evie drove home, more aware of her surroundings than she’d ever been before, hyper-focused and more alert than since she’d moved and tried to put John behind her. She left her car and locked it, heading inside. She kept a hand on her hip, where she could easily reach her gun, and walked into the lobby, taking the elevator to her floor.

  Soon she was back in her a
partment, where she locked up tight and closed her shades. One more incident and she planned to ask the landlord’s permission to install an alarm. She didn’t want to overreact in case John had just been looking for one last-ditch opportunity to frighten her with the flowers and the snake. If he was on a mission of terror, she needed every means of keeping him out.

  Pushing those thoughts out of her head she ate some quick leftovers. Then she took a shower, wrapped her hair into a bun, and slid on her favorite soft-as-butter tank top and panties.

  Instead of obsessing, she took out her headphones and pulled up an app her yoga instructor had recommended for sleep and stress, headphones being an important part of the meditation and sounds.

  Then she lay down, turned on the soothing voice, and followed the instructions, getting lost in her breathing and the calming exercises. As usual, when it ended, she pulled off the headphones and rolled over, immediately falling into a deep sleep.

  She woke when she heard what she thought was the building’s fire alarm going off. The sun was just beginning to peek through the sides of the window.

  Since it wasn’t a normal occurrence, she rushed out of bed, pulled on a pair of jeans, slipped her flip-flops on, grabbed her phone, her keys, tucked her gun into the back of her pants, and left her apartment. Once in the hall, her neighbors exited en masse as well. They walked the four flights down the stairs and crossed the parking lot to stand outside just as fire trucks and police sirens alerted them to their arrival.

  * * *

  Damon woke up at seven a.m. He’d left his phone in the kitchen last night, crashing early thanks to his head, and when he walked in to make a smoothie, he picked up the cell and pressed the side button. A stream of messages from Austin poured in, each one more annoyed than the last. The gist of it was to call his brother back, and Damon’s gut churned because it obviously wasn’t good news.

  He tapped his brother’s name on the screen and waited for him to answer, which he did on the first ring.

  “Hey, bro. What’s up?” Damon asked.

  “Where the fuck have you been? I called you all night.”

  Damon winced at the frustration in Austin’s voice. “I shut my phone off. Sorry.” He drew a deep breath. “I lost the appeal, didn’t I?”