Tempt Me

by Cali Caliente

  Was that his growl?

  He hovered over her just long enough to catch the sparkle in her pretty eyes, before he buried his cock deep inside once again. Pulsing and titillating, her pelvis muscles squeezed and teased him. She was incredible. She was slick and ready to play. Most women would be done after the first time. Not this one.

  How am I so lucky?

  “Bryce?” His twin’s voice boomed into the shower room.

  Brent jerked his head around. “What the hell? I locked the damn door.”

  “And I have the damned key.” Bryce dangled his keychain full of keys in front of him.

  Danielle pushed up from beneath Brent and stabbed him with her heated gaze. “Are you Bryce?”

  “That he is.” The real Bryce chuckled and turned away. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

  “Go to hell.” Brent meant every last word.

  What the devil is Bryce up to?

  “Oh, my God! Are you really Bryce?” She blinked and beat at his chest. “Get off me!”

  Brent wanted to talk to her, but she struggled and pulled away. He let her go and sat rubbing the moisture from his face. “Tell me what I did to deserve this?”

  Bryce chuckled from the doorway. “Touché, little brother.”

  Danielle dried herself and slipped into her dress. She grabbed her fallen shoes and purse from the tiled floor, and ran for the doorway, pushing past the real Bryce. She never looked at him, just hurried for the outer office door and slammed it shut behind her.

  “Maybe you should keep your short cock where it belongs during work hours.”

  Brent grumbled a dozen foul words to himself. “She didn’t complain about my cock. What a sick thing to do, Bryce. She’ll never speak to me again, or give me the chance to explain. And she’ll avoid you like the plague. But I wonder what she’ll say to Aurora?”

  “Maybe that you’re her fantasy lover?”

  Brent huffed. His brother had lost his mind. “Right, only she’s gonna tell Aurora that it was you she had sex with just now.”

  “Impossible. I brought Aurora with me. They’ll meet on the stairs. I was afraid something like this would happen. I should never have allowed you to be alone with Dani. What were you thinking? She’s our wedding planner and Aurora’s best friend. She’s the maid of honor too. Besides, she’s a brunette.”

  “A very pretty brunette. Liar.” He dried off, and put his shirt and pants back on, forsaking his damp underwear. “We just had the hottest sex ever. She was fantastic.”

  “Love isn’t all about sex, Brent.”

  He snorted and shook his damp head of hair. “Listen to who’s talking. You had Aurora pregnant within the first few weeks of knowing her.”

  “I knew she was the one for me.”

  “What if this woman is the one for me?” She wasn’t blonde, but she was extremely hot. Sex with her was powerful and erotic. He’d never experienced better. “What if she never talks to me again? It’ll ruin me, I swear.”

  “Good. You need to suffer a little.” He laughed as the office door opened behind him.

  Aurora peeked into the bathroom. “Everything okay in here?”

  Bryce grinned and slipped his arm around her waist. “Just fine. I might have interrupted something, but it wasn’t very big.”

  Brent took that to mean his cock, a constant argument between them in their younger days. Whosever was the longest was the most important. Brent’s was a whole half inch shorter, but his latest conquest didn’t complain one bit. Damn, she was hotter than hot. She was a volcano, and he’d melted like molten lava in her embrace. He had to make it up to her somehow. His brother’s practical jokes were payback for the hard time Brent had given him while he was pursuing Aurora. But he’d apologized for that almost seven months ago.

  Aurora patted his shoulder. “Don’t bother Dani, Brent. She’s not in a forgiving mood right now. She wouldn’t even speak to me on the stairs.”

  Great news. How was he going to get close to her now? He didn’t have her phone number. He sure couldn’t trust his brother to do anything straight and upfront, like give him her contact information. Seemed like his brother wanted to undermine whatever chance Brent had at finding true love.

  Bryce turned to look over his shoulder as he led Aurora toward the office door. “Hey, Brent, remember your time is running out on our last challenge. Your inheritance or love, which will it be, I wonder?” His laughter followed them out the door.

  Brent slumped down in his office chair. How did he get suckered into another challenge with Bryce? His brother was out of the dating game now and it made no sense. Bryce was only trying to make it difficult for him to meet someone worth spending the rest of his life with. No way would he allow Bryce to snag his half of the inheritance over a dumb-ass challenge.

  There must be a way to find Danielle again. And he would. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life after such a great time. Who knows? She might even be his destiny.

  ****

  Danielle rushed down the stairs, right past a very pregnant Aurora. She couldn’t bear to look her best friend in the eye, not after having mind-blowing sex with Rory’s fiancé. The hottest sex ever. Oh God, what had she been thinking? Oh yeah, it was Brent she was supposed to meet and consult with on the wedding arrangements, not the freakin’ groom.

  On the other hand, she should warn Aurora of her groom’s infidelity. She should let her friend know her fiancé was unfaithful. They weren’t married—yet. But how could she manage to say anything without telling Aurora she was the one he’d been unfaithful with? Tears ran down her face. She had trouble finding her car keys and then inserting them in the lock of her blue Bug. Sometimes, life just wasn’t fair.

  Why couldn’t she find Mr. Right? Being dumped at the altar happened to a lot of people. Cold feet syndrome was common. She’d set up weddings before, only to have the bride or the groom change their mind. Better to pull out before the wedding, if there were any doubts. There was a time she’d hoped Jon Turner was her one and only. Their wedding was going to be the best she’d ever arranged. But at the last minute, she found out he was her client’s groom. What a louse and a liar. Some men simply had to have their cake and eat it too.

  Well, no one was going to eat her while they had their cake baking in someone else’s oven. Oh God! That sounded erotic and reminded her of his huge cock filling her completely.

  She drove the Bug toward home, trying her best not to hit the accelerator too hard. If Jon was a liar, all men were liars. Right? Wrong. Her best friend, Aurora, had found the perfect man. Wait! That same perfect man had made love to her less than a half hour ago. She was still moist and dripping his wonderful cum. She wiggled at the reminder.

  Oh crap, I forgot my panties.

  Her heart sank to the bottom of distress and beyond. There was no easy way out of this situation. She had to go on pretending everything was okay, ignore the groom, and make the wedding plans she was hired to do. She’d done this all many times before. Somewhere along the way, she would find the golden opportunity to say the right words to Aurora. Or maybe the scum-bucket groom would cut his own throat and save her the trouble.

  ****

  Brent leaned back in his desk chair, all shower fresh and clean shaven, ready for another workday. He gazed out amongst the multitude of blonde shoppers below and groaned. He didn’t enjoy looking at them any longer. Since last week, all he could think about were incredible blue eyes, sassy brown hair, and long, sexy legs wrapped around his waist.

  Hot damn! It was the best sex ever.

  But so far, he’d had zero luck locating the woman of his dreams. Aurora wouldn’t speak to him. Bryce would only lie to him. And he’d done an Internet search on Danielle with zero results—unless you counted all the Danielle Comb in every other state, except the District of Columbia. He’d even looked up local wedding planners. Why couldn’t he find her? Was he spelling her name wrong? Was he wrong about her employment?

  Then his mind clicked. He
remembered his uncle had worked with her before.

  Uncle Antonio would know how to reach her. He’d catered her planned weddings and receptions. His uncle stated that very fact at the dinner party last fall. It would be great if Brent could remember where her house was located, but he didn’t. Somewhere in the vast city was his biggest clue. It was a start. After work he’d head out to Alexandria and visit Uncle Tony’s restaurant. He was craving a big platter of baked ziti anyway.

  He yanked open the desk drawer and pulled out the pair of delicate lace panties, the same color blue as her eyes. How nice of her to leave them behind for him to admire and remember. One sniff and he recalled exactly how hot their sex together had been. The rising bulge in his slacks attested to it. He had to locate this woman. She just might be the one.

  ****

  One more stop and Danielle would be done for the day. This weekend’s Italian wedding was ready to go. She had to make sure the tiramisu was ready for the reception. The bride had made a special request, and the only tiramisu she wanted was from Chef Antonio. As she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed an expensive sports car. A nice red convertible.

  She parked right next to the sporty car for a closer look. Someone had money to burn. She’d bet her bottom dollar it was a male in his mid-thirties to mid-forties, attempting to make the final lunge for his youth. She giggled at her assumption and headed toward the backdoor of the restaurant. Antonio was expecting her to drop by.

  The delicious aroma of marinara and garlic assaulted her senses. Yum. Her stomach growled. She entered the stainless-steel kitchen and spotted Antonio over by the grill, arguing with another chef. He noticed her and motioned for her to join him.

  She walked in his direction and dodged the sous chefs darting here and there to do his bidding. “Hello, Antonio.”

  “I will be right with you, mio caro.” He leaned closer and kissed both her cheeks. “Are you hungry? I’ve made enough for three people to eat. Will you join us for lunch?”

  “Sure, but no vino for me.”

  “Ah, caro…you know I love my vino.”

  Danielle smiled. She loved his vino too. He bought only the best wines from the best local wineries. If she drank wine with lunch, she would be done working for the day and she still had a dozen more things to do at her home office. But she was hungry. She’d ignored her stomach’s desire until she walked in and smelled his wonderful Italian cooking.

  “What are we having?”

  He chuckled and a blush brushed his plump cheeks. “It is my special baked ziti. It will be done in twenty minutes. Let me take you into the dining room.”

  She followed him down the hallway lined with photographs of his beloved Italy. They went away from the main dining area to one of the small side rooms set apart for private parties. He pulled aside long green velvet curtains and gestured for her enter ahead of him.

  One step into the room and she swung around. “I’m sorry. I can’t—”

  “But you must. It is only my nephew. He’s joining me for lunch, and you agreed to eat with us. We all eat, drink vino, and be happy.” He gave her a gentle push into the room, and the curtains fell back into place behind him. His heavy footsteps retreated down the hallway.

  “What are you doing here?” She shouldn’t be in this man’s presence.

  He pushed his chair back and pulled out a chair across from him. “This must be a dream. I came here to ask my uncle how to find you.”

  “I think you’re crazy. Don’t even talk to me.” She sat begrudgingly and stared at the painting on the wall, pretending to study it when she’d seen it many times before. Better than looking him in the eye. He was a traitor of the worst kind. And she was his accomplice, though she didn’t realize who he was at the time. An extremely lame excuse. But she had to keep her pride, if not her sanity, around him.

  He sat across from her emanating his strong sex appeal. “I’ve missed you these past several days. I couldn’t find your phone number—”

  “Just stop right there.” She leaned across the table and kept her voice down, but she wanted to make sure he heard her loud and clear. “You are about to marry my best friend. What you’ve done is despicable, and you pulled me into it too. I shouldn’t even be here with you.”

  He walked around to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders caressing them. “Ah, carina. I am not who you think I am. I am not Bryce.”

  “But you look and sound exactly alike. How can I tell you apart?”

  “How about this?” He lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  Oh…I’ve missed you too.

  She wanted to make everything right, but she also wanted him. Life simply wasn’t fair. “Yep, you’re Bryce, all right. Stop messing with me. And don’t kiss me again.”

  He released a deep sigh and dropped into a nearby chair. “What does it take to convince you? I’m not Bryce. Cross my heart, I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Why would your brother call you Bryce, if you aren’t Bryce? Please explain that to me. Because as I recall your twin walked in on us while we were having sex. He called you Bryce, not Brent. Bryce. Did he not?”

  His brow furrowed into a frown and he scooted his chair closer and sat in it. “I can explain, Danielle. But you might not like what I have to say.”

  Flames of heat burnt her cheeks like too much sun on a hot day. She ignored his closeness for the answers she sought. “Give it a shot. I’m listening.”

  She drummed her fingernails on the red tablecloth, frustration urging her to keep her distance when all she wanted was to have more of this man’s touch. This unreachable, totally unavailable man. She’d read about sexual magnetism, but this was the first time she’d ever experienced its pull. If she remained in his presence too long, she would jump his body and demand they have sex.

  No. She couldn’t.

  He was about to marry Aurora.

  Eight weeks from tomorrow.

  He took her hand in his and drew little circles on her palm. “Twins like to play jokes on one another. My brother and I, we have always played these jokes. It was fun once, but now we are older and the laughter is not so good sometimes.”

  “Jokes?”

  “When he walked in on us and called me by his name, it was a joke on me. He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Well, he did and it wasn’t funny. Number one, we were naked. Number two, he made me think I had sex with my best friend’s fiancé.”

  “Not funny at all. Not for me and not for you,” he agreed, but there was a distinct sparkle in his eye as though he found some humor in the incident under discussion.

  She tugged her hand away. “What if this is just another ruse to get me to let down my guard with you?”

  He pulled a serious face and gazed into her eyes. “It isn’t, I promise.”

  She almost melted. God, this man was a handsome charmer. She wanted to believe him, but her heart said she was in for a fall if she did and her heart couldn’t take anymore bruises. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

  “You don’t. That’s the problem. And Bryce won’t tell you any different right now. He’s trying to embarrass me or teach me a lesson.” He shifted in his chair, but his gaze held hers in a silent plea.

  “Why?” She had to have an answer. She was exposed in an unsettling sort of way. She’d opened up to this man emotionally and physically, and he’d hurt her.

  “Because I embarrassed him with his girl.”

  “Aurora? Why would you do that?”

  “Exactly. Why would my brother cheat on a beautiful woman like Aurora?”

  He was right. The couple in question acted like they were very much in love. Or was it only the pregnancy causing Rory’s cheeks to blush and her face to glow? Maybe Bryce was cheating on her since she was so round from carrying twins. Men had cheating hearts, it was in their nature. She glanced up. He was devouring her with his gaze. He had the most incredible brown eyes like a warm cup of coffee with a tiny drop of c
ream. She could fall into them and never drown. Just be loved, coddled and spoiled.

  “Danielle. I asked you a question. Please answer.”

  She shook off the comfy ideas. She wanted something that wasn’t hers to claim. She was going to burn in hell for wanting this man so much she ached inside. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”

  He scooted as close as he could without bumping chairs and slipped his arm around behind her. “Why do you think my brother would cheat on his fiancée?”

  She laughed a single strained note. “Why do men cheat? Their woman isn’t pretty enough, they crave more sex than she’ll give, or maybe because they have a primal need to control and repopulate the world. How in the heck would I know why?”

  “So angry.” Touching her face with the palm of his hand, he leaned closer. “You think I’m Bryce, and I’m cheating on Aurora.”

  “Are you?”

  “No. I would never cheat on a woman I love. Trouble is, I’ve not found her yet. Or maybe I have, and she’s pushing me away.”

  “Which means you would cheat on a girlfriend or a date, if a prettier fish swam into the picture. Right?”

  He dropped his hand away and her cheek went cold. “Tell me, Danielle, why do women think all men are assholes?”

  “Maybe they are.” That’s the only kind of man she’d met so far. With a capital A.

  He cocked an eyebrow and his dimple increased. “I hope I am not an asshole.”

  “You might be.”

  He shrugged and somehow managed to look woebegone. “But you won’t take the risk to find out because you think I am someone else. Correct?”

  Darn, if he didn’t have a point. That’s exactly why she hesitated to do anything. Regardless of her desire to be loved, she had this protective barrier she didn’t allow too many people through. “Okay, tell me this…did you kiss Aurora while she was dating your brother too?”

  He looked down at his hands in his lap and twiddled his thumbs. “I was attracted to her, so of course I kissed her a few times.”