Tempted (Thornton Brothers Book 2)

by Sabre Rose

  Gabe noticed and twisted around. “Ah,” he said. “Just who I wanted to see.”

  “Gabe don’t.”

  His gaze dropped to where I wrapped my fingers around his arm and I loosened my grip.

  “Am I too late?” he asked. “Have you fucked him already?”

  “Gabe, please,” I pleaded with him, attempting to pull him away from where he was advancing on Tyler.

  Tyler pulled himself from the wall, standing up straight, his arms dropping to his sides in clenched fists. Gabe stopped. The brothers stared at each other across the room, oblivious to the people milling about them.

  Jake crossed the floor and spoke to Tyler. I wasn’t sure what he said, but Tyler backed down, turning away from Gabe and walking back with Jake to talk to some important-looking people dressed in suits.

  “So?” Gabe crossed his arms. “Have you?”

  “I’m not talking about him, Gabe.”

  He let out a low breath of air. “I’m not sure I can do this, Lauren. I’m not sure I can see you here with him.”

  “I’m not here with him. I promise.” It was true. Mostly.

  Gabe took a step closer. “I’m going to win you back.”

  “I’m not yours to win, Gabe. We broke up, remember? I did it because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “You didn't want to hurt me? Do you know how much you’ve messed with my head? You’re all I can think about. I’ve slept with, I don’t know how many girls over the past few weeks, trying to rid you from my mind, but it’s like you’re burned in there.” He took my hand, peering up at me through a fringe of blond. “The way you feel. Your laugh. Your smile. The way you taste. Everything. I miss everything about you, Lauren. Please don’t do this to me.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. Gabe was so familiar. So beautiful. So tempting. But it was Tyler I wanted. Tyler who made my heart beat erratically just from a single look.

  As though sensing my thoughts, Tyler broke away from the crowd and began walking towards us. I took a step back from Gabe. Billie caught my eye. The look on her face told me it had dawned on her what was happening.

  “I can’t,” was all I said before I turned and walked out the door.

  * * *

  I didn’t bother to change before I boarded the airplane. I sat, squashed in the small seat, breaking off pieces of a cookie and shovelling them into my mouth. The air stewards performed their pre-flight checks and soon I was sailing through the air, looking down at the patchwork of paddocks.

  * * *

  It was raining when I walked across the pavement, looking for the spot I had parked my car. When I finally found it, I was drenched. I caught my reflection in the window of the car, mascara streaked down my cheeks, hair slicked to my face and dress plastered to my skin. I pulled on the door but it wouldn’t open. I pulled again and again, but it wouldn’t budge. Kicking the side of the car, I let out a wail of frustration. Finally, when all else failed, I pulled out my cell and dialled Peta.

  “I need you,” I said into the phone.

  When Peta pulled up, I was slumped against the side of my car, not caring that the rain was falling, or that my phone was dead. She wound down the window. “Come on,” she said, looking me over. “Let’s get you home.”

  I told her everything during the short trip back to my house. I let it all out in one long breath and when I was finally done, we were sitting in my driveway, the car idling, the radio playing softly in the background and watching the tears of rain slip down the windscreen.

  “Well.” Peta sighed.

  “Well?” I repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “I’m not sure what you want me to say. It’s clear you’re attracted to this Tyler, but it’s also clear you don’t want to hurt Gabe.”

  “That part I know.” I groaned in frustration. “Tell me what to do about it.” Peta sighed again, exaggeratedly, and I whacked her arm. “You’re not helping.”

  “Well, part of me wants to tell you to get back together with Gabe simply because I will get my best barista back. No offence, but your coffee-making skills don’t even come close to rivalling his.”

  “Peta,” I wailed and let my head fall to the headrest.

  “And part of me wants to point out the absurdity of asking my advice on this matter when I literally left to pick you up after having a quickie with my husband in the pantry because every other room in the house was occupied by little people. While you—” She glared at me. “You are having a hard time with the fact that two gorgeous men are laying themselves at your feet.”

  I opened the door, letting the rain fall in. Peta reached across and pulled it shut.

  “Okay,” she said. “I get it. You’re all upset because you almost got caught having mind blowing sex with the brother of the man you just dumped.”

  I opened the door again.

  “Okay, okay,” Peta said, laughing and pulling the door shut once more. “The boy you just dumped.”

  “Seriously, Peta.”

  Peta was still laughing. “Okay.” She wiped the smile from her face. Or, at least attempted to. “Okay. Look, Ren, you know I can’t tell you what to do. You know only you can make that decision. But my suggestion would be to get rottenly drunk, fall asleep and worry about it in the morning.”

  “Will you get rottenly drunk with me?”

  Peta shook her head. “Not this time, sorry. Remember? Little people everywhere. That includes the one currently, hopefully, asleep in my bed with an extremely annoying cough which will ensure I get very little sleep. As tempting as staying here would be, I promised Shrek I wouldn’t.”

  I sighed and leaned forward to cover my face with my hands, not caring that I was smudging the already terrible stains of makeup across my face. “Solitary drinking it is.”

  Peta leaned into the backseat of the car. “Here,” she said, passing me a bottle of wine. “Shrek sent this.”

  I half laughed, half cried and took the bottle.

  “I’ll call over tomorrow and take you to your car once you’ve found your keys,” she said and I climbed out.

  Grabbing my carry-on luggage from the boot, I stood under the shelter of the doorframe. Thankfully, I had a spare key hidden under a pot plant and I was able to let myself in. Peta wound down the window and yelled through the rain as she reversed out the drive. “Remember. Drinking only tonight. Leave the thinking and worrying for tomorrow. And don’t talk to them. Either of them!”

  * * *

  I took Peta’s advice and got rottenly drunk. I don’t know what time I finally passed out, but I was still dressed when I woke. I also had a pounding headache. Reaching across the bed, I fumbled until I came across my phone laying on the bedside cabinet. At some stage during the night, I had the foresight to plug it into a charger. The screen glowed too brightly when it turned on. The notifications started vibrating through immediately. Messages from Tyler, Gabe and Peta filled the screen.

  I switched it off. I needed a shower before I could deal with any of it.

  The warm water felt good on my skin, like it could wash away all my worries, but when I stepped back out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my head and another around my chest, the reflection staring glumly back at me did nothing but remind me of the night before.

  I would be better off forgetting I had ever met the Thornton Brothers. But I knew that would be impossible. They were forever burned into my brain. Both of them.

  It was still raining outside, so I dressed in the oldest pair of track pants I could find, pulled a stained t-shirt over my head, piled my hair into a messy bun and determined to spend my day eating junk food and watching TV. I was only one episode into a reality cooking show that Peta had been following religiously when there was a knock at the door.

  History told me it would be Gabe. I adjusted the messy knot of hair on top of my head and pulled the door open. Tyler stood in the rain, hair hanging in wet threads over his eyes, black t-shirt clinging to his chest.

  “You le
ft,” he said.

  I didn’t say anything. I was not expecting Tyler Thornton to turn up at my door.

  “I tried calling but your phone was off.”

  He took a step forward and I took one back. Pain flashed through Tyler’s eyes with that one backwards step.

  “Can I come in?”

  About the Author

  Sabre Rose is an author from the deep south of New Zealand.

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  Sneak Peek

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at the first chapter of book three in the Thornton Brothers Series.

  Taken - Chapter 1

  TYLER

  The numbers on the speedometer crept higher. I knew I needed to back off, reduce my speed, but there was an urgency in my chest that made my foot heavy. Screw the speedometer. Screw the pelting rain.

  I needed to see her.

  She had left the hotel abruptly. One minute she was standing in the middle of the room, her gaze caught between my brother and me, and the next she fled the room like she was fucking Cinderella.

  I started after her, but I was met by Gabe’s fist. I should have seen it coming. The wild, drunk look in his eyes was a dead giveaway, but I was too busy worrying about Lauren to notice as he stormed across the room. His first blow smacked into my cheekbone, but the next I caught easily, thanks to the amount of alcohol in his system, and twisted his fist behind his back, bending him to his knees in the middle of the room. My intention was to keep it quiet, guide him away from prying eyes, but Gabe had other ideas. He let out a gush of expletives, calling me every name under the sun. His free fist flayed through the air, trying to connect with any part of my body he could, but I held him down, waiting until Jake approached and helped me lead him from the room. The look of disdain on Dad’s face was palpable, but he hid it behind a clenched jaw as he strode across the room and dragged me away to talk business with some guy with skin tanned by money, laughing it off as sibling rivalry. Right then, I didn’t care what Mr Atterton thought of the casino, or whether he was interested in investing, I only wanted to go after her. But Dad relied on my forced charm to win people like Mr Atterton over. Charm. It was a curse and a blessing. And it was all fake. I could turn it on like a switch. There one minute. Gone the next. I learned from the best.

  While I was stuck stroking the ego of the over-tanned and under- wrinkled Mr Atterton, Gabe walked out the door after her. I wanted to tear after him. I wanted to yell at him that she was mine now and he needed to leave well enough alone. But duty called.

  When the last of the guests dripped out the door in the early hours of the morning, I immediately called her but her phone was off. I didn’t leave any messages. I didn’t know what to say. How did you ask the woman you loved to choose you over your own brother in a voicemail?

  The next flight I could book wouldn’t land me in her hometown for another ten hours, so I threw off my jacket and tie, hopped into the car and drove. The GPS told me it would take six hours to get there. The speed I was driving, I would have probably done it in five. That was until lights flashed behind me.

  Cursing, I pulled over to the side of the road, smoothing my hair and plastering on a smile that could convince people to sell their souls.

  “Officer.” I nodded as the window rolled into the door frame.

  “Do you know what speed you were doing?” The policeman peered through the window, ignoring the rain soaking his uniform and trying to make out my features in the dim morning light. I was hoping for some sort of recognition, but he just stared at me blankly. He wasn’t from the city. He didn’t have a clue who I was. This was going to be harder than I thought. I considered my options. I could try to charm my way out of it, or go with the truth. Tell him I was on my way to see a woman, the only woman who had piqued my interest in years, and I was afraid she was lying in my brother’s arms right now. But instead, I simply grunted at him to hurry up. I didn’t want to waste my time.

  I didn’t even glance at the ticket when he handed it through the car window. I tossed it onto the backseat and pulled back onto the road, eager to be on my way.

  The first time I was introduced to Lauren Greer, her hand was firmly clasped in Gabe’s, a wild and carefree smile danced across her face, and her cheeks were flushed with passion. When her eyes locked with mine, insane jealousy bolted through my system like a shockwave. It was purely physical and I’m still not sure what elicited such a strong and immediate reaction. It had never happened before. Ever. I wanted to rip her away from Gabe. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder like some fucking caveman. Instead, I stood mute and watched the colour creep up her cheeks. She stood on the second step of the stairs, her body positioned slightly behind Gabe’s, staring back at me like a frightened deer from a tumble of divinely messy hair. Well, that’s what I thought until I stepped forward and shook her hand. She met my gaze almost defiantly, chin slightly raised, eyes challenging.

  And that’s when I knew I was done for. By the tilt of her chin and the fire in her eyes, she would be forever stuck in my mind. Trapped there like the lyrics to a song I couldn’t forget.

  Suddenly, it didn’t matter that her hand was in my brother’s. I wanted it to be in mine. As she moved past me, the flash of her pale skin caught my eye. Her back was completely exposed, the zip of her dress resting on the curve of her backside. It both excited and pained me. Excited by the sight, pained by the reason it was there. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and took her hand. She froze. Electricity bolted through that touch and I wanted to run my fingers up her arm, wind my hand around the back of her neck and pull her to me, crushing her mouth against mine. But I contented myself by moving behind her, taking in the flush of her bare skin, the gentle swell of her hips, the dimples that peeked through the split in the dark fabric of her dress, the careless hair that fell in a cascade down her back.

  It was a cruel and unusual punishment watching them together. At first, I tried to resist, but I was a moth drawn to the flame even while knowing it would burn. I tried to extinguish it with alcohol, tried to wash away the thoughts of her with whiskey, but she found me and I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t stop the thoughts that tumbled through my head. Confusing thoughts. Conflicting thoughts. Thoughts of our bodies tangled together on dark sheets. Thoughts of her lips on mine, even as she pressed them to Gabe’s.

  It was sickening.

  Still, when Dad asked about a photographer, I basically leapt at the chance to spend time with her, even though it was torture. Even the way she staged her photos drew me to her. The splash of mess she inserted was like a splatter of colour on a black and white image. Poised and staged, but hinting at an untamed wildness that I was desperate to explore.

  I wanted to look away when Gabe, drunk and stupid, carelessly fumbled, groping and pawing at her as she tried to push away. Even though he was my brother, I wanted to throttle him. I wanted to gather her in my arms and take her away. But I had to placate myself with simply stopping him. Every muscle in my body twitched to do more. I couldn’t understand what she saw in him. She was blinded by his angelic smile and failed to see him for the irresponsible idiot he was.

  I battled with myself over the next few months. She wasn’t mine. She was loyal to Gabe. I should have left her alone, but I couldn’t. I was unexplainably drawn to her. I wanted her. I needed her. And the thing that got me the most was I knew she wanted me too. Every time our eyes met, I could see it. The way she glanced at me when she thought no one was looking. The way her body froze at my slightest touch. The way she melted when our lips finally met. I had to have her.

  Then I did and it was heaven.

  It was pain and pleasure. And now she was probably with him again and the thought of it was driving me insane.

&
nbsp; When I finally neared the outskirts of her town, I spoke to my phone, telling it to call my assistant, Sadie. Her voice was croaky and blurred with sleep when she answered.

  “I need you to get an address for me,” I said.

  “Tyler?” There was rummaging in the background and I imagined her searching for her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose, staring at the numbers on the screen. “What the fuck are you doing calling me at this time? It’s fucking seven o’clock in the fucking morning. You know I like to sleep in over the weekend.”

  “Sadie,” I said gruffly, though too amused by her colourful language to be properly annoyed. “I need this address.”

  “Alright, alright, keep your knickers on. Whose address do you need?”

  “Lauren Greer’s.”

  “The photographer’s?”

  “Yes,” I replied tersely.

  “The photographer who’s dating your brother?”

  “Are you going to get me the address or not? It should be on her employment record.”

  “It’s company policy not to give—”

  My patience was wearing thin. “Sadie!”

  “Okay, okay.” A muffled scuffle sounded in my ear and then the clicking of keys on a keyboard.

  “The street is called—”

  “I know the street,” I said impatiently. “I just need the number.”

  The line fell silent and I wondered if I had pushed Sadie too far. We had known each other for years. Sadie knew my moods, she knew me, and she was one of the few people I counted as a friend. Finally, I heard her sigh. “There is none.”

  “None?” I repeated.

  “None.”

  “How can there be no street number on her address?”

  “I don’t fucking know, Ty. It’s just not here.”

  “Fuck,” I cursed.