Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

He considered the state of the house and how little progress he’d made on clearing it out. And then he looked at Maddie, her eyes wide with excitement at the idea of going into the house that for some reason she had attached herself to.

  “Yes, why not?”

  The pub was within walking distance of the old house. They crossed the bridge and Maddie commented on how well the funeral went and continued to chatter about the various locals. Instead of finding himself annoyed, he actually couldn’t help being amused. She paid attention to everything that was going on and genuinely cared about the people of the town.

  “And, of course, Mr Wright refused to move the boundary fence,” she continued as he tried to force himself to listen and not just steal glances at her in that black dress. “You should have seen them, Sawyer, shaking their walking sticks at one another. I shouldn’t laugh but it was the funniest thing I’d seen all week.”

  He chuckled with her and drew his key out of his trouser pocket. He paused on the doorstep before putting the key in the lock. “Be warned. It’s a mess.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind mess.”

  She was lying. Maddie liked things orderly and neat. Oh well. He pressed open the door and ushered her into the main room. Stacks of old magazines—really old magazines—cluttered the space and it smelled of stale alcohol and cigars. Most of the furniture would need to be thrown away.

  Sawyer shook his head at the state of the place. It had even shocked him when he’d first stepped foot in it. A seventies style couch dominated the sitting area and a mahogany bookcase, dining table and writing desk managed to make the space look small. Everything was damaged by damp or mould or cigar burns.

  Sawyer huffed out a breath. He doubted anyone in the town knew how much his father had neglected this house.

  “Goodness...”

  “Beginning to regret offering to help now, aren’t you?”

  She turned to face him, her dark waves whirling around her face. One strand of hair stuck to her lip and she plucked it away. He curled his hand and regretted that he hadn’t done it first.

  “Not at all. I can’t wait to get started. First we’ll have to clear everything out. Once that’s done, I’ve got the names and numbers of some great builders. It won’t take long to get it sorted hopefully.”

  We’ll clear everything out. She could have no idea how much that appealed to him. His aunt had been great. She was the sort of crazy aunt that everyone hoped for. She never minded that this grumpy, heartbroken eighteen-year-old had turned up on her doorstep, hoping for a place to live. But Aunt Mae was still as batty as ever and not at all reliable. He’d done everything on his own—always.

  “I did make a start, but it’s hard to figure out what to do with it all. I guess I should just get some clearance people in.”

  “We should go through it first just in case there’s valuable stuff in here. You might get some money for some of the furniture.”

  “I’d rather just donate it to charity.” The few pounds he could get for the outdated furniture didn’t seem worth the effort of trying to sell it.

  “The charity shop will probably pick up anything you don’t want,” she suggested.

  “Great idea, thanks.” He picked up a whisky bottle—about the only clean thing in the house, and grimaced. Kind of sad that this was the sum of his dad’s life. A load of junk that would be chucked or given away. “Let’s take a look around,” he said, putting down the bottle before the slight wedge of regret in his throat turned into something more.

  He showed her around and nodded in the appropriate places when she pointed out the cornicing or the old Victorian door handles and talked excitedly of her plans. The fact was, he was hardly listening. He’d happily fling as much money in her direction as she needed to get this place fixed up if it kept the animated smile on her face.

  When they stopped to inspect the old kitchen, he eyed her intently and tried hard to listen properly but it was no good. His gaze kept dropping to her lips and he pictured himself striding over, pressing her up against the dusty, damp wall and kissing her until she was breathless and panting.

  Except...except that wouldn’t help his cause. Or would it? He wanted so badly to seem like a good guy, to prove he was different, but there were some things he couldn’t change. Like how much he wanted her.

  He swivelled on a heel and muttered for her to follow him. Leading her upstairs, he forced himself to stop in his dad’s bedroom and study the squalid state for the hundredth time. He guessed in a way he could almost feel sorry for the old man. His father seemed to have passed his time sitting in bed, drinking and watching TV. It wasn’t much of a life.

  Too polite to say anything, Maddie simply commented on what they’d do with the decor and then they moved onto his old bedroom. He couldn’t help but pause to watch her expression. A hint of a smile came over her face when they entered the room.

  “Changed a bit,” she remarked.

  Was she remembering all the things he was? How they used to come up here and make out for hours on end? Or the one memory of her that still seared his mind—how he took her virginity here and told her he loved her? He hadn’t asked her to marry him in this room but he remembered pacing back and forth before they went down to the beach as he planned his proposal with a cheap ring he’d bought from the local craft shop.

  Did she still have that ring?

  Sawyer shook his head to himself. No, she had probably thrown it away when he’d left her on their wedding day like a coward.

  He still couldn’t regret it though. The years had turned him into a man finally worthy of her. If he got Maddie back, he’d hold onto her with everything he had. Nothing would scare him away now.

  She stared at the spot where his bed used to be and glanced at him. Their gazes clashed and his stomach constricted. Yes, she was thinking the same. She had to be.

  Maddie turned and prodded the wall where the bed used to rest against. “I always wondered...” She poked again. “I think there used to be a fireplace behind here.” Rapping her knuckles on the wall, she put her ear to it and listened. She knocked again.

  A crack appeared in the plaster and before she could take her ear away, a cloud of dust erupted from the wall. Shards of plaster practically slipped to the floor, leaving her covered in white. She coughed and waved away the dust.

  Sawyer compressed his lips to conceal a laugh. A layer of dust coated her hair and marred that sexy black dress. She looked a mess. And so insanely adorable.

  She gave him a sheepish look before glancing back at the half-crumbled wall. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry.”

  He shook his head and stepped forward to inspect the damage. “Hey, you were right. There is an old fireplace behind here.”

  She grinned and swept both hands down her dress to wipe the dirt away but there was no salvaging it.

  Gripping the edge of the fake wall, he gave a yank and more of it came crumbling down. “See?” He motioned to the edge of a black iron fireplace, finally revealed after what was probably at least fifty years, if not more.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  He nodded, swinging a look her way. Fragments of plaster coated her hair and there were smears of dirt on her cheeks. Definitely beautiful.

  Damn, he had missed her.

  A slight tremor rumbled under his feet. He scowled and peered up. Another crack formed in the wall and it began to move. He yanked Maddie back as the partition wall above them collapsed. He latched a hand around her waist and threw her to the floor, covering her with his body. The rumbling sound abated and he tried to peer through the thick gloomy cloud that now swallowed the room. He could just make out the fireplace, now almost fully revealed.

  He turned his attention to the woman beneath him, nearly white from dust and tucked half under his body. “Christ, you could have been killed.” He shifted and pressed her hair from her face to inspect her. “Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

  She grinned up at him and laughed. Damn woman, why was she laughi
ng? Didn’t she realise she could have been hurt?

  “I’m fine, I promise. You can stop...” She tried to press his right hand away and he realised he’d been running it over her body to make sure she was okay. “You can stop touching me.” The words came out breathlessly.

  Sawyer swallowed hard. He didn’t want to stop touching her. Her curves were crushed beneath him, soft and welcoming. Need stirred through him. He gazed into her hazel eyes and he was a teenager again. The ache in his chest reminded him of the love he’d felt for her. Of the love he felt for her now. And, hell, he felt almost as horny as he had done when he was a teenager.

  Somehow he stopped rubbing her side. He let loose a lopsided grin and swiped a thumb along her grimy nose. “You’re not meant to be the one getting in trouble. That’s my job.”

  “I don’t know. You’re a little off your game. I don’t think you’ve done one bad thing since you returned.”

  “I might not have done anything but—” he flashed her a grin “—I have had some very bad thoughts.”

  Inwardly, he wanted to smack himself. The words had tumbled out before he’d given himself a chance. He tried to shift off her but she grabbed his arms and held him in place.

  “Some bad thoughts are okay.” She gave him a coy smile.

  He drew in a breath through his teeth. Where had his sweet Maddie gone? This really wasn’t helping his cause.

  “You might not think that if you knew what I was thinking now.”

  Naked skin, hot kisses, her breathy cries in his ear...His pulse pounded hard in his skull, begging him to make it a reality.

  She shook her head and her smile softened. “I’m not that easily shocked. I did date a bad boy once, remember?”

  “Yeah, once.” He shifted away and pushed up to sitting, feeling his heart weigh down with dread. Had he achieved nothing? Did she still see him like that? “And now? Are you dating one now?”

  Maddie pushed her hair from her face and sat up. She sidled closer and nudged him with her elbow. “I don’t know. Are we dating?”

  “I hope so. As long as there’s no one else.” He thought of the man with the flowers.

  “No, there’s no one else and no, I don’t think I’m dating a bad boy.” She reached over and looped her fingers in with his. Her gaze locked with his. “I think I’m dating a good man. I hope so anyway.”

  She could have no idea how much the words meant to him. She wouldn’t know how his heart soared and he wanted to leap to his feet, push open the windows and declare to Ballicliff Bay that he didn’t care what they thought because he’d earned Maddie Green’s trust again. He might not deserve it but he’d done it. He’d almost, almost won her back. Now he just needed to persuade her to take a chance on marrying him again.

  Chapter Nine

  Really, Sawyer Steele was perfect. Maddie glanced at him as they walked along the beach front. Okay, not perfect. Sexy, yes. Insanely gorgeous. But too mysterious. Too...Sawyerish. He’d often been like that. There’d been times when he’d gone quiet and reflective. It didn’t seem to matter then but there was still stuff she didn’t know about him. Considering they were now officially dating, she really needed to know more.

  He offered her his hand and she took it. Prickles ran up her arm. How silly that simply holding his hand had such an effect on her. But with his large, warm hand wrapped around hers, she struggled to remember any of the negatives. Her brain shut down and her heart thudded—not in the wild, erratic way it often did around him. No, now it simply pulsed hard and strong, whispering to her, He’s the one, he’s the one.

  But how could she trust her judgement? Maddie was fairly certain all those teenage feelings clouded her grown-up sensible ones. She needed more time. She couldn’t rush into anything.

  Chicken, her mind scolded.

  She turned her attention to the lowering sun. Most of the tourists had packed up and the seafront stores were closed. A few seagulls scavenged for chips and picnic scraps, occasionally sitting on the railings to survey the beach. Several impressive sandcastles remained but they’d be washed away soon enough once the tide came in.

  They paused by the railings and peered out over the sea. The large rocks they used to jump off framed the beach while the pier marked the other end of it. Orange streaks of sunlight burned through the sky and a few boats littered the horizon. Salt scented the air and the lap of waves mingled with the occasional squawk of a gull.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she prompted.

  He turned his head to her. “Yes.”

  She let her lips tilt. “I meant the view.”

  “So did I.”

  Her cheeks scalded. How could such simple words feel so sinful? He needed to stop talking like that. It threw her totally off balance and stopped her from being able to make logical decisions.

  “I bet you don’t get views like this in London.”

  Sawyer turned his attention back to the sea. “No, though there’s a few nice spots.”

  She let go of his hand and turned to rest her back against the cool metal railings. “Do you like living in London?”

  “It’s useful for work. My publisher is there.”

  “What do you write anyway?”

  “Books.”

  “You’re a real author?”

  “Yep.”

  “Will I have read any of your books?”

  He shook his head. “I doubt it.”

  “Will you show me them?”

  He gave a half smile and came to stand in front of her. “I don’t know. I’m not sure you’d want to read the stuff I write.”

  “Why? What’s so bad about it?”

  “I take a lot of inspiration from the people I know.” He rested his hands on the bars either side of her and leaned in.

  “So I’m in them?”

  “Perhaps.”

  She didn’t know whether to be flattered or not. What if he’d made her into a murderer or something?

  “You’ll have to tell me your penname one day.”

  “Maybe I will. One day. When we’re grey and old and married.”

  Her heart froze in her chest. He hadn’t said anything about marrying her since that first night. She’d wondered if he even remembered mentioning it. In a way, she was grateful for him not saying anything. That way she didn’t get carried away with imagery of wedding dresses and tuxedos and standing on the beach and saying their vows.

  She turned her attention back to the coastline to distract herself from the images. “Do you remember coming out here late at night and jumping off those rocks?”

  “Yeah, I was an idiot.”

  She wrapped her hand over the top of one of his and coaxed it away from the railing so she could hold it. “You were crazy,” she admitted. She’d missed him. Missed how alive he’d made her feel. Without Sawyer’s presence, her life had been one row of sensible decisions.

  Well, not anymore.

  Using his hand to drag him, she stalked along the promenade to where the base of the rocks started. From there they could go up and climb over them to the other beach or along the side of them where they jutted out into the sea. They’d be slippery and treacherous.

  Maddie didn’t care. For once in her adult life, she wanted to be a bit wild and dangerous. Perhaps climbing rocks wasn’t exactly living the daredevil lifestyle but it was more exciting than stacking books every day.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I want to climb the rocks.” She tugged his hand and he pulled back so she landed against his chest.

  “It’s getting dark, Maddie. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Since when do you care about danger?”

  “I care about you.”

  “Didn’t you say you still climbed? What’s the difference? I bet these are not even half the size of what you climb.”

  Sawyer clasped her arms and eyed her severely. “Yeah, I climb, but I do it with safety equipment.”

  She snorted. “It’s not like we can fall to our deaths.” Maddie
moved away from him and began to pick her way across the jagged rocks. “Well, I’m going to, even if you’re not.”

  Hand to the slippery rocks, she eyed the sea beside her as it whirled around the dark stone. It wasn’t choppy nor was it deep here but the rocks were sharp and slimy. She could easily slip and make an idiot of herself.

  “Maddie,” Sawyer called but she ignored him and kept going. How stupid she must look. But she couldn’t give up now. Maybe it was dumb to want to relive some of her happiest moments but how often did she do dumb things?

  He cursed loudly enough for her to hear it. She didn’t look back at him as she had to climb over a large rock pool teaming with tiny fish and a few crabs. If she wanted her pumps to stay dry, she needed to watch her step. Clinging on with her fingertips, she hissed when her bare thigh scraped a particularly jagged outcrop.

  Only a few more steps, then she’d have to clamber over the last bit and she’d be at the end. “Shoot.” Her foot slipped and a tiny splash told her she’d managed to stick her foot into another rock pool. Then she felt the dampness seep in. Yuck.

  Oh well, it was only a wet shoe. She continued on and hauled herself up the largest part of the rock formation. Once on top, she peered down the other side. The golden sun was dropping farther still and a grey light settled over the sea. It didn’t look so appealing now. And had it always been that far down? The last part of the outcrop was flat enough to stand on and look out onto the sea but she had to somehow get down this part first.

  Shuffling forward on her bottom, she put one leg over the edge, then the other. Then she changed her mind and rotated, coming onto her stomach. That would be the easiest way, right? Maddie pushed back and tried not to think about how stupid she must look with her legs dangling off the edge. One leg half off, the other one nearly all the way, she glanced down and panicked. She’d have to jump, her legs didn’t reach. What if she slipped and fell into the sea? What if she cracked her head and drowned?

  “I’ve got you.” A hand wrapped around her wrist.

  Sawyer.

  “I’m stuck,” she said feebly.

  He took her other hand and panic burst in her chest when he began to push her off the rocks. Had she annoyed him that much with her questions that he wanted to fling her into the ocean?