Tempt Me

by Melissa Schroeder

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “What is it?”

  He sighed and turned around to look out at the yard again. “I wasn’t there for you.”

  She knew exactly what he talked about. Before meeting Stewart, she had been a victim of a date rape. The fact that it still bothered him all these years later was a testament to the stubbornness of the man.

  Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward, slipped her arms around him, and rested her head against his back. And there in the silence of the kitchen, she fell a little more in love with Stewart Santini.

  Chapter Seven

  It had been two days since she had seen Jesse and she was jonesing a little for the Marine. Damn man probably did it on purpose. Hell, he probably set up his TDY, or whatever he called it.

  She was about to hunt up Joey to see if she wanted to go shopping for some paint supplies when her phone rang.

  Jesse.

  She waited a couple of rings—no reason to make him think she had been sitting here waiting for a call—and then picked it up.

  "Hey there, Marine."

  He chuckled and she felt her heart flutter. Damn, this was not a good sign. "Hey there yourself. How are you doing today?"

  "Eh. I am avoiding thinking about getting my cast off."

  "Ah, you're getting your cast off today."

  The way he said it made her suspicious.

  "Yeah, this afternoon. Aren’t you in some kind of meeting?"

  "We have a break."

  There was a brief pause and she didn’t know what to say. They had a few of these conversations on the phone and there were always times like this. It was if both of them were trying so hard to keep it light, that they had to think too much before speaking.

  "So, I hear from Kianna the saying is what happens on TDY stays on TDY."

  He chuckled again. "Yeah, a lot of them use that. But then, I’m hanging around a bunch of old men talking budget. It should stay on TDY because it's so boring."

  She smiled to herself and leaned back down on her bed. "Sure, sure. Like I don't know they are all going out to party and you have to be their wingman. They will use you as the bait."

  He laughed. "I don't even want to think about helping some of my father's contemporaries get laid."

  "What, you think your father doesn't get a little action? I've seen him. He's an attractive man."

  "Now you're just creeping me out. Stop it."

  "Okay."

  Another pause. "What else do you have on the agenda today?"

  "I am thinking of going art supply shopping."

  "Gonna try out the arm?"

  She said nothing because, now that she thought about it, she realized just how worried she was.

  "Yeah."

  There was a pause and being true to fashion, he picked up on it. "Hey, you're going to be just fine."

  "The doc said that I might have some fine motor skills issues."

  "Worrying about it isn't going to make it better."

  "Thanks. I hadn't thought of that." She didn't even try and hide her sarcasm.

  "Hey, are you worried about that?"

  She sighed. "Not really. They said it would be very minor, even if I did have problems."

  She was worried more about the fact she might not be able to sit down and actually sculpt again. She hadn't gone this long without working—ever.

  "I’m sure it will all work out. And besides, I’ll be back in a few days to give you inspiration."

  "Are you saying that your body should inspire me to sculpt?"

  "Of course."

  He said it with enough humor she knew he was joking. She didn't sculpt people that often, but Jesse would definitely be one that would be worth the time and effort. She didn't know many men with his physique. Not personally. There was Gee, but well, he was like her brother and that was gross.

  “And you are okay with doing it nude?”

  “I thought that was a given.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “What?”

  “You’re doing this just to get naked in front of me.”

  “Well, if I’m willing to do that, I think that should tell you I’m pretty comfortable with my nudity.”

  “What man isn’t? Most of you like to parade around naked.”

  “That’s true, but not before we’ve seduced you. The fact that I am willing to do it before that…well, that should tell you something.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that comment. She’d met a lot of military men in her life. Hard not to with a sister married to one and living close to a base. Some had been flirty but if someone had told her Jesse would have been so sweet and teasing, she never would have guessed it. He seemed too intense.

  It made her wonder about the way he acted in bed. It would definitely be worth the ride.

  There was a knock bringing her out of her lewd thoughts. The door opened and Joey poked her head through the opening.

  “Time to go, sweetie.”

  She nodded and Joey winked before shutting the door. “I have to go. Cast cutting time.”

  “Oh.” He sounded genuinely concerned.

  “So, you’ll be back tomorrow night?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately late. I don’t land at National until after midnight.”

  “Text me when you land.”

  “I have a feeling you’ll hear from me before that.”

  “Still, remember to text me.”

  “Okay. Good luck.”

  She hung the phone up, then slipped on her sandals, to head out the door. When she reached the kitchen, Joey was waiting for her.

  “Jesse doing okay?”

  She nodded. “He said he’ll be back late tomorrow night.”

  Joey sighed as she led Zoe out the door to the garage. “I don’t miss those days. Once I had the boys, it was even worse.”

  “I guess Papa was gone a lot considering his career field.”

  “Yes, and what was harder was when he returned. The active duty spouse forgets that life goes on while they’re gone. Rules and schedules are set, and they come home and blow them to smithereens,” Joey said as she walked around the car. “Worse, it’s emotionally stressful for everyone.”

  “But you wouldn’t have changed anything.”

  Joey stopped and smiled at Zoe. “No way. Okay, I would have given up Vince breaking his arm while Stewart was TDY. But, no, I can’t think of my life any other way. I won’t lie to you. There was a lot of it that sucked. Loneliness is something that can’t be soothed when your spouse is half a world away and unable to call because of the mission—even with four boys to keep you busy. But the experience was worth it.”

  When Zoe heard the tone in Joey’s voice, she shook her head. “Don’t get any ideas. Jesse and I are just dating.”

  Joey nodded. “Yeah. I was doing the same thing with Papa all those years ago.”

  * * * *

  Jesse nerves jumped when the doorbell rang a half hour before Zoe said she would be there. He took a calming breath and headed toward the door. The way he was behaving, you would have thought he wasn’t in his thirties with a lot of dating experience. Not that he had that much in the last few months. With work and family obligations, it had been hard to schedule the time.

  He drew in a deep breath and opened the door. When he found his father standing there, he blinked.

  "Dad?"

  He was still in his uniform as he stood smiling at him. The rain pattered on the pavement behind him.

  "Hey, there, Jess. Got a few minutes for your dad?"

  Crap, this could only be bad news. Their father didn't show up unless there was something wrong. Sure, they worked in the same building, but the Pentagon was like a small town of people too busy to stop and chat--unless it was work related.

  "Sure. Come on in."

  He stepped back and let his father into his house. After taking his coat, Jesse led him into the kitchen. His father took
one look at the tiny dining table set for two and rolled his eyes.

  "MJ always says I have the worst timing in the world."

  Jesse smiled. "You've got plenty of time. Want a glass of wine?"

  He shook his head. "I just wanted to stop by on my way home, see how you were doing. You weren't at work today."

  "Yeah, I didn't want to get caught with Use or Lose Leave at the end of the fiscal year. Plus, I got back from the trip very late last night. This crappy weather had me stuck in Chicago for two extra hours."

  His father nodded.

  "You don't mind if I keep an eye on dinner. I bragged about my cooking skills so if I burn it, I don't think she'd let me hear the end of it."

  "I didn't know you were dating anyone."

  And that was the nature of their relationship. Being the oldest in a family of four was kind of hard on a guy. Being the oldest with a Marine as a father was downright painful. There had always been a strain between them. They both got their news about each other from other sources.

  "Not really seriously dating yet. You know Gee's wife has a little sister?"

  His father nodded.

  "She's up here visiting the Santinis and we've been spending time together."

  "Oh, that's right. The artist."

  He said it with enough disgust that it pulled a chuckle from Jesse. "Yeah. And I would advise you not to say it like that if you are around Joey."

  "Noted. So, how long is she here for?"

  He took a moment to stir the sauce and turn on the water for the pasta. It was odd getting questions like this from his father. It had been years since he had directly asked him about his love life.

  "Not sure. She had some issues down in Savannah, so Joey made her come here."

  "What do you mean Joey made—never mind. I know better than to question that issue. Joey Santini is a force of nature."

  Then they lapsed into silence.

  "Do you want to tell me what you're here for?"

  His father sighed. "I wanted to give you a head's up that you've been suggested for a job."

  Completely out of character. Being a General's son was one thing, but they both did not dabble with each other's careers. He had told his father he would go Army if he didn't keep his nose out of it.

  "Yeah, and where would this be? And please tell me you had nothing to do with it?"

  He held up his hands in surrender. "I was surprised because you're not really completely qualified for it. If I did dabble, I wouldn’t do that to you."

  "So where is it."

  "NATO headquarters."

  He frowned. "I haven't heard a thing. And I wasn't looking to go back overseas."

  He'd been out of the country a lot until recently. With MJ procreating and now his younger brother married, he wanted to stay close by.

  “No, I know you weren’t and I wouldn’t suggest it completely. It might be a lot of hard work. And, I’m not sure it would set you on the path to a star.”

  There it was once more. He hated it, hated that everyone thought that’s what he wanted. Maybe he bragged about it when he was younger, but Jesse had changed. Serving in Afghanistan had done that to him. He wasn’t the kind of man who came that close to death and ignored the second chance he got.

  “There is always a chance that my name will never make it to the final list.”

  His father shrugged. “If you want me to get you out of it, let me know.”

  “No, just leave it alone.”

  Another long pause of silence. “Well—”

  The doorbell cut his father’s comments off. Dammit to hell. It was just his luck that she would show up now. “Give me a second.”

  He rushed to the front door and pulled it open. Zoe’s eyes widened at the sight of him. “Wow, I had no idea you’d be standing there waiting for me to show up.”

  When he didn’t respond, her smile faded. “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded. He was having issues talking at the moment. Sure, his father was in the other room, but the only thought that came to his mind when looking at this woman was he wanted her naked. She was dressed down for the occasion, nothing spectacular. She’d worn a bright yellow scarf over her head, a white and yellow flowing blouse and tight jeans. The umbrella she held was also yellow.

  “Yeah, just, my father stopped by.”

  “Oh.”

  “Son, I think you need to let the woman off the stoop before she washes away in the rain.”

  Shit. Now the General was giving him dating advice.

  “Sorry,” he said, as he stepped back. He took her umbrella and shut the door behind her. “Zoe Jones, this is my father Bryan Johnson. Dad, this is Zoe. You met her once before at Gee’s wedding.”

  His father surprised him with a welcoming smile for Zoe as he took her hand and kissed it. His father. The man who hadn’t had a real date…okay he didn’t even know if his father dated. He didn’t want to know. But still, his father was being more charming to Jesse’s date than he was.

  “Yes, I remember. How are you doing, Ms. Jones?”

  Zoe smiled. “Please, call me Zoe.”

  He nodded then said, “I’ll let you two get to dinner then.”

  “Oh, don’t leave because of me. I’m sure Jesse made enough for all of us.”

  Jesse wanted to say no, but he couldn’t be a dick in front of her. And from the smile on her face, she has done it on purpose.

  He gave his father a smile. “Sure. Stay for dinner.”

  Chapter Eight

  Zoe didn't know whether to be amused or embarrassed by the situation. She hadn't expected to deal with a father tonight or the vibes between the two of them. Something was definitely going on between them. For the General, as she had heard everyone at the Santinis and Johnsons call him, he was wonderful with her. Over dinner and then dessert, they discussed Venice and Milan, and her hopes of going there some day.

  "I have got to be going," he said as he rose from his chair, and gave Jesse a look. "My days start early."

  "I'm on leave again tomorrow."

  His father chuckled. "Okay. Make sure to call Jack. I talked to him today and he sounded pretty good, but kept going on about some dog."

  "That's his neighbor's dog. But I'll call him."

  "Good. It was nice to have dinner with you, Zoe. Thanks for humoring me so I could spend some time with my son."

  She smiled. "No troubles, sir."

  "I'll be right back," Jesse said as he followed his father down the hall.

  The murmur of male voices was barely audible over the pouring rain. She glanced around the room again, taking in the style. It was exactly as she expected for the most part. Neutral colors, strong bold lines, but there were other things that caught her attention. Pictures mainly. There were tons of them littering every surface in the living area and framed ones on the walls. He seemed to have more pictures of his nieces than MJ probably had. She especially liked the close up of him and the babies. They were both smiling into the camera with identical grins.

  But the one that caught her eye was a framed picture on his desk. It was older and the woman was gorgeous. Stunning in fact. She was dressed conservatively and holding a small baby boy on her lap. She was in a swing and laughing, His mother, no doubt and teeny tiny Jesse Johnson. She smiled and wandered back to the table. It made him even more attractive to her. It made him human. It also showed he was a sentimental man. And there was just another point in his favor. A man who loved his family this much was kind of irresistible to her.

  Needing to keep herself busy, she stacked the dessert plates and took them to the sink.

  "Hey, you're the guest," Jesse said as he returned. He took the stacked dishes from her hands.

  "It's the least I could do after that meal. You do make a mean red sauce."

  He set the plates on the counter, then eased his way in front of her. Comfortable and pleasantly relaxed from the wine, she slipped her hands up to his shoulders and then twined them around his neck.

 
"Don't tell MJ. She thinks her red sauce is the best."

  She laughed then sighed as he nibbled on her neck. "I liked your father."

  "Just what a guy wants to hear when he is trying to seduce a woman."

  "No, really. I know you didn't want him to stay, but he wanted to spend time with you so badly."

  Jesse sighed and pulled back. "He wanted to talk about an assignment I've been put up for, but I didn't."

  "Oh," she said, as he started to nibble on her chin.

  "Yeah. We have a strict no butting in on my career policy. And he wanted to try and do that."

  "I think he misses you though."

  "What?" he asked, but he didn’t sound like he expected an answer.

  "I think he misses you."

  "Why would you say that?"

  "Your father spent all night telling stories about you, your brothers and your sister. He loves you a lot. But...I have a feeling he has issues with letting you know how he feels. So, that's why he came up with a reason to come over here and bother you tonight."

  "Huh."

  "And don't think he didn't have anything else to do. That man probably could have a date every night of the week."

  That made him stop and look at her. "What do you mean by that?"

  "He has a real Jethro Gibbs quality about him."

  "From NCIS?"

  "Yeah. Silver fox and all that."

  He pursed his lips then said, “This conversation is very disturbing.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Just know that he didn't have to come over here. And he doesn’t have to come up with things to do. I am pretty sure he could date a lot of women.”

  With that, she started nibbling on his chin.

  “You think my dad dates?” he asked.

  “Yep.”

  He grunted. “He never says anything to us.”

  “Really?’ she said, not trying to hide the sarcasm. “You mean a grown man doesn’t sit down and discuss his love life with his son? How odd.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Not any odder than a man who is standing in his kitchen with an up and coming artist from Savannah who is trying to seduce him and he is going on about his father.”