Tempt Me

by Claire Raye

  “How about you? Any plans?” Charlie asks, adding to the casualness of our conversation.

  “Adam said he has something planned for us, but he didn’t give me any details. He took some time off work.”

  “Oh, I wonder what he has planned.” She widens her eyes, smirking a little. “You two are like rabbits…” She grows a little quiet, not continuing her thought. “Have you been okay with it all?” There’s a hesitation in her question, but enough that I know she’s worried. I was worried too. I still am.

  “Yeah, it was weird at first, but honestly, it was a little weird for both of us. I think Adam was avoiding it too.”

  “Really? His past issues too, maybe?”

  “Neither of us seem to be the prying type,” I say, hoping this doesn’t all blow up in my face later. It’s not so much that I’m intentionally hiding it, I lived it and I’m still having trouble talking about it.

  “Did you ever go see that therapist?” Charlie now asks, treading dangerously close to the edge of something we have yet to discuss. I had no idea she knew the nurse recommended I see a therapist.

  Why would I see one though? It’s over and I’m just supposed to move on like it didn’t happen because I’m already a horrible person. At least that’s the impression society wants to push onto me.

  “No,” I admit, the feeling eating at me, because I know I’m not recovered, and I have no idea if I ever will be. I saw it work for Caleb, so I have no idea why I’m avoiding it.

  Immediately following that day, I felt overwhelmed with a sense of relief, but it was short-lived, and I’ve continued to dwell on it, there in the back of my mind, every day since. Never a regret though, not a single struggle with the decisions I made. The struggle comes with the lie I keep telling myself and the exhaustion that comes from hiding it.

  “It might help,” she suggests. “Especially now that you’re seeing Adam. Maybe the therapist could help you figure out how to tell him?”

  “I guess I never thought of it that way,” I reply to her thoughtful response.

  A couple of hours later I’m dropping Charlie off at the airport, but I still haven’t heard from Adam. I know he said he’d taken the time off work, but maybe he ended up having to go in. It’s a pretty slow time on campus, especially for bars since most students go home or go on vacation. It’s also a perfect time for inventory, cleaning, organizing, all the things that Ruby and I helped Caleb do when he first bought the place several months back.

  I pull into the parking lot of our apartment complex and I find Adam loading a few things into the trunk of his car.

  “Going somewhere?” I call out, as I walk over toward him.

  “I am and so are you. Go pack a bag.”

  “A bag for where? What do I need?” I ask, stalling out with the million more questions I have, hitting Adam with a look of confusion.

  “It’s a surprise. Just take enough clothes for at least four days, maybe that white bikini that makes your arse look so good.” He pulls me into his arms, his excitement contagious as I look up at him and smile.

  “Okay. Got it. We leaving right away?”

  “We are, so get your arse upstairs and start packing.” He swats me on the butt, and with his hands on my shoulders now, he spins me around to face the elevator.

  I bounce on my toes as the elevator heads to our floor, giddy and smiling far too big for my own good. I have no idea what he has planned or how he knew it would be nice to get away for a little bit. I hadn’t even told him that Charlie was going back to Tahoe for the week and that I was kind of hesitant about being in my apartment by myself. I even debated about going to stay with Ruby for a couple of days just so I wasn’t alone. But Adam managed to solve that issue.

  I quickly toss a pair of leggings, a pair of jeans, some t-shirts, bras, undies, the white bikini by request and anything else I think I might need.

  I hear Adam’s key in the door a few seconds later and he calls out, “Make sure you bring condoms and shoes you can walk for a long time in.”

  “What the fuck? Where are we going? Those two things are a strange combo.” I’m laughing too hard at his request to argue so I toss another pair of sneakers into my bag, but he should’ve known the condoms would’ve already been in there along with my birth control pills.

  “Just finish packing so we can go!” he yells from the kitchen. “Do you want a bottle of water for the car?”

  “I don’t know. Where are we going?” I demand, because as much as I do enjoy the spontaneity here, I’m far more curious. “If we’re going to be in the car for like four or more hours, then, yes, I want water, but if it’s less than that then no.”

  “Stop trying to fish for ideas of where we’re going,” he chastises, shaking a finger at me as I come out of the bathroom with my bag.

  “Fine. Take the stupid water for me then,” I huff out, jokingly trying to be difficult.

  “I promise you will have a good time,” he says, handing me the water and pulling me in for a hug.

  “If I’m going with you, I know I will have a good time.”

  “Same here. Now let’s go,” he says, grabbing my bag and slipping his other hand into mine. “I even wrote down directions so you don’t know where we’re going.”

  “Why are you such a cheeky shit?”

  An hour later, Adam exits, but I’m almost certain I know where we’re going, the signs all over the freeway are impossible to miss.

  “Are we going to Disneyland?” I can’t help the excitement in my voice, which comes out in a high-pitched rush of words.

  I’ve been wanting to go ever since Ruby went with Caleb, Sie and Reid. I have no idea how anyone can’t love rides and the chaos that comes with theme parks. I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was like ten years old. Ruby and I loved it then and given how much she talked about her trip there with Caleb, she still loves it.

  “We are,” he finally admits, smiling so big that every one of his perfectly straight white teeth are visible. His eyes crinkle in the corners, and I can practically feel the happiness radiating from him.

  “How did you know I wanted to go?” I ask, giving him a side eye. I never mentioned it to him, only commenting about Ruby going.

  “I may have asked your sister,” he admits, shrugging sheepishly.

  “So, you told her about us then?”

  “Well, I didn’t come out and say, ‘I’d like to take your sister, my girlfriend, on a trip. Any thoughts on where?’ I just asked her if she knew of any places you’d like to go.”

  “I’m your girlfriend then?” I tease.

  “And I’m your boyfriend.”

  We’re both smiling like idiots when we pull into the parking lot of the hotel, but my smile drops instantly.

  I grew up taking pretty lavish vacations and my parents would still be taking Ruby and me with them if we didn’t decline. I know we’re currently sitting in the parking lot of a luxury hotel that costs more than my monthly rent.

  “Adam, we cannot stay here. It’s far too expensive,” I insist, shaking my head and pointing out the window. “I’m sure one of those would be more our speed.”

  “Yeah, but those look dodgy,” he responds casually.

  “Yeah, they look dodgy, as you say, because we can afford them.”

  “Who says I can’t afford this?” he hits back, looking right at me.

  “I don’t know.” I shrug, realizing I have no idea what he can afford. I just lumped him in with Charlie and me since he lives in the same building, same tiny, barely furnished space. But he is seven years older than me. He had a well-paying job as a nurse before he left Australia.

  “I know I work at a bar, but I don’t really spend any money and I had a pretty decent amount saved that I’ve been using to travel. Since I’m staying put for a while, why not take my girl on a trip.”

  “A trip would be camping or to one of those dodgy motels over there. This is…” I stop, trying to find
the right words. “This is amazing.”

  “I just like that you used the word dodgy like four times in the last two minutes,” Adam teases, putting the car in park and climbing out. “You coming?”

  “Bet your ass I am.”

  Adam grabs our bags from the trunk, and I slip my arm through his as we walk to the entrance, a massive lobby with a ceiling that’s got to be at least one hundred feet high. It’s all covered in rustic wood beams with this woodsy feel. It’s stunning and I’m pretty sure I could live here and never get tired of it.

  We quickly get checked in and head up to our room to drop off our bags and when Adam opens the door, we’re hit with an equally amazing view of one of the theme parks.

  I walk straight to the balcony, opening the door and stepping outside. The air is warm and you can hear the muffled sounds of music and the din of people talking and laughing.

  “So, that’s Disneyland, huh?” Adam says, coming up behind me and slipping his arms around my waist.

  “No, that’s California Adventure. It’s the park that’s next to Disneyland,” I clarify.

  “I was told you can see the fireworks from here,” Adam tells me. “We’ll have to grab a few drinks and come out here tonight.”

  “I would love that.” I turn in his arms, facing him, my hands resting on either side of his face. “Do you have any idea how wonderful you are? You did all of this for me, and I seriously do not deserve this.”

  “You deserve the world, Mila. You’ve…” he stops, shaking his head, as a smile that hints at sadness forms on his lips. “What do you want to ride first?” he asks, and I smirk, his question far too easy.

  “Well, obviously I’d love to ride you first.”

  “We have plenty of time for that,” Adam says, grabbing my ass. “I want to know which ride we’re going on first, cheeky girl.”

  “That one,” I say, turning around and pointing at it from the balcony.

  “The Ferris Wheel? I bring you to Disneyland and you want to ride the Ferris Wheel. Ruby told me you loved the crazy rides.”

  I smirk at him, a devilish grin on my face that should tell him to run, but he looks at me like he’d trust me with his life.

  “Just wait and see.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Adam

  “What do you want to do today,” I murmur, rolling over and burying my face against Mila’s neck, inhaling deeply.

  We’ve spent the past two days riding every single ride at Disneyland, only to do them all again once we were done. It’s been so much fun, but mostly because I’ve loved watching how happy it’s made Mila. I’ve loved seeing how much she’s enjoyed it.

  And she’s been up for everything too, riding every single ride, no matter how life threatening it looks. She’s fearless and fun and I fucking love it.

  “How much longer are we staying?” she asks, her body pressing against mine, her hand slipping over my stomach, which tenses beneath her touch.

  I kiss her skin, wishing to fuck we could just stay here in this bubble forever. “We can stay a couple more nights.”

  “Adam,” she moans as her hand slips lower now. “This must be costing a fortune.”

  “Fuck,” I breathe out, as her fingers curl around my dick and she starts to slowly stroke me. I cover her hand with mine but don’t stop her movements, my mouth at her ear. “Let me worry about that.”

  “Hmmm,” she murmurs as her mouth finds mine and she kisses me, teasing me with her tongue.

  I slide my hands over her smooth warm skin, pulling her closer. “So tell me what you want to do?” I ask again.

  “Well, how about,” she starts, sucking on my bottom lip, “first, I do you,” she says, pushing me onto my back as she straddles my hips “And then we go hang out by the pool?”

  I stare up at her, smiling at this gorgeous woman who has changed my life more than she will ever know, more than I ever expected or thought possible. “I think I like this plan,” I whisper, sliding my hands up her thighs.

  “Good,” she whispers.

  An hour or so later, we have finally dragged ourselves from bed and are down by the pool, relaxing on one of the double sun lounges we’ve managed to jag.

  Mila lies beside me, wearing that white bikini I love so much, which is making it extremely hard to keep my hands to myself. She looks fucking beautiful, and I don’t miss the stares she gets from random guys as they walk past, all of which makes me feel very territorial and possessive.

  I roll onto my side, my hand sliding over the small of her back.

  “I thought you’d fallen asleep,” she says, turning her head toward me, her cheek resting on her crossed arms.

  I let out a chuckle. “No, definitely not sleeping. I’ve been covertly perving on your sexy little arse,” I say, my fingers slipping a little lower.

  Mila laughs. “You don’t need to be covert about it.”

  “Oh, I know,” I whisper, leaning closer as I press a kiss to the back of her neck.

  She lets out a soft moan. “You hungry?”

  “I’m always hungry,” I tell her, gently biting her shoulder as my hand now squeezes her bum.

  “I meant for food,” she says, her voice breathy and low as she rolls over so she’s lying on her back, looking up at me. I’m not sure which view I prefer more.

  “Sure you did,” I murmur, kissing her.

  Mila smiles up at me as she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. “I wish we could stay here forever.”

  “Me too, but we can definitely do this again,” I promise her with a kiss. “I like having all this time with you.”

  I reluctantly pull back because things are definitely heading in a direction that is totally not poolside appropriate and flop onto my back beside her, my hand resting on her thigh.

  “So do I,” she says, watching me.

  I smile, lifting her hand to my mouth for a kiss. “Let’s get some food.”

  After we’ve ordered some lunch and drinks, we take a dip in the pool while we wait for our food to arrive.

  “You think you’d ever go back to nursing?” Mila asks, swimming over to me.

  I pull her closer and she wraps her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck. “I don’t know, why?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know, I guess it might be easier for us to…you know, see more of each other.” I’m not sure if she says this in response to my earlier statement about being able to spend time together or not. I know we both struggle to find a time when one of us isn’t working or studying and days like this are a rarity.

  I slide my hands down her back to her arse. “Nurses work nights too, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know,” she says, her eyes dropping to my chest and the huge scar that cuts across it.

  I tilt her chin up so she’s looking at me again. “Does it bother you that I work in a bar?”

  “No, absolutely not,” she immediately says, shaking her head as though to emphasize her words. “I guess, I don’t know, I wondered if you missed it, that’s all.”

  I suck in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I try to buy myself some time on how to answer her. It’s not that I don’t want to tell her why I gave up nursing, it’s more that I can’t. At least not without explaining everything.

  “I do sometimes, yeah,” I finally admit. “But like I said before, I needed a change. I’m probably not gonna bartend forever, but I’m not sure I’ll go back to nursing either.”

  Mila nods once as though she understands what I’ve said, even though there’s no way she can. “It really doesn’t bother me, I hope you know that?” she says, her words quiet.

  I smile, leaning in to kiss her. “I know, babe. But what about you, are you enjoying your course?” I ask, changing the subject back to her.

  Mila watches me, as though she’s trying to work out if she has somehow offended me with her comments. Eventually she nods as she says, “Yeah, I am, a lot.”


  “Good.”

  “Plus,” she adds with a smile. “I do have a really hot tutor who helps me out.”

  Chuckling, I pull her closer, walking us toward the edge of the pool so her back is resting against the edge. “Is that right?”

  “Uh huh,” she murmurs, leaning in to kiss me. “Maybe you could teach or study something else?” she suggests.

  I let out a laugh. “Ugh and be a mature age student, no fucking way.”

  “A what?” Mila asks, confused.

  “Mature age, the older peeps that go back to uni when they’re your parent’s age,” I reply, shaking my head with a laugh. “They were like the biggest nerds back when I was in uni. There’s no way I wanna be one of them.”

  Mila giggles. “Well, for the record, you would be a totally sexy nerd,” she whispers, leaning in as she presses a trail of wet kisses up my neck.

  My fingers tighten around her arse as I push my body against hers and whisper. “We’re going back upstairs as soon as we’ve eaten.”

  “So how was Disneyland?” Caleb asks as he walks behind the bar.

  We got back yesterday after four awesome days of just the two of us. Even though Mila still has the weekend before classes start back up, I unfortunately needed to go back to work. Given it’s the last weekend of the break too, I’m sure we’re going to get slammed, all of which means less time with her.

  “It was good,” I say, restocking the fridge. Caleb leans against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest as he looks at me, a smirk on his face. “What?”

  He laughs. “So let me get this straight, you took Mila away to Disneyland. It was just the two of you for four days and all you can say is it was good?” He air quotes the last word, his brows raised as if to say, seriously, that’s it?

  “What do you want me to say?” I ask, trying to stop my grin. “You’ve been there, you know how much fun it is.”

  Caleb bursts out laughing. “Yeah, I’m not talking about the Disneyland part, dude. Jesus.”

  “A gentleman never tells,” I tell him, unable to stop my smile now.