Sinful Temptation

by Christopher, Ann

  “Will you hold your horses?” Talia muttered. “Give me a chance to check the peephole—oh, my God.”

  It was Tony.

  Chapter 9

  “Hey.” Tony hovered in the doorway, clearly testing the waters and deciding what sort of reception he was likely to get before he came any closer.

  Meanwhile, Chesley, a very poor judge of character, trotted over to him and nudged his hand for the obligatory ear scratch. Stupid dog. Didn’t she know he’d let them down? Didn’t she know a severe punishment was in order for the torture he’d put them through this past week?

  Evidently not.

  “Hey,” Talia said.

  “Can I, ah—can I come in?”

  She shrugged and let him pass. Since her jackhammering heart was now lodged in her throat, it seemed like a good idea to keep words to a minimum.

  “Sure.”

  She led him into the living room. At a gesture from her, he sat on one end of the sofa. She sat on the other. She waited. Nothing happened.

  “How are you?” he asked after several of the most excruciating seconds of her life.

  “I’m great. How are you?”

  “Great.”

  They were both liars. She hadn’t slept since Monday’s painful parting scene, and it was all she could do to keep from drooping with exhaustion. He, in turn, looked like shit, with those haunted hollows under his eyes again, deeper than ever, and several days of bristle darkening his chin.

  If he hadn’t slept, either, it was no less than he deserved. Not that she was bitter or anything.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her.

  “Don’t be.” Though she thought she had her anger under control, there was an unfortunate bite in her voice that she couldn’t seem to dial back.

  “I think I have plenty to be sorry about.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s all good.”

  Desperate for something to do with her hands, Talia began straightening her coffee-table books. Though she wasn’t looking directly at him, she was able to see that his shoulders stiffened and his head shifted, as though he wanted to cock his ear and make sure he was hearing correctly.

  “It’s all good?”

  “Absolutely.” Her skittering nerves collided with her innate tendency to babble, and that, along with her desperate need to change the subject, made for an unfortunate combination. “Did you check out the mural yesterday? I really think Odysseus is coming along, don’t you? I want him to look fierce and focused, and I’m also trying to bring out a little bit of his fear, but I’m just not sure—”

  “Don’t we have more important things to talk about than the mural?”

  The growing incredulity in his tone went a long way toward soothing her hurt feelings. Not that she was ready to get past them yet.

  “The mural is the only thing we have to talk about, Tony.”

  A low growl was the only warning before Tony lashed out, grabbing hold of her wrist and lowering it away from the books. Ignoring her sharp cry of surprise, he got in her face, his eyes a blaze of brown with gold sparks.

  “I think we need to talk about our relationship. Where we go from here.”

  “There is no relationship. You made that pretty clear the other day. And if it wasn’t clear when you walked out, it’s been clear in the days since. You didn’t call or text,” she reminded him. “Either of those would’ve been appropriate, don’t you think?”

  “That was a bombshell you dropped on me. I told you I needed a minute to process it.”

  She snatched her hand free. “You had your time.”

  “I was scared, Talia. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  It was all she could do not to snort. Clearly Paul had passed along the whole Dump Talia script to Tony, who was now reciting it almost word for word. It was hysterically funny, and she would’ve laughed if her broken heart hadn’t had her in such a stranglehold.

  “You were scared? Wow. Thanks for explaining that to me. Because I’m the one with cancer, and I don’t know anything about fear. I’m sure my fear is nothing compared to your fear. Thanks for putting things in perspective for me.”

  He got up, paced away and came back, running his hands over the top of his head and then dropping them to his sides where his fists flexed with obvious frustration. Opened and closed…opened and closed…until his knuckles whitened and she could see the imprint of his nails in his palms.

  “Let me ask you a question.” There was a rough edge to him now, as though he was clinging to his civility by the slimmest of spiderwebs. “Why did you stop writing to me?”

  A new feeling began to prickle along her spine: dread. “That’s a pretty random question, don’t you think?”

  “No, I don’t think. Why did you stop?”

  She hesitated, thinking hard for a simple explanation, which refused to materialize. “I—I was with Paul, and I’d just gotten my diagnosis, and I…I—”

  “You were scared,” he said flatly. “You were starting to feel something for me, and I was a soldier in a war zone and that scared you. You didn’t want to get too wrapped up in me if I was going to go off and get myself killed, did you?”

  The terrible certainty of truth settled over her, not that she was ready to admit it now or ever. “No,” she said too quickly. “That’s not true—”

  Tony moved up again, positioning himself back in her face. He didn’t touch her, but that terrible look in his eyes—part understanding, part recrimination—trapped her just as his hand on her wrist had.

  “You weren’t worried about what would happen to me? You weren’t scared to care too much?”

  This time, when she opened her mouth, the denial wasn’t so quick to come. “I— Of course not.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Another one of those periods of painful silence passed, during which it felt like they were both digging trenches and preparing to settle in for a long and bloody battle. No big deal, right? Battles were fine. God knew she was used to them. What she couldn’t deal with was the sudden hot flare of hope burning inside her, as though peace could be an option. As though they might find a way to be together after all.

  “What do you want, Tony?”

  He shrugged. “That’s easy. I want us to get past our mutual bullshit and fear. And I want you.”

  She shook her head automatically, but the hope had gained a toehold inside her and it didn’t feel as though it was going away anytime soon.

  “We’re a bad fit. We’ve both got too many issues. I don’t see how things can work.”

  Something in his expression softened, and his eyes crinkled at the edges with the kind of absolute understanding that always made her unravel.

  “I’m going to tell you the truth. Even though it makes me look like the world’s biggest coward, I’m going to tell you. Okay?”

  No. It was not okay. They did not need to head down this path.

  “Yeah. Okay.”

  That hint of a smile faded away, leaving only naked intensity and a man who was having a terrible struggle opening his mouth and getting the words out. She watched, disbelieving, as his nostrils flared and his chin quivered before he pressed his lips together and focused in on all his emotions.

  “I’ve been scared before. Once or twice.”

  Talia waited, straining to hear him over the heady beat of her heart inside her ears.

  “I’ve never been scared like I was when you told me you had cancer.” He swiped a hand under his eyes and nose, whooshing out a harsh breath. “I shut down. It would be easier to go back and spend another year in Afghanistan than to manage my fear of something happening to you, Talia. I’d do anything for you to not have to go through any pain or suffering.” He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t know how good I can be in a crisis.”

  Unbidden, Gloria’s words came back to Talia.

  I’d trade places and be sick for you if I could.

  And she stared at Tony, her heart melting.

  “I don�
��t plan to die, Tony.”

  “That’s good, because I don’t plan to live without you.”

  Well, that was something, wasn’t it? Was it safe to feel hopeful now, or should she make him swear a blood oath?

  “I need someone I can count on,” she warned him.

  “So do I.” He let out a shaky laugh. “Because, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve still got a few post-traumatic stress issues I’m working through.”

  Staring at him, she felt the wild urge to laugh and cry, all at the same time.

  “Oh, well. PTSD. Is that all?”

  Another shaky laugh.

  “So… Where does this leave us?” she wondered.

  “Funny you should ask.” Reaching out a hand, he reeled her up and into his arms. “I think it’s time for us to get to know each other better and find out.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” He lowered his head, taking his time moving in for a kiss. “I’m thinking we can get something to eat, and then maybe—”

  A sound like a muffled screech startled them, and they looked around in time to see the bedroom door fly open and bang the wall with a thud.

  Gloria looked like a trillion bucks in the hot-red dress, except that her face was twisted up with either anger or pain as she marched in and stopped dead when she saw Tony.

  “Great.” Her voice cracking, she hit him with a glower so dangerous it could probably cause the sun to cool. “It’s you.”

  “Gloria,” he murmured. “Always a pleasure.”

  “What brings you here?” Gloria, who always acted like she owned the place, even if she was standing in the middle of the White House, put her hands on her hips and hiked up her chin until even Talia wanted to take a swing at her. “Have you come to finish breaking my sister’s heart?”

  “Ah, Gloria.” Talia stepped between the two of them before someone threw a punch. “What’s wrong? I thought you were leaving for your date.”

  Gloria choked on something that was either an ugly laugh or a sob. “No, you didn’t. You knew he’d stand me up again.” Holding up her phone, which evidently had a text on it, Gloria waved it in Talia’s face. “Well, now’s your chance to rub my face in it. His wife invited friends over for dinner, so he can’t get away. What a surprise.”

  “Ah…” Tony’s eyes were now the size of bowling balls. Backing up a step or two and showing every sign of wanting to sprint from the room, he jerked his thumb toward the kitchen. “Why don’t I wait in the—”

  Gloria turned on him. “Oh, no, you don’t. I’ve got something to say to you.”

  Oh, hell, no. The last thing she needed was her sister venting all her anger and heartbreak on Tony. True, he’d survived war and torture, but that was nothing compared to Gloria when she let loose with her nasty temper.

  “Gloria,” Talia spat.

  Tony silenced her with a raised hand. “It’s okay. I’m anxious to hear whatever Gloria has to say to me.”

  “I really doubt that,” Talia muttered.

  They ignored her.

  “Go ahead,” Tony told Gloria. “I’m listening.”

  Gloria’s lips peeled back in a feral smile. “If you make my sister cry,” she said sweetly, “I’m going to cut your balls off with my gardening shears.”

  Wow. Glo really had a way with people, didn’t she?

  Tony didn’t seem to mind. Unsmiling, he held Gloria’s gaze. “Understood.”

  Gloria, who’d clearly been gunning for a fight, had not gotten her wish, and her face crumpled accordingly. To her credit, though, she recovered quickly and stiffened her spine. “Good.”

  O-kay, then.

  Well, it was great that the two most important people in her life had reached an accord of some sort, but Talia was worried about Gloria. Tears were collecting in her eyes, and she looked so forlorn that Talia really didn’t want her to be alone tonight.

  Talia opened her mouth, but Tony, bless his heart, beat her to the punch. “Hey, ah, Gloria. If you’re not going to, you know, rip my tongue out or anything, why don’t you have dinner with us? We’re about to—”

  This unexpected kindness seemed to take Gloria by surprise. She made another of those choked sounds, and this time there was no question—it was a sob. Gloria stifled it, slapping her hand over her mouth. Talia and Tony exchanged worried looks. After a couple of seconds, Gloria pulled it together enough to drop her hand and flash a smile that was watery but genuine.

  “No, thanks,” she said. “You two enjoy your date, okay?”

  With that, she scurried out of the apartment and down the hallway, but not before they heard the muffled sound of her wail.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Tony watched Talia dash out behind her sister—who was clearly wound pretty tight, wasn’t she?—and stood there for a minute, wondering what the hell he should do now. He could help Talia chase Gloria down, of course, but that idea had zero appeal. What would he say if they caught her? Tell her not to worry because the cheating punk would surely leave his wife soon? Yeah…no. Tony did not, as a general rule, engage in emotional displays, and any feelings he had these days should be channeled into keeping his fledgling relationship with Talia on track. Lord knew he had his hands full with that; anything else was above his pay grade.

  No. Best to stay here inside the apartment.

  As if to second this decision, Chesley ambled over and sat next to him, her tail thumping on the floor. When he was a little too slow on the uptake, the dog nudged his hand with her head, and he scratched her ear. A few seconds of this mutual affection sanded away the rough edges of the tension he’d been feeling. That was the funny thing about dogs, he decided; while you were taking care of them, they took care of you.

  So. Talia’s apartment.

  As always, his curiosity about her got the best of him. He turned in a slow circle, taking inventory. This was a great place. Contrary to what he might’ve expected based on her choice in hair color, the apartment was quiet and serene. Its pale blue walls, huge windows and ivory sofas and love seats gave the effect of floating in the clouds.

  She was fond of art, of course, with paintings lining every inch of the walls. None of them, he realized to his surprise, were hers. In fact…they were all beautifully framed Monet prints of water lilies, which added to the general peace.

  She also had a bunch of flower bowls, family photos in fancy frames and stacks of coffee-table books all over the place, including on the marble hearth.

  Over on the floor in the corner was a giant pillow with dog toys scattered around it, and the kitchen, on the other side of a granite bar, was full of high-end appliances and copper pots dangling from a ceiling rack.

  She cooked, he remembered. She’d mentioned making a fantastic Christmas feast fit for a king in one of her letters to him, hadn’t she?

  He wanted to be here with her this Christmas Day.

  Man, did he want that.

  Some of that intensity must have been written on his face, because she did a double take as she hurried back into the apartment, shutting the door behind her.

  “What is it?” she asked, arrested.

  She was beautiful. Every time he saw her, it surprised him anew.

  Today she wore a chin-length wavy black wig that was pretty close to the style she’d had the day he met her. Her sleeveless dress was a blaze of blue that made her skin gleam and did something wonderful with her gray eyes, heightening the color until they sparkled with diamond brilliance. A pretty flush ran over her cheeks, and her plump lips were parted and kissable.

  Inside him, need for her swelled and curled, tightened and burned.

  She had some kind of crazy effect on him, this one did.

  “Tony?”

  “Ah.” He blinked. “Nothing. How’s Gloria? Did you catch her?”

  “Yeah, but she insisted on going home. She’s a mess right now. As you saw.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged, looking circumspect. “What can you do? Pe
ople have to learn their own lessons, don’t they?”

  “That’s very wise.” He sat on the arm of the sofa. “Who said that? Aristotle?”

  “Talia Adams,” she said, grinning.

  That smile tied him up in knots every single time. Was that the thing about her that had haunted him all this time? The smile? Or was it the kindness? The wisdom? If he identified what it was, could he root it out? Would he want to, if he could?

  Nah. It was too late for any remedial measures like that.

  “Really?” He cocked a brow. “And is Talia Adams the genius who told Gloria to get involved with a married man in the first place?”

  “Absolutely not. You offend me, sir.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Okay? If by that you mean that she’ll dump the bastard, then no. I don’t think she’s ready to do that. I want her to, but she won’t listen to me. And there’s no reasoning with people when they think they’re in love, is there?”

  That was a question he couldn’t answer.

  Hell, the way he was feeling right now? It was best to keep his big fat mouth shut.

  But he wasn’t so good with the poker face. Neither was she.

  She stilled, meeting his gaze and reflecting back many of the unruly emotions that churned inside him. “What is it?” she asked again, taking a slow step toward him. “You weren’t thinking about Gloria when I came in just now, were you?”

  Why lie? “I was thinking about you. It’s always you, Talia.”

  The soft catch of her breath was like a feather across his belly. “I’m not sure I’m worthy of that much thought.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  “Why are you so sure?” she asked quietly.

  There was another unanswerable question. He could only shake his head.

  “And what were you thinking about me, Tony? When I walked in?”

  He opened his mouth, and out came more truth that he’d been prepared to speak.

  “I was thinking that I’m trying to rebuild my life and become a solid person. I have nightmares and it doesn’t take a whole lot to throw me into a panic attack. Pretty much any sudden loud noise will do it. I’m just starting my career outside the army, and what I know about running an auction house wouldn’t fill a thimble. So I’m thinking I may be an abject failure.”