Tempted By You

by Stephanie Nicole Norris

  Phoebe stared at Jasmine.

  “You’ve never told me that before.”

  “I haven’t told anyone until last night.” Jasmine sighed. “We were talking truth, right?”

  Phoebe nodded.

  “I’ve watched him date other women throughout the years. Our brothers may have tried to hide it, but we all saw them bounce from one woman to the next.” Phoebe opened her mouth to speak, and Jasmine held her hand up. “I get that your situation is similar, but honestly, Phoebe, I don’t believe in fairy tales. Regardless of the fact that I’m seeing them happen all around me with wedding after wedding. I’m happy for you and our brothers for finding the loves of your lives, but it would be just my luck that I draw the short end of the stick.” Jasmine blew out an exasperated breath. “You know what? Let’s talk about this later. Set the time for me,” she said, rising back to her feet.

  “Don’t think this is the end of the conversation,” Phoebe said, stepping to the side. She set her watch and proceeded to countdown.

  “Two, one!” When Jasmine took off again, her gallop wasn’t nearly as fast as it was before, but she was persistent. After making it back to Phoebe, her sister joined Jasmine’s sprint. Jasmine tried running to Phoebe’s jog, but it wasn’t fulfilling. Instead, Jasmine shot forward, and it was Phoebe who matched Jasmine’s dash. With the wind blowing in her face, Jasmine felt exhilarated, but instead of going another round, both women stopped at the finish line.

  Phoebe collapsed to the ground. “Girl, I have been running all week, and I haven’t felt this exhausted! You’ve never run that fast! Are you trying to kill me or what?”

  Bent over with her elbows resting on her thighs, Jasmine laughed. “I didn’t tell you to run with me. You could’ve stayed at your own pace.”

  “And have you show me up, yeah right!” The women laughed. “Now help me get off this track.” Phoebe reached for Jasmine’s hand. Jasmine pulled Phoebe to her feet, then they both grabbed their towels, water bottles and patted their faces as they walked around the path to the front of the school.

  “Back to our conversation,” Phoebe started. “I get it, Jasmine. Trust me, I do.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. Just because I was gung-ho on being with Quentin doesn’t mean I didn’t have doubts. Like you said, we’ve all watched them party and date other women. But I know you love Luke.”

  “Yes, I do,” Jasmine said. “It’s awful.”

  Phoebe twisted her lips. “That’s not exactly how I would describe someone I love.”

  “I mean it, Phoebe. I’ve never loved someone like this. You know I’ve had few men in my life or boys,” Jasmine reiterated, “but with Luke, I feel connected to him in a way that moves my spirit. My spirit, Phoebe.”

  Phoebe nodded. “I hear you.”

  “It’s uncanny. I think it’s dangerous.”

  Phoebe stared at the way her sister trembled and the frightened look in her eyes. “You’re terrified,” Phoebe said somberly.

  This time, Jasmine nodded. “Never been afraid of anything in my life. Not like this. If he … if we …” Jasmine stared at her sister. “I’d be broken, and I don’t mean the type of break where time passes, and you get over it. I mean the type of break that overcomes you.” Jasmine’s voice cracked, and a mist of tears clouded her eyes.

  “Oh my God, Jasmine.” Phoebe pulled her sister in for a tight-knit hug. Jasmine’s arms tightened around Phoebe, her body unsteady as she cried.

  “This is ridiculous,” Jasmine said, “nothing’s happened, and I’m a mess.” Jasmine pulled back then dropped her hands. “He asked me why I’m thinking about what would happen if our relationship didn’t work out, but this is real life! I don’t understand how he can’t.”

  “It’s because he knows.”

  Jasmine held her attention on Phoebe.

  “Knows what?”

  “Better,” Phoebe said.

  Jasmine exhaled a long breath.

  “He’d have to deal with our father, and more terrifying, our brothers. But besides that, I don’t believe he would go after you if there were any hesitancy that you were the one.”

  Jasmine’s gaze lingered on Phoebe, and Jasmine shivered again. “You really believe that?”

  Phoebe nodded. “I do, dear sister, but the real question is, do you believe it?”

  Jasmine braced her hands on her hips.

  “Are you willing to let this thing between you two go because of the possibility of its failure? Or are you gonna give it all you got? Where does your heart lie?”

  Phoebe didn’t need her sister to answer the question, and Jasmine could grasp as much. However, as she stood there thinking about Phoebe’s questions, the answer had been there all along.

  “I’ve gotta go,” Jasmine said, turning to jog toward her waiting chauffeured car and the group of security who stood watching from the short distance.

  “Hey!” Phoebe yelled.

  Jasmine turned around.

  “Call me!”

  Jasmine gave her two thumbs up and ducked off in the backseat of the car.

  Phoebe watched as it pulled away from the curb and she whispered, “Follow your heart, sis.”

  Luke Steele for Mayor

  Downtown Office

  Luke’s night had been agonizing, but you couldn’t tell it by his calm demeanor and take-charge attitude when he entered the office that morning. Luke studied the map of Chicago that was stretched across the wall of his campaign office. The suit jacket he usually wore was absent, and the button-down shirt hugged the muscles in his shoulders, back, and biceps. His hands were tucked leisurely inside his pants pockets, and a lone black tie was knotted around his thick neck. He’d made it in early, needing to transition his thoughts from Jasmine to his close mayoral race between he and Incumbent Samuel Jenkins. According to the numbers, the current mayor had a real chance of winning this race, and if Luke didn’t get his head in the game, he would surely lose.

  “We’re so close.”

  It was Sarah Middleton who’d spoken. She stood seconds beside Luke, studying the same map on the wall.

  “But if we don’t get volunteers in this area here,” Luke pointed to the west side of Chicago, “we stand to lose.” He grimaced at the reality.

  “We’ve given it our best shot. Or I should say, you’ve given your best,” Sarah said.

  “Now that doesn’t sound like something that should be considered when the race is not over yet.”

  Both Luke and Sarah turned around to see Jasmine standing in the doorway. Where Luke felt invigoratingly refreshed, Sarah’s annoyance was crystal clear by the way her eyebrows dropped, and her mouth thinned into slits.

  “Jas, what are you doing here?” Luke’s baritone voice asked.

  “I said I would join your campaign yesterday, remember?”

  Luke did remember, but he didn’t see that coming after last night.

  “You said it yourself, my word is bond, so here I am.”

  “Jas, you don’t have to hold yourself accountable for that. I’m well aware of your schedule.”

  “Oh really?”

  Jasmine strutted toward him in blue jeans that rounded the curves in her hips and a custom V-neck shirt that said Luke Steele for Mayor.

  “Well,” Jasmine said, “it just so happens that my schedule has opened up, and all of my interviews have been postponed until after this race.” Jasmine shrugged. “So, it looks like I have a bit of free time on my hands.” Her approach was coy but intentional. Once she’d breached his personal space, Jasmine turned her face upward to gaze into his hazel brown eyes. “If you have room for a few more.”

  Luke’s tongue traveled across his pearly white teeth, stopping midway. He sucked air through them then folded his beautiful thick lips and rubbed them together.

  “I’ll always have room for you,” he said.

  Jasmine’s pulse thumped, and she smiled wide.

  “In that case, my team is ready and prepared to touch the groun
d on the west side. If you’d like, you can ride out there with us today to help shake things up a bit. Talk about throwing a curveball in Samuel Jenkins’ plans.”

  Luke smiled in return. It amazed him how Jasmine had the power to turn him on or make him bow to her wishes.

  “It’s a known fact that Mayor Jenkins has the west side on lock. No amount of showing face will change that so late in the race,” Sarah said, half-annoyed, half-smug.

  Jasmine cut her eyes at Sarah. “Whose campaign are you working on?” Jasmine asked. Sarah opened her mouth, but Jasmine cut her off. “Or maybe you’d rather be working to re-elect Incumbent Samuel Jenkins.” Sarah opened her mouth to protest. “Because the way I see it,” Jasmine continued, “around here, Luke Steele is our mayor, and if you don’t know, you’d do well to recognize.”

  Luke’s head tilted to the side, and his brow rose as he stared at the disdain on Jasmine’s face. Shit, that turned him on even more; if it was in her plans to stay his friend, Jasmine was doing a horrible job at making him not want her all the more.

  Sarah didn’t speak again, and Jasmine turned back to Luke.

  “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Luke reached around her, his chest grazing hers as he retrieved his jacket. Jasmine shuddered at their brisk touch, and Luke stared down into her eyes.

  “Let’s roll,” his deep voice drummed.

  Chapter Seven

  It had taken them no time to get to the west side, but the atmosphere in the car crackled from the moment Luke’s muscular thigh grazed against Jasmine’s hips. They along with a procession of vehicles cruised with signs all over the automobiles that read Luke Steele for Mayor. The all black, tinted window sedans and SUVs gave the impression that someone important was riding along as if it were the presidential motorcade. They pulled to the curve in front of Samuel Jenkins’ campaign office once they arrived. Luke gave Jasmine a questionable glance.

  “I figured since we were going to be in his neighborhood, we might as well stop by and say hi.” Her lips spread into a sneaky smile.

  “You figured, huh? What are you up to, Princess?”

  Jasmine quivered at his reference. “Stopping by would make you appear to be a good sport. We know cameras have been following you and Samuel Jenkins since this race began. Now that we’re down to the final two weeks before voting, it would look good on your part to smile, wave, and let the cameramen know when they surround you, that you were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by and shake hands with Mr. Jenkins.”

  “You’re painting me out to be the good Samaritan. That’s brilliant,” he said.

  “But you are the good Samaritan. No one deserves that office more than you.”

  Luke’s ruggedly handsome face warmed, and he reached for her, his massive hand covering the full side of Jasmine’s face. Luke was well aware of what he’d told Jasmine the night before. That if she wanted to remain friends, they could. Unfortunately, that truth was quickly becoming a lie. After getting minimal sleep, Luke knew it could never happen. How could he be friends with someone he’d loved for an eternity? How could he watch her date other men? Even worse, witness her wed someone else.

  The thought of it had tightened his throat the night before, drowning him. Luke was a man crippled as he fell to one knee. His strong hand reached for his throat as if trying to pry oxygen into his mouth. When that didn’t work, Luke balled his fist and beat his chest in an attempt to jump-start his lungs into expansion. Alas, he’d wielded the strength residing in him, and stalked into his kitchen then retrieved a bottle of water, swigging it down within a matter of seconds. The fresh squall of air and cold fluid replenished him, turning Luke from a dark pale death to his golden bronze complexion. A cold shower helped the buzz inside him calm, but the headache had remained even as he drifted off to sleep for the two hours that was allotted to him.

  The last thing Luke wanted to do was tell her if they couldn’t be more than friends, then they couldn’t be friends at all. It would sound harsh, like an ultimatum, but Luke’s sanity was on the line. Craving her from afar would be unhealthy. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

  “Jas—”

  “I want what you want,” Jasmine interrupted. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be difficult, and it’s not like I don’t trust you with me, I just didn’t know where your heart lies. It is possible to adore a person and still make a mistake. I’ve seen it happen too many times before.”

  “But I would never.”

  Jasmine smiled softly. “I think I know that now.”

  “You think?”

  Jasmine pursed her lips. “I had time to rest on it, and the fact is, I don’t want to be with anyone other than you. Period.”

  Relief flooded him as if life had been restored in his heart. Luke sank his forehead into hers, and they stared at each other.

  “You have just made me the happiest man alive.”

  Jasmine smiled.

  “Promise me you won’t take it back,” he said.

  “I promise.”

  Luke’s heart tugged, and their breathing harmonized. Jasmine lifted to meet Luke’s hard mouth, needing to taste his lips again. His body torched, and uncontrollably his mouth covered hers, sucking her in with absorbing ferocity. His tongue found refuge in her sweet opening as he tasted every inch of her mouth.

  “Mmmm,” Jasmine moaned. Her pussy thumped, and her nipples receded into firm pebbles. Luke wrapped her waist in the comfort of his solid arms, sheltering her back with his manly hands as he pulled her so close their heartbeats knocked against each other.

  Jasmine covered his face with her hands, and his beard rubbed callously against her soft palms.

  “Baby,” she said in between breaths. “We have to … oh…” she moaned again when Luke’s lips feathered down her chin, to her neck. “Oh …” Jasmine’s body incinerated, and before she knew it, Luke’s fingers penetrated her shirt and dug into her flesh with a vice-like grip. He was sliding her inch by inch up the incline of his rigid body onto the solid foundation of his hardened lap. He smothered her lips with a demanding mastery and lost himself in the cove of her mouth. Jasmine’s arms slipped over the hills in his colossal shoulders and wrapped around his manly neck. Their breathing was hot and heavy, leaving their lips burning like lava. A knock on the door shook their momentum, and with heaving lungful’s of air, they both pulled apart and stared at one another. Luke’s gaze simmered right through Jasmine, and the heat from his mouth still lingered on her flesh.

  Jasmine’s chest rose then fell, his kiss leaving her weak and discombobulated. She glanced at the window to see one of her group members, Sandy, standing at the door waiting for them to get out or roll the window down.

  “They can’t see us,” Luke’s dark voice growled, his gaze still on Jasmine. “The tint is impenetrable.”

  Jasmine’s eyes drifted back down to Luke, heeding his insinuation. Her heart raced, pulse thumped, and pussy creamed thinking about being taken by him in the back seat of this truck in front of the current mayor’s office. The naughtiness in his gesture riled her up and made Jasmine want to toss the jeans she wore, but the sensible part of her wavered.

  “Later,” she said. “We don’t want a scandal under your administration before it can even begin.”

  Luke smiled and bit his bottom lip.

  “Later?” he said, his libido on one thousand percent.

  Jasmine nodded then unceremoniously shivered when the thick log of his dick prodded her from beneath.

  “Luke …” she whispered, breathless.

  Luke’s fingers leapt for her throat and pulled Jasmine slightly to meet his all-consuming mouth again.

  “Okay,” he breathed against her lips. “Let’s do this.” He kissed her senseless again, and Jasmine was confused on whether they were doing the do, or, doing the meet and greet with the mayor. Her question was answered when Luke pulled from her mouth and shifted her back to his side. The move made Jasmine’s head spin, and she could only wonder what “late
r” would entail.

  The meet and greet had gone better than Jasmine anticipated. After gathering themselves in the back seat, Luke and Jasmine eased out of the truck where Jasmine formally introduced Luke to her team.

  “This is Sandy, Jessica, Morgan, Logan, and Thomas. They’ve been working nonstop to help me make sure our political offices are infiltrated with the best of the best. Now they’re here to help me help you win this election.”

  Luke trained his eye on each one of them, greeting them individually with a handshake and a smile.

  “We’re going to head inside, and they’re going to hand out flyers while we speak to Mr. Jenkins.”

  Luke smirked. “They’re going to hand out flyers with Luke Steele for Mayor on them outside of the current mayor’s office?” he asked to be precise.

  “Yes,” Jasmine stated matter of factly. “This is a race to the finish line. Nothing is off boundaries.” She thought for a moment. “Well, maybe family, but other than that …” Jasmine shrugged. “It’s fair game.”

  Luke wanted to haul her in his arms again but resisted the urge when Mayor Samuel Jenkins stepped out of his headquarters. As if the cameras had been lying in wait, they popped out of nowhere, surrounding the two men with a mass of flashing lights and multiple questions.

  “Mr. Steele, what is the purpose of your visit with Mayor Jenkins today?”

  Another reporter asked, “Are you here to concede or issue a fair warning?”

  Yet another asked: “Are you and Miss Rose an item?”

  That last question seemed to be the only one to spark Luke’s interest. He glanced at Jasmine who suddenly appeared like she’d been caught in a web, and he winked. Heat filled her cheeks and spiraled down her center. No sooner than the questions left the reporters’ mouths were they then surrounded by another set of men. Jasmine’s security team, who were never far away. They eased into the circle, shifting the cameramen and reporters back.

  Luke glanced at Mayor Jenkins without answering a single question from the reporters. He held his hand out, and Mayor Jenkins accepted it with a firm shake.