Tempt Me (Temptation Series Book 1)

by Kally Ash

  “Max,” she started. “I heard back from the AMNH. I got a place on the internship program.”

  “That’s great.” He only just managed to cough up the congratulations within the socially acceptable timeline. The truth was, he saw the announcement as another huge wedge being driven between them.

  “I didn’t want to tell you like this. I should have waited until you’d had a bit more time to grieve.”

  “Believe me, the distraction is good, but...”

  “Where does this leave us?”

  “Yeah,” he said on a sigh. “I mean, I know what I want...”

  “I want you, Max, just like I always have. The thing is I’ve wanted to get a job at AMNH since I started studying. Now I actually have a chance of getting one. I can’t give it all up to move across to the other side of the country.”

  “And I’m not asking you to.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “You won’t come here, and I can’t leave,” Max reiterated. He tried not to sound contrite, but he heard it in his voice.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  I want you to say, “I choose you, Max”. Chelsea had never done that. It was all about what she wanted and what she needed. That was the reason they had moved to LA in the first place. That was the reason they got married. “Then I can’t tell you, either,” he eventually said, his words clipped. “Perhaps our relationship only worked in New York because we knew there was an end date.”

  “You can’t mean that,” she replied. He heard the hurt, could almost see the way tears trembled on her lashes, threatening to fall. “We can try having a long-distance relationship,” she reasoned.

  “I’m not sure that could work,” he murmured, realizing what he was saying—what he was doing—but being powerless to stop it. “Maybe we should just part as friends and leave it at that. I still love you, Gigi. I doubt I’ll ever stop. But we both know it’s not going to work out how we want it to.”

  He expected to hear her fight for them, instead she simply said, “You’re right. We just met at the wrong time.”

  Remorse flooded him, mingling with the sorrow of the loss of his father. Together, they were a potent mix of emotions that he felt were trying to drown him. He sucked in a breath. “All right. Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”

  “No, not goodbye—just talk to you later.”

  Max smiled despite himself. “Talk to you later, Gigi. I love you.”

  “I…” she hesitated, the sound of a click ending the call. He pocketed his phone and turned back to Sam.

  “By the look on your face, things didn’t go as you’d planned.”

  Collapsing back into the chair, he picked up his glass and drained it. “It’s over.”

  His best friend arched a brow. “I thought you were going to tell her you wanted her.”

  “I did. But she got an internship at the museum that could lead to a job when she finishes studying. It would be selfish of me to want her to come here and give up on her dreams. Maybe it’s just like I said to her—we worked in New York because we knew there was an end date. Here in the real world, things don’t always work out how we want them to.”

  Sam was studying him. He was sure he was going to tell him he was a fucking idiot, but instead he said nothing—he just stared. “I know you can’t just walk away from her, so for your sake I hope you sort it out before you lose her for good.” And with that, his best friend got up and disappeared back into the house.

  Chapter 32

  Gigi stared down at her phone, tears blurring her vision until her wallpaper screen became a smear of indiscernible colors. She had wanted to tell Max she loved him, too, but the words had become stuck to her tongue, refusing to leave it. She’d known that their relationship had been over the moment he drove off in the cab, but still, hearing it and acknowledging it made it seem more real.

  He hadn’t been willing to try long-distance, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to, but she’d suggested it because if he had been willing, she would have given it her all. She knew that you only got a chance at a love like theirs once in a lifetime, and walking away from it was one of the most difficult things to do. But she had to. So many times before, her mother had told her never to pass up her dreams because of a boy…

  Except he wasn’t a boy, was he? He was the first man to take her seriously, to see her for her. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life?

  “Want to go out and get drunk, Borello?” Jen asked from her bedroom door.

  Swiping at the tears on her cheeks, Gigi looked at her roommate. “Umm, no, thanks.”

  Jen’s brow furrowed. “Hey, what’s up? Something happen with lover boy?”

  The tears she had denied dripped from her eyes, opening up the floodgates.

  “Whoa, hey, what’s up, girl?” Jen asked, wrapping her arms around Gigi and pulling her against her chest.

  “It’s Max. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.”

  “I thought you were okay with him leaving.”

  “I thought I was,” she replied, “until he actually left.” Pulling back, she looked into Jen’s blue eyes. “He asked me to go to California.”

  “And you said…?”

  “I said I couldn’t.”

  “Why the fuck not?” Jen blurted out. “Sorry.”

  “I got a call from AMNH today. I made the second-round acceptance. I got a position on the internship program.”

  Jen whistled through her teeth. “Congrats, Borello.”

  “Thanks,” she muttered, not feeling at all excited about her news.

  “Do you want to know what I think you should do?” Jen asked her, holding Gigi at arm’s length.

  “What?”

  “I think you should forget about Max. He was just something fun for you to do while he was here, but now you have to get serious. You graduate at the end of this year. You need to get the best grades you can, and work hard at the museum to make sure you get the job. You don’t need to worry about a guy.”

  Jen’s logic struck a chord with Gigi. What she’d said was all true. Before Max had come along, Gigi had been focused on her studies, on getting the perfect job and establishing her career. Somehow he had distracted her completely. She’d skipped classes because of him, but she was going to stop that now. Pre-max, her priority had been school. She was going to make it a priority again post-Max.

  “You know what, Jen? You’re right. I just need to get through the end of this year and make sure I get the job at the AMNH.”

  “Damn straight,” her roommate agreed. “Now, get dressed. We’re going out to celebrate your success.”

  *

  Finals week came and went for Gigi. She’d poured all her efforts into studying before starting work at the museum over the summer. Although she was spending more time with Alex, he didn’t try to make another pass at her. In fact, Alex met another girl while they were working—Lisa Woo was from Yale and they’d immediately hit it off. Gigi had been invited to go have lunch with them on more than one occasion. After the first time, though, she politely declined; being a third wheel was too depressing.

  The weeks passed quickly, until finally it was the end of summer and the announcement for who would secure the permanent position at the museum was only days away. Alex didn’t think he’d gotten it, but he was already making plans to move to Connecticut to be closer to Lisa. Gigi also wasn’t as confident as she’d been at the beginning of the summer. All the people on the internship were smart and incredibly competitive. After Max, she seemed to have lost some of her motivation and drive even though she’d tried really hard to get it back.

  Without Max, her life had drained of color. Without Max, Gigi had lost some of her spirit. Jen constantly told her to stop moping, but Gigi thought she wasn’t—she was just living like the love of her life was across the other side of the country. She hadn’t called him since the day of his father’s wake. She wanted to, but she wasn’t sure what she would say. Sometimes in her
moments of weakness, she’d block her number and call his phone just to hear his voice. On more than one occasion he had whispered her name into the phone, causing her to hang up abruptly. It was better this way.

  She wondered if he’d moved on. She wondered if he’d taken his wife back. They had a long history together, and because of Erin, she thought he might have tried to make it work. Deep down she hoped that wasn’t true.

  Sometimes she would find herself looking for anthropology jobs in Los Angeles, or at least California. She’d actually applied for one at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles but knew it was a long-shot. They wanted someone with actual experience, not some college graduate still wet behind the ears.

  Still, it was worth a try. She couldn’t pin all her hopes on AMNH.

  Her final day at the museum arrived with a crisp New York morning. It was just a taste of the autumn to come, and she found herself smiling to herself. She’d always loved the cooler weather. Finding her only winter coat in her closet, she slid it on and walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

  “Last day, Borello?” Jen asked, biting into a slice of toast.

  “Yeah,” she smiled. “It is. What have you got planned for today?”

  Jen waved her hand casually through the air. “A little of this, a little of that.”

  She laughed. “Right. So nothing at all.”

  Her roommate shrugged and sauntered off in the direction of her bedroom. “I need a little time to recuperate before classes start again.”

  Taking her travel mug from the cupboard, Gigi filled it up and grabbed one of the muffins Jen had bought home the day before. “I’ll see you tonight,” she called. Jen didn’t reply.

  She arrived at the museum at the same time as Alex. He smiled and waved, his bubbly personality strangely infectious. Bumping her on the shoulder as he sidled up beside her, he asked, “Are you ready for the announcement today?”

  “I am. What time are they doing it again?”

  “At the morning tea at around ten. Do you think you have a chance?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. You’ve seen the competition. One of the others will get it—Inga, maybe. Or perhaps Dave will.”

  He nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right.”

  *

  Gigi finished up what she was doing a few minutes earlier to go to the restroom before the morning tea began. She picked up her bag en route, opening the flap and pulling out her phone. The mail icon on the bottom had a red circle in the corner. She tapped into the email and stopped walking when she read the subject line. Quickly her eyes scanned the rest of the email before she turned her phone off and slid it back into her bag.

  She made it into the staff lunchroom on the lower level just as the director of the museum was making his way to the front of the room. She saw Alex over on the left standing beside Lisa. He waved her over with a friendly smile. Gigi apologized as she walked in front of people to get to the pair.

  “Good luck,” Alex said excitedly.

  “Same to you.”

  “Three months ago, I stood in front of all of you welcoming you to the museum,” the director said. “And today I’m saying goodbye to all of you, except for one. One of you is the lucky winner of the internship. You are the one person who has shown promise, who has proved that you’re one of us and who has impressed all of us with your work ethic and dedication.” A few nervous murmurs broke out around the place. “I know you’re anxious to know who that lucky someone is. So without further ado, I’d like to announce that the winner of the job after graduation here at the museum is…”

  Chapter 33

  Max tucked the blankets around Erin tightly and kissed his daughter good night. He hadn’t had to work tonight, and being able to put his daughter to bed was something he treasured. She was nearly ten months old now—crawling and getting on her feet as often as she could. His mom thought she wasn’t that far off walking, and he had to agree.

  He had returned to work soon after his father’s funeral, throwing himself into it. It had definitely helped distract him from thoughts of Gigi, although sometimes he’d get calls from a blocked number, which he suspected was her. Sometimes he’d call her name, but the person would always hang up.

  He often thought about her, whenever he had moments when he didn’t have to worry about what Erin was trying to put in her mouth, or whether Evangeline was going to tell him to talk to the staff again about using their phones at work. He wondered whether she had gotten the position at the museum after she finished school, or how she had done on her finals. More often, though, his thoughts were on whether or not she had found someone else.

  He hated it when his thoughts strayed there. He hadn’t started dating again. Sam had tried to set him up a couple of times, but after a heated discussion each time, his best friend had eventually stopped. Max stopped by the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and the pizza box from the counter. He changed channels to the game and got comfortable, fully intending to enjoy the rare night off.

  He had just opened up the box on his pizza when there was a knock on his front door. Max was expecting Sam to come around at some point so he stood up and went to the door, his attention turning to the TV as his team scored a touchdown.

  “I thought you were coming later,” he said, watching the crowd go wild. The game was all tied-up now.

  “Three months is already pretty late.”

  Max’s eyes darted to the person standing on his doorstep. She looked just as beautiful as when he’d left her behind in New York.

  “Gigi? What are you doing here?”

  She shrugged, and that was when he noticed the large backpack over her shoulder and her rolling suitcase beside her. “I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.”

  “I don’t follow,” he replied, still unable to believe she was standing opposite him.

  She gave him a shy smile. “I got a job offer.”

  “In New York?”

  “No, Max. Here. I got an offer at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. I had to turn down the one at the AMNH.”

  “You got the position from the internship, too?” He knew all he was doing was asking her more questions, but somehow he couldn’t stop.

  “I did, but I regretfully declined that position and accepted the one here.”

  “Where are you staying?” Yep, another question.

  “I was kind of hoping you’d let me stay here.”

  Max snapped out of his stupor, stepping forward and reaching for her. She dropped her backpack, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Max took the deepest breath when she pulled away, the weight of everything lifting off his shoulders, and he knew Gigi was the one responsible for it.

  Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Don’t ever leave me again.”

  “Never,” he whispered, kissing her again.