Loathing Temptation: Be Tempted duet Book 1 (Lockgrove Bay)

by Caz May

  “I hope so, Ash. I’m so nervous.”

  “You’ll be amazing. You ready to head out? We need to pick Zeke up on the way.”

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” I reply, taking his hand with mine to head out of the bathroom.

  After picking Zeke up, we get to the auditorium in record time. The nerves are still bubbling in my stomach, and getting out of the car Zeke grabs his guitar out of the boot, whilst Ashton pushes me up against the car kissing me, hard and hungrily.

  “Still nervous, temptress?” he asks.

  “A little,” I tell him, kissing him again.

  Zeke scoffs, leaning against the car next to me.

  “Seriously, we’re outside,” he sneers.

  Ashton breaks the kiss.

  “Rein in ya jealousy, tosser.”

  “Will do when you keep the PDA away from my eyes.”

  “I’m just trying to calm my girlfriend down, but you don’t know the meaning of the word girlfriend.”

  Zeke rolls his eyes and starts walking inside, with Ashton and I following holding hands. His presence is definitely making me feel calmer.

  Once inside, he heads to his seat after giving me a soft sweet kiss. I head backstage and find Zeke tuning his guitar, strumming it whilst he stands against the wall in the wings waiting to go on stage.

  We’re one of the first to perform which I’m happy about.

  Standing next to him he elbows me in the side.

  “Sorry about before. I shouldn’t be jealous of you and Ash.”

  “It’s ok. I get it. But can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah, sure, I guess.”

  “What happened with you and Lorena?”

  He laughs under his breath.

  “We fucked a couple of times. And she wanted to be my girlfriend, but I can’t do the whole girlfriend thing.”

  “Yeah, why? Lo really liked you.”

  “I...I’m in love with someone else,” he tells me.

  I’m not able to reply, as the first performers start on stage and we’re silenced by someone with a headset walking thorough the wings.

  The first performance is a dance trope and they’re good, really good. It makes the nerves bubble in my stomach again. Zeke gives me a smile as they rush off stage, and we head on. He pulls two stools onto the stage, and I sit on one whilst he plugs his guitar into the amp next to the other stool.

  The spotlights focus on us, and he starts strumming out the melody of the song.

  Patting my hand against my thigh softly, I count the beat ready for my intro. And when it’s time I close my eyes, open my mouth and let out the words, ‘oh, oh, I’m on a high, oh oh, I’m tempted by you.’

  I sing out the rest of the words, losing myself in the melody and words Zeke created.

  My heart is hammering in my chest, and as I sing the last words, ‘I’m free falling, in love with you,’ I wonder who the song is really about, who Zeke is in love with that doesn’t love him back.

  We head off the stage, down to the dressing rooms and wait for the rest of the performances.

  I make small talk with Zeke to pass the time.

  “Are you looking forward to next year? I ask him, smiling.

  “Yeah, I’ve always wanted to go to the institute of music. Dream come true.”

  “I’m really happy for you, and for Ashton getting into Deakin to.” I frown, thinking about my boyfriend leaving me behind to go to university. We still have a couple of months together, so I need to focus on the time we have left together.

  “Thanks, and yeah it’s pretty sick. But I…”

  “You’re going to miss her? Who the song is about?” I question him.

  He looks at the floor, then up at me, muttering, “It’s Ava.”

  I gape at his words, and then smile at him.

  “You’re in love with Ava?”

  “Yeah, and seriously don’t tell Ash. It’s a good thing we’re leaving because at least I’ll be away from her and can move on.”

  “I’m sorry Zeke. Our secret, I promise,” I tell him, giving him a hug.

  After all the performances are done, the winners are announced not long after. Zeke and I win ‘Best original song’ and ‘Best duet performance’.

  Walking back off the stage holding the awards, I’m giddy and rush out to meet Ashton.

  Zeke and I both shocked that both of our parents and our siblings are waiting for us in the foyer. They hug us, congratulating us.

  “So it seems a celebratory dinner at Enzo’s is in order,” my dad says, glancing around at everyone.

  “Sounds wonderful,” Mrs Alessio replies. “We will meet you there.” She kisses Zeke on the forehead. “I’m so proud of you, son.”

  “Thanks mum, we’ll see you at Enzo’s.”

  We all head out to our cars to head to the restaurant to celebrate.

  And taking Ashton’s hand as we walk out I can’t help but smile. I’m so happy he’s mine, and so happy I came back to Lockgrove Bay.

  The last few weeks of school flew by way to quickly. All I can think about—even now when I’m sitting with our families in the school auditorium on fold out chairs—is that it’s only a couple more months until the boys leave; until Ashton leaves.

  I need to shake those thoughts away to focus on the boys’ graduation. I look up to the stage, hearing them announce Zeke’s name first. He saunters up onto the stage, taking his diploma and shaking Miss Masters’ hand. I’m surprised they let her finish the school year as principal, but considering there was no evidence that anything happened with students and her misconduct was only with a parent she was still allowed to be at graduation.

  Zeke hollers , “Hell yeah, I graduated!’ as he walks off the stage, back to his seat. A few more names are called before they get to Ashton, and he rushes up on the stage, refusing to shake Miss Masters’ hand. He grabs his diploma, turns around and lifts up his graduation gown to moon the audience.

  “Hell yeah, I graduated!” he hollers, and then turns to Miss Masters. “And you can kiss my arse!”

  He runs off the stage, blowing a kiss to me as he heads back to his seat.

  The rest of the ceremony is pretty uneventful, the graduating class excepting their diploma’s before all heading up onto the stage again for a photo and the throwing of their caps.

  Afterwards, people are gathered outside hugging and congratulating each other. Ashton rushes up to me, kissing me. “Congrats, Simba,” I taunt him, grabbing his butt through the gown he’s still wearing. “Trust you to be commando under your gown.”

  “You love it, temptress. Are you ready for a ripper night of celebrating? Now it’s also your night of turning legal?”

  “Definitely,” I reply, laughing. He gets a hug from his parents and Ava, giving her a nod. She nods back, pulling something out of her handbag. Ashton smiles at me, after taking a small velvet box from Ava.

  When taking my hands, for a moment I think he’s about to drop to his knees, to pop the question, but he doesn’t. He opens the box, holding it up to me. Inside is a heart locket, with ‘A & T 4eva’ engraved on it. Ashton kisses me, and says, “Happy eighteenth birthday, Tempany. I love you.”

  “Oh Ashton, I love it and you.”

  He takes it out of the box and I turn around so he can put it on me. He gives me another sweet kiss, and our parents and Ava collectively sigh.

  “Time to celebrate these two events in your lives,” Sascha says. “We’re so proud of you both, and we love you both.”

  She pulls me into a hug, before we all head to the car to go and celebrate.

  I know this is true happiness, and what Ashton and I share is true love. Falling in love with him has been so amazing, and having him love me back makes me feel like a queen.

  I fell in love when I was six years old, with my very own Simba, my protector and forever love, Ashton Oliver Castello. He may have loathed me, and been tempted by me when he shouldn’t have been, but now I know that he fell in love with me to, all those years ago.<
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  And no matter what happens now, I have no regrets crossing the line from hate to love.

  Epilogue

  Ashton

  It’s crazy how much can change in a year. How your life can go from being a shit show to amazing in twelve months.

  A year ago, days after I’d celebrated my eighteenth birthday Fallon dropped her bombshell on me, her fake pregnancy and I’d broken up with her, my girlfriend of two years. But now standing on the beach—in front of a huge bonfire, even though it’s a warm January evening—I’m surrounded by my friends to celebrate Australia day and my 19th birthday and I’m watching my new girlfriend walking towards me. My Tempany looks stunning, wearing the same black triangle bikini she was wearing last year when we came to the beach with Ava to get to know each other. I’d wanted to get to know her with a kiss, and all sorts of dirty ways.

  And we’d done that and then some. She was a temptress for sure. Sashaying her hips, she comes towards me, handing me a beer. “Happy birthday, Simba,” she says clinking her Vodka cruiser bottle against my beer bottle. We both raise them to our lips to take a sip of our drinks. “Thanks, temptress,” I reply giving her a kiss.

  We sit down on the sand next to the bonfire, drinking and holding hands, enjoying being together. Someone hollers from the shoreline to turn the music up, and I see Zeke running over to my Mustang, and turning the volume knob so the music shakes the whole car.

  After crashing the Camaro last year, after the shit storm that happened with my dad I’d gotten my trust fund earlier and bought a brand new red convertible mustang with black stripes over the bonnet. It certainly turned a few eyes when I drove it around town with the top down, and Tem sitting next to me.

  With the music pumping, and people drinking the party was really starting to heat up. A couple of my old teammates were cooking sausages in the bonfire, to wrap in bread in true Australia day celebration sausage sizzle style.

  I look at Tem, asking, “Do you want a sausage?”

  Her eyes gaze over my body when I stand up. I’m only wearing board shorts, and her appreciative gaze makes my dick jolt in them.

  “Not my sausage, temptress,” I jeer at her with a smirk and a wink. She laughs.

  “Oh, no thanks, I’m fine,” she replies, taking another sip of her drink.

  “Ok, baby, I’m going to go grab one. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Heading over to the guys I’m sidelined by Beau.

  “Hey man, happy birthday.”

  “Thanks, man. How’s things?”

  “Not bad man. Just wanted to catch ya and apologise for the shit with Fallon.”

  I eye him. He’s nervous, looking down at the sand with his hands in the pockets of his denim shorts.

  “All good, man. It’s in the past.”

  “Yeah, I’m happy you found Tempany. She’s a great girl.”

  “Yeah, she is. I’m going to miss her so much this year.”

  “Yeah, sucks. But yeah I’m honestly sorry about the whole cheating fiasco with Fallon.”

  “I know Beau. It’s cool man. Have you spoken to her?”

  “Yeah, only to find out as you probably knew that the kid was mine. But last I heard she miscarried. And she shut me out.”

  “Oh shit man, I’m sorry. That sucks.”

  “Yeah, I fucking loved her. But yeah, wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Yeah, anyway man. Thanks for coming. I’m going go grab a snag and head back to my girl.”

  “Sweet man, enjoy the rest of ya night. Might catch ya in the city sometime.” He walks off, and Zeke comes up to me slapping me on the back.

  “What’d Beau want?” he asks, taking a sip of the beer in his hand.

  “Just apologised for cheating with Fallon, and told me she miscarried.”

  “Oh shit, that’s horrible. But bullet dodged with Fallon for sure.”

  “Yeah, she was never the right girl for me.”

  “Yeah, Tem’s definitely your endgame.” He looks at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes, again taking a gulp of his beer to try and hide his emotions from me. My best mate wears his heart on his sleeve though, and can never hide how he feels.

  “You’ll find your girl Zeke.”

  “Yeah,” he mutters, not meeting my eyes on his. He wants to say something else, but I don’t probe him. “Enough sappy shit, bro. Grab a snag with me, and then we can get this party really started.”

  We both grab sausages, and another beer each before I go back to sit with Tem.

  After a few hours, people have started heading off, the drinks have dwindled down to nothing and the bonfire is slowing to a low simmering flame. Zeke comes over to Tem and I giving me a side hug. “Catch ya, bro. Hope you had a grouse birthday.”

  “Thanks man,” I reply as he heads off.

  I take Tem’s hand then, pulling her up off the sand. I kiss her hard, and smile against her lips.

  “I love you Tem,” I tell her, taking her hand in mine.

  “I love you to Ashton,” she replies, kissing me again. Breaking the kiss, I drag her down the beach, dropping her hand at the water’s edge. I yank my board shorts down, smirking at her.

  “You up for skinny dipping with me temptress?” I tease.

  “Oh you bet I am Simba,” she teases back, undoing the ties of her bikini top and pushing the bottoms to her feet to kick them off.

  When she’s naked I grab her around the waist, throwing her over my shoulder and running into the surf.

  Putting her down in the water, I pull her body against mine, wrapping my arms around her before kissing her again, a deep sweet kiss to tell her that no matter where I am, she’s my forever. My temptress, my queen, and I’m her Simba, her king.

  Bonus Chapter

  AVA

  I know the moment he walks in the door. I’m so infatuated with Zeke that I practically know his every move, when he has practice and I hide behind the bleachers, what classes he has that mean I’ll get a glimpse of him in the hallway, and I can sense, feel when he’s over at our house, sitting on the couch playing video games with my older brother, Ashton.

  Tonight is different though, my sixteenth birthday, and Zeke is sauntering into our house for me. I’d worn my favourite dress, a spaghetti strapped little royal blue dress that sits just above my knees, and hugs my figure in all the right places. I’d considered putting on high heels, but I can never walk in them so I’m wearing my white high top converse instead.

  My bestie Dakota and I have matching ones and hers are practically glued to her feet. She’s chatting to our other friends beside me but nods at me when Zeke gets closer with a huge smile on her face. Other than my new stepsister Tempany, Dakota is the only one who knows I have a huge crush on Ezekiel ‘sexy as hell’ Alessio.

  I take a sip of the raspberry spritzer mocktail I’m holding, glancing around the room for my brother the moment I see Zeke sauntering into the lounge room. Thankfully, my brother seems to be out of the room.

  If my brother knew I’d been fantasying about kissing his best friend he’d probably disown me, but the moment Ezekiel locks eyes with me from across the room I don’t care. I would do anything for just one kiss. He strides up to me, taking my hand. And a bolt of electricity shoots up my arm, all through my body. I can only imagine how kissing him would make me feel.

  When he steps closer, I take in his outfit, dark jeans that are tight around his toned thighs, and they certainly don’t leave much to the imagination for the bulge behind the zipper either. He’s teamed them with a black t-shirt that’s glued to his abs, and a leather jacket. Sexy as hell.

  I notice that he’s holding a blue gift bag behind his back, and it makes my heart skip. He bought me a present, and a present in a blue gift bag like he knows blue is my favourite colour. Probably wishful thinking that Zeke knows me that well, but still a girl can get excited that the boy—man—she’s crushing on knows her.

  My breath catches in my chest when he steps right into my personal space. I inhale his cologne
, the cinnamon, musky manly smell filling my nostrils. It stirs up butterflies in my stomach, as usual whenever he’s close enough to me. I’m so addicted to that smell, I make cinnamon lattes to dream of kissing Zeke whilst inhaling the intoxicating scent. And now when he leans into my side, his breath fanning over my ear as he exhales, I’m surprised I’m not a puddle on the floor.

  “Av’s,” he murmurs, sending a jolt through me again. “You look fucking gorgeous.”

  I take a step back, just for a moment to take a breath.

  “Thanks, Ezekiel. You look good.”

  Good, right...he looks way better than good. But I can’t exactly tell him, ‘oh hey Ezekiel, you look sexy as fuck.’

  “I got you a present,” he tells me, giving me a smirk as he holds it out to me. I take the gift bag from him nervously. Something about this moment, with his eyes locked on mine feels really intimate. And I can’t believe I blurt out my next words. “Thanks, I’m just going to take it upstairs to my room.”

  I’m practically begging for him to follow me. I watch him for a moment, looking for any indication that he got my hint and his denim blue eyes are glowing. I turn to walk out of the room, not daring to look back, but I know he’s behind me, following me up the stairs.

  I barely take a step into my room before he’s in my personal space again, caging me against the wall, and his eyes flick over my whole body. I’m going to melt, his gaze is so intense. I’m still clutching the gift bag, now holding it against my chest.

  “Open it please, Av’s,” he says softly, his eyes not leaving mine. “It’s kinda lame, but I wanted to get you something sweet.”

  I open the gift bag to find a light brown teddy bear. Pulling it out I drop the gift bag on the floor.

  “Oh gosh, Zeke, I love it. Thank you.” I stretch up to press a kiss to his cheek.

  “I’m glad you like it but it’s not the present I really want to give you.”

  “Oh, what do you mean?” I ask giggling.