Attraction: (A Temptation Series Stand-alone) (The Temptation Series Book 4) Read online

  Without removing my stare from Caramello Koala, I once again lifted his beer bottle to my lips and voiced, with more implication than mere words, ‘I am watching him like a hawk.’

  Derek inclined his head to the side slightly, then appeared to rein in a smug smile before taking another shot, which resulted in the sinking of his ball but also pocketing one of mine.

  Smiling at his misfortune, I snatched the cue from his hands. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Don’t tell me you are taking it easy on her, mate,’ Bryce queried while handing Derek a new beer.

  Derek accepted the bottle from Bryce. ‘What can I say, I am a gentleman.’

  ‘You’d better not be taking it easy,’ I snapped. ‘I’m quite capable of beating you without your chivalrous bullshit.’

  ‘I’m sure you are,’ he said, without much conviction.

  You arrogant ferret fucker. Time to put my many years of Thursday night billiards at the local pub to use.

  I quickly surveyed the table, deciding on a shot which would hopefully pot one ball and then set up another three.

  ‘Twelve ball, top right pocket,’ I announced as I bent down and cued the white — said twelve ball falling neatly into the projected pocket. ‘Fifteen ball, middle left,’ I continued, as I walked around to the opposite side of the table. That ball, too, fell into the suggested pocket.

  By that stage, Will and Matt had made their way over and were now standing next to Bryce and Derek. ‘Apparently we need a lifeguard,’ Will stated, ‘there’s a shark in the room.’

  I smiled at Will and winked. ‘Well, it so happens that I’ve been called Jaws before, but for an entirely different reason.’

  Derek laughed. Bryce just shook his head.

  Putting my serious game face back on, I continued to clean up the table. ‘Nine ball, top left.’

  I was pretty sure the nine ball would be my last pocketed ball as there were no clear shots remaining, so instead I set up another ball for my next shot then happily placed the cue in Derek’s hands. ‘Here you go, gentleman. Knock yourself out.’

  He didn’t move right away, just sat perched on the stool with me standing in front of him practically wedged between his legs, both of us still holding onto the cue. Our positions were like that of a Mexican standoff.

  Before either one of us could surrender our stance, Bryce interrupted. ‘As much as I would love to see Carly wipe the table clean with you, Derek, I need to go find the love of my life.’

  ‘That ain’t gonna happen,’ Derek retorted before pushing up off his stool. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently moved me aside before taking the pool cue from me. The sudden move surprised and excited me.

  Before he took his next shot, he added a few words without looking at me. ‘Just so you know, Jaws, I eat flake for breakfast.’

  I couldn’t help laughing. Mind you, I was more than happy for him to dine on me for breakfast. It was, after all, the most important meal of the day. ‘Are you saying you want to eat me?’ I asked nonchalantly.

  As my question hung in the air, Derek miscued the ball and unintentionally set up my next move. Biting my lip to refrain from laughing at my cheap shot, I walked right up to him and reclaimed the cue.

  Just as he was about to say something, Nate burst into the room. I had to turn my head away from Derek in order to give Nate my attention.

  ‘Mum and Bryce are cutting the cake and making a speech. They want everyone out in the lounge area,’ he announced with excitement.

  Turning back to face Derek, I found that he had been staring at my neck, his eyes still lingering on the spot that was now tingling with a yearning only his lips could cure.

  ‘We can finish this later,’ he suggested in a low voice.

  I took a deep breath, needing oxygen to prevent from fainting. ‘No. I can finish it now.’ Then, slowly turning around, I bent over the table, gently pressing my arse into his groin at the same time, and played my shot. I could’ve sworn I felt his cock move within his pants as he remained steadfast, not moving from his position behind me.

  Standing up again, I watched as the ball I had just played easily found its way into a pocket, together with the ball I had strategically set up, leaving only the black ball remaining.

  Just as I was about to move and reposition myself, I felt his warm breath caress my ear. ‘If you miss, I get to take you out on a date,’ he murmured.

  His close proximity and the feel of his body pressed against my back sent tingles bursting across the surface of my skin. ‘And if I sink it?’ I asked, barely able to voice the words.

  ‘You can take me out on a date,’ he suggested.

  Stepping away from him, I smiled and walked to the opposite side of the table, the white and black ball lined up beautifully before me. ‘If I sink it, I will give you my number,’ I compromised and, knowing with one hundred percent certainty that the eight ball would find the net, I leaned forward and played the shot.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I’d left Derek standing in the man cave after successfully blindsiding him with my eight-ball prowess. It felt good, really good, having been able to secure the upper hand — the way it should be.

  After living in a semi-rural town for the better part of my life, I was able to acquire certain skills. One skill was not turning the local wildlife into roadkill during late-night drives home. Knowledge and constant participation in billiards was another. Playing eight-ball was the only ‘cool’ thing young adults could do on their Thursday and Friday nights in Shepparton. Mind you, it also helped that back then I’d dated the local pub owner’s son on and off for a year. So I was forever passing time with a cue in my hand.

  ***

  Everyone had started to gather around the lounge area which was decorated with large silver and blue helium balloons. There were bunches of roses everywhere, some bunches a vivid shade of blue. At first, I thought they were fake, but it wasn’t until I leaned in and sniffed their beautiful aroma that I realised they were real. Wow!

  Blue roses! I bet if Alexis asked for an Oompa-Loompa, Bryce would be able to get her one.

  ‘So, are you going to give me your phone number?’

  Startled, I turned around and found Derek standing behind me, holding out a glass of champagne.

  ‘Thank you,’ I accepted happily, taking it from him and smiling politely. ‘And ... maybe.’

  ‘Maybe? That wasn’t the deal,’ he protested.

  ‘Well, Derek, I don’t know anything about you. I don’t give out my phone number willy-nilly, you know.’

  ‘Ah, but if you gave me your phone number, it would allow you to get to know me better. That’s what swapping phone numbers is about,’ he explained, his tone awash with a cheeky enlightenment.

  Honestly, I was in total agreement, and more than happy to share my digits with him. As I reached into my bra to pluck out my phone, Bryce demanded the room’s attention with a repetitive tap on his glass. ‘Firstly, I just want to thank you all for coming today, to celebrate Alexis’ birthday. We both really appreciate you all taking the time to share this evening with us.’

  Bryce took a deep breath, then looked to his glass momentarily. ‘Look ... I’ll start by addressing the elephant in the room by saying that it is no secret Alexis and I found each other under somewhat controversial circumstances.’ He glanced at Alexis and I sensed a minuscule tinge of guilt.

  Alexis winked at him, encouraging him to continue.

  I smiled.

  My friend had an uncanny ability to make those around her feel at ease, to be comfortable and to be themselves.

  Bryce smiled at her lovingly, then continued. ‘Controversial or not, the truest crime of all would have been to ignore true love. From the moment I laid eyes on this beautiful woman standing next to me, my heart decided to once again function as it was designed to. And, if I’m going to be completely honest, the feeling that came over me shortly after meeting her for the first time shocked the shit out of me.’

  Derek
and I chuckled simultaneously. He looked in my direction and I met his gaze before we both awkwardly smiled and consumed our drinks. Fuck me, he is one sensational looking man. I couldn’t help but take in more of his ink now that his jacket was off and he was standing so close to me, providing a better view. The design was one of those tribal-looking tattoos with black, sharp sleek lines covering a good part of his arm.

  ‘You like tatts?’ he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Diverting my attention from his delicious bicep, I focussed in on his equally delicious face. ‘Huh?’

  ‘Tattoos, do you like them? You look as though you want to lick mine,’ he said with a smirk and a quick flick of his eyebrow.

  Oh, I do. I do want to lick it. And I really want to see if you taste like caramel.

  ‘Yes, I do like them,’ I whispered, embarrassed I’d been busted ogling. I then returned my attention back to Bryce and Alexis, my cheeks now a little heated.

  ‘... and there are also times in life when you have to ignore the morality of the problem that faces you and go with your heart,’ Bryce explained, before facing Alexis who now had tears streaming down her face. ‘Because at the end of the day, your heart is what truly makes you happy. And Alexis is my heart, entirely.’

  While my heart pounded vigorously in my chest, I watched as Bryce tenderly wiped Alexis’ tears from her cheek. There was a part of me that desperately wanted what the two of them had; true, undeniable love, a connection so deep it was bottomless and a family to call my own. But I knew that would never happen.

  The day my aunty died giving birth was the day I decided I did not want to have kids. My aunty was the closest thing I had to a sibling; she was like my big sister. Then, out of nowhere and at the most exciting point in her life, my aunty and her baby were gone. It destroyed me and any hope I ever had of starting a family. I just couldn’t bring myself to even go there.

  Sucking in a deep breath and willing the pain of her memory to go into hiding again, I brought myself back to the events unfolding before me and smiled at Alexis who had spotted me in amongst her family and guests. I was genuinely happy for her and the new path her life was taking. She deserved all the happiness she was now bathed in, because she had to break through the barriers of hurt and deceit in order to get to it.

  ‘Wow!’ she choked out, ‘I can’t really top that can —’

  ‘Yes, you can,’ Bryce interrupted, a huge grin plastering his face.

  The overjoyed and excited beam that radiated from him indicated he was referring to their surprise news. This must have been the point at which they planned to drop their baby bomb.

  Alexis nodded and continued. ‘As most of you are aware, I have recently had to fight for a reprieve during a very wounding, lightless time in my life, yet it was a fight worth winning, because the path that lies ahead of me now, at age thirty-six, is the most exciting path I will ever walk. It’s a path I plan on taking with you, with my two beautiful children, with this wonderful amazing man who I now know to be my soul mate ... and with our precious little miracle who is growing strong as each day goes by,’ she said as she gently caressed her belly.

  ‘No shit!’ Derek said beside me, his broad smile indicating he was happy for his best mate. Seeing the disbelief radiate from him was endearing.

  ‘I’m going to be a dad,’ Bryce announced to the room. He picked up Charli and sat her on his hip while Alexis reached for Nate. ‘We are going to be a family.’ Bryce raised his glass toward his family and friends. ‘To a life of fulfilment.’

  Everyone joined him and Alexis in a toast. A toast to ... well ... happiness, I guess.

  ***

  Family members immediately enveloped Bryce and Alexis shortly after the toast and the cutting of the cake, a cake I wanted to desperately sink my teeth into. OMG! That thing is huge! I loved cake but couldn’t bake the damn things even if I tried. Turning out a deliciously warm, fluffy moist cake was not something I was exceptional at. Cooking was definitely not my forte, but that didn’t mean I didn’t try.

  Before my aunty passed away, she always offered her two cents worth every chance that she got. There was one particular time where I’d had to produce a painting for school. I’d given up before starting the task, hell-bent on the ‘I can’t do it’ reaction. I remember her saying to me, ‘Try, Carly’, to which I’d responded with an exasperated, ‘That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say? That doesn’t help.’ She’d then said, ‘It really is that simple. If you try and fail you still succeed, for succeeding in failure is still a success.’

  My aunty was optimistic and smart, and like Alexis, she was a combination of a best friend and the sister I never had.

  ‘That was a surprise,’ Derek exclaimed, once again bringing me back to the moment. ‘Good on them. They both deserve to be happy, and Alexis makes Bryce very happy. I’ve never seen him like this before.’

  ‘I agree. Lexi deserves a man who will treat her right, especially after what her husband did.’ When no one was watching, apart from Derek, I stole a raspberry from the top of the cake. ‘So ... how long have you and Bryce been friends?’ I mumbled as I popped it into my mouth.

  He watched my actions with an amused smile on his face. ‘Since high school.’

  ‘Nice.’ I covertly snuck another raspberry and, this time, peeled off a shard of white chocolate.

  Derek stifled a laugh. ‘How ’bout you and Alexis?’

  ‘Since we were four,’ I mumbled again as I consumed the stolen cake topping. ‘We were neighbours for eighteen years, right up until Alexis moved out to live with Rick and I moved to Melbourne.’

  Derek nodded as if he were interested in what I was saying but, like all men, he was probably more concerned with what size my tits were and if they were real or not. I put that theory to the test by deliberately licking the icing off my fingers.

  ‘Whereabouts in Melbourne do you live?’ he asked with an awkward shuffle of his feet.

  I couldn’t help but bite the inside of my mouth and smile — I bet he just formed wood. His attempts to feign interest in order to get inside my pants were exceedingly obvious, but also terribly cute. ‘Epping,’ I answered.

  ‘I live in Richmond.’

  ‘Huh. So what do you do?’ I asked, pretending to be none the wiser when, truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to see him douse my fiery hole with his man-hose.

  ‘I’m a senior firefighter with the MFB,’ Derek answered with a tinge of pride.

  My eyes widened mischievously. ‘That’s hot!’

  He raised his eyebrow at me.

  ‘What?’ I giggled, deliberately touching his arm. ‘That was good.’

  ‘It was lame,’ he countered.

  ‘It was not. Pick-up lines are lame. That was puntastic.’

  ‘Puntastic?’ he queried, shaking his head in amusement. ‘Pick-up lines are not lame. Some are actually quite good.’

  ‘Oh yeah, name one,’ I probed.

  ‘Is that a mirror in your pocket? Because I can see myself in your pants.’

  ‘Please,’ I groaned, ‘that was terrible.’

  ‘Okay, how about ... I lost my number, can I have yours?’

  Looking down at my hand, I checked that my nail polish was pristine, all the while pretending I was bored. ‘So original.’

  ‘You smell like trash. May I take you out?’ he offered before taking a swig of his beer.

  I had to laugh at that one. ‘Not bad. Although, telling me I stink is going to get you nowhere.’

  ‘So saying, “Did you fart? Because you just blew me away,” won’t work either, huh?’ he asked with a smile.

  This time I cracked up laughing and clutched at my abdomen. ‘No.’

  ‘Okay, I’ve got one.’ Derek placed his empty beer bottle down on the coffee table then turned back to me, a renewed sense of adventure animating his face. ‘How about: I may not go down in history, but I’ll go down on you.’

  That particular pick-up line certainly got
my attention, so much so that I ceased my laughing almost immediately. ‘Um ... meh,’ I offered, shrugging my shoulders.

  ‘Gee, you’re brutal,’ he joked.

  Before I was able to reply, Alexis distracted me as she casually walked past en route to the waiter. She was humming a tune that at first I couldn’t quite make out. It was not until she started singing while she made her way to where Tash, Lil, Steph and Jade were standing, and trying to look inconspicuous, that I figured out it was the lyrics to ‘All Fired Up’ by Pat Benatar.

  Bitch!

  Derek seemed to be none the wiser and signalled me to lean toward him with a come hither motion. ‘How about this?’ he said in a low husky voice. ‘I just made you come with one finger. Imagine what I can do with two?’

  My mouth dropped open at the very thought of coming on his fingers. I wanted to come and I wanted him to make me do it.

  Right at that very moment, Tash walked past singing ‘Light My Fire’ by The Doors, while slapping her hairy lady-pie like a fucking lunatic. Alexis cracked up laughing in response, so I shot her a what-the-fuck look and then quickly focussed my attention back on Derek.

  ‘That one was a little better,’ I choked out, clearing my throat, ‘but it appears you will have eight other fingers that are just sitting around and doing nothing.’

  ‘Trust me, Carly,’ Derek said with a seductive glint, ‘they wouldn’t be doing nothing.’

  My Carly-cave came to life and my vagina-bats started fluttering around. Holy finger-fuck, he’s gone and rendered me speechless again.

  Out of nowhere, Alexis, Tash, Lil, Steph and Jade started belting out ‘Girl On Fire’ by Alicia Keys and, unlike before, their subtlety had now flown out the window. If that wasn’t bad enough, a tapping noise sounded from my right so I turned slightly in that direction to find Will drumming on the bar top with a couple of forks, assisting their sudden flash mob performance. The entire scene before me was ridiculous. Not only was my fiery hole still on fire with singed crispy vagina-bats, my head was now ablaze and ready to explode.