Dangerous Temptation

by Scarlet West

  I walked out and into the dining room, feeling like I walked onto a platform at a rock concert. My heart was pounding in my ears, my legs were wobbly. I felt like everybody was staring at me.

  “Hey,” he said. His blue eyes twinkled softly.

  “Hi.”

  My voice sounded tight and unnatural. I coughed, clearing my throat. I felt my hands tighten at my sides and forced them to relax.

  “Working on Sunday, eh?” he shook his head.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It pays well.”

  “I see.”

  We looked at each other. I thought he must be able to hear my heart beating – it was so loud I was sure it would deafen him. It was deafening me.

  “Can I get you something to eat?” I asked, suddenly remembering my job. I flushed crimson as he smiled.

  “Maybe,” he said. “I’d like a coffee.”

  “What sort?” I asked.

  Our eyes met, and I felt a strange feeling in my chest, as if a tree that had long been dead was flowering again.

  “Just a plain coffee?” he asked.

  “You sure?” I said. “I’ll write that down. Got it.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry.”

  He was smiling and I had to fight the urge to rest a hand on his. I grinned back instead. “Me too.”

  I went drifting into the kitchen, a blissful smile stretching my face.

  “He wants a coffee,” I said dreamily in a sarcastic tone to Ryanne.

  “A coffee?” she raised a brow. She was busy making sandwiches. Melissa usually left us to our own devices on a Sunday, knowing we were both responsible and mature.

  “Yeah.” I was busy filling the machine, watching my hands as if I was standing just outside myself. “A coffee.”

  I giggled, aware that I was talking nonsense and behaving like I was about thirteen. But I couldn’t help it. I was so happy, I felt like I was thirteen again; carefree and full of joy and lightness.

  I filled up the cup, put it on a tray and got the sugar dish and milk and carried it out.

  “One coffee,” I said.

  He beamed and I felt scalded by his grin. It seemed to touch my skin and make me tingle. I swallowed hard.

  “Thanks,” he said. “And sugar, too. Great.”

  “You don’t use milk?”

  “No,” he nodded. “I like strong coffee.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “My son says it’s gross.”

  He laughed. “I’m sure.”

  Suddenly, it felt as if we were sitting in my house at the table like we had been the previous evening, not in Melissa’s coffee-shop with me standing beside him with a tray. I felt my cheeks bright with warmth and I looked at my feet, feeling shy.

  “I guess I should go work,” I said.

  He shrugged. “It’s quiet.”

  “It usually is on a Sunday.” Lifting my tray from where I’d rested it on his table, I turned to go back to the kitchen. As I did, Ryanne burst out through the doors, a blur of efficiency.

  “Everything okay?” she asked her customers at Table Two.

  I felt my heart reach out to hers with thanks as she dealt calmly and efficiently with their orders, giving me more time to talk to Reid. I wanted to hug her.

  “So,” he said, looking back up at me after a long moment. “You have to work all day?”

  “Um, not really,” I said. “Which reminds me. Can I get you something for lunch?”

  He shrugged. “Do you have sandwiches?”

  “Sure,” I nodded. I felt my own tummy twist – it was midday, and I was hungry too. “Here’s the menu.”

  I passed him a menu. He took it and, almost purposely, let his fingers touch mine. I felt my heart leap. He smiled at me, that bright grin that made my world shinier.

  “Do you have cheese and tomato?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded.

  “That sounds awesome. My favorite.”

  “Mine too,” I said.

  We looked at each other again and, again, I felt as if the whole world had stood still, and we were the only people, our whole world in each other’s gaze.

  I heard something drop in the kitchen and I twisted around, the world suddenly intruding again. “I’ll go get that sandwich,” I said.

  “Thanks.”

  I floated back into the kitchen and started making the cheese-and-tomato sandwich. As I worked, I thought back over the conversation, my mind lingering on each nuance as if I was reliving the whole thing again.

  It was a simple conversation – no big words, no long sentences. But every word was like a little sparkle of sunshine, a special secret.

  I finished the sandwich and set it to toast, as Ryanne came out from around the back of the kitchen.

  “So?” she raised a brow at me, lips stretched in an inquiring grin

  “So?” I frowned, trying to look calm when my heart was bubbling with joy.

  “How is he? What’s happening? What’d he say?”

  I shot her a look, then started giggling. “I want to know. Sorry, if I’m being irritating.”

  “You’re never irritating,” I said absently, going back to check on the sandwich. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up the order again. The sandwich was almost done. I got a plate ready, folding the napkin and adding a knife and fork. It felt weird to be doing this for him; the simple gestures suddenly becoming loaded with care.

  “Whoops! More customers.” Ryanne darted out of the door, going to help a family who always came in on a Sunday afternoon.

  I finished the sandwich and carried it out.

  “Thanks,” he said, as I laid it down on the table. I felt his voice stroke my skin, like goose feathers.

  I grinned shyly. “You’re welcome.”

  I waited in the kitchen, watching every now and again through the door as he finished his sandwich. I loved watching him, I realized – he was so strong that every action he made took on a sort of lithe grace. I had never seen anyone quite as attractive.

  When he was done, I drifted out again.

  “Finished?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” He looked up at me, smiling. “Um, Hayley?” He sounded nervous, and his blue eyes were tense at the corners. I immediately felt alarmed.

  “Yeah?”

  “What are you doing tonight?” he asked.

  “Tonight?” I stared at him, feeling my tummy tense even as my heart soared.

  “Yeah.”

  “Nothing.” My mind raced, wondering if I could ask Ryanne to keep an eye on Joshua.

  “Well, then.” He coughed. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

  I stared at him. I couldn’t quite believe what I had just heard. I shook my head to clear it. Then I nodded.

  “Um, sure,” I said. “That’d be nice. ”

  “Great.”

  “See you tonight? I’ll pick you up at six?”

  “Great,” I said, amazed I’d managed to find my voice.

  He paid for his meal and left, tossing another shy smile over his shoulder. The contrast of his actions struck me yet again. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but something deep in my gut told me to trust him. And so I did.

  An hour later as Ryanne and I were closing the café and cleaning up, I told her about Reid’s proposal. She shrieked. “Hayley! Wow!”

  “I have a huge favor to ask you,” I started.

  “What? You need to borrow something super sexy-slash-borderline slutty to wear? You need to know the newest sexual positions since it’s been so long?” she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  “Good God, no!” I laughed, swatting her arm. “It’s just dinner. I just need someone to sit with Josh.”

  “Leave that to me,” Ryanne said. “There’s no reason why I shouldn’t come through and stay over at your place.”

  “Seriously? You will?”

  She shrugged. “It’s nothing. Really. Besides, if I stay over, you have to cook dinner for me and Josh before you leave. And I’d give a lot for your dinners.”

  I
smiled. “You’re just sweet.”

  “No, I’m serious. You’re good. So don’t think of it as a favor – it isn’t.”

  We both laughed and I floated out into the sunshine.

  By five-thirty, I was finished preparing the dinner. I assembled a bake and left it in the fridge with hand-written instructions for Ryanne about how long it had to be in the oven. Then I made a salad.

  “Mom?” Joshua asked. “Are you going out for long?”

  “Probably not,” I said, finishing with chopping lettuce. “I reckon I’ll be home around ten at the latest. We have to be up early tomorrow, hey?”

  He nodded. “Mom?”

  “Yes?”

  “You’ll be safe, won’t you?”

  I felt my heart squeeze as I looked into that big worried gaze. “Oh Josh, of course I will be.” I crouched down and looked into his eyes. “I’m only going to be out a couple hours. And Auntie Ryanne will be here to look after you.”

  “I’m not scared for me,” he muttered. He looked at his scruffy tennis shoes. I bent down and enfolded him in a hug.

  “It’s okay, Josh,” I whispered into his hair. “I’ll be fine.”

  I hugged him briefly and then ran down the hall to go and get dressed. Ryanne arrived as I was getting ready and I heard my son let her in and explain in no-nonsense tones how they were to prepare dinner.

  I laughed as I put on the white dress again, then shrugged it off. I tried on another outfit and decided I didn’t like that one either.

  “There.”

  In dark navy jeans with a green blouse, my hair loosely curled, I thought I looked like me. The green was a bright one that offset my eyes. I did my makeup and twirled in front of the mirror, feeling my tummy tingle with excitement. I heard a knock at the door and my heart almost stopped.

  “I’m here,” I called, as I drifted down the hall and opened the front door.

  I saw his gaze studying me and as he stared at me I felt blood rush to my face.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered. “Really beautiful.”

  I beamed and felt like a light had turned on inside me.

  “Thanks,” I whispered. “And you look handsome.”

  He went red and I laughed.

  Together we headed out into the night.

  19

  Reid

  I had crouched in a barn while the enemy surrounded us and felt calmer than I did just then. Hayley was sitting beside me in the car, looking super hot and I couldn’t concentrate on anything.

  “Did you have a good day?” she asked.

  “I guess so,” I said, frowning out of the window as I watched the traffic lights. It was still sunny out, a lovely spring evening. Even so, I found it hard to focus. “I went to see my mom, fixed stuff round the house, you know. Easy things.”

  “That’s nice,” she said.

  She stretched in the seat and I had to force myself to look ahead, out of the window, and not stare at her gorgeous body as her blouse inched up just a little. I could smell the scent of her – shower gel and warm skin and a subtle spicy scent that seemed to be uniquely her. I could feel my body responding and all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her. It was making driving quite a challenge.

  “You?” I asked, grinding the gearshift and then wincing at the noise. What the hell was I doing?

  “Me what?” she turned to me with a big smile that made my stomach tighten.

  “Your day? It was nice?”

  She nodded. “I had a great day. Josh and I watched a movie when I got home from work, and then we did finger painting.”

  “Finger painting?” I smiled, in spite of myself. I wondered what they’d painted pictures of. It was such an innocent way to spend an hour or two. Something beautiful, from a world simpler and more unbroken than my own.

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “Undersea scenes. You can do really good fish with a thumb.”

  “I see.” I laughed.

  We drove on into the evening. It was getting dark and I realized that I hadn’t asked her what sort of food she liked. I’d planned to take her to a nice restaurant I remembered in the best neighborhood, but what if she hated their cuisine?

  “Um, do you like French food?”

  She stared at me. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

  I grinned. “You’ve never tried it?”

  “No,” she said. “We didn’t do fancy stuff in my family.”

  I felt my lips lift in a grin. One thing that I could say for Dad and Mom was they’d made sure their unexpected surprise kid was experienced. We’d gone to the best restaurants and tried all the major cuisines – an essential part of my education, like music and history.

  “Well, maybe you won’t like La Maisonette then?”

  She stared. “Are you shitting me?”

  “No,” I laughed. “Not at all. That was where I planned to go. Why?”

  “I just didn’t think we’d go somewhere that fancy.”

  “Why not?” I asked, feeling my chest warm with her approval. I couldn’t have hoped for a more surprising or better reaction if I’d asked for it.

  “Well… okay,” she said. “If you think I look okay.”

  “You look beautiful. Really.”

  “Thanks,” she said in a small voice.

  I felt my heart fill with light.

  We shot off into town and I felt the car go around the corner smoothly, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. I thought I could remember where the restaurant was. I should have asked her for her number. I should have booked a table. I should have asked her beforehand what kind of food she wanted to eat…

  I’m such an idiot! You’d think I was born yesterday. I sat there, hunched and miserable, waiting for her to says something critical; after all, I deserved it.

  “You know,” Hayley grinned at me, slewing closer as we went around a corner quite hastily. “I’m so glad you left the restaurant as a surprise. I love that kind of surprise.”

  We pulled up at the restaurant a few minutes later. I took a deep breath.

  “Here we are.”

  “Great.”

  Neither of us moved. I felt as if some kind of strange electric force was pulling me out of my seat and toward her, a sort of irresistible drive. I stared into those green eyes and felt something in my soul stir.

  “You ready?”

  She giggled. “Yeah. I’m starving actually.”

  She slipped out of the seat and I shut my door, aware that I probably should have opened hers. I really was screwing things up this evening, forgetting my manners.

  I followed her up the steps to the front door and she stumbled.

  “Whoops,” I reached out to touch her, my palm brushing the small of her back. “You okay?”

  “Yes, thanks for the assist,” she smiled at me.

  We walked into the restaurant and I blinked at the brightness after the dark outside.

  “Table for two?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “Please.”

  The place was surprisingly quiet for Sunday evening – part of me had been scared that all the places would have been taken. As it was, there was one open by the window. I followed the waiter there, watching Hayley walk. She had a slight wiggle as she stepped forward and I felt my body ache.

  “This is nice,” I said, as she sat down opposite me.

  “Yes,” she agreed. She was looking around the restaurant as if she’d never seen a place like it before. I felt myself smile.

  “You seem pleased,” I said.

  “I am,” she nodded. “Everything looks so nice in here. I’m glad you chose it.”

  I watched her looking around, wide-eyed, and thought again how happy I was to have chosen this place.

  She looked through the menu and I saw her lips moving as she enunciated some of the French names. I couldn’t help but grin. I loved her simplicity, her authenticity. I cleared my throat.

  “I’m going to have a galette for starters. Or you could try the salad?”

  “
Galette?”

  “A savory pancake.” I grinned. I had always enjoyed the finer things in life – it was something my soul craved when I was deployed and now that I was back, the one good thing was being able to eat exactly what I wanted.

  “Oh. Great! Let’s do that.”

  I smiled at her enthusiasm. “And for mains, I’m going to do fish.”

  “Me too. I don’t like meat.”

  “Me neither.”

  It was another hangover from my time abroad – anything with blood in it, and the French loved raw meat – was a real turn-off. I hated the smell of meat and never cooked it myself. I had yet to have anybody understand this about me, but she accepted it without question.

  “L’ amuse-bouche,” the waiter said, bringing us something like a baguette slice, with a topping of sauce. I saw Hayley’s brows shoot up and I grinned.

  “A sort of appetizer. Just to keep us busy while we decide what we want.”

  “Oh.” She picked it up in her fingers and bit into it. I watched her lips part on the crusty loaf and I felt something stir painfully in my pants.

  “That’s good,” she said, licking sauce off her lip. She had a streak of sauce on her face and I grinned, dabbing at it. She blushed.

  “I’m disgraceful, aren’t I?”

  “You’re wonderful.”

  Again, our eyes met. I felt my skin tingle all over. So much for my mom’s idea about being friends. I really hadn’t started that off well.

  I coughed, looking at my plate. “I wanted to say sorry about yesterday,” I said, as the waiter returned, bringing the water I’d asked for.

  “Yesterday?”

  “Um, yeah,” I said, waiting for the waiter to leave. “When I kissed you.” My voice went funny. I grunted in my throat to clear it.

  “Oh?” she looked slightly disappointed.

  I shook my head. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Shit, I’m really out of practice with all of this,” I admitted. “I meant to say that I am sorry for running off like I did.”

  She nodded her head in understanding, a look of relief flashing briefly on her face. “I thought maybe I’d put too much garlic in the sauce.”

  I went to shake my head, but then noted the slight upturn of the corner of her mouth and started to laugh. I laughed deep and long and it felt so damn good. I hadn’t laughed like that in longer than I could remember.