Tempting the Artist
By: Sharon C. Cooper
Tempting the Artist
Copyright © March 2015 by Sharon C. Cooper
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For permission, contact the author at www.sharoncooper.net
ISBN: 978-0-9903505-4-5
Book Cover: Selestiele Designs
Editor: Yolanda Barber, Write Time Write Place
Published by: Amaris Publishing LLC in the United States
Smashwords Edition
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Disclaimer
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Blurb:
Bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper brings you another
exciting romance…
Tempting the Artist, book 3 of the Jenkins Family Series:
Christina “CJ” Jenkins, a free-spirited painter by trade is juggling her obligation to the family construction business, with the demands of her secret passion. A secret life she has successfully hidden until recently. When sexy, bad-boy attorney, Luke Hayden, enters the picture, he steals her heart. But the truth of Christina’s double life buried under lies, threatens to destroy them both.
Luke is leaving New York to escape the drama, which is his life. Starting over in Cincinnati with Christina appeals to him more than he will admit. Although her secret jeopardizes their steamy affair, it’s not until someone threatens to destroy the Jenkins family empire, and uses Luke to carry out their plan, that their relationship is truly tested. Luke will do what he can to help the Jenkins family, but he will stop at nothing to tempt the woman who has captured his heart.
Chapter One
Christina Jenkins folded her lower lip between her teeth, her hands on her hips as she paced in front of the wall of windows that overlooked Central Park East. The landmark view was of no use to her as she debated on what she should do about Luke Hayden. The man had captured her heart, tempting her to share a secret that she hadn’t even shared with her family.
I need to tell him.
I have to tell him.
She released a quiet groan and ran tense hands through a mass of curly hair. Frustration lodged in her chest. Christina knew she could have handled this a month ago. Instead, she waited until the last possible moment, and now she was starting to get on her own nerves with worry.
It was almost midnight. Well past the time she should have been asleep since they had to get up early in the morning. Well, actually she didn’t have to get up. She wouldn’t be on the 8 a.m. flight to Cincinnati.
Leaning against the window frame, she contemplated her next move. What am I going to do? At some point, she would have to tell Luke she wasn’t traveling with him. He was leaving the big city of dreams and relocating to her hometown of Cincinnati.
Her gaze drifted to the twinkling city lights and the skyscrapers that were too close together, but made up the city she had fallen in love with. Why would he leave all of this? Luke had told her that he’d had enough of New York’s fast pace. She wasn’t buying it. No one left New York City for Cincinnati, Ohio. Granted she liked living in Cincinnati, but she loved the energy of The Big Apple.
Maybe he’s hiding something. That had to be it. Yet who was she to question his decision or his secrets, especially when she had a secret of her own.
She stepped away from the spectacular view and leaned on the back of a white chaise lounge, one of two pieces of furniture that hadn’t been picked up by the movers. Luke had sold everything else except a few items remaining in the living room and his bedroom set. The young couple, who bought the apartment, had worked the remaining pieces into their purchase offer.
Christina lowered her head and shut her eyes. Everything would be all right. She was overthinking the situation. Their relationship was tight and built on trust. Besides, Luke was the sweetest man she had ever met, and he wouldn’t have a problem with her change in plans. It wasn’t like she wasn’t ever going back to Cincinnati. She was only staying in New York another day, two tops.
“You’ve been on edge all night.”
Christina’s head jerked up startled at the sound of Luke’s voice. Her heart pounded erratically in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the conversation she knew they had to have or because she hadn’t heard him enter the room. After an amazing round of sex, she had left him sleeping in the bedroom while she hung out in the living room weighing her options.
Luke stepped out of the shadows of the semi-dark room and into a small stream of moonlight shining through one of the windows. After three months of dating, the sight of him still made her heart stutter.
Absolute perfection.
She had always been attracted to dark skinned men, a stark contrast to her lighter skin. And this man was the epitome of sexy. He stood before her in nothing but a pair of striped pajama bottoms hanging low on his hips, his thick package pressed behind the flimsy material. Her gaze moved up to his face. An artist would be in heaven if they had him as a model. Sharp accessing eyes, an average-size nose and a chiseled jaw line made up his handsome face. And those lips. God, the things he could do with those full, tempting lips.
Lust throbbed through Christina’s veins as Luke watched her with the intensity of a hawk circling its target calculating the perfect time to pounce. The dress shirt she wore of his, with nothing underneath, did nothing to hide her erect nipples from his heated gaze. All it took was a look from him, and she was ready to let him have his way with her. Again.
“Wha … what are you doing up?” she finally asked.
“I don’t sleep well without you in my bed.” His slumber-filled voice was deep and intoxicating. She had no doubt that he meant what he said. When she wasn’t in New York visiting him, he rarely slept in the bed, preferring the sofa in his home office. He’d often stay at work until nine or ten at night, only to arrive home and work for another few hours. She had no idea how he functioned with only three or four hours of sleep each night.
Luke moved across the room with the stealth of a lion, closing in on its prey. With a lean body, his sculpted chest and muscular biceps stood out. That quiet control swimming in his eyes, with a twinge of fearlessness, rooted her in place and had her heart pounding double-time. She was sure that look played well into him being one of the top defense attorneys at his New York law firm.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been distracted since we returned from the art show.” The richness of his baritone voice washed over her like a smooth, satiny caress. And he smelled so good. The fresh scent of soap permeated the air as if he had just stepped out of the shower. His voice, his scent, and all that made him the man he was, weakened her defenses and sent her senses spiraling out of control.
He pulled her effortlessly against his hard body and her arms slid easily around his neck. What she felt for him was unlike anything she had ever experienced. There was just something about him. Something about the way his welcoming embrace evoked a sense of peace that settled over her like a goose down jacket all snuggly and warm. And there
was something about the way his self-assuredness gave her the desire to experience the world through his eyes, making her want to try new things and live life on the edge.
Christina moaned as his body molded against hers, chest to chest and thigh to thigh. He felt too good. It wasn’t helping that the feathery kisses he placed along the length of her neck were reigniting the smoldering heat from hours earlier. She couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t think straight when he looked at her, or when he kissed her, or when he touched her. An experienced lover, his caress had her body bending to his will.
“Maybe you should come back to bed so that I can make you forget your troubles.”
“Or maybe you can make me forget my troubles right here … right now.”
“That can be arranged.” She leaned against the back of the chair as his fingers quickly undid the buttons on her shirt. The expensive material slid off her shoulders and down her arms. “You looked good in my shirt, but you’d look even better out of it.” Luke tossed the garment to the side, letting it fall to the floor.
Christina had always been comfortable in the nude, and watching Luke’s appreciative gaze travel down the length of her body made her glad she’d only worn his shirt.
Nudging her legs apart, he stepped between her thighs and a shiver of delight shot through her when his hand flattened over her breast. With her arms behind her, she held on to the back of the chair for support as he caressed, squeezed, and tweaked a taut nipple. Holding her around her waist, he lowered his head, and his tongue took over where his fingers left off. Lethal. That’s what she considered his tongue to be. Her insides turned to mush when his mouth made contact with her body.
She moaned when he paid her other nipple the same homage as the first, gently taking it between his teeth. His hands caressed the curve of her torso and worked their way down to her hips. Heart pounding erratically, Christina squirmed beneath him. Wanting more. Needing more. Savoring the way his lower body ground against her nakedness.
His mouth returned to her lips, and he kissed her with a hunger that radiated to the soles of her feet. When his large hands gripped her bare butt cheeks, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, his erection pressing against her stomach. She gave herself completely to the passion of his kiss. Her body was coming alive with every stroke of his tongue and squeeze of his hand.
“Damn, baby you feel good,” he mumbled against her lips. “But I need to feel all of you.” His right hand slid between their bodies, and he loosened the drawstring of his pajamas.
Oh yes. Her body pulsed with anticipation, anxious to have him inside of her. But suddenly she realized what they were about to do.
No. No. No. What am I thinking? I can’t do this. I have to tell him.
Breathing hard, she snatched her mouth from his. “Wait.” She wiggled beneath him. “I have to tell you something.” He stiffened in her hold. A shiver scurried down her spine as his piercing eyes searched hers. “We need to talk.”
“Now?” he croaked, his eyes narrowed and his breath came in short spurts.
She nodded.
Luke released a frustrated groan and lowered his head to her shoulder. Dropping his hands from her body, he grabbed hold of the back of the chair, locking her between his arms. He breathed in and out several times before slowly lifting his head.
“You do know those four words are a mood killer right?” His deep voice still held a hint of sleepiness, but his eyes were alert and as penetrating as usual.
When Christina didn’t respond, he lifted up and adjusted himself, tightening the drawstring of his pajama bottoms. She knew she should have stopped him before it went this far, but how could she? His lips and hands were magical, capable of clouding her mind.
He handed her the shirt that he had just helped her out of and stood staring as she slipped her arms into the sleeves. A mixture of emotions tumbled in her gut and her hand rested against her chest as if that could help her breathe and steady her pounding heart. If he wasn’t disappointed in her for putting on the brakes with what almost just happened, he was sure to be pissed at her after they talked.
Luke blew out another breath and grabbed her hand, leading her to the only other furniture left in the living room, a sofa.
They sat next to each other, and he stretched his long legs out in front him, his head resting against the back of the furniture. “All right talk to me. What’s going on?” He turned his head slightly to look at her. “Did something happen while we were at the gallery?”
Earlier they had attended an art show featuring Sasha Knight’s work, Christina’s favorite artist. She had thought about coming clean with Luke while there, especially since the show was her main reason for wanting to stay in New York for another day or two.
Just tell him.
“I’m not flying back to Cincinnati with you in the morning. I’ve decided to stay in New York for another day.”
He studied her for the longest, not speaking. Tension bounced off him like hail against a tin roof, and Christina braced herself for an argument. Their relationship was perfect, but springing this on him after a month of planning, probably wasn’t going to go as well as she hoped.
He stood and eased over to the corner fireplace, rubbing the top of his head with one hand, and the other on his hip. “You’ve decided to stay?” He turned back to her and leaned against the marble surrounding the fireplace, his muscular arms now folded across his broad chest.
This was a good sign. He appeared calm, yet the tension between them could still be felt even ten feet away.
“I know I probably should have said something sooner, but I want to stay until the end of Sasha Knight’s show. I know we saw most of her new work, but I heard there would be some new pieces on display tomorrow.”
“Are you kidding me?” His voice rose with each word. “You have several of her paintings and have attended every one of her shows. Why the hell do you need to stay longer? And why didn’t you tell me sooner? We’ve had this weekend’s travel planned for over a month.”
“Luke, calm down.” She stood, but maintained her position near the sofa.
“I am calm, dammit!”
“No, you’re not. You’re trying to start an argument.”
“I’m a lawyer, Christina. Arguing is what I do, especially when someone is withholding facts from me or screwing me around.”
“I’m not trying to screw you around. I’m just saying—”
“Stop!” He lifted his hand and glared at her. “I want to make sure I have this correct. My woman who came to New York to see me and help me finish packing, suddenly tells me that she’s not traveling with me. The same woman who I have had countless conversations with regarding the move, as well as the travel arrangements. And you’re telling me I should be calm about this bit of information that you’re just springing on me?”
“Yes, but—”
“What the hell am I supposed to think, CJ?” She stood rooted in place as he slowly approached her. “You know me well enough to know that I don’t like half-truths. So if that’s what you’re giving me here, you need to come clean now. I’m leaving New York to get away from the bullshit. I’m not trying to take on more bullshit.”
Instead of answering his questions or commenting, she remained silent. She had a good reason for wanting to stay. She just wasn’t ready to share that reason with him or anyone else for that matter. Yes, she knew he didn’t play games, and she also knew how he felt about trust and honesty. He had never gone into great detail, but she sensed that he’d trusted the wrong person in the past and had been hurt.
“Can’t you just accept that I’d like to stay for another day or two? I’ll be in Cincinnati before you know it. What’s the big deal?”
Why’d she say that? His harsh laugh sent a chill down her spine. He was around six feet tall, but it was as if he grew several inches instantly. This was probably the Luke Hayden, who showed up to court every week. This was the attorney who had never lost a case, and this wa
s the attorney who was a force to be reckoned with.
“What’s the big deal?” he mocked her, his voice low and menacing. “The big deal is that you waited until the last possible minute to tell me as if you’re hiding something. I’m sure the desire to stay a day or two longer didn’t just pop into your head tonight, and besides that, you’re making a fool of me. Here I thought you’ve been coming to New York to see me, when it’s clear there’s something else going on. And before you say anything, I’m not buying that you’re that in love with Sasha Knight’s work.” Silence circled them as his dark, penetrating gaze bore into her with the intensity of a masonry drill bit through a concrete wall. “Is it someone else?”
“No!” She rushed to him, her hands on his rock-hard torso. “Baby, no. There’s no one else. I swear to you.” How could he even think she would be involved with someone else? Sure, she might be evading his questions, and sure she wanted to stay in New York a little longer. But there was no way she was interested in anyone else.
He stepped out of her grasp. “Then you need to tell me what’s going on.”
“Luke.” She reached out to him, but he took another step back as if her touch caused him pain. “Let’s not do this. I don’t want our wonderful night to end like this.”
“Then tell me what the hell is going on.” Apparently, she hesitated too long. He raised his hands. “Never mind. I’ve dealt with enough lies from others to last me a lifetime. I don’t need them from you too.” He turned away and headed to his bedroom, but stopped, his back to her, his hands gripping each side of the doorjamb. “You might not be planning to leave New York anytime soon, but have your shi… You’ll need to be out of here by six a.m.”
Christina startled when he slammed the door behind him.
Why couldn’t I just tell him?
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