Tempting the Artist

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Uh, well, yeah, it is going to matter if he’s fine and rich because if he isn’t he won’t be able to hang with me.” Jada ignored the way Toni’s perfectly arched eyebrows slanted in a frown. “Now what’s the scoop on the hunks who just walked up to your new hubby? The one on the far right looks as if he could carry a small car on his back.”

  “Those are the guys he grew up with. Actually, today might be your lucky day.” Toni perked up, a mischievous glint shined in her eyes as she adjusted the hem of her beaded lace wedding gown. “Craig’s bringing Zack over.”

  “How does that make it my lucky day?”

  “Because he’s single and he’s gawking at you.”

  Jada sized him up as he approached. At least six-one, broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist, dark, spiked hair, and a powerful stride - he was a walking billboard for everything masculine. “Mmm, I don’t think so. He’s definitely a cutie in that Channing Tatum kind of way. But I like my men like I like my chocolate – dark and exceedingly rich.”

  “Is that right?” Toni placed her soda on the table and sat forward in her chair, her elbow on the table and amusement danced in her eyes. “Well, did I happen to mention that he’s a professional football player who plays for the Cincinnati Cougars and has just renewed his contract for nine-point-five-million?”

  Jada’s mouth dropped open.

  “Oh, and that’s only for one year.”

  “Damn!” Jada smoothed down the front of her bridesmaid dress that stopped just above her knees and ran her fingers through her long auburn streaked curls. She quickly pulled a tube of lipstick from her strapless bra and ran the Coral Berry over her lips, and then took another glance at Craig’s friend. “It’s a good thing I’m switching over. I hear white chocolate, like milk, does a body good.”

  “What?” Toni narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never heard that before.”

  “Oh, hush up and tell me if I have any food in my teeth.”

  Toni shook her head and laughed. “Girl, you’re a mess!”

  “Hey, baby, are you feeling better?” Craig bent slightly and brushed Toni’s bangs away from her forehead. “Did the soda help?” He extended his hand to help her rise to her feet and rubbed his large palm over her barely-there baby bump.

  “Between the soda and the crackers you hunted down for me earlier, I’m feeling much better. You take such good care of me,” Toni said in a baby-like voice.

  “That’s my job. I plan to spend the rest of my life taking very good care of you, Mrs. Logan.” Craig lowered his head and his lips brushed against Toni’s.

  Jada rolled her eyes when the newlywed’s lip-lock grew more intense and Toni’s arms snaked around her husband’s neck.

  “You guys have a lifetime to play kissy-face.” She stood and turned her gaze to the man standing next to her cousin-in-law. He was even sexier up close, and then he smiled. Her knees weakened. Oh my God, he has dimples. A sucker for a man with dimples, the once steady beat of her heart now pounded double-time. Her hand hovered over her chest as she struggled to fill her lungs with air. Okay, just breathe. She told herself over and over again.

  “Are you all right?” the sexy gift from God asked, his palm at the small of her back sent a spark of desire shooting through her veins. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Uh, no. No, I’m fine.” She definitely had to pull herself together. Never has a man seen her sweat and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let a cutie with a nine-point-five-million dollar contract see her off her game.

  “Evidently we’re invisible,” Craig’s friend said and removed his hand from her back. His voice intoxicatingly deep sent an exciting shiver up her spine. “I’m Zack Anderson.”

  Craig abruptly broke off the kiss with Toni. “Ah man, sorry you guys. Zack, this is Toni’s cousin, JJ. I mean Jada Jenkins. JJ, this is one of my best friends, Zachary Anderson.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jada.” Zack kissed the back of her hand and held on to the tips of her fingers while he stared into her eyes. “I’ve heard some nice things about you.”

  Jada swallowed hard and tried to throttle the dizzying current that raced through her body. What the hell? She had been in the midst of plenty of good-looking, wealthy men but never had one affected her like this. She eased her hand from his grasp and ran sweaty palms down the side of her dress as she regrouped, quickly plastering a flirtatious smile on her lips.

  “Nice to meet you, Zachary.”

  “Please, call me Zack.”

  “Listen you two,” Craig said from behind them, his arm around Toni. “My beautiful wife and I are going to greet our guest before the sendoff, and Zack,” he leveled his friend with a pointed look, “behave yourself.”

  “I always do.” Zack’s piercing blue eyes roved and lazily appraised Jada, taking in all of her as if trying to memorize every intricate curve of her body.

  Normally Jada would revolt against a man who openly gawked at her. Instead, she had the urge to stand perfectly still until he was done. Damn, something is definitely wrong with me for enjoying the way he’s sexing me up with his eyes.

  “Excuse me.” Steven Jenkins, Jada’s grandfather and the patriarch of the family jarred Jada out of her trance. He gave a quick nod to Zack before turning to her. “Your Highness, you’re the only one of my granddaughters I haven’t danced with yet. What do you say about cutting a rug with your old grandfather?”

  “Oh, Grampa, there is nothing old about you and we don’t say cutting a rug anymore. We just say dance.” Jada grinned up at the man who had first given her the nickname Your Highness and the only man who had ever made her feel as if she were the most precious gift he’d ever received. Jada looped her arm through her grandfather’s bent arm. “Stick with me. I’ll keep you in the know.”

  He threw his head back and released a hearty laugh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

  Jada turned to Zack, still intrigued by the blue-eyed-dimpled god. “Grampa, I don’t know if you’ve met Craig’s friend Zack Anderson.”

  “Zack Anderson,” Steven Jenkins repeated and extended his hand to Zack. “We haven’t officially met, but of course, I know you’re one of the league’s top-scoring running backs. I’m a big fan. Nice to meet you, I’m Steven Jenkins.”

  “It’s a pleasure, sir.” Zack shook his hand. “Craig mentions you and your family often in conversation. I’m glad to meet you and the other members of your family,” he said to Mr. Jenkins, but his potent gaze wandered to Jada.

  “Well, a friend of Craig’s is a friend of ours. Whenever the Cougars have a bye week, make sure you have Craig bring you to the house for Sunday brunch. We’d love to have you.”

  “I’d be honored.” He bowed his head slightly and diverted his attention back to Jada.

  She ignored the giddiness fluttering inside her stomach. “It was nice meeting you,” she said, still awed by the dimples that winked at her each time he flashed his million-dollar smile. “Hopefully we’ll get a chance to chat before the reception ends.” She cast a gracious smile and batted her eyes knowing the combination of the two always got her what she wanted. And she definitely wanted to get to know Zachery Anderson better.

  “It looks as if you have another admirer,” Jada’s grandfather commented as they danced to John Legend’s latest release. “He’s a hell of a football player, and he seems like a nice young man.”

  Jada glanced over her grandfather’s shoulder at Zack whose enticing gaze held hers captive. “Yes he does seem like a nice young man, doesn’t he?”ckname Your Highness,know.h me,emale cousins referred to him. An all around great guy who absolutely loved her cousin.ed cutie-

  ***

  Zack stared at Jada and her grandfather as they twirled around the dance floor in perfect sync. Intoxicating brown eyes that hinted of mischief and lips that were designed for kissing had left him mesmerized.

  He first spotted her at the church and immediately found her captivating. At five-feet-five with full breasts
, curvy hips, and long toned legs, most men in attendance couldn’t take their gaze off of her. The gracefulness of her stroll down the aisle and the gentle sway of her hips in the fitted bridesmaid dress were hypnotic. Thankfully the Cougars were playing in town this weekend; otherwise he would have missed the wedding altogether. Craig had mentioned the Jenkins family, and the granddaughters who oversaw the day-to-day operations of Jenkins & Sons Construction, but he was going to have to talk to his long-time friend. The way Craig described the stunning Jenkins women hadn’t done Jada justice.

  Zack watched as the elder Jenkins moved his granddaughter smoothly across the dance floor as if dancing was something they did together all the time.

  “She’s way out of your league man. Besides, I can look at her and tell she’s high maintenance and everyone knows how you feel about high maintenance women,” Donny Caldron, a friend of Zack and Craig’s from the old neighborhood said, and lifted his glass to his lips.

  “Nah, I don’t think she’s high maintenance.” Zack continued to observe her on the dance floor. He smiled to himself. She seemed to put a little extra hip action in her moves each time her grandfather released her hand. “She definitely has some sass, but I bet she’s a real sweetheart once you get to know her, which I plan to do.”

  “Okay, so which one is she anyway? The carpenter? The electrician?”

  “That’s Jada. Can you believe she’s a sheet metal worker?”

  “Nope, but I can’t believe any of them work construction. They make me want to tear down a house just so I can have them build it back up, brick by tantalizing brick.”

  Zack chuckled. While growing up, Donny was always the one who kept everyone laughing. With his laid-back attitude, many people would be surprised to know that he was the CEO for one of the city’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

  Zack shoved his hands into his pants pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. “Well, I don’t plan on tearing anything down. All I need is one date with her and she’ll be mine.”

  Donny fell out laughing. “I think you’ve had one too many knocks upside the head out there on that football field because you’re definitely talking crazy. That woman is not going out with your country ass,” he joked. “Besides, I thought that since you’re looking to retire next year you wanted to meet someone to settle down with. If that’s still the case, you need to look elsewhere. She’s not the one.”

  Donny always called him country despite the fact that they all grew up in Columbus, Ohio. “I’m no more country than you are and why do you think she’s not the one for me? I beg to differ. Since she’s a sheet metal worker, she clearly doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. I bet she’s the outdoorsy type and enjoys hiking, biking and probably even fishing. Hell, she’s exactly the type of woman I’ve been looking for - someone who’s not too prissy to wear an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but someone who cleans up well and is classy enough to wow my family and friends.”

  Donny’s brows drew together as he shook his head. “Apparently we’re looking at two different women. I would bet my paycheck that the woman you just described is nowhere near the woman we’re watching dance with the old dude. I don’t care how many women have told you how fine you are or how many cater to your every desire once they find out how much you’re worth. You don’t stand a chance with her. She’s too much woman for you.”

  “Whatever, dude.” Zack nudged him in the shoulder. “Why don’t we put a wager on whether or not she’ll go out with me?” He removed a wad of money from his front pocket and started counting off bills.

  “Man, you know I hate taking your money.” Donny smirked. “But if you insist. I bet you a thousand bucks she turns your ass down cold.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  *

  For more information on Sharon, visit www.sharoncooper.net