Tempt Me

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Hey, Johnson, did you get that one report looked over for me?”

  He didn’t fool Jesse. He wanted to get into his personal business. One of the things he hated the most about the colonel was the fact that he thought if he became a friend, then Jesse would put in a good word with the old man. McWilliams could have just called down and asked, but he wanted to know about Zoe. Because if his boss thought he could use her for leverage, he would.

  “Just about done. I’ll email it over to you when I’m done.”

  There, that was not as nice as he should have been, but it made him sound at least professional. It was about all McWilliams would get from him today.

  It wasn’t all his boss’ fault. The fact that Jesse hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since his day off wore at him. Who would have thought spending the day with Zoe would leave him hot and bothered at night? They hadn’t even kissed, just said goodbye and went their separate ways. Still, he kept waking from dreams involving her and how his name sounded when she moaned.

  “So, I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

  McWilliams voice brought him back from his thoughts. “I’m not.”

  He stood there for a second. “But, I thought that Zoe—“

  “I was doing a favor for the Santinis. She’s the sister of one of their daughter-in-laws and I was showing her around.”

  “Oh.” After a brief pause, he apparently realized Jesse wasn’t going to give him any more information. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it.”

  Then he left. With a sigh, Jesse tried to get back to work. But, just the mention of Zoe’s name had him thinking about her. She was kind of hard to forget, especially how excited she’d been when he agreed to go to the National Museum of Art. She was sarcastic and funny, not to mention sexy. In fact, those two qualities made her even sexier.

  He hadn’t asked for her number on purpose. She was a woman who was trying to heal, trying to get her life back on track. She had been pretty clear about not wanting to get involved or even date. Plus, he didn’t need the distraction at the moment. With all his TDYs and work, he barely had time for himself.

  But it would be fun to play every now and then, a voice whispered in his ear.

  He shook his head, even as he reached for the phone. Before he could pick it up, it rang.

  “Major Johnson.”

  “Well, hello there.”

  He smiled at the sound of his sister’s voice. “How’s the new mama?”

  “I will never get used to being called Mama, but I am fine. As are Anna and Serena.”

  “But there has to be something if you are calling me in the middle of the day.”

  “Not much, just checking on you.”

  He heard the tone in her voice and realized that Joey must have called her to tell her about his outing with Zoe. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  “You called to check on what went on with Zoe.”

  There was a long pause. “Okay, yes, I want to know what went on.”

  “I took her to see the monuments, plus the art museum, and then we parted ways.”

  Another long pause. “So, you haven’t called her since?”

  “I don’t even have her number.” He left out that he was about to pick up the phone when she’d called. Telling his baby sister about his preoccupation with Zoe wasn’t something he wanted to do. He knew he could get a hold of her at the Santinis. As the oldest of the four siblings, he wasn’t accustomed to explaining himself to anyone, but the General.

  “Why don’t you have her number?”

  There was a deep male voice in the background, which told him her husband, Leo Santini, was home also.

  “No, I am not going to tell him he can call you for advice about picking up women. And no, I will not repeat what you just said. First of all, I’m not going to cuss in front of the babies and second of all, I refuse to start an inter-service fight between the Army and Marine members of the family.”

  “I just heard all of that,” Jesse said.

  She sighed. “You really don’t want to know what he said about the Marines. Anyway, why didn’t you ask her for her number?”

  “Because I didn’t.”

  “I know you, Jesse. You only get defensive when you are trying to hide something.”

  That much was true. Even now, his fingers itched to dial the phone to call Zoe. “I just didn’t think of it, MJ.”

  “Don’t you find her attractive?”

  Almost too much for his own good. “Yes. But Zoe’s just been through a lot and she’s not looking to date. She pretty much told me that.”

  “Still. I think she might relocate there from what Gee said.”

  “She mentioned doing that if Gee retired here.” But of course, now he wanted to ask her if she was going to move.

  She sighed. “You’re no help.”

  “You can report back to Mama Joey that you tried to figure out what went on.”

  “That’s rude.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Doesn’t mean you should say that to me.”

  “Love you.”

  “You suck.”

  “Kiss those baby girls for me.”

  “I will. They already miss you.”

  He smiled thinking of his nieces. “I miss them, too.”

  When he hung up the phone, he realized that the trip to San Antonio was what had been nagging him. Spending time with Leo, MJ, and his nieces had him thinking of the future. He truly hadn’t thought about getting serious with anyone, but his nieces had him wanting kids. Nothing like two pretty little girls with dark hair and those Johnson blue eyes. He had never really experienced a yen for fatherhood until lately.

  He shook himself out of his funk and got back to work. He had enough on his plate at the moment. Daydreaming about a family could come later.

  * * * *

  Zoe wanted to scream. She couldn’t sculpt and could barely draw. While she was left handed, the brace she had to keep on her arm hindered her ability to create. And made her a raving bitch.

  “Maybe we can come up with something.”

  She looked at Joey and shook her head. It was nice to know there was someone who at least understood what she was going through. Joey was an artist and one who taught. Other people just didn’t understand what she was going though. Not being able to create things made her feel as if she had lost one of her senses.

  It was also giving her too much time to think about that Marine.

  “I don’t think so. They really want to keep my wrist stable and I don’t want to mess it up. If I do, it won’t heal right and they could have to do surgery. That is something I don’t think I can handle.”

  She nibbled on her lip as she looked over her options. It wouldn’t hurt to work in another medium. Sometimes she found taking a break from her preferred medium helped sharpen her skills. She glanced at the charcoal that Joey had suggested earlier and reached for it.

  “I think I’ll go out back.”

  Joey nodded. “Let me know if there is anything I can help with.”

  She left, her mind already on ideas for work. Hopefully, it would help her from obsession about Jesse.

  * * * *

  Joey watched Zoe as she sat on their swing in the backyard.

  “Your worries are starting to make my head hurt.”

  She sighed and leaned back against Stewart. Her husband always seemed to know what she was thinking before she said anything.

  “Sorry. She’s just so unhappy.”

  He started to massage her shoulders. “I know, but you have to let her be. She’s been through a bad experience. And admit it, she’s better than she was a few weeks ago.”

  They said nothing as they both watched her through the kitchen window.

  “I thought Jesse would call.”

  Stewart chuckled. “Of course you did.”

  “I just thought it would do her good to be…” she shrugged.

  “Bab
y, you need to let things be. Not everyone is looking to be matched up. And, I have a feeling those two would drive each other crazy. She has no sense of time or structure. You know how those dippy artists are.”

  She didn’t take offense because he said it in admiration. Turning around, she slipped her arms over his shoulders. “Well, he could be a little more flexible. Marines do have hard heads.”

  He chuckled again and her heart warmed. To this day, all he had to do was smile and she melted.

  “You know I take that as a compliment.” He dipped his head and brushed his mouth over hers. Before he could take it too far, the doorbell rang. With a sigh, he pulled back. “And, I have a feeling I know who that is.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked as he started down the hall to the front door.

  “You just need to let things go and work their own course.”

  She frowned. “Stewart Santini.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Just trust me. I saw that boy the other night and I knew he’d be back.”

  With that he went to the front door and opened it to reveal Jesse standing on their porch.

  “Hey, Papa. I was out this way for a drive and thought I would stop in for a visit.”

  Chapter Five

  Jesse didn’t know what had compelled him to drive to the Santinis. Scratch that, he knew what—or rather who—but he didn’t know why. He hadn’t called her when he had thought about it, and he’d done his best to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that told him he should. Now that he stood in the Santinis’ kitchen, he thought maybe he should have continued ignoring it.

  “So, you were out for a ride?” Papa said. Jesse knew the older Santini was taking pity on him, and usually it would irritate him. Today, he saw it for what it was: a lifeline.

  “Yeah. Kind of hard to ignore the weather after the winter we just had.”

  “Wanna a beer?”

  Jesse shook his head. “I better not. I’d love some water though.”

  Papa gave Joey a look but just like usual, she did what she wanted. She sat down at the table and gave him a pointed look. He knew better than to say no.

  He settled in his chair and Papa gave him a glass of water. “How do you like working at the Pentagon?” he asked, sitting next to Joey.

  He shrugged. “I like the work and it sends me to San Antonio a lot. It’s good to be able to see MJ, Leo and now the babies.”

  Papa nodded. “I never really wanted to deal with it myself. Too much bullshit. I mean, the military is filled with it, but they seem to have more of it than anywhere else.”

  “As my father always says, it is the warehouse and distribution point for bullshit.”

  Papa laughed. “There is that. I can’t believe he’s lasted as many years as he has. It must be odd working at the same place.”

  “It’s only odd if someone realizes who he is in relation to me. A lot of times we go weeks without running into one another.”

  When he said nothing else, the silence seemed to stretch.

  “I talked to MJ the other day,” Jesse said.

  “And how are the most beautiful babies in the world doing?” Joey asked.

  “Just fine, from the sound of it. Since they already have Leo at their beck and call, I think they’ll fare just fine.”

  Before she could respond, the back door opened. Zoe stepped over the threshold, the bright Virginia sun shining behind her. She was smiling and he could see the happiness in her step and on her face. In one hand she was holding what looked to be charcoal and she had a sketchpad under her arm.

  “You were right, Joey,” she said before she noticed him. "Oh," she said. "I didn't know you were here."

  Well, that didn't sound promising.

  "I had the bike out for a ride today. I like coming down twenty-nine on nice sunny spring days."

  "That's a good ride," Papa said.

  Then, silence as she stood with the sun behind her back staring at him.

  "You were drawing?"

  She nodded.

  "Are you one of those temperamental ones who doesn't like to share their work?"

  "What do you mean temperamental?" she asked.

  "Yeah," Joey said. "Just what do you mean?"

  Papa chuckled. "I think you both just proved his point there."

  "I get no respect in this house," Joey said.

  "Please, you have every man in this house at your beck and call. I've heard the stories," he said with a smile. "Leo claims you are really mean. The only one who hasn't ratted you out is Marco."

  "That's because he's my favorite."

  Papa rolled his eyes.

  "And let's not even get started how you ordered my sister here to fix Leo."

  She crossed her arms across her chest. "She wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

  He chuckled. "Yeah, cause MJ is a shrinking flower who barely talks to other people."

  "Wait, I think I’m missing part of the story here," Zoe said.

  "You don't need to hear any of it. Leo and MJ had just started dating and they were going through a rough patch. I helped."

  "You said you were sick of having him here moping around," Jesse said, enjoying himself. It wasn’t often that anyone got the upper hand with Joey Santini.

  "Shut up."

  He laughed at that.

  "And what was that for?" Joey asked.

  "It's hard not to get a rise out of Joey Santini. I think I should get some kind of medal or something."

  "Son, you need to learn when to quit while you're ahead. Now why don't you let Zoe know you want to take her for a ride on the bike so I don't have to watch Joey here make mincemeat out of you."

  “Are you up for it?" he asked Zoe.

  "I think that sounds like a good idea. Being outside put me in a much better frame of mind. Do you have an extra helmet?"

  He nodded and she ran off to get ready.

  The phone rang at about the same time and Joey answered it.

  "You know, son, if you want to date the girl, you're going to have to stop being so damned subtle."

  "It's not dating."

  Papa sat there staring at Jesse and he had to fight the urge to squirm.

  "What do you call taking a woman around to see the monuments, including going to the art museum, and then showing up for a Sunday drive in the country?"

  "I call it being nice."

  But you don't want to be nice, a voice whispered in his ear. He wanted to be a whole lot of not nice to the woman. He hadn't been able to forget the sound of her laughter or the way she lit up as they went through the museum.

  "We called it dating when I was younger.” He opened his mouth to refute it, but Papa shook his head. “I don’t feel like arguing. I get enough of that with the woman I married. But, since I feel responsible for her, I want you to remember you will answer to me if something goes wrong. I have four boys who will help me hide your body.”

  “She doesn’t want to date anyone.”

  Papa laughed. “Yeah, neither did Joey when I met her. In fact, she refused to date Marines.”

  * * * *

  By the time they stopped for a break, Zoe had finally relaxed. It hadn't been an easy task as she leaned against Jesse's muscled back. When he pulled into the gas station to take a break, she was kind of disappointed.

  She followed him into the store and went to the back to grab a couple of waters while he went to wash his hands. Minutes later they were sitting outside of the convenience store enjoying the weather.

  "So, what do you think of Virginia in the spring?"

  "A damn sight better than the winter, that's for sure. This one was brutal."

  "You don't like winter?"

  She shrugged. "I like it, but not like the one we just had. I think I might have to be sure that I make a trip back up here in the fall. I would like to see the leaves changing." He nodded and said nothing else as he watched the cars go by on the road.

  "Can I ask you something?"

&nb
sp; He looked at her, but she couldn't see his eyes. That bothered her. He was wearing a pair of those mirrored sunglasses that made it impossible to see a thing.

  "Sure."

  His tone told her he was wary of her question and she wanted to laugh. Big, bad Marine was afraid of her question.

  "What is this we're doing here?"

  "I don't follow you." His mouth turned down in a frown. Even when he was irritated with her, he was attractive. That made him dangerous. She needed to remember that.

  "Don’t get me wrong, I adore the Santinis but it was nice going to DC. It was especially fun to do it with someone who is at least closer to my age. I mean, not that close since you are kind of a bit older."

  "I thought you had a question or did you just decide to mock my age?"

  A thread of amusement lightened his voice. The fact that he could take a few jabs was another mark in his favor.

  She sighed. "Is this a date? Do you think of it as a date?"

  "How do you think of it?"

  "Oh my, God." She shook her head. "I have no idea how my sister deals with a man like you. I’m assuming Gee is just like you. So damned hardheaded. I wanted to know just what you expect from me."

  "You said you weren't looking to get serious with anyone."

  That much was true. Just a few days earlier she thought it might be impossible to even date. Yet, something about Jesse tugged at her. He was so different from other men she had spent time with, and right now, she wanted stability. She also wanted a man who could deal with her. Not many men could, and sadly, that was who she usually dated.

  "A date or two isn't serious, Jesse."

  He said nothing for a moment. "So, dating is okay, just not getting serious?"

  Something tingled down her spine as he continued to look at her. She could imagine his blue eyes watching her, waiting for her answer. Warmth spread through her belly and she had to fight the need to reach out to touch him.

  "Yeah. I think a date or two might be good."

  He said nothing for a second or two, then he turned and stepped in front of her. Setting a hand on either side of her, he caged her in, then leaned forward.