Temptations: A Limited Edition Contemporary Romance Collection

by Blue Saffire

  Fuck. Me.

  We’ve got to get out of this water before my southernmost brain decides getting inside Rosie is worth drowning the both of us. My mouth grazes down to her chin and along her jaw to her ear.

  “Fuck, Rosie. You’re so fuckin’ hot.” My words are flowing free with no filter at all. “I knew you’d be the best thing I ever tasted.”

  She tries to pull my mouth back to hers as she rocks firmly against me, the pressure turning me stupid. I forget to move my feet for a second and we’re both sinking. As soon as my nose goes under, I snap out of it and push Rosie up. Her legs release me so she can tread water on her own, and I bring my head above water to catch a breath.

  “Shit. Sorry.” I hold onto her and shake my head hard since I don’t have a free hand to wipe my face.

  She’s panting and holding onto my biceps. “We should get out.” She lets go and swims for the edge, her headlight guiding the way. I realize then that I lost my headlight somewhere in the midst of our kiss and I don’t see any sign of it. I keep my eye on Rosie’s ass and follow her to the water’s edge. We pull ourselves out at the base of the arranged rock steps that lead back to the top. I’m still hard and there’s no sign that’s changing anytime soon, so I don’t bother trying to hide the tent in my board shorts.

  Rosie glances down and then darts her eyes to the side. I laugh at the contrast between her sudden reticence and the boldness of the girl who undoubtedly left scratch marks on my back in the water out there.

  “Hey, it’s not rude to stare when you’re the one responsible for it.”

  The corner of her mouth twitches and she squeezes the water from her hair. “I’ll take that into consideration.” She turns to me again, but her eyes are on my face. “What happened to your light?”

  I shrug and can’t help my grin. “A Siren ripped it off and chucked it into the depths while she had her dirty way with me.”

  “I did not!”

  “Who said I meant you?” I run my hands over my own hair and brush as much water as I can from my chest and arms.

  She shakes her head and goes for the first step. “Whatever you say, Captain.” She glances back, her headlight shining on my feet. “But if you want to find your way to the top, you’d better be close behind.”

  That’s an invitation I’d be an idiot to refuse.

  We get to the top and I’m deserving of an award for keeping my hands off her hips and ass on the way up. The way her swimsuit clings and cuts up the sides has my mouth watering and my hands practically shaking.

  But Rosie goes straight for my flannel shirt, wrapping it around herself without bothering with her t-shirt from earlier. The cutoffs go on next so I’m left with only her long legs and gorgeous face to ogle.

  We’re both silent as we finish dressing over our wet suits, but once we have our shoes back on, Rosie breaks the silence.

  “Hey. Like I said, please don’t read anything into that. It was a one-time thing. Nothing more.”

  The me from two days ago would have been the one to say exactly those words to a girl I kissed—or slept with, probably. But I’m no longer the me from two days ago.

  Whoever I am, though, I know I don’t deserve Rosie—or her kisses. So I just nod my understanding and gesture for her to lead the way back to the campsite.

  Again, I’m surprised that things aren’t more awkward. We chat about mundane shit on the way back and take turns changing into dry clothes in the tent. I assume Gwen and Brody have dozed off because there’s little sound coming from their tent—not that I’m listening all that closely.

  Rosie and I settle into our separate sleeping bags, whispering about the last time our families went camping together. So much of my history is entwined with hers, yet I never really thought about it until now. I always considered it to be about Luca and me, but Rosie was an important part of it as well, even if I never really treated her as such.

  Yeah, she was right to cut me off before I got any crazy ideas. I wonder briefly how badly Luca would beat me if he knew I touched his little sister, but I know no matter how brutal the beating, it was totally worth it.

  “What are you smiling about?” Rosie asks, both her hands tucked under her cheek like a child as she lays against the pack she’s using as a pillow.

  I shake my head. “Nothing.”

  She smiles back and then yawns.

  “I had a great time today,” I tell her.

  “Me too.” She blinks a few times and I can see the day’s activities catching up to her. “’Night, Denny.”

  “’Night, Sunshine.” Because she is. Rosie is the sun. It should be all of us orbiting her instead of the other way around. She’s not the pest circling me and my ever-important world. She’s the light, the drawing force that pulls us in and keeps our worlds from hurtling into oblivion.

  Rosie giggles and I reach over to cover her mouth, but it doesn’t work for shit because the sound passes right through my fingers at her next eruption of hilarity. Not that I can really blame her.

  The noises coming from the next tent over are straight out of a National Geographic video—before they started editing out all the mating rituals.

  I have no idea what time it is, but we both woke up about ten minutes ago to what sounded like a pig searching for truffles. Our heads simultaneously snapped toward each other’s, our eyes darting around as we tried to determine the source.

  It became all too obvious when a voice undoubtedly belonging to Gwen cried out, “Right there!” and then, “Motherfuuuuuu!” and then, “Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod!” before letting out a screech that could likely be heard from Atlanta.

  That was when the giggling started.

  It got worse when Brody’s noises grew louder. The truffle hunting switched to more of a grunting bull and then a full-on wolf howl reminiscent of every B-movie featuring a werewolf. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look the guy in the eye again.

  “Shhhh.” I go for a good seal this time and Rosie’s breath puffs against my palm as her entire body shakes.

  “Mimompombr.” Her mumble is indecipherable, so she tries prying my hand away.

  “You have to promise to stay quiet,” I whisper. When she nods, I let go.

  Her effort to keep from laughing ends in a snort, the sound of which sends my head back to my pack in silent laughter while she covers her mouth again. We both breathe for a moment until she’s calm enough to speak.

  “What the fuck are they doing? Is it just the two of them in there or is Brody into bestiality?”

  I throw my arm over my face, trying like hell not to laugh out loud.

  “I mean, at least Gwen is speaking English. Kind of.”

  As if to prove Rosie’s point, a quick succession of “Oh! Oh! Oh!” resounds from the tent next door.

  I get ahold of myself enough to whisper. “I think they're engaging in cunnilingus. If I’m not mistaken, that’s Latin for eating clams.”

  A low growl comes next and Gwen literally squeaks at whatever the fuck Brody is doing to her.

  Rosie whispers back on a stuttered laugh, “I thought it was French for painting the kitty.”

  We throw around a few more colorful descriptions until we hear what must be the grand finale, based on the sheer number of filthy curses hurled by Gwen and the King Kong grunts coming from Brody.

  Rosie covers her mouth and snorts again.

  I lose my shit and laugh out loud.

  Brody finally regains his ability to speak, uttering one single word. “Dayum.”

  Gwen sighs audibly, following that with, “Your turn.”

  “No!” Rosie and I yell at the exact same time.

  9

  The next morning, Brody has the good grace to look at least a little chagrined, but Gwen? Nope.

  “God, it’s so beautiful out here, isn’t it?” She flashes a bright smile to Rosie and me while she tucks her hair behind her ear and pours herself a cup of coffee.

  Rosie groans from her perch on a
rock, both hands wrapped around her own cup of coffee. “Ask me again when I get another ten hours of sleep.”

  The implication sails completely over Gwen’s head as she casually pats Rosie on the shoulder and walks over to Brody, who’s taking down their tent.

  Rosie’s mouth splits in a giant yawn that makes me grin. She’s wearing my flannel again, something that makes me ridiculously pleased.

  “How far back do you and Gwen go?” I ask her as I douse the fire and pick up my shovel to add some soil.

  She sips her coffee and lets out a grateful-sounding sigh. “Really just high school. They moved to town right before our senior year and she and I just clicked, I guess.” Her lips curve in a smile brought on by what I assume is some memory or other. “She tried to get me to go to SCUW with her but she’s learned to adjust to texting me every five minutes instead of being roomies. And she picks me up for visits now and then—like this week.”

  I want to ask why she doesn’t drive herself, but I can guess the answer. The girl doesn’t have a damn car. And it’s not hard to understand why she stayed closer to home for college; in-state tuition is a lot cheaper, and I know her heart’s in North Carolina.

  “Well, if you ask me, App State sounds way more fun than SCUW.” Although the bikini ratio is lower. I don’t mention that, though, because one-piece swimsuits with red lacing have recently become my clear preference.

  But Rosie’s smile drops and she turns her head like she’s trying to hide it from me.

  “You don’t like App?” I poke the logs absently while I watch her.

  I can see her chest expand with an inhale before she turns back to me. “I’m transferring to UNCA so I can live at home.”

  Fuck.

  “Rosie… hell, you shouldn’t have to do that.” I ditch the shovel and step closer. “Shove over a bit.” She slides her ass a few inches to the side and I join her on her rock, our sides flush against one another.

  She stares down into her coffee. “It’s no big deal, Denny. A degree is a degree, no matter where it comes from. And UNCA is a good school too.”

  I’m in awe of this woman. She doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body.

  I’m such an asshole.

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” Rosie turns to me and a hint of a smile is back.

  “I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Best to own it, I guess.

  This makes her laugh and, as usual, it goes right to my chest.

  She leans into me and I want to put my arm around her, pull her to me. “Hey, you’re going home for the surgery, so that’s a start. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

  My eyebrows reach for my hairline. “This is a change of tune since yesterday.”

  She shrugs. “What can I say? You’re growing on me.” She gives me a healthy shoulder bump.

  I shake my head in wonder. “You are nothing short of amazing, Rosie Carmichael.”

  She coughs out an uncomfortable laugh and lifts her coffee mug again. “Whatever.”

  “Not whatever. I don’t think I could ever be half as strong as you.”

  She swallows and turns to me again. “You never know till you try.” Her eyebrow lifts and she stands. “And as long as I’m dropping clichés, here’s another one: You only live once.”

  With that, she walks away. It doesn’t occur to me until a minute later that she has my brain working so hard I forgot to stare at her ass as she left.

  “Now, I know there’s no chance this is a butt dial!”

  I cough out a laugh. “It occurred to me that you’re a bit spoiled if Mama let you keep your phone while you’re grounded.”

  Lynn huffs into the phone. “I had to promise not to take any calls or texts from Ben.”

  “And she trusts you?” I pace to the other side of the wide rock I’m standing on.

  “Hey! I’m a very trustworthy person. I can keep a secret better than anyone out there—something you should know by the fact that your phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook since you called me. Please take note.” Lynn’s voice is full of attitude and I can only imagine what she puts our mother through.

  “Taken.” But her ability to keep a secret is something I already knew, which is why I chose Lynn to reach out to in the first place. “How’s Mama?”

  Lynn sighs. “Same as ever. She keeps trying to climb the stairs and acts all innocent every time I catch her.”

  “Sounds about right.” I pace back to the other side.

  “Carter drove in last night, though, and he’s got her sequestered to the first floor.”

  It seems everybody is playing their designated role. As the oldest, Carter has always deemed himself the boss of every damn person and every damn thing.

  Lynn’s next words surprise the shit out of me. “So, how’s Rosie?”

  I’m speechless for a second, so Lynn continues, “Just because I’m grounded doesn’t mean Adrina’s not all up in my business.”

  I run a hand over my face and go for casual. “She’s good.”

  Lynn cackles and I have to pull the phone from my ear for a second so my eardrum doesn’t burst. “I would have paid good money to see your face when she showed up.”

  “Well. It was a surprise.”

  “I’ll say! I bet your eyeballs fell straight outta your head.” Another cackle breaks through the line and this one sounds downright evil.

  “Can we please not talk about this?” I scrub a hand over my hair this time. I am not talking about hot women with my baby sister.

  “You don’t need to tell me shit. I already know exactly what’s going on.” Lynn has far too much sass for my comfort level.

  I’m suddenly very glad I stepped far enough away from the campsite not to be overheard. “You don’t know anything, Lynnie. Don’t you need to be at school or something?” Despite the fact that I was the one to call, I’m dying for this little chat to end.

  “No. I have free study first period so I’ve still got at least forty minutes.” She sounds way too pleased. “And I do, in fact, know a hell of a lot. Adrina said Rosie is still there—even though she was supposed to be home yesterday morning.”

  Well, shit.

  Again, she takes my silence as an invitation to go on. “It’s about time you started noticing Rosie, although I kind of hope she’s giving you a run for your money.” Lynn laughs, the evil streak still loud and clear.

  I stop my pacing and stare at the rock wall across the river. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, please. That girl’s been in love with you since I can remember, and you’ve been pushing her away her whole damn life.”

  I shake my head. “Does Mama know you cuss so much?”

  She ignores me. “But from what Adrina said, it sounds like you’re the one doing the chasing now. Fishing trip, Denny? A little desperate, don’t you think?”

  Who is this girl and what did she do with my baby sister? “Enough with the sass! This is none of your business, Loretta Lynn!!”

  She gasps. “How dare you?” Then she huffs. “Denver!”

  I growl. Although, I have to admit Lynn faired worse than I did in our mother’s crazy Country-star name pool. Carter, Cash, and Miller got away easy compared to Lynn and me, though. I spent the whole third grade being called Omelet.

  “I hope you’re not being this rude to Rosie or she might decide to fall right out of love with you.”

  I’m tempted to tell her that ship has already sailed, but I don’t want to encourage any more of this line of conversation. Instead, I switch to the original reason for my call to divert her attention.

  “Well, you just wait until tonight and I can be rude right to your face.”

  There’s nothing but silence on Lynn’s end for a full five seconds and then she lets out a loud whoop that has my ear ringing. “Oh my God! She did it!”

  I know she’s talking about Rosie. “Well, she can be a bit… persuasive.”

  Lynn giggles. “I’ll bet.”

  “Hey! I didn’t mean it li
ke that! Dammit, Lynn!”

  “Whatever. I don’t even care—I’m just so happy you’re coming home!! Mama’s not gonna believe her eyes! What time are you getting here?”

  I close my eyes so I can think. “I’m not sure yet. We’re still on the water.” I figure we only have an hour’s ride till we reach the boathouse, but there’s still a lot to do—retrieve the truck, get the kayaks and gear put away, pack a bag, convince someone to switch shifts with me for a few days. And Brody still wants to take Gwen to the swimming hole. “I’d plan on dinner time, but don’t tell Mama. I want it to be a surprise.”

  “My lips are sealed. Eeek! I’m so excited!”

  I’m smiling ear to ear when I hang up the phone and it takes me a second to realize Rosie’s watching me from her position by one of the kayaks. I purposely stepped away for some privacy, but I don’t know how long she’s been looking. I meet her eyes, and even from this distance, I can see that hers have gone soft. I hold her gaze, not wanting to miss a second of that look. I remember it. Those are the same eyes that fell on me time and time again when we were growing up. They hold promise, hope, affection—all the things I took for granted.

  Is it possible that part of Rosie’s heart still belongs to me? And, if it does, what should I do? Because, for the first time in my life, I’m determined to put her feelings first.

  10

  I don’t get long to enjoy Rosie’s gaze before she’s pulled aside by Gwen to look at something in the water.

  I traverse the rocks back to the campsite and I swear my chest is swelling and my heart is racing double-time. I’ve felt more alive in the last twenty-four hours than the last four years combined, and there’s one person I owe that to. The thing about running away from everything you love is that you forget what it feels like for your heart to be full. And it’s fucking exhilarating. I was too focused on the grief to remember the other side of the coin.