Tempting Offer: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Code Book 6)

by Bethany Jadin

  Names, characters, locations, and events come from the authors’ imagination or are used fictiously. This story is presented as a creative work of fiction. Any resemblance to real individuals, alive or deceased, events, or locations, is entirely coincidental. All characters depicted are over the age of 18. This book is intended for mature audiences only.

  Cover by JODIELOCKS Design.

  The contents herein are protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced or distributed in any form by any means, without the authors’ written permission, except for reviewers, who may quote short excerpts for the purpose of review. Uploading, copying, or distributing any part of this book, other than short excerpts for review purposes, constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property.

  Copyright © 2019 Bethany Jadin. All rights reserved.

  www.bethanyjadin.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Disclaimer

  More to Read

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  More to Read

  THE CODE SERIES

  1 Vested Interest

  2 Hidden Agenda

  3 Broken Process

  4 Risky Business

  5 Perfect Design

  6 Tempting Offer

  STONE BROTHERS

  1 Mountain Fever

  2 Mountain Cure

  LOST SOULS SERIES

  1 Speak of the Devils

  2 No Rest for the Wicked — coming soon

  SAVAGE HEARTS

  1 Dangerous Game — coming soon

  Bethany Jadin is a writing duo of two best friends who love penning stories about romantic relationships that defy convention. Their reverse harem and menage books have sizzling steam, gripping suspense, and characters you'll fall head-over-heels for.

  They fuel their writing with coffee, tacos, and lots of colorful language, often directed at each other. They both have cats who enjoy sleeping on their keyboards and husbands who — when they're on their best behavior — inspire the strong, sexy men in their books.

  Join Bethany Jadin’s mailing list and their readers’ group, Jadin's Maidens, for book chats, sneak peeks, and to be the first to know about upcoming books!

  Our books are polyamorous love stories involving more than two people. We enjoy exploring the dynamics of multiple-partner relationships in our books — from the thrilling variety of steamy possibilities it presents, to the intriguing interactions of different personalities and the complexities of character growth, it’s both a challenging and exciting genre to write. The Code series is a reverse harem romance, which means there are multiple men interested in the heroine and she does not have to choose between them.

  1

  OH. MY. GOD. THIS WEEK has been divine.

  Not once — not until Emma received that first offer from Pentabyte — did I ever truly think there would be honest to heavens cabana boys in my future. It was a sweet joke between us, something to daydream about, not reality.

  Until now.

  What the recesses of my mind had come up with was a cross between the gorgeous guys I saw in swimwear ads and the bare-chested Adonis types on the covers of my favorite smutty romances.

  Those men were always a figment of my imagination.

  But... these guys are really standing here.

  Okay, so they don’t have massive, rippling muscles and daringly dirty, perfectly timed one-liners, but they’re deliciously toned, and they’re sporting that beautiful glow of sun-kissed sexiness. Plus, their island accents are mouthwatering, and they make one hell of a stiff Sex on the Beach.

  I’m not complaining at all.

  Tonight, with the wedding reception all wrapped up, our cabana boys were given the night off. Which is why the girls, Mabel, and I have elected to spend the evening on the beach, watching the half-naked bodies of nearly a dozen men out on the sand playing what looks like a hybrid of rugby and American football.

  Oddly enough, the ball keeps sailing in our direction, landing harmlessly a couple yards away each time — completely out of range of any possible receiver.

  They must have terrible aim. Right. Because it can’t have anything to do with these hotties showing off to a group of bikini-clad women who are unashamedly ogling them.

  The ball lands only a few feet away from Cora’s lounger, and Mabel whimpers excitedly, wagging her tail hard beside me. I stroke her fur and murmur that she’s a good girl for sitting still even though I know she’d love to grab the ball and play chase with the guys.

  Cora leans forward and retrieves it from the sand near her feet just as a particularly hunky specimen in bright blue surf shorts jogs over.

  “Thank you, pretty lady,” he says, and we all collectively melt a little more as the words roll off his tongue with an exotic accent.

  “Getting a little distracted out there?” Cora asks.

  He gives her a big grin and a wink while slowly back pedaling toward his teammates. “How could I not?”

  Cora stares at him with rapt attention as he turns and runs back to the hard-packed sand at the edge of the water where his buddies await.

  When she finally flops back down on her lounge chair with a wistful sigh, I nudge her with my elbow, because she’s been making bedroom eyes at that guy since she arrived on the island.

  He’s one of the hot-as-sin bartenders — they’ve all diligently kept our drinks flowing, but that one, I’ve noticed he’s been paying special attention to Cora. Her drinks have had the fanciest embellishments, and she’s the first one he speaks to when we stroll up to the bar.

  It seems to be working — her glances have become more frequent and they’re lingering longer as the sun begins to set. Cora shifts on her beach lounge, a lazy grin coming over her as she rolls her head in my direction to respond to my elbow nudge.

  “I am on vacation, woman,” she says unapologetically when she sees my raised eyebrows and knowing smile. “I will ogle that man as long as he keeps looking at me like that.”

  “How’s he looking at you, exactly?” I ask teasingly, as if I haven’t seen the sparks between the two of them with my own eyes.

  “Like he wants to lick every inch of me,” she says with a deep breath of longing. “Just... mmm, damn.”

  “Maybe you should let him,” her sister suggests.

  She lets out a soft peal of laughter and tilts her head back with a sly smile, like the thought has crossed her mind more than once. I squint at her a little, because there’s a knowing confidence in her smile, one that speaks of a secret she’s barely hanging on to. Hmm... perhaps Callie’s suggestion has already become more than just a thought.

  “You have something to share with us, Cora?” I ask playfully.

  She gives me a noncommittal shrug as she settles back on her lounge chair, but the corners of her lips turn up further with a crafty, sensual curl.

  Yeah, there’s definitely something she’s keeping to herself — for the time being, anyway. I know she’ll spill the beans before too long.

  She notices me staring at her curiously and nods at the landscape in front of us. “This view is amazing, isn’t it?”

  I follow her gaze, and it’s not immediately obvious if she’s talking about the stunning scenery of turquoise waters dotted with lush islands or the equally breathtaking sight of half-a-dozen tanned, shirtless men by the water’s edge.r />
  Either way, I can’t help sporting a dreamy, lazy smile myself because yeah... the view is pretty nice, and the flirting has been pretty fun, too.

  The cabana boys at this resort must get mad action. Now that the wedding is over, I should be indulging in all this island has to offer — from the luxurious spa to the gourmet food to the exotic men. But the truth is, I haven’t been able to totally relax. Despite the beautiful surroundings and the hot guys, my thoughts keep drifting elsewhere — to the news I need to share with Emma about my upcoming trip.

  Mabel saunters back to us, returning from her trot across the beach. She’s made her rounds through all the guests, including an extended visit with Emma’s parents for neck scratches and ear rubs.

  Her mom and dad adore Mabel, almost as much as they adore each other. You’d never think those two have been married for almost thirty years — they look like they’re on their honeymoon all over again.

  It’s been absolutely adorable to watch them and the guys’ parents tentatively get to know one another. It’s a pretty unusual occasion, not just because of the unconventional relationship their offspring have committed themselves to, but because of the sheer size of their extended family now.

  That’s a lot of people sizing each other up and figuring out how to make it work. And a lot of in-laws for Emma and the guys to deal with. But hey, if they ever have kids, that’s also a plethora of grandparents eager to call dibs on babysitting.

  It seems to be going surprising well. From what I’ve overheard, all the parents seem happy that their children have found their match, especially Jax and Jude’s parents. It seems that Momma Turner was skeptical her boys would ever settle down, especially her rowdy rebel, Jax.

  Mabel settles on a towel next to my lounger, and I trail a hand over her smooth coat. I squint against the setting sun, looking for Emma. Within a moment, I spot the six jet skis skimming across the ocean in a tight cluster. One of them is steered by a woman with long, dark hair whipping behind her as she zig-zags between the five men surrounding her.

  Emma looks like she’s having a great time. A few brief notes of distant laughter and excited voices reach my ears between the revving of the jet ski engines.

  My eyes follow them as they cut patterns over the calm surface of the warm, shallow water. I hope the ocean is that inviting when I’m out there, but the early weather reports are looking grim.

  Emma and the guys disappear around a bend in the island, heading out of the protected bay to deeper waters. The massive yacht the guys bought for her honeymoon present is hiding in plain sight about a mile offshore on the other side of the island.

  I twist to face to my other companion, Cora’s sister Callie. “Hey, wanna hit up the parasailing boat tomorrow?”

  “Fuck yeah.” Callie lifts her sunglasses, appraising me from under the lenses. “I’m never going to be invited to a private island again. I need to get in all the stuff.” She swipes a hand through the air. “All. The. Stuff.”

  I nod. “Agreed.”

  Callie must see that my eyes keep drifting back to the edge of the bay, where Emma disappeared. “You saw what a blast she was having, right? I know you’re besties for life and all, but... Emma isn’t going to have time to miss you too much for the next few weeks, not with those five men lavishing her with attention.”

  “Plus, I’m sure she’s going to have a mountain of work waiting for her when they get back from their honeymoon cruise,” Cora adds.

  “I know.” I let myself fall back onto my lounge chair with a thud. “I’m not worried about her missing me. That’s not why I haven’t told her yet. It’s that I know how excited she’s going to be for me. You should have seen Emma when I told her I’d finally applied. Just applied, mind you. She made a big fuss and insisted we celebrate.”

  “So, why not tell her?” Callie asks. “Sounds like she’ll be over the moon at the news.”

  “Oh, she will. She knows how much it means to me. But this is her time right now. I didn’t want anything to steal excitement away from the wedding. She so deserves this after all she’s been through.”

  “Amen to that.” Callie raises her drink in a solemn toast.

  “Dear Jesus,” Cora says, pursing her lips. “I’m glad the whole BHC thing is over. I seriously thought someone was going to get killed. At least I don’t have to worry about that kind of danger with you while you’re off on your high-seas adventures.”

  I smirk. “Not unless I’m suffocated by the elite snobbery of the uber-rich, no.”

  “You will tell Emma when she gets back from their little overnight yacht tour, though, right?” Callie asks.

  “Yes,” I concede with a nod. “I don’t think I can hold it in longer than that, anyway. It’s finally sinking in that it’s happening, and I’m getting pumped about going.”

  “Well, you should be,” Cora agrees. “It’s fucking amazeballs.”

  I shriek loudly in surprise when something grazes my foot and scramble back on the lounger as though a giant squid is trying to grab me.

  The sisters sit up in alarm, and we all watch as the ball innocently rolls off the end of my chair and plops softly into the sand. Mabel merely lifts her head, but we all break out in giggles at my alarmed outburst as I hold my chest, my heart still racing from the unexpected invasion.

  We quickly stifle our laughter like a bunch of schoolgirls as Cora’s tanned hunk jogs over to our cabana on the beach.

  His eyes don’t even stray to the ball planted in the sand. He seems to be just as laser-focused on Cora as she is on him.

  Cora moves quickly to retrieve the ball before I can untangle my legs, extending it to him as he approaches.

  “Plan on doing this all night long?” she asks.

  “If you’ll let me.”

  Mine and Callie’s eyes go wide at the man’s brave response, and then even wider when Cora’s smile turns absolutely salacious as their hands brush while exchanging the ball.

  I swear the smiles those two are beaming at each other are saying something more than just maybe. When Cora settles back onto her towel, I give her another nudge. “Oh my God, woman. How about you two get a room, already?”

  A little color creeps onto Cora’s cheeks as she gives us a coy shrug. “Maybe we already have.”

  Ah-ha! I knew it! I grin at the news like a Cheshire Cat.

  Callie squeals and leans over to give her sister a slap on the thigh. “When were you going to tell me this? All this time sitting here watching you two make eyes at each other and you didn’t say anything?”

  Despite that hint of color on her face, Cora doesn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. “It just kinda happened a couple nights ago... and again last night... and I’m thinking maybe tonight, too.”

  “Go you!” I tell her with admiration. “He’s hot as hell.”

  “Thank God,” Callie says with a big breath of relief. “Finally. You haven’t had a night of debauchery since Brent moved away. I was beginning to think you were going to hold onto that until you died from old age.”

  Cora sighs. “Eh, I know. I was thinking we could keep something going long distance, but I finally figured out his job is always going to be more important than me, otherwise he wouldn’t have moved in the first place.”

  “Yikes. Sorry to hear that, Cora,” I say, laying my hand on hers for a quick, empathic squeeze.

  “Oh, it’s fine. It was over before it really got started, truthfully. Callie called it right away; it just took me a while to accept it.” She nods to the cluster of men animatedly arguing about a game point by the water’s edge, their hard bodies highlighted by the last rays of the setting sun. “But hey, Ammar has made up for all my pointless celibacy... repeatedly.”

  Callie grins contentedly, extending her glass in salute. “Well, thank the holy kittens. It looks good on you, sis... this glow you have.”

  “It feels good,” Cora confirms, and the sisters clink glasses with happy smiles. “Speaking of finding a bit of paradise ou
t here,” she says, turning to me, “a few of Ammar’s friends have hinted that they’d love to give you, uh... let’s just say a private tour of the island.”

  A huff of amusement escapes me at the suggestion, but a moment later I draw in a long, slow breath and lift my eyes from the horizon, staring at the faint twinkle of stars coming out. I should totally be on board with this plan — a passionate affair with a sexy islander or two. Something to jot down in the annals of my memory for when I’m old and telling dirty stories to the girls in the nursing home. But instead of being revved up about it, it just sounds kinda... hollow to my ears.

  I give my friend a nonchalant shrug. “Nah, I’ll pass.”

  Callie rolls onto her elbow. “Oh, come on, woman. You’ve been raving about these cabana boys for months now. What the hell?”

  “I know,” I admit. “But... I’m okay keeping it to the sexy back rubs and free drinks and heavy flirting. I’m good with that for now.”

  Cora turns up her hands in surprise and looks around, like she’s searching for something. “Say what? Where did our fearless, ballsy Zoey go?”

  “Still here, promise. But lately... I don’t know.” I blow out a puff of air that ruffles the hair around my forehead. “Maybe when it comes down to it, I like the idea of hookups better than actually having them.”

  Both sisters raise their eyebrows at the same time, but it’s Callie who says, “Sounds like there’s a story behind that statement. Am I right?”

  “No, not really,” I say. “I mean, no one story, anyway. It’s just...”

  “Just what?”

  I glance at both of the sisters, twisting my lips from side to side as I consider the end of my sentence. “I’m just not... ugh. I’m not really in the mood for a fling, I think? The guys here are really gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but... the one-night stands are getting old, you know? God—” I sit up abruptly, my own words shocking me a little, “—does that mean I’m getting old? What the fuck did I just say?”