Page 32 of Tempted

Victor laughed in the blonde’s face. If Jasmine were to come to him at this very moment and tell him she wanted him, he’d carry her to his bed and fuck her senseless, but he knew she wouldn’t have said anything like that, especially to Madison.

“You’re right, we’ve been friends for a long time which is why I’m not bodily tossing you out.”

The tears that had been swimming in her eyes miraculously dried up as she shot him a glare that would have made lesser men flinch. “You’re a fool Victor Meade and you’re going to regret having her in your home. She’s hiding something and when you get burned, I’ll be there to say I told you so.” She stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her with dramatic flair. Good riddance.

Victor went in to the family room and joined Tyler who was watching a movie on Netflix. After mother came into the room to give him a kiss goodbye Victor stared at the television though he wasn’t really paying attention to the movie. The earlier events kept playing in his mind. By the time the movie was over, Tyler was fast asleep.

Victor turned everything off, and carried him to bed. Once he helped Tyler into his pajamas, Victor looked in on Chelsea who was sound asleep. The then went to Adam’s room and knocked gently.When he received no reply, he opened the door slightly only to see Adam prone on the bed with headphones on. The teenager stared him dispassionately when he noticed his father’s presence.

“What do you want?” Adam asked warily, lifting his headphones off his ears.

Victor steppedinto the room. “Is it a crime for man to want to talk to his son?”

“Don’t you knock around here? This is my room, you know.”

“The mortgage I pay every month says this is my room,” Victor snapped and wished he could take it back. He didn’t come in here to start an argument.

“Whatever,” Adam murmured, placing his headphones firmly back on his ears.

Victor walked over and plucked them off. “Could you at least give me the courtesy of listening to me when I talk to you?”

Adam moved to a sitting position. “The same kind you used to give mom? Just because you decided to be a parent to Tyler and Chelsea doesn’t suddenly make you father of the year.”

Adam’s words hurt far more than any blow ever could. Victor shut his eyes momentarily against the rage in his son’s face.

“Son, when you’re young, things don’t always appear as they seem. If you’d let me explain—”

“I don’t want to hear you putting down my mother again. She may not have been perfect, but at least she was around.”

“No she wasn’t! She left us, Adam, more than once.”

“Because you drove her away. Look, I’m really tired and want to go to sleep.”

“This conversation isn’t over, Adam,” Victor promised.

“As far as I’m concerned it is. I wish you would have let me go to my friend’s for the summer. I would have had a much better time.”

If Adam was looking to hurt him, he’d accomplished his goal. “I’m sure you would have,” Victor murmured not sure how to combat such blatant animosity. He handed Adam back the headphones and closed the door gently behind him.

Now more than ever, he needed comfort, someone to hold him, to take away his pain. He knew he had no right after the way he’d acted toward her, but Black found himself standing outside of Jasmine’s bedroom door.

He tapped on the door gently. If she didn’t answer, he’d walk away, but if she did…

To his surprise, Jasmine opened the door, her eyes widening in her obvious surprise when she saw him standing there. “Mr. Meade. Have you come to fire me?”

He shook his head, pushing his way past her to enter the room.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Victor shut the door behind him with one hand and grabbed her against him in the other. “Doing something I’ve been dying to do for weeks, but had the sense not to follow through until now. Don’t stop me Jasmine, I need you so badly.” And with that his lowered his head to capture her lips.

Chapter Eleven

Jasmine wondered what alternate dimension she’d fallen in to. This couldn’t be the same man who’d confronted her earlier. There was no way this was his mouth so insistently against hers, his tongue rimming her lips and demanding entrance.

When he’d burst into her room, and closed the door behind him, she’d been too surprised to react. Even now, her sluggish mind couldn’t wrap itself around what was happening.

“Open your mouth, Jasmine,” he whispered raggedly.