Page 17 of Tempt Me

“What if we don’t work out? Can I still hang out at the clubhouse or will I need to sneak around to see you?”

Siobhan’s reply is exactly what I expect. “Don’t be silly. Tack will want you around. He’ll likely go back to stalking you. Besides, I’m around Sync all the time, and it doesn’t bother me.”

Natasha and I frown at her. Her heart belonged to Sync long after he cheated and she bailed. They were hostile for only a short time, but their awkwardness has dragged on for years. I figured they’d become friendlier once she found someone new, except her foster brothers insist on cock-blocking every guy she so much as glances at. It’s not cute like when Tack scares guys off from me. Siobhan actually wants to date, but they won’t let her.

Then, recently, Siobhan announced she was no longer interested in men.

“I’ve purchased the most wonderful vibrator, so dating seems like a hassle,” she explained with great exuberance at lunch weeks ago. “I’m over men.”

I don’t know how long Siobhan’s disinterest in men will last, but I sense she won’t truly get over Sync until she can focus her big heart on someone else.

“It’s never been easy to be around Tack without acting on my attraction. Now, we’re talking about going on dates. Our kiss felt great, but I’m still aware of why I shut things down initially. I guess I’m afraid if we really do this and it fails, I’ll lose a fantasy I’ve been holding onto.”

Natasha nods and offers me a tender smile. “I was the same way with Bear. I never thought we could be together for real, so sharing my body with him felt like a mistake. However, I was mostly worried I’d fall for him and live with regret when I married whoever my family chose for me. But eventually, I had to say, ‘fuck it,’ and take the leap.”

Siobhan watches us and sighs deeply. “I don’t know if I ever told you guys this before, but I was in love with Sync.”

“I think I remember you mentioning that,” I reply and fight a grin.

“I thought he was going to be mine forever, like how my dad is with my mom. But Sync didn’t love me like I loved him. That’s why he let his dick do whatever it wanted.”

Siobhan pauses as she thinks back to a painful time in her life. “Sync hurt me, and I was brokenhearted for a long time,” she says sadly before looking at me and flashing a big smile. “But the pain was worth it. Even knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t change our time together. So, maybe Tack and you can’t work long-term. Maybe his life with the club will be too much for you, or he’ll get turned off by your fancy-pants living. But you’ll still get to experience the good stuff.”

“Everything you say makes sense, but I’ve loved Tack for a long time. I’m afraid to try and fail. The dream is too good to let reality kill it.”

“But you kissed him.”

“That might have been a reaction to what happened yesterday. I was powerless, and Tack saved me. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice today.”

“I love you, Hunter, but you overanalyze stuff,” Siobhan says, and Natasha nods. “Why can’t you get out of your own way and allow your heart to win for once?”

Sighing, I can’t help how my brain wants to plan for every conceivable outcome.

“I might not be a passionate person.”

“No, you’re plenty passionate,” Siobhan insists. “Remember that time when we got drunk on pomegranate margaritas and you nearly humped my leg?”

Natasha snickers. “When was this?”

“It happened when you were gone,” Siobhan says, and Natasha’s expression turns gloomy over how she missed out on two years of fun. “While you were raising those babies, we were tempting a possible lesbian relationship.”

Natasha finds her smile when she thinks of how she met Jacinda and Hector Grover after waking at a strange man’s house. She fell for the babies and has raised them since.

Though I was upset over her staying gone for so long—and keeping me in the dark—I can’t deny Hector and Jacinda are great kids and lucky to have Natasha as their mom.

“Anyway, my point was you are passionate when you get out of your way. So, maybe get drunk with Tack and enjoy his fine body.”

“He does have a fine body,” I say and sigh dreamily. “If we were together, I could work out with him. That’s one of my fantasies.”

“Well, there you go,” Siobhan says. “Just give in to your heart and see where it goes.”

I consider how relaxed I was when I woke up this morning. Even after a night filled with bad dreams and suffering from a headache, I was relieved to know Tack was nearby. My fear eased whenever I imagined him in the guest room, sleeping with his legs and arms splashed out everywhere.

“Last night, I fought the men,” I mumble, tearing up. “This guy Tack hired fought them, too. But they still would have won if Tack hadn’t shown up. Right now, I feel weird with him away from the estate. I think I’m getting clingy.”

“Maybe you should stay in Banta City with Tack until things get worked out,” Natasha suggests.

When I texted Siobhan and Natasha last night about my plan to join Suzanne in Hong Kong, they were hesitant about my decision.

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