Page 59 of Unexpected Temptation

He’s half my size, thin, and clearly untrained. Yet, with all the savagery in me, hearing him say her name is almost enough to turn me into a madman.

“Okay …”

“I had a crush on her,” he goes on. “I won’t lie, but I’m not good at flirting. I’m not very good at talking to people. I was just trying to be nice, but now I feel like a perv. I’m not. I promise. I just … I don’t know.”

His voice wavers. I look at him closely. I’m almost sure he’s telling the truth, but after the Tank stuff, my instincts feel off.

“Are you over your crush now?” I ask.

“I’ve actually got a date next week,” he answers with a small smile. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to tell you, and if you want to fire me, I get it.”

“You didn’t molest her, Miles,” I say, just the thought making me sick. “You didn’t assault her. She just didn’t want to be touched by you. You apologized. She accepted. Just don’t do it again.”

I shouldn’t even add this last part. After giving the envelope to my Maya—no,justMaya—the last thing I should care about is if somebody hits on her, employee or not. But it’s not like I can just flip a switch and stop giving a damn.

“You’ve always been a good dog handler, Miles,” I go on, “and a good person. Do you want to make this up to me and the home?”

He nods eagerly. “Yes, please.”

“Pull an all-nighter and watch the home. Tell me if there are any problems.”

“Uh, sure,” he replies.

This is the difficult part. “But I won’t be able to pay you.”

“Being forgiven is payment enough!” he declares, then turns to leave.

I lean back in my desk chair, closing my eyes and taking measured breaths. A large part of being a Marine is ignoring what I want and doing the right thing, but even after just half a day, my body is longing for Maya, roaring out for her. We were supposed to be have our date, dammit. Get to know each other.

Is there a world where we can be together?

Maybe, but it means the Mob has to die. Maybe Tank, my brother, will have to go, too, if it comes to that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

MAYA

“What do you think I should do?” I ask Riley across the living room table.

She blows on her hot cocoa with Luna curled up next to her. The envelope, with the bills visible, sits on the table like it’s trying to tempt us.

“I should give it back, right?” I go on.

Riley puts her drink down. “It’s a lot of cash just to give away. Did he say why he did it?”

This is Riley’s last day here. Soon, she’ll be heading back to college.

“I think he wants to do the right thing before I forget about him.”

“Forget?”

“He thinks I’m going to,” I explain. “Or he wants me to, but I don’t think I can. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to. It’s silly. It’s only been a few kisses and days, but it feels,” I pause, remembering what Tristan said, “different. With him, it was like I was becoming somebody new.”

“Maybe you should call him.”

“Like a clingy weirdo? He’s already made it clear he wants nothing to do with me.”

Also, I think, but don’t add, “What about the Mob?” What if they hurt Mom?

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