Page 7 of Resisting Temptation

Frustration.

And something else so much more frightening. The deepest desire you could ever imagine. Even after everything he did to me, I still want him like crazy.

Delicately he skates a hand down my bare arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. I feel giddy, desperate. I want his hands everywhere, bringing me back to life like only he can. His cock buried so damn deep inside of me I can’t feel this fucking pain anymore.

“You’re freezing, you need a coat,” he says softly, looking me over like he actually cares about my welfare.

“I’m fine, I have wine to warm me.” I smile smugly, not wanting him to be kind to me. It’s too late for that. No matter how much I want him.

His face hardens in irritation. Then he removes the coat he has on and places it around my shoulders, forcing me to shrug into it. His calloused hands linger on my body longer than they should when he’s done.

I suck in a shaky breath, feeling even more light-headed than I did when I fell. I can’t be this close to him. His scent is damn intoxicating, and it’s bringing back way too many memories I buried long ago.

His hand sweeps into my hair, so naturally like it’s supposed to be there, tugging my head back swiftly and forcing me to gaze up at him dreamily. All the air is sucked from my lungs inan instant. My entire body is alight and tingling for his touch. “Paisley, I…”

The back door suddenly swings open, and he pulls back from me immediately, my skin instantly feeling the bite of the cold night air in his absence. Emerson and Mae fill the space, a hand wrapped around each other’s shoulders, their faces glowing with happiness. Their eyes are sleepy. They look a little tipsy. “Em’s staying here tonight,” Mae announces, looking between us in question.

“How did you get over here?” Emerson asks Noah, a look of bemusement on her face. “Did you fly?” She giggles at her own joke.

“Jumped the fence. This one’s drunk off her nut again and tripped over the deck chair,” he tells her, disappointment in his tone that I don’t appreciate. He sounds like my father.

My face wrinkles in disgust at the thought of placing the two of them in the same category. “I’m not drunk. I’ve only had one bottle,” I throw back at him. How dare he accuse me of being drunk. It takes a lot more than one bottle of wine to get me intoxicated. I’m a seasoned drinking professional, after all. Just ask our busybody neighbor.

His eyes rake over me slowly, and I think he’s supposed to be accusing me of something, but that look of desire’s still there. What was he about to say before the girls walked in? “I think your bleeding elbow speaks for itself.” He scoffs, even though I know he can’t see my elbow through his jacket.

I feel my sore elbow and realize he’s right, there is a trickle of blood from the cut sticking to the inside of his jacket. “I fell because of you,” I throw back at him, exasperated. Why is he trying to make me look bad in front of my friends? If he had any intention of coming over here tonight to make amends, he has a shitty way of doing it.

Emerson wraps her arm around my shoulder, patting me. “Come on, let’s get you all fixed up,” she says kindly as Mae opens the door for us. “See you tomorrow, Noah,” she calls over her shoulder.

I don’t bother looking back. What the hell was that look he gave me, the hold he had on me? And him throwing me under the bus like a tattling five-year-old.Paisley’s drunk.I shake my head at the thought. He has some nerve coming anywhere near me. But even so, I cozy into his warm jacket. It smells of him, and something about that is so comforting.

Emerson sits me at the kitchen counter while Mae finds a band-aid. I shrug the jacket off on the sore side, and Emerson places the band-aid on my cut. She pulls back to look at me, a motherly concern in her pretty features. “We’re worried about you, honey.”

I roll my eyes and sigh heavily. Toughing the jacket back on, I hug it around myself tighter. “Why does everyone keep saying that? You two have had more than me tonight.”

Mae’s gotten to work in the kitchen, taking out three mugs and placing them on the countertop in front of her as she heats the kettle. She holds up the empty bottle of wine I left on the bench earlier like it’s evidence. “Paisley, this isn’t you.”

I stand in a rush, snatching the bottle from her hands. “Maybe it is, Mae.” Maybe this is what my life is going to be reduced to, drinking alone on a Sunday night. And you know what? I’m okay with that. So, you lot better get over this wholewe’re worried about youthing. Because I don’t need you worrying. I’m just fine.”

They both look at me like I’ve lost my mind, so I turn and stalk from the room, stomping my feet on every step as I make my way up to my bedroom.

“I’ll bring your tea up for you then,” Mae calls after me, unaffected by my meltdown.

I slam my door for emphasis. Not because I’m really annoyed at the girls. I love the girls. I’m just pissed at the world tonight, and it feels a hell of a lot like they have sided with Noah.

Dumping the empty bottle down on my dressing table, I find my PJs to throw on. Jerk Noah’s jacket off and place it on my bed. Shimmy out of the wide-leg pants and blouse I had on, followed by my underwear and bra. I pull on my shorts then turn as I’m slinking into my silk camisole, turning around just in time to find I have an audience again. Noah’s bedroom window is wide open. The smirk on his face tells me he just got a show. Probably full view of my tits and ass. For fuck’s sake. The previous residents kept their blinds closed all the time. Probably because they were always at each other’s throats, and they didn’t want us witnessing the crazy. I march over to the window and pull the drapes closed aggressively so I can’t see him anymore. The jerk is really pissing me off tonight. This town isn’t big enough for the two of us. And I’m not sure how I’m going to do it yet, but I need to get rid of him.

When I spin back toward my bed, I see his jacket. I should burn it. But instead, I pull it back on over my PJs and climb into bed. I’ll work out how to eradicate him from this town in the morning. Right now, I need to hang on to a little piece of him.

Chapter 5

Noah

On my back lawn, Elliot, Parker, and I are stretched out, looking up at the stars. The rest of our crew left hours ago, but Elliot’s kids are being looked after by his mother, and Parker and I don’t have any commitments, so we can catch up properly. A twinge of pain radiates up my left leg, reminding me of everything I’ve given up this past year. Everything I did for the girl who won’t even talk to me.

“Remember when we were young and felt invincible? Before everything went wrong. I want to feel like that again,” I say, my voice tinged with longing and regret. The last few years have started to take a toll on me.

“Don’t we all.” Elliot chuckles, but there’s a sadness in his eyes. “The last time we laid out like this was the night we destroyed the Bluewater Beach Eels. Those were the days. The Raider brotherhood had it all.Parties every weekend, no responsibility, hot chicks, adoring fans who would do anything just to be part of our crew. Now I have two girls and no idea what the fuck I’m doing to raise them.”

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