Page 18 of Undeniable Temptation

She hit him with those baby blues. Hit him hard. “Thank you.”

There was a moment of silence, an awkward expanse of seconds where his heart panged for another woman. “Do you think Alana’s got enough by now?”

“I don’t know.” She pulled a face, an expression caught between humor and discomfort. “I still feel like the worst actress in the world.”

“You’re doing fine.” Too damn fine.

His cell rang in his pants pocket and he palmed the device to see Alana’s name staring back at him. “Hopefully this is good news.” He hit connect and lifted it to his ear.

“I have the best shot. You’re going to love it.”

“So we’re done?”

Felicity looked at him in hope.

“Yeah. You’re so done. This is absolutely perfect. You’re going to be breaking hearts all over again.”

He should’ve been relieved. Instead, his chest pounded with a rhythm of an entirely different beat. He didn’t want to be comfortable with Felicity. Falling into easy conversation and breaking personal space barriers within hours wasn’t an achievement. It was a liability. He was lonely. He was heartbroken. And this beautiful woman was smiling up at him, mimicking his apprehension in her own little way.

“OK. I’ll meet you at the hotel.” He disconnected the call and made to back away.

“Wait.” Felicity’s grip tightened around his neck. “Do you want to get this kissing thing over and done with?”

He froze. “I can say, with complete honesty, that that’s the least enthusiastic proposition I’ve ever had.”

She jabbed at his chest in a way that sparked memories. It made him think of someone else, someone who had once smiled up at him with a similar playfulness in her eyes.

“Your poor defenseless ego,” she cooed. “But I’m not joking. I’m finally relaxed and I think we should get it out of the way. It’ll make it easier for when we need to do it in front of an audience.”

The logic was tight. Too bad every inch of him was in protest. He didn’t want to kiss her. He had major hang-ups. He had skeletons. He had a shitload of issues destined to multiply once his lips touched hers.

“Let’s leave it for now.” He stepped back. “Think on it. Fantasize about it. And when you’re at the point where you can’t take another breath without kissing me,thenI’ll blow your mind with my skills.”

She threw her head back and laughed. It was a brilliant sound—loud and rambunctious. It wouldn’t be difficult to lean forward and give her what she wanted. To practice what they eventually had to do for show. But it wasn’t merely a performance for him. He’d only kissed two women since he was a teenager, and he was still undeniably in love with one of them.

Divorce or not, single or not, kissing Felicity would mark the first step in an unwanted direction. And unfortunately, it was inevitable.

“Come on.” He turned away and began walking for the hotel.

She was still chuckling when she lifted his arm and snuggled into his side. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

He looked down at her, at the gorgeous face, the easy smile, the enticing body. “Yeah. Me, too.”

That was the problem.

Chapter Four

Atlanta, Georgia.

Ryan slumpedinto the sofa and placed his cell down on the coffee table. He was supposed to be somewhere. With someone. But he couldn’t think. Couldn’t move past the feeling of his life being tipped upside down and all the goodness shaken out.

Back in Orlando, Rockin’ Gossip had snapped up the opportunity to share the exclusive photos of him and Felicity. Hours later, his world was under a microscope. The Internet had been smothered with the image of him smiling down at his ‘newfound love.’ And the happy snap taken in the hotel lobby—the selfie with the young woman—was all the evidence Reckless fans needed to lose their minds over the relationship story.

The ‘practically unknown lead singer of Slicker’ was now amassing followers along with sales, the number gradually building with every passing hour. He, on the other hand, had received tweets, comments, and emails questioning his morals.You’re not even divorced yet. Give your wife a chance to move on.And another—So much for the dedication to your marriage. Did you even think about how Julie would feel? #player #typical #growup.

He’d frantically blocked or deleted all the slander in his timeline, completely unaware of how to react to the negativity. Maybe he was meant to ignore his reputation going to shit. Leah hadn’t mentioned the nastiness. Neither had his bandmates.

The worst part was knowing exactly how his ex would feel, and it had no reflection on the response she posted on Twitter claiming heartbreak and disappointment. Julie would be pissed he’d moved on before she did. End of story. And evidently from the call he’d just received from his lawyer, she was trying to use the information to manipulate the divorce negotiations.

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