Page 1 of The Temptation
PROLOGUE
PIERCE SUTTON
March 4,2011
Sawyer droppedhis duffel bag loaded with dirty laundry on the marble floor of the foyer with a heavythud. It was so tempting to do the same, but this wasn’t my house, even if I had visited the Millers numerous times over the past three years. It had become as familiar to me as my home, and yet I still clung to the manners my mother had browbeaten into me.
But Sawyer’s noisy entrance paled in comparison to the explosion of colorful balloons and streamers that festooned every inch of the foyer and into the living room. The family was celebrating the birthday of Sawyer’s younger brother, Simon. He was turning thirteen. And apparently, all he’d wanted was for Sawyer to return from college and bring me along.
However, I was confident Sawyer had made up that last bit, but I couldn’t turn him down. I’d first met Simon three years ago when Sawyer’s family had come to see him play baseball. Sawyer was one of the team’s pitchers while I played right field. Since that first meeting, Simon had said barely more than three words to me. The kid with the unruly mop of blond hair andridiculously large blue eyes kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the ground anytime he was out with others.
That shyness didn’t extend to his older brother. The second Sawyer gave him even a shred of attention, Simon would light up like a Christmas tree in a dark room. He would chatter on and on about every little thing he saw or did, trying so hard to impress his older brother. Sawyer was tolerant and patient with Simon, always listening and nodding to everything he said.
We weren’t in the house long before the clack of someone approaching in heavy heels echoed through the house. Elizabeth Miller was a lovely woman with the same blond hair as her youngest son, and wide blue eyes.
“Oh, thank goodness, you didn’t miss your flight,” Mrs. Miller said as soon as she set eyes on us.
Sawyer smirked as he extended his arms to hug her. “I figured that was why you asked me to bring Pierce along. So I would be on time for once.”
She smacked her oldest child on the shoulder even as she hugged him. “That’s not true, but I consider it a bonus. I’m still hoping his sense of responsibility will rub off on you.”
Sawyer shot me a look over his mother’s shoulder, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smirking. I could imagine any number of filthy comments crossing his mind that were nothing like what his mother had meant.
Elizabeth released Sawyer and turned to me as I schooled my features into something serious. She pulled me into a light hug and patted my back twice. “It is always so good to see you, Pierce dear. We’re so happy you could join us this weekend for Simon’s birthday. I hope my other son hasn’t been too much of a headache for you.”
“Thank you so much for having me,” I replied politely, avoiding her comment.
Sawyer’s mother released me and stepped away to frown at his bag on the floor. “That’s filled with dirty clothes, isn’t it?”
Sawyer grinned proudly. “Of course.”
“Why did you bring it with you? We pay for a perfectly good service to keep up with the cleaning. Why couldn’t you have left your laundry in Boston?”
“Because I didn’t want you to miss out on the joy of doing mom things for me. Next year, I graduate, and I’m on my own. Don’t you like taking care of me?” Sawyer pushed out a pouty bottom lip and fluttered his eyelashes at her.
“Nonsense! I?—”
The front door swinging open cut off whatever scathing remark she’d been about to deliver. A skinny boy bundled up in a heavy jacket and a knit hat stepped into the foyer. If it hadn’t been for the violin case clenched in his left fist, I would never have guessed that it was Simon. How the hell had he managed to grow at least three inches? He was still an awkward boy who reminded me of a scarecrow escaped from his field, but he was more teenager than child now. Something in the sharpness of his cheekbones and the cut of his jaw promised a hardness that would set in as he became an adult.
“Look who arrived in time for your birthday!” Elizabeth announced.
Simon moaned and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked right to Sawyer and threw his body into him. The hug was more of the boy pressing his head into Sawyer’s chest while his older brother wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
“Happy birthday, brat,” Sawyer greeted with a mixture of laughter and love in his voice.
Simon grunted, but Sawyer’s chest muffled it.
“Aren’t you going to at least say hi to Pierce?” Sawyer teased.
“Happy birthday, Simon,” I said.
While he was still half pressed into his brother, Simon turned his head toward me and mumbled a quiet “Thank you” before straightening. His gaze skimmed over the decorations, and he huffed.
“I told you I didn’t want a stupid kid’s party, Mom.” As soon as the words were off his lips, Simon ran up the stairs and disappeared down the hall, seeming to stomp the entire way.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “I got one out of his teen years and now the second one is entering them. It never ends.”
Sawyer slung an arm across his mother’s shoulders. “But with me you don’t have to worry anymore.” She threw him a skeptical scowl. Sawyer motioned to me with his free hand. “I’ve got Pierce to always keep an eye on me. He won’t let me do anything stupid.”
