Attraction: (A Temptation Series Stand-alone) (The Temptation Series Book 4) by K.M. Golland Read Free Book Online Page B

that lacked certitude before biting down on the circular treat he
had gifted me.
    ‘True, kids are a lot of fun.’
    Fun, my arse. They are highly annoying disease-spreading
critters. And they never shut up.
    Derek took a long drink as if to wash down the mouthful of
macaroon, or quite possibly wash away the conversation we were having. He
suddenly appeared a little nervous.
    Wanting to change the subject, because kids are not a
subject I like to discuss when away from work, I asked him about his family.
‘So, do you have any siblings?’
    ‘Yeah, a brother,’ he replied curtly. His clipped tone
caught me off-guard and created an awkward atmosphere in the small space around
us.
    ‘Older or younger?’ I hesitantly asked.
    ‘Older.’
    If ‘fucking awkward’ was a body of water, we’d both be swimming
in it now. So I gave him an unsure smile then looked down at my feet. It was
obvious I’d hit a raw nerve.
    Now finding our situation highly uncomfortable, I opted to
take my leave and get some space, not to mention attempt Alexis’ demise. ‘Will
you excuse me for a moment? I need to have a word with Lexi.’
    ‘Of course,’ he replied, seemingly apologetic.
    I was not quite sure — being a little puzzled myself — but I
sensed he had become disappointed. So I offered him a small apologetic smile of
my own and made my way toward Alexis.
    As the distance between Lexi and I reduced, I screwed my
face up in aggravation and pointed my finger at her. ‘You are hilarious,’ I bit
out, sarcastically.
    She covered her mouth for the smallest of seconds to subdue
a laugh. ‘I know.’
    ‘No. That wasn’t funny. I was so fucking embarrassed.’
    ‘Relax. He had no idea.’
    ‘Who had no idea?’ Bryce asked.
    ‘Derek,’ we both answered.
    Bryce looked over at his mate, confusion evident on his
face. ‘What does he have no idea about?’
    Alexis jumped in before I even had a chance. ‘He has no idea
Carly has a burnt burger.’ She burst into laughter.
    I closed my eyes momentarily. ‘You’re a bitch, Alexis
Summers.’
    ‘No, I’m not, Carly Henkley. Your burger is burnt and you
need it put out, I was simply trying to begin that process.’
    ‘I can put out my own burger, thanks,’ I responded through
gritted teeth, practically hissing like a snake.
    Bryce took a step back, hands up in surrender. ‘I’m not
fucking sure if you are talking about a barbeque or something entirely different.
Either way, I don’t want to know about Carly’s burger, so please excuse me.’ He
headed toward the other men in the room.
    ‘There is nothing wrong with my burger, Bryce,’ I called out
after him. ‘Just so you know, it’s a good burger.’
    Let’s just get that shit straight, right now! My burger
is a masterpiece.
    ‘Carly!’ Alexis chided playfully, hitting me on the arm.
‘Don’t offer your burger to my man.’
    ‘Why? Is he a vegetarian?’
    ‘No! God, no!’ she laughed, ‘The man is a carnivore through
and through.’
    I watched as she bit her lip and blushed. ‘I hate you, you
know,’ I said with an envious smile.
    She flicked her eyebrows up once. ‘You should. Every woman
should. I’ve scored big-time.’
    ‘Good. I’m glad you know it, hon.’
    ‘Oh, trust me, Carls. I know it all right.’
    ***
    I chose not to stick around much longer despite the fact I’d
planned to have a big night. Quite frankly, I was exhausted after the week I’d
had at work. Plus the mood between Derek and I seemed to have lost its spark
around the same time I asked him about his family. He still requested my phone
number, which I gave him, but I was pretty sure he was only doing it to be
polite.
    I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t care, or that I wasn’t
bitterly disappointed. In fact, I was kind of devastated that things had gone
sour so quickly. Initially, I’d felt that the two of us connected in a way that
I had never experienced before. He seemed fun and free spirited, like I was,
and I thought that