T is for Temptation by Jianne Carlo Read Free Book Online Page B

could’ve taken her right there and then in the club’s crowded parking lot had not a chorus of delighted giggles and raucous hoots and hollers penetrated his brain.
    It took every ounce of discipline he possessed to ease out of her sweet mouth. He leaned his forehead on hers and brushed the corner of one eyebrow with his lips.
    “Damn,” she whispered, her voice shaky and gruff. “My mother will hear about this before I get home.”
    Jake knew her mother, Tricia, didn’t approve of him and viewed him a social inferior, a self-made millionaire too coarse about the edges for her elegant daughter. Early in the game, her mother’d recognized his lust for Tee, and she’d taken every opportunity to shipwreck his blatant pursuit of her only child after Tony’s death.
    Tee shrugged out of his embrace and opened the car door. He couldn’t decipher her intentions, but determinedly walked around the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat. The snapping of their seat belts rang like an obscene bell in the strident silence, and the grating quiet widened like a Florida sinkhole during the interminable ride to her parents’ house.
    His obsession with Tee had been immediate and overpowering. Always known as the man with the Midas touch, his luck drained away the minute Tony Trent introduced his new wife, Tallulah.
    Jake zoomed into her amber-haloed eyes and the powerful vision of a little girl with her features and black curls dancing in the sand played in his brain. The image had shocked the beejesus out of him and he had caught the next flight out of Trinidad and buried himself in work. Long a loner, Jake had no intention of ever marrying or having a family.
    Determined to eradicate his lust for his partner’s wife and life, he worked hundred hour weeks, screwed one nameless woman after another, and drank his way through several expensive single malt whisky bottles.
    Nothing made any difference. Every night Tee and the laughing child haunted his dreams and Jake began to question his own sanity. Since adolescence, he’d had visions; that déjà vu feeling others talked about, he experienced in spurts, except he knew ahead of time what would happen, and that foreknowledge paved the way for the successful day trading that started his career.
    With a start, Jake realized they had reached the Inglefield’s home. Henry, Tee’s father, stood in the driveway, and he smiled and waved as Jake yanked the hand brake on the rental car.
    “Dinner?” he asked and glanced at her pensive profile.
    “I have to attend the Bastille Day thing,” she said, and in one fluid movement, slammed the car door open and swung out of the vehicle.
    Not willing to accept any refusal, he followed her up the pebbled path. Waning afternoon sunlight cast their elongated shadows to one side. A border of pink roses danced in a gentle breeze, wafting their aroma around Tee and distracting him for a moment. His blasted prick strained against the denim shorts, and he managed to un-tuck his loose shirt so it concealed his reaction.
    “Jake, good to see you again,” Henry greeted him. “How long are you in town?”
    “Two days, but that might be extended,” he replied and shook her father’s outstretched hand.
    “Because of the break-in at the office, I presume. One of the inspectors called me—this news about my former son-in-law is very disturbing. Let’s discuss the matter over a drink in my study.”
    Henry kissed his daughter’s cheek.
    “Honey, let your mother know Jake will stay with us until this issue is settled. With Tony’s office off-limits, you’ll need a place to work, m’boy, and Greenbriar is Wi-Fi and will give you ample privacy.”
    “I’ll take you up on that offer.”
    “Good, good. Tee, I tried to get Tony’s vehicle out of impoundment, but it’s a no go. Where’ve you two been anyway? Tricia’s called me three times looking for you, honey. Something about hibiscuses?”
    “No worries, Dad. What Mother wanted is in the