Tempt Me by Melissa Schroeder Read Free Book Online Page A

slipped through the front door and locked it, she heard his footsteps recede then disappear. Minutes later, she heard his car start up. 
    “Good thing that boy has some smarts,” Papa said from the shadows. She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him.
    “Lord, Papa, you scared me.”
    He stepped out. “Sorry about that.”
    “You don’t have to worry about Jesse and you don’t have to worry about me. Retta insisted we all take self-defense courses.”
    “Good,” he said.
    “Was there something else?”
    He shook his head. “Goodnight, Zoe.”
    She smiled and stepped past him toward the stairs but stopped. Zoe gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
    Then she walked up the stairs thinking it was a good thing that Jesse would be gone for a few days. She needed time and distance to make sure she really wanted to get tangled up with the Marine. Sure, she said it would be simple but she knew that no matter what, feelings would be involved. Zoe had to be sure she was willing to take that chance.
    *  *  *  *
    Joey listened as Zoe’s footsteps came up the stairs then off to her bedroom and waited. When Stewart didn’t follow, she decided to go in search of her husband.
    She found him with a whiskey in his hand as he looked out over their backyard.
    “Playing the chaperone isn’t easy,” she said. 
    He didn’t look behind him, didn’t even jump at the sound of her voice. It was hard to sneak up on someone who had been in Special Forces.
    “It’s different with girls.”
    “She’s a grown woman.”
    He sipped at his whiskey, then said, “Doesn’t matter.”
    “Jesse Johnson is a good man. You know that.”
    He nodded as he took another sip. “Doesn’t mean I want him mauling her on our front porch.”
    She bit her lip trying not to smile. Joey had always said that he would have been a pain in the ass father for any girl.
    “Oh, Stewart, it was only a kiss goodnight.”
    He grunted.
    “And she can make her own decisions.”
    He looked over his shoulder at her. “Are you telling me to butt out?”
    She shook her head. “It’s kind of sweet. I’m looking forward to seeing how Leo acts when the first boy comes calling.”
    He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
    “What is it?”
    He sighed and turned around to look out at the yard again. “I wasn’t there for you.” 
    She knew exactly what he talked about. Before meeting Stewart, she had been a victim of a date rape. The fact that it still bothered him all these years later was a testament to the stubbornness of the man.
    Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward, slipped her arms around him, and rested her head against his back. And there in the silence of the kitchen, she fell a little more in love with Stewart Santini.

Chapter Seven
     
    It had been two days since she had seen Jesse and she was jonesing a little for the Marine. Damn man probably did it on purpose. Hell, he probably set up his TDY, or whatever he called it.
    She was about to hunt up Joey to see if she wanted to go shopping for some paint supplies when her phone rang.
    Jesse . 
    She waited a couple of rings—no reason to make him think she had been sitting here waiting for a call—and then picked it up.  
    "Hey there, Marine."
    He chuckled and she felt her heart flutter. Damn, this was not a good sign. "Hey there yourself. How are you doing today?" 
    "Eh. I am avoiding thinking about getting my cast off."
    "Ah, you're getting your cast off today."
    The way he said it made her suspicious.
    "Yeah, this afternoon. Aren’t you in some kind of meeting?"
    "We have a break."
    There was a brief pause and she didn’t know what to say. They had a few of these conversations on the phone and there were always times like this. It was if both of them were trying so hard to keep it light, that they had to think too much before speaking.
    "So, I hear from Kianna the saying is what happens on TDY