'Tis the Season to Be Tempted by Aimee Carson Read Free Book Online Page B

bright, so hot, she pulsed with pure, white light.
    …
    “I thought Evie was with you, Wes?” Dan Burling asked the next day as he sank onto his parents’ living room couch. “I came by to offer moral support during her reunion with Mom and Dad, but she hasn’t arrived yet. My phone calls keep going to her voice mail. Where is she?”
    Ah, yes. The million-dollar question.
    Wes took a seat across from Evie’s brother. “I assumed she’d be here by now.”
    Waking this morning to an empty bed had been shocking as hell, especially after the night they’d shared. Wes’s experiences with one-night stands were limited to the single episode. It had been, bar none, the most memorable evening of his life. He was pretty sure that was more a reflection of their chemistry than of the current barren state of affairs of his life. And while he’d tried to brush her disappearance off as a predictable Evie move, somehow, after getting to know her better, he knew there was more vulnerability in the escape than any real callous recklessness.
    Yes, after several hours of contemplation, Wes recognized Evie’s maneuver for what it was.
    Panic.
    And with her brother’s brown eyes fixed on Wes’s face, and the memory of how he’d jerked Evie into his arms—and the steamy events that followed—he could sympathize with the feeling.
    “I thought you got rooms at the Harbor View last night?” Dan asked.
    Heat crept up Wes’s neck, and he deliberately didn’t correct the rooms to room . “Yeah,” he said, keeping his response vague. “But—” He cleared his throat to loosen the tight muscles. “But she’d left by the time I woke this morning.”
    All true, no falsehoods there. Just the hugest lie by omission. Like the fact that they’d shared the same bed. Like the fact that Wes was sure he’d never be the same, because Evie made him feel more alive than he’d ever felt in his life.
    Dan raked a hand through his brown hair. “I’m just trying to figure out if I need to be worried or not,” he said, though his tone broadcast that he’d already decided.
    “Dan,” Wes said, trying to soothe his friend. “Wherever she is, she can take care of herself.”
    “You don’t know the epically awful year she’s just had,” Dan said with a sarcastic huff.
    Wes’s lips quirked wryly. “She told me a little about it.” And for a moment he was lost in the memories of a tipsy Evie on the plane, listing all the ways her life had gone wrong. Yet, despite it all, her sense of humor and her quirky outlook on life had never faltered, impressing Wes with her fierce determination. Even if her goal was something as simple as seduction…
    The concern on Dan’s face had Wes pushing the thoughts aside to send Dan a reassuring smile. “She’s stronger than you think.” Wes let out a small laugh. “She’s stronger than even she thinks.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Nothing,” Wes said, shifting his eyes to the massive living room adorned in wreaths and lights and shimmering silver candelabras. “I’m sure she’ll show up soon.”
    Of course, he couldn’t be sure of anything.
    Like when she would show up. Or how the reunion would unfold.
    When Wes had arrived at the Burling home, all decked out in holiday decorations, he immediately read the tension in Howard Burling’s shoulders and the worry lines framing Melinda Burling’s eyes. Evie’s parents were obviously on edge. One thing was abundantly clear: this day wasn’t going to be awkward only for Evie.
    Dan let out small sigh. “Well, all I know is that Mom and Dad are grateful you took her under your wing yesterday,” he said. Which isn’t exactly how Wes would describe how the whole thing played out, but he kept his mouth closed. “There is no one they trust more.”
    Too bad Wes didn’t deserve the faith. Because he was pretty sure taking Evie under his wing wouldn’t include hiking her onto a bar counter and having his wicked way with her. Several