Tempted 3 Broken Temptation Eve Carter

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room.
The woman barely glanced at me, but it was enough for me to know that she didn t really care
what I thought. And that she needed to tone it down on the heavy eye make-up. Pearl here needs to
learn to behave better.
Her voice was as flat and lifeless and dried up as an end-of-the-season garden. Before I could
offer a reply, Pearl s mom grabbed the girl s shoulder and led her from the room. The action wasn t
harsh enough to be considered abuse, but the entire incident still struck me as overkill for such a
small thing. I felt bad for the kid. Maybe Pearl was the type to wander off and get into trouble. It
really wasn t any of my business. I didn t know the entire situation, but her mother didn t need to be
so hard on the girl.
I sighed and stood, stretching until my joints gave satisfying cracks. My stomach growled and I
suddenly realized that I was hungry. I glanced at the clock and saw that I d only been asleep for about
thirty minutes. That meant Emma and Michelle would be back soon. If I went down to the kitchen
now, there was a chance that they could arrive when I was in the middle of making myself something
to eat, and I knew Emma. She wouldn t let me finish. She d insist on making me a meal. I loved
spending time with Emma and Michelle, but I wasn t sure I could choke down a meal of Emma s, no
matter how hungry I was.
I grabbed a couple bills from my wallet, scribbled a note and left it on Michelle s bed so they
wouldn t worry, and I headed out. When I d been here before, I d gone to a place called The Bar and
I remembered that they d had particularly good hamburgers. When I walked in, a sense of deja vu
washed over me.
Stage and dance floor at one end. Huge bar in the middle. More than two dozen tables and chairs
scattered around it. Tonight, there was no band, but music blared from the speakers and no one
seemed to mind it wasn t live.
And, at the bar, was Jasper, the tall blond hunk of a bartender who d caught the eye of Hanna, my
alter ego who d come out to play that night. I walked towards the bar, trying not to remember the rest
of that night. It had been the first time I d met Emma s ex-husband, Brian. I glanced around
reflexively, as if expecting him to be there. Luke had been there to save me that night. My fingers
fidgeted with the strap of my purse as I resigned myself to the fact that if Brian showed up tonight, I
was on my own.
Hello, there. Jasper s tone was friendly with recognition. Daniella-but-everyone-calls-me-
Hanna, right?
Good memory. I took a seat on the closest bar stool.
Well, you do stand out. He winked at me.
Thank you, Jasper.
And you remember me. His grin widened.
You re pretty unforgettable yourself, I shot back. Dammit. I cursed myself. Friendly banter was
one thing, flirting was something else. Mischievous Hanna had slipped out for a second, but I had a
boyfriend. I quickly switched gears. I ll take whatever s on tap and the second biggest burger you
have.
Coming right up. He was still polite and smiling, but he addressed me as if he knew something
had changed. The fact that he didn t push was a good sign. He was actually as nice as he seemed.
The thought popped into my head that maybe I should see about setting him up with Emma. I
remembered the total disaster the double-date with her gynecologist had been. She hadn t mentioned
Eric again, so I assumed that things hadn t repaired themselves. I d ask, just to be sure, but if she
wasn t seeing anyone, I d have to figure out a way to get her to The Bar and introduce her to Jasper.
He might be a little younger than her, but she deserved a guy like him after all the grief her bastard ex
was still putting her through.
My burger arrived and my stomach instantly voiced its approval of my choice. Fortunately, the
music was loud enough that no one heard. I dug in, savoring that first juicy bite. I ignored everything
around me, focusing just on the half-pounder in my hands.
I was halfway through it when someone took the seat next to me and spoke. Fancy meeting you
here.
I looked up to see the hot guy from the plane smiling at me. Shit. I wasn t sure if I was supposed to
be embarrassed to be caught wolfing down a burger or worried that he was going to start flirting
again. At the moment, however, I was mesmerized by those impossibly white teeth.
I like a girl with a good appetite. He gestured towards my half-eaten burger.
I rolled my eyes, but smiled to make sure he knew I wasn t being rude. You wouldn t think that if
you saw me eating ribs. It s not a pretty sight, I countered.
Somehow I doubt that. He let a slow smile linger on his lips as he motioned to Jasper. Let me
buy you a beer.
Matthew, right? That s okay. This one s on me. Pay back for your help this morning. Before he
could protest, I ordered for him. Give him another one of what I m having. I waved a hand toward
my beer and addressed Jasper to explain. Matthew here came to my rescue at the airport this
morning. Never would ve gotten my bag off the plane without him. Jasper smiled, tipping a tall beer
glass under the spigot.
You seem like a capable woman, Hanna, Matthew said, as Jasper pushed the beer in his
direction I m sure you would ve figured something out.
If you were so sure I d be able to take care of it myself, why d you help? I took a bite of my
hamburger while I waited for an answer.
I m still a gentleman. The teasing smile faded from his lips as he wrapped them over the edge of
his beer glass to take a drink. He was really laying on the charm, his eyes dancing as he answered.
Oh, I doubt that very much.
He put a hand on his heart, a mock expression of hurt on his face. You don t think I m a
gentleman?
I know you re not, I said. I drained the last of my beer. A gentlemen wouldn t look at me the
way you are.
What can I say? He shrugged. I appreciate a beautiful woman. His gaze slowly ran over me
and he didn t apologize for the appreciation on his face.
Before you get overly invested in this, I said. You should know that I m taken.
He sighed. I should ve known. He took another drink. A woman like you probably has her pick
of men.
I laughed. Now I know you re delusional, as well as not a gentleman. I pushed my empty burger
plate to the side as Jasper put another beer in front of me. Regretting having wasted your time on
me?
Not at all, Matthew said. Despite what you may think, I am actually a gentleman and I never
could have passed by a damsel in distress.
I raised an eyebrow. Did you just call me a damsel in distress?
What, is that not politically correct? he teased.
I ll have you know that I m more than capable of taking care of myself. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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