Pure Temptation (12 page)

Probation officers, lead to the police and ... “No, don’t call.” Oh, no. Did I say that out loud? He’s also the same son of a bitch who hurt my arm the first night in town over at The Bar. But that’s a story Emma didn’t need to know right now. “It’s okay, nothing really happened. He never even went upstairs.”

Emma paused. “They are not going to take him anyway, unless there is evidence that he did something. The restraining order is just for me, not Michele or you. And I wasn’t here.”

“Well, Michelle is reading her favorite book right now.” I wasn’t going to tell Emma that Michelle was crying. No reason to make her more upset.

Emma laid down the phone. “Oh my gosh, you need to be my babysitter. I can never get her to read.” She was halfway to the stairs when she turned and looked at me straight on. “I am so happy you are here, Hanna. Thank you so much.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond but the silent moment was thankfully interrupted by the deep tone of the grandfather clock drifting in from the living room to where we stood in the hallway near the kitchen. “Is it already six o’clock? I need to be ready in an hour.”

“A date?” She raised her eyebrows. “I guess you got lucky the other night at The Bar. Is he cute? Is he a local? Spill it sister, I want details.”

We both laughed and I politely bowed out of a heavy one-on-one girl talk marathon, pointing to my watch and making excuses about needing to wash my hair. I trusted Emma a lot, but I still needed to remain guarded. My laying low time was running out, and I would need to make a decision soon about going back to New York. So why was I trying to hook up with handsome, fisherman slash writer guy?

My stomach fluttered in response to the knock on the front door.

“I got it,” I yelled as I skipped down the stairs.

I peeked through the peephole. It was him. I swung the door wide and it opened with a whoosh.

“Hey,” he said flashing a big smile.

“Hey, right back at ya.” Holy crapo moly, he was some hot eye candy. His black jeans sat low on his hips and clung tightly to his legs with faded creases at the top of his thighs that accentuated the cut of his muscular legs. His white shirt peeked out of a black leather jacket, unzipped as if his chest muscles could hardly be contained within its boundaries. He stood with one hand tucked in his jean pocket. The other gripped the chin straps of a black motorcycle helmet that dangled as we talked.

I must have seemed like an idiot, my face melting off as I practically swooned in front of him on the porch. The smile in his eyes contained an intriguing flame. He seemed happy to see me, and I found myself thinking of him more and more each day. I shouldn’t allow myself to like him. Because first of all, that was exactly what he wanted and that was probably exactly what he was used to, women falling at this feet. And second of all, I wasn’t supposed to get attached to anything here in Summerville. That wasn’t my plan.

“So are you ready to taste the second best seafood in Summerville?”

I could see the glint in his eyes and played along with his joke. “Why not Summerville’s best?”

“That will have to wait until I catch something,” he laughed.

I poked my finger at his shoulder. “This restaurant better be fantastic. I don’t come cheap, you know.”
Crap, could I have said anything more retarded?

He gave me one of his mysterious looks. I couldn’t tell if he was still joking or being serious. “Oh, I know that, Hanna.”

I blinked at him in silence. This was awkward. I tucked my chin to my chest and walked on to where his motorcycle was parked. “So, are we going or what? Cause, I’m starving.”

As he stepped up to the bike, he handed me a helmet and smirked. “What about what I want? Do I get a say in this conversation?”

“Oh buddy, I know what you want. That has to be earned first.

He grinned and slapped the black leather seat on his Harley. “Jump on.”

I shoved the helmet on my head, smashing the nice hairdo I had spent the last hour perfecting.

Moments later, we were riding along the Carolina coastline to the purr of his twin engine bike. As the scenery whizzed past, the beauty of the seasonal evening warmed me like the golden sunset of summer. This was how it was supposed to be. A life filled with a hot guy, sunshine, beaches and cool breezes at night. I loved it here. I didn’t want to think about going back to New York. About being in the city in July when the heat would be oppressive, choking the life out of every living soul.

We stopped at a red light. I admired how his magnificent leg flexed as he put his boots down to the pavement.

“It’s beautiful tonight. Was your trek across the States like this?” I asked.

“I wish. Mostly, it was either too hot or too cold. But that comes with riding a bike. It’s not about comfort or having things like air-conditioning. It’s about feeling the wind on your face…feeling free, going where you want, when you want. I can’t live a compromised life.” He tipped his head up to the sky. “I suspect birds feel the same way when they are flying there, above our heads. And they have the ability to crap on the ones they don’t like.” His laughter floated up from his helmet.

“Thanks for the visual, John.” I chuckled. He was enjoying the gentle sparring as much as I was. The bike took off with a slight jerk as he shifted gears, and I could tell this was going to be a great night.

* * *

The small seafood restaurant was elegant with white linen table cloths and a beautiful view over the sea. I was starving and excited to finally indulge into a delicious meal. “What’s good here? Well, now that I look at the entrées on this menu, is there anything here that isn’t freaking amazing?”

“I love your enthusiasm,” John said with a chuckle. He tapped the menu. “Everything is great but if you haven’t tried their specialty, we should get the Low Country Boil, or Frogmore Stew, as they call it here.”

“Frog-more Stew? As in, it has more frog meat than any other meat in it?” I wrinkled my nose. “Green and slimy and all?”

His mouth twitched with amusement at my reaction. “What? –are you too high class to eat a frog? Or what was it exactly that you said? “You have no sense of adventure.” I’m paraphrasing of course.”

“Shut up,” I said as I slapped his shoulder.

His face wrenched in pain. “Damn, that hurt.”

“What? You can’t take a punch from a girl?” I chuckled surprised.

“No, it’s just…I’m still sore from my accident.”

“What happened?”

“Last week, I had an accident on my bike. Broke a few ribs and hurt my shoulder.”

“Wow, I’m so sorry. Are you going to be okay?”

“Absolutely. A couple of weeks and I am as good as new.”

“You know, maybe you should have told me about your accident before offering me a ride. I mean, here I thought you were a safe rider.” I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. You are safe with me. Besides, I’ll be back in top shape in no time.

I peered at the menu again. “Hmm…so you want me to eat frogs ...”

He laughed. “I’ll let you in on a secret. Frogmore Stew doesn’t have any frog meat. Basically, it’s steaming boiled shrimp and crab with potatoes, sausage and corn. South Carolina is famous for this dish. It’ll blow your mind.”

“I love shrimp…and mind blowing crabs. It sounds good, let’s order that.” I closed the menu. Our glasses clinked in a toast, and the fruity vapors of a crisp Pinot Grigio filled my nostrils.

John looked straight at me. His eyes searched my face as if he were looking right into my thoughts, pinning me to my chair with the bluest blazing eyes.

“What? Will you please stop looking at me that way?” This guy stirred up emotions inside of me I wasn’t sure I wanted to surface right now. Or maybe I did.

He laughed and shook his head. “Sorry. I’m just surprised.”

“Surprised at what?”

John set his wine glass back down on the table. “That you’re still here. You said you were only going to stick around a couple of days, and yet, here we are. I’m surprised and very happy.”

“A girl can change her mind, can’t she?” I shifted in my seat. “Besides, we already established earlier that my aunt and uncle are very flexible about when to expect me. In truth, part of my eagerness to get out of here quickly was to dodge your charming advances, which I have now come to realize are totally irresistible.” I raised my eyebrows and cocked my head to the side.

“Oh? I am irresistible now, am I?”

“Well, you do feed me every time we meet. That’s pretty darn irresistible.” I laughed. “But seriously, Summerville is just what I needed, a break from the big city. The semester at college was over. I really needed a break and the beach is the perfect place, catch the ocean breeze, you know.”

He steepled his fingers under his chin, contemplating. “M-m-m, yes, couldn’t agree with you more.” He relaxed back into his chair. “That’s why I’ve decided to finish my book here, in Summerville, by the ocean. After traipsing across the country, straddling that damn bike, I think I could use a little rest and relaxation myself. And now, sitting here with you, I’ve realized it’s the best thing for me right now.” He was peering at me intently. Something intense flared through his pensiveness.

I grabbed my glass of wine and pulled it to my lips so I’d have something to focus on besides his gorgeous smile. I didn’t want him to see my eyes widen with surprise at his last remark. A person can write a book anywhere. He was staying in Summerville because of me. My pulse went up about a hundred beats a minute. Okay, not literally a hundred, that would cause a heart attack, but I felt like someone whacked the mallet on that game at the fair and the weight went up with a zing and rang the bell at the top…ding.

The waiter brought our food and I used it as a diversion. It smelled heavenly which made it easier for me to dig right in. On the inside, I was doing the happy dance, but I didn’t want him to know…yet.

“Um, Bon appetite, I guess…” John blinked and watched with amusement as I single mindedly attacked my food.

“I told you I was hungry.” I sputtered and nearly choked on a shrimp.

He rested his fork on his plate and chuckled. “Are you okay?” I bobbed my head up and down as I chewed and he thrust a glass of water in my direction.

“Here, drink some water.”

I waved it away and touched my fingers to my throat. “Just a little frog meat stuck in my throat is all.”

“I like a girl with a good appetite. Do you always eat like that?”

“Only when I’m hungry…which is almost all the time.” I let my fork rest on the table, finished with my seafood medley and leaned back in my chair.

John laughed. “I can see why we get along so well. We are both straight to the point.”

He said ‘we’. “That’s the only way you get what you want in life.”

John leaned slightly forward in his seat, peering into my face. “So tell me, Hanna, what you want?”

Somebody just turned up the serious meter in the room. The pressure to say what he wanted to hear made me squirm in my seat. I shrugged and looked down at the floral design on my silverware. Seriously? Another floral design? What is it about this town and flowers? “I don’t know. What does any girl want? Someone to love her, security, a rewarding job, kids…someday…and fun, a girl’s gotta have some fun too.”

“Really?” John raised an eyebrow.

I laughed. “What - is that so hard to believe?”

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just…maybe a little cliché, that’s all.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that it
is
something most women want. And men too, I would imagine. When I see something I want, I go for it. I take it.” John’s eyes lit up. “I mean, you can’t expect any one else to do it for you. You have to reach your goals yourself. Anyway, that’s been my experience. Nothing was ever handed to me. I had to work hard for everything I have accomplished. No golden spoon in my mouth I’m afraid.” I paused. Was there too much of an edge in my voice? “I mean, I’m not bitter about my life. My lot in life wasn’t the best for a while there, years ago. It wasn’t my mom’s fault, she has a disease. Well anyway, that’s just the way I see things.”

“You are wise and beautiful beyond your years and I agree. You’re absolutely right. We have to be responsible for our own fortune, as well as our own actions. We can’t blame society for our misfortune. We have to make our life better ourselves, not expect that God, the government or even our parents should do that for us.”