Tempts Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

had been in the hall outside, but thankfully it was empty. Elliott yanked himself free of her grip, one hand on her wrist. Holding tight. Grinding. He was sure she’d pull away with a yelp and a scowl.
    Simone didn’t pull away. She sighed, laughter disappearing, but again her eyes went heavy lidded and that lush mouth parted on a sigh. “Elliott,” she breathed.
    He let her go. Stepping backward, smoothing his tie and his wrinkled shirt, Elliott shook off the feeling of her slim wrist in his hand. “I think it’s time we leave. Come on. Let’s go.”
    Blinking, Simone didn’t move until he did. Then she stepped quickly after him, catching up to his elbow to snag it and turn him at the end of the hall. “Hey. Wait a minute.”
    He didn’t want to wait a minute. He hadn’t really wanted to come to this party in the first place, hadn’t wanted to play Barry’s pseudopolitical games. He definitely hadn’t wanted to end up in a bathroom stall with Simone Kahan. Elliott kept walking.
    “Hey,” she said after him, loud enough to draw attention. “Don’t walk away from me, that’s rude!”
    Her accusation, along with the knowledge that she was right, stopped him. Stiff-backed, Elliott half turned. “Keep your voice down.”
    “Why?” Smartly, Simone moved up beside him to look him in the eye. “You afraid someone might stare?”
    “Yes.” Elliott frowned, fists clenching until she glanced at them. Then he forced them to loosen. He’d have shoved them in his pockets, but that would ruin the line of his trousers.
    Something softened in her face as she watched him. Incredibly, she moved forward with a hand flat on his chest. The movement made Elliott step back until he hit the wall. “Your heart is beating very fast.”
    He put a hand over hers, curling his fingers beneath her palm to break the contact. “I shouldn’t have invited you. I knew this wasn’t going to work.”
    Her lip curled briefly, and she let him go. “What the hell is your problem, really? ‘Cuz I can’t quite figure you out, you know? A couple minutes ago, you’re all up on me like butter on a cob of corn, and now you’re acting like I just tracked dirt on your favorite rug.”
    Behind them, the bathroom door opened. A smug-looking blonde stumbled out, a man behind her with an equally satisfied grin. They both gave Elliott a nod as they passed.
    “You have a license to sell hot dogs?” Simone said to the man, who, surprised, looked down at the open fly of his crotch.
    Laughing, he zipped up and patted Simone’s shoulder. “Thanks, darlin’.”
    “No prob.” She winked at him, then gave the blonde a set of devil horns with her fingers. “Get out of here, you crazy kids. Next time, check under the stall for feet.”
    “Good advice,” the man said with a nod, then gave Elliott a grin. “She’s a keeper, son. Hang on to this one.”
    The indignity of being called son by a man at least a decade younger than Elliott rankled, but he gave the other man a tight smile and waited until the pair of them had turned the corner before he faced Simone again.
    “Let’s go. This entire evening has been a debacle.” He held out his hand to take her by the elbow, intending to move her forward, but Simone crossed her arms over her chest and didn’t move.
    “Look. I don’t know what seed you planted in your ass, but it’s turned from a stick into an entire tree. If this party is a dud, it’s because you’re not even trying to enjoy it.”
    “I don’t want to enjoy it.”
    Simone’s brows rose. “That’s obvious. So why’d you come?”
    Again, a discussion and situation he didn’t want to pursue, yet something about Simone had apparently stolen Elliott’s good sense, because he replied, “Because I keep my word.”
    “Good to know,” she said, then leaned a little closer. “I like a trustworthy man.”
    The scent of her filtered to him again, that fresh smell of lilies and water. It made him think of a sun-dappled lake, hot