Chasing Temptation(2)

Problem was, who she wanted was her brother’s best friend, a fact Bass wouldn’t overlook lightly. She would have to be persuasive if she was going to get the rigid attorney to bend to her idea.

Whatever the end result would be, going for Sebastian tonight was putting the group dynamic in jeopardy. But she had to try.

She knew he was attracted to her. At least, she thought she knew. Last year they’d played a harmless game of Sardines that turned into a few minutes of Sebastian lying against her in the dark, and her breathing in his scent.

She’d thought for sure he was going to kiss her. He’d been close. She could still feel his breath against her lips when he’d whispered the phrase she’d been repeating in her mind for nearly nine months:

Don’t challenge me. I always get what I want in the end.

Usually what he wanted was short term flings. If gossip was to be believed, those flings were full of the wildest sex a person could imagine. The thought made her tingle all over. She’d caught his attention, got a glimpse at the man he was hiding underneath, and was now determined to experience what lay behind that domineering persona.

“I’m going for it,” Penny said. She gave her long red hair a flick and faced her friend. “Time for Operation: Orgasm to commence.”

…

Bass glanced at the brunette across the room. She’d been checking him out for the past ten minutes. She was attractive, and that smile she gave was one he recognized. A look that led to the bedroom.

“If that woman keeps staring at you like that, her panties are going to catch fire,” Huck Galvin said loudly into Sebastian’s ear over the booming music of the club.

Yeah, that brunette could end his dry spell. She was prime, ready, and most importantly, not Penny Diamond.

Get her out of your head.

Good fucking luck with that. He’d been trying to get her out of his mind ever since last summer when they’d played Sardines. He’d always thought she was too soft for him, but after she’d challenged him to a game where he ended up alone with her, he’d barely been able to resist tasting those lush lips of hers. He could still feel her body humming against his, begging for it.

She was everything bright and good. He’d known her a long time, and he’d never met her equal. And he’d looked. Hard. But no one could compare to the soul-deep genuineness of Penny Diamond.

He shook his head and focused on the brunette. That was the kind of surface woman he needed. She looked experienced and able to handle his needs in the bedroom. Needs so strong they’d evolved into a dark secret.

He loved sex, loved women, but his tastes were…not for the timid. They also weren’t long term.

He’d learned at a young age that love and companionship didn’t equal commitment. Sooner or later, someone got restless and moved on. Just like his mother had done when he was a kid. Just like Bass did with every “relationship” he had. Being the leaver was better than being left. Which was why he had a firm system: nothing lasted beyond two weeks. Besides, most women only wanted—or could handle—a single night with him. After they saw what he was like in bed, they were usually done. Satisfied, but overwhelmed. Which just about said it all, didn’t it? Even if love and commitment were for other people, they weren’t for him.

Too bad all I can think about is Penny.

No one goaded him like she did. She knew how to push his buttons and played on the very need that drove him both in and out of bed.

Control.

He swallowed down the last of his whiskey.

Stop thinking about her.

She was the last person he could ever be with. Between her overbearing older brother, who happened to be his best friend, and her innocent eyes and bright smile, she wasn’t the kind of woman who would want what Sebastian dished out.

He looked around the large club, bright lights flickering amongst the darkness, people dancing, the temperature rising to hot and humid. Usually in a suit, he was happy for the weekends when he got to wear a T-shirt and jeans.

“I thought this was your scene, Bassy?” Colt said, walking up, drinks in hand. “But I could see your frownie face all the way from across the bar.”

“Poor Bass is girl shy tonight,” Huck said, chuckling. “I think he’s PMSing.”

Great, now both of his friends were giving him shit.

Though they were being dicks, they were like his brothers. Between them, having a great job that he loved and living in a town that felt like home, he was fairly happy. This past year, however, with all the love bullshit in the air wafting from Colt and Jenna, his mood had been on the pissy side. He wished the best for his friends, but their wedding planning and happily ever after gushing only reminded him that kind of thing would never be for him. No serious woman. No long term commitment. That was too much power to give someone else. Hell, his competitive nature was what made him a great attorney. He didn’t lose because he had no fear. Nothing loved, nothing lost.