Pretty Little Temptation Read online

  Fifteen minutes and a few miles later, I pulled over in front of my house, my shirt slightly sweaty under my backpack. It was a warm summer evening and I hadn’t been able to resist doing a final spurt through the streets. Biking was my outlet—and it kept me in great shape too. I hopped off and walked to my door, while struggling to pull the keys out of my bag. Once I finally had them in my hand, I proceeded to open the door, which was a tricky task when balancing a bike.

  I saw movement from my right as the front door of the neighboring house opened up and a petite girl with long, flowing dark hair came out, holding a trash bag in her hands. The instant our eyes met, a faint blush rose to her cheeks and she looked away as she walked down the stairs towards the garbage can.

  “Good evening,” I said politely and nodded my head.

  She glanced up at me again. “Good evening.”

  Her tone was quiet and shy. She dropped the trash bag into the container and hurried back up the steps, disappearing inside. The slam of her door was my cue to push the bike inside.

  After making sure my bike was resting securely against the wall, I made my way to the bedroom, getting undressed at the same time. After that last sprint, I was in desperate need of a shower. I stepped under the showerhead, turning it on and before long, the warm water ran over my skin, relaxing my whole body.

  Could it be that the girl next door was back in town for good?

  It had taken me a while to realize who she was, but when it hit, it hit. I knew that she used to live next door with her parents, up until a few years ago. However, I’d never paid much attention to her—although that had changed right before she had left. That summer, her dark grey eyes had been following me every time we had been near each other—literally skimming over me from head to toe. Though I’d felt guilty admitting it, she had grown into a beautiful young woman with curves to kill.

  Nevertheless, considering that she was that much younger, I’d left it at that. The last thing I wanted was to come off as a creepy, older guy, no matter if she was of age or not.

  But she was back now and in her 20s, the quiet voice in my brain pointed out.

  In a moment of weakness, I thought what it would be like to touch her creamy skin, feel her soft body and taste her lips...but then I shook my head violently, pushing the thoughts away. Even if she was older now, our age difference would still be the same. And that would be just as inappropriate. I’d never been one of those men and I would never be.

  I quickly finished washing myself and then settled in front of my laptop with a big plate of chicken and rice. There was no escaping the fact that if I wanted to find something similar to what my parents had, I needed to get myself out there more.

  “I’ll join a dating site after this weekend,” I muttered to myself in between mouthfuls.

  I was already in my mid-thirties and running out of time with finding my other half.

  Chapter 3

  Amelia.

  As I reached the bodega, I decided to sprint the last two blocks back home. I quickened up my pace and a minute later stopped in front of the stairs, gasping for air. Clutching my sides, I bent down as I waited for my breathing to slow. Once it finally did, I made my way up the stairs slowly and shakily. My legs were definitely feeling the abuse: the lactic acid caused by my sudden sprinting was still ever-present in them.

  I slipped my hand into the tiny zipped pocket of my shorts when the realization hit me: I’d forgotten my keys. Crap. I rang the doorbell and kept knocking for the next two minutes before finally giving up. My mom wasn’t home, obviously.

  “Same old, same old,” I muttered to myself as I hopped down the steps and sat on the second last one, pulling out my phone. The only thing I could do was to call a locksmith—there was no guarantee when Janis would be back.

  I was just finishing up the call when a person walking towards me caught my eye.

  It was Mr. Neighbor!

  Bumping into him last Friday had taken me by surprise, not to mention how embarrassed I’d been of my choice of pyjamas: an old, tattered pink set with shorts and a t-shirt with tiny, little rainbows all over them.

  What could I say, I was a sucker for comfy clothes: I’d choose comfort over sexy any day.

  His blue eyes met mine and his lips curled up into a playful smile. “Hey there. Again.”

  I ended the call as the locksmith had just finished telling me they would be here in an hour.

  “Hey, again.”

  He observed me up and down. “How come you’re sitting outside?”

  His voice was low and smooth, reverberating in my ears like a cello symphony. The hairs in my arms stood up and I quickly crossed my arms to hide the reaction.

  “I forgot my keys and my mom’s not home so..I got locked out,” I grimaced. “But the locksmith is coming in an hour or so. At least it's sunny and not raining this morning.” I chuckled, keeping my eyes fixed on his.

  “Okay, I see. Well, if you’d rather wait inside, I’d be happy to make some coffee,” he suggested with a smile.

  “Oh, thanks, that's okay, I don’t wanna be a bother,” I smiled politely.

  I was sweaty from my run and so were my shorts and t-shirt. It wasn’t exactly the first or second impression I wanted to make. My stomach growled loudly, clearly angry that it hadn’t been fed yet and knowing damn well that it would have to wait for me to get back inside to fix myself some breakfast.

  He must have heard the growl because he held up a paper bag. “I got fresh bagels?” He grinned and lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

  His baby blue eyes twinkled with the suggestion and I found myself unable to say no to that face.

  “Okay, fine,” I let out a laugh and got up. We walked the couple of yards to his door which he opened and then let me enter first. His house looked almost exactly like my mom’s—except for the furniture. His place had more of a bachelor pad type of vibe: dark grey couch, black framed paintings and wood tables.

  “The kitchen’s this way,” he said, taking the lead. “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll get the coffee going,” he gestured at the chairs by the table and then disappeared behind a corner.

  I sat down and put my hands in my lap, feeling nervous. I was at Mr. Neighbors house. Crap. I had no idea what his name was. Please don’t call him Mr. Neighbor.

  “How do you drink your coffee?” He yelled out from the kitchen.

  “With milk, please.”

  Soon after, he emerged from behind the corner with two cups and placed them on the table. “I’ll just get the bagels now. Cream cheese okay with you?”

  I nodded my approval and reached for the other cup, watching him disappear out of sight again. When he came back, he placed a plate in front of me and sat down at the opposite side of the table.

  “Thanks a lot,” I gave him a smile and took a sip of the coffee. “This is a little embarrassing but..I don’t think we’ve ever introduced ourselves to each other,” I let out a nervous laugh. “I’m Amelia. Foster, like my mom.”

  Like my mom? Idiot.

  He reached out his hand and took mine into his. His skin was warm and feeling it on mine sent shivers down my back. As it did, his blue eyes fixated on mine, as if he had noticed my reaction to his touch.

  “Nice to meet you, Amelia. I’m Lucas. Carter, like my dad,” he winked playfully and then chuckled.

  I giggled and snorted—accidentally. I immediately clapped my hand to my mouth to stifle the sound. Lucas looked at me with a bemused expression and then we both burst into laughter.

  “Oops,” I managed to say once the laughter quieted down.

  “Happens to the best of us,” he said and his eyes twinkled as he took a bite out of his bagel. “So, Amelia, you were on a run this morning?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I love running here during the summertime. Plus it helps me stay sane,” I grinned. “Sometimes I need to escape the craziness. Do you like to run?”

  “I’m more of a biker. I like to bike to work every day during the summer an
d most times during the fall and spring too. And I have to agree, it’s a great outlet.”

  I bit into the bagel, the delicious taste of doughy goodness mixed with cream cheese filling my mouth. If my stomach could’ve sang from joy, this bagel would’ve caused it.

  “This is so good,” I sighed. “You’re a lifesaver. I was starving after that run. I’m not sure how I forgot my keys, I usually always remember to take them. Especially since my mom’s gone a lot.”

  “My pleasure. Always happy to help out a damsel in distress.” Lucas smiled. “So tell me, what do you do?”

  “Well, I just got back, a week ago actually. I graduated and now I’m gonna start looking for an internship,” I told him. “In architecture.”

  Lucas was listening intently. “Impressive.”

  “So, how about you?”

  “I own a tech company with my best friend,” he said and my eyes widened: it sounded a lot more impressive than architecture.

  He noticed my awed expression and quickly added, “Just a small one, nothing big.”

  I nodded and took another bite out of my bagel. We continued the conversation as we finished up our coffees and bagels. Just as I was gulping down the last of my coffee, my phone rang.

  “Sorry, I think it’s the locksmith,” I shot him an apologetic look and got up from the table, walking to his living room near the front door.

  “Miss Foster? We’re outside your house,” the locksmith said.

  “Okay, great, I’ll be right there.”

  I turned back to face Lucas and met his eyes. “They’re outside. I'm gonna go. Thanks a lot for everything,” I smiled and he nodded and started clearing the table.

  I turned around and walked out of his place, making my way to the one next to it.

  I couldn’t believe that Mr. Neighbor, or Lucas, had actually invited me over to his house. Even thinking back to being there with him caused those butterflies to make a reappearance in my stomach.

  I was grinning at myself as the locksmith worked on the lock, finally opened it and let me inside the house.

  “Lucas Carter,” I whispered to myself, smiling.

  Was he just being nice or could there be a chance that he was actually interested in me?

  Chapter 4

  Lucas.

  I was finishing up lunch when I got a call from Xavier.

  “Hey Lu, you wanna grab a couple of beers in town tonight?”

  “Sounds great. The usual spot?”

  “Yes brother. See you at...let’s say seven!”

  I got up from the table and started clearing it. I’d have a couple of hours to kill before heading out. Although it wouldn’t be hard to find something to do: work was always my most usual past-time activity, as depressing as it sounded. I loaded the dishwasher with plates and pots, turned it on and then settled on the living room couch with my laptop.

  My mind kept racing back to the morning and bumping into Amelia. It had just kind of seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to invite her to mine like that. Of course it was too bad she had forgotten her keys, but I think in the end, we both benefited from it. I’d made a quick decision right there on the curb about inviting her over—I still felt apprehensive about being thought of as inappropriate. Which I didn’t believe I was being. I just happened to find her intriguing and she just happened to be a bit younger. Was that so bad? I didn’t think so.

  But since the opportunity had presented itself, I’d had to at least talk to her, especially because I knew she had been interested in me, at least years ago. Back when I hadn’t thought anything of her. But now, there was just something about her, something I wasn’t able to put my finger on.

  I turned on my laptop and read through my schedule for next week. It would be extremely busy, especially since we’d be moving ahead with the proposition. The company was doing well, which still took me by surprise sometimes, seeing as so many other tech companies were struggling in the current economy.

  With a sigh, I started working on a new project while my mind kept escaping to Amelia.

  A few hours later, I abandoned my work and changed out of my sweats into jeans and a t-shirt. Instead of taking my bike like usual, I hailed a cab from outside and about ten minutes later entered our usual spot.

  Xavier was already sitting down in one of the booths, with two beers in front of him on the table. He gave me a wave and I made my way over, sitting down opposite to him.

  “How’s it going?” I asked, taking a sip of the beer. “Next round is on me.”

  Xavier grinned and lifted his bottle up. “Sounds good to me. I’m good, man. Lily was happy I took her out again last night and today we’ve been relaxing.”

  “Happy wife, happy life. Isn’t that what they say?” I shot him a quizzical look and Xavier let out a laugh.

  “Well, indeed. Had to learn that the hard way. Can’t keep prioritizing work too much anymore, otherwise she’ll get at me for it.” He grimaced playfully.

  Even though he sometimes made it seem like Lily had him on a leash, I knew he was really happy with her. She was one of the best things that had happened to him.

  “And about that. You know the wedding’s in two months. As my best man, I want you to bring a date. It’s about time you get back in the game.” Xavier said, lifting his eyebrow.

  I took another sip and let out a desperate sigh. “I know, I know..I’m not exactly getting any younger here, am I,” I laughed sarcastically.

  Xavier looked at me encouragingly. “Hey, it’s not too late for you. Just means you gotta get yourself out there. You know how fast things ended up happening between me and Lily. We just met and went on a few dates and then I just knew that I wanted to be with her. Ten months later we’re here and soon to be married. And I don’t have any second doubts about that.”

  I gave him a nod. “You’re right. I guess I just kind of struggle with putting myself out there. I even promised to myself last week that I’d join a dating site..but never got around to actually doing it. I’ve always been a lone wolf and like spending time by myself. But you already know that.”

  “Of course I know that, you remember that I’m pretty much the same way. But it just means you need someone like that in your life, too. I’m telling you man, once you find that, life just gets better. Now that I’ve been with Lily for almost a year, I can’t even imagine life without her. It just feels like I have it all,” Xavier grinned. “I made it with my best friend, we have a successful company together and now I also have the woman of my dreams by my side. I want you to get it all too, Lu.”

  I finished my beer, mulling over his words. He was right. I really needed to get myself out there. If I wanted what my parents had, what Xavier and Lily had, I needed to get out of my comfort zone to find it—or to at least stumble upon it.

  I got up from the seat, shooting a questioning look at Xavier. “Another round?”

  He nodded and I walked over to the bar and ordered for the both of us.

  “Okay, I think there could be someone who’s sparked my interest,” I revealed to him when I got back to the table and handed him a bottle.

  He looked surprised. “What? Who? Why am I only hearing about this now?” he asked sternly and shook his finger at me playfully.

  I chuckled. “Well, it’s new. I’d never really considered it. It’s this girl next door.”

  “She moved there recently or something?”

  I took a deep breath. “Well, kind of. The thing is that she’s...younger.” I felt uncomfortable admitting it, but I knew that Xavier wasn’t one to judge. “She just got back from college. And she does seem a lot more mature than most people her age. The thing is that I can’t help but feel like a big old creep whenever I think about that possibility.”

  Xavier was deep in thought for a while. “I mean, she’s graduated so it’s not that bad. She must be like twenty-two. That’s not that creepy, Lu. But have you talked to her? Does it seem like she’s into you?”

  I nodded. “H
onestly, I first noticed her right before she left for college. She must have been eighteen.” I quickly added. “I noticed her because it was clear she was eyeing me back then. Like, properly. That’s what initially sparked my interest.” I took another sip of liquid courage. “But yeah, she just got back and I’ve noticed her looking at me. And I gotta admit I’ve been looking at her too..man, she’s fine, like stunning.” Images of her beauty filled my brain and I lost myself in them momentarily. “She got locked out this morning and I bumped into her, so I invited her over for coffee. We had a nice time getting to know each other. But I definitely think she’s a little shy.”

  Xavier was beaming. “That’s fantastic. I’d say go for it, let loose. She sounds great. I can’t remember the last time you had a thing for someone...that must’ve been like ten years ago. When you broke up with Daria. This is good for you. I’m happy for you.”

  I grimaced at the mention of my ex, Daria. That hadn’t been an amicable breakup. We’d dated for a year and eventually it turned out she had only been after my money. I’d ended things with her. The whole thing had had a lasting effect on me: I felt like most people wanted me for my money, so I never told anyone about it. Although, I didn’t believe Amelia to be like that. But at the same time, I also didn’t feel like complicating things by bringing in my financial status to the situation. That would be for a later date.

  I shifted my eyes back to Xavier. “You really think I should go for it?”

  “Yes, a hundred times yes. You can’t win if you don’t take the shot.” He grinned. “Another round?”

  I nodded.

  Chapter 5

  Amelia.

  My mom still hadn’t called or texted me back and as much as I didn’t like admitting it, her disappearing act was starting to worry me. Going MIA wasn’t unlike her, but at this point she had usually been considerate enough to message me.