Flirting With Temptation
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2009 by Kelley St. John
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee
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First eBook Edition: February 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-54417-7
Contents
THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET
“It’s not just commitment that concerns me,” Jeff said. “It’s the fact that women simply can’t be satisfied. They’re constantly flirting, constantly on the hunt. I’ve heard that it’s believed that males think about sex three times as much as females. Bull.”
“Are you talking about women in general or me specifically?” Babette asked.
“Both.”
“That’s not true.”
“Prove it, and if you do, then I’ll talk to Kitty.”
“Prove it—how?”
“For the remainder of the time you’re here, you remain focused on the job and you forego the temptation to flirt with every guy on the beach.”
“I’m supposed to be at the beach for a whole week and not even flirt? In order to prove to you that woman can commit?” she asked. “That makes no sense.”
He stood. “Fine. That was my offer.” He started walking toward the door, and Babette gawked at his ass in those pants. Damn piña colada. Definitely would have to lay off of them over the next two weeks, because she was accepting his ridiculous challenge.
“You’re on.”
TO CATCH A CHEAT
“A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy . . . Ms. St. John pens a clever story that is not only steeped in humor, but simmering with sexual tension and spicy love scenes.”
—FallenAngelReviews.com
“A cute, fun read, Marissa and Trent’s romantic romp will make you laugh out loud.”
—Parkersburg News
“Readers will . . . root for the heroine to finally catch her cheat.”
—Midwest Book Review
REAL WOMEN DON’T WEAR SIZE 2
“Hot fun . . . This is steamy reading that should appeal to those in the
Sex and the City
crowd.”
—Publishers Weekly
“St. John continues to show her flair for comedic timing and dialogue in her latest chick-lit romp.”
—Booklist
“A poignant tale that proves that fun and love come in all sizes, be sure to check out
Real Women Don’t Wear Size 2
.”
—RomRevToday.com
“Witty, funny, cute, sassy, touching, affirming . . . This is great romance (definitely a hot one) that is a real hoot . . . Kelley St. John has hit the ball out of the park with
Real Women Don’t Wear Size 2
.”
—OnceUponaRomance.net
“An entertaining contemporary romance . . . fans will enjoy the escapades of a woman in love.”
—TheBestReviews.com
“A great book to take to the beach or read by the pool . . . if the sun is not hot enough for you, this book will be!”
—RomanceReaderAtHeart.com
“A cute story—fun—and very, very erotic and sexy.”
—RomanceReviewsMag.com
GOOD GIRLS DON’T
“Sizzling . . .
Good Girls Don’t
is just what the cover claims: a sexy, sassy romance about compromising positions.”
—Rendezvous
“Fast-paced, sexy, and witty . . . will please fans of
Sex and the City
.”
—Booklist
“A sexy read . . . Pure, fabulous fun!”
—Julie Leto, author of
Dirty Little Secrets
“[A] fun tale . . . Hits the right G-note.”
—TheBestReviews.com
“Wow! This is over the top, and all the fun of a sweet
Sex and the City
! Fans of sizzling romance will have a ride on cloud nine with this one.”
—Maggie Davis, author of
Hustle Sweet Love
“Kelley St. John’s sexy debut,
Good Girls Don’t
, delivers both heat and heart, making St. John an author to watch!”
—Julie Kenner, author of
The Givenchy Code
and
Carpe Demon
“Original, fast-paced, sexy and sassy . . . For all you chick-lit fans out there, heads up! There’s a new kid on the block, and she totally rocks.”
—RomanceDesigns.com
“One of the most entertaining romances I’ve read in a while. Kelley St. John brings her characters to life, and readers will find themselves immersed in the story from the first sentence on . . . This is one of those ‘Don’t Miss’ recommend[ations], guaranteed to leave readers wanting more.”
—LoveRomances.com
“
Good Girls Don’t
shines, and the novel has found a place on my ‘permanent keeper’ shelf. Kelley St. John will take the romance world by storm!”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“A very entertaining contemporary romance novel . . . a sexy and fun read.”
—MyShelf.com
“FOUR STARS! A super-sexy and super-funny charmer of a story . . . St. John takes the rider on a wheelie ride of emotion—from laugh-out-loud to that little choke in your throat, and then back to laughing.”
—BooksforaBuck.com
“Will be enjoyed by anyone who likes hot contemporaries.”
—RomanceReaderatHeart.com
“A PERFECT TEN! A story with fast-moving action, sincere emotions, and the longing for love that is in all of us . . . a dynamite first novel filled with passion, emotion, and laughs.
Good Girls Don’t
pulled out all the stops . . . so what else can I do but give it RRT’s Perfect 10 award? I know you will give it one too.”
—RomRevToday.com
“A must-have! Fun and sexy . . . I highly recommend!”
—JoyfullyReviewed.com
A
LSO BY
K
ELLEY
S
T
. J
OHN
Good Girls Don’t
Real Women Don’t Wear Size 2
To Catch a Cheat
To Linda Howard.
You’re the most amazing writer on the planet,
and you’re an even more amazing friend.
Thanks for everything, always.
—Kelley
My thanks and appreciation to:
Beth de Guzman and Frances Jalet-Miller, for editing
during the initial stages of
Flirting with Temptation
;
Selina McLemore, for really understanding
Jeff and Babette’s unique relationship
and providing the editorial guidance
to make their story shine;
and Caren Johnson, my incredible agent.
B
abette Robinson’s breath caught, her stomach knotted, and her heart did that whole shall-I-keep-beating-or-shall-I-stop thing when Ethan Eubanks glanced across the reception hall, held up his glass of champagne and smiled toward her table. He was smiling at his wife, Babette’s sister, but that didn’t matter. Babette simply couldn’t control the typical response to seeing him, not because she had any feelings for Ethan
that
way, but because he was the spitting image of his twin, and whether she liked it or not, she always had some form of Jeff’s image tickling the back of her brain. It was such a nice image, after all. And seeing Ethan brought it right up front and center.
Sandy blond hair, turquoise eyes, sexy smirk. Jeff’s skin was more golden, due to his full-time beach residence, but other than that, the two were identical. Either one of them could double for Jude Law and totally be convincing. But it wasn’t Jude that Babette saw when she looked at her brother-in-law; it was Jeff. And her current vision of Jeff had him in the buff.
Again, not a bad image.
“Hellloooo. Earth to Babette, and a gentle reminder—that’s Ethan,” Clarise said, leaning forward and snapping her fingers in front of Babette’s face.
“Trust me, I know.”
“Yet you still see Jeff when you look at him. You realize that it’s somewhat uncomfortable to watch my sister’s eyes glaze over every time she looks at my husband.”
“Right. Sorry.”
“I realize that I should take it easy on you, since it’s your birthday,” Clarise said, “but I’d like you to at least attempt to remember which brother is attending Richard and Genie’s wedding.”
“Jeff should be here,” Babette mumbled against her glass, then sipped more champagne. “Richard is his friend, and Jeff was with me when I first realized that he still loved Genie. It’s because of us that they worked things out last year, and that now they’re married.”
“Exactly what did Jeff have to do with it?” Clarise took a bite of the chocolate groom’s cake, then hummed her contentment. “Sure, he introduced you to his friends, but you’re the one who made it your mission to learn the story behind the tension between them and get them back together.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have met them without Jeff, now would I?”
Clarise swallowed another bite of cake, smirked. “Jeff has been swamped with work lately. Plus, it isn’t like he lives right down the street. It’s a six-hour drive from Destin to Birmingham.”
“His family owns the company. He can take off when he wants, and you know it. And I know how far it is.” She’d driven it, plenty of times, when she’d visited him at his condo on the beach.
Visited
. Such a light word for everything they experienced in that condo, and on that beach, for that matter.
“For someone who hasn’t even spoken to him in months, you seem mighty disappointed that he didn’t show. And you’ve hardly spent any time at all with your gorgeous date.” Clarise scanned the reception hall. “Where is he, anyway?”
“Probably with Jesilyn.”
“With Jesilyn?” Clarise’s brows hitched beneath her bangs. Jesilyn was one of their dearest friends. Babette had spotted the sparks between her and Robbie immediately, so she left them alone. Or rather, she’d nudged them along. Didn’t matter that he’d come with Babette; she’d only brought him on the off-chance of making Jeff jealous anyway.
“Yes, with Jesilyn,” Babette said dismissively. “And that’s fine. Now, what were we talking about, again?” She knew, of course, but she didn’t want to be the one to bring Jeff back up. And she also knew that Clarise wouldn’t disappoint.
“We were talking about my brother-in-law,” Clarise answered. “You’ve hardly mentioned him since your split in the summer, and suddenly you can’t stop talking about him. Wouldn’t have anything to do with that announcement in the society section of today’s paper, would it?”
“Announcement?” Babette turned her eyes toward the dance floor and wished that the band would start back up. The current lull in music wasn’t affording her any opportunity to feign more interest in the dancing than the conversation.
“Nice try, sis,” Clarise said, and Babette glanced back to see her grinning as she took another bite. “But I know you too well. You read the announcement that he and Kitty Carelle are engaged, and you’re wondering if I know the details.”
Babette started to answer, but was halted by the sudden appearance of their grandmother.
“Whew, I’ve got to sit down for a breather. The twins are adorable, but they’re running their great-grandmother ragged.” Gertrude Robinson dropped into an empty chair at the table, placed a big slab of white wedding cake in front of her and grinned at Clarise and Babette. Her bold platinum waves were a little less exuberant than they had been at the wedding service, kind of flopping in toward her face and shielding her eyes, but nothing could shield the sparkling pink glitter on her cheeks. “Don’t you just love a Christmas wedding?” she asked, plucking a swirl of icing off the side of her cake and popping it in her mouth. “All those poinsettias and candles. Really something.”
“Granny,” Clarise said, looking behind her grandmother as she spoke, “Where are Lindy and Little Ethan?”