Tempting Tatum (11 page)

“Asher,” Grace admonishes him.

He kisses her cheek. “Everyone but Dad and I, of course,” he says with a wink.

Grace just chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Leave him alone. Tatum seems like a really sweet girl. She’s just what Blaise needs in his life,” Grace says.

They continue to talk, but I tune them out. My attention is all hers. She’s standing at the edge of the tent talking to Jackson Johnson and Cade Chapman. She and Ember both seem to be enjoying the company.

“Hey, you guys up for some touch football,” my cousin John asks.

I’m up and walking toward the girls as I throw an answer over my shoulder. “I’ll round up the troops,” I say. I walk with purpose to where Ember and Tatum are standing.

“Hey,” Jackson says, reaching out to shake my hand. He’s the one who has been flirting nonstop with Ember. Jackson and I graduated together, and have been friends for years. He’s a good guy; I won’t stand in his way…but if he hurts her, he will have both Asher and me to answer to. I give him the look; he nods his head. Glad to see we’re on the same page.

“Glad you could make it,” I tell him. I turn to face Cade and stretch out my hand to shake his.

Cade smiles and shakes my hand. “Long time, no see, my man,” he says.

“Yeah. How you been, man?” I ask him.

“Good. I just moved back. Dad finally convinced me to come home and practice with him.”

“Good for you,” I say. I try not to snarl my words, but he’s standing really close to Tatum, and well, I don’t fucking like it.

Cade then turns to Tatum. “I’m an attorney. I’ve been practicing in Chicago since I passed my boards. I missed home and Dad has been pestering me for years to come back home. So here I am.” He smiles coyly at her.

“So, we’re getting a game of touch football together and you know the rules. Male to female ratio and all,” I say to Ember. Of course, there is no need to remind her of the rule. It exists because of her. She used to whine when Asher and I refused to let her play with our friends. So Dad created the equal male to female ration on special occasions for when we play. Fourth of July is such an occasion.

Right now, in this moment, I am so glad I have a baby sister who caused that rule to be in place. It means she will most likely convince Tatum to join the fun; this leads to me spending more time with her. I need to get this attraction worked out of my system. Sure, she’s gorgeous and her eyes captivate me, but shit, I’m acting like the fifteen-year-old version of myself with this girl.

“EEEK!” Ember reaches out and grabs Tatum’s arm. Tatum’s eyes go wide at Ember’s excitement then she smiles and her face lights up. If I thought she was gorgeous before; now well, I can’t even find the words to describe her.

“Tatum, you have to play. It’s so much fun.” Ember then proceeds to tell her about how Asher and I used to refuse to let her play so she whined to Dad and he made the male to female rule on special occasions.

Tatum bites her bottom lip. My eyes watch in fascination and, well, jealously. “I’ve never played,” she says shyly.

My lust-filled brain is slow on the uptake. Once her words register in my brain, I open my mouth to tell her I can teach her anything she needs to know.
Anything.
But Cade beats me to it.

Cade places his arm around Tatum’s shoulders. “I would be happy to show you the ropes.” He winks.

Not wanting to try to decipher why I feel rage over Cade touching a girl I have only spent a minimal amount of time with, I interrupt him. “Well, let’s get moving,” I say snidely. I turn and walk to the other side of the yard where John and the others are assembling to pick teams.

I don’t bother to look behind me and see if they’re going to follow. I know my little sister, and no way will she pass up this opportunity.

I reach the side yard and John tells me he and I are going to be team captains. I smile because I want Tatum on my team. I contemplate telling John to pick Cade and Tatum is mine, but I stop myself. My mind races with the thought of her being mine. I quickly shake my head and observe my family and friends who have created a huddle to join the fun.

John goes first and chooses Asher. Good choice. I choose Jackson first. I wanted to scream “Tatum,” but I’ve been obvious enough for one day. John then picks Tatum.
Fuck me!
I scowl at him, and he looks at me like I’ve lost my fucking mind. Well guess what, I have. Tatum is now controlling my thoughts. I need to shake this girl. I choose Ember as my next pick; she’s just as good as most of the guys. Asher and I taught her well. To my dismay, Cade and Tatum do end up on the same team.

I stalk off to the center of the field while each side lines up. We have already done the coin toss, and John’s team gets the ball first. I’m standing on the imaginary line when I feel a hand on my arm. I look down to see its Ember. She’s smiling at me like I just gave her a million dollars. She motions with her finger for me to come closer. I bend down and she whispers in my ear. “Just think, you get to tackle her,” she says with a laugh. Instantly my mood is a little brighter.

“This is touch,” I tell her.

Ember shrugs her shoulders. “Who says you can’t accidentally fall into her. Accidents happen,” she quips.

Did I mention I adore my little sister?

Mom, who is on the sidelines, blows the whistle to start the game. She has been our referee since we were little. Some things never change.

On the line, I am directly in front of Tatum. Yeah, I did work to make that happen. I stand with a scowl on my face as I watch Cade with his arm around her explaining the basics.

John snaps the ball and I put my arms out to keep Tatum from getting by. She smiles shyly and places her hands on my chest to push me out of the way. I don’t move. She looks up and our eyes lock. I hear Mom blow the whistle. Tatum backs away and takes her spot on the line. The whistle blows and she’s in front of me again. John hikes the ball. Tatum sprints forward and tries to duck under my arm. I reach out and grab her around the waist and swing her body against mine. Her back is pressed against my front and my senses are assaulted with her sweet scent. I can feel her chest rise and fall. The whistle blows and I don’t want to let her go, but I know I have to. I’m starting to have a little issue in the land down under and I’m glad I have on loose fitting cargo shorts. I shift my stance, trying to make myself more comfortable.

The game goes on for another hour, until we are all too hot and too tired to continue. I think I’m really the only one that’s jazzed. This has everything to do with Tatum. I continued to find ways to touch her, and hold her, longer than was legal or necessary for the game. I’m standing at the cooler under a shade tree when Asher joins me.

“What’s with you, bro?” he asks.

I continue to chug my bottle of water, my eyes finding his over the bottle. “What?”

“I’ve never seen you this way. All flirty, and did I hear you growl during the game?” he asks, amused.

“Don’t,” I say, my words clipped.

Asher laughs and walks back to the tent to find Grace. She opted out of the game and instead played rummy with our grandma. Asher is one lucky SOB.

“Holy Shit!” Ember says as we sit in the grass chugging bottles of water.

“What?” I ask her.

“What do you mean what? My brother, that’s what,” she says, smirking.

“Which one?” I ask, playing dumb. I know she can see right through me. Ember is like Leah and I in so many ways. The more time I’m around her, the more excited I get about living with her.

“Pretend all you want, roomie, but I know you know what I’m talking about,” she laughs.

Instead of responding, I twist the lid off my water and sip slowly. I feel her watching me. Ember clears her throat and taps her finger on her leg, waiting impatiently for me to admit there was something going on out on the field between Blaise and me. I can’t admit it. I have no fucking clue what was happening out there. My mind is still trying to piece together the puzzle.

Ember releases a sigh, like I’m inconveniencing her by not telling her what’s going on between us, but there is no us. I’m just as clueless as she is.

“Really,” I tell her. “I have no idea.”

“Well I do. My brother wants you. He had his hands all over you,” she laughs. “I have to hand it to him; he gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘touch football’.”

I can’t help but join in her laughter. Part of it is because I’m at a loss for words, and the other part is the thought of an Adonis like Blaise wanting me is rather hilarious.

“I’m going to run to the restroom. You need anything?” Ember asks.

“Actually, I think I’ll go with you. I need to wash my hands,” I say, showing her my dirt covered digits.

Ember leads me into the house and up the stairs. “I’ll use the one in my bedroom; you can use the one down the hall. Second door on the right.”

“Thanks,” I say as I continue down the hall. I stop in front of the second door on the right. I reach for the handle, but the door swings open, causing me to lose my balance. I’m mentally prepared for the fall, but strong arms wrap around me.

“You okay, sweets?” a deep timbre asks me.

I look up and find silver eyes watching me. Blaise. He has one arm around me, his hand resting on my back and the other hand resting on my hip, holding me tight against him.

Oh. My.

“Yes, sorry. I wasn’t expecting you,” I tell him. Fighting to keep my voice from revealing that he is leaving me breathless being this close to him, his hands on me.

Blaise studies me for what seems like a lifetime; in reality, it’s only mere seconds. He bends down and places his lips next to my ear. “I wasn’t expecting you either,” he whispers.

I can feel the blush cross my cheeks. Blaise notices because his smile gets bigger.

“I’m sorry,” I say, and place my hands on his chest to push him away. His chest is tight and ripped. This does nothing to tone down the blush, which I’m now sure covers my entire upper body.

Blaise chuckles, moves his other hand to my hip, and turns me so I’m now in the bathroom and he’s standing in the hallway. “Great game,” he says with a wink before he releases me, turns and walks away.

I quickly shut the door and lock it. I brace my hands against the sink and bow my head. My heart is racing. I turn on the faucet and wash my hands. I then turn the water to cold and splash my face. I need to get myself together. Blaise, as tempting as he is, is not what I need right now. I need to focus on my job and my new home. With Ember, Blaise’s sister. I briefly re-think my decision to move in with her, but quickly squash it. I need to learn to resist temptation. Josh has put me off men for a while, even sexy walking sin like Blaise.

Walking out of the bathroom, I see Ember standing in the hall waiting for me. “Did I hear you scream?” she asks me.

Shit. I must have screamed when Blaise opened the door. I was too entranced to even notice.

“Um, yeah. When I went to open the bathroom door, it opened on its own,” I tell her. I’m purposely being evasive, although Ember is too much like Leah and me. I know she’s going to pry it out of me.

“And? I grew up in this house, so I know it’s not haunted. Who was it?” she questions.

“Blaise,” I say as casually as I possibly can.

Her only reply is to laugh.

I follow her back down the stairs and outside. Grace and Asher, along with Leah, Brent and Jackson, are all sitting on the deck. We join them. Grace suggests we play battle of the sexes, but we need one more player. Before anyone else can make a suggestion, Asher has his phone to his ear.

“Bro, meet us on the back deck; we need another for battle of the sexes,” he says into the phone. I can only assume from the “bro” comment that he’s talking to Blaise. “Me, Gracie, Ember, Jackson, Leah, Brent and Tatum.” He pauses. “Cool,” he says and hangs up.

“Blaise is in,” he tells us.

Ember jumps up from her chair. “I’ll go get the game. Ladies on one side, guys on the other,” she says over her shoulder.