A Game Of Temptation

LAURA

If there were two things that could make me wake up early, it was work and food. I was on vacation, so it defiantly wasn’t work, which left us with only one option-food.

And that was exactly why I found myself in the kitchen at 6am.

The kitchen was stocked full and it was quite easy to find my way around it. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and some toast, before parking my ass on one of the stools by the island. Placing my breakfast in front of me, I dove into it.

I was so caught up in eating that I didn’t notice when another person walked into the kitchen. It wasn’t until they were pulling a chair out on the other side of the island that I took note of the presence.

My head flew up, the piece of toast pausing mid-way to my mouth.

When my eyes locked on striking blue ones, I blinked. “Hello.”

“Hello,” he parroted, his eyes lighting up even more than they already were-if that was even possible. His blue eyes were so humour filled, one would think I was putting on a show. A clown show.

“Uh… Good morning?”

I was still holding the piece of toast half-way to my mouth. Actually, my mouth was still one gaping hole. I was probably a sight with my messy bun, rumpled tank and super short shorts-not that he could see it because I was sitting opposite him-and he was over there looking incredible in a blue T-shirt and whatever the hell he was wearing. I’d bet my bottom dollar it was sweats.

I recognised him as the blonde man from the jet yesterday. I’d been so taken aback by Alex’s presence that I hadn’t been able to actually take a look at Jack’s two other friends.

This man was drop dead gorgeous. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, a square jaw and a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. From the laugh lines on the sides of his eyes and mouth, I could tell that he laughed a lot and it was a very good look on him.

I blinked again, and was taken aback by his abrupt laughter.

“Clown Laura at your service,” I told him, deciding to make a joke out of my current situation. “And you are?”

I mean, I had reasons to believe I was a clown. I’d barely said three words and he was already laughing his ass off like I’d put on an entire show for him. I didn’t know whether to be glad I was making a complete stranger laugh, or feel bad.

“I’m Drew, nice to meet you.” He’d stopped laughing at this point, but he was still smiling as he extended his hand to mine across the island.

I placed my hand in his and felt absolutely nothing. Zilch. Nada.

Well, then.

Withdrawing my hand, I went back to eating, polishing the last bit of my toast, before washing it down with coffee. All the while, I could feel his eyes on me.

“Are you usually up the early?”

I looked up at the abrupt question. Placing my coffee in front of me, I said, “Not really. Just when I have to get to work.”

He cocked his brow at that, then he rose from his stool and walked over to the cabinets, rummaging in it for a bit before fishing out a cereal and pouring a hefty dose into a bowl. Over his shoulder, he said, “What’s your excuse now?”

I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. “I was hungry.”

“Okay. I’ll take that.” He threw a grin over his shoulder, and I found myself oddly fighting back a grin.

I guess it was just an effect he had on people, making them smile without even realising that they were doing it.

“Do you usually wake up early?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee as I watched his back as he moved around, pouring milk and a tiny amount of sugar into his cereal bowl.

He was big, maybe just as big as Alex or close, but slightly taller. And he wasn’t as reserved or as intense as Alex was-actually, he was the complete opposite- but that worked for him. Now that I’d seen him smiling, it was hard to picture him all calm and reserved.

“Yeah.” Drew sighed, turning. “It’s a curse.”

He walked back to his stool across from hers, straddled it and dove into his meal with gusto. He was obviously hungry, probably the kind of hunger that had driven me to wake up.

My sudden appetite was probably due to my lack of yesterday. I’d barely eaten anything before leaving my flat and on the jet, I’d barely taken in anything. When we’d arrived at the house, I’d unpacked, drank some water, and went to bed. So, really, I’d barely eaten anything yesterday.

I was alternating between staring out the window and watching Drew eat when someone else walked into the kitchen.

My eyes followed the other man from the jet as he dragged his feet past us. He mumbled a ‘morning’ to both Drew and I, before walking over to the fridge in the corner. We watched him as he grabbed a bottle of water, closed the fridge, then turned around to walk back out of the kitchen.

Huh.

“Zombie Jake, is that you?” Drew teased.

The man really did look like a zombie though. Bags under his eyes that were barely open, his baggy sleep wear and the way he was dragging hie feet on the floor.

“Fuck you, man.” He muttered without looking at his friend. “I just want to sleep.”

“Uh… Are you okay?” I asked.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Jet-lag.” was all I got as answer before he dragged his feet back out of the kitchen.

I turned confused eyes on Drew, and he must have known what I was about to ask because he was already speaking. “He hates flying.”

Frowning, I nodded.

It was still too early to ask what the plan was for today, seeing as everyone wasn’t awake yet. It was probably smart to go back up to my room, finish unpacking, have my bath, before coming back down. Everyone would probably be awake by then.

I’d just polished off the remainder of my coffee and was about to hop down from my stool when Drew decided to speak up. “I know you definitely don’t work for Jack or I’d have seen you. What do you do?”

Okay, Drew was the furthest thing from subtle. And very unpredictable.

“I own a lingerie company.” I told him.

His eyes lit up like a kid presented with candy. “Really? Have I heard of it?”

“Eh.” I shrugged. “Since you don’t shop for lingeries, I don’t think so.”

He grinned wide. “Tell me the name anyway.”

When I did, recognition lit up his eyes and his grin spread so wide, I was worried his face would split in two.

“I know it.”

“You do?” I asked, curiosity making me brace my hands on the counter and lean forward without knowing that I was actually doing it.

“Yeah,” He nodded. “I bought a few lingeries for my ex on her birthday one time.”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my lips. So he had heard of my company. “Really?”

“Yeah, she loved your designs.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” I told him honestly.

Anyone that loved my designs, was a real gee and I was almost tempted to ask him why he wasn’t with her anymore. But it wasn’t my business, so I left it.

That was how Alex walked into the kitchen.

With me leaning heavily on the island, a grin on my lips as I stared at Drew and an equally wide grin on Drew’s lips as he stared at me.

His eyes ping-ponged between us, his face carefully blank and so fucking beautiful, it was almost impossible for her to focus on anything else. His dark hair was messy and his pink lips were slightly puffy with sleep. As if that wasn’t enough, he was wearing a white T-shirt and grey pants that did nothing to hide his morning wood.

Fuck me.

No, really. I needed him to fuck me now. Right there on the kitchen counter. I wouldn’t mind our audience of one.

“Good morning,” I muttered to him, mainly because I remembered my decision to treat him the way I treated the others.

The other reason was because I needed to speak up in order to take their attention away from the drool that was probably pooling at the side of my mouth.

“Morning,” he grunted in that sexy-as-hell morning voice.

Sliding off my stool, I hurried over to the sink to rinse my mug, feeling Alex’s eyes on me the entire time. I heard them talking behind me, but I was too hyper-aware of Alex’s eyes on me to actually pay attention to what they were saying.

Keeping the mug back, I made my way out of the kitchen with a throwaway, “See y’all later.” To which Drew replied, although I wasn’t quite sure Alex did.

However, the fact that he didn’t reply, didn’t mean that his eyes didn’t stay with me as I walked out of the kitchen in my short shorts.