Welcome to Temptation/Bet Me Read online

  “I have to go now,” Sophie said breathlessly into the phone. “I’m sorry if this hurts you but I don’t think it will. You always seemed sort of clinical anyway.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’ll soften the blow,” Phin said. “Remind me never to get involved with you.”

  “Um, have a nice life,” Sophie said brightly, and hung up. She walked over and boosted herself onto the table next to him, willing herself to stay cool, and reached for her wineglass again. “So you’re not getting involved?”

  He took the glass away from her. “No. I’m just going to have cheap sex with you and then run like hell.”

  “Chicken,” she said.

  He stood up and put her glass in the sink, and then he came back to stand in front of her, parting her knees with his body. He said, “You bet,” and she lost her breath again.

  He kissed her, sliding his hand into her dress to cup her breast, and she thought, A semi-complete stranger is groping me, and smiled against his mouth.

  “What?” he said, and she gave in to the devil and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “It feels good,” she said, and he said, “Well, that’s why I do it,” and kissed her again, running his hands down her back to lift her off the table.

  “Where’s the bedroom?” he said, and she said, “Second door on the left upstairs.”

  “Upstairs?” He put her back on the table. “Then you walk. And make it quick, before the therapist calls back.”

  She was going to argue, but she heard Amy and Wes on the porch, so she slid off the table and headed for the stairs and all that headbanging sex she’d been promised.

  Twenty minutes later, she was suffocating on top of him in the heat of her unair-conditioned bedroom, the ancient box springs squeaking under them like a bad accordion, and her head was unbanged because the sex was lousy.

  It wasn’t Phin’s fault. He was as thoroughly competent at the Phallic Variation as he’d been orally the night before. So it must be me, she thought, as he moved under her, doing absolutely nothing for her. She felt embarrassed by the whole situation. Zane had been right. She just wasn’t the type for headbanging sex. She was too detached. She was too prissy and straight. She was doing this to write a sex scene for a movie she wasn’t even sure she wanted to make. She was hot and sticky and she could feel her hair kinking in the heat even as Phin breathed under her, so she knew she looked awful. She was unexciting. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter, she was never going to get anywhere at this rate.

  She thought briefly about faking it, and then dumped the idea when she realized that Phin would probably see through it and make fun of her performance. That pretty much left her with no option except tapping him on the shoulder and telling him to play on through because she was out of the game. Sorry, she’d have to say. I’m not even close. Or she could let him figure it out on his own, except guys never did. They just—

  “You’re not even close, are you?” Phin said, breathless below her, and she refocused back on him.

  “What?”

  “Hi, I’m Phin Tucker, and I’m inside you. I know how these things slip your mind.” He didn’t sound annoyed, but she felt bad anyway.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, and he slid his hand down her back and rolled to one side so that they lay face-to-face on the damp sheets, the springs protesting under them.

  “Don’t apologize.” He brushed back a curl that was stuck to her forehead. “Thinking about the therapist?” He moved against her to bring her closer, and her nerves kicked into gear.

  “Who?” she said, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about.

  “Well, at least you forgot us both,” Phin said. “That was very democratic of you.” He used a corner of the sheet to wipe sweat off her forehead. “Remind me to get you an air conditioner before we do this again. I’m dying here.”

  She wanted to say, What are you talking about, AGAIN? This is a disaster, but it didn’t seem polite. “Maybe we should just call it a night,” she said, and moved back from him, and he followed her to stay inside her, and that made her shiver under his hands.

  “Maybe we should give it another shot,” he said as she trembled. “That’s at least one nerve you’ve still got working.” He kissed her in the damp curve where her neck met her shoulder, and she took a ragged breath and moved against him again without thinking. “And that one always works. I noticed that last night.”

  “Last night was different,” she said.

  “Yeah, you came,” Phin said, and she laughed in spite of herself.

  “Not that. I’m distracted tonight. It’s not your fault.”

  “Do me a favor.” Phin slid his hand down her sweat-damp back again. “Don’t be understanding. There’s nothing worse for a guy’s ego.”

  “Your ego is in fine shape,” Sophie said crushingly. “Along with the rest of you. Really, this isn’t going to work. Could we go watch TV now or something?”

  “No.” Phin kissed her in the curve of her neck again, and she shivered and said, “Stop that.”

  “See?” he said in her ear, which made her shiver, too. “Progress. Now tell me your fantasies.”

  “What?” She tried to squirm away and he rolled again, trapping her under him. He was heavy and sweaty, which should have been a turn-off, but her body rocked against his, independent of her mind, and she closed her eyes as he slid deeper into her.

  “I think it’s time we got to know each other,” Phin said, laughter in his voice. “What do you think about when you masturbate?”

  “Okay, I’m out of here.” Sophie tried to roll out from under him, but he pressed down on her with his hips, and she stayed just to feel him hard inside her.

  “What do you think about, Sophie?” he whispered in her ear, and she said loudly, “I don’t think about anything.”

  “You are such a lousy liar.” He rolled again, this time so that she was on top, his body sliding slickly under hers, and Sophie felt herself flush.

  “Bondage?” he said, his voice husky as he rocked against her, his hands on her hips, and she caught her breath and said, “You come near me with a rope, and I’m history.”

  “Okay, later for that,” he said. “Rape fantasy?”

  “Tacky,” she said, and he said, “Not if you do it right. You want to dominate?”

  “Oh, yeah. Like you’d let me.” She started to laugh, only to stop when she heard people in the kitchen downstairs. “Shhh.”

  “Why?” Phin stopped moving. “It’s just Wes and Amy.”

  “Yeah.” Sophie looked over her shoulder at the door.

  “Did you lock it?” Phin said in her ear, and he sounded amused.

  “I forgot.” She tried to pull away from him, but he rolled and trapped her again, sliding deeper inside her and making her gasp. “Stop it,” she said breathlessly. “I’m not even sure it’s closed all the way. Let me go lock it and I’ll come back.”

  “Bothers you, huh?” Phin started working his way down her neck again as he pulsed inside her, and Sophie felt the heat spread low as her blood pounded.

  “No,” she lied.

  “They could walk in anytime.” He nibbled on her shoulder, and she twitched under him and felt her breath go. “Walk right in and find us naked.” He slid his hand up to her sweat-dampened breast, and the heat rolled across her as she moved to his rhythm. “Find you naked. With me inside you. Nothing you could do about it.”

  She caught her breath and said, “Stop it,” and he said, “Nope, I think we’re getting somewhere.”

  She squirmed under him to get away, and their bodies slid together. He said, “Oh, God, yes, do that,” and she smacked him on the shoulder because he was so impossible, and arched into him at the same time because he was so hard moving inside her and he felt so good.

  “Maybe I can get . . . somebody else . . . to open that door,” he said in her ear, and she said, “No!” a lot louder than she meant because it was part moan. She heard Amy say, “Sophie?” downstairs, and