Page 38 of Sweetest Temptation
Yet here I am, standing in the middle of the resort’s kitchen, heart fluttering over a man who had no business taking up this much space in my head. The worst part of all this was that I couldn’t even blame it on the weed. That connection—that pull—was too real and too raw to be blamed on anything but chemistry.
I scooped the last of the batter into the pans and slid them into the oven, trying to bake away the thoughts that refused to leave me alone. But even as I closed the door and wiped my hands on my apron, I could still feel him lingering somewhere inside me. His touch, his voice, his damn cocky-ass demeanor. And it scared me how much I wanted to feel him near again.
“Boss, you okay?” Tanya asked, glancing over with a curious look.
“I’m fine…” I forced a smile. “Just running through the gala menu in my head.”
She nodded and went back to whisking, but I could tell she didn’t buy it. I barely believed it myself.
Focus, Zanova,I told myself.Business first, heart later.
But my mind betrayed me again, wandering back to the sound of Samir’s voice, the heat in his eyes, and the way he said my name as if it were something worth savoring.
I bit my lip and turned toward the ovens again, making sure I’d shut the doors. I was clearly distracted because last night wasn’t supposed to go that far. I let that man finger me out in the open. That wasn’t me. I barely let Jerome kiss on me out in public, afraid someone would be watching us. And yet, letting Samir do what he did only heightened something inside me.
I was wiping a streak of flour from my apron when Nyala breezed through the door, humming loud and off-key like shedidn’t have a care in the world. Even from across the kitchen, I could tell something was different about her. Her braids were in a ball on top of her head, her skin had that just-been-fucked glow, and she was grinning like somebody’s secret.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” I said, lifting a brow. “You look… refreshed.”
Nyala laughed, grabbing a strawberry from a prep tray. “Refreshed and well fucked!”
Tanya snorted under her breath, and I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my smile. “Don’t come in here bragging about your night when I’ve been up since six, elbow-deep in batter.”
Nyala leaned against the counter, still grinning. “Mmh, somebody’s grumpy. Or maybe somebody’s distracted.” Her gaze sharpened. “So… What happened with you last night? Don’t think I didn’t see you sneaking off down that beach with Mr. Tall-Tequila-and-Trouble.”
Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it. “We just talked,” I said, way too fast.
“Talked,” she repeated, drawing the word out like she didn’t believe me for a second. “That’s what we are calling it now?”
I shook my head, laughing despite myself. “Nyala, please. It wasn’t like what you did last night.”
“Then why are you blushing like somebody turned the oven up to four-fifty?”
I tried to focus on smoothing the frosting on the cake in front of me, but my hands suddenly felt clumsy. “It’s nothing. We talked, and he walked me back to my room. The end.” I kept that Samir had me coming on his finger so good I was ready to pass out to myself.
“Girl, if I were you, me and that fine nigga would’ve put sex on the beach to shame. What’s the problem? I know you’re feeling him, boo. We are friends. We listen, we don’t judge.”
I sighed, setting down the spatula. “I guess I didn’t expect him to get under my skin so fast.”
Her eyes gleamed. “Then maybe stop fighting it so hard. You deserve to feel good again, Nova. Every man isn’t Jerome. You need to start living for yourself.”
“Yeah…” I whispered, mostly to myself. “Maybe I do.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to find love again. It was that love felt like walking barefoot over glass, something I’d survived once and wasn’t sure I could do again. Jerome had left scars that didn’t show, but ached when someone got too close. But Samir was different—or at least he seemed different. The way he looked at me made it hard to breathe, like he saw past the walls I’d built and dared me to tear them down. And that scared the hell out of me.
“Nova,” Nyala said softly, pulling me back from my thoughts. “You can’t keep letting the past rob you of what could be good. That man’s giving you the look like he’d drink your bathwater. Even if it’s just for fun, enjoy it. Y’all done hunched a few times. What’s the problem?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head. “You are so damn stupid.”
“Maybe…” She grinned. “But I’m right. You light up when he’s around. Stop overthinking it. Let yourselffeelsomething again.”
“We’ll see.”
“Good. Now…” She pulled two wristbands from the pocket of her jean shorts. One green, and the other purple. She handed me the green one.
“What is this for?” I was confused.
“It’s for the meet and greet tonight.” She smirked, and I had a feeling my friend was up to something.
