Tempting Tatum by Kaylee Ryan

sign that she was cheating on me,” he deadpans.
    “Blaise,” I say his name softly. I don’t really know what to say. I’ve been cheated on and it sucks ass. I also know nothing anyone says can make it better.
    He reaches his hand over and rubs my knee. “It’s fine, really. It was several years ago.”
    I nod my head even though I’m sure he can’t see it in the darkness. I swallow the lump in my throat that’s keeping me from speaking. My eyes are focused on my knee. I can’t see his hand in the darkness, but I feel it. I feel the heat from his calloused fingers rubbing against my knee. I should tell him to stop, that him touching me like this will not get him anywhere…but I don’t. Not just because my words are locked tight in my throat, but because I’m enjoying it more than I know I should.
    I’m so focused on the sensations from Blaise’s caress, when the first spark is ignited and the colorful designs take up the sky, I jump. I immediately feel a blush coming on. I expect to hear Blaise laugh at me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he scoots his body closer to mine. He places one hand behind my back, resting it on my other side against the dock. He’s so close, and it feels like he’s holding me even though he’s not. His left hand reaches over and grabs mine. “You okay, sweets?” he whispers in my ear.
    Holy Shit!
    I nod my head yes. I know he can feel it this time, even if he can’t see it, because he’s sitting so close. A shiver runs through me just from his touch.
    “You cold?” he asks, scooting even closer; how that’s even possible, I’m not sure.
    “N—no,” I manage to say. I clear my throat and attempt to get my hormones under control. “Just a cold chill, but I’m good,” I whisper back.
    He doesn’t move away. Instead, he sits leaning into me, his hand still holding mine. I focus on taking deep, even breaths. It takes extreme effort to not give into the temptation to let him wrap me in his arms, the arms that are bulging with muscles and sexy ink. The man attached to them isn’t helping either.
    We sit in silence, heads slightly tilted back watching the show. I keep telling myself that I need to move. I need to shift away from him, but I can’t. It feels…nice.
    Blaise takes his right hand, which has been behind my back holding his weight, leans into me, and rests it on my hip, gently pulling me against his side. Switching our positions, my back is now resting on his chest. His left hand still holds mine, while his right hand remains on my hip, holding me to him. I should pull away. The alcohol flowing through my veins is preventing me from thinking clearly. It has nothing to do with the sexy man with the silver eyes, nope, not a thing.
    It’s taking all of my concentration to not snuggle deeper into his embrace. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I’m looking for right now. It’s amazing and, oddly enough even though we barely know each other, it feels…safe.
    I feel his warm breath against my ear as his deep timbre whispers, “Relax.”
    Relax! Really? How in the hell am I supposed to relax when the sexiest man I have ever laid eyes on has me in his arms. Not to mention, said sexy man is virtually a stranger to me, well, not really, but still. There will be no relaxing.
    I’m not sure how long the fireworks show lasts. I looked toward the sky the entire time, but I don’t remember any of it. Before I know it, the show is over. I’m brought out of my trance when Blaise again whispers in my ear, “Show’s over, sweetheart.”
    I pull away from him and jump to my feet. I survey our group and see no one is paying any attention to us. I sigh with relief. That’s all I need is for Ember to get it in her head to play matchmaker with her brother and her new roommate. Not to mention Leah and Brent. They both are constantly telling me I need to get back on the horse. They avoid talking about Josh and the day I found him cheating on me. They choose to ignore the entire