Tempt Me (Blissfully Sinful #1)

Chapter One

Bella

The second I slip out of my car at my brothers’ house, I see him–Dominic Wood. All 6’, tattoo-covered, pierced nipples, 5 o’clock shadow wearing, brown-haired, cocky dimpled, devil may care attitude, 2” of him. It should be criminal that he’s this good-looking.

Dominic is the guy I’ve had a crush on for as long as I can remember. Fourth grade? Fifth? It was before I hit the sixth grade. But the pining is just as pointless now as it was ten years ago. I’m Samuel and Benjamin’s pesky little sister. The one their friends ignored, made fun of, or flat-out bossed around.

But that doesn’t seem to matter to my stupid heart and brain.

Xavier tosses a football into a group of shirt-covered and shirtless guys who collide for the catch with Sam, my second oldest brother, catching it and re-igniting the endless smack talk they do on Sunday afternoons.

The sun beams down on my head, heating my skin with its warm rays. My brothers share a place with their three best friends: Dominic, Xavier, and Isaac.

“Hey, Bella, lookin’ good.” Xavier winks at me as he slaps Dominic on the back.

“Shit,” Dominic growls at him as he eyes me up and down, but not in a good way. The frown on his face would be evident to the neighbors down the street if they bothered to look. He jerks his attention back to Xavier. “Asshole.”

“Back at ya.” Xavier gives him a cocky grin.

Dominic wraps his arm around Xavier’s neck and pulls him into a headlock. “Don’t slap me when I’m not paying attention.”

“Dude….” Xavier chuckles and says something that only Dominic can hear as they mumble to each other while scuffling on the lawn. Even though Dominic is on the ‘shirts’ team, he’s still the best-looking guy on their makeshift field.

“Why do you feel the need to dress like a tramp?” Sam crosses his arms over his chest. “You should go home and put some clothes on.”

“Fuck off. I don’t need your approval for what I wear.” The heat from the sun is nothing compared to the embarrassment of my brother putting me on blast. “And that’s no way to talk to someone doing you a favor.”

“Whatever.” Sam shakes his head as he rolls his eyes. “Just put on some more clothes.”

Okay, I’m over or underdressed, depending on how you look at it, for small-town living with a pale pink crop top and white shorts. But the shirt compliments my tan and shows off a couple of inches of skin as the loose sleeves flutter in the breeze.

And the shorts stop at my fingertips.

Fine…. They stop five inches above my fingertips if I’m standing straight with my shoulders back, but my brothers live with their three best friends and have a bunch of other friends over on Sunday afternoons. Single friends. I’m not passing up the opportunity to turn some heads. Maybe someday that head will be Dominic’s.

Not to mention, it’s freaking hot, and I’m not going to show up at their place in 90-degree weather wearing a parka.

Jake, another of their friends, slips a shirt over his head and nods at me. “Hey, Bella.”

“Jake.” I return his greeting. “When did you get back into town?”

“A few days ago.” One of my two best friends, Emily, has had a crush on Jake since she was in junior high. Jake moved away for college and never came back. Until now. Does Emily know he’s back in town?

My other best friend, Ruby, has been in love with Xavier just as long. Or maybe it’s lust. It’s hard to imagine someone loving Xavier and thinking it’ll work out. We’re all pathetic in the romance department, wishing for guys who’ll never notice us.

“I took the open position at the police department after Nolan Reed retired.” Nolan was a staple of our small-town police department.

I purse my lips together. “You’ll look good in uniform.”

“Thanks.” He winks and slaps my oldest brother, Ben, on the back as they converse.

Xavier saunters over to me and tosses his arm over my shoulders. “How’s school going?”

“Fine.” I cringe as my back stiffens. “Everything’s fine.”

His eyes narrow into slits. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing.” I glance away from him as Dominic spins on his heel and marches into the house, letting the door slam behind him.

“Bel-la.” Xavier draws out my name to show his irritation. He’s always been the nicest of my brother’s friends. But there’s never been a spark, which is good, considering he’s more than a bit of a player.

“Fine. School’s not going well.” I shrug and swipe my palms on the back pockets of my shorts. “I mean, it’s going okay. Classes are fine,” I sigh as everything pulls on my shoulders. “My parents expect so much from me, but I’m not sure accounting is where I want to be.” Numbers bore me to tears. “Forget I said anything.”

If he utters a word, it’ll reach my parents before I get inside the house.

“I won’t say anything.”

“Really, it’s nothing.” I glance around the yard, ensuring no one is listening to us. Several of the players joined Dominic inside while others remain in the yard chatting.

“Hey, Bella, I understand.” Xavier squeezes my shoulder and drops his arm to his side. “Adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” He chuckles. “All those times my parents said that I thought they were full of shit.” His eyes twinkle with humor. “But boy, was I wrong.”

“Yeah, it’s not what I expected. I think Ruby was right about waiting for a while to decide what you want in life before getting into debt.”

“How’s Ruby?” Xavier’s jaw is tight as he avoids my gaze. “Still dating that douchebag, Mason?”

“No.”

His bright blue eyes glitter with interest as they meet mine. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Good. She could do so much better than him.”

“You should ask her out if you’re interested.”

“Maybe.” He shrugs as if it’s not something he’s considered before. “I’ve got a lot going on right now.”

I glance back at my car. “Would you mind grabbing the laundry baskets?”

“Sure. It’s the least I can do. The least we all can do since you’re doing our laundry.” Their washer went out at the beginning of the week, and the new set doesn’t come in until Monday.

“Thanks.” I follow him to the car as Dominic bounds back outside with a backward baseball cap shoved onto his head. He somehow manages to look even hotter.

“Need help?” Dominic tips his head toward the car as Xavier grabs the first of three baskets, perching one on the other.

“Sure. That would be great. Mom made a casserole that’s in the front passenger seat. I’ll get the pan if you want to grab the last basket. It’s still warm.”

Dominic groans, “Don’t tell me it’s her famous cheesy crack chicken casserole.”

The deep rumble of his voice sends vibrations straight to my sex. I bite back a whimper and straighten my shoulders. He’s not interested in you, and don’t forget it.

Actually, offering to carry something into the house is one of the nicest things he’s done for me in weeks.

Xavier’s muscles bulge as he balances two baskets of clothes. “You’re mom’s a great cook. That’s why I stayed friends with your brothers all these years, so I could get a second supper every night.”

“Is that really what you were doing?” Dominic glares at Xavier, whose eyes dance as he shrugs.

“One has to wonder what I was doing, don’t they?”

“Xavier, you need to move on.” Dominic’s jaw flexes as he tips his head toward the house. “You already have your load. Go inside, and I’ll grab the other basket.” He brushes past me, and it takes everything I have not to stare at his ass.

His movements are smooth yet strong. He’s like a large cat stalking toward its prey. I sigh as visions of being caught by him flood my brain.

“Bella?”

Shit. I blink and jerk my head around to meet Xavier’s gaze. “Yes?”

“I’ll be inside.” He winks and chuckles as Dominic mutters while opening the back door.

“Thanks.” Heat floods my face. Does he know I’m crushing on Dominic? That’s the last thing I need. I spin on my heel as Xavier disappears toward the house.

Dominic drops the basket on the sidewalk and slings the door shut. The sound of slamming metal cracks the silence of the now-quiet neighborhood. “You do realize Xavier is a total player, right? He goes through women like tennis shoes on a 13-year-old boy. I don’t think he’s dated anyone for over three months.”

“Of course, I know that.” My eyes narrow as I glare at him. “I’ve known him my entire life.” I straighten, tossing my head back as the end of my ponytail brushes against my shoulders. “Not that it’s any of your business. I don’t need a babysitter to navigate the men in my life.”

His jaw flexes as he slaps his hands on his hips. “What men? Ben said you and Brock broke up.”

“Yes, we did.” I shift from foot to foot as their neighbor across the street, Mrs. Martin, steps out onto her front porch and makes no bones about watching our conversation. She’s an older woman in her late 50s who’s operated our local flower shop since I’ve been alive.

Brock was a mistake. An epic mistake. He makes Xavier look like a saint. My ex had a bad habit of taking me home and then going out until the bars closed. Only he didn’t go home. He’d head to some random girl’s place and have sex.

The grossest thing? He blamed me for his indiscretions, claiming I was frigid. And then he had the balls to blow my phone up, trying to win me back. Repeatedly. Even after changing phones. More than once. I think he’s finally gotten the message this time.

But I’m not about to spill my dirty laundry in front of Dominic. He already thinks I’m incapable of listening to music while folding clothes.

“Well, don’t go looking at Xavier as a replacement boyfriend. He’s not the type to hold your hand and whisper sweet nothings in your ear.”

“And what would he offer?” I yank the door open. I’m so tired of people telling me what to do. My parents are pushing me to get an accounting degree. Sam is telling me to put more clothes on. My ex blamed me for his cheating. And now, Dominic has the nerve to tell me who I can and can’t date. When he has no interest in me.

“He’d offer a one-and-done and then be off to the next girl. Just because he pays attention to you and flirts with you doesn’t mean you’re someone special.”

Fuck. Can he stab me in the chest any harder? It’s not like I don’t already know he doesn’t think I’m special. Now, he’s going to spell it out.

I lick my lips and swallow over the lump in my throat. “You’re an asshole. How dare you say I’m nothing special? I might not be someone you’re interested in, but that doesn’t mean other guys don’t find me attractive or wouldn’t want to go out with me. Maybe I’ll take Xavier up on that one-and-done. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, and I’ve never heard of any of the girls he’s been with complaining about his skills in the bedroom.”

“Stop,” Dominic growls.

I snap my head around and march in front of my car, rounding the hood and hitting the lawn. “Why don’t you grab the casserole when you get the clothes?” I glance over my shoulder at him while eyeing him up and down like he’s a cockroach on the sidewalk. It’s the only thing keeping me from crumbling and bawling my eyes out. “I think I’ll go inside and see what Xavier’s doing tonight.”

“Bella.” Dominic’s voice sounds like he swallowed a handful of gravel as he stomps toward me.

“Don’t.” I raise my hand, and he jerks to a stop. His eyes flash with fire and some other unidentified emotion. But I don’t care. He’s the one who hurt my feelings. Not the other way around.

“I didn’t–”

“I’m going inside, and I’d appreciate it if you kept your opinions to yourself. I’ve had a rough week, and this conversation is about to top it off. So even though you don’t respect me, I know you respect my brothers and my parents, so please keep your opinions to yourself.”

I spin around and blink furiously at the tears stinging my eyes. When my mom offered to drop the laundry and casserole off, I should’ve jumped at the offer instead of trying again to get Dominic to notice me.

My ex isn’t the only one that needs to get the message. It’s time I got my head out of the clouds and put Dominic in the same category as spreadsheets. A thing that I’d prefer to avoid for the rest of my life. Except, I’d rather set formulas in spreadsheets than have another conversation with Dominic.