Page 45 of Filthy Rich Temptation

Then he leaves – long, fast strides, whisky in hand.

‘Theo?’ I call out softly.

He stops cold. Shoulders squared. Back still to me.

‘I told Taylor I’d see her a week on Friday. Can you have Lottie then?’

A pause. Heavy. Strained.

Then he nods. ‘Of course.’

‘Thanks… Sweet dreams.’

He half-laughs, half-chokes. ‘Don’t tempt me.’

And then he’s gone. But the heat of him stays – his body, his stare, his want seared into my skin. My pulse drums hard, thighs pressed tight, breath shallow as the silence thickens.

He’s not supposed to look at me like that.

And I’m not supposed to want it. Not any more.

But he did.

And I do.

God, I do.

One more second… and I’d have dragged him back just to let him burn me again.

When the hell will I learn?

10

THEO

The first thing I register is the smell – the unmistakable scent of sizzling bacon – then the noise: the distant clatter of pans, a kids’ cartoon playing, and the tiny, delighted giggle that’s all Lottie.

I crack open one lid and almost slam it back closed.Whisky.

Why did I have to hit thewhisky?

But the answer makes my gut protest more than the hangover itself.Sadie.

Or rather, whathedid to her. Danny.

And how I, the man tasked with looking after her, can’t stop lusting after her.

It’s fucked up.I’mfucked up.

I sit up slowly, the remnants of last night’s drink humming behind my eyes. The smell intensifies and I don’t know whether I want to race to the bathroom or the kitchen. Spew or chew. Funny.Not.

Holding a hand to my throbbing temple, I ease my feet to the floor. Bathroom. Then kitchen. Then… I glance at my watch.Shit. It’s late. I’m supposed to be on with the board in an hour.

I should’ve set my alarm, but I haven’t needed one in years. My body runs like clockwork: 6a.m. and I’m up and at it.

But like a lot of things in my life, my body hasn’t been my own since Sadie moved in. And last night, when I came home to find her on my sofa looking all?—

I push the image away, but too late – it’s there. Sadie. Hair in a single plait, loose wisps framing her bare, beautiful face. Her PJ top sloped off one shoulder, no bra beneath, the outline of her breasts unmissable. Shorts disappearing beneath the hem, like they were already long gone…