Page 1 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

Fucking girls’ night.

I love my best friend, Paige, to death, but what kind of matchmaker bullshit did she think she was pulling off here?

One minute we were having a relaxing girls’ night—full of wine, charcuterie boards, and gossip—and the next thing I knew, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Myles Cooper’s pick-up truck.

With Cooper Construction plastered on the side, I could only assume he was using a work truck at the moment. I swear I’d never seen him drive a company vehicle around town before. But that’s neither here nor there.

I was under the impression that Paige’s boyfriend, who also happened to be Myles’ brother, Declan, would drop me off at home.

Did my best friend have a death wish? Or did she want to break up the best thing in her life since she started getting dick on the regular?

Because after she accidentally swiped right on Myles through my dating app and he showed up as my ride for the night, I didn’t know if I wanted to thank her or strangle her.

Myles Cooper was hands down the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on—there was no way in hell I’d tell him that, though.

If I were forced to take a lie detector test, I’d deny, deny, deny, taking that bit of info to my grave.

Put me on a stand in a courthouse to swear under oath? In front of all my friends and family? You guessed it… I’d definitely lie and risk time in prison.

Dramatic much, Sophie?

His ego was already big enough from all the women he had on speed dial, and I refused to be just another one-night stand.

I hadn’t had a night out in forever and was at least an entire bottle of wine deep at this point.

The devil inside me is beginning to peek through.

I didn’t want my fun to come to an end. Beyond tipsy, I wouldn’t allow myself to be held responsible for where the rest of the evening took me. Even if I did end up remembering the bad choices I made—I could always blame it on the alcohol.

“I got an interesting notification on my phone earlier tonight. You may know a thing or two about it.” His deep voice shook me out of my drunken trance.

My head felt like it was turning toward him in slow motion. Lazily, I looked into his bright blue eyes, my insides secretly melting.

He was so fucking hot.

“And why would I have any clue about what comes up on your phone? Is this about one of your fuck buddies?” My goal was to come off sly, covering up that I knew exactly what notification he was talking about.

“That depends. Did you swipe right on me because you want to add your name to my weekly rotation?” His eyes looked me up and down, eating up every inch. Dammit, why did he have to be so good looking?

It’s all the alcohol, Sophie. Imagine his face is full of acne. Yeah, that’s right, and he’s probably terrible in bed.

“Yeah, right. The last thing I need is everyone in Alpine Peak talking about how I was Myles Cooper’s lay of the week.” I scoffed.

“So, if you don’t want to hook up, why did you swipe right? I’m sure you know those apps are typically used for fucking around.” He didn’t want to let this go.

“If you must know, Paige swiped right on your profile when I wasn’t looking.” It sounded like such a cop out, but it was the truth.

“ Ah , blaming it on Paige, huh?” His raspy chuckle filled the space between us.

“I swear. Why don’t we talk about how you had already swiped right on me by the time I got around to even seeing your profile? What’s that about?”

HA! There you go, Sophie. Turn it back around on him.

“I love blondes. You’re hot as hell, Sophie. Always have been.” His eyes stared intensely into mine, and the tipsy part of my brain wanted to give in to every single urge surging through my body like a rip tide. I was dying to kiss every sinful word he said straight off his lips.

Fuck, was I just like every other girl? Falling for his smooth one-liners? If I weren’t tipsy, it would be so much easier to shut this shit down. I wouldn’t even be in this situation because I would have been sober and able to drive my ass home.

There was no way I could give him full control of me.

But that devil inside me—her name’s Rosé if you must know—wanted to play a little bit.

I tugged on my lower lip, twirling a thin strand of my blonde hair on my finger, as I stared right back into his eyes, trying my best attempt at reading his mind.

“Is this the game you use on all the girls you’re with?”

“It’s not a game, Soph. It’s the truth, I’m just calling it like I see it.”

Soph.

Everyone I knew shortened my name, but it sounded different coming from him and the rough timber vibrating from his throat.

God, why does that have to make me weak?

He must have noticed me staring off into space with no idea how to take his compliment. It was hard to shake the idea I had of him. Myles had been a player for as long as I knew him. I couldn’t trust a guy like that. Even if the depth of our story together was just one wild night.

“Look, every girl I’ve been with has been there to fulfill a need.

As much as I’ve used them, they’ve used me in return.

No one stuck around to actually take a chance on me.

I’d love to have what Paige and Declan have one day, but instead, I fill the emptiness I feel with random women, because I don’t believe I deserve a love like my brother has at this time in my life.

” I had no idea where or when this conversation turned, or why it felt like Myles was opening up to me.

But there was a side of me that felt every bit of what he said, deep down to my core.

I don’t deserve love.

“Are you asking me to use you? To help you fill that void, Myles?” I swallowed. Maybe it would be different with me.

What am I doing? I’m crazy for thinking I’d be any different.

“Are you offering yourself to me, Soph?” There was a bit of desperation laced in his voice.

“I won’t give you all of me. A man has to earn that.

” I didn’t think he was capable of earning me, or any woman, for that matter.

He would always be a playboy, but tonight I wanted to do something so out of my comfort zone that I even shocked myself.

I wanted to indulge with the sexy man who sat next to me, looking at me like I was his next meal.

It feels so good to feel wanted, even if it is only temporary.

“I’ll give you one kiss,” I put my finger up, “but don’t come running to me for more when you realize it was earth-shattering enough to ruin all other women for you.”

“I think I’ve met my match. Who knew you could be so…cocky?” He licked his lips in anticipation.

“Confident, Myles. I’m confident. I know what I’m capable of. So, you’ve got one kiss… How do you want it?” I licked my lips in return, running my fingers through my hair, internally trying to pump myself up to give him the world’s most unforgettable kiss.

“The bed of the truck. Get out and meet me there.” Interesting. Not at all what I expected. I did as he said, and we both opened our doors, hopping out and rounding to the back.

Why can’t we just kiss and get it over with inside the confines of his truck, where it’s warm, cozy, and not so uncomfortable?

“You know it’s freezing out here, right?” I eyed him suspiciously as he dropped the tailgate of the truck and patted it, insinuating he wanted me to hop up.

“Yeah, I know, Princess.” My jaw dropped. Something about the nickname felt oddly familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

The nerve of this man.

“I’m not a princess, you ass.” My eyes rolled as my arms crossed over my chest.

Myles inched closer, his proximity so close now that the intoxicating scent of him wafted in my direction, making me feel dizzy with lust. My breath hitched when I felt his strong hands wrap around my hips, lifting me onto the truck bed.

The motion was so quick, it felt like a blur.

His hot touch lingered on the exposed skin from my tank top—the feel of his hands mixed with the alcohol in my system caused my body to heat up at record speed. His body heat was almost suffocating.

Looking into each other's eyes, he tilted his head. Who was going to make the first move? Who was going to be brave enough to inch forward first? There was a push and pull between the two of us, and the strongest pull was going to be what came out on top here.

With his hands still burning a hole through my skin, I wrapped his sweatshirt in my fist and pulled him as close to me as he could get without grazing our lips.

I guess it’s me who will be making the first move.

“Remember to take a mental picture of this, Myles, because mark my words; it won’t be happening again.” All the wine flowing through my veins fed me the courage to speak and close the remaining sliver of air between us.

Myles Cooper and I are kissing. Are pigs flying? Years ago, I swore to myself I’d never hook up with this man.

Is kissing really considered hooking up, though?

I may have been the one to eliminate the remaining space between us, but Myles had complete control.

The moment our lips locked, it was like an electric current jolted through my body.

Neither of us had the intention of making this innocent.

But if I had to guess, with it being the one and only time this would happen, we were both going to make it one hell of a kiss.

Our lips parted almost immediately, and his tongue swiped against mine. When I felt the cold metal touch my tongue, a moan escaped my body, sounding like it had been held captive for months.

How did I forget he has his tongue pierced?