Fall Into Temptation (Blue Moon Book #2)(10)

“I’m on it. Good talking to you.”

“Bye, Paul.”

Gia waited until she heard Evan’s phone ring downstairs before pulling off her clothes and stepping under the steaming water.





5





A long run early Saturday morning made Beckett reluctantly aware of how loose and energetic his body felt. He refused to attribute it to the yoga he’d endured the night before or the beautiful sadist who guided him through it. It was most likely the aftereffect of a nice, sunny vacation, he decided.

After a strong cup of coffee and his usual protein shake, Beckett decided to spend the rest of the morning catching up on work. But try as he did to focus on asset allocations for the Petrovic family and Pete McDougall’s permit request for a custard truck, he found his thoughts returning to Gianna.

He was attracted to her. There was no doubt about that. He wasn’t blind. Physically she was stunning. She was little, petite. But what she lacked in height, she made up for in sinful curves. And that face. A sprinkling of freckles on flawless ivory and green-gray eyes that always seemed to be laughing at some unspoken joke. Her wide smile warmed rooms while accentuating the sweet dimple in her chin.

He found her intriguing.

She was nothing like his usual type. The women he dated were refined, restrained even. Focused on their careers, they had an appreciation of life’s little luxuries. They wore tailored suits and spoke fondly of Italian vacations and the literary works of Marcel Proust and Joan Didion.

Gianna did not fit neatly into that category.

Not with her body-hugging spandex, wild curls, and the energy that sparked out of her. He bet she curled up at night with trashy novels and didn’t even own a suit.

Yet the attraction for him had been instantaneous. There was power in that compact, curvy body. And that was as captivating as her physical beauty. She was strong and vibrant, making the memories of the women he’d always dated take on muted pastel shades.

She had kids. Kids meant complications, kids meant serious, neither of which Beckett was interested in. His best course of action was to avoid his new tenant as much as possible.

Beckett scrubbed his hands over his face. He needed to get out. Get a little distance from the wicked temptation in his backyard. While putting together his lunch he’d actually stood at his kitchen window for ten minutes, hoping for a glimpse of her red hair.

He scrawled his signature across a document, hit send on an email, and dropped a stack of papers on Ellery’s desk.

He’d pay his brothers a visit and check on the construction at the brewery. That would keep his thoughts from Gianna.



Beckett found his brother’s girlfriend, Summer, putting groceries away in the sunny kitchen of the farmhouse. “Hey there, gorgeous,” he said, greeting the stylish blonde with a kiss on the top of the head.

“Beckett!” Her wide blue eyes lit up and she pulled him down for a hug. “How was the Dominican?”

“Beautiful, sunny. Paradise.”

“Ugh,” Summer groaned, shaking her ponytail. “I’m so jealous. Between the move, the magazine launch in January, and the brewery construction, we won’t be able to leave the county let alone the country for years.”

“You love it and you know it,” Beckett challenged her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she sniffed, feigning innocence.

It was true; he only had to look at her to see the happiness radiating off of her. Summer had come to Pierce Acres as a stressed out, overworked magazine editor to interview his brother Carter for a piece on organic farming. What had started off as a battle of the wills had turned into a flaming hot affair and, finally, a happy relationship.

Summer had quit her job, moved to Blue Moon, and was launching her own online magazine in the new year. She was the happiest person he knew, except for maybe Carter.

“So, tell me you’ll stay for dinner tonight,” she said, turning back to the open refrigerator.

“That depends. Are you cooking?” Summer wasn’t known for her culinary skills.

She shot him a look around the door. “Don’t be ridiculous. Franklin and your mom are cooking lasagna.”

“Mom and Franklin?”

Summer nodded. “Jax, too, and I’m texting Joey to invite her.”

“I’ll pass. I’ve got things to catch up on,” Beckett said, toying with the bowl of fruit perched on the granite island. “All those messages from modeling agencies wanting my body.”

Summer winced. “Haven’t they slowed down yet?”

The side door sprang open and his older, bearded brother walked in. “Hello, pretty girl,” Carter said, laying a sizzling kiss on Summer’s upturned mouth.

“I’m surprised you can kiss her through all that fur on your face,” Beckett quipped.

“Your brother was just telling me that he can’t join us for dinner tonight because he has ‘things to catch up on.’”

Carter plucked an apple out of the bowl and turned his attention to Beckett. “I call bullshit.”

“It’s a legitimate and reasonable excuse,” Beckett argued.

Carter stroked a hand over his beard. “Nope. Bullshit.”

“Beckett, I hate to do this, but I agree with Carter,” Summer said, leaning her elbows on the counter. “I think you should talk to us about it.”