Guarding Temptation - Talia Hibbert Page 0,16

hop across the dewy grass. When Nina snuggled into him, her hand resting against his belly, he told himself that she was seeking shelter from the cool morning breeze. That was all.

He’d had a moment of wild hope yesterday, when they’d talked about that first, forbidden time between them. He’d thought that she might hear the subtext in his awkward speech and tell him that it was okay, that things between them were different, that being with him had meant something.

But she hadn’t said any of those things, because she wasn’t a liar.

He swallowed his disappointment for what felt like the thousandth time and tried to enjoy what he had: Nina. Her friendship. Her presence.

The memories of her moaning for you last night.

No. Not that. That was off-limits if he wanted to maintain his sanity.

As if she sensed his disquiet, Nina straightened with sudden energy, narrowing her eyes in his direction. “You know what we need?”

James was instantly wary. “No. But I do know that when you get that look on your face, it never ends well for me.”

She laughed, alight with a determination he unfortunately recognised, a determination that meant she was plotting. “Come on,” she said, and then she dragged him to his feet.

“You cannot be serious.”

“Oh, but I can,” Nina purred, a wicked smile tilting her lips. James really could’ve done without that smile right now: he was still furious at the shitty police response, and he was incredulous at where Nina had brought him. Add reluctant lust to the list of his current emotions, and he was in danger of getting a headache.

And, much to his shame, a dickache. Because Nina had smiled like that on the day he’d gotten between her thighs, lips curving in pleasure before his tongue slipped inside her and that mouth of hers parted on a filthy moan…

“James?” She patted his arm. “You okay?”

Shit.

Focus, Foster—on something other than the memory of how good her pussy tastes.

“I’m just trying not to stroke out over the fact that you’ve brought me to Bounce Nation,” he scoffed, scowling at his surroundings with a renewed sense of alarm. The children’s amusement centre was located on the top floor of what used to be a lace factory. The brick walls and high ceilings were now splashed in purple and grey alien decor, with netted-off sections of wall-to-floor trampolines and bouncy castles placed all around. On the far side of the room was a concession stand selling radioactive-looking Slush Puppies and rubbery hotdogs. Screaming siblings and balloon-waving birthday parties surrounded them in the queue for Bounce Nation wrist bands, which at least made for a solid distraction from impure thoughts.

“Trust me,” Nina said sternly as she tugged him forward in line. “This is gonna be great.”

“This place is for children, Cupcake,” he muttered, throwing furtive glances around. Could any of these kid-corralling women tell he was lusting after his best friend’s little sister right now? Probably. Mums always knew things. In a second, they’d all start edging away from him like he was radioactive.

“Actually, there’s an adults only section,” Nina informed him with a pert little grin. “Apparently, it’s great cardio.”

“Oh, because we love cardio.”

She stuck her tongue out. “Speak for yourself, James Foster. I’ll have you know I occasionally walk to places, sometimes.”

The unselfconscious pleasure on her face, so rarely seen these days, was mildly hypnotic. James found himself torn between capturing it like the precious thing it was, and letting it soar unhindered like a shooting star. Maybe making a fool of himself on a children’s trampoline wouldn’t be so bad, if it kept Nina in this good a mood.

He wasn’t entirely confident that these things, ‘adult section’ or not, would hold his weight when bouncing around, but… “Would this make you happy, Cupcake?”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade. “I think it would make both of us happier. Endorphins, and whatnot. That’s the point.”

For such a prickly little thing, she sure did seem to care about his moods. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

Her eyes lit up, and he was ruined.

“I don’t trust this,” James said in an adorably grumpy tone of voice. A frown creased his brow as he jabbed a foot onto the empty trampoline platform of the adult section. Nina rolled her eyes, forced her thoughts away from the plump curve of his arse in those dove grey trousers, and rushed past him onto the trampoline.

“Come on,” she ordered, sounding militant even to her own ears. “You promised me