Recipe for Temptation - Gina Gordon Page 0,28

could meet her family for the next challenge. It was all a little too cute. A little too perfect. And a little disappointing…because after the week was over, she might never see that eager face again. He’d probably go right back to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

She walked up to the sign beside the doorway to the tour office. Pictures of men, women, and children in buggies covered in mud stared back at her. “Wait, this is a mud buggy tour company. As in, you ride the dune buggy through the mud?” She whirled around. “On purpose?”

She looked up at Cole who was now standing beside her and gave him her best puppy dog look. “I don’t. Do. Mud.”

“I know.” A devious grin curved his lips. “This is going to be so great.”

She groaned. “You get way too much pleasure in my pain.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the big bad mud.” He went to kiss the top of her head, but then retreated, surveying her family to see if anyone had noticed his almost sign of affection.

She stepped away, giving them some distance. Giving herself some space to remember her boundaries. The more time they spent together, the harder it got to keep their hands and lips off each other, even if it was only a tiny peck on top of her head.

The jingle of keys caught their attention when her father emerged from the tour office. “Today’s challenge is a mud buggy race.”

Her entire family hooted and hollered in excitement, even the little ones who were already covered in mud.

Cole was already flying high from their win in beach volleyball that morning, where she’d scored the winning point. Including the kayak race, they were now up by two. She had no doubt he was excited to make it three.

Attendants fitted them with goggles and a helmet, and they were given ragged jumpsuits to put over their clothes and bandanas to cover their faces.

The protective clothing had seen better days, and God only knew how many people had pulled on these coveralls.

She tied her bandana around the lower part of her face, securing it with a double knot at the back of her head. The only parts of her that were exposed to the elements were her nose, a small sliver of her cheeks, and her feet.

“I’m guessing you don’t mind if I drive?” Cole asked as he went to the driver’s side of the buggy and hopped in.

The death trap…er, the mud buggy, was completely open—no doors, no windows, just a roll bar. Just great. Given her freakishly poor athletic skills, she’d definitely be the one person in her family to fall out.

After hopping into the passenger seat, the attendant buckled her up. Seatbelts for the win! The two brown straps were secured over her shoulders and snapped into place between her legs. Her fears of falling out eased.

Cole started the engine as the attendant ran over some last minute details, including where the GPS was hidden under the dash in case they got stuck.

Rain water. Mud. A scratchy bandana tied around her mouth. A veritable picture of sexiness. She’d be damned if she’d pretend she was loving this. Nothing about it was who she was or ever wanted to be. Thankfully, she didn’t have to keep up a facade. Not with Cole.

“Ready, scaredy-cat?”

“I am not afraid.” She held on to the steel bar in front of her. Her words had come out muffled so she moved the bandana away from her mouth. “Why do you always have to be such a jerk? You know I—” She screamed when the buggy kicked forward, and he drove them to the starting line.

“Good luck, Murphy.” Her brother, Dave, and Beth rode by. “Penn can’t read a map to save her life.”

Dave was so wonderful. It took everything she had not to jump out of the buggy and clock him.

Cole turned in his seat and let his arm rest across the back of the buggy. “You know…” He lifted up his bandana and exposed his lips. Damn, they were beautiful. Plump. Soft. So perfect and capable of bringing such pleasure.

“Penn?”

She shook her head. “Huh? What?”

He smiled broadly. “Whatcha thinking about?” Damn him, how did he always know?

She shook her head. “Nothing.” She squirmed in her seat. Shit. Now she was all hot and bothered. Sex should be the last thing on her mind right now.

As if.

The conditions weren’t exactly conducive to a quickie. “What were you going