Some Call It Temptation: A Romantic Comedy (Sweet Dreams Book 2) Read online

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  Some Call It Temptation

  © 2019 Sarah Peis

  Published by Hexatorial

  Developmental Editing: Natasha Orme

  Copy Editing: Hot Tree Editing

  Cover Art: Tall Story Design

  Formatting: Champagne Book Design

  ISBN: 978-0-6481085-3-5

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s wild imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Some Call It Fate

  Other books by Sarah Peis

  About the Author

  To Andouillette. May we never meet again.

  “That’s not the right hole. You have to stick it in here.”

  “I know where to put it in. Go away and let the professionals do their jobs.”

  “And I’m not a professional?”

  “Not when you wave that thing at me. It stinks.”

  I watched Landon, one of the mechanics, and Mason, the co-owner of Drake’s garage, argue from where I was standing in the doorway. Their heads were under the hood of an old car that looked ready to go to the junkyard, and they were bickering while Landon was eating a giant sandwich.

  I worked at Drake’s while their receptionist Willa was travelling around Europe with her boyfriend, Jameson, the co-owner of the garage and Mason’s brother. Willa was one of my best friends, and when she found out that I didn’t have a job lined up after I finished college, she asked if I could help out while she was away.

  Since I needed the money and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, I agreed. I was desperate to get out of my hometown, Humptulips, and to be able to do that I needed to save up some money. The small, sleepy town was in the middle of nowhere America, and if I wanted to get out from under my mother’s thumb, my only option was to move away. Not only had Willa organized a job for me, she also let me stay at her apartment rent free for as long as I needed.

  When they stopped arguing to take breaths, I seized the opportunity to call out to them, “Carter is on the phone. He wants to speak to Mason.”

  I heard a loud groan, followed by a bang, and then Mason’s head came up from underneath the hood. “Seriously, Starla, what could you have possibly screwed up already? I’m never doing a favor for Willa again.”

  There went my hard-won equilibrium. “Excuse me? You’re doing her a favor? Don’t you mean I’m doing you a favor by helping out while she’s travelling?”

  He brushed me off and went inside the office. “We could have hired someone from the temp agency.”

  I followed him and stood on the opposite side of the desk. It was always a good idea to put space between me and Mason. Things happened when we were standing too close. Confusing things.

  “You mean the temp agency that blocked your number?”

  He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and picked up the receiver. After talking to Carter for all of five seconds, he hung up, then aimed another glare at me and stalked out. Before the door closed behind him, I pushed it open and leaned into the garage. “And my name is Stella.” Misogynistic imbecile.

  I would have loved to say the last part out loud, but good manners were a part of me like makeup to a pantomime. So they stayed in my head.

  The day was busy, the garage popular, and I lost track of time. I was entering numbers into a spreadsheet when I felt someone watching me. I stopped typing, waiting for the person to speak. Judging by the raised hairs on my arm and the warmth I felt in my belly, it could only be one person. I looked up to confirm my suspicion.

  “Is there a reason why you’re back already?”

  “I need more oil filters for the Bronco,” Mason said, his stare game going strong.

  “Okay.”

  “Why aren’t you writing this down?” he asked, the deep timbre of his voice resonating through my body.

  “Because I’ll be able to remember oil filters.”

  Despite what he thought, I wasn’t an idiot. But try telling him that. He seemed to have cast his judgment already.

  “I also need brake pads for the Mustang.”

  “Right. Anything else?”

  “Spark plugs for the Audi.”

  “You got it.”

  “You’re still not writing anything down. How do you know how many to order for each?”

  “That’s three items. And Willa wrote down how many to order of each before she left. I think I can remember three things.” I sighed.

  “Can you, though?”

  I ignored his jab and smiled at him sweetly. I had perfected putting a mask in place when I needed to. “Anything else?”

  “I need it by tomorrow.”

  “No problem.”

  “Means you need to send the order now.”

  I fought hard not to roll my eyes. “I can handle it. Now can I get back to work?”

  He didn’t say anything else, just glared at me with his beautiful emerald eyes—that were totally wasted on the jerky shithead—and left the office. Good riddance. There was only so much time someone could spend staring at all the gloriousness that was Mason Drake. Too bad he was such a butt-wipe.

  One that had the nicest arms I had ever seen. They were muscular and defined. And I’ve always had a weakness for toned arms. They were my kryptonite. Fortunately, he didn’t know that. Unfortunately, he liked to wear tight T-shirts that showed me entirely too much.

  I made myself another cup of instant coffee—the only thing available since I broke the coffee machine—and ordered the parts His Majesty requested.

  The day went by in a blur, and I was still in the office an hour after closing. Willa told me I could leave as soon as I turned the Closed sign on the door. Technically that was true. But since the computer wasn’t working properly, everything took forever, and I had a few invoices I needed to pay.

  Tonight was one of the nights I usually babysat for my friend Nora, and I only had thirty minutes to get home. Lucky for me, peak-hour traffic wasn’t a thing in Humptulips. I would have time to finish answering the last email that was titled urgent, then could rush home and still make it.

  The workshop was busy, and the guys usually worked long hours. Landon came inside as I was packing up. “What are you still doing here?” he asked and stopped at the door with his brows raised.

  “I’m on my way out, just had to finish up a few things.”

  “Pretty much anything can wait until tomorrow. You don’t have to work late, you know.”

  I liked to do a good job and that meant getting
my work done. Despite what most people thought about me, I was not a ditzy idiot. I got a scholarship to college and I studied hard. None of the things I accomplished in my life were because of who my family was. The Connors were notorious in Humptulips; my mother owned a huge cattle ranch and half the businesses in town. Everyone thought I had it all, but nobody really knew how oppressive a life I had led.

  I shouldered my bag and gave him a half-smile, which was all I had in me at the moment. “Didn’t want to mess up on my first day. The computer wasn’t working properly, so it took a bit longer. But I got it done.”

  He nodded and walked closer. “If you ever need anything, come and find me.”

  I guessed him to be around my age, and he had the boy-next-door look perfected. His light green eyes and curly dark brown hair would get him laid without a problem.

  I made my way to the door. “Thanks, that’s a really nice offer. I will.”

  The door to the garage opened again and Mason stepped inside, sucking all the air from the room. I guessed his big head needed the extra oxygen to function.

  “What’s a nice offer?” he asked.

  I rolled my eyes at his gruff voice and kept walking. “Nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He didn’t respond, but judging by his narrowed eyes he wasn’t all that happy. But then again, I didn’t think I had ever seen him so much as smile at me. He was happy-go-lucky with everyone else, but as soon as he saw me he went all frostbite. He’d been around when I visited Willa at work before, and we’ve all gone out together a few times. He was hard to avoid; his brother was dating my best friend, yet for some reason we always seemed to disagree about something.

  I ignored his angry scowl and waved good-bye to Landon. I really had to hurry up, or Nora would think I wasn’t gonna show.

  The drive home was blissfully uneventful, and I made it with a few minutes to spare. I dropped all my stuff into Willa’s apartment before going next door.

  I opened the door with the key Nora had given me and was greeted by her three-year-old boy, Luca. “Esteballa, you are here,” he yelled while dancing toward me wearing only his underwear and dinosaur slippers. His speech had been delayed, and he struggled to pronounce words. Regardless, I loved that he had a special name for me and secretly hoped he’d never be able to say my name properly.

  Nora was a single mom who had been dealt a few blows in life, but she never let anything keep her down. I did what I could to help, especially since she had no support from her family or the kids’ dad and was raising them by herself. We met when I first moved in with Willa. I was heading out to meet my friend Maisie and ran into Nora, who was struggling up the stairs with two kids and a bag of groceries. I gave her a hand and we bonded over our mutual love of unpronounceable cheese.

  “Hey, bud, how was your day?” I asked.

  “I gots to play with Pete t’day.”

  I kissed his chubby cheek and walked into the living room. “How exciting. Sounds like your day was more interesting than mine.”

  “I sincerely doubt that. Don’t think I’ll let you get out of telling me how it was,” Nora called out from the bedroom. I plopped down on the couch and Luca threw himself next to me, a book already in his hand. He loved to read, and it was now our thing to read before we did anything else.

  Nora worked nights at a bar, and I watched Luca and her baby Lena a few times a week. It wasn’t unusual for me to sleep on her couch because I was too tired to drag myself next door. We always joked that us meeting was fate.

  “I might be a bit later tonight. We have a private function in one of the back rooms. Lena is already asleep. She only had one nap during the day, so she was pooped,” Nora said, dressed in her usual work outfit of black skinny jeans and a skintight corset. She refused to wear the short skirts that were part of the uniform, but she got away with it because she was a fantastic bartender and her boss loved her.

  “You know I don’t mind. It doesn’t make a difference to me when you get home. I’ll most likely be asleep anyway,” I said.

  She leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Luca’s head, then mine. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for watching my babies.”

  “I love Luca and Lena more than anything, and you know there’s nowhere I’d rather be. Go to work already and leave us in peace. We have a few books to get through before bedtime.”

  “All right, all right, I’m leaving. Sounds like you have big plans. He’s had dinner and a bath. You know where the formula is in case Lena wakes up.”

  I waved at her, not looking up from the book that was open on my lap. “Not the first time I’m doing this. Go. We’ll be fine. And I’ll call if anything happens. Which it won’t.”

  “Good night, baby,” she called as she walked out the door not waiting for a response. Luca was already lost in the book.

  I squeezed him to my side until he started to protest. I wasn’t kidding when I said there was nowhere else I’d rather be. “One book, then you’ll have to put your pj’s on, okay?”

  “Two books,” he bargained, knowing full well I’d agree.

  “Fine. But no complaining when it’s time to get dressed.”

  He held out his hand and we high-fived on it. Eight books later he was putting on his pj’s.

  I rushed into the office, trying to wrangle my thick hair into a ponytail. The chair groaned when I dumped myself on it, and I exhaled in relief at sitting down.

  I ended up staying at Nora’s last night. She didn’t get home until four, and I took the kids out for an early breakfast to let her sleep in until seven. She’d be able to get a nap in the afternoon when the kids were taking theirs; I didn’t know how she survived on such little sleep.

  “You have a stain on your shirt.”

  My body jolted at the voice, and I nearly ended up on the floor. Mason was sitting on the couch near the front door, looking like a king holding court. Why he wasn’t in the garage doing his mechanic thing was anyone’s guess.

  I followed his gaze that was currently locked on the front of my T-shirt. “Shit, I mean shoot, I mean how did that get there?”

  “Looks like spew.”

  I pulled the fabric up to smell the stain on my chest. “Huh, I guess it is.”

  “Big night?”

  “What? No! It’s not mine.”

  “Right. I don’t really care if you got drunk or not.”

  “It wasn’t me. It’s the baby’s.”

  His stupid, Greek marble-statue face didn’t move a muscle, which, of course, meant I was getting more flustered.

  “Not that the baby was drunk. Or me. But she spewed up after her bottle.”

  There was a slight tick in his cheek. “Since when do you have a kid?”

  “It’s my friend’s. I babysit for her sometimes.”

  His face turned into a beautifully annoying marble statue again. “Right.”

  I fought very hard to contain the eye roll that threatened to break free. “Anyway, I should get to work. Wouldn’t want to get in trouble on my second day.”

  “Did you place my orders?”

  This time I lost my fight against the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes. Just like I told you I would.”

  Mason leaned forward and pointed at my screen. “What’s wrong with the computer?”

  I glanced at the spreadsheet on steroids he was currently looking at and sighed. “I don’t know. Either Willa really likes neon green lines or the screen is broken.”

  “Have you tried turning it off and on?”

  “Have you tried not making useless suggestions?” I asked, my voice sugary sweet.

  “Already sick of working and trying to get fired, princess?” he asked, his tone condescending.

  I lifted my chin and channeled my inner ice-queen. It always paid to have her handy. “You know nothing about me. Just because you think I’m a spoiled little rich girl does not mean you get to judge me. Now if you would kindly remove yourself from my office so I can get to work, I would a
ppreciate it.”

  “Willa said you knew how to use a computer. If that’s not the case, I can provide pen and paper.”

  He left before I could throw a pen at him. Or a paperweight.

  The ringing phone provided a much-needed distraction. While I was talking to the customer, I pulled my shirt off and tried to get the stain out with a wet wipe I found in my bag.

  While I had the receiver between my ear and shoulder, Landon opened my door. “Well hell, I’ve got great timing.” He looked at the ceiling and grinned. “Thank you to the higher power who led me here at the exact right time.”

  I jumped at his voice and covered my front as best as I could with the shirt. I was wearing a red lace bra that I hoped he didn’t get a good look at. “No problem, you’re booked in for Friday at three. We’ll see you then,” I said into the phone.

  I hung up and made sure my top covered the front of my body. “Doesn’t anyone around here knock?”

  He was standing in front of my desk, a big grin on his face, showing me his dimple. His hair was a mess today, the curls sticking up in all directions.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “You gotta work on your customer service skills, chicklet. How about you offer me a donut?”

  “I’m not wearing a top,” I deadpanned.

  He sat down on the chair in front of the desk and waggled his brows at me. “I know.”

  I tried to look stern but a smile slipped through. “I guess it’s my own fault for doing this in the office instead of the bathroom. Should have just let the phone ring.”

  “Hey now, I’m not complaining,” he teased.

  I chucked a pen at him, not liking where this was going. “What do you want?”

  “Would you, pretty please, get us donuts from Sweet Dreams? Or their cupcakes. No wait, that’s Willa’s thing. I don’t want her to think we replaced her. How about their vanilla slice? And brownies. They are amazing.”

  I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes. Guess I wasn’t going to get much done this morning. “Fine. But only if you do something for me in return.”

  He sat up straighter and fluttered his eyelashes. “But, darling, I’m not that kind of man. And besides, I’m not allowed to touch you. Boss’s orders.”