Page 3 of Temptation

Fuck.

He couldn’t let anything fuck up her relationship with Lawrence. Not after everything she’d been through. Not after how far she’d come. Which meant going back on what he’d said to Juliet last night.

Last night at Black Light needed to be theonlynight.

He couldn’t risk either of their parents reacting badly to finding out that they were interested in each other. He sure as hell couldn’t risk what might happen if things didn’t turn out well. Hell, even if the dating went well, then… what? He and Juliet would get married?

Be each other’s first spouses? Look at how well that had worked out for their parents.

No, just no.

“Sorry mom, I can’t, I’ve got a thing at work tomorrow.” He’d invent a thing at work tomorrow. Something that required him to travel. Something that would take him away from the West Coast and away from Juliet.

It was best to make a clean break of it.

Would Juliet hate him when he ghosted her? Probably. But that was his security measure. Because he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to resist her if she tried to convince him they should give each other a chance… but if she hated him then there was nothing to resist.

At least it had been a hell of a Roulette night.

CHAPTER ONE

JULIET

A year and a half later

First holiday with the boyfriend and her family —well, her dad and stepmom. Juliet’s stomach cramped. This wasn’t the first time London had met her parents. He’d met her mom and stepdad a month ago and her dad and stepmom for the first time a few weeks ago. Bringing him to Thanksgiving still felt like a major deal. Or maybe it was because this was the first time she’d brought a boyfriend to a major holiday since that Christmas she’d brought Hugh… that Christmas when her stepbrother had joined her in the closet and kissed the breath out of her before disappearing.

The same way he’d disappeared after their night at Black Light Roulette together.

Shut up, brain. Stop thinking about He-Who-Sucks.

At least she wasn’t going to have to see him. Last year she’d spent Thanksgiving Day with her mom’s family and Christmas Day with her Dad and Mona, and he’d done the opposite. This year she had switched it, which meant Orlando would be a no-show for Thanksgiving and magically appear on Christmas Day like Santa… when she was with her mom’s family.

The way they’d done all those years since the Christmas party where he’d kissed her. First, he’d done a kiss and run, then he’d done a fuck and run, and now there was nothing left to get from her so she supposed she’d probably just never see him again. Which absolutely, definitely in no way hurt her feelings and was absolutely, definitely not a disappointment. Because he didn’t matter to her.

She wouldn’t let him matter to her.

Not anymore.

“Everything okay?” London reached over to take her hand, raising his eyebrow at her. He was a good guy, though he could be a little pompous. An aspiring actor, they’d met on a movie set where he was an extra. Though he didn’t have that little spark that would make him star material, he was a solid actor and good looking enough to catch casting director’s eyes. A little bit like Paul Rudd, but with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes.

“Yeah, just nervous, I guess. It’s been years since I brought a boyfriend to a holiday.” She squeezed his fingers. At least they were the first ones here, she’d deliberately told London they needed to be there extra early so he could meet her extended family one at a time rather than all at once. Hopefully it would be less overwhelming that way. London chuckled as he squeezed them back.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, your parents love me. Everyone else will too.”

Yeah, not exactly what she was worried about, but she didn’t correct him. Her parents did love him. Both sets of them. And Juliet really liked him, a lot, but…

But nothing. Suck it up, girlfriend, just because you don’t click on every level doesn’t mean things won’t work out. You can get there.

Moving a relationship forward was always going to be a little scary. But she really liked London. Sure, he could be a little arrogant at times, and a little bossy, but that was a turn on. Mostly. She wished the bossiness followed them more into the bedroom but…

I’m done with Doms, remember? No more Doms. No more Black Light.Much to her bestie Brooke’s dismay, Juliet hadn’t stepped foot back into Black Light since that fateful Roulette night. She couldn’t handle the humiliation.Everyonehad seen what had happened between her and Orlando. How could she return?

Plus, she never knew when the jerk himself might show up there again… and she wasn’t sure she could see him without going nuclear. Black Light was not the place for that.

“Come on.” London let go of her hand, getting out of the car and walking around to open her door for her. Juliet tried to admire his manners instead of feeling silly sitting there, waiting for him to do something for her that she could absolutely do herself. Opening car doors was one of the ‘manners’ that she’d never really understood or enjoyed, but he got so annoyed when she didn’t let him do it that it was just easier to sit and wait.

Besides, she didn’t want to start off Thanksgiving with London pouting because she hadn’t waited five seconds for him to come around and open her door.