Read Online How You Tempt Me by Natalie Kristen - Free Book Online

overtakes his
senses, he whispers the name of his fantasy lover.
    I stop breathing altogether.
    The name escapes his lips again. “Sophia.”
    My hand flies to my mouth. Did he just call my name? I
must have imagined it. I watch his eyelids flutter and his throat
moves a few times before he rasps out my name again, “Sophia,
oh, Sophia.”
    This time Julian turns his head towards me and opens his
eyes slowly. His eyes widen just a fraction as he takes in my
presence in silence. Neither of us blinks and in that frozen moment
we simply stare at each other without moving, without breathing.
Julian's hand moves down to his towel and he wraps the towel around
his waist quickly. But his eyes never leave me. I see his lips form
my name again, but he doesn't speak it.
    I am not sure what to do. I feel like an intruder,
barging in on his most private, intimate moment. I start to stammer
an apology and turn in circles, suddenly forgetting where the door
is. To my horror, I realize that Julian has gotten up and is walking
towards me. He is wearing his towel around his waist and I can still
see the huge bulge pushing against the damp, white towel. Julian
stops barely an inch from me and I watch a bead of moisture trickle
tantalizingly down his broad chest. Why do I have this insane urge
to lick it off his chest, or smear it across his light brown nipples
with my tongue and my fingers?
    I only realize I am shaking when he puts his hands on my
shoulders to steady me. “Sophia,” he says softly.
    “ I...I think I should just...” I keep my
eyes on the ground and try to back away.
    “ Wait.” He trails a hand down my arm,
making my whole body quiver. “Please,” he sighs.
    I force myself to look up at him, expecting to see anger
or shame or some kind of reproach in his eyes. Instead, all I see is
sadness and a searing, simmering emotion that I cannot identify.
    “ I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I just heard
something and I thought you...you...”
    He puts a finger to my lips. “It's fine. In
fact, I think it might even be good.” He smiles, but he looks
sad.
    “ Good?” My question comes out as a startled
squeak.
    He takes my hand gently. “I know that you think
I'm an eccentric, cold, unfeeling, mad scientist who has been cooped
up alone in his mansion with his work and his machines too long. I
do know what some of my colleagues are saying behind my back, but
they leave me alone, perhaps out of respect, perhaps out of fear,
perhaps out of pity. I don't know. It doesn't bother me. I...was
happy to be left alone. I wasn't ready to connect with anyone. But
Julia is right. It's been more than five years. I should stop dying
and start living. Those are her words exactly. Julia's been trying
to set me up with her single friends but I just never met anyone that
I wanted to be with. Until...now.”
    I blink up at him. “Julia? She...”
    Julian laughs, his face lighting up. “Oh, Julia
is my sister. My kid sister, though she acts like she's my mother.
She's just gone off on a mission. Doctors without borders. She's
amazing. I'm really so proud of her. I just wish I'm a better
brother to her, instead of...”
    “ I'm sure she just wants you to be happy.”
I squeeze his hand. “And wow, two doctors in the family. Your
parents must be real proud.”
    “ Yeah. They were.”
    I note the past tense, but I don't comment on it. I can
see the deep hurt etched on his face.
    Finally, I swallow and ask tentatively, “What
happened five years ago? Would you like to talk...?”
    “ I lost my wife and my unborn child five and a
half years ago,” he answers without emotion. “We were
driving home from a dinner, when a drunk driver ploughed into the
passenger side. They died on the spot.”
    “ I am so sorry,” I whisper.
    He shakes his head. “It happened a long time
ago.”
    I look down, unsure of what to say. Losing a partner, a
spouse through death is completely different from being rid of them
through a divorce or break-up. My