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Chapter Twenty Five
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2023-02-07 02:05:40Bab terkait
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Six
“I’m not naturally sneaky,” she said after making a show of climbing the short stair-case. He glanced over his shoulder as she joined him. “I’ll try not to scare you again.” “You can scare me all you want if you bring coffee.” He accepted the offered mug with a quick smile. “Thanks.” “Everything okay?” The view from the window was nothing more than a collection of boats and cruisers—a view she’d seen hundreds of times over the years. The view behind her—the view waiting for them—now that was another story. “Electricity seems to be working. I’m going to try not to push the engine too hard on our first trip out. The ride to Palm Bay should be a good test.” “Like I said, I’m just along for the ride.” said Bonnie. “You are the boss” “Oh, you’re more than that.” He took a long drink of coffee. “You’re crew now.” “In that case, Captain, your wish is my command. If I don’t know how to do something, I’ll let you know or figure it out myself.” “Fair enough. You know how to unmoor us?”
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Seven
“So, Palm Bay, here we come—” She told him. “Yeah. You'll like it. You know, they also have a pretty good farmer’s market on the weekends.” “How often have you been there?” “Too often to count.” “Where does your High Tide Harbor fall in? Seems to me it’s a tourist spot, isn’t it?” “Touché,” he said. “High Tide Harbor’s special. It nearly went under a few years ago. Tons of foreclosures due to financial malfeasance on the part of the main bank in town. Took a lot of people coming together and fighting to save it.” “Sounds like an interesting place.” Not that much different than most cities and towns she supposed. “It looked lovely when I saw it on a TV special. The one they aired about a celebrity chef and his wedding.” She could remember the images clearly; the coastal town with expansive beaches, high cliff sides and cypress trees outlining the rocky shores. There was a historic inn painted a bright summer yellow with white shutters and trim, perched at the highest point overl
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Eight
“I told you, I’m not expecting anything.” She backed away to let him out. “But whatever happens, you aren’t alone. I'm here”David had purposely kept close to land, so as not to be considered offshore; some risks, even alone, he wasn’t about to take. He did a quick evaluation of the intake valves, the bilge pump and, specifically, the head gaskets. If they blew one of those they’d be dead in the water.Despite the years Blue Blood had spent unoccupied and moored, she was in pretty good shape. Until he got her into dry dock and really dug into the engine, however, he couldn’t risk burning her out completely.“Well?” Bonnie asked when he slammed the engine hatch shut. “What’s the verdict?”“All the things I really worry about seem okay. Let’s start her back up.” He walked around Bonnie and climbed back into the pilot cabin.“We’ve only been out on the water a short time. How far have we gone?” She took a tentative seat on the bench beside him.“About thirty miles. Hopefully we’ll catch
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Nine
“I’m sorry, but it’s company policy.” The friendly middle-aged man behind the counter at the cell-phone store blinked at her. He reminded her a little of a frog with over-round eyes and an equally round face. The fact that his shirt was the color of algae probably didn’t help. His name badge read Steve. She didn’t like Steve at the moment. “But I told you, I’ve lost my ID.” Not exactly true, but close enough. “There must be an exception to the rule,” David said, resting a hand on her arm. “People lose their wallets and phones all the time. You don’t refuse to replace them all, so what’s the catch?” “No catch.” Steve pointed to the sign over the back counter. “It’s our policy.” “Hold on,” Bonnnie said. “If I requested a new phone online they wouldn’t need my ID to mail it to me, would they?” Steve blinked again as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “I suppose they wouldn’t.” “So we can just approach it that way,” David clarified. “Can’t do it.” Steve pointed behind him again
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Thirty
She found herself speculating how Prince Marcus might have reacted had he gone through the same past couple of hours with her. Surely it would have been much different. It was more confirmation that she’d made the right choice by not marrying him. She went to her bank’s website and attempted to log into her account. Denied. She tried again, more carefully this time. Denied. “What the…?” She typed slowly, repeating the letters to herself as she… Denied. “What’s wrong?” David leaned over. “It’s not letting me in. And now I’ve tried too many times from an unrecognized computer.” She sagged back in her chair. “I’m locked out.” Which meant trying to get on from an app on David’s phone wasn’t going to work, either. “Okay. So you can finally stop worrying about this paying-me issue and we can move on? The only reason I wanted you to do this was because of the phone anyways.” “Back to square one.” Darn it! Roadblocks everywhere she turned. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until we get to
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Thirty One
“She just wants attention,” Bonnie said quietly. “My goodness, you are beautiful. Look at those feathers. You’re like a flying rain-bow.” “Senor Dave’s regular! Squawk.” Bonnie giggled and now David felt his cheeks heat. “That’s just obnoxious. Go away, bird.” “Stop it,” Bonnie ordered, stretching up higher and managing to stroke a finger down Duchess’s chest. “You aren’t a duchess, are you? You’re a queen.” “Queen Duchess! Pretty bird Queen. Four, three, two, one, pulse, pulse, pulse.” “Great. A workout with our lunch.” David offered Flora a mouthed apology when she returned with their drinks and the guacamole. Flora merely shook her head and laughed, her knee-length blue skirt bustling around her legs as she disappeared back into the cantina. “You going to wash your hands after that?” David asked when Bonnie took her seat again. “I guess I should.” Bonnie winced. “Be back in a second.” She darted off to the bathroom. “Duchess Queen! Squawk!” A flap of wings and a burst o
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Thirty Two
“I can understand why you miss her so much.” David said. He understood her better now. He understood why she wanted to leave… figure out herself. There was something freeing about impulse, something life-affirming. “She’d have liked you,” Bonnie confirmed. “You’re very roll-with-the punches, much like she was. And your taste in boats?” She gave him a thumbs-up. “Glad to have been of assistance. So what was the plan for after the wedding? I mean… if you had gone through with it” “To live happily-ever-after.” She toasted him with her bottle, but he didn’t miss the sarcastic smirk. “Take over his late mother’s role on various charity boards. Throw parties for his clients and business associates.” “Sounds…fun?” “It might have been, although I doubt it. But as my father reminded me, it wasn’t like I had a career or anything to worry about. Marcus was a safe bet. Or at least I thought he was. I didn't want to agree at first but my father kinda talked me into it… and I know that I shoul
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Thirty Three
She took a deep breath and tilted her head to stare up at the cloudless sky. “How much we give up of ourselves trying to impress or please someone whose opinion, it turns out, doesn’t really matter.” David didn’t think he’d ever heard a sadder statement in his life. “Go back to when you started college. If you’d had a choice, any choice. What would you have done?” “I’d probably still do the business angle, but with a side of something more creative like event planning or maybe interior design. Not that high-end, don’t-touch-it-or-even-breathe-on-it decor, but real-life design that works with people’s lives. Our home, mine and Grams, was always that. A home. I never worried about spilling something or getting the floors dirty. Sounds pretty silly, huh?” “No.” He shook his head, mildly impressed. “It doesn’t sound silly at all.” Flora reappeared with their bill and took away their plates. A few minutes later they were off to find Bonnie some new clothes at the only discount store i
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-02-07
Bab terbaru
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Seventy One
"You're awfully quiet" David said to Bonnie when they got into the taxi that was supposed to take them to High Tide Harbour. She had been that way during the flight and David was starting to get worried. "I'm not" Bonnie protested, but even she knew that she didn't sound convincing enough. "Yes you are. You barely spoke to me on the flight except for when I asked you a question. And you slept during most of it. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? You can tell me and I'll make it right." Bonnie gave him a small smile. She felt guilty for making him think that he'd hurt her. He'd been perfect the entire time even after they said goodbye to her parents. The truth was that she had a lot on her mind. Her fears had been confirmed. She was pregnant! The weird thing was that she was thrilled about it. She was happy in fact. She was having a child… David's child was growing inside of her and she knew she'd love the baby with all her heart, but she was worried too. Having a baby ch
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Seventy
"You shouldn't be the one to apologize." Robert replied, as he touched her chin gently so she would look at him. "I was selfish, and I guess I was a bit too focused on what I'd benefit from your marriage to Marcus. I'll admit that I was really angry at first when you left, but after a while I thought about it, especially after David Stewart confirmed that you were alright, then I realized that I pushed you away. For that I'm sorry… ""Oh, dad""I see how… different you are now" Robert continued. "You look more confident in yourself and you're so happy… am I wrong?" Bonnie blushed as she shook her head. Was it really that obvious? But he was right. She was happier than she'd ever been in a long time. "No you're not" she replied finally. There was a pause, before Robert added. "And am I wrong to assume that David Stewart has something to do with that happiness?" Bonnie averted her eyes. She knew the topic of David would come up sometime. His presence alone was going to bring it up an
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Nine
"Do we really need to do this?" Bonnie asked David as they got into the car. Finally, she was going to visit her parents for the first time since she ran out on her wedding, and no matter how much she tried to stay positive about it, there was this nagging pit in her stomach. She also had this horrible headache that just wouldn't go away. David sent her a heart warming look. "Yes, we do," he replied, then he tried to make her feel better by saying, "I'm sure they would love to see you. When your father hired me to find you, all I could see was a man who was really worried about his daughter and her safety. Whatever you might be thinking, nothing is going to go wrong. You called and told them that you were coming, right?"Bonnie sighed." Yes, I did." "And what did they say?""They said they'd be thrilled to see me" David raised an eyebrow. "So what's the problem? I'm sorry, but I fail to see it." Bonnie shook her head at him. "You seem to have forgotten, but I ran out on my weddi
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Eight
Her pulse quickened even more and her lips parted as she struggled to breathe. She wanted that now—to be in bed with him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.“What? It’s not your fault,” he said. “It's not your fault that I couldn't stay focused on my job. Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t and I don't regret any moment I spent with you. It was all worth it.”Bonnie smiled, then for some reason probably just to tease him, she used her hands on his knees to lever herself to her feet. Then she turned to walk away from him, but he stood and reached out. Catching her wrist, he whirled her around to face him. “Oh, hell,” he muttered before he lowered his mouth to hers.David kissed her hungrily—like he had earlier. His lips nipped and nibbled at hers, tugging until she parted them. Then he slid his tongue inside where it tangled with hers. She gasped and panted for breath as passion overwhelmed her."Were you really going to walk away from me?" he asked as he withdrew, breathing deeply. "Nah, I just wa
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Seven
Bonnie unlocked her house and stepped in, carrying a big bag of groceries. Before she could finish locking the door behind her, David appeared beside her. He flashed her a smile that was difficult not to return. “Everything okay?” she asked him.He didn’t stop smiling. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”“Well, you were almost at the door waiting for me”“That’s because I missed you,” David replied.Bonnie simply blushed and looked away from him."Let me help you with that" he said, but Bonnie moved out of his reach and headed for the kitchen. He followed her. “You don’t have to. Besides, your shoulder hasn’t healed fully”"You know I'm not helpless, right?" he said behind her. "I'm just injured, and I have seen worse injuries." Bonnie dropped the bag and glared at him, "I’m sure you have. But like I said, your shoulder isn't completely healed yet," she said. "Don't put so much stress on it for now. I can handle the bag, and while you are here, you will do exactly what I say." "Yes, ma'am" Dav
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Six
George nodded his head. "Yeah, I already told the cops everything. They'll handle him." "Good" "He's alive too." "He is?" Both David and Bonnie stared in surprise. "Yeah. Apparently he's a tough old bastard, but he's going to spend a lot of time cooling off in prison." "I guess so" came David's reply. "I also checked on Michael," George added. "And?" "And he will be alright. The doctors say it might take a while, but the surgery was successful. If everything continues to go as planned, he will be alright" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief at this information. Everything would be alright. Everyone was going to be okay. She watched as George tapped David on his leg and realized that they weren't just partners. They seemed very close and genuinely cared about one another. After he said goodbye to David, he turned to her. "It was really nice to meet you, Bonnie" George said, "although the circumstances and situation in which we met were… really wild, but I'm glad I met you. You h
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Five
Bonnie screamed as the shots went off, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw David and Jonathan crash to the floor. She thought he was dead. But he’d been fine. Not totally fine. Fortunately for him, Jonathan had missed hitting anything fatal, but David's shoulder had been hit. Jonathan, on the other hand, lay dead on the ground. She flinched as she remembered the image of Michael lying helpless on the floor, unable to do anything for him, then she snapped out of the shock and ran towards David. She shook him and watched as he slowly opened his eyes "Oh God, David," she cried. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you going to be okay? Can you hear me?…I'm so sorry, David" “It’s just a scratch,” David said to her and gave her a small smile to assure her and make her calm down. "Stop worrying. I'm fine… and so are you" "Thanks to you." said Bonnie, unable to stop the tears from falling. You saved my life. If you hadn’t come in when you had…” She shuddered as she realized that could
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Four
While the other two men stayed outside and watched the building, David and George went into the house. It was empty. That was something David already knew, but he signed George to look around the other rooms while he went straight to the room he suspected Bonnie would be in. He got to the room but it was locked from inside. But he was now one hundred percent sure that Bonnie was in there because as soon as he tried the door, he heard her muffled voice. She clearly wasn't alone because someone made her stop. David's chest ached from the pain that had struck his heart when he’d heard Bonnie cry out from within the apartment. He had to get inside—without that man hurting Bonnie any more. He hammered at the door again. “C’mon, I'm here. lemme in.”“No—” Bonnie began but then cried out again.He stepped back, so he had room to kick in the door. When he tried once and the door didn't budge, he put his gun in the waistband of his jeans and moved backwards to try again. But before he could
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Sixty Three
Bonnie sat quietly in the room where she was kept. Her face felt hot and she knew she had a cut on her lower lip from where she had been hit when she was grabbed. She had cried her eyes out until she didn't have the energy to cry anymore, so she just sat on the floor with her knees raised up to her chest and tried to think. Her life had changed so much since she ran out on her wedding…. It hadn't even been up to four months but so much had happened that it felt like years had passed. Her thoughts drifted to David. She was in this situation right now because she had gotten involved with him, but funny enough she still didn't regret it and didn't regret running out on her wedding. How stupid was she? She couldn't help but wonder because only a crazy person would think the way she was thinking right now. She sighed…. A person crazy in love. She winced when she thought about Michael. How was he? Was he dead? Did someone find him? The question bothered her and the assumption that he ha
