The Way You Tempt Me. Elle Wright

was... still all of those things probably, with a hint of “fine as hell.”

      “Stop staring at me, Zara,” he grumbled.

      “You’re staring at me, too,” she responded.

      “It’s been a minute.”

      “Well, we’re both extremely busy.”

      “Too much to do, so little time.”

      “Exactly. Then, there’s the whole living two-thousand-miles-apart thing.”

      He chuckled. “Ha. Right.”

      Before Jax Starks had moved the headquarters of his company to Atlanta, the Starks family resided in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. And Zara lived right next door with her father, pro-basketball player Alexander Reid, and her mother, Regine. She and her siblings had been introduced to Xavier and Skye on the day she and her family moved into her childhood home—the rest was history.

      “I know I messed up, Zara,” he admitted softly.

      Sighing, she finished her work. “I’m not here to beat you down. I’m just here to help.”

      He dropped his head. “I tried hard to just let it go. But...” He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s whatever. I knew better, and I let them take me there.”

      “I get it. I really do. I just wish you’d done it after the party, outside. Far away from your parents. The Youngs. The agency. The town.”

      He laughed. “Thanks for not beating me down.”

      “I’m just sayin’.” She bumped his knee with hers and winked at him when he met her gaze. “I probably would have done the same thing,” she admitted.

      “If I recall correctly, you have done the same thing.”

      “Oh, God,” she grumbled. “There is a time limit on these things. After twenty years, you’re not supposed to be able to bring that stuff up.”

      “I’m sure Judy would rather forget about that fight. You mopped the floor with ole girl.”

      Zara rolled her eyes. “That will teach her not to proposition someone else’s homecoming date. Women everywhere should consider that beat-down a public service. I’m sure it prevented her from becoming some man’s side chick.”

      X barked out a laugh. “You’re silly.”

      She sighed. “Seriously, I think you are right to feel devastated by this. It sucks to be hurt by the person you love.”

      Xavier traced an invisible pattern on the table with his healthy hand. “I wouldn’t say that.”

      Frowning, she asked, “Why not? You were going to propose, right? At least that’s the impression I got from Skye.”

      “I was.”

      “That’s awful. I know how it feels to have your heart broken.”

      “Not so much my heart. More like my pride.”

      “Wait, now I’m confused. You were going to propose, but you weren’t in love with her?”

      “No, Zara,” he said, his voice even.

      Her name on his lips had never made her feel like this. The low, husky tremble of his voice, the smell of cognac on his breath, the way his fingers were moving against the table, almost put her in a trance. Her stomach tightened. It’s hot in here all of a sudden.

      Swallowing, Zara said, “No?”

      “No,” he repeated. “Getting into a fight at my father’s annual holiday party wasn’t the only mistake I made. Marrying Naomi would have been epic.”

      “So, why propose?” Is that my voice? High-pitched, unsure ... flirtatious? Damn it, no. She wasn’t supposed to be flirting with him. They were friends. Just friends. And she didn’t melt in the presence of any man. She was strong, self-assured. She got shit done.

      “I thought I knew the answer to that question.” He shook his head. “I didn’t. Because Naomi is not the one.”

      Zara sucked in a deep breath. Okay, so I’m melting a little. Why? She didn’t know because that had never happened before. Maybe it was his voice? Or it could be because she hadn’t had any in a long time? And he was hot—so hot, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him.

      In the back of her mind, she knew she should look away. She didn’t. She couldn’t. It was his eyes, the way he stared at her like she was the answer to that question. Even though common sense told her he was simply being X. And she was Zara. He’d always been an intense person, and she’d always been... Why is he looking at me like that?

      “How do you know?” she whispered.

      “Xavier?” Jax called from the doorway.

      Jumping to her feet, Zara shouted, “Okay, I’m going to go. I have to . . .” She rested her palm against the table to steady herself. “I have to get the hell out of here,” she added under her breath.

      Jax approached her and pulled her into a hug. “Zara, it’s good to see you. I’m glad you made it.”

      She smiled at her surrogate uncle and mentor. “You as well. I’m happy to be here.”

      “I saw your father a few weeks ago. He mentioned he would be in the States next month.”

      Zara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her father had been promising he’d be home for eight months. It had been three years since she’d seen him. Once her father hit fifty, he’d decided that life was too short to be tied down to one place and one woman. And after the divorce, he’d made it his mission to travel to all the places he’d wanted to see. Without them.

      “That’s good,” she lied.

      Jax nodded, patting her back affectionately. Fatherly. Something she’d missed. “How long are you in town?”

      The change in subject was welcome. “Until tomorrow morning.”

      “I’ve actually been meaning to contact you for some time. Just to check in, see how the agency is treating you.”

      Zara couldn’t deny the influence Jax Starks had on her life. She’d modeled her career after his. She’d interned with Pure Talent every summer as a teenager, learning from him, watching him in action with his clients and his staff.

      “Things are good. I’m up for partner.”

      “Great.” He frowned slightly. “We should catch up. How about we set up some time after the holidays?”

      Zara eyed Xavier, who’d been watching their interaction quietly. Meeting Jax’s waiting gaze again, she nodded. “Sure. I’ll call.”

      “Sounds good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to my son.”

      “Sure,” she said. A little too loud for her taste. “I’ll... join the party.” If there is still a party to join.

      Zara hurried toward the door. Unable to resist, she turned back and nearly tripped over nothing when she met X’s waiting eyes. The smirk on his full lips told her he’d caught that. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him that she liked that damn smirk. Tipping her head toward him, she mouthed “Good luck” before she left the room.

      Chapter 3

      Zara glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time since she’d arrived on the top floor of her office building: 1:25. The CEO of Huntington Sports Agency had another meeting, which ran over, pushing her scheduled one o’clock meeting back.

      Jeffrey Huntington was never late. He may have been a jerk most days, a male chauvinist pig every other day, but he made it a point to be prompt. She’d seen him walk out of meetings to make it to another on time. In the ten years she’d worked for the agency, he’d