A SEAL's Temptation. Tawny Weber

door.

      Lark followed a little more slowly as her mind and body did battle.

      Her body argued that he was hot. Easily the sexiest guy she’d ever met. She was single; she hadn’t had sex in eighteen months, two days and—she glanced at her watch—twelve hours. He was single and he knew how to laugh.

      Her mind countered with the fact that he’d be here for a week, maybe less. He was as temporary as a guy could be. And, again, it was against the rules to fool around with the brother of a friend.

      Besides—her mind tossed with a victorious glee—he was probably a stripper. Sex with a stripper was all kinds of tacky.

      “Upstairs?” Sara asked, all but clapping her hands with excitement.

      “Upstairs,” Lark agreed, gesturing Shane ahead of her as she locked the door. She blew out a breath, then followed them along the wraparound porch to the stairs at the back of the building.

      Which gave her a perfect view of Shane’s butt, encased in khaki cargo pants.

      Mmm. Those little fingers of lust tickled again so her thighs trembled a little and her belly tingled.

      To hell with the fact that he was only here for a few days, that he was her friend’s brother and that he might make his living wearing a tear-away cowboy costume.

      All she wanted was that body.

      * * *

      WATCHING HIS SISTER all but bounce her way up the outside stairs that led to his apparent home away from home, Shane gave himself a moment to assess the situation.

      Sara’s friend was seriously hot.

      Dark eyes and darker hair gave her a sultry look, her full lips and lush lashes cementing that impression. She made him think of a gypsy. Not so much in looks since her hair fell in a sleek line to her shoulders, the edges jagged and choppy. But the dozen bracelets jangling on her wrist and the hoops hanging from her ears were big enough for a baby’s fist to fit. And then there was the way she looked at him, as if she could not only see into his mind, but all the way to his dreams.

      But he was only here for a few days. A week if he gave in to his sister’s nagging. He was supposed to be spending time with Sara, maybe mend fences with his mother.

      So getting a major hard-on for a small town girl who was besties with his sister was on the no-go list.

      Even if she was seriously hot.

      Once he was sure he had a handle on his reactions—and his body’s response to the luscious Lark, Shane followed the women up the short flight of stairs.

      As he went, he mentally cataloged the terrain. Cool weather with a clear sky meant good visibility. The coffeehouse was located at the corner of Main Street, the second floor offering an easy view of downtown. Minimal noise as businesses shut down and locals went home for the day. The stairs creaked; he stepped harder on the next one and deemed them safe enough. And Lark Sommers was seriously hot.

      He shook his head, forcing his attention back to recon.

      Except he wasn’t on duty. And this wasn’t a target zone.

      That didn’t mean he was off the hook for paying attention to details, evaluating locations and gauging risks. No that estimating the distance from the apartment windows to the ground below was more important than appreciating the way Lark’s hips swayed as she walked.

      And what a sway she had. His eyes traced the curve of her butt. Her backside was just as sweet as her front. So why not enjoy himself while he was here? If Lark was interested, there was no reason not to see how far that interest he’d seen in her eyes could go.

      It didn’t have to be an issue.

      Did it?

      Sara’s laugh burst out like happy bubbles floating through the air. Shane smiled as her exuberance lifted his mood. Damn, he’d missed her. Hearing her cheerful voice made him realize how much he tended to block out thoughts of his family. Because of his mom, sure, but also because of his job.

      As they reached the landing, Sara shot him a bright smile and set his mind straight. The situation between their mother and him was hard enough on Sara. She didn’t need to deal with her best friend pissed off at him, too.

      Which put Lark right back in the off-limits category.

      He stepped into his temporary quarters with his resolve in place and looked around.

      “What do you think? It’s great, isn’t it? Not too big, not too small.” Sara moved through the room like a bumblebee, flitting, landing and flitting again.

      Because watching her was making him dizzy, Shane glanced around at the space instead.

      Approximately five hundred square feet, the floors were polished wood, the walls a soft blue and the furniture looked comfortably lived in. A small kitchenette stood at one end, a door that led to what he assumed was the bathroom at the other.

      Scattered everywhere were pottery and what he thought might be porcelain. A long, slender vase the color of a stormy ocean stood next to a sculpture of an owl so detailed he could see each feather. A wide-lipped bowl covered half the kitchen table and the open kitchen shelves housed almost as many pottery mugs and cups as he’d seen downstairs.

      “As you can see, it’s pretty self-explanatory.” Standing in the middle of the room like a centerpiece, Lark gestured to each feature with an elegant hand. “Living room slash kitchen slash bedroom here.”

      Lark lifted the couch cushions to show him the pull-away, her silky-looking purple blouse gaping as she bent over. Her bra matched, just as silky and bright as her top.

      Shane’s mouth went dry.

      Damn.

      There was nothing sexier on a woman than matching undies. His eyes skimmed down to her denim-covered hips. Did the rest match, too? Then he noticed that her short fingernails were the same shade of purple. Yeah. Her panties matched.

      Damn again. She’d just gone from seriously hot to the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. Shane didn’t usually fall into instant lust, but he was more than willing to make an exception in this case.

      “The bathroom’s through that door.” Lark pointed to the one next to the kitchen. Then she opened the door of the one he’d assumed was the bathroom. “This is storage. Sorry it’s full.”

      He walked over. More to get closer to the sexy brunette than because he cared about her storage habits.

      Then he saw the various pieces of pottery and ceramic sculptures scattered around the small space. Damn. It was like getting hit in the face with the vast variety of colors, shapes and styles. Under all the color and fun, all he could see a lot of imagination.

      “Impressive.” When he stepped in for a closer look, his arm brushed Lark’s.

      Whoa. Instant hard-on. Shane knew he should step aside. Or at least get control of the lust pounding through his system. But it felt too good.

      So he took a breath, reminded himself that he was a highly trained operative with nerves of steel. He could handle a little lust-gone-wild.

      “Where did it all come from?” he asked, keeping his tone light and easy. “Do you collect it? Sell it? What?”

      “She makes it,” Sara said, balancing one hand on Shane’s arm as she stepped on tiptoe to see over his shoulder. “Isn’t it great?”

      “You made all of this?” Impressed, Shane looked in the room again. The pieces ranged from a vase big enough for him to stuff his sister into on down to some smaller than his hand.

      “I did. I mostly use the pottery wheel, but I occasionally do slip casting and hand build sculptures,” Lark said, following his gaze toward the richly colored stock on the shelves. Her expression echoed her tone. Easy, comfortable pride. “All of the ceramics in the coffeehouse are mine. The mugs and plates and decorations.