Page 26 of Tristan’s Temptation

Sara tipped back her head and studied the ceiling, pursing her lips to whistle a tuneless refrain.

Still the kiss continued.

When Adam finally surfaced, Kat was flushed and breathless. Beautiful. Happy.

Shannon tried not to let her jealousy rise. Kat and Adam were getting married, after all. And they deserved their happiness. It wasn’t their fault Shannon’s love life was somewhat less than perfect.

Oh, no doubt, her interludes with Tristan were perfect, or as close as a human being could come without expiring on the spot. But great sex did not a perfect love life make. His insistence—after each encounter—that it couldn’t happen again was starting to wear on her patience.

Sure, she’d been able to lure him back, using one seductive tactic or another. But a woman got tired of being the aggressor every time. A woman got tired of launching the chase. A woman wanted a man to pursue her. Once in a while.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

Tristan wasn’t going to bend on his rule—at least, he wouldn’t bend it any more than he already had. He certainly wasn’t about to slip into a permanent relationship with her. He wasn’t even willing to make their relationship public.

He wasn’t even willing to tell his own brother about their affair. That in itself was tremendously significant because Tristan told Adam everything.

Shannon fondled the lovely cream rose, absorbed with its velvety texture and sweet smell. She tried to ignore Adam and Kat’s byplay and tried not to envy her friend the love she’d found. But most of all, she tried not to cry.

Crying was foolish. She knew what she was getting into when she seduced Tristan in the first place. Just because she’d decided she wanted more than mind-boggling sex didn’t mean he was obliged to comply. She was being decidedly foolish to even expect him to want the same.

But she did.

“Did you get your dress for tonight?” Adam asked Kat, drawing Shannon’s attention from her morose reverie. Kat had regaled them all on their plans for tonight. They were going to a party at a beachside restaurant in Malibu.

“Yes.” Kat leaned into Adam and wrapped her arms around his neck. They were so in love. It was too much to bear. Shannon desperately wanted to leave but didn’t want to be rude. “It’s skimpy and it’s black.”

“Mmm.” Adam nibbled Kat’s neck. “I love it!”

Kat laughed. “I knew you would.” She adjusted Adam’s collar, though it was perfect. “Who’s Tristan’s date again?”

Shannon’s attention sharpened, as did the dagger through her heart.

“Tristan has a date?” Sara gaped. “Who?”

Adam had discovered Kat’s earlobe. “What? Oh. Tandy Larsen.”

Tandy Larsen. Shannon’s stomach plummeted. She’d thought for certain Tristan had ended it with Tandy. Months ago.

Yes. She was definitely going to cry.

“Dear me,” she said, pretending to glance at her watch and hoping to heaven no one noticed she wasn’t actually wearing one. “Is that the time? I’ve got to get back to work. You two have fun tonight.” This, she threw over her shoulder. She had already left the room.

Adam stepped out of the way to let Shannon depart in an all-fired rush to get back to work—how like her. He turned back to Sara and said with an evil smile, “Tristan’s going with Tandy. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

“He doesn’t know who his date is?” Jenny’s face scrunched up in a bemused moue.

Kat grinned. “He thinks he’s just going to a friend’s birthday party.”

“But Kat and I figured he needed something a little more stimulating.”

“So we set him up on a date.”

Adam leaned forward and whispered, “With a woman.”

“So…you set up a date with his ex?” Sara lifted a dubious brow.

“One of his exes.”