Tempting Target

By reading any further, you are
stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of
18, it is necessary to exit this site.

An Excerpt From: TEMPTING TARGET

Copyright ? SAVANNAH STUART, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.

Chapter One

Jade Hadley perched on the edge of her butterfly stool
as she stared out the window of My Sister?s Closet, her clothing boutique. The
scene in front of her was familiar and one she saw every day. A miniature
potted palm tree used to prop open the French door swayed silently with the
chilly breeze, and the sea of tourists so prevalent during the day had
thinned to a trickle on the street.

Shadows and blurred shapes only danced in front of her
line of sight because she couldn?t seem to focus on anything lately.

Anything other than her hideous lack of sex.

It had been two years since she?d seen a naked man. Two
years since she?d pressed her bare body up against another one. Two.
Freaking. Years.

Until recently, she hadn?t cared. Immediately after her
husband?s death, getting out of bed and showering had been her biggest
accomplishment. Hoorah for her.

For the most part, she loved her life the way it was,
but lately it seemed everywhere she looked, she saw couples. Couples
holding hands. Couples on dates. Couples renting videos together. They all
looked so annoyingly happy.

Sighing, she stood and quickly closed down her shop. A
blast of fresh sea air rolled over her as she stepped onto the cobblestones
of St. George Street. Rows of shops blocked her view, but she could always
smell the ocean. That moist sea air was something one couldn?t escape
living so near the coast. Her store was in the middle of St. Augustine?s
historic downtown district, and she lived almost exactly a mile and a half
away.

The walk home was quick and the moment she stepped
through her front door, the phone started ringing. She grabbed it on the
fourth ring, just before her answering machine picked up. ?Hello??

?Hey, little sister, you sound like you?ve been out
running.? Maya, her older sister?s familiar voice greeted her.

She snorted. ?Not this late. I just got home.?

?Well, that wouldn?t be a problem if you had a cell phone,
now would it?? Sarcasm laced her voice.

?Please spare me, I get that enough from Mom. I was
actually going to call you and see if we could get together this week for
lunch.? She shrugged out of her green peacoat and pulled out a bottle of
pinot noir.

?Good because I?ve needed someone to vent to,? Maya
grumbled.

?Uh-oh. This doesn?t sound good. I?m guessing my darling
little nephews got into something they shouldn?t have. Again.? Brian and
Owen were three-year-old twin terrors with a knack for doing exactly as
they pleased and begging forgiveness later.

?You guessed right. I still don?t know how it happened.
They were both eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the kitchen
table. In the amount of time it took me to transfer a clean load of clothes
into the dryer and start another load, they?d made a mural on my new
loveseat.?

?What did they use?? Inwardly she cringed, already
knowing the answer.

?What else? Peanut butter and jelly. I?m assuming
because it was available.? Her sister let out a resigned sigh.

Jade resisted the urge to laugh. When they were kids,
they?d done much worse.

?Aren?t you going to say anything?? Though muted,
annoyance was still very evident in Maya?s voice.

She choked back a laugh. ?I don?t even know what to say.?

?Saying nothing is better than saying something stupid.?

Uh-oh. ?What
did Colin say??

?He said, ?Boys will be boys.? He?s so casual about it,
but if they?d done something to his precious truck I?m sure he?d have had a
lot more to say than that. I made him sleep on the couch.?

?I?m sure that lasted all of ten minutes.?

?You might be surprised,? Maya muttered.

Jade frowned at her sister?s words. Married for four
years, Maya and Colin still acted like newlyweds. Occasionally, when she
looked at the two of them so happy together she ached. Her sister?s tone
was unusual. ?What?s going on with you two??

?We? Never mind.?

?What is it??

?Seriously. It?s nothing.?

Jade bit her tongue but she hated that Maya didn?t open
up to her. And Jade knew why. Just because she was a widow Maya seemed to
think she couldn?t vent about her husband because she had one. She
understood her sister wanted to protect her feelings but she missed the way
they used to talk.

?All right, that?s enough out of me. What have I missed
in the past day??

Jade slipped off her boots and sat on one of the
high-top swivel chairs. ?I?ve come to a decision, but I need your help. I
want?? For weeks she?d struggled to think of an appropriate way to say,
?It?s been so long since I?ve had sex that I?m wondering if they?ve changed
it.?

Her sister would understand. That?s not what worried
her. Saying the words aloud meant she was truly moving on. She didn?t want
to betray Aidan?s memory, but she missed that physical connection. At the same
time, the thought of letting another man touch her scared the holy hell out
of her.

?I don?t have time to play twenty questions. Out with
it,? Maya prodded in her familiar, big sister tone.

?I?m ready to start dating again. Soon. It?s been too
long since I?ve seen a naked man. I?m in need of some seriously hot sex. Or
just some regular sex. And I want an orgasm that does not include a battery-operated machine. I?m tired of living
like a nun.? The words tumbled out once she got started.

Maya exhaled loudly. ?You scared the crap out of me,
Jade. I thought it was something serious.?

?This is
serious.? She frowned at her sister?s blas? response.

?Sweetie, Mom and I have been waiting the past few
months for you to say this.?

?What??

?That?s right. Mom and I have a whole fleet of men dying
to take you out. Well, maybe not that many, but we definitely have some in
mind. But if I were you, I?d stick with the men I pick, not Mom. You know
how she can get??

?Why didn?t you say something sooner??

?We were waiting until you were ready. It wouldn?t have
mattered how many great guys we had lined up if it wasn?t the right time
for you.?

She started to protest, but the truth of her sister?s
words hit her with startling accuracy. If they had tried to set her up with
anyone, even three months ago, she would have most definitely said no.
?It?s going to be weird dating again. Where am I even going to meet
anyone??

She wasn?t really into the bar scene. Even before Aidan,
she hadn?t been. Compared to her former party-girl sister, she?d always
preferred to go boating or hit the beach in lieu of staying out all night
drinking. Occasionally she went out for drinks with girlfriends after work
but was almost always home by nine.

?You just leave that up to Mom and me. In fact, I think
I have the perfect candidate for you. There?s this man, Rick, that Colin?s
been working with for the past year who would be a perfect first date for you.?

?No, no cops.? Maya?s husband was a detective in St.
Augustine so naturally all of his friends were in law enforcement. ?And no
firefighters either. I don?t want anyone with a dangerous job. I want
someone with a normal nine to five who comes home for dinners.?

?Jade, you can?t limit yourself like??

?Yeah, I really can.? After being married to a US Marshal,
who?d left at all hours of the night, her worry had been endless. She
wasn?t putting herself through that again.

?Fine, but this isn?t over. What about David??

?I haven?t talked to him about it yet. I figured I?d
wait until he got back in town. Hopefully he?ll be home this weekend. I
haven?t seen him in a couple weeks, so he?s due back any day.? Every time
she called him it went straight to voicemail so she assumed he was out of
the country. Last time they?d gotten together he?d said something about a security
job, but it was hard to keep his schedule straight. It was only Monday, so
she knew not to expect him back until at least Friday or Saturday.

?No.? Her sister stressed the word. ?I mean what
about dating David??

Jade jerked in her seat and sloshed wine all over the
granite counter. ?Are you out of your mind? He?s like a brother to me, not
to mention he was Aidan?s best friend. What?s the matter with you??

?I think he?d be good for you, and so does Mom.? Her
sister?s words echoed in her brain and bounced around for all of two
seconds before she dismissed them.

Completely.

She still remembered the sorrow in David?s dark eyes the
day he?d come to her with the news of Aidan?s death. He hadn?t had to say a
word. She?d known the second he?d shown up on her doorstep. That was the
first time she?d ever seen a man cry?really cry?and to see a man that tough
break down, she?d known only one thing could have happened.

?What? He?s not good-looking enough?? Maya asked, and
Jade could practically see the smirk on her sister?s face.

David was a wonderful friend, but she didn?t consider
him boyfriend or husband material. It?s not that he wasn?t attractive. Even
she couldn?t deny that. If it wasn?t for his nose, which had been broken
more than once, he?d almost be too good-looking. His features were sharp
and Slavic in appearance. With a square jaw, defined cheekbones, and deep
charcoal eyes the man had to know he looked good. He stood close to six
foot three, and no matter how often he shaved, he seemed to have a permanent
five o?clock shadow. His thick black hair always hung a little too long on
the sides, and his eyes rarely revealed glimpses into what he was thinking.

They might be friends but he was a very private person,
even with her. Not to mention he had a primitive side to him that sometimes
put her on edge. He?d never done anything outright to make her wary, and in
reality, he?d been one of the best friends she could ask for. Still, she
knew it was there just the same, lurking beneath the surface.

And there was no way she was discussing any of that was her sister. ?Be
serious, Maya.? She grabbed a rag and started to clean up the crimson mess
she?d made.

?Fine, fine. I have some candidates in mind but I want
to narrow down my list first. Oh, and one more thing.? There was a long
pause on Maya?s end. Jade heard a crash in the background. Surprisingly
Maya stayed on the line. ?You need to take off your ring.?

A lump settled in her throat. She still hadn?t taken off
her wedding ring. It wasn?t as if she hadn?t considered it, but every time
the thought crossed her mind, guilt engulfed her. Her first instinct was to
argue, but she knew her sister was right. ?I know.?

After they disconnected, Jade trudged up the stairs to
her room. The house was eerily quiet. Safely in her room, she sat on the
edge of the bed and stared at her left hand. It was now or never. She
slipped the plain, platinum wedding band off her ring finger and placed it
on the middle of her chestnut dresser. Minutes passed, but she didn?t move.
She was rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the ring, almost afraid to take
her eyes away from it.

It?s time to let go. Aidan?s voice sounded in her
head as clear as if he were in the same room. A strange sensation filled
her. One she hadn?t felt in quite some time. Relief. The vise that had
gripped her heart for so long, loosened. It didn?t
completely release, but it was a start. With care, she placed the ring in
her handcrafted mahogany jewelry box and clicked the lock into place.

?It?s time.? Though no one was around to hear, saying
the words aloud gave her an unexpected sense of peace.