Tempt Me Read online

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Who will be the next Donovan to fall in love?

  Chapter 1

  Also by Samantha Chase

  About Samantha Chase

  Copyright 2022 Samantha Chase

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  All Rights Reserved.

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  No part of this book, with the exception of brief quotations for book reviews or critical articles, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Cover Design: Kari March Designs

  Edits: Jillian Rivera

  Praise for Samantha Chase

  “If you can’t get enough of stories that get inside your heart and soul and stay there long after you’ve read the last page, then Samantha Chase is for you!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Shawn

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  “A fun, flirty, sweet romance filled with romance and character growth and a perfect happily ever after.”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips

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  “Samantha Chase writes my kind of happily ever after!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Nicholas

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  “The openness between the lovers is refreshing, and their interactions are a balanced blend of sweet and spice. The planets may not have aligned, but the elements of this winning romance are definitely in sync.”

  - Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

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  “A true romantic delight, A Sky Full of Stars is one of the top gems of romance this year.”

  - Night Owl Reviews, TOP PICK

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  “Great writing, a winsome ensemble, and the perfect blend of heart and sass.”

  - Publishers Weekly

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  “Recommend Chase to fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well-written and uniquely appealing.”

  - Booklist

  Chapter One

  Ultimately, the eight-foot-tall smiling ghost was the last straw.

  Liam Donovan certainly didn’t consider himself to be the kind of guy who didn’t enjoy some festive Halloween decorations, but for some reason, this year it annoyed the hell out of him.

  “Hey,” his brother Jamie said with a smart-ass grin. “Nice ghost. Didn’t realize you were decorating this year.”

  If it weren’t for the fact that his brother was carrying a box of glasses, Liam would have punched him.

  Or tripped him, at the very least.

  This so wasn’t the way he wanted to go about meeting his neighbors as he moved into his new home. But unfortunately, over the last week as he’d been going about doing some work on the house before he moved in, the yard decorations at the house next door just got progressively more obnoxious. Even now as he stood in the middle of his front yard and glanced over at theirs, he couldn’t believe anyone would go to that much trouble to decorate for Halloween.

  And then there was the ghost that wandered onto his property.

  Yeah, that was the last straw.

  Liam had picked this particular house because of the neighborhood and the fact that each home had a decent amount of space between them. He was looking forward to the privacy and not having anyone living right on top of him.

  And that included inflatable ghosts.

  “Dude, you know I don’t mind helping you move,” Jamie said as he walked back to the moving truck, “but you have to at least give a hand.” Chuckling, he went and grabbed another large box before heading back into the house.

  He hated that his brother had a point and, with more force than necessary, he kicked the ghost back over to his neighbor’s yard. He’d talk to them later about boundaries and property lines.

  “Should have gone with a newer subdivision with an HOA,” he mumbled as he grabbed one of the boxes from the truck. “I could complain to them anonymously and go about my day.”

  When he got out of the Marines a few months ago, one of his first goals was to buy a house. He’d been renting an apartment in town that he’d kept for years, even though he rarely used it. The logic had been that he wanted a place to come to and have some privacy when he was home on leave. With four siblings, it was important for him to be able to come back and visit and see everyone without having to stay in his childhood home and sleep in the same bed he’d grown up in. Everything had fallen into place and gone so smoothly that he’d felt like he’d hit the jackpot.

  And now this.

  “What are you frowning about?” his sister Ryleigh asked as he put the box of dishes down on the kitchen counter. “We’re all working and things are getting done. I thought you’d be thrilled.”

  “Just…thinking,” he murmured before turning and walking out of the house again.

  “It looks like the Halloween version of Candyland over there,” his other brother Patrick said as they worked together to heft a sofa out of the truck.

  “Don’t remind me.”

  With a small laugh, Patrick picked up his end of the sofa before they carefully made their way down the ramp.

  “You should have warned me about this,” Liam grumbled.

  “About what? That your neighbors celebrate holidays?”

  He had a point, but…

  “As my realtor, you should have pointed out this sort of thing to me. It’s an eyesore and if I’d known about it, I wouldn’t have bought the house.”

  “Bullshit,” Patrick retorted.

  “Excuse me?” He wanted to drop the sofa and argue this out, but he was the guy walking backwards while his brother was pushing forward.

  “Liam, be serious. Are you saying you would have passed on this house because a neighbor puts up holiday decorations? I mean, I know you’re uptight, but that’s ridiculous. Even for you.”

  That made him laugh. “I’m uptight? Dude, you are the king of uptight.”

  Grinning, his brother shook his head. “I learned from the master. You.”

  They put the sofa down in the living room before pausing and staring at each other. Maybe he was just itching for a fight because it seemed like everyone was grating on his last nerve. He was about to say something—definitely not an apology—when their mother walked in with a big smile and announced that she had lunch for everyone.

  “Finally!” Jamie called out before running over and taking the box of food from her. “Your eldest child is working us all to death! He hasn’t allowed us to even take a break! I’m telling you, it’s almost criminal.”

  “Seriously?” Liam huffed with annoyance. “What about on the ride over here?”

  “That was a twelve-minute drive,” Jamie countered. “I’d hardly call that a break.”

  “My poor baby,” Kate Donovan cooed as she patted her youngest son’s cheek. “You’d think a strapping young man like yourself could handle this sort of thing. After all, wasn’t that what you told that pretty girl the other night at the pub?”

  Everyone stopped and watched as Jamie’s cheeks turned a little red.

  “Wh…what are you talking about?”

  “Jamie, please,” she said as she poked around the kitchen, looking in all the boxes. “There isn’t a night that goes by that you’re not flirting with one girl or another. You’re the town Casanova and everyone knows it.” She shrugged. “Of course, there are some things a mother doesn’t need to hear.”

  “Mom…what the heck?” Jamie hissed.

  “What?” she asked with amusement. “The cute blonde who was hanging on your every word Thursday night. She wore that very low-cut pink blouse and practically put her breasts in your face.” Pulling out a stack of napkins, she went on. “You mentioned something about your stamina and…”

  “Mom!” he cried. “Oh my God! You were listening to that?”

  And just like that, Liam’s foul mood dissipated a bit.

  Stepping into the kitchen, he kissed his mother’s cheek and figured he’d help his baby brother out a bit. “Thanks for bringing lunch over. I’m sure things are busy at the pub, so…”

  “Nonsense. We have a wonderfully competent staff and I always have time for my family,” she told him as she began pulling food out and placing it on the counter. “I brought you a bacon cheeseburger. Patrick, I made you a turkey club. Jamie, I got you the Swiss and mushroom burger. And there are fries and drinks for everyone.”

  Behind them, Ryleigh cleared her throat. “Um…hi,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “Did you happen to bring anything for me?”

  “Of course I did!” Picking up a container, Kate handed it to Ryleigh. “I made you a nice salad with grilled chicken and the light dressing on the side. Use it sparingly.”

  “What? Why? Why
do the guys all get burgers and I get a measly salad?”

  “Your jeans look a little snug.”

  Now it was Ryleigh’s turn to cry out in frustration. “Mom! Jeez! These are not snug!” Tugging on the waistband of her jeans to prove the point, she let out a low growl before walking out of the room.

  “Are Arianna and Will here?” Kate asked as she looked around. “I didn’t think I saw their cars, but I brought lunch for them.”

  “They stayed behind and are cleaning up at the apartment,” Liam explained. “And to pack up anything we left behind.”

  “If you ask me, it’s an excuse for them to get out of doing any of the heavy lifting,” Jamie murmured around a mouthful of burger. “We all know there’s nothing left there.”

  All Liam did was shrug. “Doesn’t matter. Arianna volunteered to clean the place and I sure as hell didn’t want to, so…”

  “That was very sweet of her,” his mother said as she unwrapped a sandwich for herself. “Now you’ll certainly get your deposit back. Be sure to thank your sister.”

  “We could’ve used Will over here,” Patrick chimed in. “One more set of strong arms to move the furniture. You and I can’t do it all.”

  “Hey!” Jamie snapped. “I’m right here and I’ve been helping too!”

  “Yeah, you’ve been a real champ with the boxes,” Patrick countered. “I think Ryleigh carried in heavier stuff than you.”

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Kate said as she tried hard not to laugh.

  Liam always got a kick out of how she tried to keep the peace between her children without showing favorites, but it was definitely fun when she had to hide her amusement.

  “Your brother works very hard at the pub and does heavy lifting all the time. It’s exhausting,” she explained to no one in particular. “And no matter how much stamina he claims to have…”

  “Oh my God, Mom!” Jamie snapped again. “Stop! Please!”

  “What? What did I say that was so wrong? You do this sort of thing all the time when a pretty girl comes into the pub. You’re a shameless flirt, Jamie.”

  His brother hung his head and groaned.

  Looking around, Kate smiled at her other three children. “You all know what I’m saying. Maybe cut your brother some slack. After all, it’s not just all the heavy lifting he does at the pub. Carrying around that giant ego of his has got to be exhausting.”

  There was a round of laughter and then it got quiet for a few minutes while everyone ate.

  “So, Liam,” his mother said after finishing her lunch, “how much more do you have to do today?”

  Glancing around, he tried to gauge where they were at. “I think we got almost all the boxes in, so I’ll need to unpack.” He looked around again. “Although, I think Ryleigh’s kind of been on top of that.”

  “I have,” she called out in response. “Most of the kitchen is done and I hung up all of your stuff in the bedroom closet.” Walking back into the kitchen and throwing out the remnants of her salad, she gave their mother the side-eye before continuing. “I unpacked the bathroom and linens too, so other than these last few boxes that Jamie brought in and random décor stuff, you’re good to go.”

  “Holy crap, Ry,” he said in amazement. “Thanks. I had no idea you got so much done.”

  She grinned. “Please. I love organizing stuff, so this was fun for me.”

  “Such a weirdo,” he teased even as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.” Then he looked at his mother. “There are a few more pieces of furniture out in the truck, but then it all comes down to getting boxes broken down, hanging curtains and pictures, connecting all the electronics…”

  “Moving day is always exhausting,” she replied before walking over to the box she had brought in with her. “Your father will stop by later on and help with anything else you need. I’m going to bring these sandwiches over to Will and Arianna and get back to the pub.” Walking around, she kissed each of her kids. “I’ll be sure to send dinner with him.”

  “Thanks, Mom!”

  She paused and turned around with a smile. “Oh, and maybe a couple of pumpkins for the front porch to go with the ghost! It’s so cute that you started to decorate for Halloween on top of everything you’re already doing!” And with a wave, she was gone.

  “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

  “What’s the matter?” Ryleigh asked.

  Logically, he knew it was absurd to be this annoyed by an inflatable decoration, and yet…

  “Excuse me for a minute,” he said as he stalked out the front door. When he reached the ghost, Liam grabbed hold of it and yanked it along behind him as he stormed across the property to his new neighbors’ home.

  Picking up the tie that should have anchored the monstrosity to something, he decided to pick his own thing to attach it to. There were six-foot-tall lollipops on either side of the front walkway and he tied the offensive balloon to one of them before walking up and knocking on the front door.

  “No need to get nasty,” he quietly reminded himself. “Simply introduce yourself and let them know their ghost…wanders. That’s it. Shake their hands and be on your way.”

  After a minute, he knocked again.

  And a minute after that, he knocked one more time before looking around and noticing there weren’t any cars in the driveway.

  Muttering a curse, he walked back across the yard and made a beeline for the moving truck where his brothers were picking up his dresser and instantly went to give them a hand.

  Maybe it was for the best that the neighbors weren’t home. He wasn’t really feeling particularly friendly and there were a million things he needed to do to get settled in. Perhaps in another few days he’d feel more like his normal self and could have a civil conversation with them.

  So yeah. This was all for the best.

  As long as the damn ghost stayed off his front lawn.

  “Hmm…how on earth did you get over here, Boo?” Pausing in her tracks, Tessa Sullivan looked at where her smiling ghost was tied to one of the giant lollipops flanking her front walkway. Her arms were full of groceries, her purse, and her dog, so with a small shrug, she kept walking. Knowing the position of the ghost would have to wait, she let herself into the house and happily made her way to the kitchen.

  “Obviously Boo was on the move again,” she said as she put Phoebe, her pet teacup Pomeranian, on the floor and began unloading her groceries. “I thought I secured him pretty well this morning.”

  Moving around the kitchen, she put her fresh veggies in the refrigerator and made a mental note to make some soup with them at some point over the next few days. Glancing out her kitchen window, she saw the moving truck in the driveway next door and frowned. The Fosters had been the perfect neighbors—elderly and sweet, and they enjoyed decorating for the holidays just as much as she did. So far no one knew who the new people were and Tessa craned her neck to try to see anyone.

  After a solid minute and no movement, she relaxed and looked down at Phoebe. “I hope they’re nice,” she said softly before putting away her reusable shopping bags and wiping down the counters. “Maybe once the truck is gone, I should bring over a welcome basket. What do you think? Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

  Of course the dog wasn’t going to respond, but she found it comforting to talk to her anyhow.

  Her phone chimed and she smiled when she realized what time it was.

  Taking the phone from her purse, Tessa went and got comfortable on the sofa before swiping the screen.

  “Hey, you,” she said softly. “It’s been quite a day.” With a small sigh, she went on. “Phoebe had a vet appointment this morning and she’s fine, everything’s okay, but you know how much it bothers me when they take her back for her shots. To pass the time, I went next door to the farmers market and grabbed a bouquet of sunflowers—because you know how they always make me smile—and some fantastic veggies. I’m torn between making a cream of vegetable soup or something in a broth.” She shrugged. “All the Halloween decorations are out and the weather is positively gorgeous today—fifty-five degrees and sunny.” With a happy hum, she smiled at the screen. “When I got home, however, Boo was tied to one of the lollipops and I have no idea how he got there. I mean, obviously one of the neighbors did it, but I have no idea who.”