Tempt Me

“Promises, promises.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and treated him to a cool smile and walked out the door, leaving Austin… and the hearing notice behind.

* * *

Mia pushed the shopping cart through the grocery store, filling up the wagon with all Bailey’s and Austin’s favorite foods, her mind occupied, as it often was, with thoughts of Austin.

In the days since she’d kissed him and he’d made her come apart beneath his hands, she fought the hard fight to put both things out of her mind. She tried not to pay attention to his finer qualities, either, but she couldn’t help but notice his patience with his daughter, his dedication to his job, and his continued kindness toward Mia herself.

He’d never mentioned that night and if she hadn’t caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, she’d think he had forgotten the incident completely. But the fact was, the sexual tension between them was thick, broken up only by the little girl Mia cared for.

She finished up her list, paid with the credit card Austin provided for house-related things, and headed to the SUV. She was engrossed with loading the bags into the trunk when someone pushed their cart into hers, shoving the metal end into the back bumper.

“Hey!” she said, glancing up to see a man she didn’t recognize holding on to the handle of the cart that had hit her.

He stared at her, a scowl on his pock-marked face.

“Can I help you?” she asked, unnerved by both his actions and menacing expression.

He strode around the cart, getting into her personal space. She glanced around, unsure if there was anyone else around her. Afraid now, she began to tremble, gripping the cart harder in her hand. If he touched her, she’d scream loud enough to bring people inside the neighboring stores out here to help.

“I’ve got a message for you,” he said, so close she could smell his bad breath. “Mind your own damned business and you’ll be fine. Stick your nose where it doesn’t belong and you’ll have problems.” He punctuated his message with a shove that didn’t hurt her, just reinforced his point.

“What are you talking about?” she asked him.

“You look like a smart girl. Figure it out,” he said, and took off without taking his cart with him.

Trembling, she put the last bag in the back of the truck, slid both carts into the collection area, and rushed to lock herself inside the SUV. She tried to think of what that threat meant and came up empty. She didn’t know of anyone who’d want to threaten her, wasn’t involved in anyone else’s business. Not anymore.

The incident reminded her of the time before the trial of her former boss, when he’d sent someone to convince her that it was in her best interest to back off and not testify against him. But Parker Alexander was in jail and she was living a quiet life here. She bit down on her lower lip. It just didn’t make any sense, but the incident had her rattled and she couldn’t wait to get out of here.

The short drive home seemed endless. When she finally arrived at the house, she pulled the SUV into the garage and closed the door behind her before getting out of the car. The garage was big enough for her to still be able to open the trunk and unload the groceries, even with the electric door closed, and she felt safer now that she was back home. Austin’s car was on his side of the garage and a sense of relief washed over her that she wasn’t here alone.

She walked into the house, her arms loaded up with grocery bags, as many as she could carry hanging from each hand, and deposited them on the counter. She didn’t see Austin, which meant he was in his office or the home gym, so she went about putting away the items she’d purchased.

When she finished that chore, she turned her attention to emptying the full dishwasher. She didn’t realize how badly she was still shaking until she dropped a glass onto the floor. It shattered, the pieces spreading out around her.

“Dammit.” She pulled out the garbage pail and dropped to her knees to pick up the larger pieces before she began sweeping up the rest.

She managed to place a few bigger shards into the trash, but when she lifted another, she missed how sharp and jagged the edges were and sliced her palm.

“Oww!” She dropped the glass and grabbed her hand only to find blood flowing from the cut.

She closed her eyes and groaned, doubting this day could get much worse.

“Mia?” Austin came up behind her. She hadn’t noticed him entering the room. “I heard something shatter. Oh, shit,” he said, taking in her bloodied hand.

She grasped her wrist and looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to clean this up.”