Read Tempt Me for Free Online Page A

as he made his way out to Warrenton.  
    Lord, how did people live out so far? Well, they didn't work in DC, that's how.  Jesse knew a few people he worked with did live a little further out. There were even a few who came in on a bus shuttle from Charlottesville.  
    Mentally, he shook his head. Jesse would never do that. He knew there were personal reasons people did it—he just couldn’t spend that much time away from home. He wasn't like his father. He didn't have a problem with the job, but he didn't want all the responsibilities of being a General. He knew people expected it of him, but seeing his sister and brother get married, and dealing with Jack and his issues, made Jesse think about the future. One thing was for certain. He did not want to always live for the job. And that meant not wanting to be General.  
    When he had come to the realization a few months ago, Jesse expected to panic. But he didn't. In fact, he felt nothing but relief. For most of his adult life, he’d been working on getting a star. If he could achieve the goal just on his work, then so be it.  Somewhere along the line, he realized he wanted something more. He wanted a wife, a family, and a fucking life. 
    As he turned off twenty-nine on the way to the Santinis, he thought about Zoe. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t his usual type, but there was something about her. It was as if all the stars aligned right for them to get together. She was, by far, the most different woman he had ever dated. Most of them had their eye on marrying an officer, living the life of a high ranking Marine, and looking forward to life in the military. Zoe had made it pretty clear she wasn't into that. He was enough of a sadist to want to change her mind. 
    He didn't know where their relationship was going to go, but he knew they had something between them. He hadn't done anything more than kiss her good night last time, but she'd been on his mind ever since. Lord, on his mind? He had been dreaming of her since he’d met her months ago at Gee’s wedding. Nothing too explicit at first, but that had changed after their time in DC. Just seeing her smile made his head spin, and his body begged to touch that happiness. 
    He parked his car and headed up the path to the Santinis. The door opened when he reached the porch. It was Zoe. She was dressed in a pair of low riding jeans and a bright blue flowing shirt with a white tank beneath it. It was…casual but also sexy. Blue jewels dangled from her ears.  
    "Hurry."
    "What?" he asked, wondering what the hell was going on. 
    "The Santinis are out and I just set the alarm. I have to lock the door before it goes off."
    He laughed and took the keys from her, locking the door and then handing them back to her.
    "That wasn't so hard."
    She sighed with relief. "I just didn't want to mess anything up. Gee said he was going to have them put something like this in my apartment." 
    He nodded. “Not a bad idea.” 
    “I don’t like it. Sure, I have that false sense of security, but I feel like I’m hemmed in by it.” She finally noticed the car. "What, no bike?" 
    "Sorry. I don't like driving into work in my uniform on a bike. It's such a pain and there is a chance for rain tonight." 
    She accepted that. He opened the door for her and said nothing else until they were on their way.
    "You don't take the Metro in to work?"
    He nodded. "Most of the time I do, but I left work early. I didn't want to backtrack."
    "Where do you live?"
    "Arlington. Not too far from work. I like it that way. I do like living in the city."
    She sighed. "I have really enjoyed my time out here, but I miss being in my downtown loft. The vibe there stimulated my creativity. While I love Joey’s studio, I do like my own space." 
    Sadness tinged the Georgia in her voice. He hated hearing it. Despite what she had been through, she always seemed to be happy. 
    "Done any more sketching?" he asked.  
    She nodded as a smile tugged at her lips. "I'm so