Tempting Rowan Excerpt

“Hello, Rowan.” Both words were said through gritted teeth, telling me the person who spoke them was beyond mad.
“Hi, Trenton.” I tried to keep my tone light and sound unaffected. My whole body was humming with pleasant zings at his close proximity.
“You know this guy?” Jude asked me.
I nodded. There was no way I could deny it, and I didn’t want Trent to cause a scene. Well, an even bigger scene.
“Oh, she knows me better than I’m sure she knows you,” Trent smiled—and there was nothing pleasant about it—as he slid into the booth beside me. “Who are you?”
“You don’t have to say anything,” I warned Jude, taking a sip of water.
Trent glared at me.
Jude swallowed thickly, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m Jude.”
“And are you on a date with my friend here?” Trent tilted his head towards me.
“No-o-o.” Jude’s voice shook. Scaredy-cat. “We’re just grabbing a bite to eat.” Jude was a tough guy, and I found the fact that he was scared of Trent to be hilarious. I’m sure with the way Jude got around he’d run into plenty of jealous boyfriends, and had to fight his way out of a sticky situation, but something about Trent had him shaking in his boots.
“Yeah, and I bet you’re trying to figure out how you’re going to get her to go back to your place, aren’t you? I bet she’s just another conquest to someone like you. I know your type. You’re always looking for an easy fuck. So, I suggest you look elsewhere.”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped at Trent’s words. I punched his arm as hard as I could, forcing him to acknowledge my presence. I could tell Jude was pissed too, but apparently he was slightly afraid of Trent, because he said nothing. I couldn’t blame him though, with the glares Trent was aiming in his direction, he had reason to be scared.
“I can’t believe you just said that to him,” I spat at Trent, keeping my voice hushed so we didn’t disturb the other people in the restaurant.
“Yeah, well,” Trent reached up and ran his fingers nervously through his hair, obviously ashamed of his behavior, “I’m a bit pissed off that you keep wanting to brush me off, but you’re out with this guy. You turned me down for dinner last night, but here you are with him,” he pointed a forceful finger at Jude.
“This guy,” Jude pointed to himself, “has a name, and it’s Jude. J. U. D. E.”
“Do I look like I care?” Trent glared, his nostrils flaring with anger.
“I’m not on a date, so stop being rude to him,” I told Trent. I was tempted to kick him, but since he was beside me, that would’ve been quite difficult.
“Then what are you doing?” Trent looked from me to Jude.
“Why should I tell you? You’re the one that came over here like a dog pissing on its territory,” I seethed.
“Oh, this is good,” Jude chuckled. I turned in his direction to see him shoving cheese fries in his mouth. “Please, continue.”
I ignored Jude and went back to glaring at Trent. I was embarrassed by his behavior and I knew I’d have a lot of explaining to do, because Jude would want to know what was going on between Trent and I. I’d do my best to avoid that conversation for as long as possible. I didn’t want to go into details with Jude about my past with Trenton.
“And you’re the one that acts like you hate me, then I kiss you, and it’s obvious you do want me,” Trent countered, referring to the night after we shopped for groceries. “You can keep denying this as long as you want, but as long as your body continues reacting to me, I’ll keep coming back.”
“You kissed him?” Jude asked, dipping three fries in ranch. Of course, out of all of that the only part Jude noticed included kissing.
“He kissed me,” I spat. “And it hardly was a kiss at all.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better,” Trent smirked in my direction. “Can I have some of those?” He asked Jude, pointing to the fries.
“Sure, as long as you promise not to kill me and cut me up into tiny pieces,” Jude shrugged, sliding the plate closer to where Trent and I sat. I guessed they were best friends forever now. “Now, tell me about this kiss,” Jude probed Trent for answers.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I spoke up before Trent could open his big fat mouth.
“It was a simple kiss goodnight,” Trent shrugged, taking a fry as he talked over me.
“You naughty girl, Rowan. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Jude winked.
“Why would I tell you?” I muttered under my breath. “You’re a guy. Besides, it wasn’t worth talking about.”
“Burn,” Jude coughed, eyeing Trent warily in case he decided to jump across the table and strangle him.
“Well, then,” Trenton turned to face me, a challenge glimmering in his blue eyes, “I guess I’ll have to give you something to talk about then.”
“Huh?”
In a lightning fast move, he grabbed my face between his large hands and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was demanding and forceful, but somehow still passionate. It was the kind of combination that left your world spinning. I found my traitorous body responding to the feel of his tongue against my lips. I felt insecure and unsure what to do. I hadn’t been with anyone since Trenton and that had been five years ago, so I was clearly out of practice. I found that my body seemed to know what to do though, despite my lack of knowledge. I grasped his sweatshirt between my fingers, curling the fabric into my fist. His tongue flicked against mine and a soft moan escaped me. My mind had gone completely blank and all I could do was feel. My lips followed his in a passionate dance.
Cold water flicked against my face and I pulled away from Trent. We both wiped our faces and looked in the direction the water had come from. Jude sat there grinning, wiping his hands in a napkin. “Y’all looked like you needed a cold shower. Seeing as how we’re a little low on showers at the moment,” he looked around the restaurant, “I thought this would suffice,” he pointed to his glass of water.