Temptation Read Online Free Page B

buying food and supplies—and fighting with Courtney and Whitney.
    As the sun lowered behind the dunes, Mr. Blair made the first barbecue of the season. Hot dogs and hamburgers sizzled on the grill, the smoke trailing over the tall reeds bending in the breeze.
    Mr. Blair lived to barbecue. It was about the only thing at the beach he did like. He had delicate, fair skin, so he avoided the beach for the most part. He was happy to lie in a hammock and read, waiting for evening so he could barbecue.
    After dinner April excused herself and hurried upstairs to change. Glancing at the clock on her small antique dressing table, she saw that she was already late. She had arranged to meet Matt in town at seven-thirty.
    He’d better wait for me, she told herself, pulling off her shorts and tossing them on the floor. Then she searched the closet for a pair of denim cutoffs.
    â€œWhy do you let your sisters push you around?”
    Suddenly her mother’s words from that afternoon came back to April.
    â€œBecause it’s easier than fighting with them,” April answered the question.
    â€œBecause it’s always easier to give in, not to fight with people.
    â€œBecause I’m a pushover.”
    All of these answers seemed right to April. And wrong.
    She brushed her straight blond hair, her emerald green eyes staring back at her from the scratched dressing-table mirror.
    Am I really such a pushover? she asked herself, examining her face in the spotted mirror. She liked what she saw—for the most part. If only her nose were a little longer. She wasn’t as pretty as her sisters, but she was okay.
    I’m not going to be a pushover about Matt, she decided, pulling her brush through her hair one last time before standing up.
    I’m not going to let Mom put him down anymore.
    Matt is a great guy. I’m glad he’s going to be at Sandy Hollow too. We’re going to have a really awesome summer together.
    She waved good-bye to her parents, who were still on the deck in back, playing some kind of leapfrog game with the Twin Terrors. Then she headed around to the front of the house and, half walking, half jogging, headed along Beach Haven Drive toward town.
    Beach Haven Drive.
    She had to laugh. It was such a fancy name for what was nothing more than a narrow, unpaved path.
    It was about a ten-minute walk from the cluster of summer cottages, past a sandy patch lined with tall reeds, then flat, grassy fields dotted with an occasional oak or willow tree, to the small town.
    Following the path, April was only about five minutes from her house when someone leapt out of the shadows of the tall reeds and grabbed her roughly from behind.

CHAPTER 5 COLD FOREVER
    â€œGotcha!” Matt cried.
    He let go of April and stepped onto the road, a taunting grin on his face, his dark eyes challenging her to retaliate. “April Fools’!”
    â€œMatt—you jerk!” April cried, swinging a fist and missing him as he dodged to one side, laughing. He was always scaring her and crying “April Fools’!” and she really hated it.
    She turned to Todd, who had followed his friend out from the tall reeds, his hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans. “Tell him he’s a jerk,” she said, her heart still thudding hard in her chest.
    â€œYou’re a jerk,” Todd obediently repeated to Matt.
    Matt’s grin didn’t fade. Despite the cool of the evening, he was wearing red and blue baggy shorts and a sleeveless blue T-shirt. Matt stood over April, tall and broad-chested, a little pudgy. With his short brown hair, black eyes, and round cheeks, he reminded April of a big teddy bear.
    Todd formed a complete contrast to his friend. He was short and lean with curly, carrot-colored hair and a serious expression punctuated by piercing blue eyes. He seldom smiled. He was quiet and shy, especially compared to Matt. Even though the three of them hung out together constantly, Todd