Free TheTemptationNotJustifiedAReFinal by Delaney Diamond Page A

She
couldn’t tell Derrick about her and Roarke now. Not only would it hurt him, it
would only serve to further feed the flame of hatred he held for his brother.
    What
would even be the point of telling Derrick? Roarke had made it clear what he
thought of her. He wanted her for sex, and that was all. The thought cut deep,
scraped the walls of her heart and wounded her feelings.
    Nonetheless,
her thoughts and feelings didn’t matter. Her friend was hurting. Years of rejection
had spread and eaten away at him like an ulcer, coloring his perception of the
truth. She sympathized with Derrick’s predicament, but his pride left no room
for her pity.
    “Now
you understand why my relationship with my dear brother isn’t all that great.”
    “Yes.”
She watched as his breathing slowed to normal. “What about Phineas? Hasn’t he
been a good father to you?”
    “Phineas
is an old white man who was unfortunate enough to fall in love, but smart
enough to realize you can buy anything with money, including a young wife. When
The Sperm Donor relinquished all paternal rights, my mother made Phineas adopt
me, and he got stuck playing stepfather to her half-black son.” With a wry
twist to his lips, he added, “Unfortunately for him, we came as a package
deal.”
    Abruptly,
as if he suddenly realized he’d said too much, Derrick turned to the door and
swung it open. “Let’s get out of here.”
    Before
they walked out, Celeste reached out and pulled him into a hug. He went rigid,
but she held on until his stiffened body loosened in her arms. He held her for
a brief moment and then released, letting his arms hang loosely at his sides.
    Looking
deeply into his eyes, she whispered, “You have to let go of this anger you have
inside. It’s not healthy.”
    As
luck would have it, Roarke appeared in the hallway at that moment, and her
stomach plummeted. He paused, and their gazes locked over Derrick’s shoulder.
The power of his stare rocked her insides. She could only imagine how the scene
appeared, confirming every contemptible thought about her, so soon after their heated
tryst.
    Too
quick for her to decipher the look he cast in her direction, his face became a
shuttered mask so swiftly she thought she imagined it.
    “Hey,”
Derrick said in a stiff voice, glancing over his shoulder at Roarke. Celeste lowered
her arms, and he looped his arm around her back. “More family’s arrived.”
    “Yeah,”
Roarke said, staring down the hall. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at
either of them. “Cassidy told me. Everyone’s on the back porch.”
    He
walked away, and they followed behind.
     
     
    Moments
later, they joined the family downstairs. There, Celeste met three other people
staying in the house: Aunt Iris, a tall, dark-skinned woman who stood behind
the wheelchair of an older woman everyone called Granny, and their Uncle Reese,
who was in the process of prepping a couple of grills for the meat and
vegetables on a table nearby. She was also introduced to a few cousins staying
in one of the hotels with their children.
    With
the sun high in the sky and the waves crashing nearby, Celeste relaxed into the
southern comfort of the beach house with a twinge of envy. The Hawthorne family
sipped lemonade and sweet tea and munched on snacks as they waited for Uncle
Reese to “do his thing” on the grill.
    A
couple of hours later, with the groom, additional guests, and a few neighbors
present, the large group ate the bounty of food, seated on the back porch and
gathered around folded tables on the lawn. The Hawthornes were a big, loving
family and made her feel welcome. She thought how nice it would be for her
daughter Arianna to experience the love and camaraderie of a large family in
such an idyllic location.
    Because
of the number of people at the house, she managed to keep her distance from
Roarke easily enough, though she couldn’t resist looking at him from time to
time.
    After
a stomach full of chicken, ribs, rolls,