Temptation (Finding the One - Volume One): Finding the One, #1

By Aubrey Skye

Tara is a big, beautiful teacher living in a small town, and is engaged to a hot fireman named Aidan. The problem: He has secrets hidden behind his perfect hero image, and she starts to question whether he really is The One.

One Friday night while he is working, Tara heads to the local bar with her sister Lauren for some fun. When she goes to get drinks, Rob, a guy from Aidan's past, is bartending. Sparks fly immediately, and despite being taken, Tara can't deny her attraction to Rob.

But, from a dark corner, someone is watching them...someone with nothing to lose and a lot to gain...

Will Tara give in to her heated desires? Will she be caught?

How will she hide her secrets while she decides which man is right for her?

Fans of Bella Andre and Kristan Higgins will love this quirky romance series with strong, independent woman and alpha heroes.

Note: Parts of Finding the One were previously published as Big Temptation.

Also includes some sneak peeks at upcoming novels!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roja Publishing
• Release date: Oct 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536504743

Book preview

Tara is a big, beautiful teacher living in a small town, and is engaged to a hot fireman named Aidan. The problem: He has secrets hidden behind his perfect hero image, and she starts to question whether he really is The One.

One Friday night while he is working, Tara heads to the local bar with her sister Lauren for some fun. When she goes to get drinks, Rob, a guy from Aidan's past, is bartending. Sparks fly immediately, and despite being taken, Tara can't deny her attraction to Rob.

But, from a dark corner, someone is watching them...someone with nothing to lose and a lot to gain...

Will Tara give in to her heated desires? Will she be caught?

How will she hide her secrets while she decides which man is right for her?

Fans of Bella Andre and Kristan Higgins will love this quirky romance series with strong, independent woman and sexy alpha heroes.

Note: Parts of Finding the One were previously published as Big Temptation.

Also includes some sneak peeks at upcoming novels!

~Volume One:

A Night Out ~

It was another Friday night, and I was getting ready to head out to Layla's for drinks and karaoke with my sister. My long, wavy hair was not cooperating as I attempted to straighten my long bangs and make the rest of it look wavy in an effortless way. My natural color is very dark brown, but ever since I started seeing more and more gray, I decided to dye it black. People said it suited me, and it was easier than getting highlights. I just grabbed a box of dye from the store once a month, and I was good to go.

Once I put on plenty of black eyeliner around the inner rims of my hazel eyes and added some purple shadow and mascara, I sprayed my hair one more time, hoping to keep all of the work I just did on it in place. It was late November, so I was wearing a low-cut black sweater and frayed flare-leg jeans. I chose a black bra that made the girls pop up and out, so they were on display. My 40D breasts were just part of my plus-sized curves, accentuating my larger-than-normal stomach, ample thighs, and wide ass. I owned how I looked and didn't care what anyone else thought. I added a pair of boots since it was snowing, and Layla's was full of rednecks anyway. I sprayed on my favorite perfume, Forever Red, and slipped a pair of large, silver hoops through my ears. My phone started ringing with the latest Pink song, and I looked down and saw that it was my fiancé, Aidan.

Hey, babe. How's work? Aidan was working a 24-hour shift at the fire station. He had been working as a fireman for seven years, and he loved his job. We had known each other for 10 years, since I was 22, and we had been engaged for over a year.

Pretty slow so far. You headed out soon?

Yeah, Lauren will be here to get me anytime now. I need a drink after the week I've had. I worked as an English teacher at the local high school, and half of the students had not handed in their projects.

I know, babe. Damn kids! Did you get all dolled up?

Not really. Just a sweater, jeans, and my logging boots. But the girls are out in full force, just how you like them.

Mmmm, you know I do. But no one else better look at them! You better not get too drunk so you're ready for me when I get out in the morning. I'll stop by your place and give those girls some attention. I can taste them now. Why don't you send me a pic of how hot you look, baby?

Ok, I'll take one. And I promise to be ready for you in the morning. I'll sleep naked, so you can just climb right in and wake me up.

Perfect. Don't let any of those other jerks touch you. You're all mine. I love you, baby. Have a great night.

I love you, too, Aidan. Stay safe. See you in the morning. Bye.

Just as I hung up, I heard a horn from the driveway. I threw my gray plaid pea coat on and went out to meet her. There were snow flurries in the air as I opened the door to her black SUV and climbed in.

Hey, bitch! She always greeted me like that. We were as close as sisters could be, since I was only 18 months older than her. Lauren was about 50 pounds heavier than me and her boobs made mine look small. She had been separated from her husband for a couple of years, and she was trying to have fun on one of her few nights away from her two kids.

Hey, Lauren! I'm so pumped to go out! What are you gonna sing tonight?

I'm thinking of trying out one of Adele's songs from her album that hasn't been on the radio. I need a few drinks first, though.

Can't wait to hear it. We might end up needing a cab tonight! She cranked up the stereo when one of our favorite songs came on her iPod, and we were at the bar within a few minutes. It was almost 11:00 by the time we pulled up, and we had to park pretty far away. I left my coat in the car, shoved my phone in my pocket, and put some money in my bra. As we approached the front of the bar, we were greeted by yelled hellos from some of the regulars.

It's the Cummins sisters! The party's here! We said hi to everyone, and Lauren got out a Camel Crush to smoke with some of them. I started to get cold, so I headed inside to get drinks. When I stepped up to the bar, Layla wasn't there to wait on me. Instead, I saw a familiar face.

What can I get ya? It was Rob Barrone. I had seen him in the bar many times before, and I knew he had been a couple of years behind Aidan in high school. Aidan talked to him a few times in my presence, but he and I had never actually spoken until now.

Yeah, hi. Can I have two Smirnoff Ices, please?

Yup. Be right back. I watched him head to the cooler at the other end of the bar. He was tall and very thin with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Rob was all redneck, and he wore logging boots, Wrangler jeans, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I had always thought he was too skinny, but something sparked inside me tonight when I watched him moving back my way.

That'll be $5.00, Tara.

Wait, how do you know my name? I handed him $5.00 and gave him an extra dollar for a tip.

You're Aidan Harper's girl, right? I've seen you together a bunch of times. I graduated with his brother, Jack.

Oh, yeah, now I remember. You're Rob, right?

That's me. Nice to meet you. I've seen in you in here almost every weekend for months. He smiled sideways at me, and I felt that same pull. He was cuter than I remembered, and his hand felt warm and strong when he extended it to me.

I'm gonna go find my sister, Lauren. I'm sure I'll see you soon. I gave him my best smile and went to give Lauren her drink.

We headed out on the dance floor when a good song came on, and we danced for a few songs before the karaoke started. We sang a duet, and then she stayed up there to sing alone. I headed over to the bar to get more drinks, and Rob was waiting for me with a smile on his face.

Back again already? You want the same?

Yeah, I'll have two more of those and a shot of Jack.

"For you? You sure you can handle that?

Yeah, I'm a big girl, after all. You wanna join me?

Only if I can have SoCo instead. And there's nothing wrong with how you look. I agreed to let him have whatever he wanted, and I paid for everything. He set up the shots in front of us.

Cheers, Rob. Here's to new friends. I winked and smiled before hitting his shot glass with mine and drinking it down. He drank his and smiled again.

You took that like a champ. What else can you handle, pretty girl?

Oh, I can handle just about anything. I may be a little on the chubby side, but that means there's more to hold onto.

Oh yeah? What are you doing later? He said that with a devilish look in his eyes and put his hand on mine on the bar.

Wouldn't you like to know? Other people were waiting for Rob to wait on them, so I went back to Lauren and our other friends. We were drinking, dancing, and laughing so much, that I jumped a little when I felt someone come up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

Your hair smells so damn good, Tara. I recognized the voice as Rob's, and I didn't try to get away. It felt better than I thought it would, and my heart started to race. By now, I was buzzing and my inhibitions were gone. I spun around to face him and wrapped my arms around his. My head rested perfectly in the center of his chest.

Thanks. It's vanilla. You smell good, too. I smiled up at him, and when our eyes met, I felt a twinge again. I wanted to kiss him, and I saw him start to lean down toward me. Then it seemed that we both remembered that we were standing in the middle of the bar with way too many eyes around.

Shit, Tara. I don't know what's come over me tonight. I know this is wrong. You're with Aidan. But I feel something. I can't seem to stay away.

I agree, Rob. And there are a lot of things about Aidan that no one else knows.

I'm going to head into the back room in a few minutes while Abby takes over behind the bar. If you're feeling brave, come back there and meet me. If I don't see you, I promise I will leave you alone.

With that, he headed outside to smoke. I was shaking, so I headed into the bathroom and sat in a stall for some peace. What the hell was I doing? I loved Aidan, but things had gotten very shaky between us since the night he left bruises on me. I was rethinking everything, and these strange feelings that were stirring for Rob were confusing the hell out of me. I washed my hands and checked my hair and makeup, noticing my cheeks were flushed. I went out and danced one more song with Lauren, and I noticed Rob heading out back out of the corner of my eye. After a couple of minutes, I got brave and decided to take a chance.

I pushed the door to the back room open, and I found him stand there crushing beer boxes. He turned around and looked surprised to see me there.

"I really didn't think you'd come. You are so god damn beautiful, Tara. Everything about you just tempts me. The way you walk. That sexy smile and giggle you give when you're flirting. The cleavage that you make no apologies about flaunting. The fact that you wear logging boots. Something just changed when you came up to me