Read The Right Temptation Online

Authors: Diane Escalera

The Right Temptation (5 page)

BOOK: The Right Temptation
6.82Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Yeah,” Kayla said, interrupting his thoughts. “I fell down, but Sofia grabbed my shirt and yanked me up. The bottle crashed right here,” she said, pointing near her lower leg. “Glass splattered over my sneakers. That’s how close it came.”

“Did Jesse know?”

“Please. He would’ve killed him.” Kayla set the dishes in the sink. “We kept it a secret.”

“Leave that. I’ll do those later,” he said. She didn’t have to clean up too.

“No biggie. Just kick back and relax. It’ll take two seconds.”

She’d already started rinsing the dishes. Nico sat there and studied the back of her, more specifically, her sweet ass. “Hey, thanks again for the awesome omelet.”

“You’re welcome,” she said over her shoulder.

“We had some shifty characters in our neighborhood, huh?” he said, examining her body. She had a perfect posterior. He also adored her beautiful long hair.

“Remember the lady who cursed at everybody?”

He had to think back for a moment. “You mean the
loca
with those bug eyes that went every which way?”

Kayla shut the faucet. She dried her hands on the dishtowel. “Yep, that’s the one. She’d grab her crotch and shout all kinds of obscenities.”

“Man, she was one sick puppy.”

Kayla laughed. “We should’ve fixed her up with Crazy Charlie.”

“I just got a visual. And it wasn’t pretty.”

“What do you think happened to them?”

“We’ll never know,” he said.

Kayla stood across the counter from him. He watched in awe as she wrapped her pretty lips around the beer bottle. It was nice to reminisce; they had some of the same childhood memories. She finished her drink and pressed her stomach against the granite. “I can’t believe we didn’t run into each other all these years. It’s not like I didn’t come home for family visits.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t move away.”

He’d never thought about living anyplace else. He loved South Florida. “And go where? My family is here.”

Kayla nodded. “I know what you mean. Why do you think I came back?”

“Yeah, I’m happy. And I got this house now.” He looked around the room, marveled at his good fortune. He’d definitely been the beneficiary of a weak housing market. When property values recovered–and they would–he’d be sitting on a nice investment. Not that he planned on cashing in anytime soon. He liked the idea of having a place to call home. “When I get finished with it, it’ll be like new,” he said, thinking about his grand plans.

Kayla leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her palms. “So you’re good with your hands?” Her lovely dark eyes danced.

The battle to kiss her waged on. “I’m real good,” he said. Well, it was true. Just ask Dylan and Christian about his work.

“Why? You get a lot of practice?” Her pink tongue licked the corner of her mouth.

The double-meaning had him nodding his head. “I do,” he said, staring at her lips and stringing her along.

“Show me and let me be the judge.” She cocked her head and smiled.

Another time, a different woman, and he would’ve been all over that. Nico got up from the stool. He held out a hand. “Come.”

Kayla came around the counter and took his hand. “Lead the way,” she said, watching him intently.

Her touch sent obscene messages directly to his groin. He’d held hands with plenty of women. No biggie, right? Tell it to the rest of him.

He’d gone without sex for a while. The dry spell had been self-imposed, not because he didn’t love sex. Hell, his Latin blood burned a little hotter than the average guy’s. But what came after sex… Complications. There’d be plenty of time for entanglements, after he accomplished a few goals. Coming from a broken home hadn’t totally jaded him. One day, he’d have a wife, kids and the whole nine yards. Maybe his father couldn’t handle responsibility, but Nico looked forward to the role.

He didn’t have every detail figured out, but he did have a plan. And that plan didn’t include his boy’s baby sister, no matter what his sex-starved body told him. It was wrong–yet felt so right–to lust for Kayla. Shit. He didn’t need all this confusion. But damn, he really liked holding her hand.

Nico led her to the backyard because right now, it was the best part of the house and he wanted her to see it. He also needed some air.

Kayla’s eyes widened the minute they stepped outside.

“What do you think?” he asked, though her slack jaw said it all.

“Holy paradise!” She squeezed his hand. “This is gorgeous.”

Nico closed his eyes for a second. He wanted to absorb the friction between them. Pulsing music from inside the house poured through the outside surround-sound speakers. A dark sky glittered with silver stars.

While she took in every inch of the patio, he took in every inch of her. He’d always felt something had been missing from the tropical oasis he’d recreated from a picture in a home remodeling magazine. Kayla’s beauty completed his vision.

“Thanks,” Nico said. His love for the outdoors had inspired his work. He’d poured a lot of sweat into it, but it had been well worth it. He spent most of his free time out here.

“I can’t believe you have a swimming pool.” She dropped his hand, walked to the edge of the water and squatted to dip her fingers.

His house looked deceiving from the outside. It appeared smaller, but once inside, took on a life of its own. That’s what had sold him on the home. He wouldn’t take credit for the kidney-shaped swimming pool because it had already been in place. But he’d had the concrete resurfaced and now the pool gleamed. “I redid all the tiles around the perimeter,” he said, proud of the finished product. He’d been right to go with royal-blue tiles. The contrast with the turquoise water looked really cool.

“You even have a tiki bar!”

“Yep. I built it.”

“The swing, too?”

“I bought the swing. But I built the trellis above it.”

Kayla went to the swing and scooted into it. She rocked back and forth, grinning the whole time. “I love it out here,” she said, tossing her head back and letting her mass of curls flow with the breeze.

See? Chicks liked to swing. Main reason he’d put it there. Of course, he’d never imagined Kayla would be the first to enjoy it. Okay second, after his mom, who loved the swing too. “Yeah, this is where I come after work to unwind. Can’t wait to get this cast off so I can swim again.”

He’d stayed out of the pool because he didn’t want to get the thing wet. He didn’t need a smelly cast. His mom had tried to convince him to do what he did when he took a shower–put a plastic bag over it. He couldn’t be bothered. The heavy weight of the damn thing would’ve probably drowned him, with his shit luck.

“I can make it so you can swim now,” Kayla said.

When had she developed the ability to crush a man with one look? And how come, all of a sudden, he didn’t give a rat’s ass about wetting his cast? What was a little funk if it meant getting Kayla in the water? Maybe even naked. What were the odds that she’d packed a bathing suit? Even if she had, Kayla in a steamy bikini didn’t seem like hardship. Nope.

“Yeah?” he said, open to the idea, even when he knew what it would lead to. Trouble with a capital T. For a while there, he’d lived for trouble. He hadn’t totally become a pillar of society. Every now and again, he still raised a little hell.

“Get me something plastic and I’ll hook you up,” Kayla said. She stopped swinging and leveled a look at him.

Her wicked smile could’ve shattered the defenses of Homeland Security, let alone his. Kayla didn’t just want to hook him up. She wanted to hook up. Period.

 

 

Chapter 5

 

Kayla watched the tall palm trees sway gently with a night breeze. Tropical flowers, cheery hues and aromatic scents encircled his lush patio. The gorgeous landscaping, his stunning craftsmanship had taken her by surprise. What else did Nico have in store for her?

God, she could swing here all night and be perfectly content. Or she could coax Nico out of his clothes and into the swimming pool, which would also make her happy. No. Scratch that. She’d be ecstatic. He acted all hard, but Kayla had already pierced his armor. Her female powers of persuasion were weakening him, and she’d barely done a thing. Imagine if she got him in the pool. Two words came to mind: wet sex.

He ambled over. “Want to go in the pool?” His eyes turned darker, almost as black and dreamy as the night.

Kayla thought she’d come prepared, but she hadn’t packed a bathing suit. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to have a swimming pool. She could take a dip in her undies. On the other hand, lace and thong didn’t leave much to the imagination. Did she really want to put it all out there so blatantly? No. Kayla had a little more class than that. She wanted Nico’s respect. He’d think she behaved the same way with every guy. And she definitely did not.

“Actually, I’d rather watch you from here,” she said, using her bare foot to swing. “But don’t worry. I’ll jump in if you start to drown.”

“Gee thanks,” he said. Nico gripped the chain and halted the swing’s motion. “Where’s the fun in that?”

His pointed stare unnerved her. So did the swell of his hard biceps. His sexy tattoo peeked out from the short sleeve of his t-shirt. Dangerous. He gave off such a bad boy vibe. She’d played by the rules, for the most part. She welcomed a little hazard and risk in her life. “Okay. I’ll let you drown,” she teased.

“Not that,” Nico huffed. “I meant swimming alone.” He plopped next to her and started swinging again.

His warm body filled the space meant for two averaged-sized people. A muscled thigh rested against hers. Hot flash. Somebody get her a fan. “Sorry,” was all she could manage.

“Don’t be. Didn’t really feel like the hassle anyway.”

The vibrant atmosphere snagged her attention again. She inhaled a fragrant bouquet, which comingled with his earthy scent. Yum. Nico’s slice of paradise. “You did a great job out here. I’m really impressed.” Her body eased against his.
Paradise
repeated in her head.

“Wait ’til you see what I do with the master bathroom.”

He made it sound like she’d be returning for more visits. Kayla angled her face toward him and smiled. After her taxing day at the hospital, decompressing with Nico felt like heaven. She didn’t want to be anyplace else.

A Bruno Mars song came on and her shoulders automatically bounced in tune with the music. “This is the life,” she said, and meant it. Throwing her head back, she swung her long hair in the air. She didn’t require a lot to be happy. A comfortable home, meaningful job, the love of a good man… Yep. So long as she had the basics, she didn’t sweat the rest.

She’d seen the hardships, the life struggles of her parents. Through it all, they’d maintained an unshakable bond. True love had stood the test of time. Kayla had discovered their secret to happiness. Her mom and dad were best friends. They laughed with each other. They laughed at each other.

She cast him a sideways glance. Could a guy like Nico go the distance? He’d grown up without a father. Probably had a totally different outlook on marriage and happy endings, but then, he’d had a vastly different experience.

She’d fantasized about her own happily-ever-after. Silly as it may have sounded, Nico had always factored into those dreams. What had drawn her in then felt much more potent now. Kayla closed her eyes. Everything felt so right. Just like she’d known it would. It didn’t matter that they’d been separated all this time. Absence had definitely made her heart grow fonder. Nico acted casual, but underneath beat the heart of a lion, a man who radiated warmth and substance.

She sat up and placed her hand on his thigh. A simple touch filled her with overwhelming need. “Nico…”

Her words were swallowed by his lips.

It felt surreal. She turned to him, gave him the green light because she’d ached for him for too damn long. Nico’s hand bunched her curls and guided her into a deeper kiss. That he’d initiated it made it more exhilarating. She’d come prepared to do all the work, but she wouldn’t lie. For all her independence, when it came to love, she wanted to be swept off her feet.

Omigod
. His kisses were scorching. They heated her up like a blowtorch. He kissed her with a hot fury that telegraphed the same level of desperation. Whoa. The man could kiss. His velvet tongue played an artful game with hers, and every delicious stroke stole a piece of her sanity.

BOOK: The Right Temptation
6.82Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Best Bet by Roman, Hebby
Anastasia (The Bolton Series Book 1) by Heaven Lyanne Flores
Weeping Willow by White, Ruth
The Story by Judith Miller
A Loving Scoundrel by Johanna Lindsey
Table for Two-epub by Jess Dee
Navidades trágicas by Agatha Christie
Death Knocks Three Times by Anthony Gilbert
All I've Ever Wanted by Adrianne Byrd