The Right Temptation (12 page)

“Nah. His house makes this place look like a slum.” Nico thought about Trump’s sick ocean-front estate in Palm Beach. Okay, maybe he exaggerated. Northville did have a lot more character. The community dated back to the 1890s. At one time, it had been a pineapple plantation.

“
Iz
that it?” Charo pointed at the house with several trucks in the driveway.

“Yep. Pull up behind the white pickup,” he said, his gaze darting over a lush green landscape. The mansion had been built in 1923, a Mediterranean Revival, one of the three popular designs back then. The oldest home, built in 1895, stood only a few blocks away. Another contractor had already restored it to museum-like quality.

They exited the car and his mom sashayed ahead of him, scurrying to get a better look. “
Ay Dios mío, que bello,
” she exclaimed, acknowledging the home’s opulent exterior.

“You need to stay outside. Dylan only allows workers on the property.”

She shot him an incredulous look.

“Insurance regulations,” he added, before she could argue.

“Can I at least see the backyard?” She steepled her fingers and mocked a prayer.

Most of the restoration took place indoors. And being that he didn’t see Dylan’s truck anywhere, Nico decided to let her explore the grounds. The property owners were living elsewhere during renovations. Plus, he knew the chances of his mom staying put were slim to none. “Just don’t touch anything,” he warned.

“
No. No.
I’m just going to look.” With that, she skipped off like an excited child ready for mischief.

“Well, well, look what the wind blew in,” said one of the guys when Nico came through the front door. Steve stopped sanding a wall and walked over to him. He clapped Nico on the shoulder and left white powder on his dark t-shirt. “What’s up, bud?”

Nico liked Steve. The guy worked hard and never complained. He’d been one of Dylan’s first real employees. “Nothing, man,” Nico replied. “I’m going stir crazy.”

“Yo, Nico!” another man, with a red bandana around his head, shouted from a scaffold that rose high in the air.

Nico looked up and instinctively held his cast. The accident flashed before his eyes. Memories of falling off that very same scaffold made him feel queasy. He exhaled. The cathedral ceiling hung twenty feet above the posh floor. Damn. Had it been this house, he wouldn’t be standing here right now. His gaze slid over Carlos. Fortunately, the guy had more brains than he did. Carlos used straps to anchor himself, like he was supposed to. “How’s it hanging?” Nico tried to make light of the situation.

Carlos laughed. “Doing better than you,
papi
.”

“Hey, cuz,” Christian said, as he came around a corner. “Thought I heard your voice.” He unscrewed the cap on his plastic bottle and guzzled down water. “Didn’t bring the hottie with you?” He wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead.

“What hottie?” Steve gave them a sappy grin.

“Nico’s new woman.” Christian wriggled his dark brows. “The sexy nurse.”

“Maybe I need to break a bone,” said Steve. “On a scale of one to ten, what are we talking about?”

“Tell him.” Christian bumped Nico on the back.

He’d come here to take his mind off Kayla, not the other way around. Nico gave his cousin the death glare. “She’s just a friend.”

Christian laughed at him. “Look at those sick puppy eyes. Who are you trying to convince, us or yourself?”

“Cut the guy some slack,” Steve said, throwing an arm over Nico’s shoulder. He took pity on Nico because they all knew what it was like once Christian got going. “Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Nico appreciated the diversion. Following Steve up the lavish circular stairs, he couldn’t believe real people actually lived here. Dylan had definitely knocked it out of the ballpark, their most impressive project to date.

Viewing the entire interior, he mostly focused on the flooring. The wide-plank wood was in decent repair, and he’d have no problem restoring it to like-new condition. By the time his cast came off, the guys would be wrapping it up on the lower level. With them out of the way, he’d be able to start in downstairs. The project would stay on schedule, just the way Dylan liked.

Coming out here today had done the trick. He’d kept his brain occupied with work, had formulated all kinds of plans and ideas for those floors. All in all, he’d had a good day. Even his mom had behaved herself. He’d found her in the cobblestone courtyard, sitting on a stone bench, daydreaming in front of a water fountain.

Of course, Christian had to take a parting shot. Once again, he’d brought up Kayla. If Nico didn’t want her, Christian would gladly take her off his hands. He always said stupid shit just to get a rise out of people. Usually it worked. This time, Nico didn’t take the bait, even though the comment had really irked him.

The thought of Christian–or any man for that matter–touching one hair on Kayla’s head made him rabid. He felt jealous and possessive, and yet he wouldn’t claim her. His brain used logic, but the massive knot in his stomach, twisting sensations deep down in his gut spoke otherwise.

* * * *

Finally. A day off. Kayla had a million things on her to-do list. She only planned on
doing
one of them. It didn’t matter that Nico hadn’t called. She hadn’t called him either.

What a lovely sunny day. This time she packed her bikini so she could catch some rays, do a few laps in the swimming pool. Minutes from his house now, she probably should’ve called ahead. But she wanted to surprise him. The smell of rotisserie chicken wafted inside the car and made her mouth water. Good thing she’d stopped at the supermarket to grab a few things. Skipping breakfast had her stomach making ridiculous sounds.

She couldn’t wait to see Nico. After they ate lunch, she planned to have him for dessert. Kayla turned onto his street. She spied his house and the lone Mustang in his driveway. Yes! She pulled up behind him, cut the engine and quickly gathered her things. The crisp blue sky made her smile. Everything felt like rainbows and butterflies.

Her knock came louder than she’d intended. Blame it on anxiousness, excitement. She glanced down at her favorite red sundress that made her boobs look especially perky. Nico didn’t answer right away. Impatient, she knocked again. The door suddenly swooshed open, and there stood Nico with a solemn face.

“Hi,” she said, her voice elevated with joy.

Nico gave her a weak smile. “Hi to you.” His gaze swept her up and down and lingered on her breasts. “What are you doing here?”

No hug. No Kiss. A little more enthusiasm would’ve been nice. “Finally got a day off. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside. “What do you got there?”

Okay. What the heck was going on? He acted indifferent, like they hadn’t banged each other’s brains out last weekend. “Hungry? I brought lunch.” She watched him cautiously.

His expressionless face gave nothing away. “That was nice.”

“You feeling okay?” Maybe his arm hurt. But her gut knew better.

“Just have a lot on my mind.” Nico’s chin dipped. He stared at the floor.

Kayla got a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn’t about a bad day. Somebody’d had a change of heart. “Oh. Is that why you didn’t call me?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You look real nice.”

What kind of an answer was that? Kayla went to the kitchen and set the grocery bag on the counter. “I didn’t mean to barge in.” She removed the chicken and a tub of potato salad from the sack. “Well, maybe I did, but I thought it would be okay.” Finally he looked at her. “Guess I should’ve called first.”

“Wish you had,” he said, glancing away. “Christian is picking me up in a little bit. We’re heading over to Dylan’s place.”

She felt totally deflated. No invite. No offer to cancel his plans. Obviously, he didn’t want to be with her. “I see,” she said trying to make eye contact, but he wouldn’t oblige. She adjusted the strap on her tote bag. Thank God, it still hung on her shoulder. She already felt stupid. At least she hadn’t made herself at home. “Sorry for the intrusion.” Her chin quivered. Tears stung her eyes. She made a beeline for the door, because no way would she let him see her cry.

“At least eat something,” he called out.

“I’m not hungry anymore.” She ran to her car and never looked back.

Chapter 12

Staring at the bedroom ceiling, Kayla wondered how she still had any tears left. She’d cried all afternoon. The day had started out so happily. Had her plans panned out, right now she’d be in Nico’s bed. Her knees clutched together. His mouth had been all over her body. She’d never be able to get that image out of her head.

She hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t prepared for such a jolting reaction. Rejected by the man she loved. And here she thought she mattered to him. Nico had totally blown her off. He’d slept with her for the same reason any other guy would. On the other hand, she’d practically forced herself on him. She’d been the instigator. He had no respect for her. That’s why he’d showed her the door.

Sofia’s familiar ringtone made her jump.
Finally!
She’d been trying to reach her sister for hours.

“Hey,” she said, answering on the first ring.

“You called like five times. Why didn’t you leave a message?” Concern laced Sofia’s words.

“Where were you?” Kayla kept her voice from cracking. She needed to hold it together, formulate coherent sentences.

“Sorry. We were out furniture shopping. I accidentally left my phone charging at home.”

“I blew it with Nico,” Kayla blurted out. The thought broke her heart all over again. “He doesn’t want to see me anymore.”

“Is that what he said?” Sofia spoke calmly. Unlike Kayla, who had a tendency to overreact, Sofia liked to get the whole story first. She’d always chastised Kayla for jumping to conclusions. Sofia didn’t operate that way. She had more logic than most women, hence Kayla always used her as a sounding board. She also had a good track record when it came to solving Kayla’s problems.

“He didn’t have to.” Kayla let out a strangled groan.

“Breathe in, breathe out,” Sofia urged. “Now tell me exactly what happened.”

Why did her sister have to live thousands of miles away? Kayla hated that she’d moved to California. Sofia’s husband had landed his dream job, and they’d relocated to advance his career. The couple couldn’t be happier. Kayla wanted nothing less for her sister. But right now, she wished Sofia still lived in South Florida.

Damn it. There went the waterworks again. It took a minute to get them under control before she spilled her heart out. Kayla paused to blow her nose. “How presumptuous to think he felt the same way,” she said, on a final sniff.

“You scared him,
mama
. That’s all that happened.”

Huh? Kayla expected Sofia to see a totally different picture. “I scared him
away
,” she corrected.

“Nope. The way he reacted was actually a good thing.” Sofia let out a soft laugh.

Kayla failed to see the humor. Had Sofia heard a word she’d said? Maybe she needed to spell it out again. Nico. Did. Not. Want. Her. “A good thing?” she repeated, clenching her back molars.

“You got to him,” Sofia explained. “And that means he cares about you.”

“
Cares
?” Where did she get that from? “He practically kicked me out of his house!”

“That’s because he doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings. You said it yourself. He wasn’t looking for a relationship.”

Kayla internalized her sister’s summation. She’d been too hurt to see things from a different perspective. Sofia made a good point, but now Kayla felt even more confused. She didn’t know what to think. And yet, she felt a tiny glimmer of hope. “So what should I do? Try to convince him otherwise?”

“No,” Sofia instructed. “Let him figure it out for himself. He needs to come to you.”

Great. Kayla lived to fix things, make everything, everyone, better. Waiting on Nico would not be easy. Still, what Sofia said made sense.
He
needed to make the next move. If they were meant to be… Kayla had spent so many years believing in the fairytale. “What if he doesn’t?”

“Don’t worry. He will.”

* * * *

Nico should’ve been jumping for joy. He finally had use of both arms again. The cast had come off a week ago, and man did it feel good to finally get rid of that godawful thing. He’d never break another bone in his life.