Tempt Me: A First Class Romance Collection

by Hawkins, Jessica

  Why does she talk to me like I’m her teenage son?

  “I had to see my best girl before she left for school.” Leaning down, I kiss Lillie’s cheek then I go to the fridge where Ruby is holding a carton of soy half and half. “Did you sleep well last night?”

  I imagine pulling her into my arms and kissing her good morning. The heat between us is palpable.

  She keeps her gaze on her coffee preparations. “I did, actually. I was very relaxed.”

  A grin splits my cheeks. She’s being playful, and I love it. “Are you still going to your mother’s for lunch?”

  Our eyes meet, and I feel a charge, but she blinks away fast. “If that’s still okay?”

  “I think it’s great.” Eleanor is watching us like a hawk, so I go to the coffee machine. “We’re not having lunch today, Lils. You’re going with Ruby to her mom’s house.”

  My daughter’s little brow furrows, but before she can decide she’s not happy about it, I add. “You and I are going to get ice cream at Dipper’s instead.”

  She inhales a little gasp and claps her hands. “Yay! Daddy’s taking me to Dipper’s!”

  “Like everyone in the room didn’t just hear me.” I go over and tickle her, and she shrieks so loud I stop at once. “Too loud.”

  “Remington, don’t tickle her. She’ll wet her pants.”

  “I will not!” Lillie shouts even louder. “I’m not a baby.”

  Eleanor abandons her post at the table to attend to her granddaughter. I take advantage of her momentary distraction to touch Ruby’s arm lightly.

  “Hey.” My voice is soft. “I’d like to talk to you if that’s okay. Maybe after you drop Lillie at school?”

  Her lips press together, and she hesitates. “I have to take care of a few things for Drew’s shower on Saturday. When you get back with Lillie?”

  “Sure.” Sliding my hand down, I brush my fingers across hers. I’m addicted to the rush of heat between us. It tightens my stomach. “Have fun today.” Man, I wish I could kiss her.

  “Thanks,” she whispers before turning to my daughter. “Time to go, Lil.”

  Lillie runs to grab her coat and snack bag, and they head for the door. I lean against the bar watching them go as I sip my coffee. Ruby holds her hand, and Lillie skips every other step. She’s singing some Disney song I vaguely recognize, and I can’t help thinking how great they look together.

  I set my coffee on the bar and notice Eleanor watching the whole scene play out with a scowl. I don’t have time for this.

  I set my cup in the sink and give her a nod. “I’d better get to work.”

  She doesn’t even respond.

  17

  Ruby

  “Then you press the edges together like this, and it’s done.” Ma guides Lillie’s small fingers along the edge of her dumpling while I work on my own.

  “I made a dumpling!” Lillie holds it up to me, and I smile.

  “It’s called mandu.” I give her a little hip bump. “And you’re a natural. I couldn’t make mandu that good until I was five.”

  Lillie’s little mouth quirks, and she leans closer. “You’re not like Tiana.”

  “Who is Tiana?” Ma collects our crescents into her steamer and places it over the boiling water.

  “It’s a Disney princess.” I walk over to watch her mixing soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, scallions, and garlic for the sauce. She makes a separate batch with red pepper flakes for us. “Lillie, you can play in my room if you want. Just don’t turn up the K-pop too loud.”

  Her hazel eyes widen, and she takes off running to my old bedroom. She reminds me so much of her dad. I watch after her remembering his smile this morning. Just as fast, my mind drifts to his face last night, eyes heated and possessive. He kissed me like he would never let me go, then he dropped to his knees and blew my mind.

  “Why is your face so pink? What are you thinking?” Ma’s voice is scolding, and I clear my mind.

  “Nothing! I was just thinking how cute she is. She looks a lot like her dad.”

  “You must be professional with that man. He is your boss.” She gives me a stern glare, and I can’t argue.

  “I agree. I’ve turned over a new leaf, and I’m being very serious.” Seriously in lust.

  Her voice drops, becoming more urgent. “People at church are talking about sexy nannies. Are you having sex with him?”

  “No!” I hop up on the counter, wondering if oral sex is technically sex. “I told you I couldn’t live in his house if I did that. I’d have to get my own place.”

  “Good. You must be careful. That man is not like us. He is not Korean.” She lifts the lid on her bamboo steamer and turns the dumplings with chopsticks.

  I just can’t even. “Why should I be careful? Dad wasn’t Korean, and it didn’t stop you from marrying him.”

  “I should have listened to my mother.” She takes a bowl of kimchee out of the refrigerator.

  That makes me remember. “I saw Henry Pak last night. He said to tell you hi.”

  “You should go out with Henry again. He’s a good Korean doctor.”

  “Who looks like Dumbo.” She makes a scolding noise, but I let it pass. “So what did your mother have to say?” She looks confused, and I lean closer. “The part you should have listened to.”

  Her eyes close, and she shakes her head. “She said I should not have married outside our community.”

  This intrigues me. Ma has never dared to speak ill of my late father. “Are you saying she didn’t want you to marry Dad?”

  “Your father was a very good man, but it is a lot of work to be married. It was very difficult at times.”

  I can’t say no shit or she’ll lose her shit.

  She’s quiet, thinking, then she does a sharp nod. “I’m not saying bad things about your father, but it’s good for you to know.”

  “So why did you? Marry him, I mean.” She puts one of the dumplings on a small plate and cuts it in half.

  I watch as she tests it, and I pick up the other half to test it as well. It’s delicious.

  She hasn’t answered me, but when her dark eyes flicker to mine, she can’t stop her smile. Ma doesn’t show her soft side very often, so I always jump on it when she does.

  “You thought he was hot.” I point my chopsticks at her and start to laugh. “Dad was Mr. Handsome American Doctor and you couldn’t resist.”

  “He was very handsome, and I should have resisted.”

  “Why?” I hop off the counter, legitimately curious. “I mean, he was hard on me, but—”

  “Your father wanted you to be the best. He had very high standards.” Her voice is stern again, and she arranges large butter lettuce leaves on a platter. “He was no harder than a good Korean father would have been.”

  She uses a wide ladle to spoon the dumplings onto the platter, and I watch as she sprinkles the pale beige skins with bright orange fish eggs.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  She shakes her head, carrying it all to the table. “He did not respect our traditions. He wanted his home to be completely American. He did not like the grace, the politeness.”

  He said we were all push-overs. I remember that very well. Submissive, is what he called it. Ma called it good manners. If I didn’t know how tough she could be, I might have agreed with him. As it is, I know her “good manners” made for a very peaceful home.

  “I don’t think Remi would oppose other cultural influences in his home.” She gives me a hard look, but I know I’m right. “Anyway, this is a silly conversation. I’m not even dating him, and you’re acting like he proposed to me.”

  “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  I huff a laugh. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

  “It is also through his children.”

  When we get back to the house, I find Eleanor in the living room, digging in one of the cabinets under the enormous flat screen television. I don’t want to stop, but she sees u
s before we can make a dash up the stairs.

  “Hello, girls.” She stands up, holding a long, brown bottle. “How was lunch?”

  “I made a dumpling. It’s called mangoos, and Ruby’s mom made a dessert that had beans and fruit mixed together!” Lillie’s talking fast, which I know means she’s excited.

  Eleanor doesn’t seem so impressed. “That sounds very exotic.”

  Her attention returns to the bottle she’s holding, and I can tell she wants me to ask about it. With a sigh, I decide to be a peacemaker.

  “What’s that, Eleanor?” I can play her game, but I can’t keep my voice from sounding like a robot.

  She looks up at me with a knowing smile. “I found this Tawny Port from Prager Winery in the cabinet. Sandy and Remi got it for me when they traveled to Napa on their honeymoon.”

  My throat tightens, and I have to hand it to her. She got me.

  I’ll be damned if I let her know it, though. “That’s really cool. You never opened it?”

  “No. It’s a very rare wine… Just like theirs was a very rare love.” She sighs like she’s being so innocent. “We should open it and enjoy it after dinner tonight before it passes it’s prime.”

  My lips press together, and my stomach hurts, thinking of how that will go. Not that I want to replace Lillie’s mom, not at all. I don’t want Remi to be sad. I don’t want things to be strange between us.

  “After Sandy died, he said he’d never love again.” Eleanor’s tone is wistful.

  An ache is in my throat, and I don’t know why my silly eyes heat. “Never is a long time. Remi was twenty-six when she died?”

  “They both were.” Her eyes aren’t on me.

  I sound weak, but I think about my therapy training. “Grief recovery isn’t about forgetting the past. It’s about remembering with joy, not pain.”

  She continues like it’s not tearing up my heart. “I wonder if Remi will even remember that trip.”

  “His honeymoon? I’m sure it’s something he’ll always remember.” I’m ready to go to my room now.

  “He seems to be forgetting a lot of things these days.” She gives me a pointed glare, but I don’t want to fight this battle. Ever.

  “I’m sure it will always be very special to him.”

  Remi cuts us off just as I’m leaving the living room. “Hey!”

  That dimple is in his cheek, and he looks genuinely glad to see me.

  It makes me want to cry.

  Which is a ridiculous response to seeing him after hearing his mother-in-law talking about his honeymoon. Remi and I are not serious. I shouldn’t feel anything about Eleanor dragging out old tokens of his past life.

  His brow furrows when he sees my face. “Everything okay? Where’s Lillie?”

  “Everything’s fine.” I manage a smile, but his expression isn’t buying it.

  “Daddy!” Lillie comes running inside from the patio. “Are we going to Dipper’s now?”

  “Sure, honeybun. Ruby, want to come with us?”

  I shake my head. “It’s your special time, remember?”

  “You can go, Ruby!” Lillie grabs my hand. “You don’t have to eat the ice cream. You can have a cookie.”

  Remi turns to his mother in law. “Eleanor? Would you like to join us?”

  “Oh, no.” She waves a hand in front of her face. “You go and have fun. I’m just doing a little cleaning.”

  Is that what it’s called now?

  “Then we’ll be back in what? An hour?” He looks at me, and the dimple is back.

  I almost sigh. He’s so good looking. “An hour should be plenty of time.”

  Lillie grabs his hand and takes off running toward the door.

  18

  Remi

  Ruby waits in the park across the street while Lillie and I get our ice cream.

  My daughter is on her tiptoes pointing at the chocolate-dipped waffle cones. “You sure you want a cone, peanut? It’ll drip all over you.”

  “I want a cone!” She pumps her little fist over her head like a cheer.

  That does it. “Two swirl cones, please.”

  As soon as the girl passes them to us, I grab an extra set of napkins and my daughter’s hand. We walk across the street to the town square, where Ruby is sitting on an iron bench in front of the gazebo… with that fucking Henry Pak again.

  What the hell? Does he live here now?

  I catch the end of Ruby’s sentence as we approach. “How soon are you looking to move?”

  Good, maybe he’s planning to go back to Korea.

  “We’re closing on the condo tomorrow. Depending on the contractor, it’s possible I could be here full time by the end of the month.”

  “That’s great.” I can’t tell if Ruby really thinks it’s great or not.

  When she sees me, her expression changes. She shifts in her chair and looks worried.

  “Remi!” Her voice is too high. “You remember Henry Pak. You met him last night?”

  Thankfully, my hands are full with my daughter’s hand in one and an ice cream cone in the other. I’m not interested in shaking this guy’s hand.

  I nod. “How’s it going?”

  “Ah, yes.” He smiles, but I can tell he’s about as glad to see me as I am to see him. “You’re Ruby’s boss, right? The tech guy?”

  It’s tech billionaire, asshole. “She’s living in my house now.”

  Ruby’s eyebrows shoot up. “I’m the nanny. I share a floor with this little girl right here.” She reaches for Lillie, who is completely oblivious.

  My daughter crawls onto Ruby’s lap, focused entirely on licking her ice cream as it tries to melt all over her hand and arm and striped sack dress.

  “Here, I have extra napkins.” I hold them out, and Ruby takes them, quickly catching the chocolate drops.

  “Last time we talked, you were working with Drew at the Friends Care Clinic.” Henry’s brow furrows as he watches her. “What happened with that?”

  Like it’s any of his business. “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

  Her lips press into a frown, and she cuts her eyes at me. “Actually… it’s not as easy as you think to build a client list. You know how tiny Oakville is.”

  Henry nods. “I can relate to that dilemma. As a physician, I was lucky to work with your father and other prominent men in Charleston. It fast-tracked my career.”

  I don’t like the way he says physician like he invented the lightbulb or the internal combustion engine or air.

  Ruby jumps in with some story about her dad I don’t know, and they both laugh. It’s annoying as fuck the way he’s sitting beside her, talking to her.

  “Daddy! You’re dripping!” Lillie points at my ice cream, and I just barely catch a drip of vanilla before it hits my slacks.

  “Oh, no! Here.” Ruby hands me a napkin and smiles. “I think custard melts quicker than regular ice cream.”

  “Thanks.” Taking the napkin from her, I have a thought.

  I step over behind Dr. Henry Pak and pretend to be looking at something over Ruby’s shoulder. At the same time, I drag my tongue slowly over the swirl cone. Ruby is half-way through answering one of Henry’s stupid questions when her eyes land on mine and her voice trails off.

  I give the cone another, slower lick, flickering my tongue along the side, and my eyes fix on hers. Her pretty pink lips part as her jaw drops, and her cheeks flame bright red.

  Her response makes me grin. She remembers where my face was last night. And how loudly it made her scream my name.

  “Ruby?” Henry leans forward. “You okay? You seem a bit flushed.”

  She’s more than flushed, fucknut. She’s mine.

  “Sorry!” She blinks fast, looking at him again. “What did you say?”

  “I said you wouldn’t have to be a babysitter if you were with me.” He grins widely, and I’m ready to punch him. “Once I move in, I’ll send you my number. Since you’re in Eagleton Manor now, you could just walk over.”


  Like hell she will. I jump in at this point. “You know, I’d really like to see those condos. They’re supposed to be nice. Not as nice as the houses, of course, but maybe we could walk over together, Ruby.”

  Henry leans back to look at me, annoyance all over his face. Get used to it, pal. Better yet, how about you flap those ears and fly on back to Charleston.

  Ruby stands, helping Lillie to her feet and cleaning her up. “Why don’t we just see how it goes once you’re all settled?”

  Henry stands beside her. “I’ll give you a call. Is your number still the same?”

  “Uh… yeah, it is.” She smiles, and I’m two seconds from putting my arm around her and telling this guy to delete it from his contacts. Ruby keeps talking. “In the meantime, I’d better get back to work. Good to see you, Henry!”

  Her pretty smile is too sweet, and Henry takes it as encouragement. Why are guys so clueless? She’s not into you, pal.

  “Have a great afternoon. Good to see you again, Key.”

  “Yeah, good.” I put my hand on Ruby’s arm, and lead her and my daughter away from our unwelcome intruder.

  Once we’re several steps away, Lillie takes off running ahead of us to watch a guy twisting long, colorful balloons into animal shapes.

  “You were rude to Henry.” Her voice is quiet, but sharp. I kind of love it.

  “I don’t like that guy.” I toss the ice cream in a trash bin as we pass. “I don’t want Lillie around him.”

  Ruby stops walking and makes an astonished face. “He’s a well-respected pediatric surgeon. I think he won an award last year.”

  My voice is level, calm. “Award for being the biggest dumbass. He can’t even tell you’re not interested in him.” Her jaw drops, and our eyes hold each other’s. Several seconds pass, and she doesn’t have a comeback. “I stand by my statement.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with Henry.”

  It’s the best she can do. “He needs to keep looking. You threw him back, remember?”

  “I should never have told you that.”