Dangerous Temptations

by Brooke Cumberland

  Rage fueled my blood the moment he mentioned William. I pushed hard against his chest, forcing him to take a few steps back. “How dare you!” I shouted. “Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” I spat out, keeping my eyes locked on him so he knew just how serious I was.

  “Or what, princess?” he mocked. “You going to let your royal king know you fucked another man? His son?” he challenged, raising his brows at me. I stood there, breathless. I could feel my cheeks heat as the anger stirred inside me. “That’s what I thought.”

  “You’re an asshole. Nothing like the guy I first met.” My voice came out shaky, filled with emotion and regret.

  “I’m exactly the guy you first met. I wanted you and I still want you. That hasn’t changed.” He took another few steps back, finally giving me the distance I needed. “The only thing that’s changed is the game, sweetheart.”

  “This is not a game!” I hissed. “I’m a person and you’re messing with my life now.”

  “I never said I played by the rules, Mac.”

  “The only rule you need to follow is to stay the hell away from me,” I snarled, narrowing my brows at him.

  He smiled just before turning and walking toward the door. “Like I just said…I don’t play by the rules.”

  I WAS SETTING the table as William wandered in. As soon as he arrived home, he went into our bedroom and changed out of his work clothes. I knew after dinner, he would finish packing for his trip and going right to sleep since he’d be leaving bright and early. It was routine. However, I was hoping to keep him awake as long as I could. Anything to stay distracted and away from Alex.

  “Hello, darling,” I heard William’s soothing voice from behind me. I placed a wine glass on the table as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Dinner smells delicious.”

  I swallowed and smiled, turning to face William’s warm embrace. “Hi.”

  He dipped down to wrap his hands around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss. I melted into his lips, loving the familiar taste of him. I let out a small moan, my body enjoying the attention.

  “How long until dinner’s ready? I wanted to check in on Alex.” The mere mention of his name had goose bumps forming on my skin.

  “About fifteen minutes,” I answered quickly, not wanting him to notice my reaction.

  “Perfect.” He pecked my lips once more before releasing his hold on me. “I’ll let him know.” I smiled in return, wanting to get this night over with as soon as possible. I’m not sure I’d ever get use to this.

  Less than ten minutes later, William returned with Alex into the dining room. I overheard them laughing and talking as they settled into their chairs.

  “Darling, can you grab Cabernet Sauvignon?” William called to me.

  “Absolutely! Be right there,” I called back. The chicken and veggies were done, staying hot in the oven. I finished the organic red potatoes with one last teaspoon of margarine and sprinkled chives over the top. I was just finishing when I felt two hands rub down my arm from behind me.

  I jerked immediately, furious that Alex had the nerve to touch me when I had been perfectly clear earlier. “Stop,” I snapped, my voice cold and distant.

  His hands backed off instantly, but his body stayed pressed against mine. “What’s wrong?”

  My head tipped up, my eyes going wide as I heard William’s voice in my ear. Shit.

  I swallowed hard as I thought of what I was going to say to redeem myself. I’d never tell William to stop touching me. I welcomed it, and in most cases, begged for it.

  “Are you all right, darling?” he asked, fear laced in his voice.

  “Yes, sorry,” I spat out quickly and turned around to look at him. I smiled as I continued, “You just scared me, that’s all.”

  “Oh,” he said with a small smile, bringing his arm up to wrap a loose hair around my ear. “Well, that was quite the reaction.”

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I’m tired, really. Just caught me off guard.” I smiled again, hoping that was a good enough excuse.

  He tipped his head down and lightly kissed my forehead. “No worries. Let me help.”

  Moments later, he walked behind me as I held the pan of lemon chicken and mixed veggies. I set it in the middle of the table and waited for William to set the potatoes next to it. “I’ll grab the wine,” I said quickly, but William grabbed me before I could turn back around.

  “I’ll get it. You sit.” He smiled and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes briefly before nodding.

  I kept my eyes low, avoiding Alex’s stare. Before I could grab my chair and sit down, Alex sat up and pulled it out for me. I froze and reluctantly moved my eyes up to look at him. He stood there with a shit-eating grin on his face and patiently waited for me to make the next move.

  “Do you plan to eat your dinner standing?”

  I hesitated, really considering doing just that. Anything to avoid being near him. I could barely focus with him in the house and now I was expected to sit next to him and eat.

  “Mac…sit. I won’t bite.” I raised my brows at him, contemplating if I should trust him or not.

  Finally, I inhaled and decided to take the seat. He helped push me in and patted my shoulders briefly before turning to take his seat next to me.

  “You need to stop doing that,” I whispered in a firm voice so William wouldn’t hear me.

  “Doing what, Mac?” he asked, not keeping his voice down as I had.

  I shot him a death look with my eyes, snarling at him in the process. I was not going to play his stupid games. “Touching me. Standing close to me. Being inappropriate. All of it. You need to stop it.”

  “And why’s that? Afraid you’ll slip and actually do something about it?”

  I sighed in frustration, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. I needed to stay calm. I already mistook William for him.

  “It’s inappropriate, Alex,” I said, looking him square in the eyes. “I’m marrying your dad. So start getting used to it.”

  He smirked—the opposite reaction of what I was going for. He was such an asshole.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He huffed once more. “That you’re marrying my father…a man twice your age. A man who hardly gives you any attention. A man who cares more about his companies than you or me. A man who has no idea how lucky he truly is…”

  I swallowed…unsure of how to respond. I folded my napkin in my lap and cursed William for taking so long with the wine.

  “My apologies.” He finally walked back in with the bottle of wine. I ended up getting a call that I had to take.” He set it down and I snuck a glance at Alex, who made a tell-all expression of ‘told ya so.’

  “No problem, darling.” I smiled up at him just to piss Alex off. I was used to it and I didn’t take offense to it. I knew he worked hard.

  I served William his food, making sure to give him a healthy portion of vegetables. His doctor said he needed to eat more greens, so I mixed it with asparagus. “You know, sweetheart,” he began with a smile, “it’d be okay to have dessert once in a while.”

  I set the spoon down and watched as his lips spread into an easy smile. “Nice try.” I flashed a fake smile his way. “You heard the doctor,” I reminded him.

  “I did.” He placed his napkin in his lap and continued, “And, well, you only live once. So maybe cake once in a while wouldn’t kill me.” He winked, and I knew it was going to be impossible to say no.

  “Well, since we have company, I suppose we can make this one exception.” I smirked playfully, scooping the vegetables onto my own plate.

  I heard Alex clear his throat next to me, grabbing both of our attention. “I’m not company. I live here. In fact, I lived here first.” His face was tense and for a moment, I feared he was going to say something about us.

  “Alexander,” William warned, but then his tone softened. “Forgive us. It’s been some time since you’ve been home. We aren’t used to anyone dining with us.”

  We had d
inner with William’s colleagues often, but never at our home. It was always at some fancy restaurant. The apartment was our sanctuary and for one short moment, I forgot Alex was sitting next to me.

  Too bad that moment didn’t last.

  I sat back and let William and Alex do most of the talking. They still had a lot to catch up on, and I was quickly learning of their relationship. William stuck to questions that were work and business related. I realized he didn’t ask many personal questions, so without thinking, I blurted out, “So were you seeing anyone while you studied in Europe?”

  I quickly shoved a forkful of chicken into my mouth, but it was too late. They’d both heard me.

  “Alexander is very goal-oriented. Surely he had no time for girlfriends.” William’s curt response felt misplaced, considering he met Alex’s mom, Rose, in college.

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t date, darling. You dated in college,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, and it made me lose focus on the task at hand. He’s smarter than that,” he said not making eye contact with either of us. Something in the air shifted. I looked from William to Alex and back to William. Their body language was tense, stiff. Something was off.

  “Alex can answer for himself, too,” Alex cut in, speaking in the third person that grabbed my attention as well as William’s. I felt bad for asking the question, wishing I could just take it back.

  “Sorry, it wasn’t my place to ask. Just forget it,” I almost begged.

  “No, it’s fine,” he insisted with a smile. Asshole. “Yes, I did date some. Nothing serious.”

  I nodded, pursing my lips together. The thought brought my stomach up to my throat with absolutely no reasoning. Alex was young like me—twenty-four or twenty-five. Of course, he dated. I can’t believe I let it slip from my mouth.

  We finished dinner with light conversation and as soon as William’s plate was clear, he stood up and excused himself. “Let me know when dessert is ready. I’ll be in my office.”

  “Sure, darling.” I had nothing prepared for dessert. Or ingredients for a cake.

  He walked off as I started bringing dishes into the kitchen. I began rinsing the plates when I saw Alex walk in with the rest of the dishes. He shot me a look of anger but didn’t say anything. I’m not sure what’s going on between them, but I wasn’t about to bring it up now.

  “Thanks,” I said softly, not bringing my eyes up to meet his. I was too ashamed. William usually helped me with clean up, but tonight he’d just walked away leaving me with it. “He’s not usually like that,” I blurted.

  “Maybe not to you,” he spat back instantly. I swallowed, not wanting him to clarify what he meant by that. William had been nothing but sweet and kind to me, and I didn’t want anything changing my view of him.

  I was at the sink when he stood next to me and started drying the dishes I had just washed. We stood next to each other in silence, neither of us having anything worth saying. The tension between us was so painful—it was almost killing me. There was so much to say, yet nothing to say at all. I couldn’t help it. The urge to be next to him was stronger than I liked.

  As he dried the last dish, and I wiped down the counter, he finally spoke. “You know there’s a very expensive dishwasher that works just as good. Probably better, actually.”

  My lips turned up in a smile. “I know. It’s just routine, I suppose.”

  I threw the wet towel down on the counter and leaned up against it as I contemplated how I was going to make a cake. Dessert wasn’t something we typically did unless we were out to dinner, so I had no idea what to do.

  “You look lost,” Alex said, gaining my attention back toward him. Oddly, he was standing directly in front of me and I hadn’t even noticed. Once my eyes took attention, my body did, too.

  I squirmed, taking a step back to put space between us. “Just thinking how I’m going to have time to bake a cake before he goes to bed.”

  He thought for a short moment before speaking, “C’mon, I know a great place.” He began walking toward me and grabbed my hand as we left the kitchen together.

  Chapter Eight

  “What are we doing?” I gasped as he rushed us through the lobby.

  “We have to hurry if we’re going to make it before closing.” He sped the pace up, lacing his fingers with mine as we made our way out of the apartment building. I watched as he waved his hand for a cab and as soon as one pulled over, he pushed me in the back and got in next to me. He rambled off the street and off we went.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, curiosity eating at me. I couldn’t help but smile at how excited he looked.

  “The best fucking bakery in town!” He smiled wide. “Seriously, though. It’s so hidden, only locals know it exists.”

  We pulled up ten minutes later to the cutest little hole-in-the-wall bakery. It had the words Sugar’s Sweets written in red, half-painted letters. How was this place even up and running in a city like this?

  “Let’s go. Sugar will be leaving soon.”

  “Huh?” Sugar was a name? After paying the driver, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out behind him. We hurried inside and I immediately inhaled the sweet, delicious smell of sugar and sweets. The name definitely fit.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t know this was here¸” I said in amazement. It wasn’t that far from the apartment or work, and yet, I never noticed it.

  “Not many people do.” Alex was grinning, his whole face lighting up as he looked around. “I haven’t been here in years, but it sure smells and looks the same.”

  “Smells like heaven in here!” I gushed, taking a look around. There was a large display case of cupcakes, pastries, and slices of cake. It looked like perfection. Next to it were whole cakes, all decorated, and sized differently. Now that I knew of this place, I had a feeling I was going to come here quite often.

  “Alex Lancaster…is that you?” An older woman who looked to be in her sixties asked as she approached us. “It can’t be.” She grinned, keeping her eyes locked on him.

  “That depends…do you still make your famous Five-Layer Devil and Mousse Chocolate Cake?” He grinned,

  Oh my god…I nearly groaned aloud. That sounded much better than it should’ve coming from Alex’s mouth.

  “I see Europe hasn’t helped your attitude.” She snorts. “But it sure did ya some good in the looks department.” I withheld a giggle as the older woman dished it right back. I liked her.

  “I see old age hasn’t affected your sense of humor.” He smirked, walking up to her and wrapping her up in a bear hug. “It’s good to see you, Sugar.”

  Ahh…so that was Sugar.

  “How long have you been back in town?” she asked as they separated.

  “Just a couple weeks, not long. Just settling back in.”

  “Good. You look good.” She smiled up at him proudly. “Now let me guess. A new girlfriend?” she questioned, raising a curious brow.

  “Oh, my apologies. Sugar this is Mac…Mackenzie Hewitt,” he confirmed and continued, “Mac, this is Sugar.”

  “Oh, she’s lovely, dear.” She examined me head to toe, speaking to Alex as if I couldn’t hear their conversation. “She could use a few pieces of my special cake. Don’t you feed the poor girl?”

  I swallowed, my guard shielding any painful past childhood memories that I didn’t want to think of at the time.

  “She’s not mine to feed,” he said simply in a low, leveled voice. Sugar’s eyes met my gaze and I took that as my cue to cut in.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I offered my hand and she took it, gripping, and pulling me into her. She wrapped her arms around me in a sweet, friendly hug. It took me off guard at first, but then I wrapped my arms around her as well.

  “I could break you like a toothpick.”

  I laughed at her grandmother-tone. She was sure blunt.

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing Alex took me to the best bakery in town.” I smiled.

  “Two of my usual,” A
lex said, holding up two fingers. “You’ll die after tasting her cake. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”

  “Actually, make that three,” I interrupted. “Do you have anything that’s gluten free?”

  Alex bowed his head down, unable to look at me. “Of course, dear. I’ll wrap your orders up for you right away,” Sugar responded, the mood suddenly shifting.

  “Did I offend her?” I whispered to Alex when Sugar disappeared behind the counter. “Is asking for gluten free like the worst thing ever in a bakery?” I cringed, feeling stupid and helpless now. “It’s probably a crime, right?”

  He burst into laughter, dipping his head down as he tried to conceal the sounds he was making.

  “What? What’s funny?” I nudged him, getting him to tilt his head back up and look at me. It was the first time since realizing who he was that I allowed myself to really get a look at him. His eyes were a shade of brown and they’d gone soft since looking up at me. His facial features were all strong, square-lined, and taut. Yet the way he was staring at me was intense.

  He shook his head effortlessly. “Nothing…you’re…you’re just adorable, that’s all.”

  “Oh.” I chewed my lip, cursing myself for letting him take me here in the first place. This was a terrible idea.

  “All right, handsome. Your cakes are all ready to go.”

  “Sugar, you’re the best.” He grabbed them as he kissed her gently on the cheek. “We’ll be back.” He winked and then looked at me.

  “Yes, we’ll definitely be back.” I flashed a fake smile. I had no intention of coming back now. I couldn’t.

  I watched Alex flag down another cab and as we stood there, I wondered how things would be if we hadn’t met the way we did. Could we have a normal relationship? Technically, I’d be his stepmom, but I didn’t want it to feel that way. That was way too awkward and weird. We were the same age, after all.

  I scooted into the back of the cab, getting as close to the opposite window as possible. I needed to put some distance between us, re-establish the boundaries that were necessary.

  However, Alex wasn’t having that.