Can't Resist You (Second Chance Diaries Book 3)

by Emma Vikes

  He gave her the kind of attention that even my ex-husband did not give her. Despite how busy Ansel was with his own work, he would set it aside each time Sage arrived at the hotel. From teaching her how to swim to playing soccer with her on the lawn of the hotel, he spent so much time with her. It’d been about two weeks since he’d agreed to let Sage come to the hotel during my working hours.

  In that short period, the rapport between them had only gotten stronger. They were so close that I’d even noticed him buying her some stuff, although they tried to hide it from me. I wanted to turn a blind eye on the bathing suits and extra clothes he got her that one time. But it was hard to ignore the fact that he brought her a bike and shoes for soccer too.

  “You seem to be awfully stuck in your head today,” Giselle informed me as she handed me a cup of warm jasmine tea.

  I didn’t have work for the day and I had been meaning to pay Giselle a visit to pay her back the money I owed her.

  “Is it because of the CEO of the hotel that you’re working at?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her.

  Giselle flashed me an innocent grin. “Joanne mentioned it to me the other day. I can’t believe it took eight years for you to cross paths with him again.”

  “You make it sound like we were always meant to meet again.”

  Giselle’s eyes twinkled. “Hmm. Maybe that’s because both of you were really destined to meet.”

  My eyes narrowed at her statement but I chose to ignore what she was implying. “I honestly wanted to quit the moment I found out he owned Onyx Shrine. It’s not the best circumstance to be in but it’s not like I can make such a hasty decision when I’m not gonna be the only one affected by it.”

  “But Joanne mentioned that Ansel’s been lenient with you when it comes to rules.”

  I wanted to roll my eyes at this. “I think he only did that to make me stay at the restaurant because I actually did hand in a resignation letter. I was so fed up with how he kept advancing on me when he was my boss. It was so wrong on so many levels.”

  Giselle raised an eyebrow and her lips spread into a sly smile. “So are you saying that Ansel’s been hinting that he wants to get back together with you?”

  “He hasn’t been hinting. He has bluntly told me that he wanted me back. Several times in fact. As if saying that would erase the mistake he made before.” I still found Ansel’s brazenness absolutely unbelievable. How easy it was for him to tell me he wanted me back after what he had done to my heart was honestly beyond me.

  Giselle let out a laugh as she shook her head. “He’s still unbelievable. God, I hated it when he told you he had been meaning to break up with you since he was graduating. What a dick move. Tell me, is he still like that?”

  I actually took the time to consider Giselle’s question. In the first few weeks I’d worked at Onyx Shrine, I had been annoyed by Ansel’s brazenness and callousness. I hated how he wasn’t considerate about my position and did what he simply wanted because of who he was. I hated how he kept on telling me he was in a better position in life and that he could easily help me out.

  But the thing was, I also knew he had no intention of making me feel bad. Besides, I’d seen him with the other staff. He was the kind of boss that looked out for all of his people and made sure they had a comfortable working environment. Maybe that was why he managed to turn a humble bed and breakfast into a luxurious five-star hotel.

  Ansel wasn’t only a good leader but he was a good boss too. Kind and thoughtful as he continuosly showed how grateful he was for the people who worked to operate his business. But each time he showed kindness to an employee, it was trouble for me. Every time I had caught a glimpse of it, it would make my heart flutter.

  The last thing I wanted was for Ansel Moore to make my heart flutter all over again. “Actually…”

  Giselle’s eyes widened when I started my statement with that.

  I ignored her and continued, “Ansel’s a pretty decent boss. He cares about the people that work for him and I’m not saying it because he’s been keeping my situation in mind. He actually cares about everyone else and makes sure we’re in a good working environment. And to be honest, it’s not surprising. Ansel’s always been a good leader, even in group projects that he had back in school. It’s just that there are moments when he could be an ass but he’s a good guy, Giselle. Aside from the whole cheating drama and how he broke my heart, we both have to admit that Ansel’s a good guy.”

  No matter how much I didn’t really want to admit it, it was true. Ansel may have been a handful sometimes when we were dating but he was a good guy. It was just that, he’d been a good guy to others but sometimes failed to be a good one to me. But I guess we can’t be good at everything, no matter how much we wished we were.

  “With that said, is there a happy future where the three of you could play house?” Giselle’s eyes were shining with interest while she asked. There was nothing more she appreciated than juicy gossip.

  I pursed my lips, narrowing my eyes slightly at her question. “Of course not. I just acknowledged that he’s a good guy, Giselle. That’s all.”

  Giselle pursed her lips as she looked at me coyly. “Oh come on, Maia! Don’t you still feel a teensy bit of attraction towards him? You two were together for two years and hell, it was as if the two of you only saw each other. Your whole world revolved around each other! Don’t tell me that it’s easy for you to ignore him, especially when he’s been honest about wanting you again.”

  I scoffed and shook my head, my lips set in a grim line. “I’ve only been in three relationships my whole life, Giselle. The first one, I was a mere teenager in high school who had no idea what love was. I could barely call that one a relationship.” My words seemed to have piqued her interest so I continued, “The second time, it was with Ansel, and look what happened. I honestly thought that our relationship would work out but it spiralled out in the same way my parents’ had. Then I met JC…” I let my words trail off after saying my ex-husband’s name. How our marriage had fractured still hurt me but I wasn’t hurt because I lost him in the process. When I married JC, it had been the idea of who he was to me that I married. When his true colors began to show, I couldn’t handle it. I could never live with a man who demeaned my value as a woman.

  JC made it clear to me that a woman was merely made to satisfy a man. To him, we weren’t equal. I had shrugged off that red flag when we were dating because I thought he was perfect. I thought that he would be more open-minded when we got married. I thought that by then, JC would be able to compromise and value my worth as an equal.

  But when I became the sous chef in the last restaurant I worked at, he had rubbed it on my face that I merely got the position because he was my husband. He was a good chef and he was better than me but it never gave him the right to downplay my worth as one too. But JC did so, over and over again. It got to the point to where I couldn’t handle it.

  I couldn’t stay with a man who did not know my value.

  “The point is,” I said, clearing my throat a little. “I’m done with dating and men, Giselle. Maybe I should simply focus my energy on raising Sage. After all, she’s the one that matters most to me.”

  Giselle’s eyes softened and she reached to touch my hand. “I admire your dedication as a mother but I hope that you don’t forget yourself as you do so. You had bad relationships and I understand where you’re coming from, Maia. This may sound cliché but there is a guy out there that’s meant for you. Or maybe you’ve already met him but the timing wasn’t right.”

  All I could do was flash Giselle a crooked smile and shrug a little. “Whether our paths cross or it doesn’t, I don’t really care anymore, Giselle. I’m happy with my life right now. I have Sage and I have a decent job. I can’t really wish for anything more.”

  After that, Giselle finally dropped the topic and we caught up with each other’s lives a little. Sage had soccer practice in school and I would need to pick her up. I left Giselle’s apartm
ent a little earlier than I intended so I could go for a grocery run. I still had some time to spare before I had to pick up Sage from school and I could quickly drop of the groceries at home and catch a cab to her school.

  I was about to browse in the spices section when I spotted a familiar figure. Even in casual clothes, there was no denying how Ansel stood out. His ash blond hair hidden under a dark blue beanie and even when his honey eyes were covered by sunglasses, but I knew it was him. Slowly, I tried to back away before he could spot me but—

  “Maia!” His voice sounded cheerful when he called my name as he approached me, carrying the red basket filled with some groceries as he did so. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  I flashed him an awkward smile and motioned a hand towards him. “I’m more surprised that you’re here. Don’t you have people to buy you your groceries and don’t you live in a hotel?”

  Ansel placed something in his basket.

  I caught sight of the things he had in there. Most of them were snacks and aside from the tray of eggs, there was nothing substantial.

  “I realized I no longer have paprika and black pepper in my pantry, so I went to get some. If I stole some from the kitchen inventory, Alice would have my head.”

  I glanced at the contents in his basket again and couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. “Don’t tell me you still make those awful fried egg sandwiches in the middle of the night?” I couldn’t help but mention something that acknowledged the past we shared.

  Ansel smiled at me sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. “It’s the easiest thing I can make when I get hungry at 3AM.”

  Shaking my head, I moved further along the aisle.

  Ansel lingered beside me. “You sure do have a lot of things in that cart of yours. I’ll wait for you to check it all out and I can help you load them into your car.”

  I stared at the things in my cart and pursed my lips. “Have you ever seen me come to work in a car, Ansel?”

  His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. “I saw you get on a bus once but I thought you just took it that day. Do you need a ride?”

  The idea of spending more time with Ansel wasn’t really something I had in mind so I shook my head. “It’s okay. I have to pick up Sage from school anyway.”

  “All the more reason for me to give you a ride. What time do you have to pick her up?”

  “Ansel…”

  He put a hand on the cart and forced it to stop.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. I’d already drawn the line between us and I thought he had understood it by now, so why was he stopping me?

  “You might be thinking of catching a cab to pick up Sage and catching another one to get home. But I’m already here and I’m offering you a ride home. Stop reading into it too much.”

  I faltered at his words a little and I could see how serious he was. I gripped the cart tightly. I did have a lot of things in the cart and I would probably end up carrying about four or five bags. It would be a hassle for both Sage and me and it was my fault for getting a little too ahead of myself as I shopped.

  “Fine,” I replied curtly, “but for the record, I intended to drop these off at home and then catch a cab to her school. I’m only agreeing, so I can save the cab money.”

  Ansel was already grinning widely at me and then handed me his basket to push the cart for me instead.

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He seemed to be ignoring my glare. “What time do we have to pick up Sage?”

  My heartbeat sped up a bit. It felt weird that he was asking me about my daughter like with a, we. “Not for another hour.”

  Ansel nodded and he still had that damn smile on his face. “Do you still have anything you want to add?”

  I looked at him suspiciously. “Are you planning something now that I agreed to let you give us a ride?”

  His smile widened even more. “Actually, I was planning on buying Sage a skateboard. It’s something she wants to learn that she mentioned to me this week when she saw my board.”

  “If you ever put my daughter on a skateboard, I swear to God, Ansel, I will skin you alive.”

  “Ah, I think we’ll both enjoy that process when you do,” Ansel replied teasingly, even winking at me as he pushed the cart away.

  For some reason, his reply didn’t piss me off. Instead, I watched him walk away from me, completely amused. Hell, I could even feel the smile forming on my lips because of his reply.

  Oh, the audacity of the man!

  10

  Maia

  Ansel and I argued for about ten minutes in the car because he had every intention of heading to Target and getting Sage a skateboard which I was vehemently against. It felt like I was arguing with another kid, only this one could reason out with me, no matter how illogical it sounded. We were stuck in traffic because he actually dared to drive us to Target and I realized it too late.

  “Maia, I’ll teach her how to ride a skateboard. I’ll even buy her protective gear. Hell, I’ll buy every protective gear available, so she doesn’t have a scratch on her body when I teach her.”

  I closed my eyes then turned to glare at him when he stopped at a red light. “Why are you so insistent on buying her one, Ansel? She mentioned it to you in passing once. I don’t even think Sage remembers that she said something like that to you!”

  Ansel let out a long sigh and focused his gaze on the windshield, refusing to look at me this time when he gave me an answer, “My father never paid attention to the things that I mentioned in passing and got me things I didn’t really want. Pops on the other hand…”

  I noticed how his grip on the steering wheel tightened a little bit more. I softened at the thought as I knew how close Ansel was to his grandfather. Pops was his hero in a way that his father never was to him. He had an estranged relationship with his parents and never had anything good to say about them. It seemed like even after all this time, Ansel and his parents still weren’t on the same page.

  “You never liked kids.”

  He shrugged casually. “I never liked kids and never wanted to have kids because of how my parents treated me. Seeing Sage though…maybe it’s because she’s your daughter. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m aware of how much it broke your heart when your own father left you. Given how your marriage ended the same way as your parents, I don’t want her to be as angry as you were.”

  For the rest of the ride to Sage’s school, I couldn’t say anything. Ansel’s honest answer and how I could feel his genuine concern over my daughter tugged at my heartstrings. It was enough to thaw the coldness I harbored towards him, just a little bit.

  He parked his car in the parking lot and the two of us made our way to the field. I stayed as far away as I could from him as we walked. I didn’t want the other parents to get the wrong idea. They were aware that I just got divorced and the last thing I needed was rumors spreading. It wouldn’t have much effect on me but I couldn’t say the same thing for Sage.

  Sage spotted us from the field and I could almost hear her squealing despite the distance between us. She suddenly charged to where we were standing and launched herself on Ansel. I watched as the two of them interacted. Ansel picked her up a little, swaying her a bit before settling her down.

  Sage turned her attention to me and gave me a quick hug but hurried to Ansel’s side again. “What are you doing here?” she asked him excitedly. Her light eyes were focused on him and they were wide with joy.

  Ansel jerked a thumb in my direction. “I saw your mom at the supermarket and decided to give her a ride. But she had to pick you up, so here we are.”

  Sage looked at him with playful narrowed eyes. “You went to the supermarket that I told you we usually go to, didn’t you?”

  My eyebrows raised at that question and I looked over at Ansel.

  He cleverly avoided eye-contact with me. He casually shrugged his shoulders and then jerked his head towards the field. “Are you done with practice?”

  Sage giggled but shook
her head. “We still have one practice game. Make sure you watch me make a goal, Ansel! You too, Mom!” Then she ran back to the field to join her teammates.

  Ansel and I found a spot for ourselves in the bleachers.

  “Did Sage tell you where we do our groceries?” I asked him.

  Ansel turned his head to me and removed his sunglasses. Under the brightness of the sun, his honey colored eyes almost look translucent.

  I sat very still as I was mesmerized by them like always.

  He looked at me with a smile on his face. “She did and I went there hoping that I would bump into you. I’m glad that the universe didn’t fail me again.”

  I stared at him, wondering what he was up to now. “I thought that we’ve already come to an agreement, Ansel. Just because we’re not at the hotel doesn’t mean you can pester me.”

  Suddenly, Ansel leaned his face close to mine.

  Our lips were inches apart and the closeness made my breath hitch all of a sudden. My heart started to beat erratically, an involuntary reaction that I did not understand. Ansel was so close that I could feel his breath on my face and inhale his intoxicating masculine scent.

  God, I’ve missed that scent.

  Shit.

  “I meant what I said that I’ll give you space but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop wanting you, Maia. I’ve waited for our paths to cross again for eight years. I’m not letting you go like I did before.” His gaze lingered on my face. “And seeing you the way you’re looking at me now…” His voice trailed off as he cocked his head to the side.

  The intensity in his gaze made me feel vulnerable, as if he was stripping me naked with his stare and the whole thought made me feel too warm all over.