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

by Emma Vikes

  Sage grinned and wrapped her arms around me too, squeezing tight.

  I inhaled her scent, making sure to relish the hug because she wasn’t going to be this little forever.

  When Sage pulled away from me, she looked at Ansel with a big smile. “It’s your turn to ask her what you want now that she allowed me to go to the sleepover.”

  I narrowed my eyes in suspicion as Sage looked at Ansel expectantly.

  Ansel, on the other hand, seemed like a deer caught in headlights. He looked slightly panicked which was a surprising look on him because Ansel was never caught off-guard. “It was just a random thought, Sage. A fleeting one that occurred to me when you mentioned you wanted to go to a sleepover.” Ansel tried to sound nonchalant.

  I could hear the nervousness in his voice which piqued my curiosity.

  Sage on the other hand rolled her eyes and then turned back to me. “He said he wanted to have dinner with you. You mentioned to me the other day that you didn’t have to work the dinner shift for tomorrow so when Ansel said it, I thought you’d like it. He’ll keep you company until you have to go to bed, so you wouldn’t have to be sad because I’m not at home.”

  I pursed my lips, my heart skipping a beat. It was as if Ansel asked Sage to ask me out on a date and I felt so uncomfortable. “I’ll be fine at home, sweetheart. You don’t have to set anything up for me. I’ll grab dinner and binge-watch a good show on Netflix. I’ll have my ‘me time’ so don’t worry about Momma.”

  Sage pouted. “You haven’t gone on a date for a while, Mom.”

  My heart literally dropped at the statement and when I glanced at Ansel, he was trying his best not to look in our direction but there was a ghost of a smile on his face. Nothing was more embarrassing than my own daughter playing Cupid for me. Before everything could get more uncomfortable, my phone’s alarm went off, signaling that I had to get back to work.

  I excused myself from both of them, telling them I needed to go to work.

  Sage said that she had a bunch of homework to do and if she could do it at Ansel’s penthouse.

  She was growing way too accustomed to Ansel’s presence and I wasn’t really sure if it was a good thing. But I didn’t have time to disagree just now.

  That, and I had to escape Ansel’s presence because Sage playing Cupid made things even more uncomfortable for me.

  I left her with Ansel, knowing he would take good care of her and didn’t even bother to ask if he still had work needing to be done. If he did, he wouldn’t have taken her under his wing when he’d spotted her in the lobby with Joanne. But then again, no matter how busy he was, Ansel had developed the habit of giving Sage his time.

  That alone had been enough to destroy nearly half of the barriers I’d built.

  I buried myself with work to distract myself from the thoughts that had been plaguing my mind and making themselves at home in my brain. I hated the fact that Ansel was easily breaking down the walls I’d carefully built after JC filed for our divorce. I hated the fact that a part of me did want to let him in.

  It also bothered me a little bit at how close Ansel and Sage were getting.

  By the time the dinner shift ended, I was burned out. It was one thing to forcefully focus my mind on the task at hand, but another to exert all my energy on physical work. I felt like I literally had no energy left as I boarded the elevator to the penthouse. When the doors opened and I had to walk to Ansel’s door, I could barely knock.

  Ansel opened the door slowly and he lifted a finger over his lips to shush me. “She fell asleep. Don’t worry, I had some clothes that she could wear for bed and she already had dinner. She did all her homework and I only let her play videogames for an hour. Then, she was knocked out.”

  I slipped into the house and Ansel led me to another room. He only had the night light on and we seemed to be in his bedroom. On his bed, Sage was sprawled in the middle, fast asleep. I moved to pick her up. We still had to go home. I didn’t know we would have last-minute guests in the restaurant and that we had to cook until past nine. If I did, I would’ve left Sage in Joanne’s care.

  Before I could move into his room further, Ansel grabbed my arm and pulled me out. “Let her sleep a bit. Have you eaten yet?”

  “Ansel, we have to go home.”

  He let out a soft exhale and looked at me pointedly. “I’ll drive you both home. Have you eaten yet?”

  I nodded my head to answer his question, aware that he would only repeat it again. “Yes, I already ate back at the kitchen. I’m really tired, Ansel.”

  He nodded but then he approached me and he stared at me. “About what Sage said earlier...”

  His gaze held such intensity that despite how tired I was, I suddenly felt alert. “Don’t worry about it. Sage must’ve been just concerned but I’ll be fine. As I said, it’ll be a ‘me time’ for me tomorrow night—”

  Ansel pushed me against the wall and I gasped softly. His honey gaze fixed on mine, eyes flickering briefly on my lips. “If you’re uncomfortable because you kissed me, then know that I’m not. Ever since you pressed your lips against mine…” He leaned closer until our lips were brushing. I could push him away if I wanted to because he wasn’t restraining my hands. But his scent was intoxicating and it was making me dizzy as I desperately wanted his arms around me.

  “Your lips were all I could think about. Even when I was swamped with work. You’re all I could think about, Maia,” Ansel whispered, lips brushing against mine as he spoke, “and it’s making me crazy.”

  I sucked in a breath, closing my eyes as his words penetrated my walls all over again. “Ansel…”

  “I’m trying so hard not to push you harder against this wall and slam my lips against yours,” Ansel whispered shakily. He leaned away to breathe.

  Even with the new distance between us, I felt like I was still desperate for air. The thought of Ansel pushing me against the wall and kissing me all over awakened a desire within me I’d thought I’d shoved aside.

  Ansel squeezed his eyes tight for a moment before opening them again and gazing at me, his eyes silently pleading. “Do both of us a favor and have dinner with me tomorrow night, Maia. You and I know you want to. Stop trying to fight it and I swear to you that I’ll be in my best behavior like I was the other night.”

  To be honest, I didn’t want him to be on his best behavior. The fact that we were still so close to each other should’ve triggered my alarms. But I remained frozen where I was and my hands stayed by my side, not making any attempts to push him away even when I should. “Ansel…”

  He let out a long exhale when I said his name and he stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “Don’t say my name like that. It triggers memories that I should not be having at the moment if I really want to control myself.”

  He was trying really hard and this simple thought melted my heart even more. Ansel kept his word that he wouldn’t bother me like he did at the start but he still wanted me. He made it very clear to me that he wanted me back in his life. He was breaking down my walls and he was succeeding, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

  Ansel was slithering his way into the holes he made from breaking down my barriers and he was heading straight to my heart.

  “Okay. Just dinner, Ansel. Just dinner.”

  But who was I kidding?

  15

  Ansel

  I made sure the cologne I used wasn’t overpowering. I glanced at myself in the mirror one more time. For some reason, I felt like this was the first time I’d be going on a date when it clearly wasn’t the case. I’d been on nearly a hundred ‒or even more‒ dates in this lifetime so the anxiousness I felt seemed uncalled for. But then again…

  The person I would be spending the rest of the night with was Maia. Of all the dates I’d been in and of all the women I’d been involved with, no one compared to her. Maia was the standard that I’d unconsciously set after we broke up. I automatically compared every woman with her and none of them could ever come close to how
perfect she was for me.

  Maybe that was what people meant when they said you already had the moon but you became too busy searching for the stars. I already had the best but I chose to let her go thinking I could find better. I’d been too self-absorbed and never saw the treasure I had. In the eight years since I lost her, I’d never encountered anyone better for me than her.

  Hence, I was lucky enough to have this second chance with her. There was no way that I would ruin this chance to be with her again.

  “Well, look at you all dressed up nicely.” Alice’s reflection suddenly appeared behind me in the mirror.

  I jumped in surprise.

  She chuckled and rolled her eyes at me. I had asked her if she could make dinner for Maia and I, a simple meal that we could share and wouldn’t be too hard to bring.

  “Too much?” I asked her, motioning at my outfit. I was only wearing a white shirt and dark jeans but I put on a navy blue suit jacket and styled my hair. Even if we saw each other nearly every day, I still wanted to leave an impression and look nice for her.

  “You look perfect,” Alice responded and then shook her head, “and I still wonder how the Almighty could create such a perfect looking human but not bless him with better manners.”

  I made a face at her comment and pouted. “You make it sound like I’ve been rude to you when I’ve been an absolute angel.”

  Alice rolled her eyes at me and then placed a hand on my cheek. “I don’t know how you got Maia to agree with you. Whatever you did or said to make her agree, make sure that you don’t ruin the chance she gave you.”

  I couldn’t help but smirk. “Does that mean you’re rooting for me, Alice?”

  “It means that I’m rooting for her. Girl’s been through so much that she doesn’t deserve to get her heart broken again, so you better not screw things up, Ansel.”

  I gave Alice a hug and nodded. “You sound like her guardian but I promise that I won’t break her heart. If I do, I give you permission to break my bones.”

  She rolled her eyes and shooed me off, telling me that the food she made for us was placed in the bag and that I should get going.

  Maia would get off work in fifteen minutes and she agreed to meet me in the basement parking lot. I waited for her there, my heart beating rapidly because I felt anxious about how this whole thing would unfold.

  About twenty minutes later, Maia finally arrived in the parking lot.

  I honked once so she would spot the car. I waved at her a little as she approached.

  Maia seemed to be looking around.

  I had a feeling she was worried someone would see her getting in my car. Maia was still bothered about rumors spreading. When she finally reached the car, she seemed winded.

  “It wasn’t mission impossible, Maia. And this parking space is only for guests and VIPs. No one would’ve caught you, anyway.”

  Maia didn’t answer as she began to fiddle with the seatbelt. Even if she had only gotten off work, I noticed she put an effort to dress nicely for our date. She wore a beige lace dress and her dark hair was tied in a messy bun. Even with our age, Maia still managed to look youthful and I was certain that even when we grew older, she’d be even more beautiful.

  I leaned close to her and I heard her take in a sharp inhale as I helped her with her seatbelt. We were dangerously close to each other and I could feel her holding her breath. I restrained myself from smirking as I fastened her seatbelt. She literally stiffened, as if she was anticipating I would try something.

  I lingered near her for a moment, our lips inches apart, eyes locked as I fastened the seatbelt and when it clicked, the moment was gone. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I buckled my own seatbelt and pressed the ignition. “For the record, you were the one that kissed me and I managed to restrain myself. I think I’m the one that should be tense whenever you’re near.”

  “Shut up,” Maia muttered as I pulled out of the parking lot. “Where are you taking me anyway? If you’re gonna take me out for some fancy dinner, I’m going to have to say no to that. One can only eat enough gourmet in her lifetime.”

  I chuckled but felt relieved because I didn’t have Alice whip us fancy food for dinner. “Don’t worry. You can sleep for a while and I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

  Maia pursed her lips but leaned her head against the window. “Alright. But don’t drive recklessly. I really need a nap.”

  I nodded and let her have a nap. I even turned on some music she could sleep on and drove as safely as I could at a steady pace and made sure we didn’t hit any speed bumps.

  When we finally arrived at our destination, I didn’t wake her up yet. I watched her sleep instead, memorizing her features, and taking it all in.

  I missed her.

  Suddenly, Maia stirred awake and her dark eyes fluttered open. “We’re here?”

  My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her beautiful doe-eyes. The words I was meant to respond with were stuck in my throat because I was stunned by how she looked. Under the cool orange glow of the setting sun, Maia looked beautiful and she didn’t even try. Her lace dress was the only effort she put into this date because she didn’t even bother putting on makeup.

  I leaned away from her and cleared my throat, feeling my face heat up. “Yes. We’re here.”

  Maia stared at the view through the windshield. “Where are we?”

  I took her to a spot that could give us a view of the famous San Francisco Bridge. There was no restaurant in sight or even any food truck.

  Maia kept looking at me curiously, waiting for me to explain why I took her here. Even if this was a tourist spot, it wasn’t as amazing for a native which explained why Maia kept staring at me weirdly.

  Shrugging, I flashed her a smirk and then pointed at the sky. It was painted a cool orange hue, the kind that wasn’t harsh for the eyes. There were swirls of purple and pink with the slightest tinge of blue and the bridge looked gorgeous against the background.

  “You used to be in love with sunsets. I feel like you’ve been so busy for so long that you haven’t had the chance to enjoy the simple things you used to. And so I thought…”

  I let my words linger. For a moment, I felt like I might have screwed things up by choosing to bring her into such a simple date.

  Maia was just staring at me. “I like it.”

  The three words were enough to make my shoulders sag in relief. The two of us got out of the car to enjoy the sunset even more and while Maia basked in its orange glow, I just stared at her. I could stare at her for the rest of my life and I don’t think I would ever get tired of her face.

  She watched the sunset and took pictures.

  I opened the backdoor of my SUV and tapped her on the shoulder.

  Maia turned around, her eyes widening. Maia didn’t notice it when she got in the car earlier but I’d pushed the backseat down to make the back even more spacious. I laid a duvet on it then filled it with pillows and I had Alice’s food in a basket.

  “I drove a pickup truck on our first date and did this whole thing on the truck bed too. I don’t drive a pickup truck anymore but I wanted to recreate it. It was the only time we had that date but I could count on both fingers the number of times you told me you wanted to have that kind of date again. This is the best I could do to recreate it.”

  Maia was staring at me again.

  I suddenly felt myself sweat with worry.

  Then Maia took a step towards me and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

  I stood there, stunned.

  She moved past me and climbed inside the car, looking at me expectantly. “Are you just gonna stand there and stare or are we gonna have our date?”

  I cracked a smile, loving the fact that she was slowly letting me in and accepting me in. She wasn’t the uptight Maia I’d met the first time after eight years. I climbed on the back of the SUV. I grabbed the basket and unloaded everything Alice had packed inside.

  Maia gasped, grinning widely. “Are these homemade burgers?�
��

  I nodded. “I had Alice whip us up dinner. Don’t worry, for a top-tier chef, it’s not the kind that we’d serve at restaurants.”

  Her eyes fell on the bottle of champagne. “And champagne?”

  “I was going to switch it to beers at the last minute but thought that we at least would need something fancy.”

  Maia pursed her lips and nodded, trying to hide her smile.

  I handed her food to her.

  She took a bite and closed her eyes, leaning against the pillows.

  The gentle breeze played with her hair and I couldn’t stop thinking how pretty she was. Eight years didn’t seem to have any effect on her beauty. Hell, it only made her even prettier. “I missed you.”

  Maia paused mid-bite. Her eyes flickered towards me for a moment before she focused her attention on her food. “How has Nana been?”

  She was trying to ignore what I just said but I understood. It wasn’t a territory she wanted to tread just yet, so she tried to maneuver us back in calmer waters.

  “I call her every night and she’s doing fine. I told her about seeing you again and she’s been pestering me to bring you when I visit her.”

  Maia smiled. “I’d actually love to come. I did miss Nan.”

  I nodded, keeping that in mind. “I think she’d love to meet Sage too.”

  The statement made Maia pause.

  For a moment, I wondered if she was uncomfortable that I mentioned it.

  But Maia only plastered a smile on her face. “Is Nana running the shoe business now that Pops is gone?”

  I shook my head. “We sold it two months after he died. It’s not that she couldn’t run it but I didn’t want her burning herself out from working so much. Now, she’s been enjoying knitting sweaters and scarves for kids at the orphanage. She’s there ninety-nine percent of the time but at least she’s doing something to keep herself busy.” I took a huge bite out of my burger.

  Maia poured me a glass of champagne, handing it to me. “What happened to Pops, Ansel?”

  The question made me pause. I hadn’t spoken about Pops since he died because I didn’t like talking about it. “Cardiac arrest. It happened so suddenly. He was in the backyard feeding a stray cat that comes by and then he didn’t come back right away. Nan got worried and found him lying on the grass. She immediately called 911 and then me.” I still remembered the night Nana called. I’d just met with the architect that would design the bed and breakfast Pops and I were supposed to run together. I felt like someone had doused me with cold water and my whole body had suddenly gone numb. I had no idea how I managed to drive myself to the hospital and how I managed to hug Nana.