Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

  Once again Prue felt like Cinderella, only this time she was running away from her handsome prince without leaving a glass slipper for him to follow.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Nicholas sat on his front porch gazing out at the impending storm clouds rolling in. The day had become as gray as his mood and he gave a heavy sigh. The scene he’d imagined in his head where he’d find the woman he was in love with and she would run into his arms and tell him she loved him too had taken a dramatic plot twist. How could he rewrite the story so it worked in his favor? He was still in the dark as to who she was, even though he had the sketch, and had no idea how to find her. It was strange how they had bumped into each other twice in such a small space of time, after all these years. Did he believe in serendipity? Were the fates at work here? Maybe.

  Benji was in the house and Rocky was lying by his feet. He thought how lucky dogs were because they didn’t fall in love and run the risk of having their hearts broken. He had been devastated when his wife passed away, he never thought his heart would mend, then he met her. Their night together had opened his eyes and his heart and when he walked out of that hotel room he knew he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. But he was a man of honor. They had agreed to a night with no strings and he had kept to that agreement.

  Nicholas knew he should have turned around, walked back through that door, took her in his arms and told her he loved her. He should have asked to see her again. Have dinner. Get to know one another. But he hadn’t. What a fool he’d been.

  His cell phone jingled beside him and he checked the caller ID. It was Peter.

  “Hey, buddy, what can I do for you?” He noticed lightning flashing in the distance. The storm would hit in the next hour or so.

  “Can I stop by? I’ve got something I want to tell you in person.”

  “Sure.” Nicholas straightened in his chair. “Sounds serious.”

  “Put the coffee on. I’ll see you in ten.” He rang off.

  Nicholas frowned at his phone then pulled himself out of the comfortable, padded wicker armchair and headed into the house to the kitchen. Rocky followed him.

  Peter arrived twelve minutes later and let himself in. “Hey, Nick, I’m here,” he called.

  “In the kitchen.”

  The PI wandered through the living room and into the hub of the house. Nicholas was sitting at the breakfast table with two mugs of coffee and a plate of chocolate chip cookies he’d baked himself. He stood up and shook his friend’s hand. “What’s going on?” He returned to his seat.

  Peter sat down opposite him and picked up a cookie. “You bake these?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I love your cookies.” He took a bite.

  “Want to tell me why you’re here?” Nicholas gave him an impatient frown.

  “I got a guy I know at the DMV to run the sketch Colin did of your mystery woman.”

  Nicholas’ heartrate ticked up a notch. “And?”

  He slid the printout across the table. “He found her Pittsburgh driver’s license.”

  Nicholas opened the piece of paper and smiled. There she was. His eyes wandered her beautiful face before skimming over the information. Prue Lorraine Granger. At last he had a name. He glanced up at his friend. “I can’t believe I finally know who she is. How can I ever repay you?”

  Peter picked up another cookie from off the plate and held it up. “You could make me a batch of these some time, they’re delicious.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll make you two dozen. How’s that?”

  “Freakin’ awesome.” Peter took a large bite of his cookie.

  “What should I do now?”

  “If she doesn’t want to talk to you, you need to tread carefully. You don’t want to be labelled a stalker, not with your respectable New York Times author reputation.” He swallowed a mouthful of black coffee to wash down the cookie. “It’s odd that she doesn’t have another state’s driver’s license. You think she’s in New York, right?”

  Nicholas nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen her there a couple of times now. Maybe she doesn’t drive anymore.”

  Peter gave him a doubtful look. “If she drove in Pittsburgh you’d think she’d drive in New York.”

  “Driving in Pittsburgh is different to New York. Maybe she feels overwhelmed by big city traffic.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Is there any way to find out where she works?”

  Peter shook his head. “Not unless you know someone at the IRS who’d be willing to give you the information.”

  Nicholas sighed. “Unfortunately, no.” He always seemed to hit a dead end where Prue―he could say her name―was concerned. At least he had something substantial to go on now. It was a starting point.

  “Just remember what I said. If you find her and she files a complaint against you, you could be looking at criminal charges. And that’s something you don’t want.”

  “I’ll remember. I just need to get her to talk to me.”

  “She didn’t want to at the dinner you attended. What makes you think she’ll want to now?”

  “Call it intuition. What she was telling me at the dinner didn’t match the emotion in her eyes or her body language. Something was off.”

  “Or you want to believe something was off.” He took another mouthful of his coffee.

  “Ok, maybe. I have to know for sure.” Nicholas gazed at her photo again. “I’m in love with her, Pete, and I can’t change how I feel.”

  His friend gave him a pained look. “Love can suck sometimes. I hope it works out the way you want it to.”

  Nicholas gave him a thin smile. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  December twenty third came around in the blink of an eye and Prue still had to organize packing for their trip. Toby would arrive some time in the early afternoon and she wanted to have the apartment looking and smelling Christmassy by then. She and Nikki had already hung the decorations around the apartment while listening to a selection of carols on her MacBook, including Nikki’s favorites, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer. The tree had arrived the week before, but they hadn’t dressed the wonderfully, scented green spruce yet.

  Prue sat the box of ornaments on the coffee table and called Nikki. Her daughter raced out of her bedroom and joined her in the living room. “Can I put the Christmas angel on top, Mommy?”

  “Yes you can, honey.” Prue fossicked through the assortment of delicate pieces and handed a crystal snowflake to Nikki. She had already threaded the lights through the branches so it was just a matter of decorating now. “Where would you like this one to go?”

  Nikki took the sparkling, star-shaped decoration and stood for a moment contemplating where the first piece should be placed. She reached out and hung it on a branch in the center of the tree, then stepped back to see how it looked. “Is that ok, Mommy?”

  “It’s perfect.”

  The pair continued to work on the tree until the last decoration had been hung on a bough. Prue handed the beautiful golden angel, blowing a trumpet to herald the birth of Christ, to her daughter then lifted her up so she could place it on top. Once the angel was in position they both stepped back to examine their handy work.

  Nikki clapped and bobbed up and down like a Jack-in-the-Box. “Don’t forget the lights, Mommy.”

  Prue stepped around the tree to the power outlet and flicked the switch. The twinkling white lights sent a shimmer through the delicate crystal ornaments making them sparkle in a kaleidoscope of color that radiated onto the corner wall behind the tree. It looked wonderful.

  “Yay!” Nikki said. “It’s beautiful, Mommy.”

  Prue picked up her little girl and they stood admiring the glittering tree. “Yes, it is, sweetie.”

  The light dusting of snow lying on the windowsills gave the scene a pretty winter feel. It was freezing outside. Pittsburgh was a slightly warmer city and Prue couldn’t wait to be home with her mom, dad and other relatives.

&
nbsp; Her cell phone went off: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. “Hello.”

  “Hi, it’s me,” Toby said. “I should arrive at your place around three. Got eggnog? If not, I’ll pick some up at a store on the way.”

  “Already made mom’s recipe.”

  “Yum, can’t wait. Ok, well, better keep moving. See you in a couple hours.”

  “Take care on the road, Tobe.”

  “Yep, will do.” He rang off.

  “Is Uncle Toby going to be here soon?”

  “He should get here around three, so let’s go bake those Christmas cookies.”

  ***

  The aroma of cinnamon sugar cookies gave the apartment a warming Christmas feel. When Toby arrived they would sit down to afternoon tea of cookies, turkey and cranberry sandwiches and eggnog. Prue had concocted a kid-friendly version of the drink for her daughter so she wouldn’t feel left out of the holiday celebrations.

  Nicholas’ face popped into her head as she set the table and she wondered what his plans were for the holidays. Did he have family to go home to? Would he spend them alone? Her heart felt heavy for a moment and she hoped he had someone to spend Christmas with.

  A knock on the door brought Nikki flying out of her room. “Uncle Toby’s here!” She skidded down the hallway in her socks and almost collided with her mom.

  Prue opened the front door and her daughter launched herself at her uncle. “Yay, you’re here. We’re having afternoon tea, Uncle Toby.” She kissed his cheek, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big squeeze.

  “We are? That sounds great.” He popped his niece onto the floor, kissed his sister’s cheek and inhaled a deep breath through his nostrils. “What’s the wonderful smell?”

  “Nikki and I made your favorite. Iced cinnamon sugar cookies.”

  “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go eat.” Toby kicked the overnight bag out of the way, closed the door, followed his two favorite girls into the living/dining room and sat down at the decorated table.

  Prue and Nikki took their seats and Prue poured eggnog and the special eggnog for Nikki into glasses and handed them around. She raised hers. “To the love of family and to spending Christmas together.”

  “To the love of family and to spending Christmas together,” Toby and Nikki chorused, clinking their glasses.

  Prue’s heart felt light and she was looking forward to the drive home with her daughter and her big brother. It was going to be a wonderful holiday.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Nicholas’ parents had retired to Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania and he was on his way to spend the holidays with them. Three years ago they had purchased a quaint, timber two-story home with attic on an acre block and loved living in the peaceful rural community. His sister, Connie and her family lived in Santa Barbara and would also be making the journey. It had been a couple of years since Nicholas had been home for Christmas, work commitments had kept him busy, and he was looking forward to spending time with his family this year.

  The flight from Monterey to Pittsburgh would take about six and a half hours, so Nicholas kept himself busy working on the outline for his next novel. He realized he did a great deal of plotting and writing on airplanes because of the time it took flying from one side of the country to the other. His parents were picking him up from the airport at around 4.30 p.m. in time for a late afternoon tea. His mom had made his favorite festive treats and he felt like a schoolboy again.

  He missed her. He missed them all. It would be great being with them again, especially his sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew, whom he hadn’t seen for the past three years because they were unable to make Christmas the last time he’d been home as Connie had gone into early labor with Addison. It would be lovely meeting his niece in person for the first time. He loved kids. He and Pam had planned to have a house full when they were first married, but that wasn’t to be. After she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent treatments of chemotherapy there was no way she could carry a child. Her body couldn’t have handled it. Tears stung the backs of his eyes and he dislodged the painful memory from his mind. It was Christmas, the season to be jolly.

  Nicholas intended to maintain the holiday spirit while visiting his parents. No brooding over the past or Prue―although both were a constant ache in his heart―as his mom always picked up on his moods and would be sure to quiz him about what was wrong. Christmas was a time for family and he was going to adhere to keeping his love life woes private. He had made a promise to himself that once the holidays were over he’d fly to New York to find the woman he loved and when he did he wouldn’t take no for an answer. She had to talk to him.

  ***

  When Toby pulled his dual cab Dodge pickup into their parents’ driveway and turned off the engine the front door flew open and Lorraine and Martin Granger came rushing out, arms wide. Nikki flung the back door of the truck open and jumped from the vehicle into the waiting arms of her grandma and grandpa. “Grandma, Poppie,” the little girl squealed. “I missed you so much.”

  “We missed you too, honey,” Her grandma said, hugging her tight. She handed her granddaughter to her husband and walked over to her daughter. “Merry Christmas. How are you, darling?” She wrapped her arms around Prue and held her for a long moment. “It’s so good to have you home.”

  “Merry Christmas, Mom. It’s wonderful to be home.” She glanced over at her dad. “Merry Christmas, Daddy”

  He smiled. “Merry Christmas, Sweet Pea.”

  “Let’s go inside. We’ve got a fire going and it’s nice and warm,” her mom said.

  “You all go. I’ll bring in the bags.” Toby pulled the luggage from the tray of his truck and carried it up onto the porch, then returned for the box of Christmas presents and baking.

  The house smelled of Pine cones and cinnamon. A real holiday aroma. Prue hung hers and Nikki’s coats on the rack by the front door and helped her brother bring in the bags.

  Once the front door closed and she stood in the decorated entry hall of her parents’ home she sighed with happiness.

  “Come into the kitchen you two. We’ve got Christmas goodies to devour,” their mother called.

  When Prue and Toby entered the kitchen, Nikki was already on a stool at the center island with a glass of milk in front of her, munching a reindeer cookie.

  Prue walked over to her. “I used to love these when I was your age. Still do.” She reached across and plucked a cookie from the plate sitting in the middle of the counter and took a bite. “Mm, heavenly.”

  “Coffee’s ready. Help yourself,” her father said.

  Toby crossed the kitchen to the coffee maker, poured four mugs and brought them back to the center island. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

  They sat talking, laughing and eating for a good couple of hours before Prue climbed off her stool to go unpack the presents and place them under the huge, dazzling Christmas tree standing by the arched, multi-pained window in the living room. Afterward, she sat the baking she had done on the kitchen counter. Tomorrow the house would be filled with family and friends and holiday cheer. As far back as Prue could remember her mother always had a large, festive Christmas dinner with tons of food and plenty of people. But tonight it would be only them and she couldn’t wait to sit around the fire with her family drinking her mother’s special eggnog and relaxing. Coming home had been the stabilizing factor to her crazy year and she felt peaceful and happy.

  ***

  A thin blanket of white freeze lay across the tarmac as Nicholas’ flight landed at Pittsburgh International. Three snow ploughs were working to clear the runways, plumes of snow spraying behind them like frosty waterfalls. It looked pretty from his window, but he knew how cold it would be once he stepped off the plane.

  While he waited for other passengers to disembark, Nicholas thought about the night he’d spent with Prue, and how strange it had been that his parents decided to move there. Well, not right in Pittsburgh itself, but they were
only twenty minutes by car from the main city center. The word serendipity popped into his head and once again he wondered if the fates were somehow trying to bring him and Prue together. His heart soared when he thought about how wonderful it would be to hold her in his arms again.

  After collecting his luggage, Nicholas headed for the pickup area outside the baggage claim. His parents should already be there.

  He stepped out into the icy air and shivered as he scanned the cars driving in to pick up family and friends. His dad’s four wheel drive wasn’t there. He checked his watch and frowned. 4.28 p.m. Maybe they pulled into the short term parking garage. Retrieving his cell phone from the pocket of his insulated, charcoal gray Adidas jacket he hit speed dial.

  “Hey, Dad, I’m outside the baggage claim. Where are you? I can make my way over to you, if you’d prefer.”

  “We’re in the short term parking lot. Stay there, we’ll pick you up.”

  “Ok. See you soon.”

  Several minutes later, Nicholas spotted his parents’ silver Jeep traveling up the center lane and he grabbed his bags, ready to toss them in the trunk. He was looking forward to sitting in a nice warm car out of the chilly wind. When his father pulled up he climbed out of the car and gave Nicholas a man hug. “Great to see you, son.”

  “You too, Dad.”

  They dropped the luggage into the back of the car and climbed into the warm cabin, Nicholas behind his mom’s seat. She turned around and squeezed his hand, her face beaming. “It’s good to have you home, Nick.”

  “It’s good to be home. I know it’s been a while.”

  “We understand, honey. You have a busy life.” Ashleigh held up his latest book. “Love this one.”

  Nicholas felt his face grow warm. He didn’t think his mother read novels of his genre. He thought about the lovemaking scene and wondered what she thought when she read it, but wouldn’t ask. “Glad you liked it.”

  “I’m still reading it. I only bought it yesterday, but it’s a real page turner. I’ve been so engrossed your father says I’m neglecting him.” She laughed.