Sweet Temptation

by Banks, Maya

Both he and Damon groaned.

  “Hell, woman, the last time you all went out for girly fun, you ended up nearly passed out on the floor at Cattleman’s, and Nathan had to call me and Gray to come get you.”

  Micah sighed. He wanted to be able to trust Serena, but she was close to Faith and Julie, two women he’d been intimate with. It would be awkward as hell for Angelina to be exposed to them and vice versa.

  “What is it?” Serena asked. “You look so ... torn.”

  Damon squeezed her hand lovingly. “Don’t pressure him, love.”

  “No, it’s okay,” Micah said. “It’s just complicated. I swear I keep saying that, but there’s no better way to explain it.”

  He looked at Serena and swallowed. “Angelina is, was, my best friend’s younger sister. I was ... married.” The words nearly strangled him, but at least he hadn’t had to say Hannah’s name.

  Serena looked at him in shock. “Married? Why does no one know this? I mean why is it such a secret?”

  “Damon knows, and again—complicated. David and I ... we both loved the same woman. David was my partner on the force. We shared everything. Including the woman I married.”

  Serena’s mouth formed an O of surprise.

  “The thing is, I love Faith and Julie, and you know that I’ve been with them both. I’ve had threesomes with them. Casual. Fun. Meaningless. But the last thing I ever want them to know or suspect is that the entire time I was making love to them I was pretending they were another woman. They don’t deserve that and I’d never hurt them that way.”

  Serena’s lips turned down into an unhappy frown. “Oh, Micah. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

  Micah shifted uncomfortably at the idea of spilling his guts for only the second time since Hannah died. In for a penny and all that crap. He’d already gone this far, and Damon would probably tell her later anyway.

  “David and Hannah died in a car accident.”

  Tears filled Serena’s eyes. “How awful for you to lose your best friend and the woman you loved at the same time.”

  “Everyone thought they were cheating on me,” Micah said bitterly. “That they were skipping town together. We didn’t advertise our relationship. Hannah married me, but David was an equal in the relationship. I didn’t have my head in the job anymore after they died. Everyone pitied me. Stared and talked behind my back. I made a stupid mistake, got injured. It was easier for me to use that as an excuse and just leave. Only I left Angelina, and, God help me, I never gave her another thought. I’m a selfish bastard and my sins don’t end there.”

  “But she’s here now,” Damon pointed out. “A good opportunity to atone for those sins, don’t you think?”

  “It would’ve been if I hadn’t compounded them,” Micah said painfully.

  “Quit being so hard on yourself. Angelina strikes me as a very resilient, intelligent woman who knows precisely what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.”

  “If I only knew what she wanted,” Micah said with a sigh.

  Damon raised an eyebrow. “I thought that much was obvious, Micah. Clearly, she wants you.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Angelina dodged a customer not looking where he was going and continued to the table with the tray she was carrying. Her first day hadn’t been a cakewalk by any means, but she caught on quickly, and her trainer had already turned her loose on her own small section of tables.

  She distributed the plates with a smile and started back toward the kitchen when the manager motioned her to stop.

  “Table six is yours.”

  She nodded and turned in that direction then stopped in her tracks. Micah’s friends Nathan and Connor sat in the booth with another man. With a roll of her eyes, she took her order pad out of her apron and approached the table.

  At least they didn’t act surprised to see her.

  “Let me guess. You just happened to be in the neighborhood,” she drawled.

  Connor grinned. “Hell no. We hit two other cafés before we found the right one.”

  “Uh-huh. Any particular reason or did you not get enough of an eyeful this morning?”

  “Chalk it up to curiosity,” Nathan said. “It’s not every day we get to see Micah’s nuts twisting in the wind. Wanted to see the woman responsible.”

  The other man cleared his throat. “Since these morons aren’t going to introduce use, I’m Gray Montgomery, Connor’s brother-in-law.”

  She stuck out her hand. “I’m Angelina Moyano.”

  “Very pretty name,” Gray said as he took her hand in his firm grip.

  “What can I get you?” she asked when she’d retracted her hand.

  “Ah hell, we weren’t really going to eat,” Nathan said.

  “Speak for yourself,” Connor protested. “I’ll have the special with gravy. Oh, and bring me a cheeseburger, the large one, and some fries with that too.”

  Angelina gaped at him.

  Gray just shook his head. “He has a hollow leg.”

  Angelina let her gaze wander down Connor’s very fit body. Wherever he put it all, it certainly didn’t hang around.

  “Just coffee for me,” Gray added.

  “I’ll take a chocolate shake,” Nathan said.

  “Coming right up.”

  She turned and hit her other tables on her way to the kitchen, refilling drinks before she placed Connor’s order. She shook her head as she entered the information into the ordering system. How could he possibly eat that much and still be as buff as he was? He must get a lot of exercise, either that or he was one of those disgusting people blessed with really good genes.

  Next she got their drinks and brought them to the table.

  “So, are you staying here?” Connor asked casually. “I mean in Houston. Permanently. Or are you just visiting?”

  “Yep.”

  They all looked chagrined when she didn’t offer anything more.

  “Was that a yep, you’re staying or a yep, you’re just visiting?” Nathan asked.

  She smiled. They were cute in an obvious sort of way.

  “Maybe y’all can help me out with something.”

  They looked curiously at her.

  “I need a cheap place to stay, and preferably somewhere that doesn’t need to know my life history.”

  Gray frowned at that statement. Nathan’s brow furrowed and Connor just studied her with an inscrutable expression. They made her uncomfortable, and in that moment she realized she’d underestimated their playful charm.

  “Shouldn’t you be talking about this with Micah?” Nathan asked carefully.

  She twisted her lips. “Let’s just say Micah and I don’t see eye to eye on everything.”

  “You need to be careful,” Gray cautioned. “There are a lot of places that a girl like you has no business being in.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what exactly a girl like her was, but she let it go. She knew what he was trying to say.

  “That’s why I asked you for help,” she said patiently. “You know the city, right? You could point me away from the not so great places.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Shoot. Never mind, okay? I’ll figure something out. I gotta see about my customers.”

  She left them, knowing they were still staring at her. Micah would probably know what she was planning before they ever left the café.

  When Connor’s order was up, she balanced the tray and took it to the table. She set the mound of food in front of Connor while Nathan and Gray looked at him in disbelief.

  “Anything else?” she asked.

  “God, I hope not,” Gray muttered.

  “Okay, well here’s your check. Just pay the cashier on your way out,” she said cheerfully. “Nice meeting you, Gray.”

  She started to walk away when Connor caught her arm.

  “Angelina, wait. If you were serious about looking for a place to stay, there’s actually an apartment in Micah’s complex. We all sort of live there actually. Well, Faith and Gray moved out, but Nathan, Micah
and I still live there.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly afford an apartment there.”

  “How do you know?” Connor asked. “I haven’t told you what the rent is.”

  “I know,” she said firmly. “They’re way too nice to be in my price range. I need something along the lines of an efficiency. Preferably furnished, because I don’t have the cash to be furniture shopping right now.”

  All three men frowned, and she shifted impatiently, suddenly eager to escape their scrutiny. At least now she knew why Micah was friends with them. They were all alike. Overbearing and very male.

  “I happen to know the owner of the complex,” Connor said. “I’ll talk to him and see what I can do.”

  Nathan and Gray both snorted, and she frowned at them, wondering what private joke she was missing out on.

  “Look, I appreciate it, Connor, but I really can’t afford that kind of apartment, and, well, Micah probably won’t want me living that close to him anyway.”

  “Now hold on,” Gray said. “You don’t think he’d want you where he could at least be assured of your safety? No better place than right there at his own complex.”

  She smiled a little sadly. “Micah will be very glad to see the back of me.”

  Nathan cursed softly, and Connor frowned even harder.

  “What time do you get off?” Connor asked.

  Startled by the abrupt change in topic, she shot him a questioning stare. “Two.”

  “Did you drive or do you need a ride?”

  “Uh, I drove.”

  “I’ll meet you at Micah’s apartment at two fifteen then.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “To show you your apartment. It’s not furnished yet, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

  She stared at him in complete befuddlement. “What, do you own the place or something?”

  “Not exactly,” Connor replied. “My dad does.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t let you do that. You don’t even know me.”

  He put a firm finger over her lips. “Two fifteen. Micah’s place. You’re Micah’s. That’s all any of us need to know. We tend to look after our own around here.”

  Gray nodded his agreement, and even Nathan had donned a fierce look at her resistance.

  But I’m not Micah’s anything!” she protested.

  Her announcement was met with uncomfortable silence.

  “He running hard?” Gray asked softly.

  God, how the hell had she gotten into such a conversation with complete strangers? And friends of Micah’s at that. Like she wanted her feelings bandied about in some amused male conversation later?

  She clamped her lips shut and stared mutinously at them. “I need to go now.”

  “Two fifteen, sweetie,” Connor said gently. “Don’t be late. I hate to be kept waiting.”

  Nathan and Gray cracked up, laughing so hard that Nathan started wheezing. She just looked at them in bewilderment.

  “He’s never on time for anything,” Nathan explained between bouts of laughter. “If he says two fifteen, be ready around three.”

  Connor shot him a dirty look. “I do not keep a woman waiting. Ever. It’s bad for my sex life.”

  Angelina chuckled. She could see why they irritated Micah so, but then when Micah wasn’t being so damn serious around her, he was the king of practical jokes. She wanted to see and enjoy that lighter side of him again. Obviously he shared it with his friends, but with her, he was strung as tight as a rubber band.

  Connor turned back to Angelina. “Seriously. Two fifteen. I’ll be on time and waiting.” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I won’t turn down that offer. After last night, I have a feeling Micah is going to kick me out anyway.”

  They looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and questioning, as if they couldn’t quite tell whether or not she was teasing, and were about to burst with wanting to ask her what she meant.

  Before they could, she headed toward the next table to refill more drinks.

  “What do you make of this?” Nathan murmured after she’d gone.

  Connor stared at her for a long time as she smiled and served the other customers. “I don’t know. I know Micah’s been acting pretty damn weird. It’s not like him to be so ... serious around a woman. Or so grumpy.”

  “I’m more curious what her story is,” Gray said. “What’s with wanting an apartment where no one checks her background?”

  “Leave it to you to pick up on that,” Nathan said. “Think she could be in some kind of trouble? Maybe that’s what’s setting Micah off?”

  Connor frowned. “I dunno. She seems so ... innocent.”

  Gray snorted. “Some of the best criminals are.”

  “Oh come on,” Nathan scoffed. “Criminal my ass. If that girl’s a criminal, I’m Martha Fucking Stewart.”

  “I knew going out with Julie was going to turn you into a fucking pansy,” Connor said in disgust.

  “Want to take it out to the parking lot and see this pansy kick your scrawny ass?” Nathan challenged.

  “Boys, boys,” Gray said.

  “I wonder why Micah would have kicked her out,” Connor said, turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. “Or do you think she was kidding about that?”

  “I think she was only half kidding,” Nathan said.

  Gray nodded. “You should probably stay out of it, Connor. Micah won’t like you interfering.”

  Connor studied Angelina, looking at the fatigue and sadness behind the bright smile. Fuck Micah. Micah might be the softy when it came to women, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t treating this one very well, and while Connor liked to tease Micah about being such a pushover, Connor didn’t like to see an unprotected woman either.

  True, it wasn’t any of his business why Micah had his head up his ass when it came to Angelina, but it didn’t mean Connor was going to turn a blind eye and let her rent a place where she was going to get mugged, raped or killed.

  The guys liked to give him a hard time because he was so protective of his sister Faith. Well they could just give him shit for taking Angelina under his wing as well. Because he damn sure wasn’t going to direct a young woman out into the city unprotected.

  CHAPTER 12

  Angelina left the café at five minutes to two and slid into her car. It was actually a decent temperature for this early in the fall, and she started to roll down her window after she inserted her key.

  She stopped and stared around the interior, a frown pulling at her brows. Something was weird. She glanced down at the console and the miscellaneous items she had housed there. A few pens, a pack of gum, a tube of lipstick, dental floss, two envelopes ... Her pictures were gone.

  She rummaged through the stuff looking for the two snapshots of her and David that she always kept in her car. Where the hell could they be?

  A prickle of unease snaked up her spine. Had someone been in her car?

  She closed her eyes, shook her head and then leaned back against the head rest. A rueful laugh escaped. She was being ridiculous. No one had been in her car. It had been locked and there was no sign that anyone had broken in. Plus she was no longer in Miami, and she’d been careful. There was no reason to believe she could possibly have been followed to Houston, and moreover, why would someone make the effort?

  The pictures must be with her other stuff. Maybe in her suitcase or one of her purses. Her wallet maybe. She’d find it all when she unpacked eventually.

  She cranked the engine and rolled her shoulder in an effort to shake off the sense of foreboding. Scaring herself to death wasn’t high on her list of priorities for the day. Finding a place to live, however, was.

  On the way to Micah’s apartment, she took mental stock of her finances. She still had cash socked away in her bank account, but she’d be an idiot to access it right now. Maybe later, when she had a few paychecks under her belt, she could take a weekend trip, drive a few
states north and withdraw a large amount from the ATM or just arrange for a wire transfer. She’d research her options when the time came.

  For now, she had what cash she’d dared bring with her and today’s wages. As great as it would be to have a nice, safe apartment close to Micah, she doubted it was in the cards. The money just wasn’t there, and she doubted people like Connor understood just what it was to have a hand-to-mouth existence.

  Her plan to convince Micah that he needed her seemed pretty silly and more than a little naïve. It wasn’t something that could happen overnight, and it damn sure couldn’t be forced by living in close proximity.

  If it was going to happen, she’d have to give him time.

  A few minutes later, she pulled into her parking spot and looked over to see Connor standing against his truck waiting for her. She honestly hadn’t been sure he was serious.

  He certainly seemed serious now, with the way he was striding toward her car. Any playfulness from lunch had disappeared and been replaced by a stern somberness.

  She almost groaned. Yet another male determined to play big brother. Yeah, she appreciated it, but did no one ever look at her and see a hot-blooded attractive woman?

  When Micah could actually forget she was David’s sister, he certainly didn’t have a problem with lusting after her. Too bad he had to come to his senses on a regular basis.

  “Hey,” she said in greeting when Connor walked up.

  “Hey, Angelina, you ready to look at the apartment? I figured Fairh’s old one would be best because it’s situated in the middle of mine, Nathan’s and Micah’s. We sorta put her there on purpose, but that was before Gray came along.”

  Angelina cocked her head. “Do all of you have bizarrely overdeveloped protective tendencies when it comes to women?”

  He blinked as if that were the dumbest question he’d ever heard.

  “Well no, not all women. Just the ones who belong to us.”

  She shook her head at him. “I don’t belong to Micah, Connor. He doesn’t claim me at all. I’m just David’s sister, and believe me, he hasn’t spared me a thought over the last few years.”

  Connor shrugged. “Just because he’s a dumbass doesn’t mean the rest of us are. You’re here now, and by virtue of your relationship with Micah, whatever that may or may not be, you belong to us and we look out for our own.”