“Nope.” Trey lifted his hand. “Scout’s honor.”
Kiara leaned a little closer, studying his eyes. He let her look her fill and tried his best to mask the real reason he wanted her to stop by his place. He’d known her less than twenty-four hours, and already, he feared he was slightly addicted to her company.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stop by tonight for dinner.”
A grin crept onto Trey’s lips. “Perfect. I look forward to it.”
* * *
Girl, what are you doing? Don’t get out of your car! Kiara’s thoughts had been racksacking her brain for the past twenty minutes, reminding her that having dinner with Trey Moore was a very bad idea.
Even worse, she was randomly moving her lips to appear to be talking on the phone just in case Trey glanced outside his window and spotted her.
“It’s official,” she said to herself. “You’ve officially gone off the deep end.” It was one thing to avoid relationships based off the heartbreak she’d already experienced. However, she’d hit a new low by pretending to be on the phone to avoid going into a man’s home for dinner.
He’s not just any man, she thought. He’s a sexy man who spends more time looking deeply into your eyes than he actually spends talking to you. Kiara had never dated a man like Trey before. Granted, she didn’t really know what type of man he was, but she had a feeling that he was the type a girl could get addicted to. The type who noticed little things about you that others failed to see.
Dating Trey would consume me. Kiara sat upright in her seat as the thought crossed her mind. “Date him?” He’d invited her to one dinner, and already, she was thinking about dating him.
“This is crazy,” she said, getting out of her car. “You’re a smart and successful woman, so surely you can handle dinner with a man and not think it means you’re headed down the relationship road.”
Kiara rang the doorbell, mentally giving herself one more pep talk before Trey answered the door in black sweats and a white T-shirt. He had a screaming infant cradled in his arms.
“Come on in,” Trey said, stepping aside from the door. “M-dog was fine, and then ten minutes ago, he just started crying and hasn’t stopped since.”
Kiara briefly looked Trey up and down. Even in the chaos with his nephew, the man looked delicious. “When was the last time his diaper was changed?”
Trey’s eyes widened. “I can’t remember. I was writing and cooking dinner while he took a nap. So, I guess a few hours ago.”
Kiara peeked into his diaper. “He needs to be changed. That’s all.” Kiara made quick work of changing the diaper, and as soon as she was finished, happy Matthew was back.
“You’re amazing,” Trey said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of something as simple as a diaper change.”
“It happens,” she said with a laugh.
“I would love for you to teach me some more skills. Being responsible for another life is not easy. I mean, M-dog seems fine, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“Yes, it can be daunting at times,” Kiara said. “But you’ll get the hang of it and Matthew seems to be doing okay. What’s with the M-dog reference?”
“That’s my nickname for him. My sister hates it, but I think it’s pretty cool.”
Kiara rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. It’s the type of nickname a man would give a baby. God forbid you call him Matt or Matty.”
Trey frowned. “She calls him Matty and I think it’s terrible. He’ll hate that nickname by the time he reaches high school.”
Kiara shrugged. “I guess you’re right.” She sniffed the air and smelled a hint of something burning. “Is that our dinner?”
“Oh, crap.” Trey handed Matthew back to Kiara and rushed to the kitchen. Matthew grabbed ahold of Kiara’s pointer finger when she lightly tapped his nose.
“I think your uncle burned dinner,” she said in a baby voice.
“You’d be correct,” Trey said, walking back into the living room. “Any chance you’d be down for takeout?”
“Sounds good to me,” she said with a laugh. Any nervousness Kiara had been feeling left the moment she’d opened the door and seen Trey in a panic.
An hour later, they’d finished their takeout and Matthew was sound asleep in his crib.
“He really is precious,” Kiara said, a familiar ache in her heart. “Your sister is a lucky woman.”
Trey looked down at Matthew. “Yeah, he’s pretty amazing.” Trey looked back to her. “You look stunning tonight.”
Kiara swallowed. “You saw me in this outfit earlier today.”
“And you looked stunning in it earlier as well. I was so impressed by LA Little Ones that I forgot to mention how impressed I was with you as well.”
Oh, Lord. If Trey kept up these compliments, she would never be able to slow the rapid beating of her heart.
“Thank you. You looked handsome in your suit earlier today and you look nice now, too.” Kiara’s eyes glanced over him again. Girl, that’s the biggest lie you’ve told in a while, she thought. You know he looks better than nice. The man exudes great sex and everything fantasies are made of.
“Now that we have some time,” Trey said, “would you like a tour of my home?”
“I’d love one.”
“Great.” Trey stood and grabbed the second baby monitor off the table before he reached out his hand to help Kiara up. “We’ll start with my favorite room in the house.”
Kiara followed Trey up a set of spiral stairs that were separate from the stairs that led to the second level. When they reached the top, Trey led Kiara through a narrow hallway to a grand loft space that took her breath away.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, taking in the lush greenery and skylight windows that she was sure offered a lot of sunlight in the daytime. “I can’t believe you own a greenhouse. This is beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Trey said as he walked down a path leading to a set of large doors. “I made sure my architect included this space in my blueprints as soon as I purchased the lot for this house. I call it my serenity space because it’s where I come to clear my mind.”
Kiara eagerly peeked over Trey’s shoulder when he opened the doors to reveal a breathtaking rooftop terrace.
“I didn’t get a chance to clean and dust this area today. Otherwise, I would have insisted that we eat up here.”
“Wow,” Kiara said, momentarily speechless. The greenery from inside continued outdoors, except there was also a very nice wooden table, sofa and chairs, an outdoor fireplace structure, and if she wasn’t mistaken, a Jacuzzi in a secluded corner of the terrace.
“I can see why this is your favorite place,” Kiara said. “I can’t imagine ever leaving this area if this were my home.”
“Trust me, it’s hard to leave sometimes.” Trey motioned for her to join him on the mahogany wicker sofa with plush white cushions. He placed the baby monitor on the outdoor table before he opened a glass cooler located near the sofa.
“Would you like a glass of red wine?”
“Sure,” she said.
Trey pulled out some chilled wine and two wineglasses, briefly glancing at her as he poured. “I’m glad you like the terrace,” he said, handing her a glass. “I don’t take many people up here.”
Kiara took a sip, welcoming the cool liquid. It was a little nippy out, but she couldn’t even feel the chill with all the heat they were generating. “I feel honored that you showed me your place of serenity. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Trey watched her over the edge of his glass as he took a sip of his wine as well. There he goes again, she thought. Staring at me with those almost-black eyes. Kiara didn’t think she’d ever met someone with eyes as dark and deep as Trey’s. When he looked at her the way he did now, she had to make a conscious effort to try to calm the swarm of bees buzzing around in her stomach.
> “Tell me more about yourself,” she said. “Have you always wanted to be a screenplay writer?”
“For as long as I can remember,” he said proudly. “I guess you can say I grew up in the business. My mother, Vivian Lashay, is an actress, so I’ve been a part of Hollywood since I was young.”
Kiara smiled. “I’ve seen your mom in a few television shows and movies. She’s really talented.”
“Thank you. My sister, Carmen, and I certainly think so.”
Kiara thought back to the conversation she’d had with him at the Rent-a-Bachelor event. “When we met, you mentioned that your father called his sons to ask for help. Do you and your sister have different fathers?”
“Yes, we do. I’m Reginald’s oldest son, but he had two more from two different women, so I have two half brothers. After he and my mom split, she met my stepdad, Frank, and had my sister. My stepdad is cool, but I never really felt like I had a father. Reginald was an absentee father, and although I appreciate my stepdad for being around, he had his hands full with my sister and Mom.”
“That’s unfortunate, but I understand,” Kiara said. “When I was a young girl, I thought the sun rose and set over my father. I’m the oldest of four, but after my youngest brother was born, he split without a word. That was the last we heard from him. My mom raised us on her own, but since she had two jobs, I spent a lot of my childhood raising my two brothers and sister.”
“That must have been hard,” Trey said, taking another sip of wine. “For me, I never had a relationship with Reginald. But in your case, you were close to your father, at least until he left.”
Kiara shrugged. “Yeah, it was hard. However, as you proved, a lot of people have struggled with absentee parents. Unfortunately, I didn’t seem to learn anything from that experience because I ended up marrying someone who I now know shared a lot of similarities with my father. Had I noticed that before he proposed, maybe I could have saved myself the heartache and divorce that followed.”
Oh, crap. Why did I say that? Kiara took a big sip of her wine. Mentioning your divorce on a first date counts as overshare.
“No, it doesn’t,” Trey said, confusing her. “I don’t mind hearing about your divorce if you want to share. In fact, I want to know the story.”
Kiara’s jaw slightly dropped. “Please tell me I didn’t just voice my thoughts aloud.”
“Okay, then,” he said with a sly smile. “I won’t tell you. But I meant what I said. Whenever you’re ready to talk about your divorce, I’m all ears.” He held her gaze and lightly picked up her free hand, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. “I know we just met, but I’m thoroughly intrigued by you, Kiara Woods.”
Kiara looked from her hand to his before downing the rest of her wine. “I think we should save that story for our next date.” She briefly closed her eyes. “I mean meeting. We can save that story for our next meeting.” Kiara stood abruptly. “I think it’s time for me to go before I spill all my guts on your rooftop terrace.”
“Okay,” Trey said with a laugh. “I’ll walk you out.”
They made their way through the greenhouse and down the spiral stairs. Trey checked on Matthew while Kiara gathered her purse and light sweater.
“I had a nice time tonight,” Kiara said when she reached the door. When she didn’t hear a response, she turned around to find him watching her intently.
“I had a nice time as well.” Trey took a step closer to her. “I enjoyed getting to know you a little better.” He was so close, Kiara was afraid to breathe.
“Me, too,” she whispered. His eyes dropped to her lips and stayed there for a while. After a few moments, she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
He took another step closer, so she took another step back, only to be met with the door. When his hand reached up to cup her face, Kiara completely froze. There’s no way he’s going to kiss me, right? We just met each other.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.
Say yes. Say yes. Say yes. “No,” she said, moments before his lips came crashing down onto hers. Her hands flew to the back of his neck as he gently pushed her against the door. Kiara had experienced plenty of first kisses in the past, but this was unlike any first kiss she’d ever had. Trey’s lips were soft, yet demanding. Eager, yet controlled. When she parted her lips to get a better taste, his tongue briefly swooped into her mouth before he ended their kiss with a soft peck and backed away.
Kiara couldn’t be sure how she looked, but she certainly felt unhinged and downright aroused.
“Come on,” Trey said with a nod. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
How is he even functioning after that kiss? Kiara felt like she glided to the car, rather than walked. Yet Trey looked as composed as ever.
“We should get together again soon,” he said, opening her car door. Kiara sat down in the driver’s seat and looked up at him. He flashed her a sexy smile.
“And for the record, this was definitely a date,” Trey said with a wink. “I didn’t stop kissing you because I wasn’t enjoying it, nor was I trying to tease you. I stopped kissing you because if I hadn’t, I’d be ready to drag you into my bedroom. Which also brings me to the reason I didn’t show you my bedroom. I didn’t trust myself not to make a move.” He leaned a little closer. “When we make love, I want us to know one another a little better, so I forced myself to stop kissing you tonight and it was damn hard to do so. Have a good night, Kiara.”
Trey softly kissed her cheek and closed her door before she could vocalize a response. Quite frankly, she didn’t think she had anything to say anyway. Her mind was still reeling and her lips were still tingling from that explosive kiss.
Kiara gave a quick wave. I told you not to get out the car earlier, that voice in her head teased. She started her car and drove away from Trey’s house.
“What the hell just happened?” She’d originally thought that she could avoid him or keep their relationship strictly friendly. Now she wasn’t so sure. Kissing Trey had awakened desires she thought she’d long buried. Feelings she’d ignored and pushed aside.
Kiara made it to her home a few minutes later. She glanced at her house before dropping her head to the steering wheel. She was in deep and she knew it. To make matters worse, she only lived a five-minute drive from Trey’s house, meaning there was no way she was getting any sleep tonight knowing a man that sexy was only a couple of miles away.
Chapter 6
“You like that, huh, M-dog?” Trey danced across his kitchen as baby Matthew sat on the floor in his car seat, laughing up at him.
Trey wasn’t sure what he loved about Sunday mornings, but Sunday never failed to put him in a good mood. Considering that his brothers were due to arrive at his place in ten minutes, he needed to keep his energy up. He doubted any of them wanted to talk about Reginald, but Trey was glad that Derek had agreed to meet with him and Max, and deep down, he knew they all realized this conversation was much needed.
Matthew continued to laugh as Trey took out the containers of breakfast he’d picked up from a local diner and placed them on the large island in the kitchen. LA Little Ones was a lifesaver, but he was glad to have Matthew with him this Sunday. Being with the little dude was making him realize that he may actually want to be a father one day. The jury was still out, but it was originally something he’d never wanted. Now he wasn’t so sure. He was getting the hang of this parenting thing...sort of.
Trey’s mind drifted to Kiara as it had been since the night he met her. She had so many personality traits that he liked and admired, but her luscious lips were the reason he was having trouble sleeping at night. He hadn’t planned on kissing her at the end of the night, but a wave of potent want had come over him so hard that he knew he couldn’t let her walk out that door without giving him a taste of her sweetness.
Once he’d committed to the kiss, the only thing that wou
ld have stopped him would have been if Kiara didn’t want it as much as he did. Had she told him to stop, he would have. Instead, she’d only been even more responsive to his lips on hers, and the sweet moans that were coming from her mouth almost made him forget that he had to maintain some semblance of control.
The doorbell rang, interrupting his thoughts and his dance routine. “Hey, Max,” Trey said, greeting his brother. “Come on in.”
“Hey, Trey. Derek just pulled up, too.”
Trey glanced over Max’s shoulder in time to see Derek get out of his car and head to the front door.
“Hey, man,” he said, dabbing fists with Derek. “Glad you could make it.”
“I didn’t want to come,” Derek said honestly. “But you’re right. The three of us need to talk this out.”
Once inside, Trey led both the men into the kitchen, where he’d laid out the food.
“Is this from Lou’s Diner right outside Hollywood?” Max asked.
Trey nodded. “Sure is.”
“I used to go to this joint all the time,” Derek said. “Best breakfast in LA.” Trey smiled, not surprised that they all liked the same breakfast spot.
“Is this your nephew?” Derek asked.
Trey looked at Matthew, who’d fallen asleep. “Yes, this is M-dog. I’m watching him for a while for my sister.”
A few minutes after the men resumed eating, Trey addressed the elephant in the room. “I think we can all agree that in the past few months it’s been pretty stressful to be a Moore.”
“That’s an understatement,” Derek said with a forced laugh.
“True,” Max said. “It’s been pretty tough. But I believe Reginald when he says he’s innocent. He may lie about a lot of things, but I don’t think he’d lie about this.”
“Right,” Derek said sarcastically. “Let’s not forget that the man didn’t even acknowledge me for most of my childhood. He’s such a stand-up guy.”
“Sorry,” Max said. “That’s not what I meant.”
Derek shrugged. “It’s cool. You always take up for him. I’m used to it.”
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