Tempt Me

by Carly Phillips

  “We can assure you it’s not,” Officer Suarez said. “Drugs were found in your apartment this morning. Now you can come with us quietly or we can make this harder.” He parted his jacket, revealing handcuffs he’d obviously be more than happy to use.

  With any luck, an arrest was imminent based on the findings in her apartment.

  “Good-bye, Kayla. I can guarantee you no judge is going to find you to be a qualified parent now.”

  “I hate you,” she spat at him.

  “The feeling is mutual. Now go along with the officers like a good girl.” He waved good-bye and leaned back in his seat, satisfaction along with a deep sadness filling him.

  Because no matter what, at the end of the day, Kayla was his daughter’s mother and that was a sad thing for his little girl. But he intended to make damned sure she had a wonderful life and lacked for nothing. He just couldn’t make up for her not having a mom.

  He drove directly home, anticipating sharing the news with Mia that the custody issue was over. Nobody would share his excitement like she would. But when he let himself into the house, it was too quiet. The door to her room was open and she wasn’t in there, so he headed for the kitchen and family room.

  “Mia?” he called out.

  “In here.”

  He walked toward the sound of her voice and found her on the couch.

  “Hey.” He leaned down beside her, clasping her clammy hand in his. “What’s wrong?”

  “I came into the kitchen to make something to eat and I got so nauseous. I had to lie down. I guess I fell asleep.” She tried to push herself to a sitting position but he held her back.

  “Don’t. I’m going to take you to bed. Then, if you’re hungry, I’ll make you something to eat.”

  Her eyelids fluttered. It was obviously a struggle for her to keep them open. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

  This woman, he thought with a shake of his head. As if she could ever be a problem.

  “Shh.” He brushed her hair off her face before picking her up and lifting her into his arms. He headed through the kitchen, but instead of going toward her room, he turned to go up the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” she asked drowsily.

  “Somewhere you can rest… and I can keep an eye on you.”

  His room, to be exact, but he didn’t want to give her something to argue about by telling her. And since her eyes were already closed, he didn’t think she’d object right now.

  * * *

  Mia woke up slowly. Her head hurt because her stomach was empty but she didn’t think she was nauseous anymore. But she was warm. Very warm and she became aware of the hard, hot male body aligned with hers.

  Austin.

  Her heart began beating too fast in her chest as she realized he lay up against her, his body wrapped around hers, his arm draped around her waist, pulling her close. Her body thrummed with awareness.

  She opened her eyes, looked around, and realized this wasn’t her room. It was his. She swallowed hard. She remembered feeling sick after a trip to the kitchen and lying down on the sofa. Then he came home, found her, and carried her to her bed.

  The sweet man. The sweet, sexy, protective man. He was going to kill her with his kindness and caring while she was supposed to be guarding her heart against his potent appeal.

  She wondered if she could roll out from beneath his weight and slip away without waking him. No sooner had she shifted than he groaned, the sound reverberating through her.

  “What time is it?” he asked, not letting go of her.

  She blinked and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “Four,” she said. She’d slept the day away. “Umm … why am I in your bed? With your arm around me?”

  Instead of releasing her, he hugged her tighter. “You’re in my bed because I wanted to be able to keep an eye on you if you needed anything. And as for the other, I fell asleep and it just happened.”

  She noticed he didn’t apologize for it, either. “Thank you.” But this was not a position she needed to be in and she pushed herself to a sitting position, forcing him to release his hold.

  He stretched and sat up beside her, running a hand over his messed hair, which, damn him, gave him a hot, just-had-sex kind of appearance. While no doubt she looked like death warmed over.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, his tone worried.

  She took a minute to catalogue how she felt now that she was upright. A little underlying queasiness. Damn. She’d hoped she really was all better.

  “Not perfect but better,” she admitted. “But I should go.”

  “No, you should let me get you food. You passed out before eating. Did you have anything earlier?” he asked, giving her a knowing glance.

  “No.” She bit down on her lower lip. “But I can take care of it myself.”

  He shook his head. “That would be a no. I don’t want to worry about you fainting or getting nauseous again, so sit tight and I’ll be back with toast.” He rolled out of bed.

  She was grateful to see he was still dressed and she wore her sweats and a tee shirt. She still desired him too much, wanted him too badly to have any kind of temptation adding to this situation.

  He headed downstairs and she tossed herself back against the pillows. “What are you doing?” she asked herself.

  She was letting him take care of her… and enjoying knowing that he cared. She was torturing herself with what she couldn’t have. While he was gone, she went into his bathroom, a nice-sized room with a Jacuzzi tub, a shower with extra spray jets, and a neutral-colored décor. It suited him.

  She took care of business and washed her face, brushing her teeth with toothpaste and her finger before rinsing. She felt cleaner, at least, and marginally better. Heading back to bed, she settled in to wait.

  He returned a short time later with toast and jelly along with a cup of tea, placing both on the nightstand.

  “Thank you.” She picked up the cup and took a sip, finding the tea sugared, just the way she liked it.

  Her heart warmed at the fact that he noticed. Why was he such a contradiction? A man who didn’t want commitment on one hand, taking such good care of her and even noticing things no one else in her life had ever paid attention to before?

  “So how did things go with Kayla?” she asked, refusing to dwell on what she couldn’t change.

  “It went just as I intended. She won’t be an issue for me or Bailey anymore.” But despite the good news, his smile held a hint of sadness as did his tone.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll tell you if you eat.” He gestured to the toast on the nightstand.

  She couldn’t help but smile at his insistence. “Fine.” She picked up a piece of toast and took a bite. The sweetness from the jelly satisfied a craving she hadn’t known she had. But Austin clearly had.

  “Well?” She tipped her head, indicating it was his turn to talk.

  He breathed out a long breath. “When all was said and done, I was thrilled I got what I wanted and Kayla won’t be trying to take my daughter from me anymore.”

  “But?” Because something was obviously on his mind.

  His lips lifted at her obviously correct conclusion. “But I couldn’t help but feel bad when the cops took her away. I don’t like her but this is my kid’s mother. I’ll have to explain things to Bailey when she’s older and it’s going to hurt her.”

  Mia placed the toast back on the plate. “Hey. You tried your best to make the marriage work. You didn’t tell her not to be a caring parent.” She didn’t use the word abusive, although that’s what her actions had been. “You only pushed when you had no other choice to protect your daughter.” She wanted him to see the facts and not feel guilty that he’d acted against Bailey’s mom.

  “You’re right.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t make me feel any better, but thank you. I did need the reminder.”

  “Because you’re a good man.”

  His lips curled in a warm smile. Then
he tipped his head again. “Now keep eating.”

  She rolled her eyes, picked up the toast, and finished both pieces, feeling much better once she followed that up with the warm tea.

  Chapter Ten

  The day of the party at Austin’s boss’s house dawned bright and chilly. Mia was still queasy but she was living with it, knowing that eventually the virus would pass. Except it had been almost five days and she was starting to get nervous. Stomach viruses typically lasted a short time. Food poisoning wasn’t possible. So there wasn’t much of a reason for the nausea to persist except for the one she didn’t want to think about.

  So she didn’t. Not yet. She would still hope for possibility that this was temporary and not life altering.

  If she looked ahead, thank goodness things were getting closer to wrapping up with her ex-boss. On Wednesday she would to go to the city and go through trial preparation against Parker, and the thought didn’t help her stomach issues, that was for certain.

  She had no problem telling what she’d seen, what she’d taped, or what she’d heard and reported to the police. She just dreaded the cross-examination. It was brutal and ugly and she hated the whole process. But she knew the district attorney would go over the usual suggestions: give short answers, only answer what they ask, don’t go off on tangents, and tell the truth. Right. While Parker glared daggers at her across the room.

  She placed a hand over her stomach and breathed in deep. It was time to get dressed. When asked, Austin had insisted she should be casual for Dan’s party, but Mia was meeting Summer Michelle, a woman she’d admired from afar since her days on Star Power. Her voice, her talent, and how she’d risen above a viral video that could have derailed her career but somehow only made it stronger, all were things to respect. Plus, she was famous. It was a cool thing and Mia wanted to look good.

  Not to mention she was meeting Austin’s friends and coworkers and she hoped to make a decent impression. So she chose a pair of jeans in deference to dressing casual, and her favorite cold-shoulder shirt and a pair of black boots. She pulled her hair into a deliberately messy bun and added makeup to cover her pale cheeks. And then she headed to meet up with Austin in the kitchen.

  * * *

  Austin pulled up to Dan’s, a white house with black shutters, and from the cars along the street, they weren’t the first ones there. Mia had been quiet on the way and he was worried she still didn’t feel well. But she didn’t seem to want to talk and he gave her space until they pulled up to the curb and he parked.

  “You ready to go in?” he asked.

  “Yep.” She flashed him an obviously forced smile.

  “Hey.” He placed a hand over hers. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She nodded. “I am. And I’m excited to meet Summer… and of course your friends. So let’s go!”

  He shot her a concerned look, not really buying the I’m fine claim, but what could he do?

  He led her to the house, and before they could open the door, it flung open. “Austin!” Dan said. “I saw you coming up the walk and I wanted to greet you and your pretty guest.”

  Austin glanced at Mia, who blushed at the compliment. “Dan, this is Mia Atwood. Mia, meet Dan Wilson, my boss.”

  “A pleasure,” Mia said with a smile. “Thank you for having me over.”

  “The pleasure is mine. Come in, you two. Everyone is in the kitchen. You know how it is,” he said to Austin. “We all gravitate there.” He laughed and gestured inside the house.

  Austin led Mia toward the kitchen and family room, where his friends and coworkers had congregated.

  He introduced Mia to Ava Talbott, Jared Wilson, Dan’s son, and Ben Hollander. The other members of the team, Shane Landon and Tate Shaw, were away doing freelance work, which made it a small party.

  “Where’s Summer?” Austin asked, knowing how much Mia wanted to meet the pop star and Ben’s fiancée.

  “I’m here!” Summer strode out from the back of the house, a wide smile on her face.

  With her jet-black hair and stunning, wide brown eyes, she was beautiful. These days Austin preferred petite blondes with green eyes, but he could appreciate Ben’s good fortune.

  “It’s good to see you!” Austin pulled her into a friendly hug.

  “You, too.”

  Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Summer, this is my—Mia Atwood.” Austin wasn’t sure what he’d been about to say and he quickly changed the subject. “Mia’s a huge fan.”

  Summer flushed. “I still can’t get used to people saying that,” she murmured.

  “It’s well deserved,” Mia said. “I’m so glad to meet you. I love your music.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Hey, man, let’s let the women talk. I want to catch up,” Ben said. “I hear Dan has some fun new gadgets in his office. Let’s go check things out in there.”

  Austin shot Mia a questioning glance and she nodded, a big smile on her face. Obviously she was feeling better because she definitely didn’t mind being left with Summer.

  He gave her shoulder a squeeze, a gesture that he needed more than her, if only to reassure himself she was fine. Her mood lately had been off, at least since she’d been sick.

  He and Ben each grabbed a bottle of beer before Austin followed Ben out of the kitchen and down the hall, past the bathroom to Dan’s office. He’d broken down a wall, making two rooms into one large room so that when he worked from home, he could still monitor things going on with work.

  Austin rolled the bottle between his hands, not really in the mood for a drink.

  “It is good to be home,” Ben muttered, sinking into a chair across from Dan’s big oak desk.

  “I bet. Where are you staying?” Ben and Summer both had apartments in the city.

  “My place is bigger, so we moved in there.” Ben tipped back the bottle for a sip. “But I want to find something larger. More space, more … I don’t know. Windows.” Ben laughed.

  “So what’s it been like?” Austin asked his friend. “Insane fans and living out of hotels?”

  “Pretty much but I have to tell you, as long as I’m with Summer, it’s all good.” Ben’s satisfied smile said it all. He was settled and happy with his choices.

  “I’m happy for you. Where are Dan’s new gadgets?” Austin asked, glancing around the room and seeing only the usual monitors, cabinets, and documents scattered around.

  Ben grinned. “Actually I just wanted to catch up and didn’t know how much you’d talk around your guest.”

  He eyed Austin carefully but he didn’t flinch, unwilling to give up information to his suddenly nosey friend.

  Ben rolled his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Let’s get specific. Dan tells me you had some issues with the ex? You wrap that up okay?”

  “I did. Thank fucking God.” Austin blew out a calm, relieved breath.

  The kind he’d been exhaling since taking care of Kayla and receiving a call from the cops that they’d booked her along with her boyfriend for selling and possession.

  Ben nodded his approval. “And how is your cute kid?”

  “Good.” At the mention of Bailey, Austin grinned. “But she’ll be better when I can bring her home.” He explained Mia’s current situation to his friend. “I just want that wrapped up before I take Bailey from my parents. Just to be safe. But I’ve been visiting often.”

  “I get that.” Ben tipped the bottle, taking a sip of his beer. “So what about you?”

  “What about me?” he asked warily. What else had they been talking about if not Austin’s life? What else was there?

  “So last time someone brought a strange woman to one of Dan’s parties—”

  “You were protecting her?” Austin filled in the end of the sentence before Ben could leap to another conclusion.

  He snorted. “I was going to say, I wanted her. And I’m wondering what’s going on with you and Mia.”

  Austin blew out a long breath. He placed the bottle
down on a table and met Ben’s gaze. Obviously his friend wasn’t going to let him off the hook and it wasn’t like he couldn’t use a friend to talk to. “If I was going to get serious about anyone, it would be Mia. But—” How did he explain?

  “You’re still fighting the inevitable. I remember those days well. I got it.” Ben shook his head in definite understanding and commiseration.

  It wasn’t the same thing. Ben’s history and issues had been with Summer herself. Austin’s problems were tangled up with betrayal and hurt and a little girl he couldn’t afford to put in the middle of something and have her get hurt.

  “I can’t let myself get serious again. I can’t risk Bailey getting attached and me deciding it’s not working out.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “You’re certainly very protective of Mia, considering you brought her here when you could have just had someone watch the house.”

  Austin frowned at his friend.

  “I’m telling you, all the fighting you are doing with yourself? It’s not worth it. You could have a real family, you know?”

  He swallowed hard. He knew. And that was what scared him. Having it. Trusting it. Relying on it. And having the rug ripped out from under him once more. “I’ve done the family thing once, Ben. Not doing it again.”

  Except Mia wasn’t Kayla, a voice in his head told him. And his friend’s knowing shake of his head let Austin know he was thinking the same thing.

  * * *

  Mia listened to Summer talk about her tour, the adjustments to living on the road, out of hotel rooms, the fans, the venues… all things she wanted to hear about but none she could concentrate on because the nausea had returned. And out of the blue, Mia knew. This couldn’t possibly be a stomach virus. She knew better. She wouldn’t suddenly want to throw up after five days if it was.

  Could she really be pregnant?

  Dread and fear took hold as the possibility took root. And grew. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, think it, or face it. Hadn’t wanted to consider what it would mean for the life she lived. And loved. Or her future.

  Or what Austin would think.