Enticing Interlude (Tempest #2) (11 page)

I was an idiot.

A sleep deprived one.

I’d been tossing around the bed all night when I should’ve been taking advantage of my weekend off to catch up on some much needed rest.

Friends.

I should’ve told him no. But when I’d looked into his eyes, I’d seen his need and wanted to be the one to fill it. I also wanted so badly to believe the things he had told me were true. Then again that’s where I always got into trouble.

Truth, I should know by now, didn’t come from taking short cuts. The butler didn’t bring it gift wrapped on a silver platter. It came from hard work and commitment. Not from using an illegal white powder to try to finish a degree plan in three years that took most people four, and most certainly not from a handsome man promising you forever when he just wanted to get off in the here and now.

Truth in the end would always be proven by its results.

So when was I finally going to wise up? So Justin was handsome and sweet with Carter. So his gorgeous emerald eyes and his words seemed sincere. So Lace seemed to trust him. So what? I needed to remember what had happened in the past. Guys just said and did things in order to get what they were after.

I punched the pillow taking out my frustration on the memory foam, and then rolled over onto my other side, hoping to have better luck in a different position. I needed to try to catch at least a couple of restorative minutes of sleep before the morning. I had a ton of stuff to do.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Carter’s excited voice brought me from sound sleep to instant awareness. I opened my eyes when he started bouncing on our mattress.

“What?” My bleary gaze slid from my jumping son to the alarm clock beside the bed.

Damn.

It was ten thirty. I’d almost slept the entire morning away. “What’s going on?” I mumbled, surprised to find him already dressed in his favorite Iron Man shirt and jeans, his hair combed neatly on his head.

“Justin took me to the guitar store.” He yanked on my arm. “Get up. I want you to come see my new guitar. Well, it’s not new. It used to be new, but it’s still super cool.”

I blinked the sleep from my eyes and tried to focus on what he was saying as he rambled on hyperactive high speed mode just like I did when I was excited. I belted on my robe and followed Carter out to the living room. Justin pushed up from the couch as soon as we entered. He was even better looking than last night, auburn locks swept neatly back from his brow and wearing a crisp white cotton shirt and dark jeans. I shifted self-consciously on my bare feet and tried to finger comb the bed snarls out of my own hair.

“Good morning.” He gave me a smile. One I hadn’t seen yet, an amused version. A cute dimpled half one. It figured he would have something like that to add to his already devastating arsenal. “Looks like you slept well.” His green eyes sparkled merrily.

“Yeah, apparently.” I threw my eyes to the ceiling, muttering, “When I was finally able to fall asleep.”

“You had trouble sleeping?” He gave me a look that made me think he could read my mind. “Me, too. I wonder if it was for the same reason.”

Doubtful.

With great difficulty, I ignored Justin and concentrated on Carter as he showed off his new guitar. It was a scaled down version that fit him perfectly. He was so happy I didn’t have the heart to fuss at Justin for purchasing it. Surely since it was used it hadn’t been too expensive. “Where’s Lace?” I asked noticing that the door to her room was propped open and empty.

“She and Bryan went shopping after they ate breakfast with Carter and me.”

“What kind of shopping?”

“Vintage clothing.” He let out a groan that seemed to come from experience. “Lace’s got a thing for sixties fashion. She has an inexhaustible amount of energy when it comes to searching through the bins in musty old second hand stores looking for treasure.”

Yeah, I could see that being the case. I’d seen her design sketches. They were definitely inspired by that decade. “Ok, well.” I moved toward the front door, hoping he’d take the hint to follow me and leave. I needed to get started on my errands. I’d lost too much time sleeping late. It also felt a bit awkward being alone with him in the apartment.

Justin didn’t get the hint, or he didn’t want to take it. He settled back down onto the couch and stretched his arms along the back cushions, that familiar leather bracelet dangling from his wrist. Lounging Justin was a sexy distraction I couldn’t afford, and it was distressing me to no end that he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked me while Carter plucked away on the strings of his new-used guitar.

“Well since I overslept,” I huffed at him as if that were his fault, which in my mind it kind of was, since it’d been thoughts of him that had kept me awake. “I probably don’t have time to get everything done. But,” I ticked off on my fingers, “I need to open a checking account, deposit my paycheck, and buy a couple more t-shirts to get embroidered for work. I need to get a cell phone and I really need to try to find a second job and a permanent place for Carter and me to live.”

“You don’t have a cell phone?” Eyes glittering with sudden focus, Justin dropped his arms and leaned forward. I didn’t understand why he looked so irritated.

“That’s not smart, Bridget.” He frowned. “Or safe. What if you got into trouble? How would you call for help?”

“I know all that,” I replied, finding myself getting defensive. “That’s why, now that I have some money, I’m going to purchase one today. So if you’ll excuse me?” I gestured toward the door, abandoning the subtle method since that obviously wasn’t working.

He still didn’t move. “We need to make that a priority on your list. Right after the bank.”

“Ok.
I
will.” I crossed my arms over my chest, sighed, and tapped my foot impatiently.

“Good.” He cocked a brow. “Why are you flopping all around like that?”

“Because,” I drew the word out. “I need
you
to go so
I
can get dressed and get on with my day.”

“Why would I do that since I’m going with you?”

“What?” This was definitely news to me.

“I’m going with you,” he repeated slowly as if he’d said it too fast for me to understand the first time.

“Really?” My hands went to my hips. “I don’t recall inviting you. And for that matter, I don’t remember giving you permission to take my son out to breakfast either.” I was getting myself worked up now. I could even feel a muscle starting to twitch near my right eye.

He grinned. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

“What?” I practically screeched at him. He was out of his mind, and obviously enjoying himself at my expense.

“I said…”

“I heard you,” I cut in with another eye roll, this one a little more difficult to execute because of the twitch.

“Go ahead and get dressed, Gigi.” Hearing Lace’s nickname for me from his lips gave me a little inside shiver. “I’m not giving in. We’re spending the day together.” He stood and advanced toward me, moving into my space. “Friends. You do remember agreeing to that part?” His voice was low and rumbled near my ear. “Maybe if you’re nice to me, I’ll take Carter to run some of the other errands on your list while you’re tied up at the bank. I might even be persuaded to take you both out for Kobe meatballs and spaghetti at Glowball for dinner.”

My protesting mouth snapped shut. I loved spaghetti more than pizza and I loved Kobe beef even more. It’d been years since I’d had any. Besides, I was just wasting precious time arguing with him, right?

I hurried down the hall and into the bathroom. As I showered, shampooing and conditioning my hair, I continued reasoning with myself. I mean what would be the harm? What was the worst that could happen if I spent the day with Justin? Well yeah, sure, there was that. But surely it wouldn’t be that hard to keep my clothes on around him.

I knew after seeing her in that cute tank and pajama bottom combo back at Lace’s apartment that it was going to be a gargantuan challenge keeping things strictly on a friendship basis with Bridget. She was a beautiful sexy woman and the stunning clincher was that she didn’t seem to even realize it.

I was so far gone now that I’d even found it sexy the way she’d tried so hard to get rid of me this morning.

I was never going to make it a whole week as friends.

I was totally screwed.

Because the more time I spent with her the more I wanted her, and the more I wanted her the more of her time I wanted to monopolize.

At the moment, she was bent over at the waist trying to scrub melted chocolate ice cream off of Carter’s sticky fingers. My eyes were glued to her cute little rear end as I played out a guilty X-rated fantasy in my mind.

We’d been all over town today. I should be worn out, but I wasn’t. Not even close. I’d thoroughly enjoyed just being with her and Carter doing routine boring everyday stuff. I’d never realized just how hollow and empty my life had been until I spent the day with the two of them. Bridget was smart and funny, cute and bubbly when her guard was down and Carter was an extremely well behaved, precocious child. It was impossible not to love him.

“Ok.” Bridget straightened. “You’ve got thirty minutes to play. I’m getting hungry and Justin promised us spaghetti. Go. Knock yourself out.”

We were on the second floor at Granville Island’s Kid’s Market. After we’d completed every errand on Bridget’s exhausting list, I’d suggested bringing Carter to the adventure zone to let him run off some energy inside the netted four level climbing structure. The kid had been way patient throughout the day, but he was a boy and he was five.

“Ok, Mom.” Carter grinned and took off like a rocket proving he still had excess fuel to burn.

“Why don’t we see if there are still some seats down on the first floor near the ball pit?”

Bridget nodded and I placed my hand on her lower back just above the curve of that tempting ass of hers. As I led her down the stairs, I chastised myself, knowing doing things like this only made it harder for me to keep my promise to her. But just the fact that she didn’t protest when I put my hands on her made me want to break out the champagne and celebrate.