Sweeter Temptation (Kimani Hotties) (5 page)

“Maybe.” Kyle didn’t like the turn this conversation had taken.

She nudged him with her elbow. “Candy’s home base to Peppermint Lane Candy Factory, maker of the world’s best peppermint bark,” she said proudly.

Kyle squirmed on the cold, hard bench.

“Grandma worked there for years. After she retired, she went on to become town mayor.”

The pride in Nia’s voice when she talked about the peppermint bark factory left Kyle wishing he hadn’t been so damned nosy himself.

Also, he knew he should tell her exactly who he was and what he was there to do.

As she talked about the kind gestures of her friends and neighbors, he told himself he was keeping quiet to insure a warm place to ride out the storm. However, he knew there was more to it.

He wasn’t ready to see her radiant smile vanish, because when the snow finally stopped he would fire the people she cared about and shut down the factory for good.

* * *

Nia continued to talk, despite her hunch that Kyle was no was longer listening.

She hoped her steady stream of chatter would drown out the badgering voice in her head.

Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Stop jabbering and tell him what you really want.

It’s not what I want,
Nia silently argued. No one knew better than her common sense why it was important for her to stay focused on her goals and not get sidetracked.

Oh, yes you do.

Sigh, she did.

When Kyle thanked her, Nia got the impression he was about to kiss her. Or was it just her wanting him to, she wondered. Then again, even if he had kissed her, it would have only been out of gratitude.

Maybe he wants you, too.

Now she knew it was just wishful thinking on her part. She didn’t know much about Kyle, but the man wore privilege as if he was born to it. His looks, his manner, his expensive car and clothes indicated he had money, power and the gorgeous women that came along with them.

On the other hand, she was average at best in the looks department. It was a fact, and she’d come to terms with it long ago. She was no longer a little girl sitting at her mother’s vanity slathering on beauty creams and praying that when she rinsed them off she’d be pretty, too.

She had a better shot at the sun making a sudden appearance and the temperature warming to a balmy eighty degrees than being desired by her houseguest.

What if you’re wrong?

Nia’s mouth kept up its incessant prattle about people Kyle didn’t know in a community he was only passing through, but her inner voice wasn’t giving up.

Being trapped in a storm with nothing but a smoking hot hunk and snow as far as the eye can see is a gift, and you’re squandering it.

But.

No, buts. Look that gorgeous man in the eye and tell him exactly what you want to do to him. And what you want him to do to you.

Nia hesitated.

You aren’t in the market for a relationship or a wedding ring—just one incredible night.

The next voice that echoed in her head was Amy’s.
Would it kill you to take off those goody two-shoes of yours, just once...?

Just this once,
Nia told herself, and she could send her sex drive back into hibernation.

“You okay?” Kyle asked.

Nia closed her eyes a moment to gather her nerve, before staring up at his gorgeous face and asking, “How about a movie?

Chapter 7

K
yle didn’t want to watch a movie.

However, he hoped it would divert his attention and keep him from dwelling on how he really wanted to spend the remainder of this snowy afternoon—satisfying a naked Nia who couldn’t get enough of him. A scenario that was off-limits now that he knew she had ties to the candy factory.

He liked Nia—a lot, and it was bad enough he was deceiving her. Any dreams of seduction would have to remain firmly in his imagination.

Nia led him to the den, and Kyle did a double take as his eyes zeroed in on a sleek flat-screen television and DVD player.

His hostess chuckled at his astonishment. “Grandma did make a concession or two in my battle to drag her into the current decade.”

“I just hope her taste in movies was better than her taste in books,” Kyle said. He realized he wasn’t in a position to be selective and began mentally preparing himself to sit through a sappy romantic flick.

“Taste isn’t a word I’d use to describe her movie collection.” Nia directed him to the built-in shelves. “See for yourself.”

Kyle stood transfixed in front of the shelves unable to believe what he was seeing—the greatest collection of retro sci-fi and horror movies he’d ever seen.

“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, The Bat People, Swamp Thing.”
He called out the names as he scanned the shelf. “And my all-time favorite,
Night of the Lepus.
”

“Favorite? You’ve seen these movies?

“Every last one of them. At least at dozen times. Maybe a hundred,” Kyle said. “Which one is your favorite?”

Nia frowned. “Try, none of them.”

“But they’re classics.”

“
I Love Lucy
reruns are classics,” she argued. “These are just nightmare-inducing, and I have enough of those on my own.”

Kyle nudged her with his elbow. “Oh, come on. These old flicks are hilarious.” He pulled
Night of the Lepus
from the shelf. “What if I promise to protect you from the giant, mutant rabbits?”

Nia sighed. “Okay, but only because you’re the guest.”

“More like an interloper, but I’ll take it.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Your staying here hasn’t been an imposition. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to shovel all that snow by myself.”

“In that case, how about rationing off more toffee for the movie?”

Nia rolled her eyes skyward. “Eating candy is the only way I’ll be able to sit through it.”

The movie was every bit as good as he remembered, Kyle thought an hour into the show. Nia sat next to him on the sofa as the supersize, mutant rabbits bounded across the screen crushing everyone in their path. Fortunately, the den sofa was softer than the one in the living room, but thanks to the psychedelic paisley design no less of an eyesore.

“You’re missing all the good parts.” He stole a peek at Nia whose eyes remained hidden beneath the palms of her hands.

“You can look now,” he said.

Nia’s eyes remained closed. “Are they done eating their way through town?”

“Not exactly, but speaking of eating...”

“No, sir.” Nia opened her eyes and shook her head. “You’ve already eaten the toffee I’d rationed out to last me a week. The rest is in the freezer.”

“It’s your fault.”

Nia grabbed the remote and paused the screen. “My fault?”

“Yup. Didn’t you say it was the best candy ever?”

“I did, but...”

“You got me hooked on it,” he said. “Now you want to cut me off cold turkey. Not fair.”

“Okay, maybe, just maybe, I can take more out of the freezer—for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow.
Funny, this morning the probability of spending another day out of pocket would have made him go ballistic. Now a part of him almost wished for one more snowbound day with her.

“Deal.” Kyle snatched the remote from her hand and took the movie off pause.

Nia’s hands, once again, were covering her eyes.

He peeled back the fingers of one of her hands, but saw her eyes were closed. “It’s safe. The rabbits are hunkered down for the day waiting for nightfall,” he said.

Nia slowly removed her other hand from her face and opened her eyes.

“I’ll never be able to look at the Easter bunny the same way,” she said.

“Shhh,” he hissed. “It’s almost nightfall.”

She rolled her eyes skyward. “Sheez. You’re as bad as Grandma,” she said. “When I was a kid, I practically sat on her lap hiding my face.”

“I said I’d keep you safe from the sweet, little bunnies.” Kyle scooted down the couch and wrapped an arm around her. She stiffened. Thinking she’d misread the gesture, he was about to pull back when she relaxed into the crook of his arm.

“Bunnies don’t have blood dripping from their mouths or crush buildings with their humongous paws,” Nia argued.

Kyle heard her, but the feel of her soft curves cuddled against him made him forget his favorite movie. She smelled good, too. Her scent, a sweet mix of candy, hot chocolate and the lingering freshness from outdoors, was more alluring than any scent a designer could bottle.

The impulse to nuzzle her neck and indulge his senses in it was strong, but he knew it wouldn’t end there. He wouldn’t be able to resist planting a kiss on her neck, and then another at the hollow of her throat, before he finally leaned in and had a taste of those lips.

Her lips weren’t the only thing he wanted to taste. His groin tightened.

Kyle couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of the situation. At home, there was no shortage of women vying for his attention. Yet, this one had him trying to hide his burgeoning erection like some horny teenager, and she hadn’t showed a single sign the attraction was mutual.

It was for the best, he reminded himself. Even if she were feeling him now, it would all change once she found out the reason he was there.

Nia squealed. The sound pulled him out of his thoughts. Covering her eyes, she buried her face against his chest.

Kyle shifted in his seat and willed his growing erection to recede. He kept his eyes on the television screen and hoped another one of his favorite scenes would counteract the effects of Nia’s sweet scent and feminine curves.

“Come on, you’re missing the best part, the rabbits’ last stand,” he said. “It’s more funny than scary, promise.”

She ventured a peek, but immediately slapped her hands back over her eyes where they remained until the last mutant rabbit had been either shot or electrocuted.

“Is it safe to look?”

If it would have meant holding her a second longer he would have gladly grabbed the remote and skipped back a few scenes.

“All clear,” he said. “The credits are rolling.”

She pulled her hands from her face and stole another glance at the screen. At the same time, she moved out of his embrace.

“Sorry.” She smoothed his sweater. “Didn’t mean to maul you.”

“No problem. I can’t remember the last time I watched a good movie with a pretty girl.”

Nia rolled her eyes and grunted as if he’d hurled an insult instead of a compliment.

“I’ll bet lines like that have women falling all over you,” she said.

“Yeah, they do.” Kyle answered honestly, and then against his better judgment asked the question on his mind. “But I want to know what I have to do to make
you
fall for me?”

* * *

Nia opened her mouth to tell Kyle he was full of it, but was blindsided by the intensity of his dark-eyed gaze.

It told her the attraction she felt for him was mutual, and the next move was hers. A move she couldn’t make, because he was a man she
could
fall for—hard.

“I won’t fall for you,” she finally said.

The tough talk belied the tingles in the pit of her stomach. He took her hand, and his thumb slid to the inside of her wrist, where her telltale pulse pounded at twice the normal rate.

An easy smile spread over his handsome face, and Nia flushed hot all over. He leaned in; his lips grazed her ear as if he were about to share an X-rated secret.

“Oh, I think you’re falling for me already,” he whispered. Nia’s nipples strained against the inside of her bra.

She shook her head, unable to put her denial into words. She wanted him, and he damn well knew it.

His soft laugh rumbled against her ear. “Come on, aren’t you the least bit tempted?”

Nia swallowed hard. Tempted? It was all she could do not to melt into the sofa.

Would it be so bad, she wondered, to take what she wanted—just this once? Being trapped with a man like him in weather like this was a karmic gift. It wouldn’t happen again in her lifetime.

Summoning up strength she didn’t know she possessed, Nia pulled her hand away from his and stood.

“No.” Her voice quivered. “I’m not tempted.”

Fortunately for her, Kyle didn’t push it. If he had it wouldn’t have taken much more than a smoldering glance or another caress of his thumb against her wrist to shatter her fragile resistance.

Nia walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. The snow was still falling. They both needed another trip outside to cool off, but she doubted she could sell Kyle on the idea. So she tried the next best thing, ignoring the fireworks they’d nearly set off in hopes of shifting the atmosphere back to merely friendly.

“How about another movie?” she asked, although the farmhouse’s movie collection held little appeal.

She heard movement behind her, and Kyle stood next to her at the window. “Fine by me, but you don’t really want to spend another two hours cowering on the sofa,” he said.

She didn’t. Although, fighting off man-eating rabbits would be better than the reality-based nightmares that still occasionally plagued her nights.

Kyle walked over to a shelf crammed with old board games. She watched him run his finger down the timeworn boxes.

“Want to play a game instead?”

“Yeah, sure.” Nia joined him by the shelf and looked over the options. “Scrabble?”

“I don’t know.” Kyle shrugged. “It always bored me as a kid.”

“Sure you just aren’t scared of getting beat as an adult?” Nia challenged.

“I don’t play games I can’t win,” he said. “How about Monopoly?”

Nia felt the corner of her mouth tug upward into the beginnings of a smirk. “Play Monopoly with a businessman who’s good enough at what he does to drive a Ferrari? I don’t think so,” she said. “Like you, I don’t play games I can’t win.”

“But don’t good hostesses always defer to their guest?”

“Oh, no.” Nia waved her index finger as she shook her head. “You frittered away your guest pick on killer bunnies.”

Kyle smiled down at her. “Then there’s only one way to settle this,” he said. “Shut your eyes, and keep them closed.”

She did as he asked.

“Now spin around,” he said.

“What?” Nia opened one eye.

“Come on, close your eyes and spin around a few times,” Kyle coaxed.

Nia did the spins until he put his hands on her upper arms to steady her.

“Now point,” he said. “Whatever game your finger lands on, we’ll play.”

Again, she did as he instructed.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

She watched him pull a battered cardboard box from the middle of the stack and blow the dust off the lid.

Nia’s eyes widened at her selection.

“Twister?” She’d only played it once as a kid, but recalled it was more physical than moving a peg or tiles on a board.

“Yeah, I played it back in college on Old-School Game Night,” he said. “And it was
your
choice.”

It was indeed,
Nia groaned inwardly.

“But don’t you need at least three people?” She hoped for a reprieve from the potentially close contact. “If we’re playing, who’ll referee and spin the board?”

He opened the box and skimmed the rules on the inside lid.

“We’ll improvise,” he said. “I’ll spin for you, and you can spin for me. We’re allowed to take our hand off the spots only long enough to spin the dial.”

“Is that in the rules?”

“We’re playing the special snowbound edition,” Kyle raised a brow, “where the only rules are—there are no rules.”

Nia crossed her arms over her chest. “Then it’s only fair to warn you, I won’t take it easy on you because you’re company.”

He squared his broad shoulders. “Bring it.”

They moved operations to the living room, which was warmer and had more space to accommodate the large plastic mat.

“How about raising the stakes with a wager?” Kyle proposed as he spread the mat out in front of the fireplace.

Nia narrowed her eyes. “I don’t have much money, and if I did, I wouldn’t gamble it.”

“I’m thinking of something more interesting than money.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”

“If I win, I want a do-over of this morning’s breakfast,” he said. “But instead of cold cereal, I want you to put the bacon and eggs I saw in the fridge earlier to good use and serve them up for dinner.”

The bubble of laughter tickling Nia’s throat exploded as she recalled the incredulous look on this face at the sight of the Lucky Charms box.

“And if you lose, you’ll do the same?”

Kyle kicked off his shoes and stood on the opposite side of the mat. “I don’t know the first thing about cooking.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter because I don’t lose, either.”

“Well, in the event you do lose, and I win, I’ll come up with something else for you to do.”

“Deal.” Kyle extended his hand across the plastic mat.

She shook it, trying hard to ignore the delicious tingle the brief skin-on-skin contact left in its wake.

He offered her the first spin, but she deferred to her guest. Kyle spun the plastic spinner on the cardboard dial, when it stopped he called out the results. “Right foot, red.”

The aged plastic mat crackled as Nia walked on it and selected a red spot to place her socked foot.

Kyle passed the dial to her.

“Left hand, yellow,” she said, as Kyle plunked his hand down on a yellow spot at the other end of the mat.

When Kyle called out her next moves, Nia was careful to select spots on the side of the mat she’d staked out. But as her fears of close contact ebbed, her competitive streak grew bolder.