Just One More Temptation (The Sterling Family Book 4)

Fallon sat in the kitchen in Noah’s apartment, a modern space with white cabinets and black quartz countertops with white veining running through. Definitely a good choice for two active girls who probably liked to make a mess.

Noah had excused himself to take a work call. Despite it being the weekend, a lawyer’s life didn’t lend itself to nine-to-five hours. Still, she felt calmer here than she would have in her apartment, pacing and worrying, and was grateful Noah had offered her sanctuary here. She’d have to deal with the reality of working through the damage soon enough. She’d already made a list of artists to contact, knowing she’d add to it when she returned to the gallery and was able to access the computer there.

She wrapped her hands around a mug filled with coffee and took a long sip, sadness filling her at the loss of all the beautiful, one-of-a-kind art that had been destroyed. And for what? Someone who got a kick out of breaking in and getting away with it? She hoped the cameras in the gallery picked up something useful for the police, who’d mentioned Clara had given them access and they would be in touch once they sent the information to their tech people.

“Daddy! We’re home!” one of the twins screamed.

Her lips lifted and she laughed. She hadn’t heard anyone enter. Then again, this apartment was massive and she wasn’t anywhere near the front entrance.

The twins came to a skidding halt in the kitchen and when they noticed Fallon, Dylan shrieked. “Grandma, Fallon’s here!”

Nina walked into the room, a smile on her face. “I can see that. No need to break my eardrums.”

“Fallon! We watched a show on National Geographic with Grandpa. Did you know that rhinocerhouses talk to each other with their poop?” Dakota asked.

Dylan giggled at her sister’s words.

“If they mark their spots, other rhinocerhouses know not to go there and they don’t get into a fight.”

Fallon blinked at the information, as usual, at a loss as to what to say to the young, quite brilliant girl.

“That’s rhinoceroses. It’s the plural for more than one rhino,” Noah’s dad said, joining them in the kitchen. “And hello, Fallon.”

His mom treated her to a warm smile.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Powers.”

His mom waved a hand through the air. “Nina and Joseph, remember?”

Fallon nodded and smiled.

“Where’s Daddy?” Dakota asked.

“He’s in his office but he should be out soon. I had a little…” She glanced at the girls before meeting Nina’s gaze. “Excitement at the gallery and he offered to let me hang out here for the day.” She felt the need to explain her reason for being here. The last thing she’d want was for his parents to think they’d spent the night together, even if they had.

The sound of heavy footsteps treading across the apartment caught Fallon’s attention and Noah strode into the room, his te-shirt showing his powerful forearms and despite, or rather, because of his casual look, her mouth watered at the sight of him.

“Did I hear a herd of elephants in here?” Noah asked, opening his arms so the twins could run into them.

The sight warmed her heart. She adored how much the twins loved their father, testament to what a spectacular job he was doing raising them alone.

Feeling the heat of someone’s gaze, she turned to see Nina watching her watch the scene, a speculative look in her eyes, and Fallon’s stomach twisted with nerves. She just wanted his mother to like her.

“Funny you should mention elephants,” Fallon said in an effort to switch the other woman’s focus.

“Yeah, we watched a show with Grandpa!” Dylan said.

Dakota went into her rhino poop information, mispronunciations and all, and soon, everyone was laughing and Nina Powers was no longer watching Fallon stare at the small family with what had probably been longing in her gaze.

His parents stayed for an hour and they’d moved to the family room, relaxing and talking before leaving to see a matinee on Broadway.

As soon as goodbyes had been said and Noah walked his parents out, the girls surrounded her. “Can we do mani-pedis?” Dylan asked. “I have a manicure set!” she exclaimed.

Dakota wrinkled her nose. “Nooo! It’s so boring.”

If Fallon had to guess, she couldn’t sit still long enough for the process. “Well, that’s up to your dad. Dakota, why don’t you think about something fun I can paint on your nails just in case we do them?” She figured that would entice the girl to agree with her sister’s desire.

“Oooh! Rhino poop!” She giggled, grabbing her stomach and dropping to the floor, rolling with laughter at her own joke.

“What’s so funny?” Noah asked, as he returned to the family room.

“Don’t ask, Dad. Just don’t ask.” Dylan walked up to her father and clasped both hands in front of her.

“What do you want?” he asked, sounding pre-resigned to not liking the answer.

Dakota jumped up from her theatrics on the floor. “Can Fallon give us mani-pedis, Daddy? Please?”

“Please?” Dylan chimed in, hands still clasped in prayer.

He immediately shook his head. “Girls, Fallon’s had a rough—I mean busy morning. We don’t need to bother her.”

“It’s no bother. They’re an amazing distraction. Besides, I said I’d paint something special on Dakota’s nails.”

“Not poop!” Dylan shrieked.

He wrinkled his nose. “I really don’t want to know.” Glancing at Fallon, he mouthed, Are you sure? She nodded, suddenly looking forward to a spa day with Noah’s girls.

He shot her a grateful look. “Then I will disappear into my office and get some work done. Girls, make sure you help Fallon clean up afterward,” he said in his stern dad voice.

One she wasn’t ashamed to admit turned her on despite their young audience.

* * *

Even secluded in his office, Noah heard the girlish shrieks and laughter from the kitchen. He’d stopped by the room for a glass of water and had been shocked to see the twins soaking their toes in plastic containers filled with soapy water.

They barely noticed him, lost in their excitement and chatter. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the girls so animated and happy. In fact, he’d never seen Fallon so engrossed in something to the exclusion of all else, including him. And he couldn’t express the warmth that filled him, knowing this young woman—and she was young—truly loved spending time with his girls. Not to impress him, not as a means to get closer to him, but because the twins made her as happy as they made him.

He snuck out of the kitchen, happy to be invisible, and returned to his office where he worked to the sound of joy and fun filling both his apartment and his heart.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a knock sounded on his office door. He glanced up to see Fallon hovering in the doorway, seemingly unsure if she should enter.

He gestured for her to come in and she strode across the hardwood floor, coming to a stop across from him.

“Closer,” he said, indicating she should walk around the large desk.

She did as instructed, coming around to his side.

“Where are the girls?” he asked.

She laughed. “I took the mini fans from their rooms and told them to sit in front of the fans to let their nails dry.”

“Brilliant,” he said, as he pulled her onto his lap.

“We shouldn’t!”

“I’ll hear them coming. Trust me.”

She bit down on her enticing lower lip and nodded. “I do.”

Why did those little words do such crazy things to his heart rate? “It sounded like you were having fun.”

“They’re amazing girls. I love getting to learn their different personalities.” She waved a hand through the air and he caught her wrist in his hand.

Her fingers were different colors, one hand hot pink and blue, the other purple and orange, none of which were within the shape of her nails. The polish extended onto her fingers.

“You let them paint your nails,” he said, staring at the mess in disbelief.

“Of course. It’s just polish.”

“This hand is Dakota and this is Dylan’s handiwork.” She held up each hand for him to see.

Releasing her hand, he pressed a palm to her cheeks. “You, Fallon Sterling, are a true treasure.” He leaned forward and captured her lips with his.

He put all the emotion into the kiss he couldn’t express in words. How much he liked her, admired her, appreciated her. With every swipe of their tongues, his cock grew harder and she squirmed in his lap, breaking the kiss before he was ready.

“Not while the girls are in the other room,” she said, hopping up from her seat.

She was right and he released her. “I had fun today. It was definitely the distraction I needed before facing the hard day tomorrow.”

“Work?”

She nodded. “Cataloguing the destruction. It shouldn’t take me long. I’m familiar with the art. It just breaks my heart to see the callousness in the world. And I dread calling the artists.”

“I understand.”

“About the twins, I had an idea. Once I handle all the gallery work, which shouldn’t take longer than half a day tomorrow, I’m off until Clara has the walls repainted and gets the place ready to open again.”

As if they knew they were the subject of conversation, the thud of their bare feet came padding toward the office.

“Why don’t I watch the twins while I’m off?” she asked, just as their identical faces appeared in the doorway.

“Fallon’s going to be our nanny!” Dylan exclaimed, and they both raised their manicured hands in the air. “Yay!”

Noah’s head was spinning. “Girls!” he yelled, and they quieted down immediately. “Fallon and I still need to discuss this.” He didn’t want her to take on such a huge obligation. He had another woman scheduled for an interview on Monday. This one came highly recommended from another partner in the office whose son no longer needed watching over.

“Why don’t you two give me five more minutes under the fans? Then we can clean up. I’ll talk to your dad and be right in to help.”

They ran off and he let out a groan of relief. “They’re like an army. I can’t ask you to watch them all week while I work.”

“You didn’t ask. I offered. And I really want to. I love being with them, Noah. It’s not a burden.”

The offer was the answer to his problem and after seeing the three of them together today, he had no concerns about leaving his girls with Fallon. If anything, he was more worried they’d drive her crazy and away.

“They can be a handful,” he warned her.

“And I can handle them however they behave. But I have a hunch they’d rather have me than someone new so they’ll be on their best behavior.”

He nodded. “Good point. I’m meeting with a promising candidate who can start whenever I’m ready so—”

“So talk to her, see how you feel, and if you like her, I can help the introduction with the girls. I’ve got this,” she assured him.

His fingers itched to have her in his arms again, his hands in her silky hair, his lips on hers. Having her in his home was the next best thing.

“Do we have a deal?” she asked.

“We do. Now come seal it with a kiss.”

And she did.

* * *

On Monday, Fallon handled things at the gallery, listing the damaged items and turning the list over to the police. Worried about Clara, she checked on her boss by phone and though she offered to come by, the older woman insisted she just needed the break from work and to rest. She called the artists, explaining about the break-in and damage. The majority were understanding, though one or two had arrogance and ego in spades and took their anger out on Fallon. With one gentleman in particular, she’d had to threaten to hang up on him if he didn’t moderate his tone and he’d backed down. Though he still said he was taking his commissions elsewhere. The day left her with a splitting headache, but the rest of the week Fallon spent with the girls.

She filled their time together with educational but fun activities. One day she took them to the Bronx Zoo, a delight for both girls, but mostly Dakota. The next day they visited Spyscape, an interactive museum the twins loved. On Thursday, they hit up The Paint Place, a studio that offered activities similar to the painting Fallon had done with the girls, but this one catered exclusively to kids and teens.

Fallon loved her days with the girls and evenings with Noah where the twins regaled him with stories of their day. She was beginning to like the family feeling too much considering she wasn’t part of their lives that way. Come Monday, the girls would be the new nanny’s responsibility. Noah had met and hired the woman at the beginning of the week. Her references were stellar and with some encouragement from Fallon, the girls had agreed to give Greta, a Swedish student here on a work visa, a real chance.

Too often, Fallon had to remind herself she was only Noah’s girlfriend, not that they’d defined their status, but as two adults, she knew their relationship was monogamous. She just didn’t know how long it would last and that meant not getting attached.

Though she knew better than to give her heart to the man and his children, she feared it was too late.