Just One More Temptation (The Sterling Family Book 4)

Noah arrived at the diner to meet with the first woman he’d be interviewing for the nanny job for the duration of the summer. He’d decided to take the time away from work and not the girls to handle the interviews. The woman was already five minutes late, which did nothing to impress him. He wasn’t thrilled with the candidates so far, including the women he’d tried in the past. The last straw was the older woman the twins ran away from and they’d already made it clear they didn’t plan on liking anyone he brought home this time around.

He leaned back in the chair and his thoughts drifted to the same place they usually did. To Fallon and how perfect she was with his daughters. She knew how to make them laugh, distract them from boredom, tap into what meant a lot to each girl. She’d immediately caught on to the fact that Dakota was tougher with a soft inside she didn’t always show, while Dylan was more mushy on the outside but when it came down to it, she knew how to stand her ground, just like her sister. Noah and Charlie understood their unique personalities and it meant something to him that Fallon did, too.

Since the night they’d shared pizza, he’d been too busy to make a date to see her and he’d been stupid enough not to pin her down at the time. Instead, the few times he’d left the office for lunch, he walked past the gallery, well aware he had no time to stop in, so he’d have to make do with a simple glance—of her profile, her long hair hanging over her shoulder or down her back, or if he was lucky, a quick glimpse of Fallon smiling or laughing at something someone had said.

“Mr. Powers?”

His name snapped him back to the present. To the young woman who wasn’t dressed appropriately for an interview. Her T-shirt was pulled tight across her breasts, the lace running between barely covering her exposed cleavage. Tight jeans only added to the fitted look. Her appearance was making it difficult to hold on to hope that she’d be the answer to his prayers and his girls’ next nanny.

He rose to his feet. “Annie Jones?”

She nodded and smiled, “Yes, hi!” She lowered herself into the chair across from him before he could pull it out for her.

He settled back into his seat.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I missed my first train.”

He nodded and decided to start out with complete honesty. “As I said to the recruiter who set up this interview, I leave the house at seven-thirty a.m. to be in the office by eight. Is that going to be a problem for you?” Because he chose not to have a live-in nanny when he was with his children in the evenings and early morning.

She shook her head. “Gosh, no. I’d be on time.”

“Good. Now, tell me about yourself and why you want to watch children?” He asked the first question from his prepared questions.

She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “I’m good with kids. I used to watch my cousins. And during the year I can go to one of the local colleges.”

“And what do you plan to study?”

“Social work.”

“Admirable,” he said, and continued on with his questions, noting that somehow she seemed to move her chair closer to his as time went on.

“Tell me about your cooking skills? As you know, the girls will need breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Although he planned on trying to be home for the latter meal and spending the evening with them, including making their dinners, he still wanted answers. In case he needed to work late.

She tucked her brown hair behind her ear and leaned in, one elbow on the table, those ample breasts too close for comfort. “I’m a good cook. I can make sure you have everything you need meal-wise, as well as the children. I don’t mind taking care of all of you.” Her emphasis was on the last word and she fluttered her heavily mascaraed eyelashes.

And he was ready to call this one a bust. No pun intended.

“I’m concerned with the girls, not myself, Ms. Jones.” His tone left no room for misinterpretation. He wasn’t interested in anything she had to offer him.

“That’s a pity because I’m so eager to be all things to everyone. Including you. I did my research on you too, Mr. Powers, and that’s why I was hoping we could turn this into a live-in position.” She slid her hand over his, the unwelcome gesture taking him off guard.

Before he could pull his hand away, he felt the heat of someone’s stare. The sense he was being watched. He glanced up to see Fallon had walked into the diner, an older woman by her side. Her gaze dropped to where Annie’s hand was on his. He jerked free but the hurt in Fallon’s eyes told him the damage had been done. She averted her gaze and escorted her companion to the free table the hostess had shown them.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jones. This won’t work out. Excuse me.”

“But—”

He tossed money on the table to compensate the waiter for the time he’d taken and rose to his feet. Fallon sat in a booth across from the elegant woman whose cane rested against the bench.

Steeling himself, he strode over to them. She steadfastly stared straight ahead, ignoring him, though she must know damn well he was there.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

“Hello to you,” the woman with Fallon said. “Well, isn’t he a sight for these aging eyes?”

“Behave, Clara.” Fallon’s lips curved into an unwilling smile.

“Clara Morganville,” she said, ignoring Fallon and putting out her weathered hand.

He took it and clasped it gently in his. “Noah Powers,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I’ve heard so much about you from Fallon.” Who still wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Aah, but I can’t say the same. That’s something we need to rectify.”

He liked her already. “Would it be okay if I borrowed Fallon for a few minutes? I need to speak with her.”

“Actually, I need to go powder my nose.”

Fallon narrowed her gaze. “Your nose looks fine to me. But if you need to, I want to make sure you’re steady. I’ll go with you.”

“I’m feeling a little better.”

Noah took a better look at Clara, taking in her grayish pallor, understanding Fallon’s concern for her boss.

“I know I can make it to the restroom in the back. You two talk.” Clara pushed her way out of the booth and Noah took her hand again and helped her to her feet, then handed her the cane.

She slowly made her way to the back of the diner, Fallon watching her with a steady gaze until she disappeared from sight. He waited for that moment and slid into Clara’s side of the booth.

Fallon had picked up a menu and was studying it in silence.

“Hey. It’s not what it looked like. I’m going to go out on a limb and say you know it, too.” He tapped the top of the menu until she lowered it, revealing her face. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of sadness, and there was no normal Fallon cheerfulness that he enjoyed.

She swallowed hard. “We aren’t in a relationship, Noah. Whatever you do… or don’t do isn’t my business.”

“And yet you walked in here, saw me with a young woman, and were hurt. Sounds like that makes what was happening your business.”

“Fine.” She placed the menu on the table and met his gaze. “I was surprised to see you with someone. Eventually I remembered you were having nanny meetings and I was being ridiculous for a number of reasons. One being that we aren’t in a relationship so it shouldn’t matter to me. I promised myself I wouldn’t let you matter.” Her eyes shimmered and he cursed to himself.

Ouch, he thought, though he appreciated her honesty. Based on her past, he also wasn’t surprised by her feelings. There was a positive side, though. “Apparently, you weren’t successful. It seems like I do matter. Which makes this the perfect time to tell you that despite my own reservations, I feel the same way.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Promise me something, then.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Name it.”

“Don’t ever use the expression, it’s not what it looks like, again.”

Noah immediately understood why and knew it had everything to do with the bastard who’d hurt her. “Done. Now you can do something for me.”

She’d curled one hand into a fist, her tension obvious, so he reached out and pulled her fingers away from her palm, taking note of the nail marks left behind with a frown.

“What is it?” she asked.

He slid his fingers into hers, entwining them together. “Don’t compare me to your ex. I don’t know what this is any more than you do. But…” He slid out of his side of the booth and into hers.

Startled, she let out a little gasp.

He grasped her chin in his hand and leaned in close, the warm vanilla-based scent of her chosen fragrance sending awareness shooting through his veins. “Fallon, I know who I am and who I’m not. And I’m not the kind of guy who plays games.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Clara slowly making her way back to the table.

Fallon nodded at his words, her body still upright and uptight but from the slight drooping of her shoulders and the slow breath she exhaled, he sensed he’d gotten through to her.

“Tell me you’re not trusting that girl with the twins,” Fallon said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

He let out a harsh laugh. “Hell, no. I need someone to watch the girls, not a woman to seduce me. Besides, I was already seduced last week by the only female I’m interested in.”

Her lips parted and Noah leaned in, capturing Fallon’s mouth in a brief kiss before letting her go. “Think about that,” he said, and slid back, then rose from his seat in time to nod at Clara who’d just approached. He helped the older woman into the booth and steadied her cane against the edge of the table.

“Have a good day, ladies,” he said, winking at Fallon before walking out of the diner.

Only when he was on his way home did he realize what he’d done. He’d winked. A gesture he’d never used before with anyone else. A lighthearted one that he felt sure Fallon would appreciate. She’d gotten to him in so many ways in such a short period of time.

He shoved his hands into his slacks pockets and walked back to the office, his mood lighter from seeing Fallon, despite the lack of a nanny and the concerns they obviously both had about one another. For him, it was the age difference, the fact that he’d lived his life with kids and one day, no doubt, she’d want her own. And her wariness was completely understandable.

But nothing would stop him from seeing her. It was as if she called to him, and there was no way he’d put her out of his mind and forget.

* * *

After a full day’s work, Noah arrived home and relieved his mom. The girls were excited that the weekend was coming, reminding him they were going to his parents’ on Sunday for his mom’s birthday. He didn’t know how the visit had slipped his mind but he’d already bought the gift, so at least that was taken care of.

“Are you excited, Daddy? Grandpa said he bought Grammy’s favorite cake and you know it’s mine too,” Dylan said.

“Chocolate.” Dakota wrinkled her nose.

“Oh, stop. Strawberry is weird! Besides, Grammy said she’d make you those yucky strawberry jam cookies. Disgusting.”

“Strawberry was the first fruit to be used at an ice cream parlor in 1776.”

“It’s fruit!” Dylan wrinkled her nose this time.

He ran a hand through his hair, grateful they weren’t talking about pulling brains through dead people’s noses. Still, he wasn’t in the mood for their bickering. “Okay, girls. Enough. I’ve had a long day. Grandma said she left warm lasagna on the counter. Who wants to eat?”

“We helped her cook and set the table!” Dylan ran into the kitchen, Dakota on her heels.

“Girls, who wants to invite a friend over tomorrow?” This way he could get some work done while they played with the school friends they missed. He was lucky he’d found a diligent first-year associate who wanted to work his ass off to one day be partner. He made Noah’s life so much easier but no matter how much work he had, he’d always put his girls first. And after that last interview, he was at a loss about hiring someone who could care for them the way they deserved.

“I want Olivia!”

“Jenny!”

Each girl named a friend and asked to make the call to invite them over themselves. After the meal, he handed over his phone while he cleared the table, rinsed, and placed the dishes in the washer.

Plans made, he was about to suggest they take a bath or shower when Dakota spoke. “Dad?”

He lifted his head, always sad when they skipped over daddy for the more adult word. It didn’t happen often and he prayed it took a long while for them to grow up further and truly lose their little girl behaviors. “What’s up, kiddo?”

She glanced at her sister and he braced himself because that look meant they’d been talking. Which usually meant scheming. “Dylan and me—”

“Dylan and I,” he automatically corrected.

“Dylan and I,” she parroted, “want to invite Fallon to come with us to Grandma and Grandpa’s this weekend.”

He shut the dishwasher door and turned to see their overly angelic faces. Wide eyes, earnest looks. He sighed and before he automatically answered no, he decided to give it some thought. “Tell you what. You two go take your showers or baths and I’ll let you know when I come tuck you in later. Sound good?”

“Yes, Daddy. We miss her.” And on that proclamation, they rushed out of the kitchen, their voices too low for him to hear.

As he sprayed the table and finished cleaning, his thoughts went to Fallon, the girls, and Charlie. They told him they spoke to their mom, showed her the paintings they’d made, and mentioned their mom had a lot of questions about the woman who’d given them the lesson. No doubt because they’d chattered nonstop about Fallon.

Fallon, who gave the twins her time. Who had patience and understanding while their mom was out of the country. He put away the bottle, tossed the rag in the laundry area off the kitchen, and walked into the living room and sat down.

Did he want to take Fallon to his family and deal with all that would signal to his parents and siblings? He glanced out the window to the darkening evening sky, as always, appreciating the glittering lights from other buildings and apartments around the city. Looking outside always helped center him after a crazy day and let him think. And the fact was, he didn’t have to think long. His feelings for Fallon were real and growing. He couldn’t deny them if he wanted to.

When he’d seen her walk into the diner, his entire body had responded and not just in a sexual way, though that was a given. Seeing her had lightened his mood—until he’d hurt her feelings—and the warmth in his chest wasn’t the typical reaction to a female he was friendly or worked with.

He no longer wanted to push his feelings—or her—away. If he invited her to his folks’, it was a casual family dinner. Nothing to send himself or her into a panic.

He and the girls wanted to spend time with her. He could make it that simple. It was that simple, he told himself, aware he was falling harder with every lie he spun.

Pushing himself to his feet, he strode toward the bedrooms to make sure the twins had begun their nightly routine. And to let them know he’d made his decision.