Ever Tempted (10 page)

“No. I need to know the man I’m marrying.” Allie placed a hand on her cute, curvy hip.

God, she did things to me I couldn’t explain.

“That past isn’t important. If you’d read the story I wrote for you, you’d know enough. None of the parents I’ve ever had except the first ones were worth mentioning.” I pulled Allie into the house. “Now, let’s get in that bedroom and unpack.”

“You’re so boring.” Allie pouted. “I can think of so many other things we could do.”

“No, no. Let’s not tempt me too soon. I need to work up to that.” I patted her bottom and scooted her into our room.

We both stopped at the foot of the double bed.

It seemed so small compared to her king size bed back at the manor. There’d be no way to avoid touching her on that little wafer of a cot.

“It’s so not fair that I can’t tap into your thoughts the way you tap into mine. I can only know what you want me to know.” She jerked a suitcase off the floor and placed it on the bed. It made an angry sound when she unzipped it.

“No worries. I normally say just what I’m thinking. When I don’t, I’m sure you can guess pretty much where my thoughts are.” I went to my suitcase, placed it on the bed, and stared across at her.

Her gaze met mine, and mischief sparkled in her eyes. “You act like having marital relations with me would be a death sentence.”

I shook my head and unzipped my suitcase. “You have no idea how close to the truth you are. You’ll see.”

My life was a death sentence.

When we finished unpacking, I pulled Allie to the living room before she got any ideas.

Our phones and her purse were on the bar in the kitchen. I picked up our phones. “I have a rule for the remainder of our stay. No phones. This week is yours, and I don’t want anyone or anything distracting us.”

Allie started to say something but shut her mouth. She nodded.

I shoved the phones into a kitchen drawer and leaned against it. “No cheating.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave me a cute little curious look.

“I have my reasons. Those twins have a way of calling at the worst moments, and I don’t want any distractions.”

“So. When do we get married?” She walked over to the windows and opened the blinds. Hating any distance between us, I stepped a foot behind her and pulled her back to me. With her head on my chest, we stared out the floor length window at the magnificent northwest view.

I cuddled my cheek to her soft hair. It smelled of vanilla. “Tomorrow at noon. The pastor of Nelvi’s church will meet us at the gazebo on the north side of the island. Nelvi will no doubt have it decorated to the fullest, as she always does for every occasion.”

Allie was quiet.

“I know this isn’t your dream wedding,” I spoke into her hair.

“As long as you’re there, it’s everything I could ever dream of.” She sighed.

The sun set over the highest mountain in the distance, leaving a dark mauve sky in its wake. The view sent Allie’s mind into a vision of us in an embrace in a dark room.

“I know you must be hungry. Let’s go to the main house and see what Nelvi’s thrown together for dinner.” I pulled Allie by the hand.

She looked back at the bedroom with a wistful sigh.

“I’m sleeping on the sofa if you don’t get that look off your face,” I said.

She pulled the door of the house shut behind us. “So, you’re not worried about the whole not seeing me the night before the wedding tradition?”

I turned to walk backward in front of her. “I don’t believe in luck anymore. At this point, I don’t think there’s anything else that could possibly go wrong.”

Allie slapped my arm. “Never, ever say that.”

I kissed her cheek. “Seriously. I’ve got you secluded on an island all to myself hundreds of miles away from danger. We’re safe.”

It was easy to forget that the safety might only last for a week. My bones ached for rest as jetlag set in.

Instead of using the golf cart, Allie opted for walking down the path to the main house. At the main entrance, two stone lions, called grotesques, greeted us at the steps. As we passed through the carved doors, the ceilings soared above us.

“Up that staircase”—I pointed to the left—“is the library. Beside the fireplace in the living room are two elephants my father got on one of his excursions to India. The pillars on its back have hundreds of seashells. The grand piano is one of only five made. Past the living area, the spiral staircase leads up to a game room.”

I walked with Allie to the right. We stood on a cross walk that led over a huge round fish tank. “Have you ever seen an underground fish tank?”

Allie stared down at the new fish I was unfamiliar with. “I can’t say that I have. What an interesting place to put one.”

I’d named all the other ones. I didn’t know these guys.

We walked through the large dining hall and into a sunroom where a table was set for two. As usual, Nelvi had gone over-the-top with dinner.

The table was set with silver candelabras and romantic candlelight. We had a majestic twilight view of the North Eastern Seaboard. It was almost perfect.

The only thing I would have changed was how everything would end if we couldn’t find a way to free ourselves of Grace.

Allie turned to me with a glow that the candles intensified.

I had to hide my spoiled view of the situation so as not to ruin her good mood. This was for her. Not me. It would always be about her.

“Cole,” she said breathlessly. “This is the most beautiful room in the whole house.”

The platinum rimmed china shined against the candle’s glow as Allie took careful steps to her place setting beside the captain’s chair at the end of the table. It was hard to move my legs. I had to get a grip before Allie noticed.

“I’m having a hard time believing we’re finally here. Tomorrow we’ll finally right the wrongs done to us and the family we could have shared so long ago.” I forced my legs to walk to her seat and pull it out before she could.

She gazed up at me. “A few weeks ago, I would have never imagined that hard-ass I met would ever be such a gentleman. Or that he’d ever touch me enough to bring children into the world.”

“You got under my skin instantly. It was no easy task to get you to back away.”

“So, you admit it. It was love at first sight.” Allie sat down as I slid her chair in enough for her to be a comfortable distance from the table.

I kissed the top of her head. “There’s never been a day I wasn’t in love with you.”

“And still a romantic. After all those years, how did you manage to come out with any warmth left inside?”

“I stalked you.” I pulled out my chair and sat.

“I knew you were imbalanced.” Allie opened her napkin and placed it in her lap. She gave me a half-alarmed look. “By stalking, exactly what are we talking about? Peeping Tom? Underwear Bandit?”

“Ugh, no.” I glanced at the service door for signs of Nelvi. I wasn’t sure if she’d be upset if she walked in on a stranger-than-strange conversation such as the one Allie had instigated. I placed a serious gaze on Allie’s curious face. “Although, I did watch you from a safe and respectful distance in every life, with extensive private investigation costs—and boy would you be surprised how much it costs to get doctors to find a girl with a crescent moon birthmark. I also kept all your obituaries. If you ever want to see them, they’re in the floorboards in a black case at the cottage. There, you have one of my darkest secrets to twist around the wheels I can see turning in your mind.”

“Wow. You might seriously need some counseling, Mr. Luttrell.” Allie’s eyebrow perked into an arch. “And about the obituaries, I don’t know if I’m ready for that much revelation. Let’s take this in baby steps. We have forever, right?”

I paused, but not long enough for her detect the misery decaying my insides. My voice was tight in my throat. “Yes. Forever.”

She was going to dig me up and beat the hell out of me for what I was about to do if we couldn’t find a way around it. But she didn’t have to know this week. This week was about what we’d lost.

In that week, I was going to make up for it all.

Allie flattened an already seamless napkin on her lap. “So, what about your parents? Can they not be here tomorrow? It would be wonderful if we could get all your past qualms with them rectified.”

“No. Absolutely not.” I clenched my fist under the table. “Allie. They didn’t love me. There’s no amount of flowers and promise of future romance for their son that could change that. The moment the current egg donor realized something was off about me, her maternal feelings, what little there was to begin with, cut off. When I changed for the first time, she sent me here. My father, though he seemed sad, agreed without hesitation. They had endless finances, enough money to keep me in whatever a boy of fourteen might want or need, but they couldn’t give me love. That was the end of it. I’ve forgiven them, but I can’t allow them close to you. They never gave me a chance to share any of my life with them, and I’ll be damned if I’ll share you.”

Allie fingered the fine silver as the glow in her eyes dimmed. “This place was hell for you.”

“I had my dreams of you to keep me company. And when I was old enough, Uncle Thomas rescued me and took me to the home I belonged. Thank God for Ava. She might have been a cold bitch to the rest of the world, and in a lot of ways, I saw Grace in her, but when she regarded me, I could glimpse tidbits of your bloodline. Kindness and lost love. She allowed me to stay and be close to the only thing that ever mattered to me other than you. The house we would have grown old in.” When I was a teenager, I’d imagined Annabeth going through her daily routines in every room of the house. It kept me sane, though most normal people would have thought it insane. I sank back into the comfortable chair. I supposed it was sort of foolish now that I had the real thing.

“The house we will grow old in now. Sometimes you worry me when you get that far-off look.” Allie took my hand and gave me a reassuring smile.

I forced a return smile as Nelvi pushed the service doors open with a rolling cart. She was a voluptuous Native American who’d never lost sleep over her weight. She was content with her boundless curves and round face, and if her husband wasn’t, he could find him a new model, Nelvi had always said. Her face glowed with excitement. “I hope I didn’t interrupt.”

I stood and kissed her plump cheek as she approached us with the squeaky cart.

“Sit, sit. I’ve prepared all your favorites.” She blushed, then looked at Allie and gasped.

“I know. As beautiful inside as out,” I said.

I feared she might tackle Allie with her linebacker grip.

“Stop. I’m as plain as the day is long.” Allie rolled her eyes and smiled up at Nelvi. “It’s so wonderful to meet you. The food smells amazing.”

“No. Cole was right. There’s no way he could have explained how beautiful you are.” Nelvi squeezed Allie’s hands and plopped a happy kiss on her cheek. “Welcome to the family.”

“You’ve been so gracious; I don’t know how to act,” Allie said.

“Don’t bother. I’m just glad for some company. I hope you’ll find something you like. I didn’t know what you preferred, so I made a little of everything. Cole had quite the appetite as a boy, so I figured it hadn’t changed.” Nelvi removed the silver rounded tops from the dishes and placed them in front of us.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need the slightest thing. Just ring this bell.” Nelvi took a silver bell from the cart and placed it in the middle of the table.

Allie’s eyes widened as if it were a ball of phlegm instead of a token of kindness.

Nelvi left us.

I’d held a chuckle back as long as I could when it finally broke free. “For heaven’s sakes. It’s not an air horn.”

“You know how I feel about bells. I’m not ringing that thing.” Allie crossed her arms.

“You’ve never liked being waited on. It’s okay. That’s her job. Believe me. She and Ricardo are paid well, and they’ve never been mistreated.”

“Well, I’m not ringing it.”

“Trust me. You won’t have to. She’s so excited you’re here I’m sure she won’t be able to stay away. It’s like she’s gained another daughter.” I scooped a heaping helping of roast beef onto my plate. It wasn’t raw, but it would have to do. “Eat. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Allie took anthill-sized amounts of food where I mounded my plate full.

“I don’t see how you survive. You’re going to need more than that.” I pointed my fork at her plate.

“Is that an insinuation about our wedding night?” Allie bit her lip and narrowed her gaze. Her thoughts were silken lava.
“I can’t wait to get you alone. In a dark room. Nothing between us. Your skin on my skin.”

A bare foot ran up my pant leg.

I almost choked on whatever I’d been chewing.

Allie shook her head. “You’re too easy.”

I swallowed a half-chewed bit of food and wiped my mouth. “You’re trying to kill me off before we make it down the aisle.”

Allie grinned, mischief in her eyes.

We ate quietly for a few minutes.

“I’ve been thinking. Why would you bring me to the place you hated most as a child to be married?” Allie took another bite and stared me down expectantly.

I’d really hoped to avoid lies. Maybe I still could.

“This is the safest place I could think of. I can’t imagine Grace would think of looking here to find us.” I took another bite. If there was food in my mouth, I wouldn’t be expected to speak.

“Did Grace find you here as a boy?”

Shit.

I finished chewing and stared out the window. In every lifetime, the first appearance she made was innocent. She looked so real I didn’t know the difference. She was so pretty, and for an instance, I thought she was the girl I missed so much, the girl in my dreams that I knew was the only person I could ever love, but in no time, something in the pit of my stomach told me differently.

“Yeah. Could we not talk about her?” I tried to sound as nice as possible, but I came off as an ass. I was tired of hearing Grace’s name and having my whole life revolve around her. I couldn’t take it another second.

Allie moved food around on her plate with her fork. Her soft, brown waves fell over her shoulder, contrasting against the cream color of her three-quarter-length jacket, and hiding her face. She was either about to cry or a tear had already slid down her cheek. I couldn’t hear a single thought.