Seven Day Fiance: A Love and Games Novel (Entangled Bliss) (9 page)

Angie snorted. “That’s Troy’s daughter, all right.”

“And don’t I know it.” Eva grumbled, but the love she had for her family was plain as day on her face. “I told her,
cher,
you do know they’re pretend, don’t you? You can tell them what to do. But that girl stuck to her story. Stubborn as a mule, just like her daddy.” She shook her head and glanced back at her giggling child. “You’ve gotta respect her creativity, though.”

Angelle placed her hands on her thighs, prepared to jump into the fray. “Wait until she becomes a teenager,” she teased. “That was when Troy really reached his stride.”

Eva groaned as Angie pushed to her feet, but that was when young Sadie rendered her assistance moot by jumping onto Cane’s jean-clad lap. For his part, her big bad fiancé appeared floored for a nanosecond, then scooped the little girl closer, fixed her robe modestly over her tiny legs, and proceeded to show her his cards.

None of which would have been surprising, had the two met before. Or Sadie made climbing onto strangers a normal occurrence. But they hadn’t. Sadie had been running with her cousins all afternoon while Cane received the grand tour. And her niece, while being a wild child, was a
shy
wild child. At least when it came to strangers.

Angelle knew Cane was good with children. She’d seen his interactions with Emma. But seeing the inked-up tough guy hold the little girl who owned
her
heart, and having that same little girl look up at him with her biggest, toothiest smile, made something in Angie’s chest clench and then loosen.

The feeling of crumbling defenses.

Mama walked up, releasing an exhausted sigh. “Tag, you’re it,” she said, wedging her hips between her daughter and daughter-in-law. “That girl’s done tuckered me out.”

Eva wrapped an arm around her mother-in-law and squeezed. “Thank you, Mama.” Sliding Angelle a grin, she added, “But it appears Sadie’s in good hands for now.”

“Hmm.” Mama pressed her lips together as she regarded the card table. “That’s a mighty intriguing fiancé you have there,
petite fille
. Don’t be thinking your daddy and I didn’t notice the tattoos.”

Wincing, Angie bit her lip and waited for the inquisition. She sure as heck had battled everyone else that afternoon.

From Ryan’s,
Why a firefighter?
To his wife’s,
Do you know how dangerous that is?

Her Papa’s quiet,
Why Magnolia Springs?
And her grams’s,
When are you coming home?

And the big, unasked question that prompted them all:
Is this all Cane’s doing?

But it was just the first day. The hard part was over; everyone saw that she’d moved on from Brady. They had the rest of the week to realize her other changes were more than a quarter-life crisis or the influence of a bad boy. That this was
her.
Angelle Prejean 2.0.

But if she could do anything to alleviate her parents’ fears now, she would.

“Mama, he’s more than you think,” she said, reaching across Eva to touch her mother’s shoulder. “He’s not Dylan.”
And I’m not Amber.

Her mother nodded slowly, seeming to study the man in question closely. Angie’s gaze drifted back to the table. Cane’s dark head was lowered so Sadie could whisper in his ear. He threw his head back in a laugh as the little girl giggled. Mama’s voice was soft as she asked, “But is he good people,
cher
? Does he treat you right?”

Watching her niece, Angelle thought about the times Cane had teased
her
, too. Joking and flirting, making her smile. How he’d stepped up to help her this week with minimal questions asked, and defended her when her own family’s questions were too harsh. So, even as she fought to rebuild her crumbled defenses, Angelle nodded. “Yeah, Mama. He does.”

Eva nodded and stood abruptly, causing the swing to rock beneath them. “Then that’s all I need to hear. Personally, any man who looks like that
and
can wrangle my child is a keeper.”

Eva sent Angie a wink and thanked Mama for bathing Sadie, then walked over to retrieve her spirited daughter. Cane nodded at something Eva told him and accepted a hug from Sadie before sending the girl on her merry little way. Troy shot him a civil nod, then promptly returned to his hand of cards. But her fake fiancé sought out Angie, and when their gazes met across the yard, the dimple in his cheek flashed in a grin.

Angelle’s heart rate escalated.
I’m in a heap of trouble.

Chapter Eight

“It’s tradition,” Angelle explained the next night as she trekked the familiar path to her brother’s house holding a tutu-wearing teddy bear. “The night before Thanksgiving, everyone goes out. I’ve never stopped to wonder why, especially since so many of us wake up early to cook.” She shrugged her shoulders and then quickened her steps as the cool evening air snaked across her skin. “It’s just what we’ve always done.”

Cane easily lengthened his long-legged stride to keep up. “And you’re sure you don’t want to go out, too? You’ve been gone a long time. If you want to hang out with your friends, it’s okay.”

She shook her head, stifling a smile at the crunch of motorcycle boots on gravel. It appeared one day of taunts over sneakers was her fiancé’s limit. “I saw the important people yesterday, and I’ll see them again tomorrow. Eva and Troy deserve a night out.” Twisting around at a rhythmic
beep-beep-beep,
she jogged to the side of the road to let Lacey pass. The crazy girl cranked the radio up and sang along—loud, proud, and off-key—and Angelle grinned as she waved to her cousin’s retreating taillights. “Besides, spending time with my godchild is one of the things I miss most about being home. I need some Nanny time with my girl.”

Cane’s hand brushed against hers and he took it. Warmth seeped into her skin. “That I can understand. I remember when Emma was Sadie’s age, full of stories, wanting to give me manicures, endless energy.” He glanced over and smiled. “Pretty much the same as she is today.”

“God, don’t tell Troy that,” she said, the scent of leather filling her head. “My brother thinks Sadie will calm down once she enters kindergarten. We’re guessing he forgot what a hellion he used to be. Daddy’s always said payback is the Lord’s to give, and it looks like Troy’s getting his comeuppance.”

A deep laugh rumbled in Cane’s chest. The sound was low and dark, and did funny things to her tummy. Things she rather enjoyed. The Magnolia Springs playboy was back, black jacket and motorcycle boots in place, but after last night, he no longer terrified her. In fact, the whole getup was now a surprising turn on, and mixed with the woodsy notes of his cologne, Angelle was almost dizzy. Instead of running, she wanted to press her nose against the smooth tan skin of his neck and get a good whiff. And then maybe lick it.

Inexplicably giddy.
That was the best description for how Angelle felt as she tromped up her brother’s stairs. Her chest held a lightness, a bounce was in her step, and she couldn’t stop smiling—despite the worrisome niggles pricking her brain. It’d been the same way all afternoon.

The boucherie hadn’t ended until after two a.m., so she and Cane had slept in and then lazed around the house, snacking on leftovers and playing
bourre
. She’d thoroughly trounced him every time, but Cane had taken it in stride, shaking his head and shooting her that flirty grin. Tempting her with each dimple flash to drag his fine self to her bedroom and engage in another round of toe-tingling kisses. The only thing that held her back—
other
than her ultra-conservative parents in the next room—was the neon-lit question blinking behind her eyelids.
Exactly how far is too far?

Angelle wasn’t ready to make love. At least, she didn’t
think
she was. She still believed what she’d told Sherry, that the holy trinity had to be present before she gave up her V-card: passion, excitement, and for it to
feel
right. The first two she and Cane pushed to the extreme. The third was harder to define.

On the drive up, Angie had resolved to experience a taste of that passion. It would be silly, considering the circumstances, not to reap a small benefit from this crazy situation. But did a taste stop at kisses? Or could her innocent heart withstand letting a man as experienced as Cane go where no man had gone before?

A cool hand sliding along the base of her spine shook Angelle from her thoughts. “You okay?” Cane stepped close, filling her head with his delicious scent again. “You seem like you’re a thousand miles away.”

Or just back in bed, ogling your beautiful inked body.

“I’m fine.” She smiled brightly as she knocked on her brother’s door. Immediately, rapid, thumping footsteps approached and she asked, “You sure you’re ready for this?”

Cane set his mouth to her ear. “Darlin’, I’ve got this in the bag.”

A shiver ran down her spine. The deep notes of his voice implied he meant more than just a night of babysitting, a night more in line with her previous thoughts. But while she was busy wrestling with the courage to ask
what
, the door opened and a strawberry-blond head stuck out.

“Sugar girl!” Setting aside her confusing, non-existent sex life, Angelle held out her arms…and watched as her niece shot right past them.

“You’re here!” Sadie exclaimed, slamming into Cane’s tree trunk of a thigh and wrapping her skinny arms around it.

Angelle frowned, and Cane shrugged his massive shoulders as he bent to pick up the girl. So he had an effect on women. Of
all
ages. She knew—probably better than anyone—how charismatic the man could be, and she’d be lying if she said this sweet side to the town bad boy wasn’t a turn on. It was.

But she was
Nanny.
She came bearing gifts!

“What, no love for me?” she asked, shaking the tutu-wearing teddy bear in her hands. Sadie took it with a happy, toothy grin and settled back against Cane’s broad chest.

I knew I should’ve brought chocolate.

“Here, let me see that teddy bear,” Cane said, taking the stuffed animal from her niece’s tiny hands. He sent Angelle a dimpled grin as he examined it, then pursed his lips. “You know, Sadie, this is a mighty fine bear. Tutu and all. I’m thinking maybe I’ll keep it. You didn’t
really
want this, did you?”

“Yes I do!” she protested, stealing the toy back from his hands. “That’s
my
bear, Mr. Cane. Nanny brought it for
me
.” She twisted around with a four-year-old pout. “Right, Nanny?”

Angelle smiled, her heart completely melted and dripping on her shoes. “Yep, I’m sorry, Mr. Cane, but that bear is for my sugar girl.”

He huffed an exasperated sigh and then leaned close to whisper in her niece’s ear. Sadie nodded, holding out her hands, and Angelle gladly accepted her soft weight. Hugging her close, she met Cane’s eyes over Sadie’s head and mouthed,
Thank you.

Cane winked. “Shall we, ladies?” He held his hand out to the opened door, and they walked inside.

Troy and Eva’s home always smelled like Lemon Pledge. It was one more thing that never changed, and Angelle hoped never would. She set Sadie down and the little girl scampered off on bare feet, hugging her bear. It was nice to be around family again.

After hanging up her coat, Angie strolled down the hall vowing never to let the ghost of a failed relationship keep her away again for so long. She searched the living room and kitchen for her brother and sister-in-law, and then realized Cane was still back at the entryway, looking at pictures.

“Uh, please don’t tell me they hung up that one from Christmas,” she said, shoving her hands in her back pockets as she retracted her steps. “I plead the fifth on that outfit.”

Cane transferred his gaze to her. “Brady was a groomsman at your brother’s wedding?”

Surprised by the confused look in his eyes, Angelle’s smile dropped and she glanced at the photo of her brother’s bridal party. “Our fathers are friends. By the time Troy and Eva married, we’d been together for four years. Brady was, and still is, considered part of the family.”

With that same strange look, Cane leaned his back against the wall of frames. “That complicates things now that you’re broken up.”

“Well, yeah, but what can I do? It is what it is,” she said with a shrug. “It’d be easier if Brady faded into my past, like a normal ex, but that’s not the cards I’ve been dealt. I can either choose to whine and cry about it, or I can make the best of the situation.” When he seemed to marvel at that, studying her with an intensity that made her nervous, she shrugged again and added, “Or I can go with door number three and invent a fake fiancé.”

Cane craned an eyebrow and chuckled low in his throat. “There is always that.”

Looping her arm around his much beefier one, Angelle left the memories behind her and walked down the hall. For the rest of the night, she didn’t want to think about Brady or disappointing anyone.

She just wanted to be a normal girl, babysitting her naked-loving, wild-child niece with her handsome fake fiancé. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

Eva bustled through after they’d taken a seat on the plush sofa. “Y’all, I’m so sorry I’m running late. It’s been so long since we’ve gone out I couldn’t find a single thing to wear. Does this look okay?”

She spun around, showing off a pair of dark wash jeans, red boots, and matching V-neck sweater, and Angelle replied, “Fabulous as always,” completely meaning it. She’d kill to have her sister-in-law’s voluptuous figure. Sadie shuffled back into the room and sprang up onto the sofa, wiggling her bottom between her aunt and Cane.

“I’ve been telling her the same thing for the last hour,” her brother said, coming down the hall. Troy kissed his wife’s head and then swatted her backside as he passed behind her. “You should see our bedroom. Her entire side of the closet is now sprawled across the floor.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “Honey, this mama needs a night out, and she wants to look good doing it.” She slipped her license out of her wallet and shoved it in her back pocket. “Angie, you’re a lifesaver. You too, Cane. Consider it a given that we’ll return the favor as soon as you two start popping out babies.”

Heat filled Angie’s cheeks at Eva’s suggestive eyebrow wiggle. Images flooded her mind. Not so much the popping out part, but the actions that would precede it. She squirmed in her seat and Cane smirked beside her.

Troy cleared his throat, apparently equally uncomfortable with allusions to his little sister’s sex life. Or at least her sex life with Cane, a man he didn’t know, didn’t like, and wasn’t Brady. The usual humor faded from his light blue eyes as he coolly assessed the man beside her. “Anyway we shouldn’t be out too late,” he said a tad gruffly, removing a stack of bills from his wallet. He set them on the counter. “Here’s money for pizza, and there’s Coke, beer, and wine in the fridge.”

Cane pushed to his feet. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I was thinking I’d run to the store up the road and cook dinner.” He glanced down and said, “That is, if I can find me a chef’s helper.”

Sadie climbed to a standing position on the sofa and thrust her hand in the air. “Me! Me, Mr. Cane! Mama says I’m a great cheff-er, don’t ya, Mama?”

Eva nodded with a smile. “She’s the best.”

“Is that right?” Cane sunk to his knees so they were eye-level. “Must be my lucky day. Do you know I happen to own a restaurant? Maybe one day you can come and work for me. What do you think about that?”

Sadie shook her head solemnly. “Thanks, but I’m gonna be a fairy princess and live in Disney World.”

Cane grinned. “That does sound like more fun.”

Smiling at the two of them, Angelle shifted her gaze to her brother. Troy was stubborn; there would be no winning him over with one adorable conversation with his kid. But Cane had taken a first step. The ease of tension in Troy’s face and the conspiratorial wink Eva shot her was proof of that. Angie bit back a smile of victory.

One small step for Cane. One giant step for Project Pickle.

…

Women were his weakness. Cane could admit it. And when they were adorable and pint-sized, he was a goner. In some ways, he bonded better with kids because they were safe. He could be himself and not worry about the fallout. The problem was that after only twenty-four hours, Sadie already had him wrapped around her little finger—and she knew it.

Had he learned nothing from dealing with Emma?

Grinning, Cane strolled back into the kitchen, putting the dirty dishes in the sink. Dinner had been a raving success. It had kept the kid entertained, kept him from going stir-crazy, and it showed Angelle once again that he wasn’t a complete ass. Since she’d entered his truck yesterday, the game had changed. His goal had shifted. No longer was this only about getting her out of his system, though that did have to happen, the sooner the better. But now, he didn’t just want her comfortable enough to explore their explosive attraction. Cane realized he wanted to let Angelle
in
.

The woman who fascinated him from afar was even better up close: feisty and sweet, vulnerable and strong, and when she let her guard down, captivating. He wasn’t ready to give her up completely at the end of the week, but since a real relationship was off the table, that left friendship. A female friend would be a new experience for Cane, but Angelle already broke every other rule of his. What was one more?

Ensuring she didn’t get close enough to get hurt was going to be the issue. It would take a balancing act, but she volunteered with his best friend. She lived with his baby sister and was close with the other. Friendship, as long as he maintained a few key walls, should be harmless.
As long as love stays the hell out of it.

“Whew! That girl is a mess and a half,” Angelle said, walking into the room, “but God, I love her.” Smiling, she scooted onto the barstool and propped her chin on her hand. “Good call, by the way, on the compromise. If that’s really all it takes to get her to sleep—one messed-up bedtime story and an off-key song—then I’m
beaucoup
impressed. You’re like the kid whisperer.”

Her smile widened and Cane laughed, but what she’d actually said was anyone’s guess. He’d been too distracted by the creamy expanse of skin exposed on her neck to listen. At some point between Sadie’s room and the kitchen, Angelle must’ve stopped in the bathroom because her long red hair lay piled on her head, rebellious strands curling around her face. Innocent and sexy. That was Angelle. It was a conflicting blend uniquely her, and it pulled him in every time.