Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights Book 2) (12 page)

“It just slipped our mind. The field trip,” Lesley offered lamely.

“Yeah, slipped our . . .”

Jewel’s look silenced Wesley.

“Well, looks like you got the paper about done,” Joseph smiled. “And Lesley’s is finished,” he reminded her.

“And it took all day of me pestering them.” Jewel blew a strand of her long dark hair out of her face in exasperation. “When you go to college next year, you both will need to be on top of these things yourself, you know. You won’t have me to remind you all of the time.”

Both boys murmured their replies. Joseph couldn’t help smiling. From their expressions, he could tell this was a familiar lecture.

Glancing at the clock, Joseph realized he’d been there almost an hour. The family looked hunkered down for the night, and since they’d had coffee here, he didn’t think she’d be willing to leave the boys and continue their conversation privately. But tomorrow they would be away, on the very convenient senior trip. It gave him an idea. “Well, I’m glad I came. I wanted to get to know you better and I have. But, looks like you still have some work to do here,” he pushed back from the table, then added, “I’d best let you get to that.”

“Well, yes, thanks for coming,” Jewel offered, standing up with him. He handed her his cup. Both boys stood to shake his hand, and both grips were firm and strong as they continued to give him yet another once over. He was glad to see them protective of her, though she was seven or eight years older than them by his assumption. But, they seemed liked good kids.

When he was at the door, Jewel was right behind him, and her brothers politely hung back. “Will you walk me out, Jewels?” He used their affectionate name for her. He saw her blush.

Over her shoulder, he saw her brothers grinning like idiots. They both laughed when she didn’t reply right away, but they let her fend for herself having already approved of Joseph in their own way. Lesley headed to the living room leaving Jewel on her own to handle this.

“I’ll be back in a few,” she stated lamely. Her brothers laughed at her awkwardness.

“Take your time,” Wesley spit out choking on his coffee in his humor.

“Yeah, take your sweet time,” Lesley added and both were in hysterics. Joseph joined in their laughter. It reminded him of his sisters and how they had teased their brothers about girlfriends. It was a different dynamic, he assumed having an older sister. But some things were the same when it came to having siblings. He had never laughed when his sisters brought home boys though. It had been the exact opposite. He or Jonathan had usually stared the young men down until they were so uncomfortable they left abruptly. Then came the laughter, while the girls stomped away in anger after complaining to their mother. His sisters never had brought many boys home after that happened a couple of times too many for their liking.

Jewel slipped into her moccasins by the front door and followed him out. The sooner she found out why he’d made this surprise visit the better. He went down the stairs first, and then turned to make sure she made it down safely. The stoop definitely needed the landlord’s attention.

When she was beside him, he reached for her hand shocking her yet again this evening. Her first instinct had been to pull out of it, but he would not let go. She quickly turned and saw the curtains to the living room were swaying, but neither one of her brothers were visible now. They had probably seen Joseph grab her hand and we’re now rolling on the floor in laughter. It was going to be a long evening. Of explaining. And she had no clue what to say to her brothers about what was going on between her and Joseph. When she’d left his suite this morning, she’d thought that was it. She’d known the man’s reputation going into this. She had no further expectations. It had been one night.

Yes, she would have a lot of explaining to do later. But first she needed to find out exactly why Joseph had shown up at her house. And how he even knew where she lived.

He was at his vehicle and turned towards her. Before she could get even one of her questions out, he began to explain. “I’m really sorry for the surprise visit. I just couldn’t get you out of my head. I looked up your employee file, and saw where you lived.”

“Then you would have seen my phone number,” she replied quickly searching his face for an answer to her other question. He not being able to get her out of his head didn’t quite cut it for her.

“And I wanted to see you. About last night . . .,” he started.

This time she interrupted him. “I know. I’ve heard about your reputation. It meant nothing. It was one night. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine with that.” She pulled her hand out of his then figuring she’d beaten him to the punch. He was probably worried that she might have expected more. The sooner she put his mind at ease, the sooner she could go back inside and figure out a way to explain her new friend situation to her brothers.

The words surprisingly cut Joseph. And that shocked him a bit. It had meant something and that’s how he started. “If it meant nothing, I wouldn’t be here.” He didn’t know where those words came from. But being here tonight, he knew he wanted to get to know her a better. He didn’t want whatever was between them to be over. Not yet. She was a strong woman, and family was important to her. He liked that about her. He’d learned a lot about her tonight, and he wanted to learn more. He rushed forward before she could think too deeply or try to deny there was something between them. “Last night was great. It was what we both wanted at the time. But now, I want to take you out. On a date. A real one. You have to admit we have good chemistry, and there is something else there too. I’ve not wanted to get to know someone better in a very long time.” Her eyes were round. He had clearly surprised her. But he didn’t want to push too hard. It had to be her choice. “So, how about it? And as much as I enjoyed your brothers company and swapping old high school stories, I’d like to learn more about you.”

Jewel was completely blown away by Joseph’s little speech.
He wanted to know more about her.
There really wasn’t much to tell.
Should she risk it?
She had to admit, she’d felt something from the moment she’d met him. And she’d thought about him a lot since then. But she hadn’t thought he would want to pursue more than something casual.
But here he was!
He wouldn’t be saying these things unless he meant it.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to throw caution to the wind.
Why the hell not?
She gave him a brief, quick nod, still unable to form words.

Seeing that slight insecure nod was all he needed. He took a step forward into her personal space, and she was forced to take a step back. Her body was now trapped between his car and him. He bent slightly down and inhaled her fresh natural scent, noticing she smelled like spring, daffodils, and roses.

He felt her trembling, and lifted his hands to stroke her arms. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She glanced up at him then quickly looked towards the house. She heard the rumble deep in his chest. Then, he whispered seductively, “No, one is looking. You can kiss me if you want to, Jewels. I won’t mind in the least.” He wanted to know if the spark was still there. He knew it would be, but still he wanted her to kiss him.

God, she was tempted. He was so very attractive. She knew her brothers would bombard her with questions the moment she went back inside. She gazed at his chest. He was so tempting. Delicious. The body hidden underneath those clothes had her fantasizing about him all day, too.

When he saw her bite her bottom lip, he growled low. Her eyes widened. “You have beautiful lips, Jewels.”

She gave voice to her insecurities. Bringing a man into her life was bringing someone into her brother’s lives too. “Joseph, what are you really doing here? With me?” she inquired.

He saw the doubt in her eyes. He wanted to be honest. “Jewel, I want to be honest with you. I don’t know. I don’t date woman. But, I do want to take you out on a date very much. I don’t normally see a woman more than once, but I want to see you more than once. I don’t normally think about a woman after I have sex with her, but I can’t get you out of my head. So,” his voice trailed off, and his lips touched her forehead softly. “So, how about we take this one day at a time and just see where it goes?” Damn it all to hell, he couldn’t believe he was saying these words, but when he was with her, this stuff just came tumbling out of his mouth and he realized he meant every word of it.

She released her bottom lip and looked up into those coppery eyes. They looked sincere. “Okay,” she agreed, and moved into him. One day at a time. With Joseph Sassacus. She could do that.

Her snuggling up against him was the invitation he’d been waiting for. Removing one hand from her arms, he took her chin and tilted her head up so he could claim those lips. He’d wanted to do that since she opened the door.

Without hesitation, Jewel opened up to his tongue when it sought entrance. She tasted the man, the coffee on him, and as his tongue tangled with hers in her driveway, with her brothers probably watching from the window, she became lost in the moment. Lost to all her good sense. If he was willing to see where this was going, then so would she. Taking the biggest chance of her life, on a man like him, was a gamble, but she was going to roll the dice. She wrapped her arms around Joseph’s neck and clung to him as he took the kiss deeper. It was intoxicating. To them both.

When it ended, they were both breathless and panting.

“Dinner? Tomorrow night?” he asked knowing she worked but got off at nine.

“I get off at nine,” she answered.

“I know,” he replied before claiming her lips once more. She was too incredible to resist.

‡

E
verything was ready.
Joseph had decided to cook for Jewel. He was taking a big chance cooking for a chef, but he also felt the need to open himself up more to her. His barging in on her last night had been a sudden decision, and he knew she might be feeling a little vulnerable that she had been forced to share so much of herself.

He still wasn’t sure it was a good idea letting someone into his sanctuary, but his initial concern about it had been bypassed when he saw she was related to the two boys she had meet yesterday morning. She wasn’t a thief. And her brothers seemed like normal teenagers who had recovered, were still recovering from the tragedy of their parents’ deaths. They were not involved in some grand scheme to rob the casino. His gut told him that. He’d just been caught up in the mystery of her, and with what had been happening at the casino of late, he was only being appropriately cautious he told himself.

Joseph checked the garlic bread in the oven, setting the heat on a low setting to keep everything warm, and he tried to figure out what exactly he was doing with Jewel Diamante. He still wasn’t even sure himself.

She was definitely on his mind more than he cared to admit. He’d called a half an hour ago and suggested she come to his place for dinner instead of going out. He’d heard the hesitancy in her voice, but he assured her it was just dinner, and she could set the pace. They could take things slow if that was what she wanted. Although he was hoping for more.

After a prolonged moment of silence from her end, Jewel finally consented, but told him she needed to go home and change first. He’d caught her just before her shift ended, and from a quick glance at the clock he knew she’d be there any moment.

He looked around quickly and was satisfied that everything was set. They would eat right here in his massive kitchen. His home was not as large as his brothers’, only three bedrooms. But it suited his needs just fine. It was an “A” frame style, and had a loft above that he used for a work space. The side of the house that faced the river was sheer glass. He loved the view, and the floor plan, but the best part was the kitchen. He enjoyed cooking when he had the chance. And he thought Jewel might enjoy that too, someone cooking for her for a change.

Quickly walking around the open ground floor level, he dimmed the lights. The kitchen was open to the rest of the rooms separated by one long counter and looking out over the living room and dining area. The dining area could comfortably seat twelve and that was to the right, but he’d never used that area yet. He normally ate at the counter, or if he had company at the small table and chairs set in a little alcove overlooking the back yard.

All the way across the living room was a short hallway that connected to the large master suite and a full ensuite, and to the left were two smaller rooms with an adjoining bathroom. The vaulted ceiling gave the house a larger feel than it was, and the loft only took up one quarter of the space of the bottom floor. The previous owners had it set up as a game room. He’d kept the pool table they had left behind, and then added his own furnishings, putting in a desk and some office equipment near the front. When he wanted to work out at home or if the weather was too harsh to run, he used his elliptical machine and some free weights he’d set up in one corner. It worked for him.

He went outside onto his deck. It was large too. He had a table and some outdoor chairs there, and a hammock in one corner. He also had a small dock. He’d been planning to try to fish off it, but he had no boat. Yet. Maybe someday. When he had time.