Uncontrollable Temptations (The Tempted Series Book 3) (12 page)

“I’ll see about dinner,” Lacey said, turning on her heel.

I held out the neck of my beer to Reina and lifted an eyebrow.

“Happy birthday, Jack,” she whispered, tapping the neck of her bottle to mine.

“Thank you, Sunshine,” I said huskily, before taking a long gulp of my beer, watching as she sipped hers. She pulled the bottle away and giggled.

“You know what I realized on the way here?”

“What’s that?” I questioned, taking a seat at the head of the table and leaning back against the chair, watching her intently.

“I don’t even know your last name,” she stated, bringing the bottle back to her lips for another sip.

I stared at her for a moment before taking another gulp of my beer. I had avoided the truth for as long as I could but I always questioned this moment in the back of my mind, wondering about when I told her my last name if she would connect me with Danny. The last time I spoke to Danny was nearly four years ago. He had paid me a visit while I was doing a bid at Ryker’s. He dropped in, gracing me with his presence just to tell me he was changing his name because he didn’t want to be associated with me. He took our mother’s maiden name, Gregorio.

I brought the beer down mid-way and met her curious eyes.

“Parrish,” I revealed, gauging her reaction.

“Jack Parrish,” she said, letting my name roll off her tongue. Nothing changed in her eyes, leading me to believe that Danny had definitely changed his name and never looked back. I also realized he probably never told this woman he had a brother.

“Well, aren’t you going to ask me what mine is?” She asked, playfully.

“What’s your last name?” I asked, humoring her.

“DeCarlo,” she murmured. “Seems like it’s something we should’ve told one another by now,” she added, glancing down at the table.

I leaned forward, looking toward the kitchen door before looking back at Reina and placed my hand on her knee.

“You mean before you knew what if felt like to have me…”

“Don’t,” she interrupted.

“Why not?” I taunted, her face flushing. “Can’t pretend it didn’t happen. I won’t let you.”

She averted her eyes to my hand on her knee, watching as I drew circles with my thumb along her silky pants.

“Dinner is served,” Lacey announced, walking into the dining room carrying a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs that were the size of softballs. I gave Reina’s knee a squeeze before removing my hand and smiling up at my daughter.

“Looks good, baby,” I said.

Her face lit up as she filled my dish before passing the bowl to Reina. Lacey grabbed herself a coke and popped it open. Sitting back, she watched hopefully as I twirled the pasta around my fork. I lifted it to my mouth, felt both women stare at me as I took my first bite.

I closed my eyes and moaned in mock appreciation. Lacey’s smile widened and she settled back in her chair as I reached for my beer to help wash down the under cooked pasta.

“Delicious.” I winked at my baby before nudging Reina. “Go ahead, you’re in for a treat.”

She smiled at me and fuck, the urge to keep her smiling tugged at me.

Reina loaded her fork up with spaghetti and opened her mouth wide, closing her full lips around her fork, giving me a glimpse of the playful side of her. My dick strained against my jeans as the sweetest moan escaped her lips.

“Really?” Lacey asked, taking a bite herself to see what all the fuss was about. “It is pretty good.”

“I don’t cook much but I’d love the recipe,” Reina added, finishing her beer.

“It’s pretty simple,” Lacey said, lifting her coke to take a sip. “How come you don’t cook?”

Reina shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just me, by myself,” she replied, moving the food around in her dish before reaching for my beer, claiming it as her own. “I guess I don’t see the point in making a mess for just one person.”

“Funny, he says the same thing every time I badger him about cooking for himself,” Lacey said, throwing me a look.

“She worries about her old man,” I remarked, nodding toward my beer. “Want another or are you good with that?”

Reina’s cheeks reddened as she sipped my beer, lowering it slightly so I could watch her lips move in their reply.

“I’ll have another, please.”

“So polite,” I mused, deciding I really wanted to strip her of her politeness, fantasizing of all the dirty things I could get her to say.

I pulled my shirt over the erection bulging against my jeans and hoped I hid my shit from Lacey as I stood to grab us a couple of beers.

By the time I had returned, Lacey and Reina were in deep conversation. I paused in the doorway and listened, marveling how my daughter got more information out of Reina in the time it took me to grab a beer than I managed in six weeks.

“No family,” Reina stated. “I never met my father, I’m not even sure my mother knew who my father was. She was young when she had me, only sixteen, but she was a wild child, kept my grandparents on their toes until she broke their hearts.”

“How’d she break their hearts?”

“She overdosed. I was five when she died and my grandparents raised me,” Reina revealed, her voice barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry, Reina,” Lacey said.

“Nothing to be sorry about, Lacey. Anyway, my grandparents were wonderful, really great people who wanted the best for me. I think they saw me as a second chance at getting it right and tried to right the wrongs of my mother. They were big on school and pushed me to go to college. I graduated with an associate degree, and we all know that’s not worth much but to my grandma? Forget it! She thought I was on my way to being the first female president. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was as worthless as toilet paper, so I went to a few continuing education classes and obtained a certificate in paralegal studies.”

“Was she proud?” Lacey questioned.

“She was over the moon, and Nonno called me Marcia Clark when I got my first job in a law firm,” Reina said, laughing at the memory. “They were really great.”

“You must be so close to them.”

“I was,” she said, fondly remembering the two people who raised her. “They passed a few years ago. My grandma first and then six months later my Nonno passed,” she continued, releasing a breath. “He was never the same after she died; even his doctor said he must’ve died of a broken heart.”

The room grew silent, and I walked around the table behind Reina. I looked at my daughter who sadly stared at her plate and leaned over Reina, placing the beer next to her plate before giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Regret filled me, realizing I had pegged her all wrong. She wasn’t some prissy bitch born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She was nothing like the woman I thought Danny would’ve been with, and for the first time I wondered about their relationship.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and I removed my hand, taking my seat again. I turned to my daughter and asked her about the college courses she was taking that were costing me an arm and a leg.

I felt Reina’s eyes on me as I diverted Lacey’s questions away from her. Lacey rattled on about term papers, boring professors and deciding on a major. I chanced a glance toward Reina and she smiled at me, her eyes thanking me for the reprieve and mine thanking her for the piece of her she had shared with us. By the time we cleared the table and made coffee, Reina seemed very comfortable and not the awkward woman I initially met.

We had pie and I commented on how Reina’s was better—she blushed and Lacey insisted she make it for her some time. I don’t remember enjoying many birthdays in my thirty-eight years but I’ll remember this one and when I do I’ll remember Reina’s smile, Lacey’s laughter and the unfamiliar peace that settled over me.

Reina glanced at her watch and frowned.

“You have work tonight?” I asked.

“No, I just didn’t realize how late it was. I should get going,” she said.

I nodded and looked over at my daughter who was messing around on her phone.

“I’m going to give Reina a ride home then I’ll take you back to your mother’s. That okay with you?”

“No, no, I took a cab here, and I planned on taking one back home,” Reina insisted.

“You don’t drive?” Lacey asked.

“I used to. I got rid of my car after…” she paused, “I need to get a new one,” she explained. Bianci had mentioned when he connected the dots between Reina and Danny he had discovered my brother had leased a car for her in his name.

“Have you met Pipe? He’s the mechanic at the Satan’s Knights car lot. I bet you he’d hook you up with a decent car. Right Dad?”

I looked at Reina.

“I didn’t know you were looking for a car. When you’re ready say the word and I’ll hook you up with one. Pipe runs the lot but we all have a piece of it,” I explained, before turning to Lacey.

“You okay with me dropping her off then coming back for you?”

“Actually, Gia is ten minutes away. We are going to catch a movie so she can pick me up,” she said.

“All right then,” I turned back to Reina. “You ready, Sunshine.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” I assured her, grabbing her leather jacket from the newel post and holding it out for her to slip into. She slipped her arms inside of the sleeves and looked over her shoulder at me.

“Truck or the bike?” I questioned, biting back the urge to lean down and press my lips to the tip of her nose. I cleared my throat and stepped away, grabbing my jacket off the back of the couch. I turned to face her, watching as she chewed sheepishly on her bottom lip.

“Bike,” she murmured, her eyes glowing with excitement. I blew out a ragged breath as I stared at her, vowing that a ride on my bike wouldn’t be the only thing that elicited that look in her eyes.

“Come, Lacey. Give your old man some sugar,” I demanded.

Lacey threw her phone onto the couch and made her way to me, wrapping her arms tightly around me as she reached up on tip toe to kiss my cheek.

“Happy birthday, Dad. I love you,” she said as she pulled back from me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hundred and handed it to her.

“Lock up when you leave,” I ordered.

“I will, thanks,” she said, shoving the money into her pocket and turning to Reina, throwing her arms around her. “I had fun tonight. I hope you’ll be around more often,” she hinted, giving her a slight squeeze before pulling back from the embrace.

“So did I. Thank you for inviting me,” she said with a smile.

“All right, let’s move. Love you Lacey,” I said, holding open the door for Reina. I pointed to my daughter. “Text me when you get home.”

“Okay,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Just do it, girl,” I grunted then sighed and gave her a wink before I closed the door.

I followed Reina down the front porch, walked around her toward the driveway and watched as she stared at my bike. I straddled the Harley and glanced at her.

“You coming or what?” I asked, handing her the helmet.

“Oh, I’m coming,” she said, walking toward the bike. She grabbed the helmet, fitted it to her head and placed her hand on my shoulders as she hopped on the back.

“That’s what I like to hear,” I grinned, flicking on the headlights. She pressed her body into mine, wrapped her arms around me and for a fraction of a moment I knew happiness.

Reina fumbled with her key, fitting it to the lock but pausing before she turned it. I raised a brow as she leaned her forehead against the door before she spun around and set her eyes on mine.

“Do you want to come in for a minute?” She asked, biting the inside of her cheek.

I didn’t like her living in a seedy apartment complex with drug dealers and low-life’s as neighbors. When I pulled up to her building I followed her up the stairs and told her I’d see her to her door. She didn’t argue, knowing that by now it was just a waste of time. Yeah, I could rest easy knowing the deadbolt on the door had her safely locked away. But I walked her upstairs anyway because I wasn’t willing to let her go just yet.

“Is this the part where you offer me coffee?” I asked her, cocking my head to the side, as my eyes left hers and traveled the length of her body. “Or you going to be straight with me and ask me in because you want more of what you had last night?” I lifted my eyes back to hers and stepped closer, close enough to feel her breath hitch.

“How do you do that?” She whispered.

“What’s that?” I questioned, running my fingers along the collar of her leather jacket.

“Make me feel things I’ve never felt before,” she confessed.

“You scared of feeling, Sunshine?” I whispered, trailing my finger down the zipper of her jacket.

“I’m scared of a lot of things,” she admitted. “Yeah, I’m scared of feeling. Most of the time I’m scared of living and then you come along and I forget my fears.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that and I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t know what to make of you,” she whispered.

In my life I had power over people, lived for it but I don’t think I got high off it, until that moment. Having power over Reina’s feelings, over her in general, made me thirsty for more, eager to see what else I could pull out of her.