Recipe for Temptation

by Gina Gordon

  Sex had quickly become his go-to means of connecting with her. He could say so much more with his cock than his words ever could. And now that they were leaving in three days, that would have to be enough.

  She was chewing on her thumbnail when he arrived at the buffet. He wasn’t surprised to see that she’d gone back to wearing a one-piece bathing suit.

  The spot beside her was empty, and he took his seat, immediately noticing the sly grins and expressions of distaste from her siblings through the entire meal. He didn’t reach out and touch her, even though he wanted to. He kept his distance.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Cole said, giving them his best fake smile.

  “Mrs. Foster and I were just getting a detailed account of what you kids were up to last night.”

  He tensed. Was he talking about dancing? Or did he somehow see them in the hut?

  He glanced over at Penn.

  “I didn’t raise you to be inappropriate in public, Pennelope. Family vacation is no time for indulging in…” Her father’s jaw twitched. “Sexcapades.”

  “What’s a sexcapade?” Sarah asked, once again dancing in her seat to her own music.

  “Really, Penn.” Cathy glared at her from across the table, rubbing her hand over Sarah’s hair. “See what you’ve done?”

  He was shocked at the behavior of Penn’s family. He had been so adamant that if she let down her guard and showed them her true self, they would accept her just as she was. He had been terribly wrong.

  He hated seeing her upset. He hated seeing her trapped inside her shell. And this morning, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible because he’d pushed her to give it a try.

  Breakfast was tense and mostly silent. Penn didn’t look up from her plate once.

  When breakfast was over, they all met in the hotel lobby where Harold handed out the lists for the scavenger hunt. There were twenty items needed for a perfect score, including a stamped card from the water sport rental hut, a receipt from the surf shop, and a napkin from every bar and restaurant in the hotel. In addition, there was one bonus item—a selfie with “something that swims.” Weird. Were they supposed to swim out and catch a dolphin?

  He whispered to Penn, “May I say, the lengths your father goes to arrange these daily challenges are mind-boggling.”

  “No doubt he’s been scoping this place out since we arrived.” She looked over the scavenger hunt list. “One year we actually had to make a dream-catcher, and the winner was picked by one of our neighbors.”

  Her father went over the rules. Teams could split up. All items had to be collected and handed in at their designated spot. The team with the best time and all the items won. Bringing in the bonus item shaved ten minutes off the team’s time. Simple as that.

  “Penn, are you—”

  She placed her hand on his arm. “Whatever just happened…” She shrugged. “It happened. I’m here to win the trophy. That’s all that matters.”

  He knew it mattered, what had happened last night and this morning at breakfast. But he wasn’t going to push her. Instead, he’d do what he came here to do. He’d help her win that trophy.

  “Dave and Beth, Cole and Pennie.” Her father looked between the four of them. “You’re tied with two wins each. Whoever has the best time with all the items, wins the cup.”

  After a quick glance at the list, Cole asked, “So what’s our strategy?”

  Penn sucked in a deep breath. She seemed to have cooled down and relaxed at little. “Divide and conquer. We meet back here when we’re done.” He loved the determined set to her jaw. His Penn was back.

  She’s not yours.

  She ripped the paper in two. “Here’s your half.”

  Excitement built as he grasped the paper. Oh, yeah. They were so going to win this.

  With a high-five, they took off, each needing to collect ten items.

  Cole raced through the hotel compound at break-neck speed. He grabbed a rental receipt from the boat hut on the beach, a menu from the steakhouse at the far end of the grounds, and a brochure from the parasailing kiosk in the hotel lobby. As fast as he could, he collected twelve items on the list.

  Almost an hour later, he was on his last item—a bar of lavender soap. He raced across the lobby to the elevators. After waiting ten seconds for it to arrive, he ran around and took the stairs two at a time down to the lower level. He rushed past groups of shoppers, trying not to mow anyone down.

  Just before he reached the spa, he saw Christine and Pete. They were huddled together against the wall, giggling and smiling as they whispered to each other with contented gleams in their eyes. One of Pete’s forearms rested on her shoulder, his other hand resting on her belly.

  It was a Kodak moment. They looked so happy, lost in each other, as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

  Cole knew exactly how it felt. Every single minute he’d spent with Penn this week, he’d been completely lost in her. Time had stood still. His brothers, his restaurant, the Boys and Girls Club… None of that mattered. He’d lived for their every moment together—for her reassuring smiles, her ability to ease his tension, and the special way she brought him out of his shell. He had tried to do the same thing for her, but it had proved to be more complicated than he’d anticipated. But most of all, he lived for the way she made him feel like the best version of himself, even if deep down, he knew his best self wasn’t someone she could ever love.

  Penn was all that mattered.

  Someone bumped him from behind, and he was yanked back to the present. He shook his head. Damn. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand, not moon over his lover. If they didn’t win this trophy, he sure as hell wasn’t going to see any more of her pretty smiles coming his way.

  He hurried into the spa and headed for the desk. The receptionist greeted him as he approached, but when he practically skidded into the counter, she backed away.

  “May I hel—”

  “I need a bar of lavender soap.” He drummed his fingers on the marble. “Like, right away.”

  She fetched one from the display, and he grabbed it, slammed down a twenty, and took off to her bewildered look.

  He’d completed his half of the list in under an hour. Not bad, if he did say so himself. But when he arrived at the designated meeting area, Penn was nowhere to be seen.

  He sent a text letting her know he’d finished his part of the list. When two minutes had gone by with no response, he sent another text.

  Still no word.

  He was getting worried.

  He did a three-sixty spin for the twelfth time, trying to spot her in the crowd of people. He shouldn’t leave in case she showed up, but what if something had happened to her?

  To his relief, his name was shouted across the lobby.

  He turned and saw her running toward him, her beach bag flapping behind her.

  “Cole!”

  She didn’t slow down, but she barreled into him, almost tackling him to the floor. She panted like she’d just completed a marathon.

  “Did you get all your items?” he asked.

  She nodded and choked down a breath. “Yes.”

  Hallelujah. Without knowing how far along the other teams were, he had no idea if they were ahead of the winning time or behind it. But he guessed that was the point of different meeting places.

  “You?” she asked.

  He held up his bag. “Locked and loaded. I might have trampled a few kids to get them.”

  “That’s my man.” She backhanded his chest in appreciation, then looked at her watch. “I know how to get the bonus item.”

  He groaned. “Please don’t tell me we’re wrestling a dolphin.” He had no idea how they were going to take a selfie with something that swam.

  She laughed. “No. I’ve thought of something much easier and faster. The hut.”

  Her eyes were wide and excited, as if he was supposed to know what she was talking about. But he had no idea where she was going with this.

  �
�The koi pond by the hut.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Koi fish? Something that swims?”

  He stepped back and surveyed her confident stance. “You’re brilliant.”

  “Get your cell phone ready, Murphy.” She winked. “We’re going koi hunting.”

  Four minutes later, there was one more selfie added to his photo gallery.

  They raced back to the finish line—the concierge desk in the hotel lobby. A familiar face was waiting for them when they arrived.

  “Jason. Good to see you.” Cole held out his hand and smiled.

  “Mr. Murphy. I trust your scavenger hunt was successful.”

  “You know it.”

  He wondered if this was the most unusual request Jason had ever gotten while working at the hotel. He hoped Harold had tipped him well. “Please tell me this is the first time you’ve ever had to be the point person for a family scavenger hunt.”

  Jason laughed. “You’d be surprised what people ask you to do.” He checked his watch and wrote down the time on a piece of paper. “Eleven forty-three.”

  “How did we do? Did we win?” Penn asked anxiously.

  Jason shook his head. “Sorry, Miss Foster, you know I can’t tell you that.”

  “I know. I just— I’m really nervous.” She placed the bag filled with their items on the counter. “It’s all here.”

  “And the bonus item?” Jason asked expectantly.

  Cole pulled out his phone and showed him the selfie.

  “Excellent.” Jason smiled and noted it on the paper. “Thank you. I wish you the best of luck.” He picked up their bag, placed the piece of paper inside, and walked off with it.

  “We make a damn good team,” Cole said proudly.

  Penn sagged against the counter. Cole rubbed his hand up and down her back, trying to reassure her. “Now, all we have to do is wait for the results.”

  She nodded. “I really need to know if we won.”

  The official winner wouldn’t be announced until dinner. Tomorrow. He needed to do something that would take her mind off it. Something fun to pass the time.

  He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Why don’t we go back to your room, and I can practice my dirty talk?”

  She looked up, desire dancing in her gaze.

  He was on top of the world right now. And nothing, not even if they came in last place, was going to ruin that.

  “I am your willing guinea pig.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his body, then rested her chin on his chest.

  For the next twenty-four hours, he had Penn all to himself. And heaven help him, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Penn spent the next twenty-four hours with Cole in her room.

  Room service sated their hunger, and Cole’s hard cock satisfied her other hunger—the one that needed him desperately. The hunger she didn’t think would ever be sated.

  Yesterday, he’d given her the best opportunity she’d ever had of winning the Foster Cup. He had sacrificed his own work, his life at home, to be here for her. As if he really loved her.

  But that was impossible. Cole Murphy wasn’t the falling-in-love type. And tomorrow, when they packed up and left Hawaii, she would have to face reality and fall back into their familiar rhythm of friends and coworkers. She didn’t have the luxury of screwing up her job. If she’d learned anything on this trip, it was that she needed to keep the people and spaces that allowed her to be herself close. She never thought she’d find a job where she’d have a hand in helping hundreds of people every year and be appreciated for her candor, enthusiasm, and occasional lack of propriety. But her job with the Madewood family was just that—a space where she could be herself.

  But she wouldn’t worry about that now. They still had one more night in paradise.

  An hour before the award dinner, they showered and dressed in casual clothes. They planned to go to the beach after dinner to find a secluded spot and… Well, they’d just continue what they had been doing in their room.

  Cole left ahead of her for dinner. He was too nervous, wearing a path in the floor from his pacing. So, she asked him to save them seats.

  Just as she walked out of her hotel room, her phone buzzed in her purse. When she glanced at the screen, Sterling’s face smiled back at her.

  She swiped the screen and answered her call, but didn’t even get in a greeting.

  “I’ve been texting you all day!” Sterling’s voice was a few octaves higher than usual.

  “Sorry.” She really wasn’t. Ignoring Sterling’s texts meant she was preoccupied with Cole. “I’ve been…busy.”

  Sterling made a playfully disgusted noise. “I don’t want to know.”

  “How do you even know what I’m referring to?” Penn switched the phone to her opposite hand, then pressed the button to call the elevator.

  “I know you.” Sterling had a weird tone to her voice, and it was way too serious for her liking. “Which is why you need to hear what I have to say before it’s too late.”

  “Too late for what?” The elevator dinged. “You’re being really cryptic.”

  “I overheard a conversation between Jack and Neil. They were discussing the vacant spot on the board.”

  With one foot inside the elevator, Penn froze. And waited.

  Why had her best friend decided this was the best moment to go mute?

  “And…?” she squealed into the phone, stepping back, narrowly missing the elevator doors crushing her.

  “I might have heard your name come up as a replacement.”

  Her stomach flipped. “Get out!” she yelled. Leaning against the wall, she rested her head against it. “Are you sure? Me? Were there other names?” So many questions ran through her brain.

  “I didn’t hear them mention anyone else, but I don’t know. They could have had other discussions.”

  This was insane. She might actually get what she’d wanted all along. She might finally—

  Her chest tightened, and the excited feeling in her stomach churned into something sour. If she was on the board, then what she had with Cole absolutely had to stop. In spite of the tiny hope that fluttered in her chest every time she thought about things working out differently.

  Her hesitance could only mean one thing. Maybe getting a spot on the board might not be everything she’d ever wanted.

  Penn ended her call with Sterling and made her way to the restaurant. They were still in Hawaii. Still in the little bubble they’d made for themselves, and until they broke through, she wasn’t going to think about the consequences of what a spot on the board might mean.

  At the entrance to the dining room, she spotted Cole and her father.

  She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the look on her father’s face and the rigid way he stood in front of Cole—the classic Sergeant Foster stance that had his shoulders pulled back and his hands clasped behind his back.

  When she was within earshot, she heard her father say, “I’m just going to come out and say it.” He glared at Cole. “I think you’re a bad influence on my daughter.”

  That was preposterous. Penn had veered off the path of so-called appropriate behavior long ago.

  She couldn’t see Cole’s expression because his back was to her. But her father’s hadn’t changed. He still looked pissed. And didn’t that just make her retreat into the twelve-year-old girl who wanted nothing more than to please him.

  She stalked up to the two men. “What’s going on?” Her voice was meek, wavering.

  “You’ve been avoiding the family,” her father said between gritted teeth.

  “We’ve…uh…”

  She couldn’t exactly say she’d been fucking Cole’s brains out. Or that he was fucking hers. In the grand scheme of things… There had been lots of fucking all over her hotel room.

  And maybe the bathroom.

  Cole crossed his arms over his chest. “It seems your father thinks I’m a bad influence on you.”

  He seemed to be taking th
e criticism in stride.

  “Of course you are.” Her father glared. “My daughter is veering a long way from being the role model I raised her to be.” His frown deepened. “The only explanation is your presence in her life.”

  “Forgive me for saying so, sir.” Cole stood straighter. She was glad that he was aware enough not to touch her, to not show any type of affection whatsoever. “But I don’t think you know your daughter at all.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Now Cole was going to rat her out. Had she stumbled into some sort of twilight zone?

  “We should probably get into the buffet. Everyone’s waiting for us,” she interrupted. This was ridiculous.

  “With all due respect, your daughter isn’t the good girl you think she is. That is—” He regrouped. “She is a good girl, a great girl, but not the timid wallflower you’ve all made her out to be. And I, for one, admire that kind of strength and confidence. Penn’s audacity is what I love most about her.”

  Her breath hiccupped, and she glanced up at him, but he kept his eyes on her father.

  Love.

  He’d just said love. And that he loved her non-good girl behavior. Her mind whirled. How could that be?

  “I’m her father.” Harold pointed at Cole’s chest and loomed over the two of them in an intimidation tactic. “Are you trying to tell me that you know my daughter better than I do? Better than the man who taught her to ride a bike? To skate? To shoot hoops? To—”

  “Yes. In fact, I do.” Cole’s face and body language were unflinching. He was playing the intimidator as well as her father. “When was the last time you actually sat down and talked to her?”

  Her eyes widened, and her head spun even more. Cole was defending her. Again. He was by her side again. And she was just standing here saying nothing.

  Her father bristled like a porcupine. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, young man. We may not be rich or famous, but we are a family, and we love each other no matter what.”

  A half-laugh, half-scoff shot out of Cole’s mouth. “Yeah? That’s also what I thought families did.” He slid his arm around her shoulders, and she nestled into his protection. “Until I met yours.”