Her Sweet Temptation
Page 10
Scott’s arm brushed Rina’s as he moved closer, not to stake a claim, but as if to let her know he was there for her.
Rina pointed to him. “Scott was showing me the rigging they use to simulate flying in the air.”
Tristan’s brow raised a fraction.
Chloe’s face animated with interest. “Really? Did you try it?”
“Yes.” Rina looked to Scott and shared a smile with him. “I could have stayed up there all day long, but I’ve got things to do and he does, too.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Chloe frowned in disappointment. “We haven’t talked in forever. We really have to make time to catch up with each other.”
“No time like the present.” Tristan glanced from Rina to Scott. “What are you two doing later today?”
* * *
Rina took two casual dresses from her closet and tossed them on the bed. Blue and blue. When had her wardrobe become so boring? What had possessed Scott to say yes?
When Tristan had mentioned joining him and Chloe for an early dinner, she’d been ready to back up Scott’s no, but instead he’d asked what time they should show up and should they bring anything. And just like that, their quiet night alone figuring out where they were headed in their new relationship was going had leapfrogged to date night. Philippa would cry with laughter when she told her, but there was nothing humorous about the situation. Scott and Tristan’s gripping handshake and that eye-to-eye stare. What was going on with them?
Rina chose the floral midi dress on the left with thin shoulder straps and got dressed. After almost putting her eye out with the mascara wand and blotting off more of her berry lipstick, she slipped on a pair of cute wedge heel sandals, grabbed her purse, and left.
She arrived ten minutes early to pick up Scott at the guesthouse. Instead of waiting for him to come down, she tucked her purse underneath the seat, locked the car, and went up to the second floor.
A short time after she knocked, he answered. Faded jeans encased his long legs and he wore high-tops instead of boots. His untucked pale-blue button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up near his elbows made his eyes more blue than green.
“Hey.” Scott motioned her inside. “I just need to grab my wallet and my phone. Am I late? I must have lost track of time.” He walked to the dresser.
The clean smell of soap and his cologne hung in the remnants of steam from the corner bathroom. That, his slicked back damp hair, and the white towel lying on the navy comforter filled her mind with images of him in the shower. It took more than one mental shake to make them go away.
Rina walked further into the room. “No you’re not late. I’m early. I thought we should talk.”
His phone chimed and he snagged it from the dresser. As Scott stared at the screen, he frowned. “About what?”
“This cookout with Tristan and Chloe. You don’t have to go. I know you might feel obligated.”
His head snapped up from his phone. “Obligated?” Scott set down the phone and walked over to her. Just as she went to explain what she meant, he cupped her cheek and captured her mouth. He took his time exploring, teasing, chasing until her knees grew weak.
Scott pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Did that feel like obligation to you?”
“No.” It took effort for her not to lean in for another kiss. “But still, I need you to know you don’t have to do this just because Tristan was acting overprotective.”
“I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing this for us.” He led her to the dresser, leaned back against it, and drew her between his legs. “You and Tristan are close. Things need to be good between the three of us if you and I are going to enjoy the time we have together. And as far as him being protective, I get it. If I’d driven up on some guy I only knew in passing kissing my sister, I’d want to get a read on him, too.”
“And your sister? If she were here, would she go out of her way to pull me aside to get a read on me?”
“Wendy?” A chuckle shot out of him. “Hell yeah. I’d probably have to stop her from running your fingerprints for a background check.” He kissed the back of her hand. “It’s a good thing that he cares about you so much and wants to know what’s going on.”
That was a good question that they should probably clear up before going to Tristan’s. “Us spending time together. What does that mean now that we’re a little more than friends?”
“What more means is up to you. I’m just glad that I get to kiss you. It was tough holding back.”
He held her by the waist and she rested her hands on his shoulders. “Why did you?”
“Because you wanted to be strictly friends and I was respecting that.”
The sincerity in his eyes made her heart swell and stir desire. It was so darn easy to want more with him, maybe too easy, and that part battled inside of her. But his ask was straightforward—let’s spend time together. She’d complained about the drama in relationships. Maybe this time, she was taking something simple and making it more dramatic than it needed to be. And doing that was also a huge distraction. She liked Scott, a lot, and it was more of a disruption in her life to keep denying it.
Rina took a step closer and her thighs brushed against his. “While you’re here, I want us to be able to enjoy being together. No holding back.”
“I like the sound of that.” His gaze moved down to her wedge heels and back up to her face. “I should have said this when you first walked in. You look beautiful.”
The same level of desire simmering inside of her was in his eyes. “Thank you.”
Just as they started to lean toward each other, his phone chimed. As he glanced down at the text bubble on the screen, his expression grew a tad irritated. Instead of taking a moment to respond, he snatched it up along with his wallet. “We should get going.”
Outside in her SUV, he sat in the front as a passenger and she drove.
Along the four-lane road, houses were interspersed with cows and horses grazing in pastures and farmland.
Scott stared out the side window. “How far away is Tristan’s place?”
“Not far. About twenty miles.”
“That’s not a bad commute, living out here. In LA, twenty miles would be a totally different story.”
“True, but Tristan doesn’t always commute. He splits time between here and his cottage on the property. When he’s working late or has an early morning meeting, it’s easier for him to stay there instead of driving home.” Rina moved to the left lane, accelerated past a couple cars and glided back in. “But if Chloe starts spending more time in Maryland, I’m sure he’ll adjust his hours and spend more time with her out here.”
“This is a nice area.” Scott settled back in the seat. “Didn’t I read somewhere that your family home used to be on the property?”
“Yes. It was right where the guesthouse is now.”
“Was it hard to see it torn down?”
The question wasn’t reflective of what had become their usual lighthearted banter, but it was a legitimate one. The image of the large two-story home that had once existed came into her mind. By the time she’d moved out six years ago, both her parents were gone and Tristan was still in the army. The house was no longer the vibrant welcoming space where she, Zurie and Tristan had grown up. Every room, corner and tiny space was just a shell, void of the happiness they’d once shared as a family, and highlighting all they’d lost.
“No. It was time to move on.” Rina glanced at Scott. “Where did you and Wendy grow up?”
“A few places. Before my parents divorced, we lived in New Jersey—a nice house in a middle-class neighborhood. After they split up, my mom moved closer to her family in Connecticut. My dad eventually moved to North Carolina with his new wife. After that he moved every time he got married, Georgia, then where he is now in Florida.” He huffed a chuckle. “But that could change now that he’
s marrying again. I think she’s from Maine or maybe Vermont.”
His dad had been married four times and was about to make it five? Was her math right? That was interesting. “Is the wedding soon?”
“Very soon.” Scott’s expression remained impassive.
Curiosity needled her but he didn’t elaborate. “Did your mom remarry?”
“No. She’s happy at her dream job. She’s a curator for a museum.”
A short time later, Rina turned onto a gravel road that joined with a long paved one. It cut through an expansive area of neatly clipped grass bordered with trees and ended at modern two-story with a double-pitched roof, beige brick, blue siding and white trim.
She pulled to the side of the house and parked on the left outside of the two-car garage.
They got out and Scott let her precede him as they walked down the light stone path to the front porch.
A small bit of jitters went through her as she rang the doorbell. This was her first time socializing with Tristan in a couple’s situation.
Scott laid his hand on her lower back and gave her a wink.
Chloe opened the door and greeted them with a huge smile. The heavy makeup was gone and she’d changed into a casual peach sundress. “Come in.” She stepped back and let them inside. “Tristan had to run to the store. He should be back soon.”
The last time Rina had been in Tristan’s place it was mostly empty. As Rina walked inside with Scott, an exclamation of surprise slipped out as she took in the updated cream-walled dark-wood space. “Oh, this is lovely. Did you do all of this?”
Chloe smiled as she shut the door behind them. “I added a few touches here and there, but Tristan’s been involved with every decision. This is his house. I’ll give you the grand tour.” She pointed left. “Tristan decided to turn this into a sitting room instead of a formal dining space.”
An overstuffed oat-colored couch with colorful paisley pillows sat against the wall facing the window overlooking the porch and the front lawn. Potted rubber tree plants in brass pots and glass-topped furniture were the perfect unobtrusive accents.
“We also made a few changes in here, too.” Chloe led them forward past the beige carpeted steps to the expansive open living room with high ceilings.
It was embraced by light coming in through the windows in the front and the large sliding door and windows on the opposite side. A patterned rug, oatmeal-colored side chairs and a dark-wood coffee table complemented the sapphire-blue couch that Rina recognized.
“A few changes?” Rina huffed a laugh. “These are major. It’s no longer a guy cave with just a couch and a flat screen television.”
Scott chuckled. “And the problem with that was?”
Chloe’s laugh and expression reflected exactly what was in Rina’s mind. Typical guy.
“Wall art is the next on the list of things to buy.” Chloe’s cell phone rang on the coffee table and she picked it up. “It’s my agent. I need to take this, but keep exploring, and definitely check out the office.”
Rina led the way down a small hallway to the right of the stairs into what had once been an empty room. Now it was a true working space. A wood desk and a comfortable-looking black leather desk chair faced a window, but the most striking additions were the three large picture boxes containing photos hanging on the wall behind the desk.
Scott walked behind the desk chair to get a closer look at the one on the left. “Is this you?”
She joined him, staring up at a collage of pictures of her younger self, dressed in English riding gear with her horse. Noble Wind.
Many of the pictures showed her and the gelding with white above its hooves and a star shape on its forehead soaring over fences in a competition. Others showed her standing next to him. One was of her at seventeen smiling with an arm affectionately wrapped around his neck as she held a first place prize ribbon. That was the start of a winning streak. One that hadn’t changed her life as expected.
As she reached up and stroked near the photo of her and Noble Wind, sadness swelled in her chest. She looked away from it to the middle picture box. That one was filled with photos from Tristan’s bull riding days. In the center of it was a belt buckle she recognized. Tristan and his father had won it in a team calf roping competition over a decade ago. It was the first time they’d ever done anything like that.
The far box on the right showed Zurie barrel racing. She’d been such a superstar back then.
All three of them had experienced some level of success in competitions, but then life had thrown them a curve. Her and Zurie’s mother lost her life in a car accident. When their father inexplicably passed away in his sleep years later, many believed he’d died of a broken heart because not having his childhood sweetheart by his side was too much for him to take.
More emotions—sad but also loving—welled inside of Rina. In between losing her parents, she’d been in the accident with Xavier. That period of losing her mom, being in her own accident, then having her father pass away had been the decade from hell.
As if sensing an explanation of the photos was too much for her to share right then, Scott stood with her in companionable silence.
Movement at the door drew their attention.
As Tristan walked in, he nodded to Scott then looked to Rina. “What do you think?”
Swallowing past the slight lump in her throat, she smiled. “These are amazing.”
“They were in my father’s memorabilia collection.” Tristan’s gaze met hers and she saw what he wasn’t saying aloud. His father’s second wife had almost made off with the collection that had not only contained priceless family mementos but valuable ones, too.
Scott glanced at the blank wall. “What’s going over there?”
“Lots of new memories, I hope.” Tristan’s gaze shifted to Chloe standing in the doorway, and they exchanged soft loving smiles. He shifted his attention to Scott. “So has Rina showed you her collection, yet?”
“Collection?” Scott looked down at Rina. “Where’s your stuff hanging up at?”
“Hanging?” Tristan barked a chuckle. “She’s got a stack of scrap and photo albums that are probably taller than she is.”
Chloe giggled. “But don’t worry, she’ll break you in by showing you only four or five of them like she did with me.”
“Hey,” Rina interjected unable to stop a smile. “I only brought out three of them and I served you cocktails.”
“True.” Chloe laughed. “Speaking of cocktails, we should have some.”
Chapter Seventeen
Close to an hour later, the four of them sat at the round patio table under an umbrella in the middle of the back deck that extended along the sides of the house.
The stunning view of acres of land in the back that included a small horse arena and small stable added to the relaxed atmosphere. Conversation flowed freely while they ate chicken kabobs, steak and salad.
Chloe and Scott traded experiences working on movie sets—they both agreed Shadow Valley’s director, Holland Ainsley, set the tone for a professional environment they appreciated.
Tristan asked Scott how he became a stuntman, and that segued into both of them sharing about their time in the military, as well as a little trash talk about army versus navy football. After some prompting, Scott had fessed up about which shows and movies he’d worked on in the past, many of which Chloe, Rina and Tristan were familiar with or had watched.
Rina answered Chloe’s questions about how things were at the cafe. She didn’t mention the Gwen’s Garden contract, and if Tristan knew about the loan issue, he didn’t let on. The topic of Scott helping her out with repairs came up. Upon discovering Scott’s plumbing knowledge, Tristan asked for advice on a minor issue he was having with the hot tub on the corner of the deck.
During a lull in the banter, Chloe nudged Tristan. “We forgot dessert.”
Scott reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Is there a place nearby? I’ll make a run if you tell me where to go.”
“No.” Chloe waved away the offer. “You’re our guest. Relax.”
A pie recipe Rina had tested that morning after her Peter Pan experience in the barn sparked inspiration. “What about the fresh berries I saw in the fridge? I could make something with that.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Chloe asked. “You’re our guest, too.”
Rina stood. “Don’t worry about it. Show me what you’ve got.”
Inside the beige-countered kitchen, Chloe opened the fridge and gave her the two small containers that were inside of it—one with blackberries, the other with raspberries. “Oh wait. I think we have sugar cookie dough. We could just bake those.”
“Or I can make something with the cookies and the berries.” Rina peeked over Chloe’s shoulder. “And that carton of heavy cream on the top shelf. What about the blackberry wine you mentioned picking up at the winery. Can I use some of that, too?”
“Sure. I’ll open a bottle.” Chloe grinned. “If you’re adding that to it, whatever you’re making will have to be good.”
“We’ll see.”
After Chloe opened the wine, they worked together, baking the frozen sugar cookies and whipping the heavy cream.
As they waited for the cookies to bake, Rina peeked out the small window in the kitchen.
Tristan and Scott had taken care of clearing the table and were now walking toward the arena. They were deep in conversation. What were they talking about?
Chloe joined Rina. “I’m glad you two came over. I’ve seen Scott around but I haven’t gotten a chance to really talk to him until today. I like him.”