Harlequin Kimani Romance September 2014 Bundle: Seduced by the HeirSecret Silver NightsSomeone Like YouIndulge Me Tonight

by Pamela Yaye

  She’d gone back to her room, fired up her computer and learned everything about him that was online: about his successful family and deep roots in Northern California and about his love of sports and being a member of the college tennis team. In the ten years since their last meeting, she’d conducted an online search from time to time and checked out the images available. There were lots of them, mostly society related, with him attending this star-studded fundraiser or that charity ball, almost always with a stunning model type by his side.

  It was in these moments that she’d push the old crush back to the recesses of her memory, where it belonged. She wasn’t a match for him then, and even now, with workouts, fashion consultants and career success, she still didn’t feel that she was his type. Although the other points were legitimate, having to regularly see and interact with Niko was the single main reason why when Margo first approached her about living in Paradise Cove, let alone running for mayor, she’d balked. It had been enough to keep him off her mind while hundreds of miles apart. But now? Having to not only see him but interact, hobnob and, at times, debate? Really, she’d done some crazy things in her life: zip-lined, parasailed, bungee jumped; she’d even participated in a flash-dance mob in New York’s Times Square. But purposely create a life that had her in constant proximity to her college crush? One who’d gotten even finer in the past ten years? One who by just grabbing her hand had almost brought her to orgasm? What the heck was she thinking?

  There was only one other person on the planet who’d known how Monique felt about Niko during those years, Monique’s college roommate, Emma White. They’d gotten along famously during those years. After graduation, Mo continued on to law school while Emma married her college sweetheart. Distance and lifestyle kept them from regular meetings, but they maintained a close friendship through phone calls and emails. Emma was quiet, smart and filled with a good dose of small-town Midwestern common sense that made her wise beyond her years. Monique felt she could use that type of wisdom right now.

  She looked at her watch. Thirty minutes before my meeting with the farmers association. She pulled into a parking lot and dialed up Emma. Hearing her good friend shout at children in the background made her instantly feel better.

  “Sorry about that, Monique. The holy terrors are placing their emphasis on the last word today.”

  “Ha! In the throes of some imagined story line, no doubt.”

  “You know them too well.”

  “Who are they playing today?”

  “Thor and Odin, this week’s superheroes. I’m trying to convince them to move their battlefield from my living room to the backyard before something gets broken!”

  “Sounds like a plan, and they sound like a handful. How are you, Em?”

  “Currently, I’m under the belief that I’ve lost all semblance of sanity and control.”

  “Why?” Monique asked, with concern.

  “Because as crazy as these boys have made us, we’ve decided to do it again.”

  “Do what again?”

  “Uh, that wasn’t a trick question, Ms. Attorney. Surely you can follow that clue.”

  “You’re pregnant!”

  “Bingo! Now there’s the brain that helped my friend pass the bar first try.”

  “Okay, I’ll admit I’m sometimes slow when it involves family business. Plus, you and Steve swore that you were... How did you guys put it?”

  “Two and through.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And we meant it. But looks like a little sperm wiggled its way past my totally tied tube, joined forces with an errant egg and now Hunter and Cody are about to have a sibling.”

  “Boy or girl?”

  “Don’t know yet, but we’re hoping for the latter.”

  “I’m happy for you, Em.”

  “Thanks, Monique. But enough about me. What’s going on with you?”

  “I guess you could say I’ve lost my mind, too. I took a leave from my job at the firm and am running for mayor.”

  “Oh, my gosh! You’re running for mayor of Los Angeles?”

  “Ha! My goals are lofty but not quite that high. It’s a small town of almost four thousand people in Northern California, called Paradise Cove.”

  Silence. Crickets. For a full five seconds.

  “Em?” Monique looked at her phone. “You still there?”

  “I’m here. And this is the first time I’ve been speechless since Steve proposed to me at the top of a Six Flags roller coaster.” Monique could hear Emma bustling around and imagined that she chewed her lower lip, something her friend was prone to do when thinking. “Okay, first question. Where in the heck did you get such a cockamamy idea to quit your job and run for mayor, and secondly, where is Paradise Cove?”

  “Long story short, it was my godfather’s dying wish. He ran for mayor twice and lost. During one of our last conversations before he passed, he asked if one day I’d give it a shot. To appease him I said yes, but didn’t take the request that seriously. Margo, my godmother, did. When the man who’s been mayor for the past twelve or more years decided not to run for reelection, she called and reminded me of my promise. Paradise Cove is a small yet impressive community in Northern California, a little more than an hour southeast of San Francisco.”

  “What’s the name again?”

  “Paradise Cove.”

  “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “Because over the years it’s one I’ve probably mentioned a time or two as the place where Niko Drake was born and still resides.”

  “Right.” The word came out slowly and dripped speculation. “Very interesting. Do tell me more.”

  “Well, I established residency about a year ago and moved into my condo here a few months later.”

  “A year ago? And you’re just now telling me?”

  “I thought I’d sent a text saying I’d moved.”

  “Yes, and that’s all it said. I assumed it was across town, not out of town, and certainly not to your heartthrob’s neck of the woods.”

  Monique sighed. “I didn’t say anything more at first because I wasn’t sure I’d get the nomination. Once that looked likely, my hands were full with relocating, closing out or reassigning cases and the election. And, by the way, he’s not my heartthrob.”

  Emma chuckled. “No worries, Mo. I totally understand. So you’re the Democratic candidate?”

  “Yes, it’s official as of this past week. I ran a very secretive campaign until I locked up the ticket.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to secure the nomination before officially coming out, thereby enjoying the element of surprise.”

  “Did it work?”

  “For months I’ve been able to quietly campaign under the radar. Now that the announcement has been officially released in the town’s newspaper...we’ll see.”

  “What about the man who you insist isn’t your heartthrob? Have you seen him?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “I totally wanted to jump his bones, though I tried to appear unmoved.”

  The women cracked up.

  “It’s a very small town. I’ll be seeing quite a bit of him from now until the election in November.”

  “Wait a minute. What does Rob think about all this? Did he move, too?”

  “Well, that’s the other thing. We broke up.”

  “No! From what you told me, he seemed like such a nice guy.”

  “He is a very nice guy and will make someone a wonderful partner. Just not me.”

  “What happened?”

  “I loved him, Emma. But I wasn’t in love. Once I made the decision to move to Paradise Cove, I also decided to end a relationship that really wasn’t working.”

  A few seconds passed. Monique imag
ined Emma was digesting this news. “Monique, are you sure that the breakup with Rob wasn’t because of your age-old crush on Niko?”

  “Girl, I’ve already admitted he’s hot, but any type of infatuation dissipated a long time ago.”

  “Hmm, if you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  “Your life is nothing if not interesting. Moves, breakups, running for office. Reconnecting with Niko sounds promising,” Emma cooed, with a smile in her voice. “Rob’s a nice guy, but Niko Drake is a really nice guy, and superhandsome to boot. You guys might even start dating.”

  “Debating, not dating.”

  “Why? Is he married?”

  “Not as far as I know.”

  “Then who knows what the future holds?”

  “Niko is my opponent, Emma. He’s running for mayor, too.”

  “Oh, Lord.”

  “Earlier we held a debate. Our first in over ten years.” She filled her in on the morning’s impromptu meeting. “I must have been crazy to agree to this madness. May my godfather rest in peace.”

  “Let’s not draw any hasty conclusions. This might be just the perfect setting to finally snag the man you’ve been in love with since college.”

  “Emma White, stop the foolishness! I am not nor have I ever been in love with Niko Drake.”

  “Is that why you’ve only dated a handful of guys since I’ve known you, and why you dragged poor Rob along for the past, what, three or four years?”

  It was true. Monique and Rob Baldwin had met at a First Fridays event and bonded over lattes and shared political views. They’d begun dating not so much because Monique was head over heels but, well, because he was a good, decent man and because he was there. She no longer had to worry about who would escort her to office parties or industry events. She had someone with whom to share dinners, movies and occasional trips. He was safe and predictable, which up until Niko Drake had reentered her thoughts had suited her just fine. She’d never admit this truth, of course, not even to herself.

  “Rob is a grown man. Had he been unhappy with our status, he could have left at any time.”

  “Sounds like you were the unhappy one. But—” Monique heard a loud crash. “Monique, I’ve got to go. The boys staged their joust indoors, and once again, as I feared, my china has been the only thing defeated.”

  “I don’t know how you do it. Let me let you go be mommy.”

  “I will, but not before I give you what you called for even if it’s not what you asked for.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Sound advice.” Emma paused, and Monique found herself leaning toward the car’s speaker so as not to miss a single word. She shouldn’t have worried. There were only a few of them, delivered in that no-nonsense Midwestern style that Monique loved.

  “Stop overthinking the situation. If you get a chance at what you really want, take it. And this campaign and your running for mayor is not what I’m talking about.”

  Chapter 4

  Monique was still pondering her good friend’s words when mere seconds later her phone rang again. “Monique Slater.” She looked at her watch and, with only ten minutes before the farmers meeting, started her car and drove out of the lot where she’d stopped to call Emma.

  “Hello, Monique. It’s Niko.”

  The way her body reacted to the sound of his voice was totally unexpected. Muscles tightened in obscure places and butterflies lined her stomach walls. Breathe, Monique. She did, and a good thing, too. Hard to drive a car if one passed out.

  “Niko. I guess it shouldn’t have been unexpected, but I am surprised to hear from you.”

  “You’re right. After asking for your card, hearing from me should have been totally expected.”

  There it was again, those squiggles traveling from her core to her vagina and bursting within. His voice, deep and soothing, swept over her like a Southern summer breeze, causing inappropriate mental pictures to float through her mind. And try as she might to turn away these thoughts and focus on practicality and politics and Paradise Cove, all she could imagine right now was the strong, tall body she’d admired earlier that day hovering naked over hers.

  Shaking her head to rid herself of the images, she spoke with a forced casualness and calm. “What can I do for you, Mr. Drake?”

  The length of his pause made her immediately regret—or was it applaud?—the way she’d worded the question.

  “There are several possibilities that come to mind,” he finally responded, his voice one of professionalism while Monique imagined that his thoughts were anything but. “However, joining me for dinner is my first request.”

  “Thank you for the offer, Niko, but I’m not sure our being seen dining together is such a great idea. We are adversaries, after all.”

  “We don’t have to be. There’s nothing wrong with two people going after the same goal doing so while getting along. It’s one of the reasons I’d like to talk with you. This morning our meeting was unexpected. We jumped into a debate almost before we said hello. I didn’t have the opportunity to congratulate you on your stellar law career or even welcome you to Paradise Cove.”

  Monique reached her destination, a plain, small building in Paradise Valley, a farm community of rolling hills, herds of cattle and, most recently, vineyards, just east of the incorporated town of Paradise Cove. She pulled into a gravel-coated parking lot already filled mostly with Dodge and Ford pickups and SUVs.

  She turned off her motor, checked her phone and saw that the meeting began in five minutes. “I’m heading into a meeting but have a minute or two.” Silence. “Niko?”

  She was rewarded with his laughter, rich and throaty and filled with genuine cheer. In spite of herself she could imagine his smile, could see his sparkling teeth and the hint of a dimple in his left cheek. Today she’d noticed how perfect his lips were, and right now thoughts of what else those lips could do besides form a coherent sentence were about to be her undoing.

  “I like your style. Quick and to the point, straight, no chaser. But I’m more deliberate in my approach and would really appreciate the opportunity to congratulate you in person. Say tonight, around seven or eight o’clock?”

  “Fine,” Monique said, having once again glanced at her watch as two more cars drove up and the occupants went inside. “Text me where you’d like to meet. Eight o’clock is fine.”

  “Thanks, Monique. I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

  She tried to hide it, tried to put on her professional, I’m-totally-in-control face as she entered the open room and began to shake hands. But her insides were smiling as if she’d just won a case. She continued to fool herself and act as though tonight’s dinner was just another necessity on the political trail.

  But deep down, Monique knew better. And if she didn’t...her heart did.

  * * *

  Niko walked to the door of his father’s study, where he’d gone to make the call to Monique in private. Now that he’d done what had been on his mind since arriving at his parents’ fundraiser, coordinated the plans to see her again as soon as possible, he felt that maybe he could totally focus on the dozens of well-wishers milling around to ensure a November win.

  One of Niko’s younger brothers, Terrell, who was also one of the family’s busybodies, saw him as he stepped out of the office and closed the door. “Is it all set?”

  Niko placed his arm around Terrell’s shoulders as they walked toward the great room and adjoining pool and patio area, where most of the crowd had gathered. “Is what all set, brother?”

  “That hot date for tonight.”

  “What date?” Niko removed his arm and gave his brother an innocent look.

  “The one that had that cheesy grin on your face when you closed the door. I saw it. And I know that look, man. It was the ‘I got this’ gri
n,” Terrell continued, using air quotes. “The victory smile when you’re going in for the score.”

  “Are we talking about women or sports? Show respect, son,” Niko replied with a slap on the back, thankful to see his parents as soon as he turned the corner. Terrell’s sure-to-be-sarcastic response would have to wait for another time.

  Niko’s parents, Ike Sr. and Jennifer, were talking to their neighbors who owned several manufacturing plants around the country. Their citizen advocacy organization was one of the largest contributors to Niko’s campaign.

  “We were just talking about you,” Jennifer said, beaming as her son approached.

  “All good, I hope.” Niko shook hands with the husband and hugged the wife.

  “Well, son, that depends on how you feel about locking up the vote from the manufacturers union.”

  Niko again shook the neighbor’s hand, exclaiming, “That’s good news indeed!”

  For the next two hours, he and his family made the rounds, quietly encouraging huge bids for items being sold during the silent auction. His parents went well beyond their goal of raising a million dollars for their son’s campaign. After a short speech and a quick toast thanking the guests for their presence and support, Niko begged off the continued requests for his charismatic presence, citing another engagement. That the engagement was with the very woman this group’s funding would help him beat was—for him—beside the point. Ever since their phone call and her agreeing to dinner, the serious yet sexy Monique Slater hadn’t been far from his mind.

  “Nicodemus!”

  Niko had reached the marble-floored foyer but stopped at the sound of his mother’s voice. Aside from his grandparents and very occasionally his father, his mother was the only one who called him by his given name. And usually only when she had something very serious, or chiding, to convey. He took a breath to prepare himself and turned around.

  “Yes, Mother?”

  “I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow’s Sunday brunch. It’s been almost a year since I’ve had almost all of my children in one zip code, and I want everyone at the table.”