Nicole Edwards - Temptation

“Yes, I made the appointment. Next Thursday.” Lucie stated, scrubbing one of the pans she had used to cook dinner unusually hard.

Cole watched while she continued to attack the pan, clearly some of her emotions were coming to the surface. A moment later he removed the pan from her hand, turning off the water before pulling her into his arms.

“It’s going to be ok.” He promised her; unsure exactly what he was promising. He could guarantee that financially Lucie and Haley would be fine. He could make sure Haley received the medical attention she needed, and that mother and daughter wouldn’t go without food because of the cost. He, however, could not promise that what was bothering Lucie would get easier.

“It’ll never be ok.” Lucie sobbed against his chest. “How does he not even know that it happened?”

The question was redundant, and one Cole couldn’t answer. He knew who she was referring to and he knew it was about the night Haley had been conceived, but he didn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t imagine being inebriated to the point that he didn’t know what he was doing.

Lucie pulled back, wiping her tears with the back of her hands before turning back to resume washing dishes. Cole had other ideas. They needed to sit down.

“Let’s talk. The dishes can wait.”

Surprisingly less reluctant than earlier, Lucie wiped her hands on a nearby dishtowel before heading back to the kitchen table. “Would you like some coffee?” She asked, obviously trying to play the part of a good hostess.

“I’m good. Sit.” He directed her before taking the seat to her left.

After a moment of silence, when it was apparent he was going to have to initiate the conversation, Cole asked the question that had been burning on his mind. “Why did you do it?”

“I didn’t know what else to do.” Lucie started, staring at her hands resting on the table. “I needed the money in order to pay the doctor bills –”

“Not that. I know why you stole the booze.” He wasn’t asking about her recent crime spree of stealing liquor from her employer and apparently selling it for extra money. That was a given. “Why did you keep Haley a secret from her father?”

Apparently the question startled Lucie because her eyes darted quickly to Cole’s before she turned and glanced down the hall. She must have been satisfied because she turned her attention back to Cole.

“He doesn’t remember what happened. At all.” Lucie stressed the last two words.

“That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want to know he has a daughter.” Cole lowered his voice, cognizant of the fact Haley was still within ear shot, even if she was asleep.

“How would he even have time for her? He spends all of his time at the club.”

“You know he would help.” Cole could argue until he was blue in the face, and likely Lucie still wouldn’t change her mind, but he had to try.

“Financially, maybe. But that’s not what she needs.”

He begged to differ, especially if her mother was out stealing just to pay her medical bills. Instead of stating the obvious, he waited patiently until she continued.

“Haley needs a father. I get it. That still doesn’t mean I am going to tell him. He wouldn’t have time for her and quite frankly, I think that would be harder on her than not knowing.”

Reaching out and placing his hand over hers, Cole looked Lucie directly in the eyes. “Listen to me. You need to seriously consider this, Lucie. He deserves to know he has a daughter. It’s only fair to let him make that decision on his own. I know the last four years have been hard on you, but that doesn’t mean it has to continue to be that way.”

“What am I going to say to him? I mean seriously.” Lucie said, clearly exasperated. “Oh, and guess what? Almost five years ago you slept with me, and although I know you don’t remember, you have a daughter? Right. Like that’s going to happen.”

“He cares about you, Lucie.”

“That’s only because I work for him.” She argued.

Cole knew it was time for him to make his exit. He was only making the situation worse, and he couldn’t very well make Lucie’s decision for her. “Think about it, Lucie. That’s all I’m asking.” Standing from his seat, he noticed the relief on Lucie’s face. She didn’t want to continue this conversation, and he would grant her that reprieve.

When he reached the door, he turned back to her one more time, not knowing quite what he was going to say.

“You know him better than I do, Cole. What do you think he would say?”

He wasn’t sure either, but at least she was starting to consider the implications. “I don’t know, honey. I really don’t, but I think you’ll be surprised. The three of you deserve to have a chance to figure it out together.”

Lucie looked at the floor for a moment before she nodded her head. “Thanks for coming by.”

“I’ll see you on Thursday. I meant it when I said I wanted to go to her doctor’s appointment.” Cole tilted her chin so she had to look up at him. “And I mean it, give it some thought. He might be angry at first because you kept this from him, but he’ll come around. And she deserves it, Lucie.”

With a look of clear defiance, Lucie straightened her spine, those chocolate brown eyes fixed on him. “I still don’t know how telling him he’s a father is going to make a damn bit of difference, but I’ll think about it, Cole. Goodnight.”

With that, Cole left. On his way to his truck, he thought about Lucie’s parting words, and he could only hope he was right.

Yes, Cole was sure Kane was going to be livid that Lucie had kept such a life changing secret from him, but in the end, it would work out. At least he prayed that it would.

 “Feel like having dinner with me?” Luke asked Sierra when she answered the phone.

That was Luke, no other greetings, just right to the point.

“Tonight?”

“Can’t think of any better night.”

“Are you taking me somewhere? Or are you cooking for me?” Sierra asked, remembering vividly what happened two weeks before when Luke attempted to make dinner. If she thought about it too much, she might just break out in a sweat.

“Will your answer change depending on what I say?”

“Probably not.” She stated truthfully, infusing a smile into her voice.

“Then my place it is.” He told her, a wicked promise in his tone. “Be here at six.”

“Make it six thirty and you’ve got a deal.” She told him, remembering she had an errand to run that would likely make her late for a six o’clock dinner date, and despite the way her body hummed at the thought, she wasn’t used to making promises she couldn’t keep.

“See you at six thirty.” Luke said, and the phone clicked off.

Unfortunately Sierra wasn’t able to make it by six thirty, but she called Luke and told him she would be a few minutes late so he didn’t worry.

At fifteen minutes after seven, Sierra was pulling into Luke’s driveway only to see a familiar truck parked close to the house. Leary of what was going on, she took her time exiting her car, grabbing her purse and her cell phone. On her way to the door she listened closely to see if she could hear the sound of their voices. The silence that greeted her was either a blessing or an omen, and she wasn’t sure which it would be.

When it came to Luke and Cole, especially with the way things had been between them lately, she couldn’t begin to assume the outcome of any interactions between the two men. When she reached the door, she rang the doorbell and stood patiently as she waited for Luke to appear.

To her surprise Cole answered, looking just as devastatingly handsome as he had the last time she saw him at Sam’s party. Or rather the morning after when he came to pick her up at Luke’s.

“Hey.” Cole greeted, a small smile on his lips.

“Hey.” Sierra was stunned silent by his appearance at Luke’s house. As far as she knew, the two men hadn’t spoken much in recent weeks.

“Come in.” He urged her when she didn’t move forward. “I don’t bite.”

The blush that suffused her face was unavoidable, but she tried to cover it with a smile. “Thanks.”

Once inside, she expected to smell dinner cooking, but to her dismay the house was eerily quiet and the only smells she could make out were those of wood and some sort of lemon cleaner. Her stomach rumbled in protest.

“He’s out back.” Cole shut the door behind her and led the way back through the living room.

Sierra wanted to ask Cole what he was doing there, but then that would sound rude. Obviously Luke invited him. Although the thought hadn’t occurred to her, it wasn’t a completely foreign idea.

When they walked out onto the back patio, she was taken aback. One of the patio tables was set, three plates and utensils to go along with them while overhead, soft lights hidden in the beams of the overhang illuminated the area with a romantic glow. What in the world was going on?

“Don’t tell me you didn’t realize today was Valentine’s Day.” Luke stated firmly when he walked up to her, gently pulling her into his arms before planting a scorching hot kiss directly on her mouth.

Valentine’s Day? No, she had no idea. How had she missed that?

“And tonight is all about you.” Luke whispered seductively in her ear, using his teeth to nip the sensitive lobe before he took a step back. “But before I ravage you, I’m going to feed you.”

Sierra felt as though she had stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone. She had apparently been so wrapped up in work that she had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day and to top it all off, Cole was standing there like this was just any normal day. Despite her confusion, or maybe because of it, heat suffused her. Just what did Luke have planned?

“Dinner will be ready in two minutes.” Luke stated before turning back to the grill. “Cole, can you get the wine and a couple of beers?”

Cole didn’t say a word, he just turned and walked back into the house, leaving Sierra standing there, trying to figure out if this was all just a dream. The evening air was brisk, but the heater that sat on the patio chased away the chill, adding an orange glow to the area around it.

“Can I help?” Sierra asked, trying to pretend she wasn’t flummoxed by the strange things going on.

“Not tonight. You can take a seat and we’ll have dinner on the table in under a minute.” Luke told her as he pulled what appeared to be steaks from the grill, laying them on an extra plate.

She wandered to the table, sitting her purse down on one of the others and took a seat. She felt out of place, and wondered if she should pinch herself just to make sure she was awake. Before she had the chance, Cole returned with a single wine glass, a bottle of wine and two beers.

Apparently the men wouldn’t be sharing the wine, and she was more than fine with that. At this rate, she wasn’t sure one bottle was going to be enough for her.

Along with her confusion, a serious case of nerves had settled over her and her stomach no longer rumbled from hunger. Instead it was churning with anticipation. Yes, anticipation of what was going to come after dinner.

Thankfully dinner didn’t take all that long to consume because yes, she was starving, and apparently Luke and Cole were as well. Either that or they just wanted to get on to the next course. Which she assumed would be dessert. She hoped.

After consuming two glasses of wine, she was feeling a little less anxious and more relaxed. The men didn’t allow her to help clear the dishes, so she sat at the table glancing out over the sparkling dark waters of the pool and listening to the water in the hot tub gurgle gently. And then the moment of truth arrived when both men returned, Luke following behind Cole and closing the French doors gently behind him. They took the seats they had vacated moments before, and Sierra did her best not to look at either one of them. At least not until Luke chuckled.

“What?” She asked, trying to sound normal.

“Are you a little nervous, baby?” Luke asked, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Yes. “Maybe.”

“And why are you nervous?” He asked in complete Luke fashion, fully expecting her to answer truthfully.

“I – I don’t know.” Ok, so maybe that wasn’t the truth, but she hoped it would suffice.

“You don’t know.” Luke said, glancing over at Cole and then back at Sierra. “Well, why don’t I help you to remember?”

Oh hell.

“Come here, baby.” Luke said, his tone gentle, yet commanding, and Sierra found herself doing exactly as he said.