Hard Break (Deadlines & Diamonds, #5) (10 page)

Ian growled and she laughed. She knew just how to push his buttons and, damn him, he always played right into her hands.

“You’re not taking her out. I am. And I need you to hang with the kids for a couple hours,” he said softly, slowing, offering no room for refusal.

She snorted and he pictured her rolli
ng her eyes. “How old are they?”

“Chase is ten,
Sadie is six and Penelope is three.”

“No way. I don’t do diapers.”

“Don’t panic. She’s potty-trained and smarter than both of us. Combined.”

Seconds ticked by with silence on the other line. Ian pulled his Android
away to make sure the call was still connected. Sure enough, it was.

“Come on, Steph!”
a male voice called from her side of the line.

“I’m coming.” She heaved a
gigantic, annoyed sigh. “I’ll do it.”

“Awesome.”

“For one-hundred dollars.”

“Done.”

“Per kid.”

This date er
, non-date, was going to cost him a small fortune. “Done. Be at my house Saturday night at six.”

“Saturday ni
ght?” she whined.

“Three-hundred bucks for one night. You can’t even make that stripping on the side.”

“Fine,” she said in mock resolution. “Gotta run. See you on Saturday. Love you.” The line went dead.

One task down. One to go. At least the easier of the two had been handled. If the next call didn’t go as he hoped, he’d figure out a new place to sweep her off her feet.
 

“’Lo.”

“Hey, Diaz, it’s McCallister.”

“Hey! H
ow the hell are ya?”

“Good. I heard you got a new job?”

“Yeah. It’s cool.” Diaz chuckled, easy-going as always.

Ian didn’t need to approach Diaz with the kid-gloves he’d used with Stephanie, but didn’t want to just between-the-eyes the guy either. And yet… “Hey, I need a favor.”

“What’s up?”

“I want to take a very special lady out on the town.
Somewhere exciting, but quiet at the same time. You know of a spot?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t even pause. “When you lookin’ to do it?”

“Saturday night.”

“Hmm.” That did make him pause. “Saturday is always busy.”

“We’d prefer early. Earlier the better. She has kids.”

“Kids? With
an ‘s’? How many?”

“Three.”

“Damn, a cougar? You dog,” Diaz said.

Although he teased, his buddy’s accusation chafed. “It’s not like that.”

“Of course not.” Diaz cleared his throat. “I’ll have you a table right at opening, ten-thirty.”

“
Perfect, we’ll be there.” 

“Let me know if things change.”

“Will do. Thanks.”

“Later.”

He called up his sister’s info and sent her a quick text.
Change in plans for Saturday. Be here at seven-thirty.

The reply came quickly.
I’m in a movie! C U Sat. <3

With everythin
g in place, Ian thought of the opportunity he’d just granted himself. And Kayla. A night out, without the added stress of dealing with her kids, was exactly what the doctor order. She deserved a little Kayla time. Her kids were amazing and well-behaved, but they stressed her out. How could they not?

And
Ian, no matter how he tried to pretend he’d pulled off the night on the town for her and her alone, was a selfish bastard. He couldn’t wait to see her in the subdued lighting of the club, to buy her dinner and to dance with her. Oh man, the thought of holding her close had him itching to seek her out right now for a touch, a kiss.

Hold up there, rockstar!

He didn’t mean a damn thing to her. Ian should remember that. He liked to pretend he was invincible, but his heart was far from impervious. Especially when it came to the dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty who lived next door.

Eleven

“O
h, Mama, you look so pretty.” Sadie sat perched on the bathroom counter.

“Super pretty,” Penelope agreed, bouncing next to her sister.

It’d been a long time since Kayla had been called pretty. Heck, it’d been a long time since she’d felt pretty. Was she blushing? She leaned in, examining her reflection. Holy crap! She
was
blushing and, if her daughters sent color to her cheeks, she was in big trouble.

“
Why, thank you.”

“I want lipstick.” Penelope smacked her lips.

Sadie giggled when Kayla swiped
Ravishing Red
over Pene’s puckered puss. Sadie leaned forward. “Me too!”

Another swipe. Another pucker. Another laugh.

Kayla’s heart hadn’t been so light in such a long time. Her thoughts drifted to Leon and she felt her eyes sting. She looked into the mirror, blinking away the tears. Redoing her make-up because she got all weepy would only put her behind schedule.

The doorbell rang.
The girls squealed, “Ian! Ian’s here!” and scrambled down, hustling out the door, calling his name.

“It’s not a date,” she told herself.

She could do this, because it wasn’t a date. She wasn’t ready to date, wasn’t ready to let Leon go. But since this wasn’t a date, she didn’t have to feel guilt.

Ian, in all of his goodness, felt sorry for her. The realization should tick her off. But he was right, she did need this. And she could do it.

She could.

Really, she could.

And yet, her feet seemed to be stuck to the bathroom floor. The kitchen she’d understand, but this flesh to tile combo had nothing to do with spilled Kool-Aid and everything to do with the nerves currently turning her to Jell-O.

No matter how she tried to tell herself this night didn’t mean anything, she saw it for the big fat lie it was. Tonight was huge. Tonight, dressed to the nines, Kayla was taking the first step to moving on.

Not that she dreamed of a Prince Charming named Ian. She might be a basket case, but she wasn’t delusional. He was giving her a gift, tossing her yet another life line. And, by damn, she’d accept this one.

She glanced down at her toes, wiggled them, imagined herself peeling her so
le from the tile. A single step would begin this journey. She took a deep breath. A single step became two, then three and four. Before long she stood in her closet in front of rows of shoes. Heels. She smiled. Hooker heels, Leon had called them. She loved her shoes and she hadn’t put on a pair since…

One step.

She leaned up on her tiptoes and carefully pulled a pair of red stilettos. Slipping on one then the other, she added a few more steps to the count. A stupid pair of shoes shouldn’t bring comfort. A pair of four-inch heels shouldn’t ground her. But as she stood in front of the door-length mirror, she finally felt like herself again.

She turned from side-to-
side. The hem flared. She popped her hands on her hips and winked. She smiled and looked constipated. That made her laugh, forming little wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.  

She was Kayla Black. She
felt beautiful, all things considering. And tonight would begin the rest of her life.

She flipped off the light in the closet, closed her eyes for a moment of communion. “I love you, Leon. I will always love you. But I gotta do this. I can’t do sad a
nd pathetic anymore. God, I miss you, babe.” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, opened her eyes and spoke to the empty room. “I miss you.”

T
he kids bounced around at Ian’s feet, playing twenty questions. Each!
Poor Stephanie.

“Where you goin’?”

“When will you be home?”

“How old are you, Stephanie?”

“What’s for dinner?”

“Do you like Dora?”

“Can you cook?”

“Will you let us stay up late?”

Stephanie shot Ian a look that said the three-hundred bucks may not be enough for the torture ahead.

“Where’s your girl?” she asked out of the corner of her mouth. 

Ian had been wondering the same thing. Surely
, she didn’t plan of pulling a no-show. His palms already rivaled a sauna. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black slacks, to nonchalantly remove some of the clammy.

Stephanie leaned in. “Chill. She’s probably trying for a dramatic entrance.”

So much for cool and casual. He bent to whisper a reply when movement at the top of the stair caught his eye, stole his breath.

Kayla clasped her hands in front of her
, shifting from one high-heeled foot to the other. Honestly, she looked scared shitless. He wondered if she’d high-tail it back to her room and lock herself away. Not gonna happen. Nothing would stand in the way of this night. He wouldn’t allow any barricades.

He
stepped forward, but it wasn’t his breathless words stopping the beauty at the top of the stairs.

“Wow!” Chase sighed. “Mom, you look…beautiful.”

Color splashed her cheeks and she looked directly at him. Ian forgot his own name. Happiness sparked in her stare. The joy he felt in that moment made all the effort worth it. He could go home right now and have had succeeded. Kayla was happy. Finally, maybe for only a few fleeting hours, his Kayla was happy.

She walked down the stairs with the grace and
elegance of a queen. Her dark hair cascaded around her shoulders in big curls. His fingers ached to disturb those curls. The red dress she wore made him want to do very naughty things to her. Lots of creamy skin to compliment the flowing red fabric.

Oh hell, he was in serious trouble.
No PG-13 in his thoughts right now and he didn’t expect them to tone down any time soon.

“Close your mou
th,” Stephanie stage whispered before greeting Kayla. “Your son is right, you do look beautiful. I’m Stephanie and I’m gonna hang out with your kids tonight. Anything I should know?”

Ian wondered when his sister had been body-snatched. He watched in complete amazement as Stephanie took instructions for bedtimes, tooth brushing, snacks, dinner,
blah, blah, blah
.

Kayla led the kids into the kitchen.

Stephanie called, “I’ll be right there,” after them. She came up to him, not that he was looking at her, more like looking over the top of her. Damn, Kay had knocked him on his ass and hadn’t said two words to him. Stephanie smacked him in the chest. That caught his attention.

“Hey.” He glared down at her.

“You’d better be careful.” She pointed her finger at him.

He cocked his head. “Careful of what?”

“Dude.” She shook her head. “It’s obvious you’re so in love with her.”

“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. “You already knew that.”

“Anybody with eyeballs in their head can see it. If you don’t want her to clue in, you’d better at least try not to drool.”

“I didn’t drool.” H
e wiped his chin anyway.

She put her hands on her hips. “Ian, I love you and I don’t want you to get hurt. And that woman has the power to break your heart.”

“She doesn’t have any idea how I feel and I have no intention of telling her.”

“Ever?”

“Not any time soon.” Ian rubbed at his chest, soothing the sudden ache that’d blossomed there. “She’s not ready to love anyone besides Leon. I can be patient.”

“And what if she’s never ready to love anyone besides Leon?”

He jerked his chin. He refused to think of that possibility. “It’s only been six months.”

“Fair enough. But how many
more months are you gonna wait around? You should at least be dating. Are you dating?”

“Yeah. I have a date
tonight with an amazing woman.”

“I thought it was a non-date.” She winked
. “I just worry about you.”

“I’m fine.”

Her raised brow and quirked lip spoke her skepticism. “Have fun. I love you.”

“Love you, too
, sis. Thanks for tonight.”

“Hey, I’m o
nly doing it for the money.”

Kayla
wasn’t in the kitchen very long before a chorus of goodbyes accompanied her appearance. She blushed when her eyes met his. “I think I’m ready.”

He offered his elbow and she slipped her arm through his. The simple, innocent contact didn’t bode well for him keeping his hands to himself. Until the last thing she did before closing the door was look at the p
ortrait of Leon hanging on the wall. Talk about shrinkage.

He wanted to make this evening perfect for her. Except if he were being honest with himself, his goals for this evening were selfish,
no doubt about it. Which made him a total bastard. He wanted to show her how wonderful things could be between them.
Dammit!
Stephanie hit the damn nail on the head. His heart stood in the crosshairs and dumbshit he was, he wasn’t even trying to dodge the bright red laser dot on his chest.

“You look gorgeous, Kayla.”

She smiled up at him. He’d never seen her so shy. He imagined that was how she looked twenty years ago, when first dipping her toes into the dating world. Her eyes twinkled in the evening light. She squeezed his arm. “Thank you for everything. You were right. I really needed this.”

Well, at least he got to be right about something. Go him.

He guided her down the sidewalk over to his driveway. He popped the locks on the Mustang and opened her door. She gasped at the long-stemmed rose on the passenger seat. “Is this for me?”

“Yeah, I’m not trying to be romantic or anything like that.”
Liar!
He brushed at his ass for good measure. “I just really want tonight to be special for you.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest. She held on tight. He returned the embrace and savored her as long as she’d let him. Which turned out to be a good minute-thirty. Give or take.
Not that he was counting. She stepped back, took his hands in hers.

“Ian, you’ve already made tonight special and we haven’t even left the driveway.” Her glance dropped down to their hands and his followed. She ran her manicured fingers over his knuckles. “I can’t say that I’m ready to move on romantically.” Her eyes sought his as she clarified. “With anyone. I’m just not there yet.” She shook her head and laughed a little. “Not that you care.” A dainty shoulder shrug. “I guess I just had to say it out loud. Gosh, I sound so lame. Can we just go before I make a bigger idiot out of myself?”

K
ayla hoped the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She’d stood in front of the most gorgeous, kind, sexy man and basically told him she was off limits, when all he wanted was to show her a good time.

She sighed in relief when his dumbstruck
expression turned into a smile. She joined him when he chuckled.

“Kayla, you’re a beautiful woman.
I’m happy to have you on my arm. Let your hair down. Smile. Laugh. Have fun. That’s my only ulterior motive. The only thing I want is for you to share tonight with me.” He waved an arm toward the passenger seat.

She slid in and as he closed the door, she wasn’t sure whether his little speech made her feel better or worse. At least he’d told her she was beautiful. But hell, he wasn’t going to exactly tell her she and
Shrek
were separated at birth. Which they weren’t.

He stood at the back of the car for a while, probably trying to compose himself.
He wouldn’t want to be laughing when he climbed into the driver’s seat. She’d made a complete and utter fool of herself. Seriously, what kind of moron was she? She really should keep her damn mouth shut.

Just because he was taking her out, had given her flowers—no,
a
flower—and told her she was beautiful didn’t mean he’d proposed marriage. Using her thumb, she moved her wedding band around her finger. What the heck was she doing? She really should call the whole thing off right now. She’d already screwed things up and he hadn’t even started the car.

When he opened the door and slid inside she shifted in her seat, facing him. “Look, we don’t have to do this.”

He flinched, but recovered quickly. “If you’re not ready, I’m not going to push you. But I will be really disappointed if you walk back inside.”

She looked down at the delicate red fabric covering her lap. Dang it, she’d be really disappointed too. From the moment Ian mentioned tonight, she’d been excited. She’d never shied away
from a challenge. She wouldn’t start tonight. She pushed Leon out of her thoughts, refused to think of Ian taking one for the team and reached for her seatbelt.

“How fast can this sucker go?”

I
an recognized the deer-in-the-headlights. He wondered if she realized she’d been white-knuckling the door handle. She’d been spooked and he hadn’t even been in the car. Doubts? Ghosts? Didn’t matter. She’d made the decision to stay. He’d make sure she didn’t regret it.