Playing with Temptation (19 page)

“Anybody getting hungry?” Pete asked when they reached Emily and Raina.

“Me, me, me,” Hannah said as soon as Logan put her down. “I want a burger!”

Emily laughed and stood up. “Raina and I will go and get all the fixings ready and on the table while you guys prep the grill and barbeque the burgers.”

Back in the kitchen, Emily provided Raina with a cutting board so she could slice tomatoes while she took a platter of meat patties out to her husband to grill. When she returned, the two of them worked companionably while Emily rinsed lettuce leaves.

“Logan mentioned that the two of you met through Noble and Associates,” Emily said casually as she placed the cleaned leaves into a colander. “But he never did say what you did for work.”

Raina’s stomach tightened and she exhaled a deep breath. The moment of truth had arrived. She’d honestly begun to think that maybe Logan had already told his sister what she did for a living, but obviously not, and she prayed that Emily’s easygoing personality meant she was equally open-minded, because she truly liked her. A lot.

“I own a shop down in Old Town called Sugar and Spice,” Raina said, being deliberately vague in order to see if Emily was familiar with the name.

The other woman tipped her head curiously. “Is that a bakery?”

A small, strangled gust of laughter escaped Raina. Clearly, Emily didn’t venture down to Old Town often. “Umm, no. It’s a boutique that sells adult toys and products.”

“Oh…” She frowned for a moment, processing Raina’s words, then as if finally realizing what she was alluding to, a shocked look transformed her features, and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. “
Oh
.” Then she dropped her voice to a low whisper. “You mean you own a
porn shop
?”

Raina inwardly cringed at the derogatory and demeaning label but managed to remain outwardly calm as she finished cutting the last tomato, then glanced out the kitchen window to make sure that Hannah was still outside before she answered Emily. The last thing she wanted was for the little girl to overhear this conversation.

“No, it’s not a porn shop,” she said as nicely as possible as she washed her hands and dried them on a terry towel, her gaze on Emily. “It’s an upscale boutique that sells sensual products to customers who enjoy using sex toys, or those who want to find other ways to spice up their sex lives and have fun in the bedroom.”

“I’m sorry,” Emily said with a shake of her head, her tone apologetic though her entire demeanor remained stiff and guarded, in a very prim and proper way. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“It’s okay. Really.” Raina managed a smile as she picked up the plate of tomatoes, quickly changing the subject. “Would you like these on the table?”

Emily nodded and glanced away. “Yes, thank you.”

In awkward silence, Raina helped Emily put the rest of the side dishes and condiments on the table. She couldn’t deny that she was disappointed with the other woman’s reaction, but it certainly wasn’t the first time Raina’s business venture had changed a person’s view of her and made them see her in a scandalous light or perceived her as a slut or whore because she sold sex toys for a living.

It was a stereotype she encountered all the time, but she’d hoped that Emily would be different, that maybe she’d even be intrigued by the store and novelty items. Curiosity was so much easier to handle than aversion or distaste, and this situation was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that it was now a big elephant in the room between her and Emily, who was probably trying to come to terms with the fact that her brother was dating a woman with loose morals.

Been there, done that, and she had no desire to repeat that kind of scrutiny, judgment, and criticism. She knew from painful experience that if a man’s family had an issue with her business, it would become a huge source of conflict between her and Logan at some point down the road. His family was extremely important to him, and what she did for a living obviously didn’t sit well with the one person he loved and respected the most, his sister, Emily.

The reminder helped to shore up her emotional defenses and put things back into proper perspective, that this
thing
between them was all about great sex and erotic pleasures until his job was done, which would be soon.

With the table set, the guys brought in the grilled burgers, and everyone sat at the table and began passing around the various dishes to put items on their plates. Emily sat across from Raina and Logan; the other woman hadn’t been able to look Raina in the eyes since their discussion in the kitchen.

Logan and Pete talked about work-related stories as they ate their dinner, and halfway through, when there was a lull in the conversation, Pete glanced at Raina and asked conversationally, “So, what do you do for a living?”

Emily shot her husband a startled look, and dread settled in Raina’s stomach like a lump of lead. She was also more than a little annoyed that Logan hadn’t told either of them about Sugar and Spice, which would have been so much easier than her being subjected to this torture
twice
.

Across the table, Emily’s expression reflected pure panic that a sordid topic was about to be brought up in front of her five-year-old daughter, who was eating her hamburger and at the moment was blissfully unaware of anything else going on around her. To Raina’s right, Pete stared at her expectantly, waiting for a reply, completely unaware of his wife’s distress.

“I…um…” Raina couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

“Raina owns a boutique in Old Town that sells adult toys and novelty items,” Logan provided oh-so-helpfully, keeping his reply G-rated for his niece’s ears.

“
Logan
,” Emily hissed through gritted teeth.

He frowned at his sister’s reprimand. “What?” he asked, oblivious that he’d said anything wrong.

Hannah glanced up at Emily, her gaze inquisitive. “Mommy, what are adult toys?” she asked guilelessly.

“
That’s
what,” Emily retorted, glaring at her brother.

“My bad,” he said, though the corner of his mouth twitched with a grin.

Even Pete looked amused by his daughter’s innocent question.

Emily, not so much.

Hannah tugged on Emily’s shirt to get her attention again. “Mommy, I want to know what adult toys are.”

“They’re toys that adults play with, sweetie,” she said, giving her daughter a bright, and forced, smile. “Just like you have your Barbie Dolls and My Little Ponies.”

Hannah’s eyes widened with excitement. “Can
I
play with
your
toys?”

Emily exhaled a deep, calming breath. “No, honey, they’re for adults only.”

“That’s not fair!” Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, big-time. “I let you play with
my
toys!”

Logan dared to chuckle, which earned him another dark, pointed look from his sister.

“This is so
not
funny,” Emily said, clearly flustered and distressed, and Raina’s stomach cramped even more.

“It is kind of amusing, Em,” Pete said lightly, trying to diffuse the situation and his wife’s exaggerated response. “It’s not as though Hannah
gets it
, and I think you’re making a bigger deal of this than it is.”

Hating that she was the cause of the dissention that had settled over the dinner table, Raina sought to alleviate the strained atmosphere and hopefully distract the little girl in the process. “Hey, Hannah, I would love one of those brownies you made. Do you think you can bring a plate of them to the table for dessert?”

The child’s eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate. “I can do that!” Hannah scrambled off her chair and scampered to the kitchen.

That easily, the little girl forgot all about wanting to play with her mother’s adult toys. Unfortunately, the awkward tension at the table with Emily lingered far longer.

I
f Logan thought
things were strained and cool at the dinner table after his sister’s uptight reaction to Raina’s business, the atmosphere in his vehicle on the drive home was even frostier, and he wasn’t referring to the weather but, rather, Raina’s disposition. She’d become quiet and withdrawn after that conversation, and while he felt bad that Raina had to endure his sister’s backlash, he certainly didn’t want the situation affecting them as a couple.

And yeah, he wanted that with Raina. Them as a couple. A relationship based on more than just hot, mutually satisfying sex. He knew things were moving at lightning speed with her, faster than any woman since Charlotte, but after seeing her interact with his family—Emily’s meltdown at dinner notwithstanding—he realized that he was finally ready to settle into a real relationship with one special woman.

And he wanted that woman to be Raina. She was complex and independent. Strong yet vulnerable. Kind and compassionate despite the horrible things she’d endured growing up with a severely bipolar father and a mother who didn’t have the backbone to get herself, and her daughter, out of such a volatile situation. Instead, Raina had picked up the pieces of her shattered life when her father had disowned her, and carved out a successful life for herself, all on her own, despite the odds.

And sexually, she was every fantasy he’d ever imagined, he thought with a private smile as he merged onto the freeway toward her apartment. A bit of a challenge, definitely, yet uninhibited in her desire and needs. She gave herself over to him beautifully, not in weak-willed submission like other women he’d been with at The Players Club but the kind of ultimate surrender that was so damn fearless and without reservation. The kind of passion that was fueled by emotion and trust.

And he’d bet everything he owned that if he pointed out those things to her, she’d deny every single one. Despite their strong connection, when it came to the two of them beyond their sexual escapades, he sensed she was holding something back that made her wary and cautious with him.

And tonight’s incident hadn’t helped matters in that regard.

He cast a glance at Raina sitting in the passenger seat, her gaze turned toward the window and her hands clasped much too demurely in her lap. She was silent and too damn stiff and closed off, which was something he intended to change. He wasn’t about to end their evening without discussing what was on her mind.

Reaching across the console, he placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re awfully quiet. Are you still thinking about the whole fiasco at the dinner table with my sister?”

She turned her head toward him, her eyes flaring with annoyance. “How can I
not
think about it? Why didn’t you tell them ahead of time what I did for a living so they at least knew in advance?”

He shrugged, kept his eyes on the road, and told her the truth. “It never came up in conversation, and I didn’t think it was an issue.”

“Obviously, it’s a
big
issue with your sister,” she pointed out. “She was completely scandalized. She thinks I sell hard-core porn. She probably thinks I’m a porn star, too.”

Her words were laced with sarcasm, but there was no mistaking the deeper level of hurt reflecting in her tone. “She definitely overreacted,” he agreed. “And I’m betting she regrets the way she handled things—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Raina said, abruptly cutting him off. “I’m used to being judged based on my business. I was just hoping…” Her tone grew soft, then as if realizing she’d been about to reveal something deeper and more emotional, she shook her head of the thought. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

She tried to feign indifference, but he knew better. She might be able to brush things off when a stranger labeled her in a derogatory way, but she was truly upset, as if Emily’s acceptance of her had been important, which he completely understood.

“Emily can be overly dramatic sometimes.” He hated that he was making excuses for his sister’s behavior when she clearly needed to apologize for her lack of finesse, but he also wanted Raina to know how
he
felt about the situation, which was vastly different from Emily. “I don’t care about my sister being a prude about your shop. That’s her problem, not mine.”

“You
should
care,” she said, her tone defensive. “I’ve learned that what a family thinks of me eventually matters to the person I’m dating. A lot.”

There was so much more to her comment, a bad experience he was betting had shaped her way of thinking. “Care to elaborate on that?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “I’d rather not.”

Okay
. Her words didn’t invite further conversation on the subject. He thought about pushing her to talk to him,
to let him in
, but decided that whatever had happened in her past needed to be told when she was ready, and on her terms. Forcing a discussion wasn’t his style. “Maybe some other time,” he said, leaving the dialogue open-ended. “I’ll talk to Emily about what happened tonight.”

“No.” Raina’s reply was immediate and adamant. “Please don’t make this any more awkward than it already is. Just let it go.” When he hesitated, she reached over and grabbed his arm. “
Promise me
you won’t say anything.”