Just One More Temptation (The Sterling Family Book 4)

The next night, after a long day of running the gallery alone because it was Sylvie’s day off, Clara stayed home again, and Fallon prepared for the twins’ visit. When the door opened and two little tornados of energy came in giggling and chattering, she smiled. Behind them was a pretty woman who strongly resembled her brother, especially in her green eyes, so much like the girls.

“Hi. I take it you’re Fallon?”

She nodded.

“Shannon Powers.” She greeted Fallon with a warm smile. “I’m happy to meet you. The girls haven’t stopped talking about you. I admit to being curious.”noveldrama

“This is the painting we love, Aunt Sha!”

Shannon smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about that too.” She gazed lovingly at her nieces, her lips lifting as she looked at them. “It’s gorgeous, girls.” She refocused on Fallon. “You’re very talented.”

“Thank you,” Fallon murmured.

“Have they worn Noah down yet?” Shannon asked.

“Actually,” she said to Shannon. “I think he’s torn between not rewarding their behavior and giving them what they so desperately want. I admit, I’m sure it’s the bold colors that attract them to it.” And she couldn’t help but be amused by their persistence, probably because she wasn’t a parent nor was she the one who had to make a choice.

Shannon narrowed her gaze as she studied her. Not in an angry way but a perceptive, thinking one. “I believe it’s more than that. You remind them of Charlie in some ways. And you treat them with respect. They like you. A lot. And if you don’t mind my saying so, I think my brother does too.”

On that note, Shannon turned to the girls. “Ready to paint?”

Oh, she was a slick one, Fallon thought, and she liked her even if Shannon’s words made her nervous. A sober Fallon hadn’t yet figured out what she wanted from Noah.

She’d chosen a unicorn with a multi-colored mane for the girls to paint and the session went extremely well. Dakota asked detailed questions about the project while Dylan lost herself in the creative aspect. One of the reasons she’d wanted to open up one night for preteens was to offer a creative outlook and expression. Painting reached all different personalities for different reasons. As the girls worked, Fallon and Shannon bonded over a book they were both reading, and the time passed quickly.

They were just finishing up when Noah arrived, looking harried and rushed as he entered the front door of the painting studio.

He’d loosened his tie, had his jacket over one arm, and once again the shirt sleeves were rolled, showing those sexy forearms. She’d never thought of forearms as sexy before and wondered why she kept noticing it on Noah. She supposed for the same reason when she inhaled, his cologne took her back to Friday night. Everything about the man attracted her.

“Hi, everyone,” he said, his gaze lingering on Fallon before focusing on the twins. “I tried to get out earlier. Girls, how’s it going?”

“Daddy, look!” They each pointed at their easels and he strode over, giving them his full attention. Damned if she didn’t find that sexy as well.

He was a good father. Solid, like hers was, she thought, and found herself smiling.

“Beautiful! Really great job!” The approval in his tone lifted that normally gruff voice. Glancing at Fallon, he gave her a small incline of his head. A thank-you. His approval warmed something deep inside.

Shannon leaned in close. “I think someone likes my brother, too,” she whispered, and before Fallon could answer, she picked up her purse. “Noah, I can take the girls for ice cream and meet you at home. Dakota, Dylan, who wants a treat?” Her words and excited tone preempted Noah from objecting and he narrowed his gaze.

Shannon ignored him. She merely hustled the girls to clean up and get their things.

“I’ll be home shortly,” Noah said, frowning at his sister. “I should make you stay over. They’ll never fall asleep with all that sugar.”

Shannon smirked at him, patting him on the cheek. “You can thank me later,” she whispered.

He rolled his eyes and walked her and the girls to the door. “Be good,” he warned them.

“We’re always good, Daddy,” Dylan said innocently.

“We are. Do you want ice cream?” Dakota asked.

Noah managed a smile. If only he could lie to himself the same way as his precocious girls.

He shook his head because he didn’t want ice cream. He did, however, hope he’d get a taste of Fallon as his sweet treat. “No thanks. Go. Have fun.”

Shannon waved and they walked out the door.

Noah breathed a sigh of relief, then turned, his focus on Fallon. “So.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and he realized she had a streak of white paint on her cheek. He strode over and keeping his gaze on hers, lifted a hand and rubbed her soft skin with his thumb. “Paint,” he said, chuckling.

“I like that sound.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What sound?”

“You laughing. You don’t do it nearly often enough.”

He didn’t? “I laugh with the girls.” He made sure they received all his love and affection. As much as he could give. “As for the rest, life is serious, don’t you think?”

“Sometimes. But sometimes you need to look through a different lens and let yourself enjoy it. Like the night at the bar…” Her voice trailed off and a blush filled her cheeks, the obvious memory of their time in the alley fresh in her mind. And his.

He’d gone to sleep with thoughts of her in his head, dreamed of taking that kiss further, of more than his hand between her slick folds. His cock tented his slacks and he had no doubt if she looked down, she’d notice.

“About that night, I wanted to make one thing clear.”

She looked up at him with wide, golden brown eyes, her lips slightly parted, and he swallowed hard before continuing.

“I didn’t turn you down because I don’t want you. I just wanted you clear-headed. And now that I’ve had time to think, I realize how complicated this could be. I have the girls to consider and they’ve grown attached to you already.”

She bit down on her lower lip and he released it from captivity with one finger, rubbing over the redness there.

“I’ve been thinking too, and I really should thank you for being a gentleman. Though not too much of a gentleman,” she mused.

“The alleyway,” he said, reading into what she hadn’t spelled out.

She ducked her head, a shy smile on her face. Another thing he appreciated about her, her openness and honesty. No airs or fakeness about her. “I should tell you up-front, I’m not looking for a serious relationship. I know what happened with Ezra was a few years ago and I’m over him, but the damage is still there. The ability to hand over my heart easily… I lost that, thanks to him.”

Once again, Noah wanted to find the man who’d used her so carelessly and teach him a lesson. Instead, he could show her that it was okay to trust again by being honest in return.

“I admire your honesty as much as the fact that you know yourself so well.”

She lifted one shoulder. “My mother said I was an old soul back when I was ten.” Her eyes misted and it struck him deeply how much she missed her parent.

It gave him some insight into what his girls might be feeling with Charlie so far away, and the fresh understanding would go a long way toward helping him talk to them when they acted out. As for Fallon, his heart broke for her, and knowing she’d been almost the same age as the twins are now gave him equal appreciation for how difficult it must have been for her to lose her mother.

“Hey. Want to go grab something to eat? I came straight from the office and I’m starving.”

A soft smile lifted her lips. “Buy me a slice of pizza?”

“I didn’t know you’d be a cheap date.” He shook his head, learning to expect the unexpected from her.

She grabbed a leather jacket from a hook in the back and began shutting off the overhead lights, leaving just the sconces illuminating the paintings on the walls. A glance at the closed door leading to the gallery told him that side had already been locked up.

He escorted her out and she took him to her favorite pizza place nearby where she introduced him to the owner, an older Italian gentleman who obviously had a soft spot for Fallon. They shared a small pizza and talked about everyday things. The girls, their antics, how they did in school, and how Fallon fit personal painting into her busy work schedule.

She talked to him about her looking at her boss as a mother figure and how she worried about her son taking advantage of the older woman and even more, she was concerned about her health. Essentially, he got to know Fallon better and vice versa.

After, he walked her to the Uber she insisted on taking and asked her to call or text when she was home, locked up in her apartment, safe.

Noah went home to the twins, only to listen to even more talk about Fallon.