Deep down, she knew he was right. She also knew that being with him would be so wrong.
The only reason Nicole slept well that night was because she was exhausted. When she awakened in the morning, Joel was already back in the playroom. She hugged him tightly and learned he’d already eaten breakfast, but he was eager to play with all those new toys. The doorbell rang and the housekeeper, Carol, announced the arrival of the first mother’s helper candidate.
Hours later, after intermittent breaks to check on Joel, Nicole had interviewed all three candidates. She still felt reluctant to choose one of the three applicants. It seemed to underscore her departure as Joel’s primary caregiver.
Maddie called to ask what her decision was and Nicole told her she wanted to sleep on it. Maddie also informed her that Rafe probably wouldn’t be home tonight. Yay, thought Nicole. By dinnertime, Joel was exhausted and needed to settle down. Nicole read two books to him and he fell asleep during the second book. She almost nodded off herself.
Giving a silent whisper of thanks that Rafe hadn’t come home, she gave in to the temptation to take a dip in the Jacuzzi next to the pool. For just a few moments, she told herself. Then she would go to bed and sleep like a baby.
She pushed the button to turn on the jets and slid into the steamy, bubbling water with a sigh of appreciation. Since she’d stepped into the role of mothering, she’d pushed aside any kind of sensual pleasure so that she could care for Joel. He was more important than visits to the spa, more important than massages or facials, or even a long bath. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed a good soak, how rejuvenating it could be.
Rafe arrived to a quiet house. As he entered the foyer, he heard only the ticking of the grandfather clock he’d requested that Maddie purchase. The sound reminded him of a similar clock in the house his parents had rented in Philly.
A yawning edginess scraped across his nerves. He grabbed a bottle of water. He climbed the stairs to the second floor, checked on Joel as the boy slept peacefully. Rafe had missed the kid today. He walked into his master bedroom and prowled the large suite, glancing outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Spotting Nicole in the lit Jacuzzi next to the pool, he stared. Leaning her arms against the first step of the whirlpool, she rested her head backward against the side of the concrete perimeter.
From his window, he saw her slick, shiny breasts encased in a black bathing-suit top. He wondered what she wore below, wishing she were completely naked. What he would give to take off that black little scrap of material and caress her with his hands and mouth. What he would give to slide bikini bottoms down her long, lithe legs and learn all her secrets.
Feeling the drumbeat of arousal in his blood, he stripped off his clothes and put on a swimsuit. His first instinct was to go nude, but he didn’t want to frighten her away. Grabbing a towel, he headed downstairs and made his way to the hot tub.
He found her with her eyes closed and the steam rising around her, her hair slicked back, and he stepped into the tub. Her eyes flashed open and she sank deeper into the whirling bubbles.
“Rafe,” she said. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I just got here. You made it look irresistible.”
“I probably should have simply gone to bed.”
“Why?” he asked, his gaze dipping to her cleavage.
“I was tired.”
“So you decided to take a relaxing dip in the Jacuzzi. That’s why it’s here.”
She inhaled and let out a long sigh. “I guess you’re right. I’m not used to treating myself.”
“Maybe that’s something you should change.”
She shook her head. “Too much to do. When I get back to Atlanta, I’m sure I’ll have a ton of work waiting for me.”
“No need for you to rush back to Atlanta. You’re doing something very important for Joel right here,” he said. He wouldn’t tell Nicole what he had planned for her and Joel yet. He knew he needed to break past several barriers before she agreed to his plan of staying at his place for Joel’s security and for Rafe’s pleasure.
“I know that,” she said in a quiet, pensive voice.
“You’ve done a good job with him,” he said.
“Thank you. He’s a little shy and hesitant sometimes, but—”
“I noticed that. I think a karate class would be a good idea for him.”
Nicole stared at him, splashing as she sat up. “Karate? He’s too young for that. Besides, I’m very firm about teaching him to be nonviolent.”
“Karate isn’t violent,” he said, surprised at her reaction. “It teaches discipline, physical fitness, self-control. All that fosters self-confidence.” He remembered a time when he was young that his physical fitness had felt like the only thing he could control in his life. “You don’t have him involved in any sports, do you?”
“No. I planned to enroll him in T-ball in the spring.” She shook her head. “I can’t agree to karate at this young age.”
“He’s A Medici,” Rafe said. “At some point, he may run into people who, for whatever reason, resent me. I want him to be able to defend himself.” He paused a half beat. “Maybe it would help if you learned some self-defense techniques for yourself.”
“Me?” she echoed, aghast. “Why would I want to do that?”
“So you could understand why I think this is a good idea for Joel.” He shrugged. “I could teach you. I’m a black belt.”
She met his gaze and a slice of fear cut through her eyes. “A black belt,” she said, looking slightly ill. She shook her head. “I’m not really interested in learning karate. In fact, I’m really exhausted at the moment. I’m going up to bed.”
She rose from the tub, the water dripping down the porcelain skin of her lean frame. She looked like a goddess rising from the water. He rose to his feet and noticed her swaying movement.
He immediately shot out his hands to steady her. “Are you okay?”
“I guess I got a little too relaxed.” Her gaze dipped to his shoulders and chest then she blinked and looked away. In that second, he’d seen her covert admiration of his body. That Nicole, with all her reservations against him, was suffering a little lust in her heart gave him a rush. Touching the wet, naked skin of her waist made him hard.
“Let me help you out,” he said, guiding her up the steps and grabbing her towel on the chair. He wrapped it around her and gave her arms a gentle squeeze. “There. Better get you inside or you’ll get chilled. It’s warm tonight, but not that warm.”
While she stepped into a pair of flip-flops, he grabbed his own towel and gave himself a cursory rubdown. He ushered her inside the house and she stopped just inside the door.
“I’m okay now,” she said in a low voice that made him wonder if she would sound that way in bed. “Thanks. And good night.”
He watched her walk away, his gaze latching on to her bare legs and shoulders. Curling his fingers into a fist, he felt a punch of desire that surprised him. She was beautiful and classy, but so were other women. He liked the way she defended Joel like a mama bear. Her combination of toughness and sensual softness mesmerized him. He couldn’t remember aching for a woman with such fierceness. Was it because she was turning him down?
The truth was Rafe didn’t usually get turned down. Hell, for the most part, he didn’t even have to ask. Women came to him, and they all knew he wasn’t looking for anything serious or