Your Alluring Love (The Bennett Family 6)

I head to the opposite part of the room, where my sister Pippa is watching her twin daughters, Mia and Elena, building what looks like a tower from fist-sized Legos. The girls turned two last month, and I love them to bits. Just as I arrive, they start fussing, clearly losing interest in the Legos. Pippa scoops up Elena, and I scoop up Mia. She instantly calms once she’s in my arms and cuddles against my chest. I kiss her hair, inhaling the scent of her sweet shampoo.

“Spill it,” Pippa says, as we walk to the nearest couch with the girls in our arms.

“Spill what?” I ask with fake innocence. My sister is the family’s matchmaker, and she’s very good at it. She also knows about my crush on Nate, because well… she knows everything.

She flashes me a wicked smile.

“A certain family friend here couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

“He’s also moving to London in three weeks.”

My sister’s hand freezes in the act of rearranging her daughter’s headband. Her smile drops. “Moving? As in permanently?”

“Yep. He’s going to help Blake and me land a spot on his network’s Delicious Dining show while he’s in town, but I’d rather not talk about any of this tonight.”

To my astonishment, Pippa doesn’t insist. As Mia throws her little arms around my neck, clearly looking to cuddle, I happily oblige her, and I’m rewarded with sweet giggles. A few strands of hair fall from my bun. I love family gatherings, but lately, being surrounded by so many happy couples makes me wonder if there’s a lottery out there. Some people find their half, some don’t. With a history of dating running longer than a decade, I also wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong with me, something that makes me unlovable. The thought that I might never have a man I can shower with love, someone to share my life with, carves a hollow in my chest

Mia giggles loudly, grabbing one loose strand in her tiny fist.

“You love me, don’t you?” I ask, rubbing my nose against hers. In response, she tugs at my hair, giggling louder. I decide it means ‘I love you, Aunt Alice.’ But then again, she loves anyone who spoils her.

“I need to be introduced to the younger Bennett generation.” Nate’s voice startles me. I was so wrapped up in my niece’s antics I didn’t see him approach. “Sebastian’s son didn’t seem too impressed with me. I’m hoping to have more success with the ladies here.”

“Of course! So good to see you again, Nate,” Pippa says. She rises from the couch, kissing his cheeks while holding her daughter on her hip.

“How can you tell them apart?” Nate asks with a frown, looking at the two girls. I chuckle because Pippa is always asked that since the girls are identical twins and they both have white dresses tonight.

“I usually dress them differently, but tonight, they only have different headbands. This is Elena. Alice is holding Mia.”

Upon hearing her name, Mia unwraps her arms from around my neck and lifts them in Nate’s direction. The little traitor.

“Can I?” he asks Pippa, motioning to Mia.

“Go ahead.”

Nate takes Mia from me with grace and holy hot bejeezus.

Over the years, I’ve seen Nate in various poses that screamed sexy. Playing soccer—there’s something

incredibly hot about seeing a man score. Doing sit-ups in our backyard without a shirt—it was the first time I daydreamed about tracing those abs of his with my finger, possibly my mouth.

But seeing Nate with a baby in his arms speaks to me on a primal level. Especially when he kisses her tiny head, all loving and protective. I blame being thirty-one for this. My hormones are all over the place. When he reaches to my shoulder to grab the headband that slid off Mia’s head, his fingers linger a little too long at the base of my neck, as if he can’t help touching me. All my senses go into hyperalert, energy zipping through my veins. When he finally pulls his hand back, the spot he touched feels cold. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Pippa grinning as she looks between us.

“By the way, Blake suggested we could meet at Blue Moon tomorrow, talk some more about getting you on Delicious Dining. Do you have time?”

“Sounds good to me. Ten o’clock?”

“Perfect.”

Mia starts fussing, reaching out for me again. Nate kisses the top of her head before lowering her in my arms.

“Where’s your mom? I still have to chat with her. I’ve only wished her a happy birthday since I arrived.” He surveys the room. “Ah, there she is.” With a wink, he takes off.

Clutching the toddler in my arms, I sigh, looking after Nate.

“Don’t forget to breathe when you’re around him,” Pippa says with a grin.

Damn it, I need to gather my wits about me. I’m being silly. This man will never be mine. It’s time to pour a bucket of ice water over that torch I’ve been carrying.