Tempt Me

She was about to turn and leave the doorway when Austin lifted his head, catching sight of her, his dark gaze settling on hers, a warm smile on his face. Her stomach tumbled over at the sight.

“Wait for me downstairs?” he asked her in a sexy, gruff voice. “I want to talk to you.”

She swallowed hard and nodded.

“Mia!” Bailey popped up from her prone position in bed.

Mia waved at her. “Night, Munchkin.”

“Night, Mia,” Bailey said, yawning big afterwards.

Austin encouraged Bailey to lie back down.

Maybe she’d fall asleep easily after all, Mia thought. She watched Austin pull the covers up and over Bailey’s little shoulders before leaning down to kiss her good night.

Chapter Five

What a fucking day today had been, Austin thought, finally getting Bailey down for the night. He hoped. Before he left her room for good, she’d asked for a glass of water, two other stuffed animals, and one more kiss good night. The last one especially hadn’t been a hardship.

He headed back downstairs to talk to Mia, one, because he wanted to see how she was feeling, and two, he felt that as his daughter’s caregiver, she needed to be read into what was going on with Bailey’s mother.

He joined her in the family room, where she sat watching television, her injured hand resting in her lap, and settled into the cushion beside her.

“How’s the pain?” he asked.

“I’m okay. Ibuprofen is covering it for the most part.” She glanced at him through lowered lids. “Thank you for taking me to the hospital today… and staying with me while they stitched me up. I’m not a big fan of hospitals. Bad memories and all that.” She treated him to a sad smile.

“Care to share?” He was curious about Mia, her past and what made her tick.

She sighed. “My mom died of cancer. I was an only child and I spent a lot of time in hospitals until she passed away. Needles, IVs, the antiseptic smell…” She curled a leg beneath her on the sofa. “I’m squeamish and I hate pain, but I was already worked up before the doctor took out the injection to numb me.”

And after the awful hospital stays with her mom, she’d gone to foster care, he thought, a little girl left alone, without a relative in the world to love her. Pain filled him at the thought.

He managed a smile so she wouldn’t think he was pitying her. She was a proud, strong woman and wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment. “I think you handled the whole thing pretty well. Except for the part when you shook in my arms. But I liked being there for you, so it’s all good.” He tried to make light of the situation.

She laughed, which had been his goal.

“I am sorry about your mom,” he said, not wanting to be callous and ignore what she’d confided in him.

“Thanks. It’s funny, the things I remember and those I don’t. I remember what my mom looked like, I think… but not what she smelled like. But I remember the scent and look of the hospital she died in.” Mia shrugged, obviously used to living with the past. “Who knows how memory works.”

“I wish I knew the answer to that,” he said, his tone so deadly serious she jerked her head up to meet his gaze.

“Why?”

He blew out a long breath, wanting to have this conversation, as much for himself as for his daughter. He needed to talk to someone, and both his gut and his heart told him this woman would help him and understand. “Bailey was four when her mother left and I don’t know what she remembers. Does she recall her mom flinging her around by her arm? Hurting her? Leaving bruises?” He winced at the thought, his protectiveness rising as it always did when it came to his daughter.

“Oh, Austin.” Mia placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch both arousing and soothing at the same time. “That has to be so hard for you to wonder.”

He nodded. “It is. And Kayla showed up at my office earlier today.” Just the memory of seeing her, of her smug attitude and lack of caring about their daughter, had him seething all over again.

As if sensing his reaction, she began to massage his shoulder where she touched him, working the muscles with her one good hand.

Her touch was electric, the desire to do more than talk filling him, but the situation needed to be explained.

“What did she want?” Mia asked.

“She handed me a notice of a custody hearing,” he said through clenched teeth. “It was her big shot. She wanted me to know she’s not above taking this all the way if I don’t pay her off beforehand.”

Mia shook her head, her expression one of horror. He agreed. He didn’t know how any mother could bargain over a child.