Slow Burn (Dynasties Seven Sins #7) - Janice Maynard Page 0,7

way down her spine, she knew she was in trouble.

Reluctantly, she dragged her attention back to the present. Emma was bouncing with glee that her favorite babysitter was coming over. Nella was a college-aged woman who lived just down the street. She had five brothers and sisters and was no stranger to caring for little ones. Nella adored Emma and the feeling was mutual, so Nikki was free to have dinner with Jake.

Despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn’t squelch a little flutter of anticipation. As she showered and changed, she vacillated between fear and excitement.

She had known this day would come eventually. But not like this.

Since giving birth four years ago, her social life had been mostly nonexistent. The only remotely suitable outfit she owned for having dinner with Jake Lowell was a sophisticated black pantsuit that she paired with an emerald silk chemise and spiky black heels. She left her hair down and added a spritz of her favorite perfume. She probably shouldn’t be dressing up at all, but maybe deep down inside she wanted Jake to see what he was missing.

The scent was for her benefit, not his. She needed a confidence boost.

He arrived at five thirty on the dot. Nikki didn’t give him a chance to come inside. She hurried out to the car, almost tripping on the sidewalk in her haste to keep him from seeing Emma again. She would protect her baby girl at all costs.

Jake hopped out and opened the passenger door of the sinfully luxurious roadster he was driving while in New Jersey. When he helped Nikki in with a hand under her elbow, she was wrapped in the smells of soft leather and warm male.

She was glad when Jake closed the door and went around to the driver’s side, though it wasn’t much of a reprieve. The car’s interior was intimate. With every breath, she inhaled him. Not that his aftershave was overpowering. In fact, she wasn’t sure he wore any. She might only be smelling soap on his skin.

Either way, she was susceptible to his considerable appeal.

“Why did you change clothes?” she asked. He now wore a conservative dark suit, though most restaurants seldom enforced any kind of dress code these days.

He shot her a cautious grin. “Because I knew you would look nice. You always did enjoy sprucing up for an evening out.”

What could she say? He was right about the old Nicole Reardon. That teenager had owned two closets full of designer clothes. Nikki had lived in a pampered world that seemed a lifetime away.

Intentionally, she drew his attention to the night that had gone so well and ended so badly. “Things are different now. In Atlantic City I was wearing a cocktail waitress uniform when I ran in to you. Not exactly haute couture.”

He shrugged, his sideways glance filled with dark male interest. “I can’t say that I noticed. I was more interested in getting you out of whatever you were wearing.”

That shut her up. He was right. They had both been intent on one thing. The results had been spectacular.

Tonight, Jake had made reservations at an upscale seafood restaurant with white linen tablecloths and plenty of candlelight. The ambiance made Nikki the slightest bit uncomfortable. She and Jake weren’t a typical couple. And they certainly weren’t celebrating anything.

Once they were seated at a table overlooking a small manmade lake, Jake gave her his undivided attention. But his face was hard to read. “Thank you for coming. I know this was last-minute.”

“My sitter was available. It worked out.”

“Good.”

The conversation was painfully stilted. Memories of the last time they had been together swirled beneath the words. “Do you think about Atlantic City?” she asked quietly.

His jaw tightened. “Don’t be coy, Nik. Of course I do. We hadn’t seen each other in a decade, and there you were. Wearing one of those provocative outfits. Your legs were about a million miles long.”

The flash of heat in his eyes told her he remembered everything. She hadn’t been sure until right now. For her, the night had been a watershed moment, the culmination of all her girlish fantasies. But Jake was a man of the world. She had assumed their tryst was another notch on his bedpost.

“It seemed to embarrass you,” she said hesitantly. “That I was working as a waitress in a casino. You acted very odd at first.”

He nodded slowly. “I was startled. I’ll admit it. I went to Atlantic City for some fun. Just a quick flight