Gia decided not to tempt fate, or Beckett, and wore yoga pants and a long sleeve wrap sweater in a safe, bland gray to dinner.

When she announced they were having dinner at Beckett’s, Evan had shot her a skeptical look while Aurora immediately ran upstairs to find her shoes.

They trooped across the stretch of grass from their front door to Beckett’s back. He was waiting for them in the kitchen and let them in before Gia had a chance to knock. He’d changed too, she noticed. Gone was the dark suit she’d been tempted to wrestle him out of and in its place he’d donned a pair of chinos and a lightweight sweater with the sleeves shoved up to his elbows.

He sent her a warning look when he caught her studying the way the soft navy fabric stretched across his broad chest and shoulders. Gia gave him an embarrassed smile and slipped off her shoes inside the door.

“Thank you for having us over for dinner,” she said, politely. As her lips quirked, she was painfully aware of what her mouth had been doing half an hour earlier.

Beckett sent her another smoldering glance before answering. “Thanks for coming over. I needed help eating all this pizza.”

Evan perked up. “Pepperoni?” he asked.

Beckett’s eyebrows winged up. “Is there any other kind?”

“There’s cheese,” Evan reminded him, toying with the dishtowel on the counter he leaned against.

“I got one of those, too.”

“I want cheese, Bucket,” Aurora said, wrapping her sweet little arms around his legs.

Beckett leaned down and picked her up. “Are you vegetarian?” he frowned.

Evan snorted and Gia let Beckett explain an admittedly slanted view of vegetarianism while she scoped out his kitchen. The daughter of a restaurateur was required by DNA to place great value on that particular room in the home. Gia considered herself to be a creative, reliable cook. The kids only really complained when she went too far toward the creative side. Like with last week’s Thai coconut soup.

It was a large, airy kitchen, most of which had been modernized, but one wall of original glass-fronted cabinetry stoically stood the test of time. He’d gone with dark cabinets and glossy marble everywhere else. The upper cabinets, that at one time flanked the sink, had been removed to allow for a large window overlooking the backyard.

A worn butcher-block island, lit by a pair of oil-rubbed lanterns that hung from the tin tiled ceiling, dominated the center of the room. Judging from the stack of law journals and other mail, she imagined it was where Beckett took most of his meals.

The mosaic tile floor extended into a cozy breakfast nook on the other side of the back door. There he’d chosen a round pedestal table in black surrounded by armless chairs covered in a creamy white upholstery.

Gia made a mental note not to let Aurora and her pizza fingers anywhere near those chairs.

Beckett enlisted their help in carting plates, glasses, and utensils into the dining room. Gia tried not to gape, but every room she walked into was more magnificent than the last. The dining room had high ceilings and glass-front built-ins in two corners. A small fireplace with marble surround occupied the space between the room’s two windows. An honest to goodness chandelier hung over the long, rectangular table.

“How many fireplaces do you have?” Gia asked.

“A lot. Would you like a tour?” Beckett offered.

“Yes, please,” she said, clasping her hands together.

As he led the way from the dining room into a parlor at the front of the house, Gia tried not to admire how well his pants fit from the back or remember how solid his chest felt under her hands.

The parlor had tall windows with built-in seats on two walls. There was another fireplace in the same marble. The spectacular wood trim here was painted a dark navy and complemented by blue and gold fleur de lis wallpaper. Beckett had filled it with small, comfortable couches that flanked the fireplace. A wide, cozy chair was tucked into the round turret in the front corner. Several houseplants took up residence on shelves and tables.

It was a romantic room. One she could imagine whiling away the hours with a good book and hot chocolate while snow fell outside.

They wound their way through the first floor, moving on to the three-story staircase in the foyer and then the main living room, a mirror of the parlor. Yet another fireplace here, but Beckett’s big screen TV and entertainment center were the focal point. Through the door on the far wall, Beckett showed them his office area with library and waiting room.

Gia could tell this was the heart of his home. In these rooms he served his community and his clients day in and day out, hoping to make all their lives a bit better. It was part of her attraction to him, she admitted. The pure goodness in him was turning out to be as intriguing as the bad boy vibe she’d fallen for years before.

“Pizza should be here in a minute, but I have something else I can show you upstairs,” Beckett offered. “It’s kind of awesome,” he warned Evan.

Gia bit the inside of her cheek. Going anywhere near Beckett’s bedroom would spell disaster. “How about I wait down here for the pizza and you can take the kids up?” she suggested.

Beckett’s heated gaze bored into her. He knew exactly what she was avoiding.

“Money’s on the table by the door,” he said with a wink. “You guys want to see what’s upstairs?”

Evan was already halfway up the stairs. “Is it an arcade?”

“Do you have a room for me, Bucket?” Aurora asked, grasping his hand as she took the stairs one at a time.

Right on cue the doorbell rang. Gia was surprised to find one of her yoga students clutching a tower of pizza boxes and bags.

Ruby was a gangly seventeen with choppy auburn bangs and a tiny stud in her nose. She helped out on her family’s farm in the mornings before school and could nail some incredibly advanced yoga poses.

Ruby’s brown eyes widened. “So you’re the reason Beckett ordered enough food to feed an army,” she said. “We thought he was having his brothers over.”

Gia grinned. It was probably a bit of a disappointment for Ruby to not be delivering to three of the best-looking men in Blue Moon. “Beckett’s feeding me and my troops tonight.”

“Interesting,” Ruby said, raising both eyebrows.

“Are you coming to class Saturday?” Gia asked, sensing the interest and changing the subject. “I’m thinking about throwing in some forearm stands.”

“I’m so there!” Ruby said, trading food for cash. She started for the porch steps. “Have a good time with Beckett tonight,” she called over her shoulder and winked.

Gia sighed and wondered what kind of gossip tornado had just been stirred up. Juggling the tower of food, she shut the door behind her and headed into the dining room.

“Gia!” Evan called excitedly from the stairs. “You’ve gotta come see this.”

She put the food down on the table and jogged up the stairs. “Marco?” she called when she reached the second floor.

“Polo!” Evan and Aurora’s voices sang from a bedroom at the front of the house.

Gia found them standing with Beckett in front of a bookcase. A few dusty volumes took up residence on the otherwise empty shelves. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re not usually so excited about reading, Evan,” she commented.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Not the books. Show her Beckett!”

Beckett grinned and shook his head. “Go for it, kid.”

With gleeful enthusiasm, Evan pressed a knob that was carved into the molding around the shelves. She heard a metallic click and the entire bookcase silently opened out.

“It’s a secret passage!” Evan announced.

Aurora grabbed Gia’s hand and dragged her toward the dark opening. “Come on, Mama! Let’s hide!”

“Here,” Beckett said, handing Evan a flashlight. “Let your brother go first and we’ll follow him.”

Evan grabbed the light and ducked behind the shelves. “Come on, Gia!”

Aurora slipped her hand out of Gia’s and hurried ahead. “I walk with Van,” she announced and danced after her brother.

The passageway was narrow and black as night once Beckett pulled the shelves back into place behind them, the beam of Evan’s flashlight was the only sliver of light cutting through the darkness.

Gia saw the light climb higher in front of them. “Watch your step,” Evan warned, from above.

“It’s a staircase,” Beckett said softly, coming up behind her.

He wasn’t touching her, but she was so aware of his presence she felt him as distinctly as if he had his hands on her.

The stairs were steep and narrow, only wide enough for one person at a time. As if she conjured them, she felt Beckett’s hands come to rest on her hips. A low hum escaped her throat and his fingers flexed into her hips.

“We’ll wait for you outside,” Evan called down.

“Wait! You have the light,” Gia yelped.

“Beckett’s got another flashlight,” Evan assured her. “Come on, Rora. We’ll surprise them on the other side.”

Above them, Gia heard a click and saw fading daylight filter into the passageway and then it was gone. The darkness stopped her dead in her tracks. Beckett came to a halt on the step below hers. He was still taller than she was. She could feel his breath in her hair.

“Tell me you really do have another flashlight,” she whispered.

“I do.”

His lips brushed her ear and Gia let out a little gasp. She was so aware of him, so ready to be touched.

“The things I want to do to you right now,” Beckett whispered grimly against her neck.

Gia leaned her head back against his shoulder to give him better access. The scrape of his teeth behind her ear drew a purr from her. “Forbidden fruit,” she whispered. It was a reminder to them both.

“Gianna, I need you to get up these stairs before I take you right here.”

“Beckett.” She breathed his name as if it belonged to a deity.

His hands came around her, palms to her shoulders. And while his mouth delicately dined on the skin of her neck, he stroked down to cup her breasts through her sweater. Through the layers of fabric, Gia felt her sensitive peaks harden. Boldly, she grasped his hand and led it under the neckline of her sweater. His palm slid over the thin lace of her bra and she gasped at the pleasure that erupted when his fingers gently tugged at her hardened nipple.

“Red,” he growled in her ear. “Move. Now.” His hand slid out from her sweater and slapped her on the butt.

Gia sprang to life, taking the rest of the stairs quickly even as Beckett fumbled with the flashlight.

She pushed through the door at the top of the staircase and found a grinning Evan and Aurora.

“How cool is this?” Evan asked. “We’re on the third floor!”

Gia barely spared the cavernous room a glance. Guiltily, she put on a cheerful face. “That was pretty cool. Are you guys hungry? The food’s here.”

At her insistence, they trooped back downstairs using the actual staircase instead of the passageway. Gia pointedly refused to look at Beckett until her racing heart beat was under control again.

They dove into the food in the dining room, talking and laughing and staging a mock fight over breadsticks.

She was impressed with how relaxed Evan seemed here. Rather than the sullen, quiet kid who’d moved to Blue Moon Bend, here was the chatty, carefree boy of old. He and Beckett compared teachers at Blue Moon Middle School, finding a number that they had in common. Evan’s comments of “he must be like a hundred years old” were punctuated by Beckett’s advice on how to stay on the good sides of certain faculty.

She hoped it was a sign of things to come with Evan. The reemergence of the happy boy with boundless curiosity.

So many mistakes had brought them to this point, she thought.

But perhaps, in the long run, they wouldn’t be considered mistakes. After all, falling for Paul had brought her Evan and Aurora and she couldn’t imagine her life without either of them.

She hoped she could teach the kids the lessons she had learned from her own mistakes. She would help Aurora grow strong and confident. She wouldn’t get swept away by the thrill of attention from a man who could never fully commit. Instead, she would teach her daughter to wait for someone with a beautiful soul who wanted the same things out of life. A partner.

And Evan. How many times could a child be disappointed and let down before it permanently dimmed his spirit? Evan’s father loved like he lived, carelessly. He had assumed that Gia would take the kids. She’d been prepared to fight for Evan in the divorce. Late night shows in dive bars were no life for a kid, but she’d still been sadly surprised when Paul didn’t even try to change his life to maintain custody of Evan. Instead he’d helped them pack and waved them off.

Gia’s heart broke for Evan, but she was determined to make things right for him. Two shitty biological parents didn’t mean he didn’t deserve a wonderful life.

After the divorce, he’d stopped calling her mom. Now, she was Gia, his ex-stepmother. She understood his need to push her away, just as she understood that it was only to make sure she stuck. And stick she would. Blood or no blood, Evan was her son.

Gia mopped Aurora’s face with a napkin and tuned back into the conversation. Beckett and Evan were hotly debating The Rolling Stones versus The Grateful Dead. After a particularly impassioned exchange, Beckett frowned. “You ever think of law school?” he asked Evan.

The boy grinned and reached for another slice of pizza. “It’s nice to have a logical discussion for a change,” Evan said, nodding in Gia’s direction.

Gia winged a piece of breadstick at him.

“Freeze!” she ordered Aurora, who had just picked up her crust to throw. “Only people over the age of twelve can throw food.”

“Mama! That’s not fair! What can I do?”

Gia looked thoughtful. “Hmm, how old are you again?”

Aurora giggled, but didn’t release the pizza crust. “Five!”

“Five? Wow, you are getting old. Five-year-olds are allowed to eat an entire piece of pizza without using their hands.”

Evan feigned skepticism. “I don’t know, Roar. Think you can do it?”

Aurora nodded seriously, accepting the challenge.

Gia cut a slice of cheese into bite-sized pieces and slid it onto Aurora’s plate. She grinned at Beckett as her little girl squished her face into the plate like a champ at a pie-eating contest.

Gia and Evan air high-fived each other across the table drawing a laugh from Beckett as he reached for the salad.

“Just like Summer and Carter’s piggies,” Aurora announced, lifting her head and proudly showing off her pizza-stained face.

“I’m really impressed, Rora.” Beckett’s praise had the little girl giggling.

Gia winked at him. “Okay, my little piggy, let’s get you cleaned up before you smear pizza sauce all over Beckett’s nice house.”

“I got her,” Evan said, pushing back his chair. “Come on, Roar.”

“You forgot to ‘fro pizza at Mama,” Aurora reminded him as they pushed through the door to the kitchen. “You’re twelve.”

“I’ll get her next time,” Evan promised his sister.

“Sorry about that,” Gia apologized to Beckett. “Sometimes Evan and I have to get a little creative to make sure she eats enough. She’s easily distracted.”

“They are great kids,” Beckett assured her.

“They really are. For every time I want to lock them in the basement, they’ve made me laugh until my face hurt five times.”

“Sounds like extreme highs and lows,” he commented.

“The bipolar experience of parenting. Is it a pool you plan to dip your toe into someday?” Gia asked.

“I haven’t really given it much thought.”

“A man doesn’t buy a five-bedroom house without giving it a little thought,” Gia countered, nibbling on the rest of her breadstick.

“I bought a one-bedroom house with a man cave, a home gym, a second office, and a sex room.”

Gia laughed. “Oh, I like you, Beckett. And under different circumstances I’d really like to see your sex room.”

She enjoyed his groan. “You’re making me regret doing the right thing.”

“Mission accomplished. Now, the least I can do is your dishes.” She got up from the table and collected the plates.

Beckett followed her with the glasses and utensils. They found a damp Evan mopping up a lake-sized puddle on the floor.

“Sorry, Bucket,” he said. “She got a hold of the sprayer.” Aurora was gleefully dancing around the edges of her self-made water park.

“Say you’re sorry, Aurora, and clean up your own mess,” Gia said sternly.

“Sorry, Bucket,” Aurora chirped with a happy grin, obviously not the least bit apologetic. She took the towel from Evan and sloshed it through the water.

“I promise I’ll actually clean that up,” Gia whispered to Beckett as Aurora splattered water over the bottom cabinets. “Aurora, you owe Evan five minutes of peace and quiet.”

“Yes!” Evan pumped his fist in the air.

“What does Rora get when Evan’s in trouble?”

“Five minutes of playtime,” Evan answered, rolling his eyes.

“Usually tea party or dollies,” Aurora said conversationally as she swiped the sopping wet towel through the puddle that had now spread to the refrigerator.

“Okay. Thank you for cleaning up your mess, Aurora. Can you guys thank Beckett for dinner?”

“Thank you, Bucket.”

“Yeah, thanks, Bucket.”

Beckett ruffled Evan’s hair. “No problem. See you around.”

Gia shooed them out the backdoor. “I’ll be right over,” she told Evan. When the door closed behind them, she grabbed the roll of paper towels on the counter and went to work sopping up the puddle.

“You don’t have to do that,” Beckett said, his voice strained.

Gia scrubbed hard at a stubborn stain she found, a flyaway curl tumbling free. “I don’t think my security deposit covers damage to your home caused by my kids.”

“Seriously, Gianna. I need you to get up.” His voice was low, rough.

Gia sat back on her heels and looked up at him. He was looming over her and he was hard. She could see the impressive length of him as his erection strained against his chinos. “Oh,” she said again.

He grabbed her by the elbows and hoisted her to her feet.

“You should go now,” he said quietly.

But he didn’t let go of her arm.

Gia’s body was on high alert. Every thump of her pulse, every shaky breath was magnified. She felt like prey. Prey willing to be sacrificed in the heat of the chase.

“Red, if you don’t go now, I’m going to pick you up and put you on the counter there.” He nodded toward the space next to the pantry. “Then I’m going to put my hands and my mouth on you until you’re screaming my name.”

Her indrawn breath was a squeak. Never had any man made her feel so desired, so craved, so hunted.

She moved her mouth to speak, yet no words came out.

“Gianna,” he said her name like a threat. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“Sorry,” she stammered. “You still have my arms. If you want me to go, you’re going to have to let me.”

Beckett loosened his grip and dropped his hands to his side. She felt his eyes on her as she slipped out the door. She didn’t dare to look back, because if she did, Gia knew she’d beg him to touch her.

She waited until she got to her own front door before turning around. He was there in his open doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression on his perfect face.

Gia brought her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss before darting into the safety of her home.