Complicated Desire

Chapter Five

Sitting in the backseat of his Jeep next to Kara, Bianca couldn't help but sneak a few glances in at the driver as he chatted away with her brother like they were old friends. Once or twice she thought he might have noticed, but apparently the man was used to the attention, so Bianca didn't bother to stress much about it. 

What she was stressing over was trying to figure out how she felt about him. He was charming while they all shared a cocktail before leaving. He smiled bashfully and earnestly throughout the conversation, making sure to include her so Bianca didn't feel like the odd man out. He talked about his home, and how it was smaller than her brother's and Kara's since he didn't need much room after the divorce. He didn't talk about his divorce outright, as Kara said it had been a particularly painful one; to the point where the daughter they shared had no issues in picking a side. 

He also asked her about her own life. What her hobbies were, if she was looking forward to Autumn, or if she was more of a summer kind of girl. He told her about his lake cabin an hour or so north, and how she was always welcome to use it whenever she felt the need to get away. He was the opposite of what she imagined a renowned surgeon would be. The man was a damn paradox she wanted to pick apart without anyone noticing. 

An elbow against her side caught Bianca's attention, and she turned to see Kara staring back at her knowingly. She felt sorry for her sister-in-law for having to deal with this for half her life; friend's ogling  her father constantly, but it was difficult not to. It wasn't just his looks that were distracting, but his warm demeanor. 

"I hope you like Italian, Bianca," Kade said from the driver's seat. 

It reminded her that he'd apparently asked Kara what types of foods she liked, so he likely already knew the answer. "I love it. I'm not a very good cook myself, however, so if I do end up taking this job, don't ask me to cook unless you want food poisoning." It was only a half joke, but Bianca laughed out the final words. 

Kade chuckled under his breath. "I signed up for some classes after I retired, since I was looking to fill up some of my time. Pottery, painting, cooking. Cooking was by far my favorite. I was already good with a knife, as you could guess, but cooking felt different. Like I was creating something simple, but elegant. Small pieces of edible art I could be proud of."

"That's a beautiful way to look at it," Bianca couldn't help but point out. 

"It's important to appreciate beauty, especially when it isn't being given the attention it deserves."

The smallest of sighs escaped Kara's lips as she fidgeted next to her and stared out the window. 

There very well could have been no double meaning to the comment, but at this point her heart was a jumbled mess, and her head didn't know what to believe. Bianca decided to take it at face value, and not read into it.

A man who'd sworn off women since his divorce five years ago certainly wouldn't be trying to get back in the game with something so complicated. 

"And here we are," Kade announced as he pulled into a parking lot. 

Bianca fanned her flushed face with her hand, knowing very well he noticed out of the corner of his eye. 

Kara was right. Working for this man would only lead to trouble. Hell, she already felt like she was being led right off the edge of a cliff. The problem was that not taking the job wouldn't solve anything. He was still the grandfather to her nephew. He'd still be around the house, and by extension, around her. 

Repeating those words in her head nearly caused Bianca to say them aloud. She was crushing hard on a man who was a grandfather. Not just a grandfather, but the grandfather of a baby she was related to by blood. 

What. The. Flying. Fuck. Was wrong with her?

Once the Jeep was in park, Bianca rushed to open her door and stepped out into the cold night. Anything that would cool down the heat boiling in her body. Anything she could blame her flushed skin or goosebumps on. Maybe focusing on the cold would give her mind something to do besides think about how his mouth would feel wandering around her body, or how his hands would feel against her naked skin. 

But Bianca's hopes were dashed when she felt a suit jacket draped across her shoulders. She didn't need to look to know exactly where it came from. 

"No point in having you suffer because I couldn't find a close enough parking spot."

Bianca looked over her shoulder and noticed just how close he was. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Bianca." Her name dripped off his tongue like its own piece of seduction, and fuck if it didn't make her instantly wet. 

Before, she chalked up Kara's worries when he inquired about her as just wanting to get to know her, but as it turned out, Kara wasn't misinterpreting anything. Bianca wasn't the best at reading men, but page after page of this man's book was telling her he was flirting, and wasn't trying to hide it. 

The more Bianca thought about it, the more this all seemed like a hot mess. Kara was right. If they ended up giving into what apparently was a mutual attraction, and if that mutual attraction led them down the aisle, she would become her brother's mother-in-law. And if god forbid he knocked her up, and if by some miracle she managed to carry to term, her brother would be an uncle, and a sibling-in-law. 

When Matt coughed behind him, Kade's hands fell from the suit jacket and entered to pockets of his slacks. "How about we head in before one of us catches a cold," he spoke in a louder voice than the one he used to speak to her. 

Matt mumbled something under his breath, and whatever it was, Bianca had no doubt she'd be hearing it at full volume once they were back home. Honestly, whatever he had to say, she had coming. Her thoughts alone made her guilty as sin.