“The bedrooms are upstairs,” she said as she led the way. “I’m putting you in the guest room.”

She’d debated putting him in Jesse’s room instead, but had decided against it. Despite everything going on, she assumed that at some point her sister would be moving back. Not that Nicole could ever imagine that happening right now, but eventually…maybe.

“Thanks for doing this,” Raoul said.

“You’re welcome.” She motioned for him to enter the guest room. “The bathroom is through there. The towels are out. There are more in the bottom drawer. In here you have a TV. I don’t care what you watch, but I’d appreciate you keeping the sound down after nine. I’ve put a phone in. I get up early, so no late calls, okay?”

He looked uncomfortable as he nodded.

“This is weird,” she said, which hadn’t been part of her planned speech. “We don’t know each other that well. I’m your boss. So we’re both uncomfortable. But it will get easier.”

“I know.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “You can tell me what to do. It’s okay. I’ll listen.”

Good to know. If only her sister had listened, things would have been a lot easier.

“So I can be bossy?” she asked, trying to dissipate some of the tension.

“Sure.”

She smiled. “Come on downstairs. You can tell me which of my food choices are too girly and make suggestions.”

They went into the kitchen where she wrote down his requests for cereal, soda and snacks.

“You eat lunch at school?” she asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s fine. Let me know if you’re not going to be home for dinner. Oh, and if you’re getting low on anything, just write it down and I’ll buy more.” She showed him where she kept the list.

“You don’t have to be this nice,” he told her.

“You can’t stay in that building, Raoul. No one should live like that.” She looked into his eyes. He looked both hopeful and ashamed. She wanted to tell him that none of this was his fault. That he’d been failed by a lot of people—his family, the system, who knows who else.

“This situation may create some awkward moments,” she said, wishing they didn’t have to discuss it, but knowing it was going to come up. “People might talk. I mean, because we’re living together.”

She paused and felt herself blushing. Was she going to have to spell it out for him?

His expression cleared and suddenly he looked a whole lot older than eighteen. “Because I’m living with a beautiful woman who is single?”

Smooth, she thought, fighting a smile. Very smooth. In a couple of years, he was going to be able to give Hawk a run for his money.

“Something like that.”

“It’s a good problem to have,” he said. “I’m okay with what people say. Brittany knows I love her and that I would never do anything to hurt her.”

Nicole found herself envying a high school cheerleader. Too bad Drew didn’t have the same loyalty in him—it would have solved a lot of problems.

“I think that covers everything,” she said. “You can park your car on the street. There’s no room in the garage, but this is a pretty safe neighborhood.”

Her brain went from his car, to the fact that he didn’t have enough money to buy doughnuts a few weeks ago, back to his car.

“Do you have car insurance?” she asked.

His startled look told her what she needed to know. “Bad enough to do that as a minor,” she said. “You’re an adult now. They get crabby when you don’t follow the law. Get some. I’ll front you the money. You can pay me back.”

He straightened. “I’m fine.”

“You need insurance. If you get in an accident, you could be screwed for the rest of your life. Do you really want to have to deal with some big settlement or someone else’s medical bills? Take the money, say thank you and pay me back when you’re a famous football player. Got that?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, but he was blinking fast and turned away.

“Good. I think that’s everything.”

He cleared his throat. “You didn’t have to do this.”

She thought about Jesse. She was trying to push her sister from her mind, but it was impossible. Was this her twisted way of trying to make up for messing things up with her? She wasn’t sure.

“I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

“I won’t make you regret it.”

Nicole smiled. “Be careful with those promises, Raoul. I can be incredibly difficult and demanding.”

That made him chuckle. “I’ll remember.”

“Go get settled, then we’ll argue about what we’re having for dinner tonight.”

“I’d like that.”

DINNER ACTUALLY ARRIVED in the form of takeout, delivered by Brittany and Hawk. Raoul lit up when his girlfriend walked into the room and Nicole was a little afraid that she got glowy, too, at the sight of Hawk strolling into her house.

She always seemed to forget how big he was, how tall and muscular. Which was dumb. She’d seen the man na**d—the image of him should be burned into her brain. Not that she minded the little jolt of awareness she experienced when he moved toward her and gave her a light kiss on the mouth.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“We’re getting settled. So far he hasn’t left the toilet seat up so I haven’t killed him.”

“That’s a deal breaker for you?”

“It can be.”

“Good to know.”

He smiled and she got all hot and flustered. Just hormones, she reminded herself, enjoying the sensation. After all she’d been through, she deserved a little fun in her life.

“We brought Chinese,” Brittany said, carrying the large bag into the kitchen. “There’s a ton of food, so you can have leftovers.”

“They’re the best part of Chinese,” Nicole said.

“I know.” Brittany put the bag on the counter. “I’m glad you’re letting Raoul stay here. It’s so much nicer than that old abandoned building. It was cold and windy in the summer. I didn’t think he could stay there all winter.”

Brittany stopped talking, seemed to realize what she’d said and covered her mouth with her hand.

Hawk stepped toward her. “You knew about Raoul being kicked out of his foster home and living on the streets?”

“Sort of, and he wasn’t living on the streets.”

“Close enough.”

“Coach,” Raoul began, but Nicole grabbed his arm and shook her head.

She had a feeling it was better for him to stay out of it. Brittany seemed like the kind of kid who was used to charming her father into getting her way. Nicole doubted Hawk would stay mad at her for long.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d get upset,” Brittany began. “Plus, if you knew, you’d have to tell someone and we didn’t know where Raoul might end up. It seemed better to let him stay there until he turned eighteen and was an adult. Daddy, I’m sorry if I upset you.”

Nicole waited for Hawk to figure out his daughter was apologizing for getting caught, but not for actually lying. When he nodded and gave her a hug, she tried to figure out if he hadn’t noticed or simply didn’t want to deal with it at that moment.

“Don’t keep secrets,” he told his daughter.

“I won’t, Daddy.”

Nicole thought about all the crap Jesse had pulled. Didn’t Hawk worry about his daughter? The promise to not keep secrets aside, Raoul had been living in that building for at least a few weeks and Brittany had visited him there. Which meant they had been alone together for hours. Sex was a likely outcome.

Maybe Hawk didn’t mind that. Maybe Brittany was on birth control. Not that it always worked.

Another problem for another time, she told herself.

“Why don’t you two grab some plates and set the table,” Hawk said. “Then pick out a couple of movies for tonight.”

The teenagers did as he asked and moved out of the kitchen. The second they were gone, Hawk grabbed her and pulled her close.

“This is going to be a problem,” he murmured before he kissed her.

She let herself get lost in the heat of his mouth on hers, the feel of him against her.

“You have a kid,” he said between kisses. “I have a kid. So much for you being my sex kitten.”

She laughed, then ran her hands up and down his chest. “We’re going to have to figure something out.”

One eyebrow raised. “Want a repeat of last time?”

She thought of how he’d made her feel, how he’d touched her all over and made her every cell cry out in surrender.

“Absolutely.”

He grinned. “Me, too.”

He kissed her again, his mouth firm against hers. When she parted, he slipped his tongue inside and aroused her with an erotic dance. She rubbed against him. He was already hard, which made her thighs tremble.

When he backed her up against the counter, she wondered if the height was right. When he eased a hand between them and cupped her breast, she decided that right or not, they could make the counter work. When she heard Brittany laugh, she swore in frustration.

“Tell me about it,” Hawk grumbled, resting his forehead on hers. “Can we send them out to a movie?”

“It’s a school night.”

“I don’t think I can wait until the weekend.”

She smiled. “What’s your schedule like? Got any free time this week?”

“With you as the reward, I’ll find it.”

CHAPTER NINE

NICOLE WALKED into her house to find it filled with teenagers. There were several girls sitting together on the sectional sofa, a group of guys sprawled on the floor. There were books lying open, papers scattered around, chips, soda, a couple of bags of cookies and the sound of conversation.

She came to a stop, not sure what to make of the invasion. Raoul had moved in so it made sense that his friends would stop by to see him…except Jesse had never brought friends around.

Nicole hadn’t thought of it before, but suddenly she remembered how Jesse had always been disappearing, rather than bringing people home. When Nicole had questioned her, Jesse had said it was easier to go to her friends’ houses, but had it been? Was there some reason Jesse hadn’t wanted to spend time here or invite anyone she knew?

“Hi,” a few of the kids called.

“Bring any cupcakes?” one of the guys asked.

She smiled. “I didn’t, but I will tomorrow.”

“Sweet.”

Raoul scrambled to his feet and followed her into the kitchen. “Should I have asked before inviting them over?”

She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. He looked both excited and nervous. She doubted he’d had company visiting when he’d been in foster care, and abandoned buildings didn’t provide much in the way of teen amenities.

“It’s fine,” she said. “The same rules apply. And no one goes upstairs or in the basement. Not even Brittany.”

He grinned. “What are you worried about?”

“You know exactly what I’m worried about. It’s not going to happen. No one has sex in this house.”

He raised his eyebrows.

She thought about Hawk and how he’d made her feel when they were together. With Brittany in his house and Raoul in her house, getting together was going to be a scheduling nightmare.

“Not even me,” she said with a sigh. “Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He was grinning as he spoke. The smile faded. “Thanks for taking me in, Nicole.”

She shrugged. “We’ll work it out.”

She wasn’t sure how. There were still details to consider. Like how long he would be staying. Through the school year? That was a serious commitment. But it was also a problem she would deal with later.

“Go back to your friends,” she said. “Tell them not to leave a mess or I’ll get really annoyed. Trust me, that’s nothing they’ll find pretty.”

He grinned. “You’re the best.”

“Don’t I know it.”

She grabbed a Diet Coke for herself and went up to her room. As she passed Jesse’s room, she stepped inside.

Nothing had changed since her sister had left. Most of her stuff was still there. Jesse had only taken what she could carry.

There were stuffed animals on a shelf, posters, books, clothes piled in a corner.

She sat on the bed and looked around. What had gone wrong? How could everything have fallen apart so quickly and without warning? One minute everything had been fine and the next Drew had been cheating on her with her own sister.

Honestly, Jesse’s betrayal hurt a lot more than his. She’d known Drew was a mistake shortly after they’d gotten married, but she’d been too embarrassed to admit it. She was confident there had been other women before Jesse. But her own sister?

Did Jesse hate her that much? Yes, they’d had some hard times as Jesse had grown up, but they’d been family. Didn’t that count for anything?

Apparently not, Nicole thought, fighting tears. She loved Jesse, but she had a feeling she would never forgive her. Not for what she’d done, but for obviously not caring that she’d done it. Not caring who she’d hurt.

Now Jesse was pregnant. Nicole still had trouble with that one. Her baby sister having a baby. Did the promise of a child change anything? Should Nicole bring her back home?