To Tempt A Tiger(30)

He leaned in close, as if he would kiss her again, and she felt herself falling toward him. Then she shook her head, not a denial as much as a way to clear the fog of desire from her brain.

“Goodnight, Vlad.” She stepped out of the doorway, moving away from his touch.

“Goodnight, Rose. Sleep well.”

She stayed in the hall as he closed his bedroom door, then she rolled her eyes. “Sleep well,” she muttered. “Yeah, right.”

His answering chuckle followed her to her room.



Rose came to, groggy and out of balance, when Zoe shook her awake not long after the sun had come up. Her daughter climbed up next to her in bed and snuggled against her as Rose forced herself to some semblance of wakefulness.

“Are you hungry, baby?” she murmured, savoring the warm sweetness of her daughter cuddling with her, healthy and not in pain. She lived for these quiet, peaceful moments.

“Thirsty,” Zoe said. “Can I have chocolate milk?”

“Yes, you can because we’re on vacation.”

“Love vacations.”

Rose chuckled. “Me, too.”

Though she was loath to disrupt the cuddling time, nature called. She patted Zoe’s back, then sat up, rubbing her hand over her face as she worked to shake off the slightly nauseous feeling of having gotten too little sleep. “Head out to the kitchen,” she said. “I’ll be there in a minute after I use the bathroom.”

Zoe danced out of the room, singing the alphabet song as she went. Rose smiled, then grimaced. Zoe wasn’t exactly quiet. That singing would probably wake Vlad.

Ah well. He wanted to be in their lives again, he’d better learn now that sleeping in was a thing of the past.

Though, as she recalled, he’d never slept in as much as she had.

By the time she got to the kitchen, she was only a little surprised to see Vlad awake and putting the kettle on for tea. Zoe was sitting at the small kitchen table, her legs swinging as she told Vlad some story about a squirrel. He smiled and nodded at all the appropriate places.

Rose watched them from the doorway for a moment. The scene left her feeling a complex mixture of joy and sadness, melancholy and worry. She shook off the confusion as she cleared her throat and walked in to join them.

“Mommy! Vlad drinks tea like you. He said coffee was yucky.” Zoe giggled into her hand.

Rose smiled. “Don’t tell Granny.”

By the time they finished breakfast and Zoe nagged them into going outside to play again, Rose’s already confused emotions were a tangled mess. Having Vlad with them felt too damned right. He belonged with them. He was Zoe’s father.

And she deserved to know. Rose just didn’t want to cross that bridge yet. Despite what had happened, or almost happened, between her and Vlad last night, she really had no idea what his intentions were going forward. He still wanted her. And he wanted to protect Zoe. As far as Rose could tell, he intended to stay in their lives.

But what did staying in their lives mean? Marriage? Co-parenting with the occasional tumble in bed on the side for Mommy and Daddy? So many years had passed, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted anymore. Before he’d left, she was positive he was the only man for her.

Unfortunately, the intervening years hadn’t actually changed her mind about that. As she watched Vlad help Zoe build an even bigger snowman, she admitted—if only to herself—that she couldn’t imagine bringing another man into her life. Ever.

He was the only one for her.

If her daughter hadn’t been around, Rose would have cursed, long and colorfully, with language that would have had her mother sending her to confession.

Whatever the future held for her, though, she had to protect Zoe. For the moment, that meant keeping the fact that Vlad was her father a secret. She didn’t have any idea how to tell her anyway.

“Look, Mommy!” Zoe pointed at the lopsided stack of snowballs. “It’s as tall as a giant!”

“Sure is, baby.”

Vlad looked up and smiled at her over the top of the snowman. She smiled back, despite the worry gnawing at her gut. They had time, she assured herself. She’d figure this out. She just needed some time.



After lunch, Vlad excused himself to make some phone calls. “I’ll go for a walk,” he said, “and let you guys rest for a bit.”

“No naps,” Zoe announced before plopping down in front of the cold fireplace to color.

Rose shook her head. “Shame,” she muttered. “I could use one.”

The sound of Vlad’s chuckle as he headed out the door made her stomach flip-flop with pleasure.

She settled on the couch next to Zoe, content to flip through a travel magazine while her daughter amused herself. She had no idea how long Vlad would be away, but the house felt very quiet without him. Anticipation kept her checking the clock on the mantle, excited for his return.