by Sara Hess
Evan eyed my plate. “You always seem to order something healthy. Are you watching your weight, because you don’t need to?”
I blushed at his compliment but shifted restlessly at the idea of revealing any of my past. Surprisingly, my mouth opened of its own accord to spill the details. “My foster family, the Tagert’s, stocked mostly junk food. It wasn’t often that I had a meal that involved fruits and vegetables, or unprocessed meats. I’m trying to make up for my deficiency.” I pasted a smile on my face but Evan’s eyes still filled with sympathy and that had my spine snapping straight. “I don’t need you feeling sorry for me.” I growled biting into my nasty whole-grain toast.
Evan’s brows arched. “There’s nothing wrong with showing someone a little sympathy, Shaw. And why are you grimacing?”
It was a softer explanation, but still pity. I let it go. “Trying to make up for years of bad eating habits means I have to sometimes eat unpleasant whole grain cardboard.” I forced down another bite as Evan laughed and bit into his softer, tastier white bread. I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t think I won’t kill you for that toast.”
His gaze smoldered as it moved over my body, leaving trails of heat in their wake, and he waved the toast like a red flag. “Come and get it.”
The sexual undertone in his voice had a devastating effect on my body. It was like it had been programmed for him now; my breasts instantly went heavy, butterflies fluttered madly in my stomach, and my sex pulsed for something to fill it. I really wanted to slap him with a sharp retort…or just slap him…but my breath seemed lodged in my throat.
Instead I took another bite of my cardboard.
He smirked like he knew what he was doing to me; it both pissed me off, and made me hotter for him. It was maddening.
Getting the dry toast down with the help of some of the orange juice, I asked. “What’s going to happen with Carol?”
My out of the blue question appeared to throw him. He blinked pensively. “She’s going to be charged with embezzling, but will get some leniency since she’s cooperating and wasn’t the brains behind the scheme. Why are you wondering?” He bit into his omelet.
“She sounded like she really loved that Frank guy and it’s sad that he was only using her. Her entire life has been destroyed because of love.” Bitterness crept into my tone and I nibbled on some watermelon trying to sweeten it.
Evan frowned, eyeing me thoughtfully. “No, her life was destroyed because she did something illegal.”
My hackles rose. “She’d led a crime-free life before meeting that guy.” I’d checked. “If he hadn’t conned her she never would have gone down that road. He probably put the idea of living happily-ever-after into her head and she fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. I want to find him and kick him in the nuts on her behalf.”
Evan’s gaze sharpened on me. “Don’t you think you’re taking it kind of personal…or are you relating? Have you been thwarted in love, Shaw?”
I stiffened, my eyes blanking as I looked out at the water. “I told you; I’ve never been in love…any kind of love. The closest to it I’ve felt it is with Carrie.” There’d been David, and though he was still in my life he’d put a scar on our relationship that had been difficult to fully forgive. I stuffed a couple grapes in my mouth.
There was a small pause from Evan. “Do I want to see how close?” He finally responded with a hint of sexual teasing.
Rolling my eyes and a scowl his way, I sniped. “As a sister, jackhole.”
He chuckled lightly. “I was just playing with you.”
Flipping my scowl I smiled wickedly. Grabbing a strawberry I bit into it with a snap. “Although, if I did swing that way I’d be all over her in a second.”
Evan’s brow rose in hot amusement.
“Who would you be all over in a second?”
I jumped slightly as Nic and Carrie rounded my cot. Carrie plopped down at my feet while Nic stood behind her eyeing the both of us with what seemed like an excessively attentive gaze.
“You’re girlfriend.” I met Nic’s stare innocently as Evan choked next to me.
Nic’s right brow rose. “You’re going to be all over Carrie, how?”
“In that girl on girl action you dislike so much.” Evan and I shared an amused look that felt really intimate. Restless, nerves tingling, I looked back at Nic to see both his eyebrows reaching his hairline.
Carrie’s amused, confused gaze zipped back and forth between Evan and me. “We seem to have walked into the middle of a very intriguing conversation.” Reaching out she snagged one of my pineapples and escaped my slapping hand just in time. That was my fruit the little thief.
“I was just telling Evan that you would be at the top of my to-do list if I was a card-carrying member of the rainbow parade.”
Evan snorted.
Nick choked.
Carrie gaped and slapped at my leg. “Shaw!”
“What,” I exclaimed gravely, while keeping my grin barely restrained. “You’re hot, girl. You’d make any woman question her heterosexual lifestyle, or at least make her want to experiment.”
Evan was openly laughing…and for some reason that made my sex throb.
Nic stared at me like he wasn’t sure if I was joking or not.
Carrie shook her head blushing. “You’re sitting here with Mr. Hot Stuff himself and you’re talking about getting in on with me?”
“Mr. Hot Stuff?” Nic grumbled objectionably and picked Carrie up to set her in his lap as he took her spot on the cot.
“I always knew you were hot for my body, Carrie.” Evan smirked conceitedly. “It’s the tattoo, isn’t it? I’ve told Nic he needs to get one.”
I rolled my eyes but felt a disquieting twinge of agitation in my chest…which was stupid. Evan was only teasing about Carrie.
Carrie snuggled in closer to Nic and patted his chest. “He doesn’t need to mess with perfection.” This had Nic sneering smugly at Evan.
He just shook his head. “I’ve always said love makes people delusional.”
We shot the shit for a couple dozen more minutes when Carrie suddenly jumped up. “Shaw, I came down here to drag you with me to the hotels salon. We have appointments to get our hair and make-up done.”
“Don’t tell me Landon leased them out again like he did for the bachelorette party?” Damn, free room and food, and now salon treatments. Talk about throwing your money around.
Carrie shook her head. “No, I made the appointments for us. I wanted to look my best tonight, and I want you looking your best next to me.” She grinned excitedly.
My heart warmed that she wanted to do that for me, but it was too much. The cost of the salon in this hotel was almost certainly astronomical, and I’d already spent enough on the two dresses I’d bought for this wedding, I didn’t want to spend anymore. Yeah, I just received a five thousand dollar check, but I was frugal with money.
“Carrie, I don’t need someone to do my hair. I’ve spent twenty years learning how to tame it just right.”
Carrie frowned in frustration. “Yeah, you put it up.”
I simpered. “That’s right.” Carrie used to be the same way until Nic. “I don’t have anyone who likes my hair down and around…” I gave her the stink eye and she immediately caught my overtone to Nic liking her hair around his…unmentionables.
Blushing profusely in mortification she mouthed ‘don’t you dare’. I grinned evilly but let it go.
Evan swung his legs and sat up watching us intently. “I like your hair down, Shaw, so go with Carrie and pamper yourself. And for the love of all churros, please leave your hair loose.”
I half scowled, half grinned at the reference to my love of churros, and I was the one now turning red at his declaration to liking my hair down. “It’s not you she’s trying to spend her money on. I would end up paying myself and I don’t like to throw away good money on something I can do myself.” Carrie had received a nice chunk of money from her grandparents, but I wasn’t going to take her money.
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“No you won’t, Shaw.” Carrie proclaimed determinedly. “I want to do this for you and you’re going to let me. Please.”
Oh shit. She was giving me her pleading eyes.
Nic chortled. “I’ve been sucked in by that look too many times, Shaw. You might as well give in.”
I looked away trying to hold onto my resolve to not cave, but my gaze flickered back to her puppy-dog eyes. It was too powerful.
A sigh exploded out of me. “Fine.” I grumbled in exaggerated annoyance.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Carrie leaned forward and hugged me.
“It’s weird that you’re so happy spending money on me.” I griped, patting her back.
“It’s not the money; it’s that you’re spending the time with me.” She pulled back with a smile.
My throat tightened at her sentiment. I don’t know why she put up with me and my antisocial ways, but I was extremely glad she did. Carrie didn’t really need me as a friend because she had so many others now, but I needed her.
Carrie and I rose and when I reached for my clothes Evan smacked me on the ass. I went rigid…in shocking arousal. Holy monkey balls; I just gushed in my suit.
Carrie inhaled next to me and Nic went into a coughing spasm.
“You had something on your ass, but it doesn’t appear to want to come off.” Evan’s tone dripped with sexual innuendo.
Turning, I gave him what I hoped was a glacial glare. However, the naked lust I glimpsed in his amber eyes had me squeezing my thighs together, because more gushing commenced. “And what would that be?” I grumbled huskily.
He smirked sinfully. “A whole lot of deliciousness.”
I pulled on my shorts and shirt to cover my heated cheeks and growled. “You must be a hell of a gambler, because you’re lucky you didn’t pull back a stump.”
“I used to be a gambler, but then I realized all I needed was the Queen of my Heart.” He purred.
Talk of hearts had mine thumping hard against my rib cage…in equal parts fear and expectation. Both were bad for me. “Your lines are dipped in so much peyote I could roll them in a joint and get high off them for a year.” Carrie grabbed my arm and began pulling me away mumbling ‘you guys could go on to the end of days’.
Evan hollered after me. “I’d like to dip you in honey and lick you all over. In fact, I don’t even need the honey, you’re sweet enough.”
My cheeks were on fire…and so was my blood. People were staring, but I didn’t care as I yelled back sporting a massive smile. “See you later, masturbator.”
All I got back was laughter.
The Cruz brothers were headed in our direction in their swim shorts and naked massive tattooed chests and Trey was giving me one of those arrogant ‘I’m sexy and I know it’ looks. While they all looked hot, I felt nothing for any of them.
“When you’re ready for a real man just give me a call, Shaw.” Trey smirked as we passed each other.
Uhgg, I bared my teeth. “Why, are you offering to call one for me?”
Trey chuckled while the other two snorted.
Evan shouted. “Trey, don’t make me come over there and kill you.”
The snarl of truth in his tone had something exploding in my chest. The brothers just laughed at Evan’s threat though.
I would have stuck around to see if anything interesting happened from that but Carrie dragged me away.
∞ ∞ ∞
The next couple of hours were spent hanging with the girls again.
I had to go shower first and then Carrie and I headed down to the salon and they spent about forty-five minutes dressing our hair. Carrie’s long, straight black hair was pulled back from her face to the crown of her head and where it then cascaded down her back in big curls. The stylist turned my wild curls into glossy ringlets, and then she braided the front wrapping it around to the back of my head. It kind of reminded me of an elegant hippy hair-do.
Thankfully, they didn’t frost my face with make-up but the little they did use certainly looked professional. My cheeks bloomed with pink, my lips were pouty coral, and my green eyes looked huge, mysterious and sexy. I wasn’t out of this world gorgeous like Carrie, but I’d definitely never looked this good before in my life, and most likely wouldn’t again unless I was willing to spend buka-bucks on myself…which I wasn’t.
Carrie and I went up to change into our dresses and then stopped in at Maya’s room while she had the full treatment done; hair, face, nails, toes, and let’s not forget the waxing. Mercifully, that was done before we got there. Gabby, Amanda, Nadia, and Maya’s mom and daughter were there as well. Maya’s and Landon’s daughter was adorable and also one of the most striking little girls I’d ever seen. She was done up flower girl style looking like a miniature Maya.
As we drank champagne and joked someone asked Maya if she was nervous but she claimed she wasn’t, just excited to finally be getting married to the only man she’d ever loved. I would have gagged, but I was having too much fun.
Maya’s mother, RaKesha, shooed all of us out of there at one-forty because the service was set for two o’clock. It was being held outside on the veranda where we’d all had dinner last night. It was beautifully decorated with fresh, expensive flowers everywhere. The five of us stepped outside together and the other four girls immediately headed for their significant others, who were all sitting together.
Carrie headed for Nic and my heart hammered violently when I spotted Evan sitting near him with two empty seats between them.
The wedding was semi-formal and he was in light gray dress slacks and a white and gray striped button up shirt with the top two buttons unfastened; the slacks molded tightly to his firm solid thighs, the shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and muscular biceps, and the sunshine lit up the highlights in his wavy sandy-brown hair. His amber eyes were zeroed in on me with intense, unwavering focus.
He made me feel naked under that stare…hot, throbbing, and exposed.
Both Nic and Evan stood as Carrie and I walked up. Nic hauled Carrie into his arms and kissed her silly before situating her in the seat next to him, and while Evan’s eyes burned with unholy fire he only held the back of the chair for me as I sat down.
An unforeseen surge of disappointment moved through me. Had I really wanted him to kiss me silly? I was more lost than I thought.
Taking the chair next to mine Evan leaned in close and rumbled in my ear. “You put every woman to shame here.”
My body burst into flames and goose bumps. God, he was killing me. Did he have to have a voice that stroked something inside me no one had ever come close to touching? That I hadn’t even known existed.
Evan’s arm settled on the back of my chair and I could feel his fingers playing softly with my hair. Swallowing, my mind was void of any comebacks, or much of anything actually. He smiled rakishly but whatever else he might have said was suspended by the wedding music starting up.
I breathed out an inaudible ‘thank god’, because I was feeling decidedly weak in the knees…and head.
Landon stepped out onto the veranda next to the priest looking just as casual as the guests but in all black. Dan stepped up beside him in a similar outfit, but his was a dark gray. The couple didn’t have any attendants except for his father, her mother, and their daughter.
Suddenly the music changed to a Nickleback song, Far Away, something that was completely unexpected. Landon even looked startled to hear it, but then his expression softened and he smiled as though recalling the past. In the next moment their daughter moved down the isle scattering flower petals, and when she reached Landon he bent down and gave her an encompassing hug and kiss.
My heart clenched involuntarily seeing a fathers love for his child.
She stepped off to the side to stand next to her grandmother, and then Maya strolled down the isle. Her black hair was swept back from her face and fastened with an ivory flowered tiara, the rest trailed down her back in curls. Maya’s floor length ivory silk dress w
as simple but obviously expensive; form fitting across her waist with a scooped neckline hinting at cleavage but not showing anything…tasteful, short capped sleeves cupped her upper shoulders, and the skirt fell straight. The color did amazing things to her light coffee colored skin.
She looked beautiful, and Landon looked mesmerized.
To be able to find that feeling, hold it, must be amazing. Covertly, I glanced at Evan out of the corner of my eye and then inhaled deeply, shocked at my ponderings. I was not wondering what it would be like to have that with him…I was not!
His head turned and he smiled down at me tugging at my hair playfully, looking so damn good-looking.
Who was I kidding…yes I was. My heart slammed fearfully inside me as the truth hit me. I wanted this man like crazy, but how much of him did I want?
The wedding ceremony passed quickly as I sat there in a confused daze, and then the crowd was on their feet and cheering as Landon took Maya in his arms for a long, deep kiss. Their daughter was the one to put an end to it, running up and demanding to be included. That had everyone laughing.
A photographer took pictures as the patio was rearranged for dinner; white table cloths, plush white cushy seats, costly dishware. Everywhere I looked money signs flashed back at me. This whole weekend had been intimidating, but this just upped the ante.
“You have a deeply brooding look upon that beautiful face of yours. What are you thinking about?” Evan traced fingers over my one bare shoulder making me shiver as he offered a glass of champagne to me. Just like last night it was an open bar. They were still carding so the guys were getting the drinks for those of us who were just shy of twenty-one; those being Carrie and me.
I accepted the glass and leaned against the railing that looked out onto the ocean. Maya and Landon were down there getting pictures taken with the water behind them. “It’s just crazy seeing all this money glaring me in the face. It makes where I grew up look even worse then I thought.” Nothing made the slums look slummier than seeing what money could buy.
His hand gently caressed my back, his expression intent. “Hey, you can’t control where you grew up, and even I’m awed by this display. And just think…they went for low-key.” He grinned and leaned against the railing with me.
