Forbidden Lust: 3 (Lust for Life) (3 page)

“I’m not finished yet,” she told him in an eerily quiet
voice.

Jesus, she was eating his head off and his dick was getting
harder with each word.

“You have been a complete asshole to me every day since you
moved back from California. No.” She grabbed his left arm, held it up and
shoved down his sleeve. “You’ve been an asshole since the day I gave you this
stupid bracelet.”

She meant the bracelet with the little conch shells woven
into the pattern. She’d brought it back from a trip with friends to Myrtle
Beach the summer after she’d graduated high school. All the frustration of that
day she’d given it to him welled up inside him as though they’d been launched
seven years back in time.

“What was I supposed to do, Eva?” he asked, keeping his
voice low. He curled his hand into a fist and brought his arm close. She came
with it and he leaned toward her until they were almost nose to nose. “You were
seventeen years old, putting this thing on my wrist and breaking my heart.
Propositioning me. Telling me you were almost eighteen and you wanted me to be
your first.” He gently twisted his arm out of her hand and let it drop to his
side but kept his face close. “I was a
thirty-year-old man
.”

Even in the dim light cast by the light above that back door
he could see she was shaking and her eyes had gone huge. “So you did want me?”

He hung his head and blew out a frustrated breath. The shame
he’d felt that day, for that split second he’d seriously considered her offer,
burned through him. Because fuck yes he’d wanted her like no one else he’d
wanted before or since.

“And you’ve been an asshole to me since you moved home for
the same reason.” He heard her single, breathy laugh. “You fucking want me.”

Oscar raised his head and looked at her but didn’t say
anything. They were heading into extremely treacherous waters and he had no
idea how to turn the boat around. Suddenly he found himself wishing that
someone, anyone, would walk around the corner and interrupt them. Because he
was about to do something really stupid.

For a moment he couldn’t hear her breathing, and then she
said, “Prove it.”

Every single cell in his body primed to answer that
challenge. His vision cleared until all he could see was her. He drew in a deep
breath and his head filled with the scent of her. His heart started to throb in
his chest, rushing blood to his cock until it was full to capacity, beyond
ready to answer her challenge.

“Eva, I am practically one of your brothers,” he said with
zero conviction.

“No.” She crossed her arms and got closer. “If this isn’t
just another one of your fucked-up ways of being a dick to me, come over
tonight and prove it.”

With that she pivoted on her toes and left him standing
there, helplessly watching the twitch of her ass and the flex of her pretty
calves as she marched away, knowing with a sick kind of certainty that he’d
just become a dead man walking.

Leni tackle-hugged Eva the moment she came around the side
of her parents’ house the next afternoon. The backyard was already crawling
with family and a few close friends who were there for Jamie and Leni’s gift
opening lunch, which was actually a cookout the size of which rivaled one of
their Fourth of July gatherings.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Leni gushed breathlessly. “I
can
not
believe you agreed to tattoo that flower on his chest. What were
the two of you thinking?”

Eva’s brand new sister-in-law held her out at arms’ length,
her pretty smile huge and her blue eyes wet with emotion.

“It’s not like he wanted your name in gangster script on the
side of his neck or anything,” Eva countered as if it was no big deal, secretly
thrilled Leni was so happy.

“Yes, but isn’t it the kiss of death to—”

Eva clamped a hand lightly over Leni’s mouth. “As you should
know, Jamie doesn’t believe in that crap.” She gave her a sympathetic look.
“I’m afraid the only death that applies here is that ’til-death-do-you-part
nonsense.”

Leni mumbled something. Eva removed her hand.

“It’s really gorgeous,” Leni told her, fully tearing up now.
“I love it so much.”

Eva pressed the back of her hand to Leni’s forehead. “Still
drunk, sweetie?”

“I think I had one glass of champagne total, all night.
There was no time to drink with all the talking and the dancing and everyone
clinking their glasses so we would kiss every two damn minutes.” She didn’t
look as if she’d minded that part one bit. She looked Eva over. “I love your
dress. You look like all pinup-girlie today.”

Eva glanced down at the breezy red- with white-polka-dot
halter dress she was wearing. “I found it months ago. It’s not my usual style,
so I’ve been waiting for a special occasion to wear it. This definitely
qualifies as a special occasion.”

Leni hugged her tight. “I love you,” she whispered.

Eva hugged her back with equal affection. “I love you too,
sis.”

Over Leni’s shoulder she spotted Oscar watching them from
where he stood with Diego and Jamie across the yard. In spite of the fact that
she wanted to rip his stupid, pretty face off his head, he looked amazing in
loose but well-fitting jeans, a casually stylish white shirt and tweed driving
cap with the brim cocked at a slight angle.

He made eye contact for a moment before he looked away and
took a long drink from the bottle of water he was holding.

Spineless bastard.

He’d chickened out the night before. Not that she’d been
expecting him to actually show up and make good on that lame confession.

Fuck him for that bullshit about her being every fantasy
he’d ever had.

Fuck him for leading her into a false sense of anticipation,
then punking her.

And fuck him for the fact that she hadn’t slept for even a
minute, because every time she’d heard a car on the country road outside her
place she’d gotten out of bed and gone to the window, hoping it would be him.

Leni, who’d released her and turned to see what Eva was
staring at, turned back and quietly said, “I’ll bet you can’t wait until he’s
out of your hair.”

Eva looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You haven’t heard?” She winced. “Maybe I’m not supposed to
say anything.”

“Well if you’re not supposed to, then you definitely have to
tell me.”

Leni hesitated, then nodded toward the tent where food and
drinks were spread out buffet style. They were waylaid several times by friends
and family greeting Eva and wanting to hug the bride, but eventually they got
drinks and found a relatively quiet corner where they could talk.

“The guys had another meeting about the new shop a couple of
weeks ago,” Leni started. “They want to open the new place as quickly as
possible, but they were worried they wouldn’t be able to find someone from
Chicago to be the anchor artist.”

After Leo had fallen in love with Joy, whose roots were
firmly planted in Chicago, the guys had decided to open a second Lust for Life
in the Windy City rather than dissolve their partnership with Leo. Leo, who’d
been the shop’s manager and head body piercer, had in turn decided he was going
to live mainly in Chicago but keep his house in Toledo since he planned to come
back frequently for work and family.

“So they decided Oz was going to be the one who would move.”
Eva glanced over to where he was still talking with her brothers.

Whatever he’d said made Jamie and Diego throw their heads
back and laugh, but, in typical Oscar fashion, he barely cracked more than a
small smile. Funny how Eva didn’t feel much like smiling either, and she really
didn’t like the way the news he was going to leave made her feel a little sick
instead of happy.

“Good for him,” Eva said, tearing her gaze away and forcing
herself to look at Leni.

Leni’s eyes narrowed. “That is
so
not the response I
was expecting.”

Eva shrugged. “He’s never been able to stay in one place
more than a few years. Maybe Chicago is where he’ll finally find his roots.”

He certainly hadn’t found them in New Orleans, where he’d
lived for a couple of years after he’d graduated high school. He hadn’t found
them in Colorado or Washington or New Mexico or California either.

God she was lame for knowing everywhere he’d lived over the
years.

Leni was smiling. “Maybe someone doesn’t hate Oscar as much
as she thinks?”

“Oh I hate him,” Eva assured her. Hated him for humiliating
her the way he had the night before. She sipped her soda and turned her back
toward him. “It’s hard to feel all warm and fuzzy for someone who’s gone out of
his way to make my life miserable.”

“He’s pretty much left you alone since he let you out of
your apprenticeship, hasn’t he?” Leni asked with a tilt of her head.

She snorted derisively. “Yeah, you could say that. We went
from a two-year-long boot camp in hell to him barely speaking a fucking word to
me unless he has to.”

“Jamie says he went easy on you.”

Eva shot her an incredulous look. “
Easy
? I was
nothing but his unpaid errand girl for
months
. He didn’t let me tattoo
anyone for
ages
. By the time he put a tattoo machine in my hand and
actually let me work on someone, I was so nervous I almost choked.”

“But you did it, right?” There was a sparkle in her eyes.
She was enjoying this.

“Damn right I did,” Eva said, unable to hold back a smile.

“And now your books are full how many weeks in advance?”

Eva narrowed her eyes. “You’ve made your point.”

Looking beyond Eva, Leni straightened. “My husband is
summoning me,” she said, kissed Eva on the cheek, and walked away.

Confused by the abrupt end to their conversation, Eva turned
to watch Leni hustle away and came face-to-face with Oscar. “Oh fuck me,” she
muttered.

Her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in and she tried to step
around him.

“Wait.” One word, spoken without force, made her stop in her
tracks. With her stomach a riot of butterflies and her face burning with
embarrassment, Eva waited.

“I know you’re angry about last night, and I don’t blame you,”
he said, and damn if she didn’t feel her temper come down a couple of degrees.

She shook her head, unable to look at him. “I can’t do this,
Oscar.”

He leaned into her line of sight. “Do what?”

She looked up into his dark eyes, which were more freshly brewed
coffee than solid onyx in the bright afternoon sun. “I can’t be your whipping
post anymore.”

She stepped around him and headed for the house. She had
plenty more to say, but she was not going to stand there and hash it out in
front of everyone. Yes, it would have been satisfying to rip him a new asshole,
but she was exhausted. It was too much, not knowing from one time to the next
if he was going to pretend she didn’t exist, or if he was going to say or do
something that would make her angry.

It was time to stop letting him get to her the way he did.
Cut off his power by the goddamn balls. Let him go to Chicago. Good fucking
riddance.

Eva made her way to the bathroom on the second floor and
locked herself in. She closed the toilet seat, sat down and pushed the pristine
white curtain aside so she could look out the short window that in turn looked
down on the backyard.

She could see Jamie and Leni taking their places under one
of the white tents her father kept for big family gatherings. She needed to be
down there. She needed to be around her brother and sister-in-law so she could
draw off their happiness. But on top of being absolutely drained from lack of
sleep, she was also miserable over how much she’d wanted Oscar to show up the
night before and prove he hadn’t been lying.

Because she wanted him despite the way he treated her.
Desperately.

From the moment she’d come to realize boys were more than
just handy for showing her how to ride a skateboard or choke up on a bat so she
could hit her first home run, she’d had the worst crush her brother’s quiet,
gorgeous best friend.

Eva got a washcloth from the linen cupboard and ran it under
cold water. She dabbed her heated face without smudging her eye makeup, gave
herself a stern look in the mirror and forced herself to open the bathroom
door.

“You don’t know what I was going to say,” Oscar said,
bracing his hands on the doorframe, leaving no room for her to pass.

He caught the door when she tried to close it and stepped
inside. Instantly enraged, she opened her mouth to say something, but the door
shut with a sharp click, surprising her into silence. And then his hands were
on her, one on her waist and the other on the back of her neck and
holy
mother of the little baby Jesus
he was kissing her.

For a long moment nothing existed but his hands, his warm,
soft mouth and those liquid-sin eyes looking deep into hers. Slowly, she became
aware of the rushing sound of her pulse in her ears and the trembling that had
started low in her belly.

She felt the tip of his tongue and her mouth opened for him
as if it had a mind entirely of its own. A whimper rose out of her throat and
his dark eyes drifted shut dreamily as he dove deep into the kiss.

Eva wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting him to go
deeper each time his tongue tangled with hers then retreated in a slow,
deliciously agonizing tease. Her entire body had ignited the instant he’d
touched her. She couldn’t get close enough to the sinewy hardness of him,
couldn’t be held tight enough by his strong arms, get enough of the heady smell
of him or, God help her, the taste of his gorgeous mouth.

She was aware they were moving and then she was pinned
between the edge of the vanity and his body. His cock, which was just as hard
as the rest of him, pressed into her belly. Eva could feel her panties getting
soaked through as the instant throbbing in her clit caused her pussy to go hot
and wet and open for him.

She let go of the death grip she had on him and raised
herself up to sit on the edge of the counter, parted her knees and wrapped her
legs around his like some kind of wanton hussy. His arm wrapped tighter and
lower around her waist and his cock pressed against her clit, making her gasp
sharply and thrust against him.

Now
, her body was screaming.
This man, right this
very fucking minute, Eva
.

He broke free from her mouth with a gasp and pressed his hot
forehead to hers. She shuddered as if he’d trailed his fingers up her spine
when he whispered her name.

“We can’t do this here in my parents’ bathroom,” she told
him weakly, because she wanted to do all kinds of
this
to him, right
then and there.

His head shook almost imperceptibly. “We can’t do this at
all.”

She leaned back and waited until he opened his eyes.

“Then what was the point of that kiss?” she asked quietly, her
eyes burning with the threat of frustrated tears. He could not let her down
again. She wouldn’t survive it.

“This isn’t why I followed you up here,” he said, trailing
the backs of his long fingers over her cheek, his gaze traveling over her face
as if he was memorizing her. “I only wanted to apologize.”

“Good apology,” she said, going for light, but her stomach
had gone sick again.

He spoke her name once more, his head moving slowly from
side to side as he put some space between their bodies without moving
completely away. He licked his lips, drew in a deep breath, let it back out in
a long, slow, controlled exhalation. “I only wanted to make you understand.”

She found great satisfaction in the fact that he seemed to
be having just as hard a time getting control of himself as she was.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she droned, rolling her eyes. “You want
me but you shouldn’t have me because you’re old, or some bullshit like that.”
She shrugged and glanced pointedly at his erection, still straining against the
front of his jeans. “You probably can’t keep up with me anyway, so it’s a good
idea if you quit while you’re ahead.”

He looked mildly incredulous, then that damn dimple appeared
and he graced her with one of his rare smiles. Her heart knocked erratically
against the inside of her rib cage and sent a new, powerful surge of tingling
through her nipples and her clit.

He took her face in his hands. “Eva Rodriguez, I do believe
you are the devil.”

“If that’s not it, then what do you want me to understand?”
She slid her hands around his waist and pulled him close, because now that he’d
touched her, now that he’d devastated her with that first kiss, she wasn’t
going to be able to stop touching.

Fucker.

“Do you want me to understand that you want to fuck me?” Her
hands skimmed the curve of his very fine ass and his cock settled back into the
hot apex of her thighs. “I figured that out all on my own, Oscar.”