Tangled Beauty (10 page)

I cleared my throat and proceeded to walk
back out to the balcony. When he sat down I picked up my comb and scissors.

“How did you sleep last night?” he as
ked, as I began combing his hair.

“Okay,” I said, t
rying to avoid his icy stare. “You?”

“Actually, I had a hard time sleeping.”

“Oh?”

“I thought since I’d had a few shots of tequila, I’d sleep like a baby. But, no such luck.”

“Hmm…,” I said, not knowing that he’d been drinking. Maybe there was a chance he’d forgotten our little encounter?

“Fact is
, I only got a few hours of sleep.”

I leaned over him to grab my scissors, the side of my breast brushing his shoulder. “Sorry,” I said.

“I’m not complaining,” he said, his voice low.

Our eyes met
briefly and my mouth went dry.

“I’ll be right back,” I said
, stepping backwards. “I need my other comb.”

And to break this
freakin’ sexual tension for a few seconds.

***

Reed

“Okay,” I said and then
nonchalantly put my hand over my jeans to cover up my half-cocked hard-on. Ever since she’d started undressing me with her eyes and massaging my head, I hadn’t been able to think straight.

“What’s
Sela doing, today?” she asked, returning a little while later.

“Relaxing.”

She began combing my hair, again. “So, when’s the big wedding?”

I sighed, fee
ling my hard-on begin to recede. “We don’t have a date set, yet.”

She leaned in front of me, giving me a part
ial view of her cleavage.

“How short do you want it?” she asked.

“I’ll let you decide.”

She studied my hair,
intently. “Okay, I think I’ll just take a little off.”

“I’m yours, do whatever you want,”
I said, knowing I was playing with fire. I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t help myself.

Her cheeks turned pink and I wondered what was going through that
beautiful skull of hers. I hadn’t planned on flirting with her at all, but the electricity between us was staggering. I was no longer thinking with a clear head, just a stiff one.

“So
, you and Jesse are pretty serious, huh?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.

She shrugged.
“We’re just having fun right now.”

“
I see. You know, he never really dated much, when he lived here.”

“
Is that right?”

“Fact is- I could have
sworn
that he was gay.”

Her hands paused.
“Really?”

“But, now that I’ve met you, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s straight. Or,” I
smiled.  “If he was gay, you must have certainly converted him.”

She chuckled. “I doubt I could convert Jesse into anything.”

“Believe me, if anyone could convert a gay man, it would be you.”

Sinclair stepped back and looked at me
, her full lips forming into an amused grin. “Are you flirting with me?”

“
Who me? I’m just telling it like it is. You’re a beautiful girl.”

“Well, thank you,” she said, raising the scissors
, again. “Sela is also very beautiful.”

“
Yes, she is.”

She frowned.
“She doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“
Don’t take it personally. Sela feels threatened by most other women, one way or the other.”

“That’s too bad. She seems to have everythin
g- beauty, a successful career, a nice guy.”

I cocked an eyebrow.
“You think I’m nice?”

“Aren’t you?’

“If it gets me what I want,” I teased. “Otherwise I’m a real prick.”

She smiled
. “Oh, really?’

“Why do you think I’m being so nice to you?
Obviously, I wanted something.”

She stopped cutting and took a step back. “I
…um…”

I chuckled, enjoying the way I kept making her cheeks turn pink. 
“A haircut.”

She smirked.
“Well, I guess being nice
does
pay off.”

“So, what are your plans until the party?” I asked
as she concentrated intently on the front of my hair.

“We’re doing a little shopping and then I’m not
really sure,” she said.

My cell phone started chi
rping and she stopped cutting.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It can wait.”

“Oh, okay.”

“So, tell me a little about yourself,” I said
, as she resumed cutting. “Where are you from?”

“Well, I grew up in Stanton, that’s where my parents still live.”

“Are your parents normal or fucked up like mine?”

She laughed. “Fucked up?”

“I guess Jesse didn’t tell you?”

“Well, he mentioned they were difficult.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Well, they’ve been pleasant to me, so far.”

“Good. Just be careful around Jack.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, he doesn’t always remember he’s married.”

“Oh.
That’s not cool.”

“No, it isn’t
.”

“Poor Mimi.”

I stared out towards the ocean, thinking about how many times I’d wanted to pound the shit out of Jack. Once, when I was in my early twenties, I almost did. Unfortunately, Mimi had treated
me
like the asshole that night. She had stepped between us and had actually told me to mind my own business. “She’s known for years but…”

“Lives with it.”

“Unfortunately.”

She was silent for a while and then said,
“I had a ‘Jack’ in my life once. One time was more than enough for me.”

“He cheated on you?”

She looked me in the eyes. “Yeah, and it hurts like bloody hell. That’s why I’m not going to give my heart away again, not that easily.”

The message was clear and I started feeling like
an asshole. Although my current situation was complicated, I was still engaged and had no right to flirt with her. Not until I got my shit together and figured out what I really wanted. But, it wasn’t easy, every time I looked into those pools of green, I was captivated.

“I don’t blame you.
Giving yourself to someone should never be done, lightly,” I said.

So, what in the hell was I doing with
Sela?

“I’m not in a hurry
, anyway.”

“So, I take it Jesse isn’t
the
one?”

She gave me a lopsided grin.
“Like I said, we’re just having fun.”

“How old are you?”
I asked.

“Twenty-four.”

“Well, there you go, you have plenty of time.”

“That’s what I keep telling myself.”

My phone started chirping, again.

“You should
probably answer that,” she said, bending down to clean up some of the hair on the ground. “I’m finished, anyway.”

I ran a hand across my head
. “Okay, thanks.”

She smiled
up at me. “Don’t thank me until you’ve looked in the mirror.”

“I
’m sure it looks great,” I said standing up. I walked into the bedroom and looked at my reflection in the dresser mirror.

“What do you think?” she asked
, coming up behind me.

I ran
my hands through it and nodded. “It looks awesome. Just like I knew it would.”

“Good,” she beamed.

I turned to her. “So, what do I owe you?”

She looked up at me and shook her head.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

I stared down into her s
parkling green eyes and swallowed hard. Why was she having such an effect on me? I was used to women flirting, even throwing themselves at me, and had no problem resisting.

But this girl?

Fuck, I wanted to pull her into my arms, taste those beautiful lips. But I knew it was wrong and she’d be completely horrified.

Sighing, I said.
“How about I offer you my services?”

Her eyes widened.
“Your services?”

“You ever need any legal advice,” I said, pulling out my wallet. “Call me. Here’s my card.”

She nodded. “Okay, thanks. Although, no offense, I hope I never have to use this.”

I chuckled
and slipped my Tee-shirt back over my head. “None taken. Maybe we could just have lunch, sometime?”

Sinclair
smiled. “If I ever make it out to New York, I’ll look you up.”

“Good.”

My phone chirped again and I pulled it out of my pocket.

Sela
.

“Well, thanks again for the cut,” I said, walking towards the door.
Sela was going to be pissed that I hadn’t answered her calls, although, she hadn’t left me a message either. It couldn’t have been that important.

“No problem. I
suppose I should go find Jesse,” she said, behind me.

I turned
to look at her one last time and my eyes were instantly rewarded. The ceiling fan was obviously having an effect on Sinclair’s nipples, because they were poking through the front of her tank-top, which was still slightly damp. I wondered what shade of pink they were and the head of my cock began pulsating in my jeans.

Jesus.

“See you later,” I said, in a husky voice.

She reached up and lightly brushed a piece of hair from my cheek.
“There, that’s better,” she murmured.

There it was again, that look in her
sexy green eyes. Like she was dying of thirst and I was the last bottle of Fiji on the face of the earth. Or maybe
I
was the one dying and
she
was the last bottle of ice-cold beer.

She licked her lips and
before I could stop myself, I decided to live.

Sinclair

When his lips captured mine, I moaned and slid my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His mouth was hot and demanding and when our tongues met, my legs turned to jelly.

His hands went around my waist and then down to my ass,
pulling me against his pelvis. When I felt Reed’s excitement poking me through his jeans, I had an incredible urge to tear them off and climb aboard, I wanted him so bad. Instead, I reached one of my hands down and rubbed the outside of his zipper, relishing in the hard maleness of him straining to get out.

He groaned
against my mouth and slid his fingers around the curve of my ass, then down the crevice until he was lightly touching the junction between my legs through my shorts. I almost came right then and there as I gasped in pleasure.

Holy hell, did I want this guy.

As his other hand reached up and touched my breast, I pushed him away.

“Reed,” I said, breathless. “You’re engaged!”

He stepped back and ran a hand over his face. “I know, fuck…I’m sorry.”

“You’d better
leave,” I said, adjusting my shorts.

He nodded. “I’m sorry. I…”

“Let’s just forget this happened,” I said, forcing a smile.

H
e stared at me, like he had more to say but just couldn’t find the words. If he didn’t leave now, however, I knew that neither of us would be talking.

I lowered my eyes. “Reed, just please…leave.
”

“
Okay,” he replied, turning away.

I closed the door behind him and leaned against it, wondering what the hell
had just happened. Obviously, it was wrong but that didn’t stop me from wanting more of it.

You’re not messing up someone’
s relationship,
I told myself.
Who cares if his fiancé is a royal bitch- nobody deserves to get cheated on.

Sighing, I changed my clothes and went to go find Jesse.

***