Candy Apple (7 page)

“I don’t understand.” Heather shook her head.

“He was behind me most of the time.”

Heather’s smile grew wide. “Oooh I see. You’ve definitely
got the wild child in you. It just took Bachelor Number Two to bring her out.”

She hooked her arm through Tasha’s elbow and dragged her
into the kitchen. She guided Tasha into a chair and poured a cup of coffee,
setting it on the table.

“So we don’t know anything about Number Two except he’s
gorgeous. And you said he’s practically a twin to this Nathan guy?”

“Yes. It’s probably his cousin. Nathan said his cousin lived
with him.” She had vague memories of him mentioning that, though her mind was a
bit blurry from the multiple orgasms. Honestly, she hadn’t been paying that
much attention to what Nathan had said at that point…just the fact that his
lips looked so sexy as he spoke.

Of course, his lips were even sexier a few minutes later
when he’d gone down on her in the kitchen, her leg draped over his shoulder as
he licked and—

“So what does Nathan do?”

Heather’s question jolted her out of her thoughts.

“What? Oh, um, he works in Jason’s office. He’s a fund
manager.”

“Oh.”

The bland tone of Heather’s voice caught Tasha’s attention.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

Tasha leaned in and stared at her niece.

Finally, Heather sighed. “It’s just that no one I’ve ever
met who worked with numbers for a living was ever exciting, and they usually
suck in bed.”

Tasha couldn’t stop her lips from spreading out into a wide
grin.

“That’s because you’ve never met Nathan.”

Chapter Five

Dear Diary,

First Cait. Then Heather. And now my mother? It’s just
too much to think about. I’m going to find some chocolate.

Tasha rang the doorbell and waited.

She’d waited, been patient, been
polite
for three
days. Then she turned stalker. At first, she’d called a couple of times,
innocently, expecting a call back. He’d sounded sincere when he’d crawled out
of bed that morning—whispering that he had to go into the office for a few
hours, but he’d be back. He hadn’t specifically
said
he thought there
was something more between them than one night of sex, but he also hadn’t taped
cab fare to her forehead with a note saying “have a great life”.

Heather had been supportive but kept telling Tasha she was
lucky. Heather had had “issues” with her clothes after she’d met her men, but
hadn’t officially started dating them. Somehow Tasha didn’t have the problem.
Heather’s theory was that the dress’s curse didn’t extend to Tasha’s wardrobe
because she’d actually slept with both men.

But Tasha wanted more than just a night—and a morning—of
great sex so whether the dress was prodding her on or not, she was going after
her man, or men, as it were.

Since Nathan hadn’t contacted her, she could only assume he
knew about…Fred? She’d been trying out names for the past three days to see
which ones fit the dark-headed sex god. She would have called him “Thor” but he
didn’t have the long blond tresses to carry it off.

Sighing, she pressed the doorbell again and heard the chime
ring through the house.

Long, painfully long, moments later, she heard footsteps
thumping down the stairs and voices. Loud, harsh voices.

“Well, I’m not going to leave her standing on the front
porch.”

“What the hell do you care?”

“What the hell business is it of yours?”

The male voices sounded a lot alike.

“Because I had her first.”

“Had her first? Oh you can use that at Thanksgiving when the
whole family goes around the table. ‘What are you thankful for? I had her
first!’”

“Bite me. You know what I mean.”

“Right. Every woman likes to be had.”

“Get the hell away—”

The door popped open and both her lovers filled the empty
space. Nathan glowering, Mystery Man looking smug. Neither seemed inclined to
speak.

“Uh, hi.”

“Hello,” Nathan greeted with no warmth.

“Hey there, lovely.” The other man reached out and grabbed
her hand, pulling her inside. “Come in.”

“I wanted to return the jacket,” she said. She offered him
the jacket, her fingers caressing the leather as it was taken away.

“Well, thanks. We would have missed it.”

“That’s
my
jacket,” Nathan snapped.

“I couldn’t give her a ride home without some kind of
protection.” He took her hand.

“Thanks, uh—” She left it open ended because she really
needed to know the man’s name.

“Oh right. I’m Kiah, we never actually introduced
ourselves.”

“Tasha.”

“You didn’t even know her name?” Nathan asked, his tone a
mixture of appalled and condescending. Even though it wasn’t directed at her,
she felt the backlash.

She drew herself up to her full height, which still brought
her nowhere near either man. She was willing to accept some of the blame for
this—okay, all of the blame—but she wasn’t going to let him be a snot before
she’d had a chance to explain.

“I can explain.”

Kiah smacked the back of his hand against Nathan’s arm. “And
don’t be such a sanctimonious putz. We should hear the lovely woman’s
explanation.”

Tasha didn’t know if Kiah actually wanted to hear her
explanation, or if he just liked pissing off his cousin. She had a feeling the
latter had a lot to do with it.

“You don’t get to hear this explanation.” Nathan hitched his
thumb over his shoulder. “Get out.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” Kiah demanded.

“I don’t care. Leave, go to your room, just get the hell
away from me.”

Kiah looked at Tasha and rolled his eyes to the top of his
head.

But he still headed toward the door behind the stairs.

Once Kiah had disappeared, Tasha faced Nathan, her heart
practically exploding in her chest.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, knowing there was nothing else she
could say.

Nathan shook his head and wandered toward the side table
that acted as a bar. He looked cool and sophisticated as he poured himself a
drink from the crystal bottle.

Except she could see the tiniest of tremors.

“Please let me explain.”

“What’s to explain?” He looked so casual, so calm, as he
turned to her and raised the heavy amber-filled glass to his lips. “You fucked
me and the next morning, you mounted my cousin.”

She forced her lungs to inhale and slowly release.

“It was an accident,” she explained in a calm voice.

“An accident.” Nathan folded his arms across his chest and
stared at her. “What? You tripped down the stairs and just happened to fall
onto his naked penis?”

“What? No. Not that kind of accident.” She gulped. “More a
case of mistaken identity.”

He squished his eyes together and shook his head before
looking back at her. “What?” The glint of hope in his gaze inspired a similar
response in her.

“I thought he was you.”

“Right.” The hope died. He placed his glass on the polished
table and started to walk away.

“No, really.” She jumped in front of him. “Remember how I
said it wasn’t a big deal when you stepped on my glasses—that I only needed
them to read?”

Nathan nodded.

“I was lying. I’m blind as a bat.” She ripped off her
glasses and stepped close, peering in until he came into sharp focus. “Here.
This is when I can see you.” Their toes were touching. “I came downstairs and
thought he was you.”

Some of Nathan’s anger seemed to fade at her words.

“I thought some of the things he said were a little strange
but I assumed it was because you just hadn’t been listening the night before.
And then when the dress fell off—”

“Oh right. The magic dress.”

“Mock if you want, but it’s true.”

“I thought it was only supposed to fall off for your Prince
Charming.”

“Right, because ‘charming’ is definitely the word to
describe you,” Kiah drawled from the doorway under the stairs.

“I thought I told you to get out,” Nathan growled.

“Yes, and I’ve never listened to anything you’ve told me
before. Why did you assume I would now?” He walked back into the room, stopping
beside his cousin. “So what’s this about a magic dress?”

“It’s not magic. It’s cursed,” she said, silencing Nathan
with a glare. Taking a breath, she gave Kiah a quick rundown on the wedding
dress.

“So, that’s why you were naked by the garage.”

“You were naked? Outside?” Nathan’s eyes got wide.

“Naw, she wasn’t really naked.” Kiah smiled and the light in
his blue stare twinkled with the memory. “She was wearing your leather jacket
and a pair of red panties.”

Nathan blinked and she saw his throat convulse. His eyes
dipped down and he stared at her chest for a moment as if picturing what she
looked like.

“It was only because the dress fell off,” she explained

“So the dress thinks I’m your true love?” Kiah didn’t sound
like he believed it.

“Funny, because the dress also seemed to believe
I
was her true love,” Nathan added.

Tasha sighed. She couldn’t really blame him for being a bit
snide.

“Well, since that day I’ve learned a bit more about the
dress—and way more about my mother’s love life than I ever wanted to know. My
mother was the original owner and I always thought the dress had led her to my
stepfather, Nick.” She gulped, still dealing with the thought of her mother in
a three-way relationship. “But it seems the dress attracts, works, whatever you
want to call it, on two men, so she ended up with Nick and his friend Joe.”

“So your mother sleeps with two guys?” Kiah asked, interest
humming through his words. “Damn, that’s wild.”

“It’s creepy, and I refuse to think about it so we’re not
going to discuss it.” She waved her hands, trying to wash away the images that
kept sneaking into the corners of her brain. “The point is—” She looked at
Nathan. “That’s how I ended up in bed with Kiah after I’d spent the night with
you.”

Nathan nodded but couldn’t find the right words. He was methodical
in everything he did. Everything—except bringing Tasha home the other night.

He’d had one-night stands before—hell, he was a guy—but he’d
always planned them. He’d gone out to a bar looking to get laid. Most times it
worked, sometimes he came home alone.

But Tasha had been a total surprise.

Even more surprising had been the stab of pain he’d felt
when he’d found out she’d fucked Kiah just hours after she’d climbed out of
his
bed.

He glanced at his cousin. He could see how Tasha could make
the mistake—if she was really as blind as she said. They did look alike. But
beyond that, they were nothing alike.

Could Tasha really want them both? His stomach burned. Hell,
every woman Nathan had ever dated had shown at least a passing interest in
Kiah. Why not? Buff fireman with a propensity to live on the edge.

Nathan was a bit more rigid, staid, as one woman called him.
It made him good at his job but not a lot of fun, particularly when compared to
Kiah.

“So we should probably set up a schedule,” Kiah announced.

“What? What kind of schedule?”

“Of when we get to see her.”

Nathan shook his head and stared at Kiah. “You can’t be
serious.”

“Serious about what?” Tasha added.

Both men ignored her. “Well, if we don’t set up a schedule,
I’ll never get to see her. I work weird hours.”

“You want to
share
her? You don’t even know her.”

“The dress picked both of us, and while I don’t have the
in-depth
relationship that you two have—”

Nathan glared.

“We can catch up pretty fast considering you guys had, what?
Two conversations before you went to bed?”

Nathan turned and faced his cousin. “Which is more than you
had, asshole.”

“Ooh, resorting to name calling? And everyone says you’re
the mature cousin. I’m going to tell your dad about this. So how about this? I
get her on the days I have off. You can have her when I’m working.”

“So we just fit around your schedule? I don’t think so. You
get most weekends off. I’m not giving up my weekends just because you’ve got
seniority with the firehouse.”

“But when I’m working, I’m stuck at the station and can’t
see her. Even on days you’re working, you can meet up with her.”

“I—”

“Hey!”

Tasha’s voice—normally so soft and soothing—rang through the
open air of the loft like a shotgun blast.

“I’m not a puppy you’re dividing up in a divorce.” She
huffed out a breath.

“I’m sorry,” Nathan said. “You’re right.”

“Sorry,” Kiah muttered.

“We just get caught up in our history sometimes,” Nathan
added.

Tasha nodded. “Okay. Now, the dress matched us up and I have
a lot of faith in the powers of this dress to choose a man, or men. I’ve seen
it work three times now. But—” She paused. “Right now, I’m starving and I can’t
make a decision on an empty stomach.”

“You want to go out?”

“Or we could order something in,” Kiah offered.

“Or I could cook,” Tasha said.

“Cook?”

“Like, as in, real food?”

Nathan looked at Kiah. “Do we have any real food?”

“We have eggs, maybe some bread.”

Tasha laughed. The sweet sound dissipated the tension in the
room. “You guys don’t cook? Either of you?”

Nathan shook his head and saw Kiah do the same thing.

“Hmm, well, let me go see what you have.” She started off to
the kitchen and Kiah, who never had a thought in his head beyond the immediate,
followed right behind her.

“So you really didn’t know who I was.”

“No.”

“You thought I was Nathan?”

“Well, imagine you’re looking at someone through dirty
beveled glass. That’s kind of what you looked like.”

Kiah smiled and looked back over his shoulder as Nathan
followed behind them.

“But now that you’ve got your glasses, you can see I’m much
more handsome.”

She laughed. Nathan glared at his cousin.

“Yeah.” This time Tasha looked back, her cheeks a delicate
pink. She smiled at Nathan. “No way I’m going to admit to that. You are both
gorgeous.”

Nathan’s cock twitched and for a moment he forgot that Kiah
was standing there. He stepped close, sliding his arm around her waist.

“No fair,” Kiah protested.

“No fair? What are you? A third grader?” Nathan snapped but
he dropped his hand.

“I’m just saying you don’t get to sway her opinion with
sex.”

“That wasn’t sex. I just touched her.”

“Then I get to touch her.”

“Uh, guys—”

Nathan heard the start of her protest but he was too focused
on his cousin. They’d been competitive all their lives. But Nathan had never
been willing to compete for a woman. If someone he was dating suddenly took an
interest in Kiah, Nathan backed off. He didn’t want a woman who didn’t want
him.

Tasha was different. And she did seem to want him—not just
his daring, dashing fireman cousin. But how they were going to make this work
without killing each other, he didn’t know.

He stopped and stared at the woman in question. She blinked
and looked back at him, her eyes wide and a little innocent. She wasn’t doing
this to have two men fight over her, that was sure.

“Let’s go see what we have food-wise, huh?” he suggested,
guiding her into the kitchen.

Tension immediately drained from her body and Nathan
couldn’t ignore the spike of guilt that landed in his chest.