Deceitfully (Sinfully Series) (15 page)

Now I was the one looking at him like he was insane. “Umm. ‘Kay?” I took his hands and my legs instantly starting sliding back and forth, but he kept pulling, and eventually, my legs straightened out when I used my quads like he said. “Thank you. Is it time for a break yet?”

He chuckled lightly. “One more time around and then we’ll take a break.” I could handle that.

We went around one more time before stopping for the day. After we got our skates off, we walked around the rest of the park, taking in the beauty around us.

“Have you ever been here before?” I questioned as we turned around another curve, passing two women who were walking their dogs.

“No. I mean, I drive by it all the time, but I’ve never had anyone to enjoy it with. Some people don’t mind going places alone, but personally, I don’t like it. The gym is the only place I really go where I don’t mind being alone. Probably because I know most of the people there. Coming down here by myself just seems, I don’t know, lonely and sad,” Tate opened up as we strolled along.

“I think we’re the opposite there. I love getting away and having time to myself. Growing up, I think that’s why I loved the airport observation area so much. It was my place for me, just me.”

“You didn’t go there with your sister or friends?” He looked genuinely curious.

“No. I sometimes needed a place where no one would find me. No one ever thought to look there, I guess.”

That was when he stopped walking and turned toward me. “You and your sister. Why do you hate each other so much?” He held onto both of my hands, and I blew out an unsteady breath. I shouldn’t have divulged that much.

“She wanted the life I had. Thought it was better than her own. She only saw a tiny portion of it though and didn’t realize that she was the one I was envious of. I would never ask to trade places, but for years and years, we fought because of wanting what the other had. She was so blind to it all though, only seeing what she wanted to. Eventually, I was tired of persuading her otherwise, and she accepted what she’d created in her own mind. That was over ten years ago, but we’ve never really recovered from it.”

“Sounds like a big misunderstanding. Do you ever think you’ll be on good terms again?” Tate asked as we started walking again. The breeze was picking up and the clouds were coming in.

“I’d like to hope so. We were young and I realize that. It’s just hard being nice to someone who is always trying to make you feel worthless.”

Tate didn’t say another word and we walked in comfortable silence as I thought about how he was the first person I’d ever really said anything to. I just prayed that he wouldn’t ask any more questions about back then. I wasn’t ready to open up old wounds.

One Month Later

I WAS STARING AT THE confirmation email. I’d been staring at it for a while now and knew I needed to get ready to leave, but fuck.

Tate had bought us plane tickets to San Diego. Together. He wanted me to come with him to see his best friend who was a new mother. He’d mentioned it last week but hell if seeing those tickets didn’t make it real.

Seats 8A and 8B, nonstop from Chicago to San Diego. Shit just got real.

“Freaking out a little bit?” I jumped as I heard his voice. He settled his arms on my shoulders and gave me a kiss on the neck. “You’ve been staring at the screen for over five minutes. It doesn’t have to be more than you want it to be. I wasn’t trying to move too quick, but I figured since we spent most of our free time together, why not take a trip together. You’ll love Payton, and I need to squeeze Emilynn’s fat cheeks in person. It’ll be fun, I promise.” He sounded confident about the trip, about us.

His kisses continued down my neck and his hands found my breasts, massaging them through my shirt. My head leaned back and gave in to the feeling. He was trying to distract me, but I wouldn’t let it work. Sitting upright, I pulled away from his embrace and gathered my senses.

“You’re probably right. I’ve never been there before so I’m excited for that. It’s just that seeing the tickets feels so serious. What if you hate me next week and then you either wasted a ticket or have to sit by a girl who you can’t stand to look at.” The moment I said it out loud, I regretted it. I didn’t feel that way, and to be honest, it was nice knowing that he took us so seriously.

The look on his face made me want to punch myself.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, Tate. I love how our relationship is progressing and am grateful that you want to take me to meet Payton. You talk about her like you’ve known each other for years. How’d you two meet?” I asked, partially to redirect the conversation and partially because I really was curious. I had an appointment in just over a half hour and needed to get my things together for it but was secretly hoping Tate would decide to join me.

Tate grabbed the back of his neck, seeming to contemplate his answer. “We’ve—uh—been friends for a couple years now. I met her on vacation and it came natural. She’s happily married now, but we’ve worked hard at staying friends.” He walked out of the room, and it seemed that our conversation was over. I would press the issue later, but to be honest, I wasn’t really worried or jealous about their relationship.

I hollered to him as I picked up my purse and headed for the kitchen, where I knew I’d find him. “You sure you don’t want to get pampered with me? It could be fun.” I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try.

“No. I’m not doing it. That’s a girl thing; go bond with your sister. Just come over to my place when you’re done, and we’ll go out and do something fun. All right?” He wasn’t budging on this one.

“Please! There are always a few guys in there and they have a couple’s room for massages. We can switch the reservation to include you too, I’m sure.” I was begging, and if it were in the bedroom, begging for something else, it would probably turn him on. To be honest, I was nervous about being in the same room as Sophia for that amount of time.

“Your sister booked the package for both of you. Four hours of pampering. Remember? She wanted to reconnect with you and bond. Maybe the brush of death changed her view on life. Hell, I don’t know but I do know that I don’t do pampering, babe, and you need the time with your sister. We’ll go out and have a nice dinner once you’re all relaxed and refreshed. Plus, knowing you were naked on the table next to me, I’d have a hard-on the entire time,” he joked, but he probably would and that would be awkward as hell.

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll give you a massage later tonight, though. I’ve been dying to try out the candle made out of massage oil,” I purred in his ear. My body was flush against his and damn if thoughts of reddening skin from the hot wax didn’t make me hot. I had confessed about how I was curious about using wax in the bedroom, but he hadn’t brought any out yet. I was hoping tonight would be the night.

I was wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt that allowed me to feel how much he wanted me. He held me close as he asked, “I get to use the wax on you? Any hard limits on where I can’t put it?” Thoughts of my nipples glistening red, my stomach, trailing down to my core—I wanted it all. I wanted to push the boundaries with him. Only him.

“Anywhere. I think?” I questioned myself. “I want to try it on you, too. Not everywhere, but maybe your back or chest. I’ll be wet all day just thinking about it. I should go, though. See you in a little over four hours. Thank you, Tate.” I got on my tippy toes and gave him a slow, intimate kiss. Our tongues glided together in perfect synchrony, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my mouth. His smile told me that he liked it. So did his hard erection. I needed to leave before it went any further.

We’d been spending more and more time together and it came naturally. I was hanging with Tate and his friends more now and they all mentioned how they couldn’t figure out how Sophia and I were related. They kept ragging on Tate about how superficial he was in high school and how clueless he was since he had picked the wrong sister back then. He spent a lot of time apologizing for the past and letting me know that he’d pick me over Sophia any day and for me not to worry about her. He knew about my insecurities with having her as a sister and his reaffirmations seemed to be true. Sophia had called him after Cylas’ funeral and tried to play up the sob story of how affected she was by the ‘event.’ How she’d love them to reconnect. He outright turned her down, and it seemed to have successfully gotten the idea across that he wasn’t interested in her anymore.

I made the quick drive over to the salon and a perky receptionist named Erika greeted me. She checked me in and handed over a glass of wine while I waited for someone to call me back. I had never been there before and would likely never return. It screamed status and I still wasn’t sure why my sister had insisted on me coming here with her. She called last week and told me she’d already set everything up for us. All I had to do was show up. I wasn’t one to deny a massage or having my nails done so I accepted with suspicion. It seemed on the up and up though so I kept telling myself to relax and enjoy her gift.

I downed the wine to calm my nerves and just as I took the last sip, a tall, chiseled man came up and introduced himself. “I’m Alberto. I’ll be your masseuse today. Bianca will handle your facial and Cristina will be doing your manicure and pedicure. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you where you can change. Are you here for a special occasion?”

Holy moly, this man was hot. He had olive skin and the deepest green eyes I’d ever seen. If I weren’t falling in love with Tate, I’d be falling over my words with him. “I’m actually waiting on my sister.”

“She called earlier to let us know to start without her and that she’d be here as soon as she could. Do you want a deep tissue massage or something more relaxing?” His voice had a slight accent, and it brought all sorts of dirty thoughts to my mind.

“Just relaxation, I guess. Do we start with the massage?” I stood and followed him to a room with large circular couches. On the side were divided wooden sections with a robe, slippers, and a bag of toiletries for each guest.

“Here you’ll find our relaxation room. Many women like to finish their time on the couches, letting their nails dry and getting a little extra time before leaving. We have refreshments and fruit here as well. I’ll give you a moment to change, and I’ll be in room three whenever you’re ready. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind turning off any electronics, we like to give our guests uninterrupted pleasure. Thank you.” He was very professional, and I smiled at how excited I was to have a day just for me.

Reaching in my purse, I searched and searched but realized I must have forgotten my phone again at home. It was a bad habit of mine for years now, and Sophia was always reminding me of how forgetful I was. I placed my purse in one of the large lockers and quickly stripped down to my panties and put on the robe. I didn’t want to keep Alberto waiting, and I was excited to get back to the hot man waiting for me at home when I was done. I had so much to look forward to and wasn’t going to waste any more time worrying about my sister or anything else negative in my life.

STELLA WAS BECOMING MORE permanent in my life. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but I couldn’t see my life without her positivity. The way she looked at me, with such vulnerability and anticipation. I had grown to love it, and on days I didn’t get to see her, I felt incomplete. Stella was becoming easier to read. Her face showed her feelings. She’d scrunch up her nose for just a second when she didn’t agree with something. She bit the left side of her lip when aroused and bit the right side when she was debating what to say. Her eyes sparkled like stars when she was happy and her hair would become tousled on the left side when she was stressed from running her hands through it. I knew her quirks and we had gotten to the point of silent conversations because we knew what the other was saying. How could I have ever dated her sister and been so blind to the girl I’m falling in love with.