Their Twisted Love (The Twisted Mosaic - Book 2) (17 page)

He scooted close to me again, and a leering look danced in
his eyes. "My company has access to a private waiting area. I'm sure we
could find a place to fool around in there."

"No, Scott. Goodnight." I grabbed my bags and
stood up.

"Come on. I thought you were easy."

I whirled, my hand raised to strike his smug face, but I
pulled it back when he cowered. "I am not that woman anymore."

"Too bad."

Not long ago, I might've agreed with him. "I'm not
looking to get laid. I came to you for help."

"Help with what?"

I'd met Scott not along after that one time Will and I
fucked at our beach. I couldn't decide... questioning everything... my life, my
work, even my sexuality. Nothing made sense. "Control. My life is so
fucked up. When we met, I thought you could ground me. That's why I stayed with
you for so long—even without sex. You were... dependable. I thought that's what
I needed, but now I know I need...."

"What?"

Danger, security, a nasty romp in the sack with a man who
grounds me. Is that possible?
"I can't explain it."

"Then I can't help you."

I slid my laptop case over my shoulder. "You never
could. I need someone who understands me."

Scott stood and collected his bags. "I hope you find
him."

"I think I already have."

He nodded. "If you see me again, just let me keep
walking."

"Goodbye, Scott." I kissed his cheek, and we
walked into the crowded corridor, heading in opposite directions.

I have already found him. But which him?

I grabbed my phone to call a cab and found the unsent text
to Claire to cancel my return flight. Delete.
I'm going back to Denver.
A new message popped up.

Will:
'Case closed. We'll be together tomorrow.'

Maybe I wouldn't choose one him just yet.

"Another round?" The bartender grabbed my empty
glass.

"Keep 'em coming." I'd planned on spending
Saturday night, hell, all weekend with Talia. But after I walked out on her,
she spent the rest of the week working from her hotel room and then jumped on
the first plane back to Chicago on Friday night. Claire told me she had a
return flight scheduled for Sunday.

What the hell would I do when she came back?
If
she
came back
.

Don't think, just drink.

The bartender slapped the whole bottle of whisky on the bar
in front of me alongside a fresh glass. "You can pour."

"Thanks." I filled the glass and kept the bottle,
hoping to drown out the mistakes flooding my brain. Most of them got saturated
and sank, but the biggies kept bobbing on the surface.

Dating her.
A mistake?
We were happy for a little
while. Both of us. Together. Not terribly exciting, but I thought we'd gotten
close to something... something that could've worked for us.

Letting her fuck another guy—no—the wrong guy, according to
her. But we'd had fun until she'd figured that out.

Loving her.
What? No.
I pushed that one under and
circled back to the mistakes floating away from my flailing grasp like slippery
life preservers. I finally snagged one and pulled my head above water. S.S.
Will Barnett.
Jesus.

My glass emptied and I poured another.

She's probably fucking him right now.
Well hell, I
could do that too. Not Will. That hot chick at the end of the bar.

She sat by herself, nursing a drink and staring at her cell
phone, tapping her frosted pink fingernails on the bar.
Been stood up?
Perfect.

I followed her gaze toward the door, and watched her sigh as
the next person who walked through approached someone else. Her pale pink
sundress floated over apple-sized breasts, slim thighs. Strappy sandals with
four-inch heels dangled from her polished toes. Sweet, demure, and sexy as
fucking hell.
What idiot would ditch her?

She wore no jewelry except for a silver choker she
occasionally stroked, and pretty pearl earrings framed by strands of silky
brown hair that escaped from the knot she'd twisted on top of her head. I
searched the files in my brain for a line that would appeal to an apparent
innocent, but chucked them all and decided to go with the direct approach.

"May I buy you a drink?"

She looked up at me as I sat beside her. Her raspberry lips
parted and she gasped. "Alex?"

I blinked. "Claire?"

She blushed and her thick eyelashes fluttered. "I
didn't expect to see you here."

"Wow. You look... completely different."
And
ready for a tussle in the sheets.
"I've never seen you... so much
skin."

Her dress pulled tight across her breasts as she sat up
straight. "My after-hours secret identity. I can't wear this at
work."

"Damn good thing. I'd have bent you over your desk a
long time ago."
She still works for you, idiot!

The Claire I knew—office Claire—would've crawled under the
bar and cowered, but this woman— this sexual creature—smiled and drew a
polished fingertip along my arm. "I know."

"That obvious, huh?"

Her eyes sparkled as she nodded.

"You never answered my question. May I buy you a
drink?"

She glanced at her phone and shrugged. "Why not?"

I ordered another round and slid closer to her. Stupid move,
but if I was going to fuck up my life over Talia, I'd better fuck it good.
"You're not keeping much a secret in that dress." Even in the dim
light and the stuffy crowded room, her cute perky nipples made their presence
known under the thin cotton.

"And you look pretty damn hot in that t-shirt and
jeans. The girls at the office suspected you had a great body, but now I have
proof."

"You can have all the proof you want, darlin'." I
sat back and spread my legs.

She grinned and let her gaze linger at my crotch. "So
tempted." Her phone buzzed. She picked it up and read the screen.
"But I have a date."

Damn it.
"Finally showed up?"

"He's on his way. Got stuck in surgery."

"Impressive date."

"Yeah. I think he's going to be good to me." She
stroked her necklace.

"I could be good to you."
Where have I heard
that before?

She laughed and shook her head. "You? Good?"

"Never mind."
Damn it, she's right. I'm worthless.
"I could be bad to you. I think you could use a little something nasty in
your life, your bed, don't you, darlin'?"

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "I think someone
else needs your dangerous debauchery more than I do. Someone who thinks you're
worth the trouble."

I sat back, pulling away from her innocent touch. "If I
was worthy of her... of anyone, I wouldn't be here trying to get you into bed."

"You are. You just need to believe it."

"I don't take anything on faith. I need proof." I
ordered another round, but Claire hadn't finished her drink.
Believe I
deserve Talia's love? No.
That would never happen, and no one could ever
prove it to me.

Claire glanced over her shoulder at the door, then back at
me. "She stopped working at the office again."

I polished off my drink and picked up hers. "Yeah, I
screwed up."

"She'll come back."

"Think so? I don't."

"As long as she believes you might have what she needs,
she'll keep searching."

"Yeah well, right now she's searching in my best
friend's pants."

Claire's nipples practically poked through her top.
"Ohh.... That Will guy? God, he's a hottie. I'd do him."

"Thanks, just what I needed to hear."

"Sorry." She giggled and picked up her phone as
the door swung open. "He's here." She kissed my cheek and whispered,
"Don't give up hope."

"You'll need to define that for me. I don't know what
it means."

"It means your proof is out there. Don't stop
searching."

I raised my glass and watched her cute ass bounce under that
flirty skirt as she walked out the door. I tried to picture Talia wearing a
prim little dress, chasing after me like a smitten puppy. The couple at the
other end of the bar glared at me as I burst out laughing, wiping tears from my
eyes.

Damn, I needed that laugh.
She'd never willingly go
after me, so I swallowed my grand illusions along with the rest of that bottle.
I was in no condition to drive home, so I settled into a corner booth and
ordered a burger. My thoughts remained oddly clear, focused on one objective,
one goal: luring Talia back to Denver and figuring out just what it would take
to keep her with me.

What had I said about once and done?
Not with this woman.
Twice hadn't even been enough for Talia.

She'd called me Friday night as she got off the plane and
asked if I could meet her. I couldn't get away from work, so I promised to see
her on Saturday. She'd begged me to take her to our beach, but I made dinner at
my place instead.

"Oh Will, you spoil me." She leaned over and
inhaled the rich, nutty scent of mushrooms and sesame oil simmering on the
stove.

"My pleasure." I popped the cork on the wine
bottle and filled our glasses. Then I seated her and served grilled sirloin
with roasted potatoes and the mountain of Portabella mushrooms she'd requested.

She speared a bite of everything and moaned. "Orgasmic.
Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"What exactly am I doing to you?"

A smile touched her lips, tinged with guilt and maybe a
little remorse. "Every time he hurts me... I come to you."

"I noticed that."

"I can't help it. You're my rock. My happy place. And I
know you won't say no to me."

Damn woman has me pegged.
"You haven't asked me
anything yet."

"I will. Count on it."

"Yep." I dove into my steak. The thing was pretty
damn good. Good enough to keep Talia quiet until we'd cleared our plates and
drunk half the bottle of wine.

"Aren't you going to ask what he did to me?"

I pulled her down on the couch and put my arm around her
shoulders. "I don't have to."

She curled up against my chest. "He gave me what I
wanted."

"Oh, that's a bad idea."

"No kidding, you'd think he'd get that by now."
She slid her hand down to my stomach, and trailed her fingers along my belt.
"But it turned out what I wanted wasn't really what I wanted."

Good Lord.
"No more wine for you."

"Oh come on." Her fingers wiggled under my
waistband. "Just a little."

"You're not talking about wine." Finally something
made sense.

"Talking is overrated." She nibbled my neck.

I sighed and let her flick my ear with her tongue.
What's
the harm?
She'd fuck me, run back to Alex and fuck him, come crying to me.
I'm
her happy place? Not likely.

She undid my belt and slid my zipper down. I kissed her
while she stroked my cock. Damn thing had gotten hard the moment she'd knocked
on my door.

I could have asked her why she'd come to me tonight, but I
wouldn't get a straight answer... didn't need one. Besides, we couldn't exactly
have a meaningful conversation with her mouth full of my dick. I grabbed her
hair and pulled her up. "babe, come here."

"Mmm...." She kissed me and straddled my lap,
rubbing her damp panties against my erection as her skirt slid up her thighs.
She sucked on my lower lip as I eased her back.

"We gotta talk." I moaned as she grabbed my cock.
"What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She somehow managed to slide
my cock under her panties and along her wet slit.

"Oh hell yes." I groaned and forgot words...
saying them... got lost in the honeyed temptation of Talia's hot pussy.

She breathed hot on my lips. "I want you to make me
forget all about him."

I slid my hands under her shirt and fondled her breasts.
"No problem."

"If only for tonight."

Big problem.
I dumped her on the couch and stood up.

"What the hell?"

I zipped up my pants and buckled my belt, tightening it an
extra notch so neither one of us could get it off easily. "This has to
end."

"Us?"

"You and me, you and him. You can't keep running back
and forth between us."

Her lip quivered and she tugged her skirt to her knees.
"I'm not. I came here to—"

"Don't lie to me. I can see what you're doing, playing
us against each other. It's not going to work. I told Alex he needs to treat
you right. Obviously he hasn't figured out how."

"Will you tell him again?" She slid to the edge of
her seat and tugged on my pants. "Come back to Denver with me...
please?"

And bring you back to Chicago permanently.
I pried
her fingers off my leg and stepped back. "No. I've done all I can."
Almost
.
She needed one more push in the right direction. "You need to let go of me."

She pressed her hand to her mouth and sobbed. "I
can't...."

"Me or him. Can't have both."
Me, me, me!

"I can't... I can't choose." Tears trickled down
her cheeks, searing right through my aching heart as they dripped onto her
blouse.

Damn it, stop hurting her!
I wanted to take her in my
arms and tell her I'd love her for the rest of my life. But I couldn't make her
happy. That was all I'd ever wanted for her. "Then I'll choose for you. Go
back to Alex. We're done."

"What?"

Damn stubborn woman!
She wouldn't let go of me so I
had to drive her away. "I've had enough of this bullshit. You're on your
own."

"Don't you care about me?"

I love you.
But if I told her that, she'd use it
against me. I shook my head. "I don't give a shit... you and Alex deserve
each other. Leave me out of your twisted sex games."