Candy Apple (6 page)

She considered putting the robe back on and heading
downstairs, but with strangers in her house… Her confidence had been boosted by
Nathan’s blatant desire but not enough that she was willing to let two men she
didn’t know see her in next to nothing.

She opened the bathroom door. He was still in the bed, soft
snores indicating he’d fallen back asleep. He had to be tired—making love to
her most of last night and then again this morning.

She opened her drawer and grabbed another pair of the red
panties. They’d come in a five-pack, and since Nathan had said this was his
favorite color…

She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. Not terribly sexy but she
was getting ready to cook and she liked to be comfortable. Deciding she’d had
enough of her world being fuzzy, she grabbed her backup glasses off the dresser
and slid them on her face.

The world came into focus and Tasha sighed. So good. She
looked at the bed and the gorgeous man stretched out on—

She yelped.

Slapping her hand over her mouth to stop any more sounds,
she inched closer.

It wasn’t Nathan.

This can’t be right. This can’t be happening. How did
this happen?

She looked again. He looked a lot like Nathan—same dark
hair, same facial features. Brother? No. He’d mentioned a cousin.

She shook her head and backed toward the door, pleased that
the man in her bed remained asleep. The motorcycle boots caught her toes as she
pulled open the door. She tripped but caught herself with only a minor thump.
Her gaze snapped back to the man—whose name she did not know—in her bed. She
really
didn’t want him to wake up just yet. She needed a few minutes.

She nudged the boots out of the way, opened the door and
slipped into the hallway. Breath billowed in and out of her chest as she closed
the door behind her, her knuckles white where she gripped the doorknob.

It wasn’t possible. Only, clearly it was.

Putting her hand to her face, she leaned against the wall
and flipped through the previous night.

She’d fought with Jason then had gone home with Nathan. The
three glasses of wine and single shot of tequila couldn’t have blurred her mind
enough that at some point they’d switched places. No. She’d gone home with him
and had sex—lots of sex—with Nathan. Then this morning, he’d left, saying he’d
be back.

Her hand slid over her eyes as she remembered all the little
differences from last night to this morning. It all made sense now—the laughter
in his voice, the hesitation, the spanking.

I must have shocked the heck out of him when I dropped to
my knees and sucked him off.

There was some justification for her confusion—they really
did look alike and the dress had fallen off for both of them.

It had fallen off in her driveway. She blushed at the memory
of—

I could finish that thought if I knew his name
, she
groused to herself.

And the dress had clearly fallen off for Nathan.

Voices downstairs grabbed her attention—both panicking and
comforting her.

Explaining this to Heather would be a little embarrassing
but Heather of all people would understand. Besides, Heather was always telling
Tasha she needed to live a little.

And see what happens when I do?

Desperately needing her best friend, Tasha ran downstairs.
Heather stood in the living room, holding the wedding dress up, peering at it
intently.

Drat. The dress.

Heather looked at the dress one more time then dropped it.

“Jason was seriously Mr. Right?”

“What?” Tasha shook her head, dismissing the idea with a
wave of her hand. “Oh no.”

“Good or I would have been severely disappointed in this
dress. I’m right in assuming you were wearing this dress last night and it
didn’t just appear in the living room all on its own.”

“Yes, I wore it last night but wait—” She cocked her head to
the side and crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you liked Jason. You
always said you liked Jason.”

“Well,
you
liked Jason.” Heather winced. “He was
fine. A decent enough guy, but he’s boring and would just compound your natural
tendencies.”

Tasha’s eyes clamped down into a glare.

“See? That’s why I didn’t say anything. You always get mad
when I tell you to live a little. To find a guy who brings out the wild child.”
She kicked the wedding gown. Heather might sing the praises of the polyester
monstrosity, but she still harbored some resentment that she’d had to wear it
for two weeks before finding her men.

“So, did he?”

“Did who, what?”

“Did whoever make this dress fall off you bring out your
wild child?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Because that bike in the driveway definitely looks like
wild child potential.”

“Yes. I—”

“How did you hook up with a biker?’

“I didn’t. I hooked up with a banker!” Tasha blurted out.

“And your banker drives a bright-red Harley?”

“Candy apple,” she corrected.

“What?”

“The color is candy-apple red and no, the bike doesn’t
belong to the banker.”

Tipping her head to the side and pursing her lips like she
was observing some strange phenomenon, Heather stared at Tasha for a long
moment.

“Then who does the bike belong to?”

She winced and pleaded silently for Heather not to make her
answer. Heather stared for a moment then her eyes grew wide.

“Are you saying you don’t know—”

The kitchen door swung open and in walked Tasha’s mother.

“Hush—Mom! What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me
my mother was here?” Tasha muttered through her wide smile.

“I didn’t know it was going to be a problem. Who knew you
were taking perfect strangers to bed?”

“I can explain that.”

“Oh don’t. Please. Because I’m so proud of you.”

Tasha’s mother stood beside them. “Proud of her for what?”

“Nothing,” Tasha snapped.

“For finally taking a chance,” Heather said. She turned and
smiled sweetly at her aunt. “Great news, Aunt K, your daughter is finally
coming out of her shell.”

“Hush up.” Tasha smacked Heather on the arm. She ran her
fingers through her hair, trying to put some order to the crazy curls. “Mom,
what are you doing up so bright and early on a Saturday?”

“It’s almost noon.”

“What?”

Heather threw her arm around Tasha’s shoulders and squeezed.
“Time just gets away from you when you’re f—”

Tasha pinched Heather’s thigh.

“Ugh…when you’re having fun. That’s what I was going to
say.”

Tasha watched the expression on her mother’s face. Her
mother was a smart lady. She had to know something was up. As long as she didn’t
know what, Tasha would survive. The thought of her mother knowing about her sex
life—which had recently gotten a whole lot more exciting—made her want to throw
up.

Her mom nodded slowly but she didn’t say anything, didn’t
ask.
Good.

Katherine bent down and picked up the wedding dress.
“Goodness, I haven’t seen this in years. Still ugly.”

Heather and Tasha nodded.

“What’s it doing out?” She looked at Heather. “Aren’t two
enough?”

“What? Me?” Heather slapped her hand on her chest. “No. I’ve
got plenty. Wasn’t me.” Heather turned deliberately toward Tasha.

Tasha felt her shoulders start to sag as her mother turned
her attention to her.

“Are you thinking about putting it on?”

Tasha’s chest constricted as she took a deep breath.

“I, kind of, already did and I’m not sure what—”

Before she could blurt out her explanation and all the
questions that were teeming through her head, footsteps thumped on the stairs
and tall, dark and mysterious came jogging down.

Wow, when he isn’t all fuzzy, he’s gorgeous. But then, so
is Nathan.

Seeing him standing, she renewed her resolve that he looked
a lot like Nathan—same height, same dark hair, shoulders might be a little
broader but she had no problem with that. He was dressed in dark jeans, white
t-shirt and was pulling on his leather jacket. The twist of his body as he
slipped his arms in and pulled the t-shirt tight against his chest and abs,
showing the luscious definition.

He nodded to her mom and Heather, then turned those piercing
blue eyes on her.

“Morning.”

“Morning,” Heather and Katherine mumbled.

Tasha stumbled forward, feeling like she was under some sort
of spell.

He took her hand and pulled her with him to the door. “I’m
going to have to take a rain check on breakfast.” He kissed her. “I got called
in to work.” He tipped his head toward the stairs. “I left my number on your
bedside table.” He kissed her again, taking his time, easing his tongue between
her lips as if he wanted to carry her taste with him. “I’ll see you,” he
whispered.

He looked over her shoulder, nodded once again to the other
two women, then disappeared out the front door.

Moments later, the rumble of his bike filled the air.

She took a deep breath, gathering the courage to turn around
and face her mother.

Katherine folded her hands together in front of her and
waited, a grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“Uh…uh…” She could feel her cheeks turning red.

“Oh my God!” Heather shrieked. “You don’t know his name.”

Tasha glared at Heather.

Heather had the grace to look embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“Tasha, is that true? You don’t know the man’s name?”

She winced at her mother’s question. The teasing had
disappeared from her voice and a hint of disappointment had taken its place.
Great.

“Well, sort of, but not really. I mean, I thought I knew his
name but he wasn’t who I thought he was.”

Her mom and Heather stared at her, the confused rambling
obviously making no sense when it was outside of Tasha’s head.

Needing to tell someone about the tale, she blurted out the
whole story about the gown and Jason
and Nathan
and the previous
night—though she glossed over most of those details—then she told them about
this morning and the man she thought was Nathan.

“I mean he was a little fuzzy but he looks so much like
Nathan, even once I had my glasses on, that they could be twins.”

Heather and Katherine nodded and Tasha could feel her
mother’s disapproval fade.

“What I really don’t understand is the dress.” Tasha looked
at her mother. “It worked on both of them. Last night in the elevator, the
dress fell off around Nathan and this morning, with,” she waved her hand toward
the front door, “whatever his name is.

“Mom, you always said the dress only worked on one man, that
it helped you find your true love. I don’t understand how it fell off for both
of them.”

Cait and Heather had told her,
sworn,
that the dress
had fallen off around two different men but Tasha hadn’t believed them. Her
mother said it was one man—your true love.

“I might have been fibbing just a little on that.”

A weight settled on Tasha’s chest. For years she’d believed
that the dress could help her find—or at least confirm—her true love.

“It doesn’t help you find your true love?”

“Oh no, it does that.” Her mother reached out and squeezed
Tasha’s hand. “It’s just sometimes your true love isn’t confined to only one
man.”

Tasha blinked and stared at her mother, trying to make sure
she’d heard her correctly. Did that mean her mother had two—? Who—?

“Bad Boy Joe?”

He was her stepfather’s best friend and went everywhere with
her mother and Nick.

“Wait—” Heather jumped in. “Are you saying you and Uncle
Nick and Joe are a threesome?”

For a moment, Tasha thought her mother would deny it, but
then she seemed to find her strength. She pushed her shoulders back and pinched
her lips together.

“Yes.”

“Oh my goodness, that’s how he knew what the beach looked
like during your honeymoon.”

Tasha pulled out of her mother’s grip. “Why didn’t you tell
me?”

“At first you were too young and strange blended families
were less common than they are today. Then, after you left for college and
moved out, I couldn’t ever find the right time.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that would be a hard conversation to
have,” Heather said.

Tasha shuddered, hoping the violent little tremors would
erase her mind like an Etch-A-Sketch. She did not want to think about her
mother and Nick
and Joe
.

“So I’m destined to have two men?”

Katherine shrugged. “I don’t know about destiny but the
dress led me to Nick and Joe and I’ve been thankful every day since.”

She walked over to Tasha and gave her a quick hug. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to keep anything from you. I just didn’t know how to tell
you.”

Tasha nodded, the shock making her a bit numb.

She stood there, watching as her mother walked to the front
door. The door closed behind her and Tasha still hadn’t moved.

“Wow. Aunt K is so cool.”

Tasha spun around and glared at Heather. “That’s my mother.
Who is sleeping with two men!”

Heather shrugged. “So are you.”

“That’s different. Mine was an accident.”

“Hmm…” Heather tapped her index finger on the side of her
head. “You have perfect vision at ten inches, right?”

“Yes.”

“Anything beyond that gets blurry?”

“Yes,” Tasha said again.

“Are you telling me that not once during the time you were
upstairs you opened your eyes?”

“Well—”

“Tell me you don’t fuck with your eyes closed.” Heather
sounded
so
disappointed.

“No. That wasn’t the problem.”

“What was the problem? He was right there.”

“Well…” Tasha sighed. Heather wasn’t going to give up until
she got an answer. “We were never really face-to-face for that long.”