Tangled (23 page)

The
purr of a familiar engine steered her attention across the street. A black
Ferrari idled outside of a mom-and-pop diner.

Cresting
on a surge of turbulence, her stomach canted, unbalancing her.

There
was only one person in a hundred mile radius with that vehicle’s make and
model. What was he doing down here at this hour?

Tess
hustled across the wet pavement. She didn’t know what a wealthy pretty boy
could do against a mugger, but he was better than nothing. If push came to
shove, she could always use him as a decoy while she went after their
assailant.

Tess
waved at the driver’s side window, but there was no response. Frowning, she
stooped down and peered inside.

“What
do you think you’re doing?”

With
a startled yelp, Tess whirled around to the figure cloaked beneath the unlit
awning. “Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on someone!” she exclaimed
brusquely, more embarrassed than anything else.

He
ashed
the
cigarette.
“Says the woman trying to break into my car.”

“No
one wants your stupid car.” She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

Veiled
by a satiny screen of smoke and mist, he was breathtaking. Tousled hair, inked
a darker shade of obsidian by wetness, shone in the dim light. Wearing a
long-sleeved rugby shirt and wrinkled chinos, he looked as though he’d just
rolled out of bed. Other than drowsy eyes, he seemed stable.

Sober.

“What
are you doing down here?” she asked.

The
diner’s metal door flung open and cracked into the metal railing. “See, I told
you I could finish pissing in 10 seconds.” The buxom brunette glided down the
stairs, sauntered up to Adonis, and latched on to his arm.
 

“T-M-fucking-I.”
Visibly annoyed, he flicked the filter into the gutter.

The
brunette opened her mouth for rebuttal when she glimpsed Tess. “Oh, is this the
one you wanted to have a threesome with?” the woman cooed as her sultry gaze
boldly appraised her body. “She looks absolutely delectable.”

Alex, I’ll take that mugger
for two hundred.

Chapter 13

Tess
went stock-still as the woman brushed against her.
“So, how
about it?” the brunette husked.

“Chill
out,
Lyds
,” Adonis said, disgust marring his features.
“You don’t need to scare her off. She’s not one of my groupies.”

“And
I was just getting warmed up,” the woman pouted. Tess’s airway reopened as the
dubiously bi-curious woman retreated to his side. “So who are you? Don’t tell
me my little brother has gotten over his commitment phobia and found a
girlfriend?”

Tess’s
jaw slackened. “You’re his what?”

“Half-sister,”
Adonis glared at both of them. “And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“So
you are open to having one, right? Because I have two girls who’d be perfect
for you.”

“Get
in the car. I have better things to do than chauffeur your ass.”

Lydia
stuck out a quivering, lower lip and grappled for his hand. “Does that mean you
aren’t excited to see me? Is my visiting not a good surprise?”

He
wrested his hand back. “It would’ve been better if you’d given me more than
fifteen minutes’ notice.”

“But
it’s funnier this way.” Giggling, she stood on her toes to ruffle his slickened
hair. “You weren’t sleeping were you?”

Baffled,
Tess gawked at the odd pair. She had to squint to find the familial
resemblance. Without the stilettos, Lydia roughly stood at five foot three,
compared to Adonis’s six three. Whereas his bone structure was all dramatic
angles, her features provided a cherubic, feminine counterpoint. Her hair
draped her back in a silken, chocolate cape. Encompassing elements of boldness
and reticence, her eyes were dynamic sapphires, sparkling with mischief.

“Can’t
we at least hit up a bar first?” she complained.

“There’s
booze at the house. And I know you always carry a flask. Drink from that and
let’s go.” Adonis withdrew his keys and walked to his car.

“He
can be such a baby sometimes,” Lydia sighed and fished a silver flash from her
inner coat pocket. “He’s lucky I like him enough to step foot in this armpit of
a town.”

“Do
you live in the city too?” Tess asked, not quite sure whom the brunette had
been talking to.

His
sister scrutinized Tess a tad too intently for someone who’d made such a
theatrical display of airheaded harmlessness. The perusal didn’t last more than
a handful of seconds, but apparently it was enough for the woman to gather what
she needed. “How silly of me. I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Lydia
Rousseau, Adonis’s big sister.” She presented a dainty hand tipped by flawlessly
manicured nails. “And to answer your question, yes, I do live in the city.”

“Um,
Tess. I’m-” What was she to him exactly?

“Nobody
important,” Adonis supplied as he opened the passenger door.

Lydia
knifed her brother with a scathing look. “She has to be someone important if
you haven’t told her to get lost yet.”

“Lydia,”
he seethed. “Car. Now.”

She
spun on her heel, the tail of her pearl-white day coat fanning grandiloquently behind
her. “You are going to give your precious friend a ride too, aren’t you? I’d
hate to leave her out.”

“I
don’t care what you fucking do!” Adonis stalked to the driver’s side. The door
shut loudly behind him.

“What
a prima donna.” Lydia seized her wrist and drew her towards the car. “Come,
come.”

Tess
tried to wiggle away. “That’s really not necessary. I appreciate the offer, but
I can just walk-”

“Oh,
no, I insist.” She slipped into the miniscule back seat and patted the
headrest. “Get in, darling. You’re letting out the heat.”

Great.
She’d given her shotgun. This wouldn’t be weird at all.

“Get
in the car or shut the door!” Adonis barked.

“Don’t
rush me!” The fight melted from her the moment she sank into the heated leather
seat. It was enough to make her want to curl up and fall asleep.

“I’ll
do what I want. It’s my car. Put your seatbelt on.”

“Campus
is like two seconds away.”

“I
don’t care.”

“Whatever,”
she muttered and complied with the directive.

Adonis
gunned the engine, whipping the car into an illegal U-turn. Even with the
seatbelt snapped in place, the impetus hurled her into the door.

“What
the hell!” Tess peeled her face from the window as the car straightened. “Are
you trying to kill us?”

“Aren’t
you glad I told you to buckle up.” A sneer belied his words.

“Why?
So you could show off. We get it. You and your dick like to go fast.”

His
teeth flashed. “Didn’t hear you complaining, baby. On either occasion.”

A
trill shot down her back and smoldered between her legs. “Only because it was
over before I could get in a word,” Tess replied, trying to conceal the hitch in
her voice.

His
gaze swept sensually over her, leaving her body sticky hot with awareness. Heat
boiled in the silence like a storm cell, gathering energy, filling the air with
pockets of electricity. Eyes still burning through her, he switched gears and
tapped the gas, producing a fresh burst of speed that jolted through her chest
and sent her stomach flying.
 
Although he said nothing, she heard his mocking censure all the same. He
didn’t have to condescend to address the lie.

Lydia’s
head emerged from the back seat like a turtle wary of its surroundings.
 
“Just so you know, if you guys want to
drop me off at the corner and
boink
this out of your
systems, I’m totally ok with waiting.”

A
flush crawled up her neck. She’d forgotten all about their company.
Nothing like airing their dirty laundry in front of a family member
to make a good impression.

“Sorry,”
she mumbled to the girl.

“Oh,
don’t mind me darling. You two are too cute. How long have you guys been
dating?”

“We’re
not dating,” Adonis corrected stiffly.

“Ok,
since you want to parse, how long have you two been hooking up?”

Tess’s
face couldn’t have felt any hotter than if she stuck it over a gas burner and
turned the flame on high. “It was only a few times. Ages ago. I’m actually
seeing someone else.”

“Where
am I dropping you off?” he asked quickly to derail his sister’s inquisition.

Tess
provided him with turn-by-turn directions until the Ferrari prowled into the
side parking lot with a throaty growl. “Thanks for the ride.”

He
didn’t look at her. “You’re welcome.”

Tess
promptly took her leave. “Lydia, nice to meet you. I hope we meet again.”

“Bet
on it.” Lydia watched as the girl darted inside the building. “So, what was
that?”

Although
he’d anticipated the question, he felt ill equipped to answer it. Adonis revved
the engine and peeled out of the lot. “What was what?”

“Don’t
bullshit a
bullshitter
. Who is she, really?”

“Cameron’s
girlfriend,” he said, throwing her a pointed look in the rearview mirror.

“Huh.”

His
fingers dug into the steering wheel’s leather. “We hooked up before they got
together.”

“So,
he’s with her even though you had first dibs?”

“Yes.
No! Look, it’s a long fucking story and I don’t want to get into it,” he said
agitatedly.

“Ok.”
She looked out the window. “She just seems like someone special.”

“She’s
not,” he swiftly shot down the notion.

Her
secretive smile indicated that she hadn’t missed a thing. “Whatever you say.”

Adonis
pounced on the opportunity to change the subject. “I cannot believe you came
out here. And used public transportation of all things,” he scoffed.
 

“Well,
you wouldn’t pick up your phone or answer your texts,” she sulked. “What’s a
big sister supposed to do when her little brother storms off in a rage in the
middle of dinner and doesn’t let me know if he’s ok?”

He
hesitated. “About that-”

“Don’t
sweat it,” she interrupted, her tone purposefully blasé. “I was more upset that
you left before I could introduce you to my friend. You would’ve liked her.”

Adonis
didn’t challenge the excuse. “How long are you staying?”

“Just
the weekend. I want to see how my baby brother lives out here in the sticks.”
Lydia innocently inspected her cuticles. “And to see if you need a little
intervention. I’m more than willing to offer my services.”

He
glared at her through the mirror. “Lydia. Stay out of it. I don’t need anything
from you.”

She
dipped her head forward to hide a wicked grin. “We’ll see about that.”

___________________

Tess
winced as the syncopated noise thumping from the ceiling’s speakers clapped
against her skull. God, she hated techno. She’d hoped consuming more alcohol
would nullify her hatred. So far all it’d done was ruin a perfectly good buzz. “Why
are we here?”

Jade
swung around, the contents of her martini glass spilling over the rim. “What’re
you talking about? This place is great! Half off martinis all night!”

“Because
there’s only half the alcohol.”

“Better
here drinking crappy booze than in the dorm moping over your fight with Cam,”
she jabbed an accusing finger at her, “which by the way you never told me
about.”

“It
was nothing.”

“God,
everything is nothing with you.”

The
undercurrent of annoyance made Tess flinch. Well, now she could add shit friend
under shit girlfriend on her list of character flaws. The only reason she’d
agreed to come out tonight was to spend time with Jade. They hadn’t
talked-talked in months. Tess knew she was hoarding more secrets than the
Vatican, but telling her would only complicate things. “Really, J. It’s
something stupid.”
 

“Whatever,”
she muttered and drained the rest of her martini. “Let’s tab out. Lance said
the others are looking for us.”

She
didn’t argue as they paid their tabs and squeezed through the gyrating bodies
for the exit.

Jade
linked their arms. “I’m not trying to be a bitch. I just worry about you. You
never talk to me anymore.”

“I
know. I just don’t want to make you choose sides,” Tess lied.

“Because
you already know whose side I have.” Jade bumped into her.

“See,
and that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.” Tess pulled her closer for warmth. “Don’t
worry about Cam and I. We’ll be fine.”

Eventually, maybe.
Although he pretended like the argument
of sorts never happened, Tess couldn’t readily forget it. It stung that her
best friend of all people thought her capable of being so malicious.