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I don't know.
It was certainly starting to heat me up inside. He didn't break eye contact, just kept giving me his friendly, easy, sexy-as-sin smile. So gorgeous. Though this guy would be dazzling peeling potatoes or putting out the garbage. Look up "hot" in the dictionary and there'll be Vaughan, making eyes at you from on the page.
Chris had always held my hand or put his arm around my waist when we were out. I'd taken these moves as him being proud to be seen with me, of him liking my body even if he wished I'd work on it a little. Instead he'd been clinging like a limpet to ward off rumors regarding his sexuality. I wasn't his life partner, just his patsy.
Vaughan admired my breasts, but how he felt about the rest of me I had no idea.
Uptight capitalists such as myself may not be his thing. His clothes were comfortable, old blue jeans and a faded tee. I couldn't see any jewelry on him, just all the ink. His body wasn't bulky, but athletic. Fit and strong if the way he'd lifted me out of the bathtub without pulling his back was any indication. Around my age, maybe a little older.
And as for the house, someone had loved this place once. Taken care of it. There was dust but not dirt, if that makes sense. Photos and personal mementos were missing, the house stripped bare apart from the furniture. A collection of cool vintage from the fifties and cheap pine shit. Crackling white paint on the ceiling, but the cream on the walls seemed almost new. Unmarked. It was as if the place was waiting, but for what?
Curiosity over him owned me. I wanted to wander around inside his mind, fondle his hot body. Things along those lines.
Also, he was still looking at me that way.
"Least you finally made a friend," he said.
"Ha." I squirmed in my seat. "I guess I have. How about that."
Intended or not the man had my body in the palm of his hand. In and out my lungs pumped, gaining speed with every breath. Even my blood was rushing faster. As for my sex ... god help him. Everything between my legs had started tingling in awareness of him and all the good things he could no doubt deliver. My vagina was waking up and roaring, ready for action. The man should have been afraid, not still giving me sexy looks. He didn't understand the ravenous sex-starved animal he was dealing with. No control. Zip. Zero.
Casual no-strings sex between new friends. It was needed. Now. No big deal. I was here. He was here. Let's do this.
Just before I could jump him, he looked at me anew. "Wait. You said this guy's name was Chris?"
"What?" I blinked repeatedly.
"Your groom's name. It was Chris, right?"
"Um, yes." Cold water. Icy cold freezing water poured all over my lust. "Chris Delaney."
"Delaney?" He slapped his thigh, shaking his head. "Oh, yeah. He likes dick. Thought everyone knew that."
"What?" I hissed.
The man just shrugged, blase as fuck. "Dude used to date the captain of the football team back in high school. Can't remember the guy's name. They were on the sly, but everyone knew."
"Everyone knew." My jaw hit the floor, literally. Well okay, not literally. Close to it, however. "Everyone."
"Probably. I'd say so, family like that in a place like this."
My mouth worked, but nothing came out. So much nothing it nearly choked me. I wanted to bang my head against a wall. Rant and rage. Climb back over the fence and set the house on fire. I wanted to lose my shit, big-time.
"O-kay," he said. "You should probably take a breath."
I shook my head, quietly hyperventilating. My whole life might not have flashed before my eyes, but the last four months came through loud and clear. Stupid, stupid girl. Vindictive, scheming asshole.
"C'mon, Lydia."
Everyone knew. My fingers gripped the edges of the seat, nails digging deep into the wood. It was like I'd been on a roller coaster this whole time and here came the ultimate, dizzying, final fall. White spots danced before my eyes.
"Babe? Hey. Breathe."
"I hate this town," I babbled first, then took the breath because no one was telling me what to do. Sensible advice or not, I was done with being handled. Managed. Maneuvered. My lungs worked hard, pulling in air as fast as they could. "That duplicitous manipulative little piece of shit."
"Yeah, that's him."
"I want to hurt him. Bad."
"Understandable." Vaughan's tongue worked behind his cheek as if he was deep in thought. "Looks like he's sure as hell given you reason. Tell me, are his parents still trying to be the Kennedys of Coeur d'Alene?"
"You just described them perfectly."
"How long you been in town?"
"Four months. It was a whirlwind romance." I blinked back hot tears. No more. Not a single fucking one. "I thought I finally had it all figured out, but I was clueless. No one told me."
"No, well ... you're new, they wouldn't. At heart, this place is still a small town."
"Right."
"So," he said with a sigh. "There you go."
"There I go." Everyone knew. My humiliation was complete. I stared off into space, visions of Chris's bloody severed penis dancing through my head. Violent tendencies weren't my natural setting. Chris, however, had all but walked me to the edge of reason and pushed me over. Garden shears would be wonderful. Also an ax. I bet axes were awesome for working out aggression. Probably fantastic for building upper body strength too. Hooray for multitasking. You'd have to imagine it'd make a godawful mess of his junk but never mind. Chris's dick was dead.
"Babe?"
"That's not my name," I said, mouth on automatic pilot.
"Whatever. You're looking a bit homicidal over there. Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Figuring out the best method for separating him from his manhood."
Vaughan winced.
"Can you blame me?"
"No, no." He set his clasped hands on the table. "Dude worked you over big-time. But before you start washing the streets with his blood, think about it from his perspective."
"You're defending him? Seriously?" I gaped.
"Fuck no, of course not. But you jilting him, how do you think that'll go down with the pack of uptight assholes he calls family and friends, huh?"
I stopped. "They never thought I was good enough for him. Me rejecting him so publicly ... he'll be completely humiliated."
"Yeah." His vicious grin was glorious. It put the sun to shame.
"They'll be talking about this for years."
"Longer. Places like this never forget this sort of shit."
"I also left the cell phone. Unless he somehow got to it first, they're going to see him and Paul in action." My smile was equally all sharp teeth. "Everyone will know why I did it."
Vaughan clicked his fingers. "Paul. That was the guy's name."
"What guy?"
"You know. The football captain in high school. Fancy them sticking together all these years."
"Yeah. Wow," I said drily, rising to pace the room. There was too much anger in me to sit still. Too much manic energy. "It's beautiful. True romance."
"Sorry." He not so successfully hid a smile behind his hand.
"I wonder who sent the home porn?"
"Number was blocked?"
"Yes."
"If Chris is anything like the prick he was back in school, it's not like he'd have a shortage of enemies." His eyes narrowed on me in scrutiny. "You seem nice. Why'd you want to marry him anyway? Money?"
"No." I bristled, shoulders squaring. "I told you, he was really good to me."
"Right. He called you and shit."
"He wooed me. Almost every night he'd take me out to restaurants and shows in Spokane, all sorts of things. We had a lot of fun."
"Public things where you'd be seen."
"Yes." My lips flattened in anger. "Public things where we'd be seen so people wouldn't think he was gay. Nothing about us was real. I get it, okay? And what the hell is wrong with being gay, anyway?"
He reared back like I was dangerous. Smart man.
"Well?" I demanded.
>
"I got no problem with it. Not my thing, but whatever."
Then someone tapped on the kitchen door, opened it (without invitation), and stepped inside. Someone dressed in a sharp black tuxedo. Rage got me in a stranglehold and I jumped to my feet.
"I'm going to fucking kill you!"
CHAPTER FIVE
"You," I roared, charging at him.
Chris's handsome face instantly hardened.
A strong arm wrapped around my middle, lifting me off my feet. I was pulled back against a rock-hard body, my feet flailing in midair for the second time that day.
"You lied to me, you bastard. All along, you lied." I struggled, pushing at Vaughan's arms and kicking at his legs. All he did was grunt and tighten his hold around my waist. Damn, he was strong. I was getting nowhere. But did I let that stop me? Hell no. Reason and I had long since parted ways. "You like dick, not pussy. You used me!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Chris sneered. "Get yourself under control, Lydia."
