AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They’d locked gazes while she’d danced, and the sexual attraction had sizzled. In swim trunks and with all his smooth, tanned muscles, he’d been an Adonis. And she’d never felt sexier than when he’d looked her over in her aqua bikini, appreciation stamped on his face, and had started dancing with her.
She’d known he wanted to kiss her and had met him halfway when he’d bent, searching her eyes, waiting for her cue. Once Jordan had started kissing her, however, they’d been egged on by the crowd. In minutes, they’d been plastered together, arms around each other, making out to an audience.
“Why didn’t you say anything when we met again at Marisa’s fund-raiser a couple of years ago?”
“Please, I know your type.”
“Of course.”
She tossed her head, ponytail swinging. “It wasn’t important, except for the fact that spring break experience backed up my impression of your reputation since then.”
“Naturally.”
Her brows drew together again. “Are you humoring me?”
“I’m still processing your bombshell. Our lips have touched.”
“Another reason I didn’t mention it. We’re in-laws. It would make things awkward.”
“Or interesting. I’ve thought that family gatherings could use some spicing up.” His lips quirked. “So I knew you in your wilder, younger days, Perini?”
Her naive days—when she was like Danica.
“What went wrong?”
She folded her arms.
“So let me get this straight. Your grudge against me is that I don’t remember kissing you?”
“When it was over, you turned away and laughed for the benefit of your friends.” As if nothing had happened. As if she didn’t matter. Her heart had plummeted. She’d crashed to earth—sort of embarrassed and humiliated. “And then you merged into the crowd.”
Her ego had taken a hit back then—only to be run over by Neil a few years later. She had to face it—she sucked at dealing with men.
“Hey—”
“My job here is done,” she said, cutting him off and checking her watch.
This time, she was the one to walk away—fading quickly into the crowd. But all the while, she was aware of Jordan’s gaze on her back...
Five
Sera gritted her teeth as she made her way to her car in the dark parking lot. It was an older-model domestic sedan that she’d bought used after dealing with a slippery salesman. Slick men—the world was full of them!
She should never have done Angus a favor by coming in to waitress. Her blood still thrummed through her veins from clashing with Jordan Serenghetti. Or rather, she’d clashed while he’d looked underwhelmed—blowing her off as if he were amused by the whole scenario. Typical.
She fumed. She had a bad experience that she’d been nursing as a secret for years. And when her big moment had finally arrived and she’d let loose, Jordan’s response had been mild. What was the big deal?
It all reminded her of...oh, yeah, her confrontation with Neil about his cheating. Or rather his using her, unwittingly, as the other woman in an affair. Even confronted with the incontrovertible truth, he’d been full of justifications and excuses. You’re special. I meant to tell you. And her favorite: It’s not what you think.
Serafina still burned every time she remembered how she’d been taken in by Neil’s lies. She’d told Marisa and Dante the cursory details. In fact, she probably shouldn’t have divulged anything at all and simply said the relationship had ended. In the aftermath of that debacle, she hadn’t wanted anyone to think she still needed protecting and couldn’t be trusted to exercise good judgment.
She’d told herself that any woman could have been duped by Neil. He oozed charisma and charm. Just like Jordan Serenghetti.
Oh, Neil had lacked fame, but notoriety would have interfered with his twisted schemes anyway. The press would have made it much harder for him to hide the fact that he had a wife and kid tucked away in Boston. The rat.
Do you really know a person if you see only one side of him? Sera had had plenty of time to contemplate that question since breaking up with Neil.
She got behind the wheel and pulled out of the lot for the drive home. She lived in a two-bedroom condo on the opposite side of town that she’d inherited from Marisa. When her cousin had gotten married and moved out, Sera had jumped at the chance to buy the apartment for a very reasonable price. Fortunately, because traffic was light and she knew the route well, she could drive practically on autopilot.
