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“You’re beautiful. You always have been. The first time I saw you…” He whistled and she grinned. “Shit, the things I wanted to do with you are probably illegal in twenty states.”
“So why didn’t you make a move? Tony and I weren’t seeing each other yet.”
Shortly thereafter, however, they had been. A trip to the Nook’s storeroom to unearth some books had led to Tony offering to give her some help. About ten minutes after that he’d helped her to the fastest orgasm she’d ever had. The guy had talents that any woman would be lucky to experience.
For weeks, they’d met every few days in that storeroom. Half his allure had been that he’d been so young, and hot, and Italian. Italian men just did it for her. Christ, those dark eyes of his could do her in all on their own. The other half had been how damn sweet he was. He had his foibles like anyone but he always brought his mom flowers and totally got why women needed chocolate during certain times of the month.
Even so, at that point she hadn’t considered actually dating him. A woman in her upper thirties with a guy in his twenties was a cliché waiting to happen. She didn’t want a bagel boy like some of the older female celebrities. What she wanted was a real man and a real relationship that included more than sex. Someone she could just hang out and laugh with, discuss current events and anything else.
At first she’d been sure Tony could fill only one role in her life. Sexually, he was golden. Then he’d asked her out—to a picnic in the park while the symphony was playing—and told her all about his degree in art history and how he adored working in a bookstore and couldn’t snap up enough of their latest non-fiction releases. Granted, they’d ended the night in his bed, after getting there via a few heated stops in the hallway, but she’d soon realized he had a lot more going for him than being good in the sack. It had taken them a while to get it right but lately things had been wonderful between them.
He trusted her enough to let her sleep with his best friend, for God’s sake. Falling for him had been a slow process, but she’d tumbled deep. And hard. Was still falling, actually.
Cale slid his hand up and down her arm, reminding her he still hadn’t answered her question. “Sore subject?” she asked.
“No.” He flicked his gaze up to hers. “I might’ve, if you hadn’t been Spence’s sister.”
“I didn’t know you knew that then. We kept it quiet around the store.”
“He told me. Think it slipped out accidentally one day but I picked up on the secrecy and didn’t say anything to anyone.” He tweaked her nipple and grinned. “As much as I wanted to ask why you were incognito, I let it lie.”
“Long story.”
“About?”
She tipped her chin toward the ceiling and considered how much she should tell him. He’d been inside her body. Shouldn’t that give him more access to the rest of her too? Regardless, she wouldn’t violate her brother’s privacy.
“Something happened a few years ago, with Diana. Let’s just say it taught me the value of using my married name.”
“Oh, the evil Diana. All roads lead back to her.”
His amused tone made her mouth twist. “You don’t know her.”
“I do know she’s got one hell of a rack.” He laughed at Marcia’s squint. “No, I don’t know her. Since I’ve been working early mornings, I hardly ever even see her. We’ve spoken, what, maybe two times in the past year?” He shrugged. “She signs my checks. Good enough for me.”
“You do know it’s tacky to comment on another woman’s cleavage while you’re in bed with me, right?”
“I wouldn’t mind if you mentioned how much you love Tony’s cock. I’d rather not hear all the nitty-gritty details but the sentiment wouldn’t bother me.”
The guy had a point. They weren’t an item, just enjoying each other for a night. Still she tried not to feel jealous, especially when she knew two things without doubt. Her own rack was pretty damn impressive and he wasn’t lying about Diana’s. Plus Cale was a male and breasts were a known weak spot.
He also didn’t have a clue what he was talking about when it came to Diana Serpent Sinclair.
“There’s a lot more to her than meets the eye,” she said quietly.
“Isn’t there with most people? Doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. What makes a person bad anyway?” He skated his hand down her stomach, though he knew she wasn’t seeing her. His gaze was too distant.
Clearly the quality of Diana’s rack wasn’t all that important. Not when Cale obviously had much deeper concerns on his mind. “So why did Spencer being my brother matter that much?”
He shrugged. “I told you I owed him. That included not hitting on his sister.”
“His sister might’ve liked it,” she teased, squeezing his biceps.
“Yeah, but you were meant for Tony. He deserves someone like you.”
“You really think so?” Hearing the grittiness in her voice, she cleared her throat. It wasn’t often someone acted as if she could be good for someone. She’d spent most of her life cast as the wanton bad girl and she hadn’t minded. Bad girls did have more fun. But she also didn’t mind Cale thinking she might be a positive influence in Tony’s life. That was kind of amazing. “I…jeez, I don’t know what to say. Except thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime you need to hear exactly how wonderful you are, trust Tony and me to tell it to you straight. We’re your biggest fans. Biggest cheerleaders. Biggest—”
