AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re still not going to tell me how you guys met, huh?” Nate finished his lemonade and set the glass on the table.
Kris shrugged. “Like I said, ask—”
“My sister. Yeah, yeah.” Part of him was suspicious over all the secrecy—if it’d been an innocent meeting, why was Kris so close-lipped about it? But he doubted Kris was dealing drugs to his baby sis or involved in anything dangerous. That would be out of character for both of them. Maybe they met at a nightclub? Skylar was underage, but fake IDs abounded in L.A.
That wouldn’t be the end of the world, though Nate blanched at the thought of his sister drinking and partying it up with the Hollywood crowd. He trusted her; he didn’t trust the motherfuckers in this town.
He made a mental note to grill Skylar about it the next time he saw her.
Kris reached over and grabbed his hand, a soft, sweet expression taking over her face. “Are you sure you won’t be able to make it? Think of how romantic a weekend getaway would be.”
What?
Confusion flitted through Nate at her sudden about-face and nonsensical words…until he smelled the heavy, flowery scent drifting on the breeze.
Gloria was here.
Without turning his head, Nate smiled and squeezed Kris’s hand. “I wish I could, babe, but I have to work. I’ll make it up to you after you get back, I promise.”
He had no clue what she had cooked up, but based on her lie, she was leaving him wide open to schedule a “tryst” with Gloria this weekend without him having to make up an excuse about why he wasn’t with Kris.
Smart.
“Where are you goin’, darlin’?” Gloria’s syrupy drawl invaded the cabana and stuck to Nate’s skin like a thick, gooey film.
Nate supposed some guys went for that sweet Southern sexpot thing, but Gloria overdid it to the point of cringe.
“I was goin’ to have you try on your bridesmaid dress.” The redhead came into view, wearing a white crochet halter top and tiny shorts. “I think magenta isjustyour color.”
“Of course you do,” Kris said, equally sweet. “Your taste alwaysdidrun toward the questionable end of the spectrum. As much as I would love to try on my dress—which showcases your aptitude for stylesowell—I’m afraid I’ve already booked a spa weekend in Ojai.”
“Really?” Gloria pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Which spa?”
“Seven Oaks,” Kris replied without missing a beat.
The other woman’s eyes narrowed. “Seven Oaks is booked out for the next year.”
Kris smiled. “The Carrera name opens a lot of doors. But you wouldn’t know that, so don’t feel too bad.”
Her dig at Gloria’s engaged-but-still-not-Mrs.-Carrera-yet status hit its mark. The redhead’s cheeks flushed, and her body vibrated with anger.
“Oops.” Kris glanced at her phone. “Friend emergency calling—or texting, in this case. Seems like one of my sorority sisters is having major boy problems. I’m going to call her before she does anything crazy. She’s a bit melodramatic.” She stood and kissed Nate on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
She left without another glance at Gloria, who took Kris’s seat and eyed Nate the way one would eye a prime slab of meat at the butcher’s.
“So,” she purred. “Did I hear wrong, or will you not be accompanyin’ our dear Kris to Ojai this weekend?”
Nate slouched against the cushions and draped his arms over the back of the couch in a way that he knew exuded casual confidence, sex appeal, and a nonchalant detachment that drove women crazy.
“You heard right.” His drawl matched hers. “I have work, and spas aren’t my thing.”
Gloria leaned forward, all but giving him an all-access view of her generous cleavage.
“What is your thing?” The sexual innuendo dripped like honey.
Objectively, Gloria was banging. The red hair, green eyes, andinsanebody all added up to one firecracker hot package. Nate should’ve been all over it, but his current tastes were stuck in the petite, dark-haired, sharp-tongued category, and he was as attracted to Gloria as he was toward the half-empty pitcher of lemonade on the table.
Maybe less, because that lemonade was amazing.
