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Barbara could see just how much responsibility for his brother’s behavior he’d taken onto himself, and it had to stop. “The evil he did was on him, not you. No one ever assigned you to be your brother’s keeper, Jeremy. We’ve all heard stories about the good and bad twin. I don’t know why your brother was born broken, but I know you’re nothing like him. There’s an innate goodness in you. Whether or not you see it, it’s clear as day to me.”
A shadow passed behind Ace’s eyes. “If I really were a good guy, I would have taken him out when we were kids. I could have saved my mother, little Rose, and every other person he tormented when I was locked up.”
“Do you even hear yourself? You’re sitting here thinking you should have killed your brother when you were kids. No good can come of that kind of thinking.”
“I know, but I just can’t accept that I allowed him to hurt so many people, all the while thinking it was only me.”
“I believe when people are trapped in overwhelming situations, they aren’t able to reliably process all the details. When I was married, I tricked myself into believing David loved me because he was nice to me, bought me expensive gifts, and seemed to enjoy taking me out. After four or five affairs, I realized he just wanted me in his life for image control. He liked others seeing his pretty, socially adept wife. I was an accessory, meant to make him look good, like the little fake handkerchief he puts in his breast pocket.”
“It’s called a pocket square.”
“What?”
Grinning, Ace took a sip of her drink. “The little silk handkerchief is called a pocket square. They’re for showing, not for blowing.”
Smothering back a laugh, she tilted the glass in the opposite direction, taking another sip while he held the delicate stem between two fingers. “Yep, that’s me. I was simply a coordinating accessory to make his presentation complete when he was navigating important social situations. I feel ignorant for thinking he actually loved me. People like David and your brother aren’t like the rest of us. We have to learn that by trial and error. It’s a tough lesson to learn.”
His eyes flashed up to hers. “I never thought about it that way.”
Cupping his handsome, scarred face in her hands, Barbara kissed him on the lips. “Don’t carry all your brother’s sins around in your heart and head for the rest of your life. You deserve a little peace from all that.”
His expression turned soft. “I honestly don’t deserve you.”
“You know what Shakespeare said.”
“Troubles come not single spies but in battalions?”
She grinned. “He did say that. You really know your Shakespeare.”
“Like I already said, I read a lot when I was in lockup.”
“Well, William Shakespeare also said that if we use every man as he deserves, who shall escape whipping?”
“I guess he was pointing out that no one’s perfect,” Ace surmised.
Somehow, quoting Shakespeare while having her hands on his face shifted the darkness of the moment to something approaching intimate.
Rubbing one thumb over his bottom lip, she murmured, “Then again, he never met you. You’re totally my idea of perfect.”
“Bet you say that to all the guys.” His sexy smile made her girl parts flare to life.
“Please tell me that we’re having sex tonight.”
Ace’s expression lit up. “You want to have some sex with me?”
“Did you miss the part about me thinking you’re perfect?”
Picking up the cherry in her glass by the stem, he brought it to her lips. Parting her lips, Barbara allowed him to slide it into her mouth. Closing her teeth slightly, she waited for him to pull the stem. The intensity of his gaze as he watched her chew made her feel crazy things.
“Fuck, you are one sexy woman.”
She smiling, swallowing the cherry. “Another?”
Without looking away from her, he groped around in his little chilled metal dispenser for another and brought it to her lips. Wrapping her hand around his wrist, she used her other hand to take the cherry from him. Bringing it to his lips, they repeated the whole scenario, only in reverse. Tossing the stem onto the bar, she looked down at his hand. “Your fingers are stained red.”
“I’ve been handling cherries.”
Not taking her eyes off his, she brought his finger to her mouth. He swallowed thickly, as he watched her suck his finger. She swirled her tongue around his thick digit, just like she wanted to do to his cock. That concept wasn’t lost on him.
