Page 10 of Tangling Hearts

Chapter Seven

Rebecca

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“We need more wood on the fire.” Tommy casts a sideways glance to the flames, now licking the air with far less height and frequency. His thick fingers are wrapped around the bottle of wine and he pours the dark red liquid into his glass with diabolical slowness. It’s extremely fucking unnerving.

I can’t tell if he suspects I was lying to him; that twinkle in his eyes could mean anything. I suddenly know what a fox feels like cornered by a hound, and like one, I have to be sly. Get him off my scent. Make him believe me. So I strut over to him and touch his crotch, rub my hand down the length of his zipper. “I think we have enough wood, don’t you?”

He grins and throws his head back with a loud laugh. “That we do.” Still smiling, he walks to the phone and dials, waiting for the front desk to answer, his eyes on me. “Could you send more wood to Room 10, please? Thanks.” He hangs up, throwing me a sexy smirk.

I lower my eyelashes and look through them. “I’m glad you came back. What was I going to do, sit here and go to sleep? How boring.”

His eyes glitter as he comes to me and runs his fingers through my hair, pulling me to him for a hard kiss. As his tongue touches mine, part of me wants to shove him off, but the other submits to his skill. He’s such an amazing kisser that goose bumps run down my body. My hands slide up his chest, responding to him, my body reacting almost against my will, but when I touch his shoulder, he winces and pulls away, the left one thrust back farther than the right, like it’s the only one damaged. This confuses me.

“Careful now.”

“Sorry.” I stare at his shoulder. “Just the one?”

His hazel eyes darken as he cocks his head in a way that looks dangerous. “They’re both sore. Why would just the one be? That wouldn’t make sense.”

I nod, unconvinced. “Oh. Right.” I reach out to touch it. “It seems like you’re favoring this one more than the other.”

He grabs my hand. “Now, now.”

I frown. “I was just going to massage it, Tommy.”

The corners of his eyes relax and he steps away to pick up his glass, tossing my hand aside. I step over to the edge of the bed and lean on it, gripping the sides, thinking how best to handle this man, and if that’s even possible.

“Sorry, Bec. I’m not used to…” But he doesn’t finish, obviously hesitating to divulge too much.

I thought Brendan was guarded, but Tommy has him beat. He’s like an untamed horse. That’s what makes him so sexy, the dirty wildness that oozes out of his pores. But caution is necessary around anything wild. You have to earn the trust of the beast before you’re safe to go near it.

“What were you going to say, Tommy? I’m interested.”

His mouth twitches as he drinks the wine, then sets it down.

I take that as a door slightly squeezed open, and continue, “What aren’t you used to? A woman caring about you the way I care?”

He frowns, glances to me and turns to the window, walks to it, taking his time as he opens the curtains a little to look out. What a body. His ass is fucking perfect and his posture is strong and sure. In a deep voice, almost inaudibly, he says, “I’m not used to being around someone with good intentions. When you went to touch me, the first thing I think is ---” He’s quiet for a second, then, “That you wanted to help me… I’m not used to that. But your motives aren’t all pure, are they? I know it’s not really me you want, Bec. I know you’re just using me.”

I stiffen. “Tommy…”

His hand goes up to stop me, but he’s still looking outside, his face away from me. “Don’t.” He waits a second to turn around and when he does, the spark is gone from his eyes. It’s a dramatic difference from how he normally looks, like all the light has vanished and made him normal, almost sad. “I know how you feel about Brendan. I know I’m here because he isn’t.”

The look in his eyes is crushing. Never did it occur to me that by using Tommy, I might hurt him. Unsure of what to say under this new revelation, I run my tongue along the inside of my front teeth, staring at him. Does he really care about me? Has he all along, and I didn’t know?

He glances to the floor, touches his wrist, inspects his hand, then nods. “Thank you for not denying it. But guess what? I don’t care. You know why I don’t care?”

Slowly I shake my head, my breasts rising with shortened, nervous breaths. I’d give anything to walk over to my wine glass so I could coat my dry throat with liquid courage. I try to speak, but I can’t. I have no idea what to say, being confronted like this and thrown by such a shocking turn. I’m looking at Tommy with new eyes, the possibility of him being more than a way to get back at Brendan occurring to me for the first time. So what if he’s only thirty, if that? I wouldn’t be lonely anymore. If I could care about him the way I care about his friend, then all my problems would be solved. Now if I could just get my heart to agree.

Tommy walks a couple steps toward me. “I don’t care, because the first time I saw you with Brendan, I knew you were better than him.” He holds his palms up in front of him like a scale. “It didn’t balance up. He’s here. You’re here. See?” One slow measured step at a time, he comes closer, my heart weightless as I watch. “You may not see it, because you don’t know me, yet. But I’m up here with you. Water rises to its own level. That’s why we’re here together now. This…” He motions back and forth between us. “This is even.”

“I’m a lot older than you,” I whisper.

“You think I give a fuck about that? You’re a finer woman than any I’ve met, Rebecca, at any age. Look at you!” He swiftly turns me around to face the mirror above the fireplace. Embarrassed, I look at the floor, but he kisses my shoulder and whispers, “Look at us.”

“Tommy, this is silly.”

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