Page 23 of Tangled Kisses
“Furniture’s overrated, anyway.” She drops onto the couch, tugging her legs under herself like she belongs there.
Within minutes the flames catch, chasing the chill from the room. Reese leans forward, her face lit by the fire’s glow, and I have to sit on my hands to keep from pulling her into me.
What the hell is wrong with me? Women paw at me every damn day, and I feel nothing. But with her, I can’t stop staring at her mouth. That perfect cupid’s bow. The curve of her full bottom lip. The way she drags a finger across them absently, like she doesn’t realize she’s killing me.
She’s not doing a damn thing, and yet here I am, teetering on the edge of breaking my own rule.
I hand her some wine and lower myself beside her. She lifts her glass, her lips stained ruby from the first sip. “To new beginnings.”
I clink mine against hers, though my attention never leaves her mouth.
Her gorgeous, sensual mouth.
I clear my throat, forcing myself to look away. “Tell me about your life in New York.”
Her eyes widen at the phrasing, like I’ve plucked the thought right out of her head. She exhales slowly, setting her glass down on the low table.
“The one I just packed up and left behind a week ago?”
“Yeah,” I murmur, pretending my pulse isn’t pounding. “That one.”
She exhales, swirling her wine. “Not much to tell. I’m a nurse. Been one for fifteen years. Probably since before you were born.”
“Not quite,” I murmur, lips twitching.
Her mouth quirks, but she lets it drop, sipping instead.
Then her gaze goes distant. “I also left behind a life I never fit into. My ex, Vander Hale, came from one ofthosefamilies. Old money. New York royalty. Rooms full of people who looked like they belonged on magazine covers.”
“You didn’t enjoy it?” But I already know her answer.
She shakes her head, a soft laugh escaping. “Not at all. I always felt out of place. Like a messy note in a symphony. Too ordinary, too…me. But I stayed. I kept showing up, kept smiling, until it felt like the walls were closing in.”
I lean back as the words hitting home harder than I care to admit. “I know that room. Different coast, same crowd. I’ve worn the tux, smiled for the cameras, played the part. But the truth? I hate it. I’d rather be in boots and denim.”
Her eyes catch mine, sharp and curious. “You go to those things too?”
“Clients,” I admit. “Half the time I’m a glorified date. Stand there, look pretty, laugh at their jokes. Smile for the photos. It’s part of the job.”
She cocks her head, studying me. “I’ll bet you clean up well, though.”
A dry laugh rumbles in my chest. “So they say. But I’m a hell of a lot more comfortable out here. Fresh air. Dirt under my boots. A fire I built myself.”
“Makes sense.”
But I don’t want to talk about me. “Why’d you leave him?”
She stares into the fire for a long beat before speaking. “Because I always knew he was cheating. I caught him once before, but he apologized and slipped a ring on my finger like that would erase everything. I let myself believe it for a while.” Bitter amusement flashes in her eyes as she lifts her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “But you can only ignore the truth for so long.”
“Did you want to marry him?”
“Apparently not.” A sound somewhere between a laugh and sob flits past her lips. “The final straw came when we were at a department store. I was picking out dish patterns, trying to convince myself this was the life I wanted. I looked up, and there he was, flirting with some redhead. And then I glanced at the salesgirl helping me and realized he’d slept with her too. All within ten feet of each other.”
Her mouth twists. “I snapped. Smashed the plates I was holding right there on the floor. Completely lost it in front of everyone. Totally out of character for me.”
I lean forward, my elbows braced on my knees, as the heat of her words prickle against my skin. “No, Reese. That wasn’t out of character. That was you finally showing your fire. He spent years trying to cage it, and you finally let it burn through. Maybe that’s who you’ve been all along.”
Her breath hitches, eyes locking on mine.
