A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(33)

There. Yeah. Shit, that actually sounded good.

Gamble lifted his eyebrows to Ham. “You’re getting another tattoo?”

Ham blinked, but returned his attention to the page where his woman’s name was stenciled. Temptation flickered in his gaze. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it.”

I almost groaned, certain he hadn’t thought about it until just now. But now that I’d put the idea in his head, he was actually considering it. Stupid ass. Didn’t he know you didn’t tattoo a woman’s name on you? Even if I did have a feeling he and Blondie would be the lasting kind who stayed together forever, it was just dumb to tempt fate that way. What if Blondie died on him? Where the f*ck would he be then?

I slapped the notepad closed. It was about time for me to start toward my next class, plus Gam was sending me the oddest look, giving me the willies, so I stood up and tucked the notebook away.

I was about to bid these two losers farewell when Gamble glanced past me and shook his head. “Great. Here comes trouble.”

I looked over to see Caroline and Blondie headed our way. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, knowing I couldn’t escape unnoticed, except Gam heard me.

He sent me a startled glance before a knowing gleam entered his eyes. The blood drained from my face. Shit, what the hell had he just figured out?

Instead of letting me in on his little revelation, he turned to his sister as soon as they were within speaking distance. “Hey, shorty. Have you been behaving?”

She smirked back and fluttered her lashes. “Never.”

Damn, I loved the snarky little responses she gave. They always made me want to kiss the f*ck out of her.

But today, it kind of hurt to look at her. I mean, glimpses of her wispy corn silk hair, her sparkling blue eyes and stubborn chin always left an ache in my chest. But today felt worse than usual. Damn females making me feel way too damn much.

I’d gone through I-don’t-know-how-many girls to flush my want for her out of my system, and it’d never bothered me to look her in the eye the next morning before. But something about my encounters with Midnight Visitor was making me feel guilty as shit. It felt as if I’d betrayed her, when she wasn’t even mine...and she never would be.

That didn’t feel wonderful to think about either, so I turned my attention to Zoey and Ham as they came together for a heated little greeting. Tongue and everything.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gamble wrap his arm around his sister’s shoulder and say something into her ear. She laughed and jabbed him in the side with her pointer finger before saying something back. The curiosity killed me, wondering what the f*ck they were discussing. It was times like these I hated how close they were. Freaking messed with my head.

Brother and sister getting along, hanging out, just shooting the shit.

God, I missed that.

Gam kissed the side of Caroline’s head and pulled away, relieving some of the pressure that had been building in my chest. “Well, I’m headed to class. See you later. Ham. Zoey,” he called in farewell.

I was technically still watching the lovebirds grope, so I saw them break apart to wave at Gamble. And then Gamble said, “Ten.”

Risking my sanity, I turned my attention to him. He had that look again, like he knew something about me that no one else knew. I didn’t like that look. I tipped my chin at him and mumbled, “Later,” and promptly ripped my gaze away again.

As he strolled away and Ham went back to kissing his girl, I decided to take off too.

But Caroline’s voice just had to go and waylay me. “What’s wrong with you?”

I frowned her way, and shit. What was it about her that always reeled me in? Just because her eyes were a pale, compelling shade of cornflower blue, her cute, pert little nose turned up at the end in the most adorable way, and a handful of barely discernible freckles dotted her cheeks, didn’t mean she was movie-star hot. And yet I could look at her all day and still want more, because she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever wanted.

“What’re you talking about?” I asked with a confused shrug at her accusing stare. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I know. And it’s suspicious as hell.” She set her hands on her hips. Hips I wanted to put my hands on. “Why’re you being so quiet?”

Unable to look her in the eye, I lowered my gaze, only to be met with an eyeful of perfect breasts. And I mean perfect. Perfect shape, perfect size, perfect lift. I just wanted to stick my face in between them and die a happy man in motorboating heaven.

Shaking my head slightly, I opened my mouth to tell her I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. But instead, I said, “I gotta go.”

Turning, I half sprinted, half walked away.

Maybe agreeing to meet with Midnight Visitor again wasn’t such a great idea after all. It’d been hot the first night because I’d let myself pretend she was Caroline, but now that I knew they weren’t one and the same, I just felt shitty, because I wasn’t sure if I could let go of my fixation on either woman now.

God, I was so f*cked up.





I gazed after Oren as he fled the courtyard, and yes, fleeing was exactly what it looked like he was doing. He’d just lit out of here as if his ass were on fire.

Glancing at Zwinn, I pointed after him. “Seriously, what’s wrong with him?” He’d seemed...moody, distant, quiet: all adjectives I had never associated with Oren before. Concern flickered inside me.