A Summer to Remember(56)
My brother stalked toward me and grabbed me harshly by the right arm. “Listen to you, all high and mighty. You know everything, don’t you? Perhaps it’s easy for you because you’re with the person you want but for your information, the woman I desire will never be mine because she’s in a love with another man and what ever we had…how ever long it lasted…it was just a fling to her but she will never think of me the same way I think of her.”
The story had finally fallen into place and I got it. He was in love with Talia so he kept sleeping with different women thinking, hoping and praying he could forget her. Meanwhile she was head over heels in love with Seth and couldn’t see anything or anyone but him.
I jerked my arm from his grasp and glared at him, pained betrayal in the form of tears blurred my vision. I tried to keep the deluge at bay and prevent them from tumbling down my cheeks. “Listen, I get it and if there was anything I could do to help…God knows I would but Talia and Seth…whatever kind of connection they have is real. Are you sure you’re not suffering from a sour grapes attitude? Talia explained the affair she had with you was completely casual.”
“Well, she would.” Jude cleared his throat. “I loved her and I still do. That rock star bastard doesn’t deserve her but at the same time, I don’t see her leaving him either.”
There was a knock at the door and instead of the receptionist walking in, it was Paul. I smiled in his direction. Jude looked suitably uncomfortable and kissed me chastely on the cheek.
“Listen, I have to go. We can talk about this some other time, yeah?”
I nodded my head silently. “Have a good day at work.”
He gave me a half-hearted smile and replied, “I’ll try.”
Paul and I both watched him leave before my beautiful lover turned toward me and inquired, “What was that all about?”
I shook my head. “You don’t even want to know.”
He walked over to my desk and set the food down before he grabbed me possessively and held me in his arms. “Beautiful. That’s what you are, babe. I have missed you so much, you know that? I can’t wait to have you to myself in Miami.”
I kissed his lips softly. “I knew you were going to say something cheesy like that.”
We both glanced in one another’s eyes and it was one of longing and lust. Life seemed so simple at that very moment but there was so much in front of us…the unknowns that scared me half to death. I would have hated to ever end up in a position like Savannah. Then again, I had fallen for a man who loved me with all his heart and that made all the difference in the world.
Chapter Twenty
Miami Beach was hot, humid and everything it promised in the marketing brochures, Bad Boys films and almost every Pitbull song a person had ever listened to on the radio. Most people fit into two categories and were either very old or really young. The vast majority of the young people were gorgeous and had great bodies accompanied by deep summer tans. Savannah, Paul, Jude and I looked sickly standing next to all the tanned beyond tanned Miami Beach natives.
We made it to our temporary home, a gorgeous boutique hotel known as The Betsy South Beach, and settled in for the evening. The ride down had been wonderful, courtesy of a private plane provided by Scarlet Fever and Winter’s Regret.
The following day we would have a chance to get together and actually meet the members of both bands officially after we indulged in a day at an exclusive spa where the men would be able to talk trash and we women could make sure we looked our very best.
I missed not seeing Talia that night but the moment Paul and I settled into our room, we unpacked and I proceeded to run a warm bath. I didn’t want to shower, I wanted to soak with scented, luxurious bubbles and feel my skin caressed by warm water.
Paul walked up behind me and kissed my shoulder. “You look good enough to eat. Are you going to hog that tub all to yourself?”
I turned his way before I said, “No. You’re free to join me. It is big enough for the two of us.”
He looked at me deviously before he disappeared into the sitting room and opened up a bottle of Cristal champagne, courtesy of the band, not the hotel. I began to undress and slipped out of all my clothes until I wore nothing but a silk robe which was barely modest. However it wasn’t like Paul had never seen me nude before so it wasn’t high on my list of concerns.
I walked into the sitting room and he grabbed our fluted champagne glasses and handed one to me.