Twisted Perfection (Perfection #1)(21)

The rest of my swimsuit? I turned my attention to my body to make sure it was properly covered. What did he mean? I wasn’t missing anything.

“This is my swimsuit,” I replied.

Woods’ head lowered and his mouth was too close to my ear. “That top is barely covering you up,” he whispered.

Annoyed, I glared at him. “If you don’t like it, then don’t look,” I replied and started moving out deeper into the water. Getting distance from him was more important than adjusting to the cool temperature.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I f**king love it. That’s the problem.”

I stopped moving. Why would he say that? Did he not care what he was doing to me?

“You can’t say things like that to me. It’s wrong,” I replied angrily.

Woods moved toward me again and I waited. This was a confrontation he wanted to have. I was going to let him have it.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t. But would you rather I lied? I’ve done a lot of things to you Della but I haven’t lied. I don’t want to lie to you. I could tell you that I don’t care about you or that I don’t want you but that would be a lie. You want the truth? Because the truth is all I can think about is being with you again. I try not to look at you because all I can think about is hauling you off to the first closet I can find and kissing every inch of your body.” He was breathing hard and his jaw was working back and forth.

Why? If he wanted me like that then why was he engaged to someone else? Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest protectively. “I don’t understand you.”

He smirked and shook his head. “No one does. But I’d like to explain it to you. Please. Just go have a drink with me. I need you to understand this.”

His tactic was different but he was the same. He wanted me for an amusement. Someone to entertain him for a moment and then he’d find another. I wasn’t that girl. I shook my head and started to leave the water. I wanted the safety of the beach.

“You won’t even let me explain?” he called out.

I looked back at him. “The ring on her finger is the only explanation I will ever need.”

Woods

There were orders I needed to make that Juan, the head chef, had placed on my desk yesterday. Phone calls I needed to return and a fiancée determined to get me to decide on a date for our wedding. Was I doing any of those things? No. I was torturing myself instead.

Della needed a bigger bikini top and Thad was about to lose the use of both his hands. Grinding my teeth I tore my eyes off Thad rubbing sunblock on Della’s back and shoulders. Thad had managed to get her to go into the water with him. I had sat here and watched every agonizing second of it. Her squeals of laughter and Thad’s need to keep touching her had jealousy raging through my veins. I had no right to be jealous. We’d had hot sex. That was it. I knew nothing else about her. But I wanted to.

I wanted to know where she was from. It was obviously the south. I wanted to know if she had brothers and sisters. Who gave her those blue eyes that I’d seen gazed over with pleasure? Did she like to dance? Where had she learned to sing like that? She’d completely blown me away at the Delamar event. There was so much I’d never get a chance to know.

“Your shoulders are looking pink. I’d have thought with your complexion that you’d be used to the sun.” Thad said and I couldn’t keep my eyes from shifting back to look at her shoulders. He was right; they were pink.

I stood up and walked over to the rental stand.

“Give me an umbrella,” I told the young guy I’d hired only two weeks ago before the Spring Break rush hit.

“Yes sir,” he nodded, “you want me to go put it in the sand for you too sir?”

No. I wanted to do this myself. “I got it. Thanks.”

I took the umbrella. My eyes locked with Della’s when I turned to walk back that way. She was watching me curiously. Thad was saying something in her ear but she wasn’t paying attention to him. Her complete focus was on me.

“Move,” I ordered Thad giving him little time to actually follow my command before shoving the pole to the umbrella into the sand and starting the circular motion it took to get it to burrow deep enough so that it stood up and didn’t fly away.

“The umbrella isn’t gonna reach you from there,” Bethy said with a smirk.

“Didn’t get it for me.”

“Oh, you got it for me? How sweet but I’m working on a tan,” Bethy replied thoroughly enjoying herself.

“Then move over. Della’s shoulders are pink.” There I’d said it. She’d wanted me to admit it so I had. Let Della think about that one for a minute.

“You got it for me?” Della asked. I could hear the surprise in her voice and I didn’t look up at her until I had the umbrella secure.

“Yeah,” was my only response before I walked over and picked up my towel. It was time I left. She didn’t want me here and I shouldn’t be.

“Thank you,” she called out as I started to leave. I nodded without looking her way.

“You leaving?’ Jace asked.

“I have some work to do.”

“Don’t forget Friday night at the Sun Club,” Bethy said grinning up at Jace who chuckled and shook his head.

It was Jace’s birthday and Bethy was determined to celebrate it with a night of partying at the only club in town. She’d rented out the place with a little help from Grant who was friends with the owner. It was invite only.