Tangled (14 page)

And
what had he done to return his show of good faith?

Fucked
his girl and wouldn’t have a problem doing it again.

A
half-formed apology blistered, ruptured, and crusted over on his tongue.

He
never should’ve come here. He was a user, an abuser, and a destroyer of all
things good and beautiful. No amount of detoxification or therapy group
sessions would change him or his ways.

He
was a good-for-nothing son of a bitch, predestined for an early grave.

He
might as well enjoy the ride down to hell.

_______________

Two
hours and three cups of strawberry flavored
Everclear
into their first Halloween bash, the party was in full swing. The house hopped
with more people than he’d counted on showing up. But they were stocked to the
teeth. He didn’t mind doing this sort of thing. Call it conceit, but he enjoyed
seeing people having a good time and knowing he provided for them.

Unlike
Adonis, Cameron could distinguish between those who wanted to leech off of him
and those who he could call friends.

He
glanced at his watch and frowned.

“If
you check the time one more time, I’m
goin
' to toss
it out the window.”

“Why?
Because I want to know how we’re doing alcohol-wise?”

Riley
handed him a drink. “No, because you’re on the lookout for her.”

Cameron
didn’t bother arguing. It was a quarter past nine. The party had commenced two
hours ago. “Where is…where are they?”

The
other man smirked at his faux pas, but let it slide. “They’re lasses, Cam.
Usually they take longer than us.”

“Says
the guy in a dress.”

“It’s
not a dress,” the Irishman snipped. “It’s a toga.”

“Whatever
keeps your balls intact.”

“Calm
down 007, she’ll be here soon enough.”

Despite
their heart to heart the other day, he didn’t know how to approach the
situation. She still hadn’t given up her mystery lover’s name. He didn’t care,
shouldn’t care.
 

Besides,
why did he need to know? It wasn’t as if he clued her in on all of his hookups.

“Did
Tess tell you she was seeing someone?”

Riley’s
cup wavered midway to his mouth. “Is that what she’s calling it?”

“So
you do know,” Cameron said flatly.

He
looked away. “She didn’t tell me, if that’s what you’re
pissy
about. I saw it, in a manner of speaking.”

Cameron
knew when to spot a lie by omission. And it irked him that his roommate, his
friend, chose to keep him in the dark. Who the hell had Tess gotten involved
with? “What’s this guy all about? Anyone I know?”

A
tug-of-war of emotions played out across his face before neutrality boxed and
set them aside. “It’s not for me to tell.
Y’need
to
ask her for the
nitty
gritty.”

Lance
kneed open the sliding glass door, a box of assorted liquors in his arms. “Hey,
someone go to my car and get the kegs out of the backseat.”

“On
it.” Riley volunteered and promptly took his leave.

Cameron
parked his irritation. He didn’t have anything to be angry about. But why did
he have to be the last to know? “You know anything about Tess dating someone?”

Lance’s
deer-in-the-headlights look confirmed his suspicions. “I’m sorry, man. Jade
made me promise not to mention it.”

His
smile was brittle. “Don’t sweat it.”

“From
what I hear it’s not even that serious.” Lance hefted the box on top of the
counter and withdrew a bottle of coconut-flavored
Ciroc
.
“Here. Let’s take a shot of the good stuff before these nobodies get to it.”

Five
shots later and the world seemed as dismal a place as when he’d departed
sobriety. He tried not to let it show and bullshitted with his friends as if a
black hole hadn’t taken residence in his chest.

Needing
something to occupy his hands, he left the others to their game of flip cup and
fiddled with the stereo. The girls had come by yesterday to decorate. Initially
he was skeptical, but they hadn’t done a bad job.

Red,
purple, and black lights submerged the living room and den in a sultry, sensual
glow. Spiders, ghouls, and pumpkins dangled from the cobwebbed ceiling. White,
blood-spattered sheets draped the walls.

An
explosion of catcalls and whistles pulled his attention from the
Halloween-themed playlist. There were too many people for him to see the cause
of the commotion. Then he heard her laughter trickle out, as if meant for his
ears only.

Cameron’s
heart rocketed into his throat when he glimpsed her through a break in bodies.

Her
cheeks were tinged red from the brisk walk over. Her hair hung unfettered in
riotous waves. A subtle dusting of eye shadow deepened the green in her eyes
and a touch of
lip gloss
enhanced the shapely pout of
her mouth.

He
suppressed a groan when she came into full view.

The intricate, black corset interwoven
with red satin accentuated her ample bust. Satin garter belts fastened sheer
stockings that rode into her laced boy shorts. The ribbons of her red stilettos
encircled delicate ankles and calves, extending already impossibly long legs.
Black, downy wings completed the costume, their structure resembling more of a
butterfly than a fallen angel.

His fallen angel.

Their
eyes connected and he watched as her features lit up. Her saunter was slow and
he didn't know if it was deliberate or if her stilettos wouldn’t allow a faster
transit. “You look good.”

“What?”
He snapped his eyes up to meet her face.

“Totally
worth the hundred dollars,” Jade crowed behind her.

Her
hazel-green eyes shone with a soft sparkle that emptied him of words. “I guess
so.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen. “It’s shot time.”

Tess
didn't know if it was the alcohol or the sense of empowerment donated by the
costume, but for the next few hours she couldn't stop smiling. Like some
self-imposed bodyguard, Cameron never strayed too far from her side and acted
as a protective buffer against other guys’ advances.

Jade
had been right.

Her
getup was a certified win.

His
hadn't been too bad on the eyes either. His James Bond-
esque
suit fit him like a glove. He'd lost the jacket at some point, but it didn’t
matter. A loosened, black skinny tie hung askew against his starched white
shirt, its top buttons undone, revealing a wedge of firm, golden skin. With
sleeves bunched at his elbows, his gun holster's straps crisscrossing his back,
and hair finger-mussed, he could’ve given the real 007 a run for his money.

That
alone was enough to qualify as a good night in her book.

But
fortune seemed to be on her side tonight.

Cameron
hadn't taken his eyes off of her.
Or his hands.
He
used every excuse to casually touch her. His fingers lingered when he passed
her shots. His mouth grazed her ear whenever he spoke to her. His thumb sketched
maddening circles along the small of her back.

And
it was driving her crazy.

“I’m
a genius, aren’t I?” Jade grinned at her.

“An
evil genius,” Tess begrudgingly capitulated to her brilliance. The costume had
been entirely Jade’s idea, from the shoes to make up. Tess had wanted to wear
something a little more low-
key,
considering she was
on direct orders not to actively pursue Cameron. Lucky for her, Jade hadn’t
taken no for an answer.

In
the end, she caved. Adonis never said anything about torturing him a little.

And
it was paying off.
In spades.

Even
her roommate’s costume caused quite the stir. Jade’s hair was styled in a sexy,
curly pin-up, a few ornamental leaves dispersed throughout. Dressed in a dark
green, one-piece, armor-plated leotard that left her back out with matching
opera-length gloves, a thick, ivy-shaped encrusted belt, and dark, slouch
boots, Jade was the perfect stand-in for the fictional Poison Ivy. God knew she
had Lance panting after her like a dog in heat.

“I
don’t know why you don’t major in fashion design.”

Jade
snorted through her straw. “Because my parents would shit a brick schoolhouse.
They’re not shelling out fifty-something grand a year for me to become a
dressmaker,” she said, her tone laced with resentment.

“J,
if you really want-”

“What’s
done is done, Tess,” she interrupted. “Now, tonight is all about you. Don’t
look now, but 007 has you in his sights.”

Fastening
her with a look that said this conversation would be continued at a later date,
she glanced across the yard. Although Cameron spoke with someone else, his eyes
remained on her. His mouth shaped into a crooked smile.

“Didn’t
I say don’t look?”

“You
can’t tell me not to look and expect me not to look.”

“Ugh,
just go to your man!”

“Could
you say that a little louder? I don't think the neighbors heard. And speaking
of which,” Tess craned her neck, “where’s yours? A black captain Jack Sparrow
can’t be that hard to miss.”

“Lance
isn’t my man. Just a man I occasionally do,” Jade said breezily.

She stifled the impulse to grab her by
the shoulders and shake her. Lance didn’t have eyes for anyone but her. And Jade
was crazy if she didn’t see that. He could put on a front of wanting the play
the field, but Tess knew better. His lie reflected hers and it rankled her
every time Jade shit on his feelings.

“And
since we’re on the subject of men, where’s your other one?”

Still
sober enough to be cognizant of prying eyes and ears, Tess hooked an arm hers and
dragged her to the least populated end of the yard. “Care to use a little
tact?”

“Tact?
But I’m drinking,” Jade said sullenly and readjusted her brassiere.

Paranoid,
her eyes pounced over the crowd, taking in everything and everyone at once.
When her gaze returned to Jade, a strange look had overtaken her features
before it melted into sly knowing. “I see. Someone’s looking for another dose
of the D.”

Tess’s
face flamed. “No, I’m not. I just want to make sure he isn’t here to make
things awkward.”
 

“Mm,
sure,” she said smugly. “If you told me who he is, I could be a lookout for
you.”

“Not
drunk enough to fall for that one.” Tess gulped down the rest of her
screwdriver. “I’m going inside for another.”

“One
for me too?” Jade shoved her empty cup at her and batted her fake eyelashes.

Tess
snatched the cup. “We’re going to fight.”

“No
we’re not.” She shooed her off.

Tess
crossed the yard and bit back a smile as she felt the heat from Cameron’s gaze.

Mission
accomplished. Now if he could only stalk her into a deserted bathroom and
ravage her until she was senseless.