Tangled (6 page)

who watched him with hunger, a little smile curving his mouth.

It would be simpler if he wanted Drake and no one else. They could fool around for a while, go crazy

together much like he had with Austin so long ago. Fuck all the time until he felt like he had no more come

in his body and then the spark would be gone. And he could walk away with ease. They both could. It was

always good while it lasted, and it never lasted. It had never lasted for him.

Simple. He yearned for simple.

But secretly he really wanted complicated. He wanted Scarlett. There was no way around it.

When he kissed Drake, sank himself deep inside his welcoming ass, pounded inside him again and

again Trevor almost forgot. Almost. His eyes slid closed, and his imagination carried him away. To

Scarlett. Her wavy hair strewn across the pillow, her dark eyes glowing with lust for him. Her breasts

would bounce with his every thrust as he moved within her body. He would suck her nipples, fuck her

pussy, tease her clit with his fingers and when she came, he’d come too, fill her with his semen until she

was soaked with it, consumed with it. Consumed with him.

And then he came. He came deep inside Drake’s body, but it was Scarlett’s body he imagined he was

in. Scarlett’s face he saw. Scarlett’s arms circling around him, drawing him close for a tender kiss.

Trevor had never felt shittier in all his life.

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Chapter Four

“What the hell is going on between you and Trevor?”

Scarlett stilled, her muscles clenching so tight she swore she would cramp up. Slowly she turned to

see Austin glancing out at the stage, watching Trevor run through his lines in a quick rehearsal.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She kept her voice cool, calm. She didn’t want to give a

hint of how she really felt about Trevor.

It had been four days since that night at Tom’s. The night Trevor had brought her to orgasm with a

few flicks of this thumb, a couple thrusts of his fingers. Oh, and his murmured commands.

Come for me, Scarlett. Come all over my hand, sweetheart.

No man had ever spoken to her like that before. She considered herself pretty willing. Open to try

anything once and, well, she was twenty-eight. She’d done more than a few sexually adventurous things in

her life. Things that would make some people’s eyebrows rise in shock, she was sure.

She never believed she was one who would get turned on by dirty talk. She was more visual, a

voyeur, she liked to watch it unfold. Commentary was usually annoying, distracting.

But she couldn’t get over those ten words he’d whispered to her. The look in his stormy gray eyes

when he’d said them to her. How easily she’d come upon hearing those sexy, seductive words…

“Give me a break,” Austin said, pushing her from her thoughts. “Something’s going on. Every time

you two get close to each other sparks fly. Who knew?”

“What do you mean by that?” She set her hands on her hips and glared at him, a little insulted.

Austin laughed, pointed a long index finger at her. “Just what I thought. You got the hots for him or

what? You over your crush on Drake?”

“Hah.” She waved her hand, dismissing the crush, his accusation. Yes, she was over her crush on

Drake. Drake didn’t like girls. He liked guys. And she had a bad feeling that he liked the guy she now

liked.

The guy she didn’t want to like. Trevor.

“Drake’s not interested in me,” she said, trying for nonchalant. “I don’t think he ever was.”

Austin watched her carefully. “And now Trevor is?”

“I, um, I don’t know.” She wasn’t about to tell Austin what Trevor had done to her at Tom’s. The

mind-blowing orgasm was hers to cherish and hers alone. “I think Drake likes Trevor. I think he’s gay.”

Karen Erickson

Austin immediately sobered, his expression going blank. “Oh yeah? Well, I’ve heard rumors about

Drake.”

“Have you ever heard rumors about Trevor?” She watched her friend carefully, saw a mixture of

emotions cross his gorgeous face, guilt being a major one.

“What sorts of rumors?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Dread threatened to consume her, overwhelm her. She

didn’t want to be attracted to Trevor yet she was. She’d been battling internally for the last four days yet

something nagged at her. Something told her she would again make a major mistake if she showed any

interest in Trevor.

She thought it was because of his known player status. Maybe there was more going on than she

realized.

“What, that Trevor’s gay? I wouldn’t consider him gay.”

“So what, he’s bisexual like you?” Her hands fell from her hips, grasping into little fists. Oh, what had

she dragged herself into? She was confused.

“Listen.” Austin grabbed her arm and led her away from the stage, to a private alcove just beyond the

curtains. “A long time ago, before you started working here, I had a thing with, um, Trevor.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “You can’t be serious.”

Austin nodded, his expression grim. “Dead serious. It was short, it was crazy and then it was over.

We’ve been friends ever since.”

“Like a gay thing?” She sounded like a croaking frog, and she cleared her throat.

“Well, yeah of course a gay thing. But like I said, I wouldn’t classify him as gay. He just likes to—

dabble a bit sometimes. With guys.”

“God.” Scarlett hung her head back, stared at the ceiling. “This is crazy.”

“You like him?”

“I don’t like him at all. He likes me. But Drake likes him.” She paused, surprised at how easy it was to

lie about her attraction for Trevor. She met Austin’s gaze once more. “And I used to like Drake. How

screwed up is this?”

“Hey.” Austin reached out, stroked a hand down Scarlett’s arm. He could always see when she was

hurting, upset. And right now, she was both. All over a rotten, no good scoundrel who went through women

like a person with a cold went through Kleenex. One after the other, after the other. “Trevor’s a decent guy.

You should go for it.”

“Not with him,” she said bitterly. “He’ll stomp all over my heart and leave me crumpled on the

ground after he’s through with me.”

Austin cocked a dark brow. “Who said your heart was playing any part of this?”

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Tangled

Caught. How could she admit to Austin that she’d discovered a connection with Trevor that night? A

connection despite everything—her prior feelings for him and her firmly established policy about not

wanting to get too close to a man like him. She wanted Trevor. She could barely admit it to herself.

But there it was.

“It’s not playing a part,” she finally said, lifting her chin. “It can’t. Not with him.”

“I agree, sweetie. He’s a good guy, but he’s not one to settle down, let alone have a part time

girlfriend.” Austin drew her close, into his warm, friendly embrace. She clung to him, appreciating his

closeness, the way he always took care of her. “A fling with him, on the other hand, might be kind of fun.”

She couldn’t help it, she giggled against his chest. Leave it to Austin to be totally honest with her.

“And you speak from experience.” When she glanced up at him, she caught the slightly embarrassed

expression on his face.

“It wasn’t bad, our time together. I can at least admit to that.” He smiled, looking even more

embarrassed.

Arousal washed over her at the sudden image of Trevor with another man. With Austin. Two

handsome men, naked and touching each other. Hands wandering, big cocks erect, muscles gleaming with

sweat…

Then another thought hit her just as swiftly. She withdrew a little to study Austin but stayed in his

embrace. “I thought you always preferred to be the top.”

“Well, uh, yeah, I do. That was part of our problem. A constant struggle for control.” Now she swore

Austin actually blushed.

And his comment didn’t surprise her either. Trevor had been very demanding that night. He’d

practically commanded the orgasm from her.

She’d gladly delivered it.

The sound of approaching footsteps made them spring apart from each other and Scarlett turned to

find Trevor standing in front of them, his expression fierce. A little angry, maybe even a little jealous.

Giddy joy bloomed in her stomach, and she frowned. No way should she relish in that expression on

his face. It was pointless, foolish.

Too late…

“What’s going on, Trev?” Austin flicked his head at Trevor in that typical way men seemed to do.

“Nothing. What’s going on with you two?” Trevor asked the question slowly.

As if he had to keep himself under some sort of firm control, or else all hell would break loose.

“We were just talking,” Scarlett said, her gaze meeting Trevor’s.

Brilliant gray blue eyes locked on her face, he stared at her as if he could read her thoughts. It was

disconcerting yet undeniably arousing, and she shifted her feet, smoothed her sky blue skirt with the palms

of her hands.

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Karen Erickson

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Austin said, sending Scarlett a meaningful look before he walked away,

tipping his head again at Trevor as he passed.

“What do you want?” she asked the second Austin was out of earshot. It sounded rude. She couldn’t

help herself, but the second he got too close Trevor made her edgy, nervous.

Turned on. So incredibly turned on, she was tempted to throw herself at him and beg him to give her

another one of those life-changing orgasms.

“Nice greeting,” Trevor said, his voice cool as he took a step toward her, then another.

She backed up, not wanting to get too close. Electricity seemed to zing between them, bouncing back

and forth from her body to his, and her nipples hardened beneath the thin black tank top she wore.

His gaze dropped to her breasts immediately, and she knew without a doubt he noticed.

Damn him. And damn her nipples, too.

“I’m just…busy. I don’t have much time to talk.” Such a lie. She was about to leave for a quick dinner

break before the show started.

“You had enough time for Austin.” Oh yes, Trevor definitely sounded jealous.

“He was giving me advice.” She nibbled on her lower lip, angry at herself for her choice of words.

The interest on Trevor’s face was clear.

“About what?”

“Work stuff.” She waved her hand, not wanting to talk about it. She didn’t want to mention what

Austin had shared with her. “Nothing major. What’s going on?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” His voice lowered, took on a husky tone that tempted her to shiver.

But she held herself in check. Just barely.

“What about?” Oh, he was coming closer. He took another step, then another, crowding her, and she

backed up, bumping against the wall. Trapped with Trevor so close she could smell him, the scent spicy

and clean and warm.

Slowly driving her mad.

“I wanted to apologize for the other night.” His gaze wandered over her face, rested on her mouth and

her lips tingled. As if he had just touched her there.

She wondered how amazing it would be to actually kiss this man. Feel his mouth pressed to hers, his

tongue…

“Apologize for what? The orgasm you gave me?” Ah, here came her smart mouth. She couldn’t keep

it in. It was as if he drew it out of her.

He chuckled, the sound warm, inviting, curling through her like elusive wisps of smoke she

desperately wanted to capture. “Unless it was awful I won’t apologize for
that.
”

“It wasn’t awful,” she admitted in a small voice.

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“Then I’m not sorry.” He smiled, all dazzling teeth and boy next door gorgeous. “I want to apologize

for being such a jerk.”

“Well, I was a jerk, too.” But she refused to say sorry. She couldn’t admit she was sorry.

Stubborn. Old habits died hard.

“So we’re both apologizing then.” He reached out, twirled a wavy strand of her hair around his finger

and lightly tugged. “Maybe we could start over.”

She held her breath, her gaze cutting to that finger she could just see in her peripheral vision. He

twirled her hair around his finger again and again, slow, rubbing the strand as if he was testing it. “Start

over with what? There’s nothing to start over.”

“There’s not?” He twirled another strand, and another. “Your hair is so soft.”

She ignored his comment, ignored the way it made her skin flush and her nipples harden even more.

Especially ignored the fact that her panties were damp and her knees weak. “There shouldn’t be.”

“Why not?”

“We won’t be good together.” Lies, all lies. She was the biggest liar in the whole wide world.

“You think?” He leaned in close, his face level with hers, gray eyes seeking the truth. “I think we’d be

fucking fantastic together.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She repeated her words from four nights ago, her voice hoarse, her

throat dry. Afraid he was saying some sort of rehearsed line he kept in his repertoire and brought out to

seduce women.

Trevor shook his head slowly, his gaze again drifting to her mouth. As if he wanted to kiss it, drink

from her, taste her over and over again. “Your opinion of me is pretty low, huh?”

“Terribly low,” she confessed, earning another chuckle.

“What can I do to rectify that?” He propped a hand on the wall behind her, his splayed fingers close to