Page 22 of Sweet Temptation
A grumble slips past my lips as I shake my head. “There’s this tension between us now. It’s different than it used to be. He used to tease me, and fine, I swear he’d flaunt whatever floozy he was hooking up with in front of my face, like he knew it bugged me and somehow got off on it. But here’s the thing... I don’t know why it bugged me.”
“His teasing or his slutty ways?” she asks as she slices up more limes.
“Either.” I shrug. “Both... I don’t know. It all bugged me though. It was like one day we were friends. Then summer before we started high school, a switch flipped, and we weren’t.”
“What happened?” Dillan drops down onto one of her stools, fascinated by my non-answer.
Brea heads toward us from the other room. “Girls with boobs happened. They started paying attention.” She takes the pitcher from Dillan and fills her glass. “Don’t you remember? By ninth grade, Lucky looked eighteen. All the girls in school were chasing after him.”
“But I wasn’t that kind of girl, and we weren’t that kind of friends,” I argue, even as I remember a time or two he looked pissed as hell when he saw me with one of the boys from thefootball team. Not that they were ever boyfriends. Just boys who took me to dances or parties.
“Whatever, girl. No man sucks food off your finger if they’re not interested, so I’d stop worrying about what happened then, and start worrying about what’s happening now.” Brea sits next to Dillan, and I suddenly feel like I’m being interrogated. “So... what’s happening?”
“Nothing,” I mutter.
Nothing is happening.
Nothing is going to happen.
It can’t. I won’t let it.
Why should I when it’s always going to end the same way...?
LEXIE
And here we freaking go again . . .
I mean good morning.
—Lexie’s Secret Thoughts
“Sweetheart... Come here.” I walk into Mom’s arms and let her squeeze me for an extra minute as the guilt sets in. This is the first time I’ve stopped in Le Désir since I got home.
“Hey, Mom.” I step back as she drops her arms and look around at all the beautiful lingerie. “The shop looks great.”
“You didn’t come here to talk about the shop, Lexie.” She moves around me, grabbing a few pieces off the racks. “Is everything okay?”
My eyes scan the racks and shelves until I find what I’m looking for, and nod. “Yup. Just thought I could use a new bathing suit or two before summer ends.”
“Are you going to the beach with your brothers this weekend?” She pulls out a gorgeous silk nightgown, pink with tiny white flowers embroidered on it, and adds it to her growing pile.
“Yup. Have you talked to Lochlan?” I cross the shop and stop in front of the beautiful bathing suits. Mom and Chloe have the most incredible eye for pieces that make a woman feel beautiful, and I’ve rarely worn any other label for my lingerie or swimwear. Why would I when the best is my mom’s?
She disappears into a fitting room with her pile, then reappears empty-handed as I thumb through the rack. “He called yesterday. You’re all coming home for dinner Sunday night. No excuses. He’s leaving on Monday for three months. I want you all together while I can get it.”
“Oh.” He hadn’t mentioned that last part. I probably should have assumed, but I’ve learned not to assume where Lochlan is concerned. It just worries me. “Sunday works.”
“Good. Now...” She pushes a few pieces aside and pulls out a white bikini with a pretty cherry print on it. “This will look incredible on you.” She shoves it against my chest and motions for the dressing room. “Go try that on. And while you’re at it, try the other things I left in there too.”
“Mom,” I warn, but she shakes her head and pushes me toward the back of the shop. “Fine. But seriously, I don’t need all of that.”
“My baby girl is home, and I’m going to spoil her rotten. Besides... You could consider it a bribe if you really wanted to.”
I peek my head out from behind the velvet curtain. “What?”
Mom’s smile is sinister. “Let’s just say Chloe and I were talking, and I don’t think your fathers are going to be thrilled with our idea.”
Dad and Brea’s father, Dean, have always said Mom and Chloe were trouble together, and our moms have laughed it offfor years. But here’s the thing... they’re not wrong. When we used to vacation together, Mom and Chloe got into more trouble than all the kids combined. And that’s saying something because Brea’s brothers were always trouble.
