Page 17 of The True Garza
“Because women are always after him. He makes them laugh. Something about him being both a jokester and an alpha whilenotbeing an asshole that just makes women want to rip his clothes off,” she replies. “I know at least five women from my circle of associates who’ve slept with him, and it’s all good things. A friend of mine was his therapist for a short while—they made zero progress, because she broke every ethics rule in the book with him.”
Notnotan asshole. Just asmartasshole. You catch more bees with honey. There’s no such thing as a “nice” womanizer.
But I should’ve guessed. I’ve been on the receiving end of that man’s flirty grin and smoldering stare. When he fixes his attention on you, it’s as if you’re the only woman in the world. Downright intoxicating.
“His twin, on the other hand,” Brooklyn continues, “oh, that one is a nasty piece of work.”
That bit of information gives me halting pause. “He has atwin?”
“Yeah, Trent Garza. They’re complete opposites.” She drains the rest of her wine, sets the glass on the side-table and collapses onto the sofa. “I think I have a headache.”
A twin. Now that explains a heck of a lot. No wonder Sacha and Guy were laughing at me this morning. They knew I’d seen True’stwinand not him. And True hadn’t even bothered to tell me. Bunch of dickwads. Bet they all had a good laugh at my expense.
And dear heavens, there’retwoof that face walking around? Women don’t stand a chance.
“How is it that I’ve never heard of these Garza men before now?” I ask.
“Probably because Red Cage became more widely known a little after you left,” she answers weakly. “They bought that building downtown and suddenly everybody knew about them. But it’s not just the Garza brothers. Most of the men out of Red Cage are like badass Adonises. They’re more popular with women for their looks and sex appeal than anything else.”
I pour some club soda in a glass and take it to my lightweight sister. “Here. Just leave the alcohol to me, yeah?”
She quaffs it and hands the empty glass back to me, then curls up on the sofa and covers her head with a throw-pillow.
“You okay?”
A muffled, “The light is too bright.”
Shaking my head, I switch off the light in the living area, then gather up the Jules’s Touch bags and head to my room.
All this hair on my head is annoying. I’ve always worn my hair in a low bun, and in a high ponytail if I’m going out. So having my hair down, brushing against my skin, just feels weird.
When I catch sight of myself in the dresser mirror, however, I’m once again nearly startled by my own reflection. I look… pretty.Reallypretty. Like a doll.
True was smart in taking me to Jules. Because seeing myself like this has effectively given me the confidence I need to slide into this role. I’d been dubious about the entire thing before, but now, looking at this stunning, twenty-something stranger in the mirror, I feel a spark of excitement about this assignment.
And maybe even a spark of something…forhim.
CHAPTER Six
“You really like this one, huh?”
True
The front door opens.
Footfalls and conversation.
Seconds later, the footfalls halt. “For the love of….”
I lift my arm from across my face.
Trent and Lexi stare down at me—I’m sprawled on their hardwood floor.
“You own a home, True,” Lexi snaps, kicking my leg. “One with the exact same layout as ours. Why are youalwaysin here? And didn’t I take away your key?”
“One, my house is empty and boring,” I return. “Two, you knew when you agreed to marry my twin that you were agreeing to marry me, too. We’re a package deal. And three, I’llalwayshave a key.”
Lexi growls as she mimes strangling me, then stomps off, muttering in Spanish.
