Desiree
Badly!It was how I was fucking this situation up. All I had to do was marry one brother, but I was falling in love with the other. Going back to face a life with Arjen would be an adjustment now that I had gotten a sample of Khane, his quiet and artfully tasteful living space, and the knowledge of his secret obsession with me.
As sick as it was, I was flattered that he revered me as the woman of his dreams. That he had been using me as an outlandish form of therapy to ease his troubled mind. His home was a replica of my dream house, and it felt like I was in a place I was meant to see and dwell in. He had designed it with me in mind, incorporating my art into the place he saw more than anywhere else.
Khane felt right for me, even though he was wrong on so many broken levels. He was my stalker and future brother-in-law. I also had to come to terms with the idea that I may now be just as obsessed with him as he claimed he was with me.
I had kissed him with a passion that brought to life a boldness in me that I had only embraced for him. It had taken every ounce of strength I possessed to walk away from him. I’d had two options: either lock myself away from him or fuck him right there on his couch.
I shook off the man’s ability to stupefy me. While most women would have run screaming down the mountainside, I had kissed the man and pretty much thanked him for stalking me.
Why couldn’t I scrape together enough anger to be upset about him sabotaging my relationships? Was it that none of the men I’d met had ever truly captured my attention? It was a revelation I’d never admitted to myself. The few contenders that I had attempted to make a go of it with or the ones he hadn’t decided to chase away, were the safe choices that I had settled for.
If I was being honest with myself, all they had done for me was abate my loneliness. I had never poured a whole lot of effort into any of my relationships, and although the sting of break-ups saddened me, I usually recovered quickly and moved on to the next one.
Khane had invaded my senses the first day and proceeded to take up residence in every nook and cranny of me. Even that night at the ball six years ago, I had been more drawn to him than anything at that party.
My wheels released a low screech, forcing me to concentrate on driving along the narrow, curvy road leading us into the city.
Although I didn’t see Khane’s truck following me into town, I could sense his eyes on me from a place in the distance. I was parking in the spa’s car lot as Patrena’s dark blue Jetta drove up.
At the sight of Patrena, an instant smile surfaced. She was going to have questions, especially about the limited conversations we had been having for the past eight days.
We smooched, hugged, and complimented each other about how good each item we wore looked before Patrena ditched the pleasantries. Her probing expression flashed with interest for something more substantial than girly hugs and kisses.
“Can we at least wait until we’re in the sauna?” I suggested, causing a smile to lighten her golden-brown face and make her freckles dance. She shook her head, knowing I would eventually answer the series of telepathic questions she was sending my way.
Less than ten minutes later, why did it appear that my friend had rushed out of her clothes? I hadn’t even gotten my pants down before she was glancing back, all of her items already secured in her locker. She tucked her towel around her body and stood glaring in my direction, her right foot tapping with anticipation. She was one of the nosiest people I knew, but I didn’t hold it against her.
“Hurry up, Desiree. Shit. You know I’m trying to be all up in your new business,” she said before turning to leave the locker room area. I chuckled as I stripped, wrapped myself in the oversized fluffy towel, and prepared to tell her a story I didn’t know how to tell.
We often booked our spa days on a Sunday, the slowest day that allowed us to be selfish with our time and the freedom of having privacy in the common areas. When I entered the sauna, Patrena’s gaze met mine with dramatic flair as she waited expectantly.
Tightening my towel became a chore as I was taking my time to pick the best spot, sitting and standing several times.
“Des, will you hurry the fuck up? Your ass is doing that slow shit on purpose, knowing my ass is nosey as hell.” Patrena’s impatient words caused my laughter to burst free before I released a deep sigh.
“Okay,” I answered dejectedly. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“I know you gave me the watered-down version of everything, trying to be all tight-lipped. You can start at the details that led to your engagement to that sexy-ass Arjen Vallin,” she stated. One of her sweaty eyebrows rose so high it looked like it was trying to stick to her forehead. The extreme heat of the sauna was no joke. It soaked out the moisture in my eyes as I shared details about my time with the Vallins.
Patrena slid to the edge of the bench she sat on, her unblinking gaze pinned on me, mouth-watering for me to spill more.
“So, you know who Arjen is?”
“There isn’t a woman within a fifty-mile radius that doesn’t know who Arjen Vallin is. Pussy gets tossed at him from every direction,” she stated before her eyes widened. “Sorry, Des. No offense, I’m just saying, before you got engaged to him and all.”
She hung her head low after revealing what he himself had confirmed the day I’d shown up at his house. There was no doubt in my mind that Arjen could charm the panties off a nun and make her repent for her bad decision later.
“No offense taken because our engagement is anything but traditional. My life has become a series of illogical events, and I’ve been tossed into the middle of another of my father’s business ventures.”
Her pitying expression flashed before she covered it with a smile. She knew that if my father was involved, there was usually trouble.
“My father’s in trouble. Trouble like he might die if I don’t help him. He cut a big business deal with Arjen, and he claims the only way Arjen would take the deal is if I were a part of it. An Evans and Vallin alliance to bring our families together.”
Nothing. She stared as the fan on the heater whined, and the hot air beat up our bodies and forced moisture to the surface of our skin. I closed my eyes and breathed the heat.
“That’s not the worst of it.” My words came out on cue when I opened my eyes and met her wide stare. Her sweat-drenched body glistened against the dim light, casting a beautiful glow on her skin that made an impression on that part of my brain that breathed art.