She withdrew and looked at me. “Why was Darcy at your place so early in the morning?”
I scratched my head.How will I explain that one?“She’s my next-door neighbor now.”
Candiss wrinkled her brow. “Why would your neighbor be at your house this early?”
“She was helping me with… uh… something.”I have to change the subject and fast.“Why areyouhere this early?” I threw back at her.
“To fuck your brains out,” she answered, licking her lips.
I stood there, unable to move.What the hell am I supposed to do with that?I’d been in love with Candiss for so many years, even ended my friendship with Evan over her when they’d started dating because I was so sure she should be mine. It hurt like hell when she chose him over me. I didn’t think I could handle another round with this girl.
“I’m sure there must be some other reason?” I asked, trying hard not to let her get under my skin.
She wound her arms around my neck, gyrating her hips against me. “I want you, Thane,” she said in her soft, sultry voice. “I want you to take me to your bed and fuck me.”
“Candiss, what’s gotten into you?”
“You, I hope,” she said, pouting. “You can’t tell me you’d turn all of this down.” She took a step back and pointed to her body. Her wavy blonde hair cradled her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes were fixed on mine, and I felt myself getting lost in them. Her dress barely covered her, and her cleavage was overwhelming (obviously her boob job was holding up nicely). I preferred to leave a bit more to the imagination. She also had way too much makeup on. I started to wonder why I had thought she was so drop-dead gorgeous. Compared to Darcy, she fell flat on her face in the looks department.
I couldn’t believe I was thinking that way. I had been so into Candiss for so long that it was strange not to jump at the chance to take her to my bed. If things hadn’t happened with Darcy, I would have in a heartbeat.But why am I hesitating?Darcy had made it clear that we weren’t getting into a relationship and that what was between us would only ever be sex and nothing more.
Shit! This was my chance to have Candiss finally.Am I really going to turn her down?
“Come in, and we’ll talk,” I told her, stalling. I needed a moment to consider my options.
Candiss came in, and I led her to the living room and sat down. She didn’t sit beside me. She sat on my lap and started kissing me again. She then straightened up, pulling one of her breasts out and shoving the nipple into my mouth. I couldn’t help but get aroused, and she felt it. She undid my zipper and was about to pull me out when I put my hands on her shoulders.
“Stop. Get off!” I instructed.
She stood up and put her hands on her hips. I stood up and did my pants back up. “What the hell, Thane? What’s going on?”
“I’m just not up to it at the moment. Listen, why don’t I take you out for dinner tonight, and we can talk about everything then?” I figured it would be better to let her down easy in public, where she couldn’t hurt or seduce me. God knows, if I hadn’t just had sex with Darcy, I might have been more apt to take her up on her offer.
She looked past me. “What are those?” She pointed at Little Rascal and Chance.
“Dogs,” I answered sarcastically.
She scrunched up her face. “I’m not stupid. Iknowthey’re dogs, but why do you have them?”
“Because I love them,” I answered a little defensively.
She shrugged and walked to the door. “I have no idea why you would want those mangy beasts living in your house. Keep them away from me.” She leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I can’t wait for our date tonight. I’ll go shopping this afternoon to find the perfect outfit for when we rekindle the fire that’s between us.” She grinned and went to her car, honking before she backed out of the driveway.
Dammit!What am I getting myself into?Thank God we were meeting at a restaurant.
I went upstairs to take a shower and couldn’t get Candiss’s comments out of my head. The way she had talked about my dogs hurt me. Maybe I was beginning to see why I was better off that Candiss and I never became a true couple. I would never get rid of my dogs for anyone.
I started to think about Darcy and how she’d stayed with me while the dog got checked out at the vet and then stayed the night to help me get him settled, and she wasn’t even a dog person. In fact, she wasn’t aThaneperson either. Oh, sure, she enjoyed our sexual encounters, but she didn’t like me as a person. I was merely a means for her to get off, and I was okay with that. She could use me anytime she liked. I wondered what kind of chaos would happen when everyone found out we were sleeping together.
* * *
Darcy
I walked home, but my mood had changed from one of delighted pleasure to agitation.Why is she visiting Thane?I thought she had moved back to wherever she’d come from. I know I should be happy that he would now be otherwise occupied, but I couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing over there together. I’d just had sex with him, dammit. He’d better not be having sex with her right after me. Or at all, for that matter. I realized that we weren’t officially dating, so I didn’t really have any say in what he did or who he saw or what he did with anyone. Hadn’t I just told him it was a onetime (or two or three-time) thing?
Jealousy was boiling inside me just thinking about him and Candiss having sex. Hurt jabbed me with an intense stab of pain, and I wasn’t sure how to handle my feelings. I shouldn’t be jealous. I didn’t want a relationship with Thane Erickson. Ever.So, why am I so out of sorts about this possibility?It struck me then that I enjoyed having his attention on me, and I enjoyed having him try to get me in bed. Wasn’t that awful? I was using him because he didn’t want a relationship, but when he went elsewhere for sex, I suddenly felt he was mine.
“Where have you been?” Shellene asked when I walked through the door. She was doing the lunch dishes.