Twisted Read online

  "You do look really nice today," Edwin said, his words clean but his heated stare dirty. He followed me to the patio doors, his eyes following the gentle sway of my hips. His hand cupping my ass, "You look amazing babe."

  I swatted his hand away, but he caught my wrist and clasped our hands together.

  “You buttering me up for something?" I asked, raising a suspicious brow. I knew I looked good, but all of those compliments were starting make me question his intentions.

  When he didn't respond, it only ramped up my curiosity, his smile devoid of information. We walked in silence, until we reached the front lawn of our cabins.

  "Speaking of buttering you up, I got you something." He stopped me and I gazed up into his dark aqua eyes, accentuated by his new blonde hair. Edwin reached both of his fists out face down. "Don't you want to know what I got you?"

  "What is it?" I asked, admiring his new look. Just a hint of highlights, but it made him look super-hot. I couldn’t help but stare.

  "Pick one," he said, smiling.

  I held his stare, expecting him to open his hand, but he didn't budge.

  "Pick!" he insisted.

  "Fine." I pointed to his right hand.

  He opened his left. "You were supposed to pick this one." A dainty bracelet sparkled in the sunlight. He undid the clip and refastened it on my wrist. "So do you like it or what? Don't keep a brotha waiting.”

  "I love it," I said. I held up the bracelet to get a closer look, and as it dangled from my wrist, the sun made it sparkle. I flashed Edwin an appreciative glance. “Thank you.”

  His hand cupped my face, then he leaned down to kiss me, soft and slow. "I'm glad you like it. I saw it in the gift shop and thought of you."

  He swept a lock of hair from my shoulder and my heart began to race with desire, as his knuckles gently brushed along my collarbone. He propped my chin up with his forefinger. I closed my eyes and waited for his kiss. When it didn't come, I was left feeling confused and embarrassed. I reopened my eyes, and his aqua blue eyes pierced me with an electrifying gaze, stirring an awareness that any person within fifty feet of us would have detected.

  He knew he had me. "You’re a special breed Abs. You're one unique woman that can't be classified with anyone else I know."

  Suddenly aware of our audience, I was feeling incredibly sensitive about sharing our private conversation. Softly, "I may be an individual, but I'm no different than you," I said, squinting up at him.

  Edwin remained calm and confident, while I was flustered beneath his penetrating gaze. "Don't fight it Abs. I love you. You love me. Is it such a crime that I think you're special and I want others to know that you're mine?"

  Feeling awkward discussing the depth of our relationship, with our friends gathered only paces away, I curled into myself. I needed a minute to collect my scattered thoughts. And while there was no doubt that we were very attracted to each other, there has to be more to it. The baby thing is a make or break kind of deal.

  Instead of giving me another second to pull myself together, his hurt filled eyes made me respond. It took all I had not to fling my arms around him and gush an apology, but when he looked at me with such intensity, his eyes darkening to a midnight blue, I couldn't resist him any longer.

  The edge of his lips curled, with the knowledge that he had worked me over without a word. Ignoring our friends’ watchful eyes, he leaned down to kiss me. My lips held firm as he gently caressed my mouth, his hands smoothing over me as he trailed kisses along my jaw, down my neck. My eyes fluttered shut and my knees grew weak. His soft, warm tongue on my throat made my head spin. He was right. I was fighting it. But I couldn't fight him off anymore. I was too drawn in to his charming magnetism and the pure allure of kissing him.

  When his mouth returned to mine, I softened beneath him, whimpering from the delicious give and take. It wasn’t until his grasp on me relaxed that I realized how tight he had been clutching me. He felt safe that I wasn't going to run off now, but I was still unsteady. He retightened his strong arms around me and titled his head to deepen the kiss. His tongue slipped between my lips, soft and sweet.

  Edwin paused, but his lips never left mine, as I gasped on a sharp inhale. "I know, right?” he said with a soft growl. We shared a smile, our mouths touching, before continuing to lock lips.

  Our company was getting impatient, all four sets of eyes gawking at us without shame. Maddie gasped, as we ignored their wandering eyes. She stomped down the path, her anger mounting, as she left the others to interrupt us.

  A hard finger poked Edwin's shoulder. "I knew you guys had a secret thing going on. I can't believe you wouldn't admit it to me. Why don't you save it for the bedroom?" she squawked.

  "Where's the fun in that?" Edwin said, releasing me from his magical mouth.

  Aliah burst out laughing. I was fighting off a grin myself.

  "Are you really that surprised?" Aliah asked.

  Ignoring them all, Edwin turned his gaze back to me, and I smiled up at him like he was the only other person in the world. My hand dusted over his hulking chest. This hot man was all mine.

  "She's just jealous," he said, then initiated another kiss. He tugged on my lower lip with his teeth, testing Maddie’s determination.

  "Whatever. I'm not hanging around all this." Maddie flailed her hand at us, like we were a single entity, and spun off. "Let's get out of here," she snapped back at Aliah.

  Aliah followed Maddie's path of destruction. "Later Abby. Eddie." She nodded at Edwin, then winked at me as she walked past us.

  "Laters," TJ said, moseying after them with a couple of fishing rods and bucket in hand.

  Hunter followed with the tackle box, giving us a salute, his smirk unreadable.

  "I guess they thought we needed some space," I said, smiling at the suddenly empty lawn.

  "Was it that obvious?" Edwin smirked and leaned in for another knee weakening kiss. "So what do you want to do today? I mean, aside from this; though I'm not saying I'm against doing this all day if that's what you want." A charming smile covered his daring mouth.

  "Sorry, I'm a bit off right now. This is all happening so fast. I didn’t think…"

  "Even after last night?" He seemed surprised, disappointed even.

  "I guess I've just been walking around blissfully unaware of where we stand in this relationship," I admitted.

  "Blissful though," he said smirking, "and that's because of me."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ~

  IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO be serious with Edwin when he was being so damn adorable. Damn that sexy smile. I refused to admit it out loud but, yes: he was the reason I was so blissful. I was having difficulty taking my eyes off of his perfectly tanned skin and full lower lip. He had decided to skip shaving this morning and it made him that much more rough and appealing. I ran my fingers across his delightful stubble and then playfully chewed on his lip. How was I ever going to make any progress with serious conversation when Edwin had me going all gaga for him like this?

  Going with my gut, I decided to take Edwin’s advice. No deep talk was going to crush my vacation weekend. This weekend, I’d just go with it. Better to save it for when we get back to reality. Home.

  Edwin gazed into my emerald eyes. "I can think of something else we can do that would make this morning even more blissful," he whispered, stroking my hair.

  I chewed on my own lip, to tease. "Oh and what is that?" I breathed. Both of my hands skimmed over his massive chest, as he drew in a sharp breath. I liked to make him work for it; but then he smiled and all was lost. "There will be plenty of time for that later,” I said, running my finger across his moist lips. “I just got all dolled up and you want to strip me down already?"

  “That’s exactly what I want,” he replied, eyes darkening.

  I started to laugh, trying to break the rigid attraction arching between us. I wanted him so bad, but sweaty bedhead wasn't exactly the look I was going for today. "We can do that anytime. Why don't we check th
is place out?" If he said no, then there would be no more arguing.

  Edwin sighed in defeat. "If you insist. You name it. Let’s do it."

  "Come on then," I said, pulling him behind me.

  I figured our friends hadn't made it far and Aliah wouldn’t be too pleased with me if I left her alone with Maddie too long. As Edwin and I neared the main cabin, my suspicions were confirmed. Maddie and Aliah were bickering, hands on hips, chins out. Would they ever stop arguing? Surprisingly they did when we walked up to them.

  "Abby. Thank God!" She glared at Edwin, as if it were his fault they were fighting. "She's coming with me!" Aliah tugged my arm away from him and started to drag me back the way I came.

  "Hold up. What about Edwin?" I asked, stopping her in her tracks.

  Aliah glanced over her shoulder at Edwin, whose eyebrows were raised, waiting for her answer.

  "Sorry! I'm stealing her away. Girl stuff." She knew exactly what to say to send Edwin running for the hills.

  "Why don't you go find the guys?" Maddie suggested. "They're out fishing. My parents used to bring us here every summer. TJ’s a creature of habit. I can guarantee you that he's gone to his favourite place." Maddie pointed toward a trail in the distance and Edwin nodded.

  "See you later?" I said, disappointed by how quickly he gave in.

  Maddie headed off, but Aliah didn’t budge, still clinging to my arm as if he might steal me away if she let go.

  Edwin pried her fingers from my arm and pulled me back to him to hold me close. He dropped a soft, patient kiss on my lips, while Aliah tapped her toe. His gaze locked on mine and he flashed me a reassuring smile before kissing me again. "Have fun ladies."

  "Bye," I breathed, watching him as he walked away. Such a fine ass. Staring after him, I hadn’t even noticed that my fingers were lingering on my mouth savouring our last kiss.

  "Truly sickening," Aliah snapped, breaking my obsessive gaze.

  "What?" I said, my eyes fluttering back to Edwin.

  "Okay! Enough of that!" Aliah shouted. "Let's go." She yanked my arm, tearing my gaze away from Edwin, as we headed back to our cabin.

  After an in depth debate over who wanted Hunter more, Aliah and Maddie agreed to call a truce so we could at least enjoy our lunch. I nibbled from the spread of cheese and crackers and nuts, and downed an ice cold bottle of water. It was so sweltering hot outside that I couldn't even imagine eating another morsel so, while Aliah cleaned up the mess, I flopped myself on the couch happy that our place had air conditioning. "So ladies…"

  "What are we gonna do now?" Maddie asked, finishing my sentence.

  "I could soak up some rays. My skin could use a little colour," Aliah admitted, flashing us her milky white waistline.

  "I don't have that trouble," Maddie said, gloating about her naturally tanned skin.

  "I’d love to catch a tan," I said.

  "I did bring all of those gorgeous suits. I’d hate for them to go to waste."

  “Whatever,” Aliah said. “I’m going to get changed.”

  "Beach time,” Maddie cheered. “Did you know there’s a private beach right on the resort? It's for guests only. Why don’t we check it out first?"

  "That works for me,” I said.

  While Aliah gawked at herself in the small mirror, I filled my bag with all the beach essentials: lip balm, sunscreen, bottled water, a towel and a volleyball. It was so hot outside that I pulled on a pair of super short cut-off jeans over my bikini bottoms and skipped a shirt entirely.

  After I slipped on my hot pink flip-flops and put on my shades, I checked out my reflection in the mirror. "Oh yeah ladies. I'm ready," I said.

  WE FOLLOWED THE WOODEN plank path that travels right down by the private beach. It was a short enough nature walk, the canopy of trees providing enough shade to make it comfortable, despite the hot sun and rising humidity. A warm breeze graced us with its presence, but my chest was already damp with sweat.

  The path directed us out onto the beach and it wrapped back around into the surrounding forest. We stepped onto the sand and I became bizarrely excited. Girl time! I so needed it.

  "I want to take off my sandals so bad, to feel the sand in my toes," I said. I wanted to, but the afternoon sun was so hot, I was sure the sand would be scalding.

  "Oh, me too," Maddie said excitedly. She flipped off her sandals and bent over to pick them up. After two steps, she started hopping up and down. "It burns!"

  Aliah and I laughed, as she hopped on one foot trying to put her other sandal back on. It didn't take long for our girly exchange to get the attention of the mass of guests dispersed on the beach. It was a perfect day for the beach, and the collection of empty towels told me just how inviting those gentle waves were to the lot.

  "What do you say we move closer to the water?" I asked, scouting out the perfect spot.

  Aliah ignored me and leisurely strolled farther down the beach, keeping her distance from the water. "This is the spot," she said. She lifted her shades, motioned her eyes toward the two shirtless studs playing Frisbee not far away, and then lowered them, satisfied that she got her point across.

  "What about Hunter? Aren’t you supposed to be in love?” I teased.

  "Hey. If Hunter wants to play the indecision card, so will I," she snapped. "At least from here I can get a good look at their bods without them knowing." She smiled at me and tossed her towel down, scattering the hot sand.

  I laid mine out next to hers, fumbled with my button, and shimmied my faded shorts to the sand. As I tossed them in my bag, Maddie adjusted the one and only umbrella chair for herself. Most of the guests were back to their own business, except for the two guys Aliah had set her eyes on. And they were not at all secretive about their gawking. I ignored them, as I tousled my hair and slathered on some tanning oil, but I also didn’t mind the extra attention. What can I say? My white bikini was demanding it.

  Amused, I watched out of the corner of my eye, my dark black shades concealing my eyes, as the men tried to continue with their Frisbee game without removing their eyes from us. I lied down next to Aliah and propped myself up on my elbows, a wicked smile lurking on my lips.

  "What are you smiling at?" Aliah asked.

  "Oh, just concocting master plans over here. Who knows? We'll see." I shrugged my shoulders in an effort to seem careless, but I was stirring the pot and she knew it.

  "Uh, oh! That means trouble," Maddie said, duplicating Aliah’s thoughts.

  "Don't worry it doesn't involve you. It may involve Aliah though," I said smiling. "Oh, and maybe those two guys over there." I leaned over to Aliah and lifted my sunglasses to flash a dramatic wink.

  A little bit of harmless flirting would never hurt anyone. If anything, I enjoyed causing men a little distress. Edwin included. It’s his own fault really, since he always feels the need to compete with other men for my attention. So what if I help to spark his anger. He’s so hot when he's angry. A mental image of just how hot Edwin got when he was angry only encouraged me to move ahead with my devious scheme.

  "I love it!" Aliah cheered in support. "Egg-celent." She tapped her fingers together like Mr. Burns on The Simpsons and smiled wickedly. Aliah loved getting me into trouble almost as much as she loved causing it herself.

  Smiling, on a deep intake of warm air, I took a second to appreciate the beach, a quarter mile of scenic lake shoreline. So refreshing. So relaxing. The flat blue sky set the scene for a flawless, peaceful day. I rested my head on my towel to soak up the golden, hot rays, as Maddie and Aliah babbled about random girl things. I lifted my hair from the back of my neck and closed my eyes. My arms were stretched behind my head, knees slightly bent, in a time perfected position to catch the best light and a seamless tan. I was so comfy, until…

  "Heads up!" a man called out, breaking me from my relaxation.

  As the dirt flew onto my towel, I reacted exactly as I always did when I got startled: I screamed like a school girl. I swiftly sat up and turned away from the handsome, tanned man, c
rashing into the sand next to me. His body was glistening with sweat and now entirely covered in sand. After catching the Frisbee, that was right on course to hit me in the face, he rested back in the sand, but his impressive muscles were no less defined.

  “Nice catch,” I said sarcastically, though I truly was impressed. The troublemaker in me kicked into high gear before I could stop her and, once my plan went into full swing, there was no turning back. Turning too girly to be true, I stood from my towel paying careful attention to my curves, with my hand on my chest in shock. The men always ate that up. Time to exploit my target. While I brushed the sand from my skimpy white bikini, I raised my eyebrows at him, silently demanding an apology.

  And right on cue: "Sorry about that…"

  "…Abigail," I finished.

  "Abigail. Wow that's a beautiful name." He paused, locking his narrow chestnut eyes on me. "I really didn't mean for all that to happen. It's my buddy… he's such a klutz sometimes... I... uh," he stuttered, and then stopped and smiled. He didn't look like the nervous type, giving off a very capable vibe, but I returned a smile just the same.

  From a distance this guy looked like a total hottie, and up close was no exception. His abs were chiseled to perfection, his thick muscles carved sharply around his hips. He had bulky shoulders and a light dusting of hair over his manly chest. The entire core of his body glistened with sweat in an incredibly sexy way. He tried to wipe off some of the sand with his hand, as he fumbled with his words, but it wasn't working. Damn this man is sexy.

  Dropping the girly act, "Here let me help you." I shook out my towel and stepped toward him to dust off some of the sand. He lifted his hulking arms up, and every muscle in his body tightened, as I slowly ran my towel over his washboard abs. Holy hell, this is hot. I should so not be doing this right now.

  My new bracelet jingled on my wrist as a well-timed reminder that I’m not single anymore. It was too late to retreat now. The man had already lowered his arms, turned around, and was waiting for me to brush the sand from his bulky back. Each muscle tensed beneath my touch, and his ass was out of this world. Not that I checked it.