Mad About Meg, Mari Carr [book recommendations for young adults txt] 📗

shaky and he longed to continueholding her. “While you do, I’ll slip up and take a shower. I must look awreck.” She ran her hand through her tangled curls.

“Youlook gorgeous. Meg.” He lifted her face up to his. “I meant what I said.Everything will be fine.”

Thegrateful smile she graced him with had him kicking himself again. She didn’tdeserve his continued deception. Rob was determined to get rid of theirunwanted company and show her how much she’d come to mean to him. “Put onsomething pretty and I’ll take you out for a nice dinner. Maybe we can stroll Lover’s Lane afterwards.”

Ather blush, he knew she recalled all the things he’d promised they would buy atthe marketplace. The very thought of it had him going hard as he considered allthe ways he wanted to make love to her. He watched as she walked to her room,shutting the door softly behind her.

Yetanother knock, louder than the last came and Rob called out impatiently, “I’mcoming.”

“Finally,”a shrill, familiar voice chided as he opened the door and he barely had time tostep aside before being run over by Shelly Thompson-Rhodes, her beleagueredhusband, Seth, and her sister Tara.

“Shelly,”he said in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

“Whatkind of greeting is that for your dearest friend in the world?”

Robattempted—yet suspected he failed—to paste on a pleased smile. Truth be told,Shelly was his oldest friend, although old is not a term that would ever crossher lips. Shelly’s parents and his own had been fast friends forever and heknew beyond a shadow of a doubt, their hopes were dashed when Shelly chose tomarry Seth Rhodes, an eminently prominent neuro-surgeon,rather than him. Despite Shelly’s numerous faults, she knew as well as he did amarriage between them would be nothing short of a disaster. Unfortunately, shedidn’t feel the same would be true for him and Tara. She took every opportunityavailable to her to push the two of them together and much to his chagrin, Tara seemed to feel she owned some sort of territorialrights to him, regardless of the fact, he’d never expressed any interest in theshallow girl.

“Ibeg your forgiveness. Of course, I’m delighted to see you. Simplysurprised.”

“Well,”Shelly answered, “that’s better. We were cruising theislands on our yacht when we heard you were here. We simply had to dock and seeyou. It’s been far too long since you’ve come to stay on Martha’s Vineyard with us. Tara’sbeginning to feel neglected.”

“Ican’t imagine why.” Rob was unwilling to deal with Shelly’s matchmaking schemeswhen he was having the time of his life with Meg. Meg had changed him in someinexplicable way that left him with little patience for behavior he used totolerate with nary a second thought.

Shelly,however, was exceedingly astute. “Are you feeling well, Robert? We’ve been hereseveral minutes and you’ve yet to notice my new hairdo or remark on Tara’s lovely dress. We did go to special pains for you,darling.”

Ah,of course, he groaned. He’d committed a major faux pas, failing to follow thesocial niceties expected by the Thompson-Rhodes of the world. Without athought, he slipped into the familiar character he’d played his entire life,noticing for the first time, how much it chafed.

“Forgiveme, Shelly. It’s simply that you’ve caught me unaware and then appearing herelooking so lovely, well, I’ve been left doubly speechless.”

Obviouslyappeased, Shelly and Tara teetered at his insincere praise.

“Seth,how are you?” Rob turned his attention to Shelly’s husband, anxious for anescape from the two women.

“Quitewell,” Seth replied, “quite well. Managed to schedule acouple months of R and R from the practice. The girls were chomping atthe bit to get out and about.”

Robswallowed his sarcastic reply, well aware that Seth—since landing the verywealthy Shelly Thompson—was little more than a token figurehead at hissuccessful practice leaving the real work to his partners. Shelly kept him on atight leash and would not accept more than his total attention and devotion. Itwas the main reason she and Rob would never have been a compatible match. Hewas far too independent for Shelly’s tastes. However, as far as he could tell, Tara would be perfectly content to share his name, homesand money while making few demands on his time. He’d successfully evaded hermaneuverings for the last two years. Meg’s appearance in his life had onlymanaged to solidify his conviction that Tarawas the last person on earth he wanted to marry.

“Well,you’ve always been a good man, keeping your girls happy.” Rob swallowedheavily, the words he uttered leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

“RobertMadison, I swear I don’t know where your manners are. We’ve been here ten fullminutes and you’ve yet to offer us a drink.” Shelly crossed to the bar andlooked ready to settle in for the long haul.

“AndI apologize for that.” He was suddenly extremely anxious to get rid of hisunexpected guests before Meg reappeared from her room. This heartless triowould blow his cover in a matter of seconds and he wasn’t willing to have hisreal identity revealed in such a fashion. “However, I’m afraid you’ve caught meat a bad time. I was about to shower and head out to an important meeting.”

“A meeting? At this time?”Shelly’s tone revealed her suspicions about his awkward lie. “Robert, it’snearly five o’clock. Surelyyou haven’t planned a meeting in the midst of your vacation.”

“Actually,an unexpected opportunity has fallen into my lap. You know me, Shelly, neverone to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Whattype of opportunity?”

“Ahwell, Shelly,” he hedged, “I find as I get older, I don’t like to talk aboutbusiness ventures until the deal is done. Getting a bitsuperstitious.”

“You, superstitious? Ha! Ridiculous.What are you up to, Robert? I find it very hard to believe you have anything sopressing that you would miss the opportunity to spend Valentine’s Day with Tara. Especially after all the fuss she’s gone to foryou.”

Glancingbehind Shelly, he watched Tara throw him acome-hither look as she thrust out what appeared to be a new pair of breasts.Dear God, these women were relentless and he felt a trickle of sweat bead atthe back of his neck as he counted the minutes remaining before Meg returned.Suddenly, her habit of showering and dressing