Taking Chances, Ann Omasta [cool books to read txt] 📗

Identical twin? My mind reeled. How could Seth have failed to mention that? And what had I just done? Thank goodness it hadn’t gone any farther, but I would never be able to face Sam again.

And what about him? I wondered disdainfully. Was he just going to screw a stranger in the bathroom? Well, he is a guy, my mind retorted. And I was totally coming on to him out there. It’s not like a man to turn down easy sex.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My boobs were hanging out and my dress was askew. I quickly went over and snapped the lock into place before someone walked in on me in this state of complete disarray.

I splashed cool water on my face and patted my chest with a damp paper towel in an attempt to calm down. Never in my whole life had I been that excited, or this humiliated. What a difference a few seconds can make.

As I attempted to fix my appearance, I thought about Sam. He really was identical to Seth physically, but he was darker, more dangerous. The bathroom had felt electrified when he was near me. I touched up my lipstick and vowed to steer clear of him. He’s exactly what I don’t need, I thought as I breezed out the door. I was, however, prepared to give Seth an earful for not warning me about him.

Returning to the great room-turned fairy forest, my eyes were immediately drawn to Sam. He was standing near the stage with a bevy of lovely ladies hanging on his every word, including a life-sized Barbie doll who had her arm possessively curved around him. I shook my head, immensely grateful that our fooling around in the bathroom had stopped when it had.

“There she is.” Seth approached me, smiling. He had a dark-haired beauty with him. The woman’s enormous green eyes were accentuated by the longest, thickest, black eyelashes I had ever seen, outside of a magazine. She was stunning in her floor-length midnight blue gown, and I recognized the family resemblance immediately. “Abby, this is my sister Jessie. Jess, meet Abby.”

“Abby! Seth has told me all about you. It’s great to meet you.” Jessie extended her hand and flashed a dazzling smile directly at me. She seemed friendly and kind, and I liked her immediately.

“You’ll have to tell me what he said.” I smiled trying to hide the rush of excitement I felt at finding out he had mentioned me to his sister. “And I have tons of questions for you about what he was like growing up.”

“I have plenty of answers.” She gave Seth an ornery grin before adding, “I know all of his secrets.” Then she finger waved at me and said to track her down later.

After she fluttered off, I turned on Seth. “Told your sister all about me, huh?”

“She has a huge mouth. I’ll get even with her one of these days,” he added in my ear as he kissed my cheek. “Sorry I was late. Did my family take good care of you?”

I coughed, thinking of how Sam had almost taken care of me. I wasn’t sure how to bring that particular topic up with Seth. I finally settled for, “I met your brother because I thought he was you. You didn’t feel the need to mention that he is your identical twin?”

“Didn’t I mention it?” He seemed truly surprised.

“No, I’m positive I would have remembered that.” I tried to figure out how to continue. How does one tell her lover that she almost banged his twin in the bathroom? It wasn’t a problem that I had encountered before, so I wasn’t at all sure how to broach the subject.

“You really do look exactly alike,” I hedged.

He smiled as he answered. “We are identical on the outside, except for a scar that Sam has on his shoulder. We’re very different on the inside, though,” he added. “Oh, and I’m older by a few minutes, which really gets his goat,” he chuckled.

It was clear by Seth’s expression how much he loved his twin. My eyes were drawn involuntarily to Sam. He wasn’t looking at me, but something inside me felt like he recently had been. I didn’t know how to tell Seth what had happened, but I knew I needed to. The words just wouldn’t form in my head. It had been an honest mistake. I knew he wouldn’t be angry, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.

Maybe we will laugh about it someday. My mind was hopeful, probably a little too hopeful.

Seth asked me to dance and whisked me onto the dance floor. I spent the next few songs with my head against his broad shoulder, relishing the feeling of being enveloped in his strong arms.

I felt that he was near before I heard or saw him. “May I cut in?” Sam’s voice was deep and clear, and so similar to Seth’s. Seeing the two of them standing together like reflections in their dashing tuxedos nearly took my breath away. They were perfection. Seth gave a mock bow and walked away, unaware of the tension radiating from me.

Sam’s eyes slowly perused me from head to toe, and then back up again. My body burned under his gaze. I could feel my nipples puckering under my dress when his eyes paused at my breasts and his mouth turned up slightly, knowingly. When he finally made it back up to my eyes, he held open his arms in invitation as he lifted his brows and said, “Shall we?”

I didn’t want to be in his arms again, but I couldn’t cause a scene. His eyes twinkled as he sensed my reluctance. That bastard is enjoying making me uncomfortable, my mind screamed as I vowed not to let him see how much he affected me.

I stiffened myself into a formal dance pose as he expertly guided me around the dance floor. My body was acutely aware of the places where he touched me. The nerve endings in my hand, lower back, and waist were all teeming with activity. I consciously slowed my breathing because it had become quick and shallow. I attempted to keep my face a passive mask as the rest of my body betrayed me. My eyes scanned the room, desperate to look anywhere but at Sam.

He drew me in closer, and I sucked in my breath. “Since I didn’t get punched in the jaw, I am assuming you didn’t tell Seth about our little tryst in the bathroom,” he growled near my ear.

“It was hardly a tryst,” I snarled back at him. “More like an unfortunate mistake.”

“I didn’t find it unfortunate at all. In fact, I rather enjoyed myself, until you called me by my brother’s name.”

He had the audacity to grin. Then he continued. “I don’t generally share my brother’s taste in women, but with you he did okay.”

“Okay?!?” I spluttered. Then I lifted my chin, deciding not to let him push my buttons. “You know, instead of rating me, you might think about how hurt Seth would be if he knew about us.”

“Us?” he asked. “So, now we’re an ‘us’? I didn’t know you cared so much.”

“You know what I meant.” I glared at him. This man was exasperating.

He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “When I’m fondling my date’s fake tits tonight, I’m going to be thinking about your real ones.”

That did it. My mouth fell open, appalled. My eyes felt like they might pop out of my head. I whirled away from him and headed for the bar. I needed a glass of wine. Pronto.

“Your brother is a pig!” I said loudly when Jessie hopped up on the bar stool next to me.

“I take it you’ve met Sam,” Jessie chuckled. “Yes, he can be a bit of a pig. But he can also be generous, and kind, and hilarious, and a pain in the ass, but I love him to