Tempt Me - By Shiloh Walker Page 0,7
difficult you’re being.”
“Am I? Hmm. Maybe. Too bad,” Cole muttered, lifting his wine glass and knocking back the merlot like it was whiskey. Wishing it was. He could use some whiskey. Desperately.
The music abruptly changed cadence, and both he and Mara looked up, as did everyone around them. He hadn’t noticed the spiral staircase when he’d been here before. He noticed it now, though. Noticed it...and the very nice pair of legs descending...long, shapely legs that would close perfectly around a man’s hips, he thought. Oh, hell. He damn near swallowed his tongue as Rocki came down the stairs, one hand trailing along the banister. She paused halfway down, smiling out at the crowd. Smiling...and letting everybody get one damn good look.
Again, he found himself thinking...Lush.
It was a word that described her perfectly.
A lot of the women in the crowd were wearing a hell of lot less clothing than she was. Mara was wearing less. But Rocki managed to cast them all in shadow. Looking at her made his hands sweat. The swells of her breasts rose above the corset she wore, all but begging for the touch of a man’s hands, her ivory skin glowing against the deep, rich, red silk. He wasn’t sure which would be softer to touch. Her waist looked impossibly small just before her hips flared out into another lush, ripe curve. The skirt was somehow hitched up, revealing those long legs encased in dark, smooth stockings.
A wet dream come to life, Cole thought, staring at her. Shit. He gripped his wine glass tightly and tore his gaze away from her. Mara was still staring at her, her lips pursed. “She’s making such a spectacle of herself, dressed like that.”
“A spectacle?” he echoed. “She looks lovely.”
Mara rolled her eyes. “She’s too fat to dress that way.”
Cole almost choked on his wine. Fat? Damn it, what in the world was wrong with her? But instead of replying, he just turned away. Mara only saw what Mara wanted to see. He was tired of it. So tired of it. And it was something he wasn’t going to deal with much longer.
“I wonder if she ever tries to put herself up in the auction,” Mara mused.
“She’s married,” Cole said.
“Oh. Yeah. And even if she wasn’t...” She broke off, laughing. “It’s a laughable thought.”
“Damn it, would you shut up?” he snapped, slamming his glass down and turning his head to glare at her.
She stared at him. “What is your problem?”
He clenched his jaw shut, determined not to say anything, not to do this here.
“Cole.” Mara’s eyes narrowed.
He went to brush past her.
She shot out an arm, her nails digging into his wrist like claws. He paused, staring down at her. Somewhere inside, he ached, because he could remember a time when he’d loved her. A lot. But that was before she’d changed. When had all of this happened? And had she changed so drastically, or was it him?
“We’ll talk about this later, Mara,” he said quietly.
“No. We’ll talk about it now.”
He glanced around, spied the back door he’d seen the first time they’d visited the store. It was marked “private,” but everybody was too focused on Rocki to even notice them. Fine. Mara wanted to have it out tonight, they’d have it out tonight.
With his hand at the small of her back, he guided her toward the door. It led them to a private dressing area, a long narrow hall with a series of doors, all done in ivory and gold. Feminine and soft, Like Rocki, he mused.
Shutting the door, he leaned back against it. “We should talk about this at home,” he said again.
“You’re being a bastard...we’ll talk about it here.”
“You’re being a bitch,” he pointed out. “I paid a grand to get us into a party we weren’t even invited to...”
“Well, they don’t care. They just asked for the donation,” she replied. Smoothing a hand back over her hair, she gave him an aggravated glance. “It’s not like you need the money, darling.”
“No, I don’t. But you never asked if I wanted to come. You told me to. And now that you’re here, all you can do is insult the owner. Mara...I don’t even know you anymore. And what little I do know?” He paused, reaching for the words. He didn’t want to hurt her.
Mara crossed her arms over her chest, one blonde brow lifted impatiently. “Yes?”
“I don’t like.”
She stilled. Finally, something flickered in her pale blue eyes. But it was gone almost as fast as it