Cheater (Curious Liaisons 1)

“Lazy?” I shoved the phone in my pocket. “My sperm are ANYTHING but lazy, alright? Hell, you’d be LUCKY to have them floating down your river!”

“See!” She threw her hands in the air. “Floating! What? They don’t even know how to swim? Hmm, reminds me of someone else. Tell me, how were those swimming lessons with the five-year-old class? How old were you, twelve?”

“Go to hell,” I muttered. “And you’re getting off point. Many a woman is thankful for my . . . juices.”

Avery burst out laughing. “Your juices? Your perfectly golden and lazy-ass Lucas Thorn juices? Do you hear yourself?”

“Yeah”—I rolled my eyes—“and it’s like I’m losing IQ points the longer I discuss this with you. Just plan to go to the appointment. I’ll drop you guys off, you can spread for the dude, get your results. We’ll all do lunch, and I’ll make up a fake meeting we have to get back for—then in a few weeks, we’ll convince my mom that we decided to break things off.”

Avery tapped her fingernails against her luscious thigh. What I wouldn’t do for one night, just one night, when I could run my tongue up and down that smooth piece of skin.

“I hate going to the doctor. Ugh. When she mentioned making the appointment, I didn’t think I’d have to spread my legs for a total stranger.” Avery exhaled roughly. “A few weeks is nothing. Besides, it’s not like they live close to us. And we’re adults, responsible adults.”

“Who made out in the wine cellar,” I just had to add.

“Sexual tension is just that, sexual tension. Besides, don’t you have a few more girls to please this week?”

“Yeah.” Guilt stabbed me in the chest because suddenly the only lips I wanted to kiss were hers. What the hell was wrong with me? “I do. At least they don’t push me away.”

She glanced down at her hands, then looked out the window and whispered, “Yeah, well, some girls aren’t okay with sharing. Besides, you know that when I was little I stuffed animal crackers in my pockets during snack time, only to have them end up in the washer later. I didn’t do it because I was hungry—I just didn’t want other people to have what I had.”

“Still possessive, hey, Avery Bug?”

She glanced back at me. “In every way that matters, yes. When a man loves me, he’s going to get all of me, not twenty-four hours.”

Lucky bastard.

Lucky freaking bastard.

I wanted to say something else.

I wanted so many things.

My heart twisted and slammed against my rib cage in defiance of the words I knew I needed to utter.

It begged me to think before speaking.

But I’d stopped listening to my heart a long time ago.

Back when it told me to pick Avery.

And dump the only girl I’d ever been with—her sister.

“Yeah, well, don’t knock it until you try it.” I smirked.

Avery stiffened. I pulled the car up to the curb of her building. “See you tomorrow, Thorn.”

The car door slammed.

Blanketing me in darkness.

Leaving me to wonder if I was making another epic mistake with the one Black girl I swore I’d never hurt.

Chapter Twenty

AVERY

I dreamed of strangling Lucas Thorn with my bare hands and woke up smiling, only to stop the minute I realized that he wasn’t in fact dead—thanks to the text waiting for me on my cell:

Be ready in 40.

Why? I asked the universe that question over and over. First when I took a shower, again when I quickly got dressed and applied my makeup, and then when my unruly hair refused to do anything except shoot out in every direction, giving me a very hot Medusa look that I’m sure Lucas would comment on.

When I was finally dressed and ready to go, I had three minutes of freedom left.

Minutes before I was going to have to go to the gyno because of a stupid fake engagement I didn’t even want in the first place. But his face at dinner. I knew that look. He had taken a huge deep breath and lowered his head like he was about ready to tell the truth and, in the process, disappoint his parents. And for some reason I decided to fall on my own sword, and jump into the depths of hell with him.

I stared at the door, willing time to stop so that the knock wouldn’t happen. Hey, maybe I was in one of those alternate-universe movies, meaning the main character THINKS that everything is real but is actually hooked up to a giant human-hating computer.

I squeezed my eyes shut and mumbled, “I’m Neo, I’m Neo, I’m Neo.”

A knock sounded at my door.

“Why can’t I live in the damn Matrix?” I muttered, slumping all the way to the door and jerking it open.

“Did you say something?” Lucas asked, looking sexier than what should be allowed for the devil. His white shirt was crisp, ironed, and tucked into perfect-fitting pin-striped trousers that screamed class, money, man.

NO!

I shook my head. “I was just wishing on a falling star, asking it to fall right on your head.” I grabbed the coffee from his hand and peeked behind his back. “Where’s my pastry?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s in the car.”

I scrunched my nose up and took a sip of coffee as I stepped out of the apartment. “Last night I killed you.” I smiled triumphantly.

Lucas exhaled and shut the door behind me, placing his hand on my back as we walked down the dimly lit hall. “Wow, tell me more, please. I’m dying to know. Was it a gunshot wound to the head or something more graphic, like a machete to the balls?”

“HAH, don’t give me ideas, Thorn.” I chugged more coffee, allowing the heat of the bitter liquid to soothe my nerves.

The last time I’d been to the gyno was right in the middle of college. Not only was the checkup expensive, but it was also after I’d stupidly had sex with a relative stranger just to get the whole thing over with.

I was the only virgin left in my group of friends, and for some reason I thought that part of growing up was giving my virginity up in the most awkward experience possible.

Not only was it the most unromantic experience of my life.

But I later found out the guy had given another girl an STD. I swore I’d never have random sex again and went to get tested.

Thankfully, I was healthy.

But the trauma of the Pap smear remained.

Not that I would ever reveal that to Lucas. Who knows? I wouldn’t put it past him to somehow use the info as ammo and turn the whole damn thing against me. That was the last thing I needed. Besides, he probably couldn’t have cared less about my sexual (in)experience. He was a complete man whore.

“In you go.” He opened the door to the back of the nice black Uber Escalade.

I slid across the plush leather seats, grabbed the paper bags of warm pastries, and inhaled them like a drug addict.

Lucas slid in behind me and slammed the door. “I figured the easiest way to put you at ease was to drug you with sugar.”

“I take it back.” I grabbed a sugary donut and stuffed half of it in my mouth. “I didn’t enjoy killing you last night. I shed a tear, it was small.” I held up two fingers that were almost touching. “Like this big. Hardly noticeable, kind of like your penis.”

Lucas choked on his coffee.

“Well, maybe not as small as that”—I elbowed him—“but close. At any rate, thanks for the donut.” I squeezed his leg, unable to keep my hands away from his stupid body.

“I got you a breakfast sandwich too. You know, protein.”

I waved him off.

“Typical,” he snorted.

“What?” I asked midbite. “What’s typical?”

“You need to take care of yourself, go to bed early . . .” His voice was strained. “Make sure you do your annual checkups.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, because that’s been so necessary this past year.”

Damn it!

I waited.

Hoping he missed it.

B

ut he was Lucas Thorn, so instead of missing my meaning, he leaned toward me and licked his stupidly attractive big lips. “Oh?”

I averted my eyes.

To the cleft in his chin.

Which made me think of our kiss.

I clenched my thighs together and then crossed my legs. Nope. Not happening, not getting anywhere near the lower region of my anatomy, not now, not ever.

My body was notorious for betraying me when it came to Lucas, and I wasn’t going to lose control again.

Ugh, the sugar on the donut didn’t taste as good as his tongue. The same tongue he thrust into other women’s mouths.

Lust cooled. I turned to him and shrugged. “What?” Lucas’s eyes pinned me.

“Admit it.” He grinned. “There is no Carl.”

“Fine, no Carl. Gee, you got me—doesn’t change anything. I’m still a sexually active wildcat just waiting to pounce on my next prey.” I tore a piece of donut and made a growling noise.

He swore violently and adjusted the collar of his shirt.

“What?” I smirked. “Something I said?”

“Nope, just imagining what that would be like, getting mounted by Avery Black.”

It was my turn to choke.

The driver stopped in front of a large building a few blocks away from our downtown offices, closer to Pike Place Market, which made me want to go shopping for flowers and toss some fish around while sipping coffee.

I reached for my seatbelt; Lucas pressed a hand to my fingers and whispered in my ear, “Admit it, you’re thinking about it too.”

I exhaled and tried to even out my breathing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar.” His chuckle was warm, seductive. “You’re right—I bet you’re crazy in bed, wild, violent. If there was a Carl, I’d have half a mind to be jealous.”

“That would be the day.” My voice was raspy and stupidly turned on.