Forbidden Kiss (Carson Cove Scandals 1)

I hate this painting. I prefer the stuff he did in his prime. Jon knows my tricks—he would be doing the same thing under different circumstances.

“I wish I could bid on it—but, I’m sure you’ve heard…” He sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah.” I patted him on the back. “Sorry to hear it—we should get together and talk about it sometime. I’ve been through that myself…”

I always liked Mary—she was a lot of fun when she was sixteen—too bad she grew up to be an ice-cold bitch.

“Thanks.” Jon looked down at his glass. “I need a refill. How about you?”

“Yeah.” I drained what was left of my Scotch. “Let’s take care of that.”

Jon and I grew up together. We attended Carson Cove Academy—played on the football team—hell, we even won the State Championship the year we graduated. We were practically brothers once upon a time, but those days were long behind us. Our gridiron success didn’t carry over to college—mainly because we decided to stay local and go to Carson Cove University instead of accepting one of the scholarships we had to a football university.

Our futures were already set for us, so the field didn’t really matter after high school. I was destined to sit in my father’s chair at Benson Enterprises. Jon was destined to do the same at Alcott Inc. It was too bad neither of those paths led to the happily ever after we thought we were going to get.

“Alexis Devereaux is on the prowl.” Jon motioned to the brunette that was working the crowd like she was the only human being on the planet that mattered.

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You know she won’t be single for long—maybe you should go for it.” Jon nudged me and chuckled.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that…” I sipped my Scotch and stared.

Alexis Devereaux was every man’s wet dream when we were in high school. She was two years older than us, the hottest thing in heels, and she knew how to make a man beg—hell, she loved making them beg. I took a shot once when I felt Cupid’s poisoned arrow and got turned down on the spot. She married young—divorced young—got married again—and history repeated itself.

Her next marriage would be her fourth, and I was pretty sure she had no intention of making it her last. She didn’t even bother to change her last name when she got married—maybe that should have been a sign. She was the last person in Carson Cove that I needed to get tangled up with. I had no intention of getting my heart broken again and fuck if that woman didn’t know how to make them shatter on command.

“My soon-to-be ex-wife wants something. I guess I still have to acknowledge her.” Jon finished the drink in his hand and got a refill before he walked over to Mary.

It’s too early to leave. I’ll take another trip through the gallery.

“Bryant!” A woman’s voice echoed behind me, and I didn’t have to turn around to know who it belonged to.

I should have just left—even if it is early.

“Hey Alexis.” I turned around to see her walking towards me with a purpose.

“How have you been? We haven’t had a chance to talk much since your divorce…” She put her hand on my wrist and slowly moved it along my forearm.

“We haven’t talked at all since my divorce.” I narrowed my eyes. “Hell, I don’t think we’ve said more than a few words to each other since high school.”

I certainly haven’t tried to strike up a conversation.

“Oh, don’t be silly.” She threw her head back and laughed. “You were married—I’m no homewrecker.”

“Is there something you want?” I tilted my head to the side. “I was just about to head to the gallery…”

“The gallery is boring.” She patted my arm and took a step closer. “You already know what you’re going to buy—just like I do.”

“Yes…” I sighed. “Does that mean you’re going to bid against me?”

“No way. I don’t like to lose.” She giggled—Alexis Devereaux giggled—I didn’t even know that was possible.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk up to the bar—a woman I didn’t recognize. She had long honey-amber curls and a black dress that appeared to be a knock-off of a famous designer, but I couldn’t remember their name—my ex-wife would have known—and swiped one of my credit cards to buy the real thing. Alexis was still babbling in my ear, but I wasn’t paying attention to her— I was mesmerized. The woman at the bar had gorgeous curves, and it was almost impossible to pretend that I was listening to Alexis while trying to drink in the sight I wanted to stare at all night.

When the woman finally turned around with a glass of wine in her hand, I saw pale emerald eyes that snapped me back to reality. I did know her—I had known her since she was a little girl—there was no mistaking those haunting eyes. She was my daughter’s best friend, Taylor! I haven’t seen her since they graduated from high school. Realizing who she was made me immediately cut my eyes back to Alexis and pretend to give a damn about what she was saying.

Damn. Taylor is all grown up now—and she’s fucking beautiful…