I opened my mouth to answer, but a split second before my voice came to life, I remembered that he was asking Tiffany, not me. “Probably not. My life is here now. Not to mention, I’m not that close with my family.”
“Any particular reason?”
I shrugged, unsure how to respond because I didn’t know what Tiffany truly thought of us. But I couldn’t stay silent forever, so I had to give him something. “My mom is super supportive—everyone says she’s my biggest fan. And even though I love listening to her brag about me to anyone who’ll listen, a person can only take so much of that.”
“How often do you see them?”
“Well, I’m really busy, you know, so not often at all.” That was the nicest way I could say it, considering the truth was that Tiffany avoided us like the plague. Technically, she avoided me, not so much Mom, but that was only because Mom fawned all over her. If I had to guess as to why she didn’t come around our parents much was because she wouldn’t be able to get away with acting like the most privileged person in the world. We all knew her, the real her, and if she started spinning stories, she’d get called out. Well, Mom wouldn’t, but Dad would.
Jacoby slapped his cards on the table, facedown, and pushed up on his knees to stand. “Want anything to drink? I’m getting a beer. Without the AC, it’s getting a bit warm in here.”
“Sure, I’ll take one, too.”
Little did I know where that would lead.
A few beers later, our card game was over—I won both times—and Jacoby had gotten Sir Terry out of his cage. Seriously, that bearded dragon was the coolest pet I’d ever seen. It didn’t even matter that he didn’t do tricks.
“How old is he?” I asked as I held him, impressed with his size. His body was slightly longer than my hand from wrist to fingertips, but then there was his tail, which was close to reaching my elbow.
“Nine months. I got him as a baby when I moved here. He was just over a month, and much, much smaller than he is now. He’s still growing, though. They say they continue to get bigger until about a year, year and a half.”
We played with him for a bit between us—well, as much as one can play with a giant lizard—before Jacoby decided it was time for him to go back to his tank. I picked him up and carried him to the aquarium in the corner of the room, whining the entire time about how cruel it was to keep him behind glass like some display animal.
Jacoby crossed the room in a few strides and stopped in front of me. He was close enough that I could smell him again, and just like last time, it put me under a spell. “If it makes you feel any better, he actually does spend a lot of time out of the tank when I’m here. But I think the storm is making him nervous, so being in the tank, where he’s comfortable and safe, is exactly what he wants. Trust me.”
He took the not so little guy out of my hand and, without stepping to the side, placed Terry back in his home. This meant he leaned into me. That’s right, Jacoby leaned his body into mine, bringing his intoxicating scent even closer.
In my haze of lust, I gripped the front of his T-shirt, and there was a small chance I made a noise of some kind—a moan, hum, not sure. Anyway, rather than back up, he only pulled away slightly to look at me.
We were face to face, and the room was still rather dim due to the storm that still raged beyond the window. I was very much aware that we were alone. No one could see us, no one could judge us; it was just him and me.
So I went for it.
Using my grip on his shirt, I tugged him closer while pushing up on my tiptoes, bringing our mouths together. It was soft and hesitant at first, but then I got a taste of him, and damn, was I hungry for more.
He brought his hands to my waist, which caused me to hesitate for a moment because I thought he was about to push me away. But when I felt him tighten his grip and pull my body against his, I knew it was safe to keep going.
His tongue slipped past my lips while I threaded my fingers through his hair.
We took one step back. Then another. Then another until he was sat on the sofa, my knees on either side of his hips. It was hot, and steamy, and sexy, and everything else I thought it would be. The one thing I didn’t expect was for it to be short lived.
And unfortunately, it was very short lived.
Out of nowhere, Jacoby pushed me away. Not just pushed me away, but he physically lifted my body off his lap and set me down on the cushion next to him. “Tiffany…” Talk about a mood kill; calling me by my evil sister’s name was like dousing me with below-freezing water. “You’re engaged.”
I didn’t need to hear any more. That was enough for me.
I got up and rounded the couch, not bothering to think about anything other than getting the heck out of there. I didn’t care if I left anything behind; I could replace it. What I couldn’t replace, though, was my dignity.
He called after me, but I ignored him as I opened the door and took off in the torrential downpour. Thunder rumbled all around me, the sky lit up like the Fourth of July, but that didn’t stop me. I didn’t care. I just wanted to leave. I wanted to get home.
I didn’t want to be Tiffany freaking Lewis anymore.
8
Jacoby
I did the right thing…yet I hated myself for it.
Watching Tiffany run off like
