Siren Song (39 page)

It would be a good sound to hear, if only she knew where they were. Well, it was fairly late; they were probably at
Skin
. Maybe after she got her bag upstairs, she’d get dressed up and join them there. After all, it had been almost three weeks since she donned a wig; it might be kind of fun to see what was happening at the club.

Or maybe she’d pull on a pair of jeans, pull her hair back in a ponytail and drive out to Duncan’s bar. Maybe she’d run into him and be able to strike up a conversation. Maybe convince him to take her home and to his bed since she no longer worked for him and he wouldn’t be able to use that excuse. No matter how much time it took, she would work her way beneath his skin until he realized he loved her. And if he never loved her, at least she’d have a few more months with him.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take thirty years to desire sex again. No wonder why her aunt had been dotty; it must have been difficult to go that long without sex. The Siren’s gift truly could be a curse if that were the case: loving one man and not being able to have him and thus not being able to have anyone. A shudder went through Lexi as she pushed the door to her bedroom open, wondering how the Fates could be so cruel as to choose a mate and then deny love.

Her thoughts circled around and around with Duncan standing in the middle. Duncan… possibly the only man she’d ever have sex with.

Maybe she should call Cole’s cell and ask him to come home, maybe see if it were possible to have sex with someone not Duncan. Or she could call Dima but the bar was probably insanely busy and he wouldn’t be able to get away. Not that she was going to call either of them up and ask them to have sex with her; it was simply an option to see if it was possible.

Even if the idea held zero appeal.

If Duncan wanted to have nothing to do with her after she re-introduced herself she might consider the Cole and/or Dima option. Hell, if Duncan couldn’t love her, she’d fake it because she was not going to go the rest of her life without sex, even if she had to fall in love with someone not her Soul Mate. Besides, what did the Fates know? Maybe they weren’t so cruel as to offer only one; or maybe they were exceedingly cruel to offer just one.

Turning on the lights, she shook her head and smiled wryly; that just seemed….

Her thoughts ended abruptly as she saw the pictures of Duncan on her wall, the pictures of a naked Duncan on her wall. The bag slipped from her fingers and landed with a thump next to her feet, her jaw falling nearly as far. Duncan. Naked. And on her wall.

Of course she recognized Cole’s hand in the artistry of capturing the essence of Duncan, she just wondered how on earth her newly promoted to favorite roommate had accomplished such a feat. Maybe blackmail, though Lexi couldn’t figure out what dirt Cole could possibly have on Duncan that would get Duncan to strip off his clothes and get his picture taken. It didn’t matter; his pictures were on her wall.

Walking over to the first, her breath caught in her throat as the light backlit Duncan’s muscled form, the curve off his butt, the sleekness of his back. Running her hand over the achingly familiar lines, Lexi could almost feel his flesh beneath her fingers and her body responded as if he were real, as if he were there. The next picture was from the front, his body twisted in such a way to hide the more interesting parts of his anatomy but revealing his strength, his sheer masculinity. Flashing, silver eyes stared out at her from his beloved face and she had to squeeze her eyes closed for a moment to regain control of her emotions.

Taking her time, she examined a few more photos that highlighted different parts of his body: his ridged stomach, the sharp hips, his long limbs, his elegant back. And then she froze in front of the close up of his face, the harsh planes made even more stunning by the beautiful silver eyes. If she stared long enough, she would fall into the picture and never be apart from the man again. If she stared long enough, she could believe in fairy tales and happily ever after and True Love.

Tearing her gaze away from the mesmerizing image, she saw something out of the corner of her eye and jumped. Realizing it was only Cole standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with an enigmatic smile, she laughed. Placing her hand over her racing heart, she crossed the distance between them, walking into his arms, “You scared me Cole; I didn’t think anyone was home.’

“
I’ve been standing here for the last twenty minutes as you stared at my latest masterpieces,” he chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “I was thinking about using them in my next show.”

“
Don’t you dare, Cole,” Lexi growled, stepping back and glaring at him with flashing green and gold hazel eyes. “If anyone else sees those photos I will rip their eyeballs out.”

Cole laughed harder at the vehemence in her voice, draping an arm around her shoulder and guiding her over to the bed. “Don’t worry, my sweet; I promised Mr. Tremain that the pictures were for a strictly private viewing. How was your trip?”

“
It was good,” Lexi murmured, wanting to get back to talking about Duncan but not knowing how to do so without appearing rude. “Aunt Cassie gave me a lot to think about and I’m glad I went.”

“
By the expression on your face when I came in I would say you are still mooning over the delectable Duncan Tremain,” Cole teased, giving her a lead in but in a way that made it seem like she was still mooning over him. Which she wasn’t.

Okay, she was.

But Cole was here and it was the perfect opportunity to prove her aunt wrong; she could have sex with someone not Duncan. After all, she loved Cole and she knew that Cole loved her since the goodbye kiss didn’t work on him…. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she looked up at him, “Cole?”

“
Yes, my sweet Lexi?” he asked, grinning.

“
Will you have sex with me?” she asked bluntly, her fingers going to the hem of her t-shirt.

He made a strange strangled sound and color flooded his cheeks as he stared at her aghast, “Lexi, I think you may have had too much sun. You’re asking me to have sex with you? Why now, after all of this time?”

“
Well,” she hesitated to explain. But Cole had seen her at her worst, recently in fact when she passed out at the office, and he knew everything there was to know about her; she could trust him with anything. She did trust him. “It turns out the women in my family are descendants of Sirens and apparently I’m one of the breeds of Sirens that can have only one mate… er, sex partner. But I kind of want to prove that theory wrong. So, you wanna have sex?”

That same strangled choking sound came again and his face was even brighter red, “Lexi, as much as I love you and would love to share your bed, I don’t think I can have sex with you.”

Throwing caution to the wind, she whipped the t-shirt off her body. Standing up, she undid the buttons of her blue jeans and slid them off her legs until she wore only her lacy peach bikinis and matching bra. “I’m a Siren, Cole; a mythological creature that lures men to their death with their beauty and sensuality. Don’t you want to be a part of a myth?”

“
I don’t want to die,” he said gruffly, his voice thick with desire as he came to his feet and took his shirt off. As his eyes roamed down her nearly naked body, he added, “But in this case, I think it would be worth it.”

Stepping forward, he took her into his arms until the warmth of his body pressed against hers. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he held the back of her head as he slowly lowered his lips to hers. And all Lexi felt was the absurd need to laugh. Biting her lips, she watched as he brought his mouth down over hers, expertly kissing her with the skills of a modern day Casanova.

And she felt nothing except the overwhelming belief that it was wrong to be kissing Cole when her heart belonged to another. His tongue stroked over hers and while she could appreciate his technique, she was detached and her evaluation was clinical.

As soon as he realized she wasn’t kissing him back, he leaned his forehead against hers and sighed loudly, “Not feeling it, Lexi?”

“
Um, you’re a very good kisser,” she said softly, licking her lips and tasting Cole there. She wanted the taste of Duncan to be on her lips. “But I think I am a one-man woman.”

He let her go and sat down hard on her bed, laughing at her, “I have seen you in less, Lexi, but right now you are the sexiest damn woman I have ever seen. If I didn’t like the bastard, I would want to kill him.”

Lexi walked along the balcony around the edge of the ballroom in her parent’s palatial estate. There were already so many people there, all eager to be a part of Senator Carson’s bid to take the White House by storm. The idea of spending two years on the campaign trail, of grueling schedules, speeches, baby kissing, whatever else politicians did, sent a shiver of the utmost dread through Lexi. She was grateful she had no political ambitions what-so-ever. She much preferred to change the world in her own way; wearing marvelous clothes was just an added bonus. And as long as she held the spotlight of one good man, of Duncan, she didn’t need fame.

Her red silk dress felt like heaven over her body, slithery with a mindless will of its own. The two slits on either side allowed her to walk with ease and showed off the patterned leggings she had on underneath. Her shoes were minor works of art, elegant in their deceptive simplicity: red, silk-wrapped four inch soles. Deciding against a wig, her brown hair was artfully arranged in a style vaguely similar to a Geisha’s, including the porcelain sticks. Completing her look was her make-up, again a nod to the Geisha, though she did not powder her face. Her lips were glossy red and her eye liner exaggerated the lines of her almond-shaped eyes.

Flattening a hand against her quivering stomach, she wished the butterflies would take a break. Both Cole and Dima said they would swing by later and while she waited for them Lexi had hoped to be able to spend some time with her parents, just to know that love sometimes did conquer all. Unfortunately, they were both engrossed in conversations whenever she saw them, though they did smile at her, happy she showed up. Of course, they didn’t know the reason why she even hesitated to begin with; and if she had her way, they would never find out. Her mom didn’t need to know that she was so foolish as to fall in love with someone and then kiss him good-bye before he could fall in love with her.

Maybe luck was with her and Duncan wasn’t going to be there and she could put off the re-introduction for a few more days, not knowing if she’d be able to bare the lack of recognition in his silver eyes that had once burned so hotly for her. After all, why would he be at Senator Carson’s party? Sure, he was a rich business tycoon, but maybe their politics didn’t mesh and Senator Carson wasn’t the man Duncan wanted for the job. Yeah, and that was wishful thinking on her part; according to her mother, the Tremains were very big supporters of Senator Carson. In fact, there seemed to be some sort of connection between them, though Lexi wasn’t entirely sure what, exactly, the connection was.

Why didn’t she pay more attention when her mother talked about these sorts of things with her friends? Even when she was in high school she avoided the social parties her parents hosted, preferring to stay in her room doing just about anything else. In a strange turn, it was highly probable that Duncan Tremain was a regular guest at Casa Rudnar. That thought brought a wry smile to Lexi’s face; at one point, she might have met him had she not hidden herself away in her room whenever her parents had people over. She wondered if she would have had the same exhilarating, unruly, devouring reaction to him if she met him while she was a mouse.

Probably; but would she have been bold enough to pursue him as relentlessly as she did as Lexi? It hardly mattered, since she hadn’t met him before and even if she had she probably would have been beneath his notice, both as a mouse and a teenager.

Putting her hands against the railing, she watched the people below, looking so dignified and stunning in their tuxes and evening gowns. Her mother was so beautiful in her cream chiffon dress, her hair styled in a French twist; classic pearls encircling her throat. Her father was as handsome as ever, wearing an expensive tuxedo with a cravat instead of the usual bow tie. She smiled at the two of them as they effortlessly talked to their friends and guests.

Her brothers and sisters were all there with their spouses, all sophisticated and beautiful, mixing effortlessly with the politicians, the local celebrities, the media. Just the thought of being down there and talking with all of those superficial people had her skin breaking out in hives; if she didn’t have her disguise on, she would have died of stage fright long ago.