Strung Out by Kaitlin Maitland Read Free Book Online Page B

relaxed at his sides. He’d shaved for the occasion, his goatee neatly trimmed, but his dark brown hair was still disheveled. She longed to stab her fingers into it and pull his mouth down for a kiss.
    She was so involved in memories of their shared passion, it took her a moment to realize his expression was troubled. Nothing obvious, but a hint of a frown around his eyes and a pucker of doubt between his elegant dark eyebrows clouded his otherwise serene expression. Her fingers itched to touch his face, smooth the frown away, and press gentle kisses to the thin, hard line of his mouth.
    As if he could hear her thoughts, Erik turned at that moment to stare at Talia. Everything in the room screeched to a halt.
    Her breath hitched, stuck somewhere in her lungs. Blood rushed to her face, heating her cheeks and making her heart thunder in her chest. He knew. He felt it too. Their night together had been more, much more. And whatever had happened between them was irreversible. The longing, the heat, and the anguish. She willed him to see the way she felt inside.
    The gentleman speaker continued his speech, breaking the connection between them. “As most of you know”—he reached out and ushered the blonde woman closer—“my daughter, Courteney, is responsible for arranging this evening.”
    Another smattering of applause, this time for Courteney. She basked in the glow for several moments before snagging Erik’s arm and joining her father. Talia’s stomach clenched as he was reeled in closer to the blonde princess. “I can’t thank you enough for joining us to celebrate Daddy’s birthday. And just as soon as Erik and I decide to make a formal announcement, I hope to have each and every one of you attend our engagement party.”
    The moment shattered like broken glass, and everything slipped horribly into perspective. Talia might’ve been a match for Erik in the bedroom, but it was Courteney of the Grecian goddess figure who made the better elbow trophy.
    For one moment it looked as if Erik would step away. But before he could move, Courteney tightened her grip and hauled him closer. He looked angry, as if she’d upstaged his chance to announce their engagement and make it official.
    It all made sense. The expensive, private Brookline estate, the corporate magnate, and the heiress all together for one lavish party to celebrate an upcoming marriage worthy of Wall Street endorsement. Oh, and the hired musician to play their soundtrack. How fucking appropriate.
    Unable to sit for one more minute and watch another woman ooze happiness over a future with Erik, Talia took her break.
    Carefully sliding out from behind the piano, she walked as quickly as possible to the nearest side exit. The ornate door gave easily, and Talia found herself in a cavernous hallway.
    It was like a scene from The Sound of Music . Talia had always figured fancy estates to be fairly modern, with lots of windows, tastefully expensive art, and carefully designed furnishings. This house looked like something Henry VIII would’ve approved. Everything was massive and overdone, edged in rich colors and fabrics that suffocated anyone unlucky enough to linger.
    Talia found her way onto a balcony and gasped for air. Leslie had always called her oversensitive and too artistic in her preferences. It made her hyperaware of her surroundings. It could’ve explained the sudden claustrophobia. But if she was honest with herself, she knew it had more to do with Courteney’s legitimate claim to Erik.
    An unexpected wave of tears took her by surprise. She wrapped her arms around her midsection to stifle the urge to sob. It would do no good to cry. There was no point in wasting tears for a man who so obviously wasn’t meant for her. He was marrying someone else.
    She was such an idiot. How could she have thought she was capable of the quick fling mentality? She should’ve known better. Climbing in and out of beds had never been her style. The very fact that