Twisted Affair Vol. 3 by M. S. Parker Read Free Book Online Page B

and I didn't mean just physically. Livie had walls up all the time. I felt them every time we talked. Even when she'd confided in me about what had happened to her and Katka's parents, I had sensed a reluctance there. It was like she didn't want me to see how much witnessing her parent’s murder had affected her. I didn't know if she thought I'd think less of her or think her weak, but seeing her vulnerable wouldn't have done any of that. If anything, it would've made me see her as more human. The entire time she'd told the story, her voice had been flat. I supposed that was how she dealt with it, but it had been another example of how she appeared to not let anything touch her.
    I hadn't asked Katka about her parents. Now that I knew what had happened, I wasn't going to pry. She wasn't like Livie. I had a feeling if I opened that door, it would hurt her and I didn't want to do that. Katka was strong, but in a different way than her sister. I hadn't known her long and I knew there were still a lot of things to learn about her, but I'd seen enough to know she was an open book. If she felt it, she showed it. She didn't hide herself.
    Maybe that was it, I thought as I stroked her curls. I'd spent my entire life surrounded by people who hid who they really were behind masks of propriety and self-righteousness. It was one of the things I'd always hated about my family. Even Samuel, to some extent, played the game.
    So did I. I frowned at the stray thought, but didn't ignore it. In a way, it was true. I didn't pretend to be some rich snob who was better than everyone else, but I wasn't entirely honest about who I was either. I just buried myself in drugs, alcohol and sex.
    “Are you all right?” Katka's soft voice broke the silence.
    I smiled at her and squeezed her shoulders. “Just thinking.”
    “About what?” she asked, turning onto her side so that her breasts were pressed against my ribs. “Do you regret this? What we're doing?”
    “No.” I kissed her forehead. “I don't regret this at all.”
    That much was true. I didn't regret being with Katka. What I did wish, however, was that I had met her first. Things would have been so much easier if I'd met Katka, proposed to her, and had Livie as my sister-in-law.
    Another thought popped into my head before I could stop it. What if Livie had just let me close? Would I still have fallen for Katka if Livie hadn't closed herself off to me? What if Livie hadn't set up the no contact rule? Even if she'd wanted to take things slow, would I still have slept with Katka?
    Those things didn't matter though, no matter how much my brain insisted that I analyze how I felt. It was too late. Livie had set up the perimeters of our relationship and made it very clear where we stood. Whether it was because of that or because of fate, I didn't know or care, but Katka had my heart. I cared about Livie, but what I felt for Katka was so much more. Maybe it was only because she let me care about her, but it didn't change the way I felt.
    “Are you doing anything next weekend?” I asked suddenly.
    “No.”
    Her fingers were tracing patterns on my bare chest, almost distracting me. Almost. “Would you go away with me?”
    Her hand stopped.
    “I want you to go to New York with me so we can have a real romantic weekend. My dad knows some people in New York, but if we're careful, we can actually go out without having to worry about someone seeing us. Plus, Livie usually spends the weekends at home working, so there's a good chance anyone who saw us would think you were her.”
    She had a thoughtful expression on her face and I wondered if she was preparing herself for some sort of “this was fun, but...” speech. Instead, she simply nodded and pressed her lips against my chest, kissing her way over to my nipple.
    “It is now my turn to make you wait.”
     

Chapter 8
    Katka
    What the hell was I doing?
    When Blayne asked me to go to New York with him, he'd said that anyone who saw me with