Taste Me

by Cali Caliente

  They pointed at her in unison. “You.”

  Ha! She didn’t believe them. But—

  Oh. My. God.

  “Are you both freaking crazy? No, don’t answer that. I already know the answer.” She covered her face and felt about two inches high. She’d been taken in by their duplicity. Not only that, she was the prize in a stupid contest neither twin had won. What exactly did it mean? That neither of them really loved her?

  She took a deep breath, tried not to cry, and refused to let them know how badly they had hurt her. She meant nothing to them. They were only playing a game like two mischievous little boys. A lousy, cruel game. Right now, her heart was about to burst. She swung on her heel and grasped the doorknob.

  “Wait, Aurora.”

  “Leave me alone.”

  Her own voice didn’t even sound familiar. It was as cold as stone on an icy day. She unlocked the door and opened it. But she had one more thing she had to say to them. She turned to find Boots or Bryce, or whatever the heck his name was, standing far too close. She touched his broad chest, and he stepped backward with a frown.

  “I don’t care whose baby this is I’m carrying.” She glanced from one to the other, and just in case they only understood toddler actions, she pointed at each of them too. “I will raise this baby on my own. And I never, never want to see either one of you again. Is that clear?”

  Black dots danced before her eyes, and numbness crept up her legs, all tingly and buzzy. She held onto her head. The last thing she remembered seeing was two identical faces swimming in a sea of tears.

  ****

  Bryce rushed forward to catch Aurora before she hit the floor. He scooped her up and carried her over to the chair. “Call 911, you idiot. Tell them she fainted, and don’t forget to tell them she’s pregnant.”

  Brent picked up his cell and speed dialed. “She’s pregnant?”

  “Don’t you listen? She’s pregnant with a baby that belongs to one of us.” He held her in his lap and cuddled her. From her heated words, it might be the last time she let him get this close. “Oh, God. I’m sorry, Aurora.”

  “They’re on the way.” Brent walked over to the sink, wet a bar towel, wrung it out, and handed it to Bryce. “Try this. It might help.”

  His brow furrowed in concern, and he’d never felt so helpless. “How would you know?”

  “I’ve seen them do it in the movies. Just rub her forehead, would you?”

  Bryce caressed her face with the cool, damp towel and prayed she would be okay. His heart ached to know she hated them for what they’d done. But they deserved it, or at least one of them did. At least now she knew the truth. He might have explained it better alone, but she’d caught him unaware, and it didn’t help to have Brent blab all the dirty details before he could soften the blow.

  She moaned, and her eyelids flickered. “Bryce?”

  “It’s me, mia bella.” He wanted to kiss her full lips. He wanted to beg her forgiveness, but he didn’t want to upset her again.

  The paramedics arrived in less than seven minutes, not a difficult achievement since they were only two blocks away. He let them check her over and helped her lie down on the gurney, hovering like a protective watchdog. There had to be a way to talk with her without Brent and without interference. He couldn’t accept not seeing her again.

  “I think she’s gonna be okay, sir.” The paramedic, who didn’t look over twenty years old, stood to talk to him while the second paramedic strapped her down. “Lots of pregnant women faint because they’re anemic or have low blood sugar. It’s kind of a hormonal thing too, because their body changes to accept the baby. Even stress can do it. We’ll take her in and have the docs check her over to make sure everything is all right. Are you riding in the unit or driving?”

  Stress?

  The whole scene they’d experienced in the office was extremely stressful. He hoped that was the only thing wrong with her. “I’ll follow.”

  Brent patted his shoulder. “Sorry about this. I hope she’ll be okay.”

  “Me too.” Bryce followed the two men carrying the gurney but paused at the door. There was one more thing he had to do. “Oh, Brent?”

  “Yeah?”

  His fist shot out and hit his brother smack in the nose. Brent staggered backward and collapsed in the chair. “What the—?”

  “You don’t deserve her, but if it’s your baby you’d better marry her. Or I will make your life a living hell. Is that understood?”

  “That doesn’t sound brotherly at all.” Brent rubbed his sore face and winced.

  “It isn’t.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.”

  Bryce stormed out the office door and had to refrain from slamming it. No sense in busting up the business, even though he’d like to bust up his twin. The best thing to ever happen to him had turned into a total disaster. Sooner or later, he would make it right for Aurora. And the baby. He only had to earn her trust again. A feat he wasn’t sure he could accomplish, but he would do his best. Even if it meant he had to say goodbye in the end.

  ****

  Rain spattered against the large picture window and drizzled down in torrents. Aurora glanced around the pale blue room and sat upright in the bed. One guess told her she was in the hospital. She strained her mind to recall what might have happened, but it was all a blur. Her head ached, right behind her temples. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

  “You’ll be okay. The doctor gave you a sedative, so you could rest.” Carla’s voice was solid and straightforward, comforting in an odd sort of way. She sat in a chair close to the bed, her clothes disheveled like she’d been here a while.

  Aurora yawned. “How did I get here?”

  “You were at the farmers’ market, and you fainted. The owners got you taken care of pretty fast. You know, the twins you’ve been dating?”

  Twins?

  In a flood of painful memory, everything rushed back into her mind.

  Oh, God.

  She’d discovered there were two Bryces and had gone to the market to confront them. After listening to all their lies, she couldn’t get out of there fast enough. That was the last thing she remembered.

  “Why are you here, Carla?” One thing about her neighbor and co-worker, she was supportive. She understood what it was like to be duped. She’d had a few run-ins with abusive boyfriends, who ended up hurting her after earning her trust.

  “Seriously? Do you have anyone else?” She frowned, and her face mirrored her concern. “When I was leaving work, I got a call from Stan. He told me you were going to the hospital. Seems one of the twins called him. I came over right away and found you here with him.”

  “Him?”

  Carla pointed to the opposite side of the room with an exaggerated sigh. “He’s been here all night. He wouldn’t leave. Even after I told him I would stay with you.”

  Still feeling a bit dizzy, Aurora held her head as if it would help ease the pain. One of the twins sat slouched over, fast asleep in the other chair. Espresso curls tumbled across his forehead, and his shirt was undone, exposing a sprinkling of fine dark chest hairs. His long legs were crossed and his hands folded neatly in his lap. He was as handsome as ever.

  It hurt to recall the twins’ trickery. By their own admission, she had been a prize in their ridiculous challenge. Something they each coveted to win over the other brother. Maybe she should be flattered, but she wasn’t. They had used her in the worst way a woman could be used. Betrayal of the heart. And she couldn’t forgive them. She would raise her baby alone, without whichever one of them was the father.

  Pressing her hands to her stomach, she wanted to feel the baby. It was too soon, but she imagined the baby inside her, planted like a seed in a garden. Her body would grow and nurture the seed until a tiny life developed. A life she planned to protect from all villains, including its Italian father. It would be a beautiful baby, no matter if it was a boy or a girl. Tears rolled down her cheeks unheeded,
and she wished she were a million miles away from this place.

  Carla rushed to her side. “Are you okay? Is something hurting?”

  Only her broken heart. He’d said he loved her. They’d made love so many times. And the last time, he’d asked her to marry him. It was her dream come true, but it had changed into a nightmare. One man turned out to be two, and there was no way both men could be the father of her baby.

  “I’m fine, Carla. Thanks.” She swiped her fingers at the irritating tears. “I could use another glass of water. And I’m hungry too. Maybe some crackers?”

  Carla patted her hand. “Sure. I’ll go see what the vending machine has. Be back soon.”

  “Take your time. I need to talk to him.” Or yell at him or maybe even throw something at him. She was still angry and hurt, and it would be a long time before she would feel otherwise.

  “Got it. I’ll browse the gift shop or something.” Carla walked out the door with a wave of her bright orange fingertips that matched the Halloween T-shirt she wore.

  Aurora glanced over at the man in the corner and caught his umber eyes staring back. “Why on earth are you here?”

  He sat up and ran his fingers through his tousled dark waves. “I had to find out what was wrong with you.”

  “You mean besides being pregnant?”

  He grimaced and sat forward in the chair. “Yeah, besides that.”

  At least, he didn’t run out the door this time. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine. I mean you’re certainly beautiful, but you look a little tired.” He stretched his arms above his head and sauntered over to the bed to stand quietly, waiting for her to give him permission to talk.

  She wanted to ignore him, but she couldn’t let him get away without being scolded one more time. “That was a rotten thing you two did to me.”

  “I know.”

  Admission was better than more lies. A gazillion questions popped into her head, and she wanted answers. How could someone do what they did and feel okay about it? She plucked at the light blue blanket covering her body. “I want to know why. Why did you pick me?”

  He coughed and glanced away. “It wasn’t like we picked you. We both like the same kind of women. And to be truthful, I’m not sure which one of us met you first.”

  “Neither am I.” Her stomach clenched, and a wave of nausea trickled over her. But she had to speak her mind. “I don’t even know who you are. You tricked me into believing you were something special. Do you even understand how I feel? Don’t answer that because you couldn’t possibly understand anything about me.”

  “You’re right. I don’t understand, but I do know I care about you.” He slipped his hands into his pockets. He looked like hell, and he’d obviously had a miserable night in the chair. “You’re on my mind all the time.”

  “Don’t even go there.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. Time to be totally upfront with him. He didn’t know why she’d sent him away the first time. “I thought you were this crazy guy who had two different personalities. I was attracted to part of you, but the other part was more like a friend. And all along, I was dating two men and didn’t have a clue. That’s the meanest, most rotten, despicable thing ever to do to a person. I’m not sure how I feel about anything now because none of it was real.”

  He had the decency to look sheepish. “It was very real to me.”

  “Stop. I don’t want to hear that. Not right now. I’m confused…and hurt. I want to forget you ever existed. But I can’t. I’m carrying your baby, or maybe it’s your brother’s baby. I don’t even know for sure.” She brushed away the tear that defied her desire not to cry in front of him. “I wish I could forget everything that happened between us.”

  “I have wishes too.” He gazed at her with his dreamy eyes. “I wish I could change everything—except meeting you.”

  She huffed. “Don’t say that. You can’t possibly mean it.”

  “Actually, I do.”

  Allowing him back into her heart would be a big mistake. Besides, she could only handle one man at a time. And she only wanted one man. But he didn’t exist. Her dream lover was a combination of two brothers, who had slight differences, but were enough alike that she didn’t know their secret. Which man was her incredible erotic seducer, or were they both good at seducing women and sometimes had off days?

  “Who are you today—Bryce or Brent?”

  “Bryce.”

  That was far too easy for him to say. He was always Bryce, even when he was Brent. How could she trust him? Trust either of them? “Tell me, did I have sex with both of you?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Okay, that’s an honest answer. But it didn’t help her dilemma of not knowing which man was the father of her baby. She must have had sex with both men, or maybe not. Oh, crap, she wasn’t sure if she had or hadn’t had sex with each of them. And it made her madder than a queen hornet in a disturbed worker’s nest. She had a right to know who she had sex with, right? Most people have that choice in a relationship. Don’t they?

  “Did I have sex with you?” She met his steady gaze and wished she hadn’t. There was a hunger there, and it made her feel something she didn’t want to feel. She didn’t want to like this man anymore—either of him.

  “Yes, the most incredible sex ever.” His sexy, dimpled smile sent her carefully controlled cool over the edge into turmoil.

  Don’t fall for it. He isn’t real. He doesn’t exist.

  Everything they’d shared as a couple could only exist with having both men in her life. No way was that going to happen. Two’s company, three’s a crowd. She wouldn’t do that to this baby. Their sharing ended when she’d gotten pregnant.

  She glanced down at her trembling hands. “Please leave now.”

  He remained glued to the spot like a soldier saluting an officer, standing firm and with respect. “Not yet.”

  “I don’t want to talk anymore.” She rubbed her forehead and wished she could simply blink him away. But she wasn’t a genie, and he didn’t have to obey her wishes.

  “But I need to tell you something.”

  She waited while he glanced around the room as though gathering courage. He appeared slightly nervous, not quite in charge of his usual charming demeanor. He had the rugged masculine air about him of the jean-clad Bryce, yet he was wearing slacks and a dress shirt like the classy Bryce.

  His gaze returned to settle on her. “We’re going to make this right for you, Aurora. We will be responsible and take care of you and the baby. That’s a promise.”

  Tears clouded her vision. She’d been promised lots of things that sounded too good to be true in her life. She was tired of disillusionment. “Please, go away.”

  He nodded and left the room without another word.

  Her heart sank into the depths of misery, and she couldn’t tug it back out. Nothing could make her life feel more out of control. Sitting here all alone, she realized she was stuck. She was totally in love with one of the twins. She wanted more than anything for it to be the man who’d cared enough to spend the night, sleeping in a corner of her hospital room. When he’d walked out the door, she felt more alone than ever.

  Aurora released the sobs filling her chest. She ached deep inside, and there wasn’t a cure. It was life. She had to suck it up and deal with her irresponsible actions. She was as guilty as the twins in allowing this situation to happen. She’d forgotten to use her special condom. Each time she’d had sex with one of them it was spontaneous. There’d been no warning she was going to be seduced. But oh, the seduction was such sweet bliss, so incredibly erotic and sensual, she’d lost all control over her traitorous body.

  The stupid pink condom was the last thing she wanted on her mind, but it kept popping up anyway. And now, she was pregnant. She was smarter than this. She had control of her life. The one time she’d let down her guard with a man and threw caution to the wind for a fantastic sexual experience—she got caught. Her fault. But it
had been more than once and each time was exceptionally memorable. She knew better, and yet she’d fallen for him every blissful time. It would be a whole lot easier to deal with only one man, instead of two.

  Twins.

  What were the odds of meeting twins, dating twins, and not knowing they were twins?

  Because they were never together around me. They had planned it that way.

  Or had they?

  ****

  The late fall morning was cloudy with a chance of rain, and the air thick with mist and humidity. Bryce walked upstairs to his office, exhausted and in need of a shower and change of clothes. It was too late to run home to the farm and be back before the market opened. He wanted to check and make sure the closing crew had done everything right after he’d left in a rush yesterday. He paused at the manager’s door. If he stepped in there now, he might lose it again.

  But what the hell?

  He turned the knob to find it locked. He’d seen the red roadster in the parking lot and knew his brother was here. He knocked twice. “Brent?”

  “What do you want? I’m busy.”

  “Open the damn door. I want to talk.”

  The lock clicked, and the door opened a crack. “Are you going to punch me in the face again? I don’t want another damn nosebleed.”

  “No. But I should. Open up.” He pushed past his brother and walked into the office beyond. “Question is, do you deserve to be punched again?”

  Brent slipped behind his desk like a frightened mouse, and it almost made him laugh. His younger sibling hadn’t been this wary of him since high school. It had been over a girl back then too. Brent had stolen a kiss from Bryce’s girlfriend, while pretending to be him. It was one of his favorite ruses. Now, the table would be turned. This time Brent would pay with more than a punch for his crime.

  “What do you want?”

  “Shouldn’t you be asking how your future wife is doing? I just left the hospital. Where you should have been, if you had an ounce of decency.”

  Brent took a sip of his gourmet coffee and set the paper cup down, settling back into his leather chair. “How is Aurora doing?”