UGLY (6 page)

Fighting the sensations that his closeness and male scent were causing, she breathed, “Quit reading my blog, then.”

At her throaty tone, he pulled her to him and grinned, “I can’t. I even started eating chips for breakfast.”

Her eyes widened, “What!?! You?”

He nodded, “I drank coffee this morning.”

She gasped, “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“I think I’m in love with you, Candice.”

She burst out laughing and slapped his arm but sobered quickly when he stared at her. Frowning, she cursed and tried to pull away. She’d wondered the same of herself after she’d looked at his phone number in her contacts every ten minutes.

Refusing to give in and call him, she’d fought tears every time she’d heard the juicer. When her uncle had caught her sniffing, she’d tried to convince him that kale, like onions, produced tears. He’d laughed himself into tears at that.

Rich’s arms surrounded her, “I’m not joking. I know you hate me but will you give me a chance?”

“I don’t hate you, Rich, but I don’t believe you’re in love with me, either. You just want me because you’re used to women falling all over you.”

He leaned away with a frown, “I don’t like or fall for women that grovel over me.”

“That’s just it. I won’t let you have me so you think you’re in love.”

He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind, “What?”

She pushed at him and barked, “You had me in the hot tub. That’s all you get.”

“If I just wanted sex, I wouldn’t be here.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Keep telling yourself that.”

He tightened his grip and growled on the way to her lips, “Quit making excuses.”

She almost slid down him when his mouth closed over hers. Unwilling to get hurt again, she leaned away but his fingers thrust into her hair as he deepened the kiss. Uncle Mike crept passed them, calling over his shoulder, “You guys need privacy so I’m going out for a bit.”

When the door shut, she made a note to smack her uncle. Her thoughts crashed when Rich pulled her back to him, lifting her off the floor in a bear hug. Determined to break through her carefully constructed wall, he broke the kiss and nibbled her jaw line on the way to her ear, “I know our chemistry isn’t lost on you.”

Panting now, she wriggled in his grasp but went limp when his teeth teased her earlobe. Her back twitched as her hands fisted in his shirt. Unable to stand it any longer, she moaned, “Oh, shit. Rich…please!”

His mouth slammed onto hers as her fingers thrust into his hair. She slapped his shoulder with her other hand and pointed toward her bedroom. He didn’t hesitate, carrying her into it and kicking the door shut. Her previous resistance was forgotten under his teasing exploration.

His teeth nipped her bottom lip, drawing a whimper as she panted against his cheek. Breaking the kiss, he gazed down at her, “Are you sure…?”

Too wrecked to stop now, she wrapped her legs around his hips. Cupping his stubbled cheek, she bit his bottom lip before answering him with a kiss. After a brief and heated fight with clothing, his stubble grazed a nipple as he nuzzled his face in her cleavage. Twisting under him, her hips curled into his hand as she pulled at his hair when he dipped a finger inside her.

“You can’t deny how wet you get for me, Candice.”

Her ragged voice split the air, desperately screeching his name as her back arched. Flooded with more desire than she’d thought humanly possible, Candice dragged in a lungful of air. His teeth grazed her stomach as he pushed her legs apart. The mere thought of where he was headed combined with his slow rub of her slit sent her mind crashing.

Tension gathered in her lower stomach, sending blissful waves to spread goose bumps over her flesh. When his tongue flicked her clit, she twisted in a full body seize as the climax broke over her. Clawing his shoulders and pulling his hair, her desperate voice begged him as she tried to pull him to her.

He held her hips, prolonging her orgasm while thumping his finger inside until he finally rose to pull her to him. In one smooth thrust, he drove deep inside and froze. Her nails dug into his ass while she ground against him. His hot breath flooded a nipple as words of love rumbled out of him.

Unable to control herself, she writhed under him. He rolled to place her on top, admiring as she arched above him while grinding her hips over him. Bracing herself with palms on his chest, she gasped as he lifted and rocked her hips over him. Watching her breasts bounce above him was too much so he rolled again, shifting her onto her side in the process.

As she arched around his bent knee, he thrust fingers into her hair and turned her for a heated kiss. With his mind sick at the thought of losing her, he groaned in her mouth as he felt his own impending climax. She raked her nails over his hips, dragging her mouth from his as she gasped, “Rich, pull out.”

His eyes widened before he buried his face in her neck, rasping out, “Damn it, Candice.”

She squeaked in shock when he jerked inside her, pushing at him even as a fresh surge of desire rushed over her. His whole body relaxed, pressing her to the bed as she slapped his shoulder, “I’m not on the pill, Rich.”

He blurted out, “And you’re now healthy enough to have a child, Candice.”

Squirming under him, she shrieked, “What the hell, Rich?”

He rose above her, “I want you to come back with…”

“You want to flaunt me like the other sickly people you’ve healed.”

Frowning, he shook his head, “You’ve got it all wrong, Candice.”

“And you don’t listen, Rich. You hurt me and you’re not going to do it again.”

He pulled out but didn’t leave her. Instead, he tried to embrace her but she was having none of it, “Why didn’t you pull out?”

He opened his mouth but knew anything he said at this point would sound like he was hell-bent on trapping her. Finally shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop. It just happened. Would that be so bad if you had our child?”

Her jaw dropped, “Yeah, we don’t need a child. We can’t stop fighting when we’re around each other as it is.”

His jaw muscle jumped before he asked again, “Will you please come back to the shop? I’ll introduce you to my twin, proving that I wasn’t lying about Isabella. Hell…I’ll introduce you to my parents too.”

“You’re moving too fast.”

“Candice, you’re full of excuses. Please…”

“NO!”

He stood, thrusting his hands into his hair, as he said, “Jesus, Candice, can’t you tell I’m crazy about you?”

Chapter Six

The front door slammed before a frantic pounding on the door made them both jerk. She rushed to get her clothes on, wondering what had gotten into her uncle. Knowing her hair was probably wild, she pulled the door open and shrieked when her uncle hit the floor.

Several bees flew away from him, making her dance in place as she screamed, “Rich, he’s allergic. I have to get his epi-pen.”

She jumped over her uncle as Rich knelt beside him. Running back, she panicked, “What do I do?”

He grabbed the device from her and quickly administered it while saying, “Call the ER.”

Scrambling for the phone, she frantically told them and answered as many questions as she could while dropping to her knees beside her uncle. Dragging air laboriously through a swollen windpipe, he came to and nodded when Rich turned him on his side. The ambulance showed quickly but technicians told them they’d have to follow behind in case they faced an emergency in route.

Seeing her completely stressed, he tried his best to calm her on the way there. When they arrived, they were told he’d gone into cardiac arrest on the way. Candice stumbled into Rich who grabbed her as she cried, “Is he okay?”

The doctor assured her but said they were keeping an eye on him, “You can see him but
no stress.
”

Quickly nodding, she rushed forward while pulling Rich behind her. They found him sleeping. Unwilling to awake him, she placed a finger to her lips and backed out of the room. Rich motioned toward the lobby, “Let me go get you something. Do you still drink coffee?”

She shook her head and Rich suddenly remembered that he hadn’t seen her smoke. Grinning, he asked, “Did you quit smoking too?”

She tilted her head, “I haven’t had one for about four hours. Actually, I need one now.”

“I’ll go out with you. My brother was expecting me to get back to the shop. I have to call him.”

As they walked down the hall, she said, “So, you really have a twin brother?”

He nodded, “Candice, I haven’t lied to you. I really have a twin who’s doing the commercials and photo shoots now. I used to do them but we swapped because I grew tired of the shallowness of it all.”

When they stopped outside, he quickly called his brother while she lit a cigarette. She sank onto the curb, feeling woozy from not having smoked a cigarette in a while. He hung up after a short conversation, scowling as he shook his head. When she blew smoke out of her lungs, he tilted her face up, “All cleared up, Candice.”

She nodded, “I researched what types of fruit were best for the skin and drank a lot of those blends. What’s been going on back in town?”

Shrugging, he told her business had picked up but that his brother had been in town driving him nuts. As he spoke, she got the impression that Rich didn’t like having his twin around. When asked, he shrugged, “We’ve never gotten along that well.”

After finishing half of it, they went back inside to see if her uncle was awake. While waiting in the room, he motioned toward the door, “Do you want something to drink? Water or a cup of coffee?”

“One cup of coffee couldn’t hurt. I hate the processed juices. Besides, I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.”

He left the room as she watched the many monitors beep around her uncle. She grinned when he awoke and asked, “How are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare.”

“I’m okay.” At her look, he assured, “Really. Damn bees came out of nowhere.”

Her eyes darted toward the door when Ben came into the room, mistaking him for Rich. He was carrying a bag which he immediately dug into and produced juice. Her eyes widened, “How’d you…?”

Grinning wide, he stopped dead, “Those eyes would stop a man’s heart.”

Her uncle’s eyebrows rose as she took the offered juice. Instead of stepping away, Ben pulled her to him as dimples sprang onto his face. Surprised but thinking it was Rich, she put her arms around him and jumped a mile when Rich said from the door, “I see you’ve met.”

Jerking away from him, her gaze darted from one twin to the other as her jaw dropped. Realizing that Ben wore different cologne, she put the bed between them as his interested gaze took her in from head to toe. Rich immediately introduced them even though his brother had practically been embracing her when he’d walked into the room.

When Rich stepped beside her, she moved behind him as if Rich’s protective vibe would shield her. Uncle Mike barked a weak laugh, “I never knew there were two of you.”

“Me neither. I mean…until today.”

Both uncle and niece immediately saw why Rich didn’t enjoy his brother’s company. Upon every person entering the room, Ben had to be heard and seen. Rich placed the coffees next to Candice, asking her uncle how he felt. When her uncle mentioned the bees, Ben graced everyone with a story about how he’d saved a model from bee stings. Throughout his visit, more stories were forthcoming until Rich asked him how their mother and father were doing.

Shrugging, he said, “Trying to get another shop opened. It looks like my fun’s about to be over.”

Candice’s gaze shot to Rich. Noticing, Ben tried yet again to flirt with her. She finally said with a frown, “I’m not interested in shallow men.”

His eyes widened before he started to snap something back. Rich’s warning vibe flooded the air as he calmly said, “Take your attitude outside. There’s a patient in the room.”

Rich ushered Candice and his brother out the door before Ben rounded on her, “Look here. You wouldn’t be hanging out with my brother if I hadn’t introduced you to the juices which gave you…”

“What?!?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you. Our first meeting was…”

Rich stepped between them, “Ben, knock it off. Everyone here, including yourself, knows you’re shallow. You’ve said it plenty of times before. Candice, he was the one that brought you to the shop in the first place, not me.”

Her jaw dropped as her eyes narrowed. Ben curled his lip from behind his brother and said, “I just wanted to help you overcome that ugly rash on your face. I had no
idea
my…”

Rich spun around and growled, “Enough. She had a slight rash and was—in no way—ugly. You don’t get to take credit for crap. She’s the one that blended her own juices and became healthy again.”

He had no idea that Candice was halfway down the hall. Having been lied to, she wasn’t sticking around to hear any more. Ben pointed over his brother’s shoulder, showing glee at how she was hurrying away. Rich shot back at him, “If we weren’t in a hospital, I would deck you.”

Hurrying after her, he cringed at his brother’s laughter. When he caught up, she pulled her arm out of his grip and hissed, “Enough. Why didn’t you tell me it was him and not you?”

Driving his fingers into his hair, Rich shifted from one foot to the other, “Because I’m used to him taking credit for
everything
, Candice. I wanted to get to know you.” She rolled her eyes and started to move away again, causing him to hurriedly explain, “You don’t understand, Candice. We just recently swapped positions because he’s always been this way. I couldn’t take being the face of the business any longer.”

“Look, Rich, I don’t like being lied to. Our whole relationship is based on one. I cannot believe…”

“No, it isn’t. He had to
show me how it was done
and I let him. You just happened to get…” Realizing how everything sounded, he shook his head and weakly finished, “…caught in the middle.”

“I’m tired, Rich, of being caught up in everyone’s perceptions. First, I was a punching bag for society and then you guys lied and used me. At least everyone else had the balls to laugh in my face.” Barking a derisive laugh, she breathed, “And here I thought I’d found love.” Stubbing her cigarette out, she snapped, “From now on, just leave me alone.”

At the word love, Rich froze. Ignoring his stunned expression, she hurried past him and back into the hospital. When she encountered Ben, she snapped, “Get out and take your entire lying family with you.”

In tears, Candice fled to the restroom. Ben left, finding Rich still hovering at the entrance while trying to figure out what to do. Obviously only thinking of himself, Ben told him, “Isabella is searching for me, Rich. She’s gotten clingy and you know how I hate that.”

Still angry and with his mind on his own important matters, Rich shut him out. Ben continued as if his twin was absorbing every word, “What does she want from me?” With a disdainful laugh, Ben admitted, “She accused me of being selfish and suggested I be more like you. Can you believe that? I mean…” Realizing his brother wasn’t listening, Ben smacked his arm and snapped, “Damn, Rich, quit pining over that sickly snit and…”

Rich turned on him, “You have no couth, Ben, and only think about yourself. How you were able to transform anyone in the past is beyond me.”

“Oh, please. I could get you plenty of girls if you’d just rid yourself of that stick lodged up your ass.”

“I don’t want anyone else. I happen to care for Candice but you wouldn’t…”

“Awww…are you in love?”

Ben’s sarcasm was too much. Without thinking, Rich laid Ben flat outside the emergency room. Unused to fighting, Ben was hurried back inside to check for a broken nose and concussion. Rich wanted to rush back into the hospital and go to Candice but stopped himself. Despite her uncle’s heart problem, he was delighted over her admitting her feelings. He could only hope she would calm down.

He sat in his car for the longest, watching to see if she would come back outside for a cigarette. While he was proud that she’d almost quit, he cursed his own hope that she would cave into her craving. Slipping into a doze, he jerked when his mother tapped on the window. Frowning, he rolled it down for her to say, “A doctor called and said you were in the ER.”

“What? No. I hit Ben and they took him inside. He’s probably pulling some stunt with a nurse.”

They quickly went inside but only his mother went back. Rich was still too angry with Ben to face him. Fidgeting over wanting to see Candice, he gave in and headed toward her uncle’s room. Since he wasn’t family, the doctor refused to let him go back. He lingered outside the ICU for so long that the doctor finally reappeared and said, “I’m only letting you go back because Mike saw you pacing and insisted that you were as good as family.”

When he appeared, her uncle put a finger to his lips and pointed beside him. Candice was asleep with her head resting on the bed. Rich quietly pulled up a chair beside Uncle Mike and apologized for the drama. Shrugging, Mike told him, “She’s a spitfire when she’s mad but I happen to know she cares deeply for you.” When Rich’s gaze flew to her, Mike assured him, “She’s never been in a solid relationship and might seem hell-bent on not listening but Lupus really did a number on her.”

Nodding, Rick admitted, “I’m in love with her but she won’t believe me. If you knew my twin better, you’d understand why I’m the quiet one. I don’t enter into relationships lightly. I’ve seen him avoid and screw too many up.”

Smiling softly, Mike nodded, “I think I saw enough of your twin to understand.”

Muttering an apology, Rich dragged a hand through his hair, “How do I get her to trust me? I mean, my family does target unhealthy people in order to sell a healthy lifestyle. She was caught in the middle. I never meant to lie or hurt her. I was entranced by her from the first.”

Knowing he was rambling but unable to stop himself, he groaned, “I was always the face of the business while Ben handled the smooth-talking sales pitches. I hate his playboy persona. He slams everyone behind their backs while pretending to be me.” With a self-depreciating laugh, he frowned, “My idea of fun is sitting home on a weekend while he parties his ass off, pretending to be me.”

Mike frowned and started to say something but Rich shook his head, “Now, women can’t tell us apart. It’s a mess.”

At Mike’s confused look, Rich rolled his eyes, “When Ben would go out partying, they thought it was me since I was the face on the commercials. His photo wound up in the paper so often that my father made the best of the publicity, wanting me to become more public. I don’t like partying so Ben embraced it. Then we switched so I could get out of that scene since he was more comfortable in the limelight. Maybe I should just quit the family business altogether.”

“Whoa…that is a mess.”

Nodding, Rich shoved a hand in his hair but jerked his head up when Candice muttered, “
Someone
could have explained all this to me long ago.”