“You’re dating so many different guys. Isn’t it hard to keep them all straight?”
“Not really.” Tangela enjoyed meeting new people, but every time she went out with a guy, she couldn’t help comparing him to Warrick. It felt wrong, tainted, cruel, but the more she tried to censor her thoughts, the stronger they were. Her last date had been drinks at a smoky jazz café. Warrick had taken her on a hot-air-balloon ride for their first date. A personal trainer took her hiking May long weekend. Three years earlier, Warrick had whisked her away on a Mediterranean cruise. Most of the guys she’d met through the agency were beer-and-corn-chips type of guys, while Warrick was caviar and Dom Pérignon, and there was just no getting around it. “So,” Tangela began, keeping her tone light. “Warrick’s seeing someone, too.”
“Not that I know of.”
She gestured to the window. “Who’s the girl in the mermaid costume?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve never seen her before.”
Tangela didn’t know why, but she felt a perverse satisfaction knowing Warrick was still single. But any joy she felt dissolved when Warrick caught her staring. And just when Tangela thought things couldn’t get any worse, he ended the conversation he was having with a man in a skeleton costume and made his way toward her.
Glancing around for an escape route, or at the very least, something to hide under, she stepped back and bumped into a potted plant. His cologne floated on the evening breeze, inciting her sexual hunger. Without his designer suit, he could pass for a college student, and his infectious white grin made him irresistible.
Tangela heard her pulse throb in her ears. She’d grieved the loss of their relationship for months and now that she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, he was back. Literally. Before Tangela could get hold of herself, he was there. Wearing his characteristic smile, smelling delicious, acting as though they didn’t have a long tempestuous past behind them.
“Ladies.” The tension was suffocating, but instead of breaking eye contact with Tangela, he closed the distance between them. It should be a felony to look that good. That hot. That sexy. That erotic. “You guys are definitely going to win the award for best costume.”
“We know!” Rachael quipped, giggling. “Are you having a good time?”
“Of course. Great company. Good food.” He stared at Tangela. “Nice view.”
Then to her surprise, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. Under her mask, sweat pooled on her forehead like minuscule worry beads. It felt as if the temperature had soared to a thousand degrees. Expelling a breath, she rubbed a hand across her forehead. She didn’t know if it was the humidity or Warrick’s kiss, but her head was spinning like clothes in a dryer.
“Welcome home.” His voice, clear and steady, was filled with surprising warmth. “Mexico’s obviously been good to you.”
“Yeah, it was great.” Feeling dry-mouthed and sick, Tangela gulped down a mouthful of soda. Anticipating his next question, she cut him off. “I learned Spanish, toured most of the country and made some great friends.”
“Who’s she?” Rachael asked, motioning to Alexis. “Someone you met at work?”
Warrick wanted Rachael to leave and tried to communicate his wishes with his eyes. When his sister didn’t get the hint, he put a hand on her back and guided her to the open patio door. “Davis has been looking all over for you.”
“Really? Is he all right?” Rachael downed the contents of her cocktail glass. “Hubby’s been fighting a migraine all day. I’ll go check on him, then come right back.”
Tangela watched Rachael hustle inside.
“That spread in People magazine was really something. Every man in America will be dreaming about you tonight.” Staring at Tangela, Warrick reflected on their seven-year relationship. Their intense, emotional bond had seen them through the most difficult times and he missed having Tangela to talk to. It still bothered him how things had ended, but he didn’t share his thoughts with her. More than ready to put the past between them, he suggested they sit down on the wicker love seat. “We should catch up. It’s been a while and I’m curious about what you’ve been up to.” He added, “Besides appearing on magazine covers, of course.”
“I should go before my date starts looking for me.”
“What are you doing with him, Tangela? He’s not your type.”
“Exactly.” Defensive, she glared openly at him. “I finally abandoned that silly Hollywood notion of true love and decided to find someone nice.”
“What about love?” Warrick couldn’t believe those words had actually come out of his mouth. Before he could correct himself, Tangela tossed her head back and laughed in his face.
“I forgot how funny you were.” Her tone was sarcastic and her smile was ice-cold. “Like you know anything about love.”
“You sound a little bitter.”
Her hand shook when she lifted her glass to her mouth. “No, I’m just cautious.”
“But don’t you want to be with someone you’re in sync with?”
For a long time she didn’t speak. There’d been a time when they were two minds with a single thought. Scintillating conversation and scorching sexual chemistry had kept their relationship strong for almost a decade, but in the end, that hadn’t been enough to keep them together. “Chemistry’s overrated. I want somebody who’s going to be there when I need him. Someone committed to me and our relationship.”
Warrick winced. Why didn’t she just come right out and call him a jerk? Smirk in place, he recovered quickly, saying, “I guess I’m looking at the next Mrs. Butkiss, then. Congratulations! I wish you nothing but the best.”
Tangela regarded him coldly. She heard the humor in his voice, but resisted playing the role of the bitter ex-girlfriend. He’d love it if she embarrassed herself in front of their friends. It wasn’t going to happen. Doing everything in her power to keep her composure, she made a point of peering over his shoulder in search of a more suitable companion. Her eyes landed on their lively host. “Mr. Hawthorne promised me a dance and I’m going to go cash in.”
“See you around.”
“Not if I see you first,” she mumbled, stepping past him.
Chapter Three
Tangela avoided Warrick like the bubonic plague. To ensure their paths didn’t cross again, she stuck to her girlfriends like glue. But when she spotted Warrick’s date perusing the dessert table, her curiosity got the best of her and she went over. “Everything looks so good,” Tangela gushed, peering at the pumpkin-shaped chocolate cake. “I don’t know where to begin.”
Alexis glanced around, then leaned over and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m on my fourth goblin truffle. If I’m not careful, I’m going to split the zipper on this costume!”
The women laughed.
“Are you a friend of the Hawthornes’?” Tangela asked, picking up a plate.
“No, I came with Warrick Carver. Do you know him?”
Squinting, as if trying to place him in her mental Rolodex, she shook her head. “I can’t say that I do. Is he your boyfriend?”
“I wish. If he wasn’t so obsessed with his work, I’d be all over him.” Alexis bit into a pecan spider cookie and chewed. “And I think he’s still hung up on his ex. I can’t be