The Perfect Indulgence by Isabel Sharpe Page A

a quick sisterly hug before she—
    Urgh. The hug was not quick. She was crushed against him, and then backed up against the door, where he covered her mouth with his. His tongue seemed to be everywhere, exploring her molars with great curiosity.
    Ew.
    She broke free. “Um, Bodie—”
    “I know, babe, I’m feeling it, too.” He leaned in for more, mouth open terrifyingly wide. “Let’s go inside and finish what we started.”
    “Bodie!” She was having a hard time not laughing. “That isn’t what... I’m not—”
    “Baby. You ’n’ me, we could have something as epic as Lord of the Rings , as wild as wolves in the woods, as kinky as...” He was clearly struggling. “Kinky as...”
    “Boots?” she offered helpfully.
    “Yeah, okay, if you’re into that, I’m there.” His breath was warm on her face. Unfortunately, he’d had something for dinner with a lot of garlic. “All I know is...with what I feel for you, we could set the very ocean on fire.”
    A snort escaped her. Then another one. No, no, no, she couldn’t laugh, she couldn’t— She did.
    “Has there been a recent oil spill?” Another gale of laughter, then she saw that Bodie was not amused and reined herself in, though one last snort escaped her. “Sorry.”
    “Hey, so I misspoke myself.” He took a step back, looking annoyed. “No need to get all name-calling like that.”
    Had she called him any names? “Sorry, Bodie, that was uncalled-for. But I’m not interested in spending the night with you.”
    She might as well have slapped him across the face. He was that stunned. “You’re kidding, right?”
    “No. No, I’m not. I enjoyed...” She searched frantically for a way to tell him the truth. “I enjoyed the dinner and margaritas, but I’m calling it a night.”
    “Okay, but we can sleep together another time, right?”
    “No.” She laid a hand on his cheek. “You are totally sexy, but you’re not the guy for me.”
    “Damn. I thought I was in.” He rubbed his shoulder thoughtfully. “It’s Zac, huh. You like smart guys.”
    Her eyes shot wide. “What? No. He’s— No. Zac’s just a friend.”
    “Whatever.” He shrugged. “Well, okay, guess I’ll go back to the bar and try again.”
    Chris blinked at him. Did he really just say that? “Gosh, Bodie. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.”
    “Yeah.” He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up, already backing down her front walk. “That’s what they all tell me. See ya around.”
    He swaggered back to his convertible. Chris went into the house, closed the door and stood for a few seconds, trying to comprehend a universe that would produce a specimen like that.
    Eva would love this. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her sister.
    “Chris, oh, wow.” Eva burst into nervous giggles. “I can’t believe you just called me.”
    Chris frowned. “Why?”
    “Oh, because—” Ames’s voice rumbled in the background. “Right, okay. I don’t know, Chris. I was just thinking about you!”
    Chris was mystified. What was Eva up to? Had she been swimming in the margarita bowl, too? “We’re twins, Eva. This happens all the time.”
    “I know, but...” The line became muffled. Eva’s and Ames’s voices mumbled urgently.
    “Eva?” Chris wandered into the living room. “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing. Nothing, sorry, I was distracted. So how are all your hot California men doing?”
    “Funny you should ask.” Chris told her the Bodie story, sparing nary a detail. By the time she finished, Eva was giggling madly.
    “Oh, Bodie. So hot, and also so not. But I’m glad you’re done with him and Gus, because that means Zac is next on the list.”
    “Zac’s not even on the list.” She sounded so knee-jerk panicked even to herself, that it was obvious Zac was not only definitely on the list, but sitting right at the top in bold, all caps, underlined twice.
    Damn it. She should not have had more than one drink tonight.
    “Oh, right, Chris, right.