Magnificent Ruin (Everlasting Series Book 2) by Alison Foster Page A

nothing I wouldn’t do if she asked.”
    “That’s precisely what men think of women they love.”
    “No, that’s what mortals think of goddesses.”
    I can’t help but laugh at his seriousness. “You’re full of shit. You’re attracted to her.”
    “I’ll meet you in the middle,” he offers with a sigh. “Grace is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. That makes a woman attractive in my humble opinion.”
    “Tomas Keller has humble opinions?”
    “Opinions are humble whereas facts are certain,” he says.
    I nod my head thinking that this boy toy is quite smart himself. “And am I intelligent enough to be attractive in your opinion?”
    He raises his hand to brush his fingers against my cheek. My shock is akin to that of a teenage girl who gets the attention of her favorite pop star. “You, Taylor,” he says. “Your intelligence is a certainty. Any man would agree.”
    I have no idea how to handle such intimacy. When he opens up to me, this fear takes hold of me that I might misread him and end up acting like a fool.
    “What has Nathan done to deserve such loyalty?” I say to deflect attention from our intense moment.
    “He doesn’t have to do anything, he’s my brother.”
    “What?” I say like an idiot.
    “Well, not literally, of course.”
    “No, of course not.”
    Awkward… and it really shouldn’t be. Can he feel how I twist and turn on the bench, clenching my jaw and hands?
    “Have you ever been with a girl?” he says out of the blue.
    The bastard sure knows how to kill a moment. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
    “C’mon, Taylor, what are you protecting? What about an orgy? No? Too much for you? Yeah, you’re too classy for that. I bet it was a threesome. You must have had a threesome at least. You’re so enticing you’d make any man do whatever you wanted.”
    I shake my head, exasperated. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint but I’m just plain dull by your standards, it seems.”
    You’d think he’d drop it after that but no—that’s player Tomas in full swing finally. It’s been a while, but how long could he keep that part of him hidden?
    “You must have thought about it?” he goes on. “What about Grace and Nate? Would you give it a go with them? You’d feel comfortable enough with Grace and as for Nate… I bet you’ve thought about his pinna .”
    I’m too stunned to even be mad. “What have you been smoking?” I say. “Do you get pleasure from being offensive?”
    He sighs. “Pleasure is not so easily attained.”
    “Tomas and his hard to attain pleasure,” I say. “Hardly a Charles Dickens tear jerker.”
    “That’s my Taylor,” he says. “Playing it both ways. It’s fine for you to tease me about Grace but I can’t tease you about Nate? The man with a God piece under his cod piece.”
    I cover my mouth trying not to laugh. It’s frustrating to be angry and amused simultaneously. “You’re ridiculous. Do you know that?”
    “I do,” he says.
    “You also might be the devil.”
    “A strong likelihood,” he agrees and grips my hand tenderly.
    I give up. “What am I going to do with you?”
    “I’ll give you a break and not answer that,” he says.
    There are times that talking to Tomas is a maddening roller coaster. Strangely, I often feel relaxed afterward. I’m about to ask him what time it is when I notice a commotion around the line of bonfires, but I never get a chance. Tomas tightens his grip and pulls me up. He plants a kiss on my forehead.
    “Why do you do those things?” I say softer than I would have liked. “I’m not just your play thing.”
    “More’s the pity,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes.
    For a moment, I’m astounded but then I raise my right hand to rest on the back of his neck. He remains still and rigid under my touch, not making any attempt to touch me back. Have I misread him again?
    I retrieve my hand when suddenly he takes hold of my wrist to set it back on his neck.
    “Taylor,” he whispers.