Kiss and Tell Read Free Page A

to torment and control. ‘There goes Simon’s little sister,’” she said in a mock English accent. “‘Let’s see if we can get her
really
mad.’”
    “What a load of rubbish,” he muttered.
    “It’s
true.
And while you’re at it, fix your stupid hair!”
    “My
what?
” Marsh looked surprised. Was it possible he didn’t notice that he was peering at her through an infuriatingly unkempt lock of hair?
    “Leila’s been home less than five hours, and you guys are
already
fighting?” a voice interrupted them. Simon, the mermaid clinging to his arm, stood in the doorway.
    “Your hair is in your eyes,” Leila told Marsh with exaggerated enunciation. “Most
normal
people would find that annoying and do something about it. Like
fix
it.”
    “I happen to like my hair just the way it is, thanks,” Marsh said icily.
    “You’re arguing about Dev’s
hair?
” Simon’s voice dripped with amazement and disbelief.
    “No, we’re arguing because Leila’s going to marry Elliot Something—I don’t even know his last name—”
    “Tillis,” Leila supplied tightly.
    “Right. Leila’s only going to marry Elliot bloody Tillis because of some biological imperative to knit diamond-studded booties.” Marsh pushed his hair out of his face. “Better now?” he said to Leila with overly done sweetness. But he didn’t give her a chance to answer before turning back to Simon. “That’s what this Elliot thing’s about. She’s afraid time’s running out and she wants to have a baby. She doesn’t even bloody well love this guy. Isn’t that the stupidest bloody thing you’ve ever heard?”
    “Maybe we can talk about this later,” Simon said mildly. “After the party.”
    Marsh looked at Leila. “You know, you don’t need to marry a man who doesn’t love you simply to have a baby. Any man in the world can give you that. Axel Bayard could give you a baby. Old Martin Hampton could give you a baby.
I
could give you a baby.”
    Marsh’s eyes were lit with the heat of anger as he glared at her. Anger, and a hint of something else. For an instant, his gaze raked her body, as if he were mentally undressing her. For an instant, her stomach felt as if she were riding a roller coaster. Gravity disappeared, and her insides flip-flopped.
    Simon and the mermaid were watching her, waiting for her response to Marsh’s loaded comment. What would Marsh do, Leila wondered wildly, if she said,
All right, I’ll take you up on that.
    No doubt, knowing Marsh, he’d insist on going straight upstairs and “getting on with it, then.” And, while she had to admit that the prospect of making love to her lifelong nemesis was extremely intriguing, where would she be in the long term?
    Alone with a baby.
    So, instead, Leila snorted. “Thanks, but I’d rather have Elliot’s baby. I want to be married first. Being a single parent doesn’t appeal to me.”
    “As if old Elliot’s ever going to be around to change the kid’s didee,” Marsh said hotly.
    “So what?” Leila crossed her arms. It was true that marriage to Elliot
would
mean spending quite a bit of time without him. But since Marsh was raising the point, Leila was forced to defend herself. “That doesn’t mean I’ll be alone. I’ll be with the sweet Mary Poppins-type nanny that I can hire with Elliot’s bags of money.”
    “Back to the money, are we?” Marsh said.
    “Hey, are you guys going to fight the entire two weeks that Leila’s here?” Simon asked.
    “Yes,” hissed Leila, turning on her glittering plastic heel and pushing her way out the door.
    “Probably,” Marsh said, stomping up the stairs.

TWO
    F RANKIE P ARESKY, DRESSED as Cleopatra, was leaning against the bar that had been set up in the yard. With her shoulder-length dark hair and dark eyes, Leila’s best friend on Sunrise Key looked spookily realistic, as if she’d stepped out of a stone tablet of hieroglyphics, or traveled forward in time.
    “Welcome back,” she shouted to Leila over