I take in the imposing figure of her father. He’s massive. Like truly huge, just broad and muscular, with ink, and dark hair, anda dark beard threaded with silver. His skin is tan, and when he walks into the room and looks around, his eyes crinkle when he starts to laugh.
The sound is deep and kind of sexy, even if I am obsessed with my men.
Still grinning, but shaking his head in disbelief, too, he points to the draped gauze hanging from the walls. “Vani, what the hell is this place? It’s like you’re living in a whore’s boudoir!”
“Dad!” She slaps his arm. “Stop it.”
Camile exhales a long, breathy sigh next to me. She leans in and speaks out of the corner of her mouth so our friend doesn’t hear. “That’s Vani’sdad? Good God above. He’s so muchmorein the flesh.”
I frown for a moment, but then I recall that she saw a photograph of him on Vani’s phone when he called.
Four more men enter the room behind him, and they fill the space with their masculine energy. They’re all wearing jeans and leather cuts, and they look as threatening as hell.
“He’s old enough to be your father,” I point out, quietly, to Camile as the men stare around in what looks like shock.
“So?” Camile smiles and winks at me. “Anyway, I’ve always had daddy issues.”
She has? Camile struck me as pretty much a good girl, compared to lots of the people here at the college, at least.
“Dad, come meet my friends.” Vani tugs him toward us. “Everyone, this is my dad.”
He clears his throat. “I have a name, though. I’m Jack-the-blood, officially, but feel free to just call me Jack.” He winks.
Vani giggles and introduces us. “This is Ophelia.”
He glances at me and smiles. “Good to meet you, Ophelia.”
“And this is Camile.”
Vani points at her friend, then is distracted by the second man who entered as he’s lighting a cigarette.
“No, not in here, Saul,” she exclaims.
He scowls, takes one deep drag, then stubs the cigarette out in his palm. I’m still trying to compute that when I look up and stop thinking about anything else.
I juststopbecause Jack is staring at Camile, the way a man who hasn’t eaten in a week stares at a rare steak. And Camile is staring at Jack the way a woman who hasn’t had a drink in days stares at a tall glass of water.
They look as if they want to devour one another.
Holy crap, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mutual spark of attraction that strong. It’s like love-at-first-sight got all rizzed up and became obsessive lust-at-first-sight.
“Dad?” Vani sounds unsure as she glances from her father to Camile.
Jack shakes himself but doesn’t take his eyes off Camile. “Sorry. I was staring, and that’s rude. You just… err… look so much like someone I used to know.”
He is addressing Camile, but it’s Vani who speaks next.
“Who does she look like?”
He simply shrugs. “No one important.”
It’s like everyone knows that was a complete lie and he was making excuses for gawping over a girl more than twenty years his junior,andhis daughter’s friend, but no one is brave enough to call him out on it.
Vani frowns, and her mouth opens as if she’s going to speak again, but Camile blurts out, “Ophelia is having some issues, and we’re just helping her out with them.”
Camile’s cheeks are pink, and I know what she’s doing. She’s throwing me under the bus as a distraction technique. Anything to take the focus away from the fact that she and Jack were fantasy-fucking each other right here in Vani’s kitchen.
Gee, thanks a lot, Camile.
