Kitabı oxu: «The Love Twin»

One

Early morning, at her gym in Los Angeles, Becky Lawson was doing floor exercises when she suddenly met the eyes of a striking man in the distance.

He was looking at Becky like he knew her. For a moment she felt like she knew him, too. Yet she was sure she’d never met him before.

As the music pulsed, Becky quickly glanced behind her at the other leotard-clad women working out. She was positive that a ruggedly handsome guy like him couldn’t be staring at her. But when she looked back through the glass wall of the exercise room, his eyes were still on her.

He was standing near the men’s locker-room door, beside the indoor pool, with a black gym bag on his left shoulder. She noticed his curly brown hair, sparkling brown eyes, denim shorts and green T-shirt that hugged the solid muscles of his chest.

Becky could barely hear the aerobics instructor calling out the exercise count. His sexy gaze made her almost forget she was at the gym.

The warm expression in his eyes caused an immediate electrical charge through her entire body. Her skin heated up. She couldn’t concentrate on her bun pumps.

Who was he? Why was he looking at her when the room was filled with more beautiful, exciting women? And why did she feel like she wanted to rush out of the room and go straight into his powerful arms?

“Becky, your cheeks are flaming red!” Becky heard Charlotte Swanson say as she hurried in to take a spot on the floor mat beside her. “I hope these exercises aren’t that strenuous.”

Becky wanted to die of embarrassment. His sensual gaze had turned her on so much that even Charlotte had noticed. She forced her attention off him, but her skin felt feverish at the thought that he was still looking at her.

She tried to focus on talking to Charlotte as she exercised. Charlotte, who was in her mid-forties, owned a successful advertising agency in Los Angeles. The agency where Becky hoped and prayed she could get a great job for her identical twin sister, Pam. Becky had been separated from her identical twin since birth, and for twenty-four long years, she didn’t even know she had a twin. More than anything, she wanted her sister to move from New York to live with her and become a family in Los Angeles.

“Do you think you might have a job opening for Pam?” Becky nervously asked.

“Becky, does your sister want one or two file cabinets in her office?” Charlotte replied.

Becky suddenly felt like she was dreaming. “Oh, Charlotte!” she burst out, excitedly. “Do you really have a job for Pam?”

“One of my account executives will be leaving the agency in four weeks,” Charlotte continued as she exercised. “I’ll know more details when I return to the office.”

Becky’s mind was spinning with joy. “I appreciate your help so much! If there’s anything I can do for you—like give you two free months of hairstyling at your home—let me know.”

“Becky, I’m the one who owes you,” Charlotte responded. “You make me look beautiful every week when I visit you at the Nouveau Hair Salon, even on days when I feel awful. Can you drop by my office in the next hour or so to discuss the job for your sister?”

Becky couldn’t contain her glee. “I’ll be there!” Becky wasn’t going to let anything keep her and her identical twin apart ever again.

In the midst of her exhilaration, her gaze drifted back to the pool area. Her heart pumped wildly as she spotted him again. He was smiling and warmly shaking hands with Joe Demme, the aquatics director. As he talked, he glanced over at her. His luminous eyes lingered on her for a long moment.

She suddenly became aware that her legs were spread wide apart in the bun squeeze, and she was rhythmically lifting her body up and down in an erotic motion on the floor. Her nipples hardened under her leotard. A tingly, pleasurable sensation she’d never felt before radiated between her thighs.

Stunned and embarrassed by her sensual response, Becky looked away from him and jumped up to the standing position for the next exercise. Her cheeks flamed. The skin under her neck-high leotard burned with perspiration.

As she raised her arms to the music beat, she nervously glanced around the exercise room to see if anyone had noticed how turned on she was. What was going on with her? It wasn’t like her to be fantasizing about a man she’d never seen before in her entire life.

Near the indoor pool area, Jarrid Browning was unable to take his eyes off her. It couldn’t be Becky! he silently told himself. Had she recognized him, too?

His heart hammered against his ribs. He hadn’t seen her in seven years. Memories of being close to her flashed through his head. Memories he’d long forgotten.

He watched her black leotard-clad body move smoothly, sensually, to the beat of the music. His gaze lingered on her abundant breasts as they bounced under the tight leotard.

For a moment Jarrid forgot what had happened between them seven years ago. He forgot that he was completely over her. And he felt a tug at his heart for Becky that was stronger than he remembered.

Becky barely recalled cooling down with the class. Her hand was trembling as she grabbed her towel. Unable to stop herself, she glanced at the pool area, remembering those warm brown eyes of his linked to hers for those few eternal moments. But now he was gone.

She glanced around the gym searching for him, and then she stopped, stunned at herself. She’d never chased after a man before. She’d always been shy with men, even with her ex-boyfriend. Darryl Burton. She often wondered if that was one of the qualities about her that had caused Darryl to turn away from her.

Realizing she would be late for her appointment with Charlotte, Becky hurried toward the women’s locker room near the pool area to take a quick shower.

Rushing alongside the deep end of the pool, she mentally flashed on the sparkling eyes of the guy who’d been staring at her and wondered who he was. She was so caught up in her fantasy about him that she barely heard someone call out to watch for the slippery pool tiles.

Suddenly Becky’s feet slipped out from under her, and she plunged into the cool deep pool water. She felt herself sink, sink, sink under the depths of the chlorine blue.

Deafening, gurgly, bubbling sounds filled her ears. A raging fear of drowning paralyzed her. Panicking, she struggled to hold her breath, but her mouth burst open. Water gushed into her lungs.

All at once, a pair of strong hands grabbed her waist and pulled her up, up, until loud voices hit her ears.

There was blackness all around as she felt her motionless body being gently laid down on wet tiles. She felt her leotard being torn from around her neck to try to help her breathe. Fingers were on her throat and there was a hand on her chest feeling for her heartbeat. Then warm lips covered her mouth.

Fresh oxygen filled her lungs. Her eyes slowly opened. His mouth was pressed against hers, breathing air into her. His strong hand lay gently on her chest, just above her breasts, making sure her heart was working.

It was him!

In her barely conscious state, Becky felt her body burn fire hot from his lips and touch.

Just then she heard the relieved voice of the aquatics director saying, “Jarrid, her eyes are opening! She’s breathing!”

Jarrid. Jarrid. His name ran hypnotically through her mind over and over.

When she felt Jarrid’s mouth release from hers and his warm hand lift off her chest, she wanted to cry out for more of his electrical touch.

“Becky, are you okay?” Jarrid’s deep voice whispered her name with great concern, like he knew her, like she was someone who meant everything to him.

Before she could speak, she started coughing up water. She felt Jarrid’s firm hands steady on her back to help her sit up. As Becky tried to rise to her feet, a rush of dizziness filled her head. Jarrid grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close so she could lean on him.

“I’ve got you, Becky,” he whispered, as though he really cared.

She realized that her cheek was against his bare, muscled chest. She could feel the wiry brown hairs on his skin near her lips, evoking a powerful erotic reaction in her.

Embarrassed, Becky quickly sobered up. Her equilibrium returned. She gently slipped out of his strong arms, feeling her face burning with shame. She prayed he didn’t notice how turned on she was in his presence.

She saw Joe Demme pat Jarrid on the back. “I knew my swimming workouts would get you in shape, Browning. Now you’re saving lives.”

Jarrid Browning’s eyes met hers. A tingly sensation raced through her veins.

“It was definitely my pleasure,” he said, as though he was talking only to her.

The circle of people around her dispersed, but Jarrid didn’t budge. Several adult swimmers dived into the pool for the start of the swim workout.

“Thanks for pulling me out of the pool,” Becky said, her cheeks burning from being close to him. “I’ve got a terrifying fear of the water. ”

“I know, Becky,” Jarrid said. “You almost drowned when you were two years old.”

Becky stared at him. She did almost drown in a swimming pool when she was two years old.

“How do you know my name?” she asked in an unsteady voice. “And how do you know I almost drowned as a child?”

Jarrid was a bit out of breath from his mouth-to-mouth with Becky. His heart was pumping wildly from being near her again. Her captivating emerald eyes looked up at him. Her wet strawberry blond hair fell down her ivory shoulders. Water droplets were on her eyebrows. Her cheeks looked soft and pink. Her lips were fuller than he remembered.

Jarrid felt an intensity of emotion he’d never experienced with her before. He still couldn’t believe that she was standing right in front of him.

“Becky, come on,” he said. “You told me, remember?”

“I did not,” she responded.

“How can you say that?” he asked, a bit taken aback. “Sure, it’s been seven years since we were together in New York, but I can still remember every single detail about you.”

“New York?” she repeated, incredulously. “I’ve never been to New York.”

She was unbelievable. “Geez, Becky. I know you like to kid around, but—”

“I’m not joking.”

He tilted his head, staring at her. “Remember the first time I met you?” he asked. “You pretended you didn’t understand one syllable of English. For days, you had me believing you had just stepped off the plane from Paris.”

She put her hand on her hip. “I’m sorry, but that wasn’t me.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Really? Are you married? Is that why you’re putting on this act?”

“I don’t have a husband,” she insisted. “And I’m not pretending. You’re mistaking me for somebody else.”

“Who?” he demanded. “Your twin sister?”

Her eyes lit up. “That’s right!” she quickly said. “You’re thinking I’m Pam, my identical twin sister. She lives in New York and—”

“Becky, come off it,” Jarrid cut in. “I know you’re adopted and don’t have a twin sister named Pam. I also remember you told me that you were searching for your birth mother and wanted to change your last name to your birth name. So why are treating me like I’m a stranger? I saw you staring at me when you were doing aerobics a little while ago.”

Her cheeks turned apple red. “I—I thought I knew you, but I don’t.”

Jarrid felt a sudden sadness rush through him. “Sure, Becky, I understand. A goodbye is a goodbye, isn’t it?” He glanced up at the wall clock. “I’m late for my swim workout.”

He forced himself to dive into the pool. She didn’t want to be with him, and that was it. Unable to deal with his disappointment, he forcefully swam across the water, trying to wipe out the denial in her eyes.

Confused and unsure of what had just happened, Becky rushed into the locker room. She fumbled with her combination lock, slipped off her leotard and hurried into the open shower. Her friend Sherry, who was also a hairstylist at the Nouveau Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, had finished working out on the weight machines and was drying off from her shower.

As Becky turned on the cool water, her naked body still sizzled from Jarrid Browning’s survival touch. She noticed that her bare nipples were protruding with arousal. Embarrassed, she quickly turned so Sherry wouldn’t notice.

“Becky, are you all right?” Sherry asked with concern.

“I—I’m fine, thanks, Sherry.” She admired Sherry and looked up to her. Sherry was in her late thirties, very happily married and had two kids who were in high school.

“Becky, I noticed you were in very sturdy hands at the pool,” Sherry commented.

Becky nervously rubbed faster as she shampooed her hair. “Jarrid Browning definitely knows his life-saving techniques.” She didn’t dare tell Sherry how sexually excited she felt with his hands so close to her breasts and his mouth covering hers.

“You can’t fool me, Becky,” Sherry said with a knowing twinkle in her eyes. “I saw the steam rising between you and him. Maybe he’ll ask you out.”

Becky bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think so.”

Deep down, she knew the stark truth about herself. She wasn’t sexy enough for any man to want to be with forever. Her ex-boyfriend, Darryl, had made that crystal clear to her.

“I bet he asks for your phone number,” Sherry said, grabbing her soap, shampoo and towel to leave. “I saw the way he looked at you. When my husband looked at me when we first met, I knew I was going to marry him. Now I’ve had seventeen wonderful years with him to prove I was right.” Then she hurried to her locker.

Becky turned off the shower water. She knew Sherry was bull’s-eye about her attraction to Jarrid. From the moment she saw him, she knew she could instantly fall in love with him.

Yet, she knew that a raw, masculine guy like Jarrid could never be interested in a woman like her. Besides, she wasn’t even the Becky he thought she was!

In the parking lot outside the gym, Jarrid anxiously leaned against his silver van, still holding his gym bag. His insides were churning like the pool water had during his workout.

He knew he needed to get to work at the small home entertainment store he owned in Santa Monica, but instead, he glanced through the windowed pool area at the closed women’s locker-room door, waiting for Becky. She was still inside taking a shower, probably washing away any memory she ever had of him.

Jarrid kicked his work boot into a pothole, thinking about Becky—his old sweetheart—the girl he had wanted to marry.

He painfully remembered his last heart-wrenching night with her. It was the evening of Becky’s high school senior prom. Becky had looked like a princess in her turquoise gown. She was a bold, vivacious eighteen-year-old, while he was a naive, crazy-in-love, twenty-one-year-old audio and video technician.

Her prom night also marked their two-year anniversary of going steady. He had excitedly hidden a purple velvet box containing a round miniature-diamond engagement ring in his black tuxedo jacket. He couldn’t wait to surprise her.

In the back seat of the chauffeured, black limousine Jarrid had rented for the night, he got up the nerve to hand her the velvet box. He anxiously waited for the yes that would light up his life.

As Becky stared at the sparkling ring, her bottom lip had trembled. When she closed the box without putting the diamond on her finger, Jarrid had known her answer.

In a rush of words, Becky had told him that she was eager to start college and begin a baking-fresh new life. She yearned to be free to adventure with new souls.

Jarrid didn’t recall slipping the velvet box back into his tuxedo pocket, or even her prom. He knew why she’d turned him down.

He blamed himself. He was the one who’d pushed her into going steady. He was the one who’d wanted to see her every single weekend. He’d fooled himself into believing that she was in love with him as much as he was with her.

That night was the last time he saw Becky. Until seven years later—carrying her out of the gym pool in Los Angeles.

Jarrid’s heart suddenly quickened when the women’s locker room door opened. He held his breath as he waited for Becky to appear. Instead, a woman carrying a red gym bag hurried out.

What’re you doing to yourself, Browning? he mentally scolded. You got over Becky a long time ago.

And he did. When his heart had eventually healed, he told himself that he could live without a woman’s love. And whenever he had felt lonely, he reminded himself of how hurt he’d gotten when he let love rule his life.

He had moved to Los Angeles and taken a job as an electronics technician for a chain store. He had worked hard and finally saved enough money to start his own small home entertainment store selling carousel CD players, surround sound speakers, four-channel power amplifiers, laser disc players and digital satellite dishes.

However, Jarrid had bigger dreams. He wanted to custom design and install home theater systems and corporate video and audio systems. Then he could someday open a much larger home entertainment store showcasing his designs and hire more employees. To do that, he first needed to attract customers who could afford to contract him to design custom systems. And so far, he hadn’t even come close to his goal.

Yet, no matter how hard Jarrid worked at expanding his business, he still secretly yearned to find the woman of his heart. And now Becky had reappeared.

Just moments ago, when he tore down Becky’s high-top leotard neckline to help her breath, his eyes caught the swell of her breasts above her exercise bra. He felt the impulse to cup her firm mounds in his hands.

And when his mouth covered hers to blow air into her lungs, why did he allow himself to taste the honey sweetness of her?

Jarrid knew why. He’d momentarily fantasized that Becky had changed. That she would want to be with him forever the way he’d wanted her seven years ago.

Jarrid yanked open his van door and hurled his gym bag into the front seat. Who’re you kidding? Wasn’t it obvious that Becky was trying to brush you off?

Come on—she never lived in New York? She had an identical twin sister? Face it, Browning. Becky still doesn’t want to become a serious part of your life and never will.

Just then, Jarrid saw the door swing open again. His heart pumped faster as Becky stepped out and walked toward the parking lot.

She was wearing a calf-length flowered skirt and loose white blouse. She had a touch of powder pink lipstick on her rosebud lips, and her strawberry blond hair bounced as she walked.

As she passed him, he smelled sweet roses and felt the impulse to reach out and stop her. He yearned to know who she was now. As he watched her, he saw her face flush from his blatant stare. Then she quickly got into her car and drove off.

Jarrid realized that maybe he didn’t know Becky after all. He remembered how sensually she had dressed in high school with form-fitting skirts and hugging sweater tops. He had never once seen her wearing a flowing skirt and button-down blouse.

A ray of hope filled his heart. Maybe he should pursue her, get to know her on a new level.

Jarrid squeezed the chrome door handle of his van, wondering if he could open his heart to her again, knowing she again might shatter it to pieces.

He climbed into his van and drove to his store, needing to bury himself in his business, needing to forget that the sight of Becky made him want her all over again.

Becky zipped along palm-tree-lined Venice Boulevard in her red VW Rabbit heading towards Charlotte’s office to find out the details of that advertising job for Pam. She had a couple of hours before she had to be at the hair salon for her first appointment.

However, she could barely think about work or her sister’s new job. Jarrid Browning filled her every thought.

Becky desperately needed to talk to her twin. She had to find out who Jarrid was to her. Instead of going straight to Charlotte’s, she made a U-turn and headed toward her Mar Vista apartment.

In her living room, Becky first dialed Charlotte’s office to tell her that she would be a few minutes late. When she got Charlotte on the line, the executive had said she’d call her right back.

Becky hoped that Charlotte didn’t think she was being flaky by not going straight to her office and prayed she hadn’t ruined Pam’s chances of getting that new job.

Becky then anxiously called her sister’s office in New York where she was an account executive at an advertising agency.

“Pam Lawson’s office,” the secretary said over the phone.

As always, Becky was thrilled when Pam’s personal secretary answered her call. She was so proud of her twin’s career success. Her secretary asked if Becky could wait a few moments for Pam to get off the other line.

As Becky nervously waited, she remembered the first moment she’d found out that she had an identical twin sister.

One year ago she had opened the door to her apartment, and Pam had been standing there. Stunned, Becky had felt as if she was looking into a full-length mirror.

“Becky, it’s me,” Pam said, her green eyes welling up with tears. “I’m your twin sister!”

A sob had caught in Becky’s throat as she hugged her twin, holding her and not wanting to ever let go.

Becky had stayed up all night talking with Pam. Her sister remained at her apartment for two straight weeks until she had to return to her job in New York.

With disbelief, Becky listened as Pam told her that she had found their birth mother right before she died of cancer. She learned that she and Pam got separated at birth because their real mother wasn’t married and had decided to give them up for adoption to two different couples.

Their birth mother had never told either adoptive couple about the existence of the other identical twin. She was afraid that no one would want to adopt two baby girls together or want to keep them apart if they knew.

Becky was astonished to discover that her identical twin had, like her, also been adopted by an elderly couple who had passed away. Her sister had also been named Becky—after their adoptive grandmothers who coincidentally had the same first name—and she was also afraid of the dark and of the water, because she had almost drowned as a little girl.

Within a week, Becky and her identical twin had immediately changed their different adoptive last names to their birth mother’s surname, Lawson. And her sister had changed her first name to Pam, their birth mother’s first name.

“Beck, I was just thinking about you!” Pam’s voice traveled across the fiber optic line from the Big Apple, breaking into Becky’s warm memories. “My bones have been tingling for the last two hours feeling like something wonderful has happened to you!”

“I think I found a great job for you,” Becky said, explaining about Charlotte’s possible L.A. job for her.

“Wow!” her sister responded. “You mean we’ll be together soon? When do I start, Beck?”

“Maybe in four weeks.” Becky replied. “I’ll let you know when you need to give your notice at your New York job.”

“I can’t wait!” her twin added and then stopped. “There’s something else, isn’t there? I can feel it three-thousand miles away.”

Becky sat down to steady herself. “Pam, do you remember Jarrid Browning?”

“Jarrid?” her sister repeated, incredulously. “You saw him today?”

Saw him? She was in his muscled arms! “He goes to the same gym as I do.”

“I can’t believe it!” Pam said, excited. “Jarrid was my very first love in high school. How did he look? What did you think of him?”

The words flew out of Becky’s mouth before she knew what hit her. “He’s sensitive, courageous, caring.” She abruptly stopped. What was she saying? How could she tell Pam that Jarrid made her body so hot she needed an ice bath to cool down?

“You liked Jarrid a lot, didn’t you?” Pam asked, reading her mind. “I can hear it in your voice.”

Becky’s cheeks heated up. “He’s okay, I guess.”

“Beck, for once, will you admit your true feelings?” Pam said, almost like she wanted her to like Jarrid. “Sometimes I worry that you’re so closed up because of what happened with your old boyfriend, Darryl, that you wouldn’t see the man of your dreams even if he kissed you on the lips.”

He did almost kiss me, she wanted to say about Jarrid, but she couldn’t. Not until she knew for sure that Pam no longer had feelings for him.

“Jarrid thought I was you,” Becky hurried on, telling her sister about how he saved her from drowning in the pool. “He even knew about my fear of the water because you and I almost drowned as kids.”

Her sister’s voice rose an octave. “Did you play along with him? Did you tell him you were me to see his reaction?”

“Of course not!”

“Why not? You could’ve gotten to know him.”

All of Becky’s insecurities about being with a man again rose up in her. “I told Jarrid I was your twin sister, but he didn’t believe me.”

She felt so nervous that she got up from the chair and walked over to the window facing the jacaranda trees lining her street.

“This is wild!” her twin exclaimed. “Of course he didn’t believe you, because I was always joking and playing tricks on him.” Then Pam’s voice lowered. “Is Jarrid still angry with me for splitting up with him?”

That’s why he looked hurt when she insisted she didn’t know him. He thought Pam was rejecting him again.

“Pam, why did you break up with him?” she asked.

“I never meant to hurt him,” her sister explained, telling her about Jarrid’s marriage proposal. “Jarrid wanted a wife, but I was too young to get married. I needed to explore who I was. But now, Beck, I wonder if I made a terrible mistake.”

“What do you mean?” Becky wanted her sister to find happiness with a man, because Pam couldn’t seem to settle down with one man in her life. Yet she secretly wished that man wouldn’t be Jarrid Browning!

“Beck, maybe I was dumb back then,” Pam hurried on. “I’ve dated so many guys since Jarrid, but I’ve never met a man as special as him. Do you think he really is the one for me?”

Becky felt momentarily speechless. “Well, sure, I mean, he might be, I guess.” Deep down, she wanted to hear her sister say that she had no feelings at all for Jarrid.

“Beck, I know this sounds totally insane,” Pam rushed on. “But could you keep Jarrid thinking you’re me?”