Coming Apart at the Seams by Jenna Sutton

trying to talk herself out of buying anything.
    â€œNo one
needs
jewelry,” Bebe replied, laughing lightly. “It’s a treat.”
    Teagan disagreed. A treat would be spending the day with Nick, taking a leisurely drive through the countryside and stopping at a historic inn for dinner. A better treat would be ending the day with him in her bed, her hands gripping his tight behind as he moved inside her.
    She shook her head in exasperation, fighting the urge to fan herself. She had it bad for Nick Priest.
    Really bad.
    Teagan was almost glad they were both too busy to see each other as much as they had during the summer. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted him, even though she knew there was no chance of getting what she wanted.
    And that was a good thing because she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle Nick or his lifestyle. No matter where he went or what he did, he attracted women.
    They stared at him with covetous, avaricious eyes. They propositioned him when Teagan stood right next to him. Usually he didn’t notice the attention, and when he did, he ignored it . . . for the most part.
    Teagan knew Nick’s status as a pro athlete was part of his appeal. But even if he were an IRS agent or a trash collector, women would ogle him and try to get him into their beds.
    If and when Nick decided to have a relationship, the woman he chose would have to be completely sure of her appeal so she didn’t feel threatened. Of course, she’d probably be a famous model, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
    Teagan, meanwhile, did not possess the amount of confidence necessary to combat jealously and insecurity. Growing up, she’d been an ugly duckling in a family full of swans. Her mother was a cool blond beauty, while her father was a strikingly handsome man.
    And if she evaluated Quinn and Cal objectively instead of through the lens of a little sister, she had to admit both of them were gorgeous—tall, dark, and handsome. Like Nick, they were head turners, and women were eager to drop their panties for them.
    Teagan knew she’d outgrown her ugly duckling stage. Butit had lasted for so long that it still influenced the way she viewed herself.
    She’d been in middle school when she had first realized she lacked the good looks the rest of her family had in abundance. When she’d lamented the fact to Grandma Vi, the older woman had reassured Teagan.
    â€œHoney, you’ve got the O’Brien genes, don’t you worry,” she’d said. “You just need to grow into them. One day, men are going to walk into walls when they get a look at you.”
    So far, no man had been so intent on eyeballing Teagan that he’d crashed and burned, and she doubted that day would ever come. But Grandma Vi hadn’t been completely wrong. Teagan
had
grown into her looks.
    She’d learned to tame her thick, wavy hair, her skin had cleared up, and her braces were a long-ago memory. The extra weight she’d carried around her middle had shifted to her breasts and her hips, although her stomach was never going to be flat, and her thighs were never going to be trim.
    Teagan knew she was reasonably attractive, but she wasn’t stunning, not like the rest of her family. And she definitely wasn’t on the same level as Nick and the women he dated casually—the women he touched intimately with those big, strong hands.
    She was ashamed to admit she’d Googled Nick when she should have been studying. She’d spent hours reviewing photos of him online, paying particular attention to those that showed him with women. Unlike her brothers, who apparently liked variety, Nick had an obvious type: very tall, very blond, and very skinny.
    The exact opposite of me.
    Teagan sighed, disgusted with herself for wanting to be Nick’s type. She needed therapy.
Retail
therapy.
    â€œI’ll take both necklaces.”

Chapter 10
    â€œAre you almost