Web of Lies: A Brook Brothers Novel

by Delaney, Tracie

  And now Dex had it. Could be dangerous. She could sell it, tell all her friends, drunk dial him at three in the morning. It wouldn’t be a disaster. He’d only have to change his number, but it’d be a pain in the ass.

  Except he didn’t think she’d do any of those things. Something about her screamed integrity, a word most people in this town ignored. A word he ignored when it suited.

  His driver dropped him off outside his house, and Nate headed straight inside, thankful there were no paps with their goddamn cameras hanging around. His sudden fame two years earlier—and the resulting interest of the press and fans alike—was something Nate still hadn’t gotten used to. He loved the process of making films and TV, adored the acting side of the business, but hated the surrounding bullshit. The shallowness of the industry and everyone in it was something Nate put up with, but he refused to let it touch him. He was known for being standoffish, never one to mix with other actors or any of the crew. He had a few friends, none of whom worked in the same field as him, but they didn’t truly know him. No one did. Not even his three brothers.

  And for good reason.

  If his brothers found out what Nate had uncovered, it would blow his family apart.

  Hell, it had blown him apart when he’d discovered the letter on a return trip home for Thanksgiving. In an instant, everything he understood to be true incinerated on a bonfire not of his making.

  Seven years on, and the feelings reading those words had ignited still scored his insides. Before then, Nate had been happy, excited about the future, enjoying his time in London studying at RADA, loving the independence being in another country had afforded him. And then boom! His life had blown up. He still couldn’t eat turkey. Every time he tried, it stuck in his throat.

  But the faded black ink on yellowing paper had explained a lot. A whole damn lot. And he’d made a vow, right then and there, that he’d keep the details of the explosive letter to himself. That he’d shoulder the secret, bury the devastating news deep down inside where he hoped, over time, his pain would recede. The problem was, though, that keeping the details close had created a distance between him and his brothers that he didn’t know how to fix. But he couldn’t tell them. He couldn’t do that to their memory of Mom and Dad. Jax wasn’t the only one who put family first.

  Nate opened the fridge and lifted out a chicken pasta salad. He ate the solitary meal for one, then stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto the bed. Another early start in the morning, so he’d better get some rest. But despite the lethargy in his body and the heaviness of his lids, he couldn’t get to sleep, his mind, instead, full of a certain pint-sized redhead with curls that cascaded down her back, plump, rosy lips he wanted to kiss, slate-gray soulful eyes he could drown in, and a temper fiery enough to singe flesh. He could only imagine how such intense passion would manifest itself in the bedroom.

  Except imagining such things was a stupid fucking idea, because now he had a raging hard-on to contend with as well as an overactive imagination.

  He launched off the bed, his erection tenting his boxers as he stomped into the bathroom and flicked on the shower. His first thought was to turn it ice cold, but then a second thought crept in, one much more appealing. Dex was all wrong. Too young, too innocent. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t use her image for a little self-administration. She might not have registered on his radar until she’d accosted him outside the club, but now she was inside his head—and goddammit, he couldn’t get her out.

  With steam filling the bathroom, he shucked his underwear and stepped into the shower. Bending his head, he gripped his dick with one hand and braced the palm of his other hand against the tiled wall. With the image of Dex firmly fixed in his mind, hip cocked out to one side as she flayed him with her eyes and lashed him with her tongue, it took less than a minute for him to climax. He groaned loudly, his body trembling as pulse after pulse of cum spurted onto his hand, immediately washed away by the torrent of water.

  He switched off the shower and cursed. Instead of feeling sleepy, he was amped, horny. He toweled off and walked naked back into the bedroom, forcing himself between the sheets when what he really wanted was to drive over to Dex’s apartment building, knock on every door until he found the right one, and fuck her until his dick fell off.

  But he wouldn’t do that—because he actually liked her. Not only for the soft place between her legs that his cock would like to get intimately acquainted with, but her. The woman. The last thing she needed was a man like him in her life. She deserved so much better. For once, he’d do the selfless thing and leave her alone.

  Fuck, doing the right thing sucked.

  * * *

  On Saturday evening, Nate’s driver dropped him off at home. It had been a long, exhausting week, and his body ached from the action scenes he’d filmed that day. Yet, as tired as he felt, the thought of another night spent alone didn’t appeal. Then again, neither had the offers to go for a drink with the crew. His friends would be up for a heavy drinking session. He wasn’t shooting the next day, so it wouldn’t matter if he spent the entire time in bed with a hangover, but he didn’t have the energy to put on a show tonight, to pretend he had the perfect life so everyone else could ratify their jealousy.

  The door to his house closed behind him with a hollow thud, and he headed straight for the kitchen, his stomach growling with hunger. It had been too busy today to even fit in lunch. He opened the fridge. Damn. Nothing in. Pizza didn’t appeal, nor did takeout. With a curse, Nate grabbed his keys and set off for the nearest grocery store.

  He drove into a parking space as far away from the store as possible and grabbed a baseball cap from the glove compartment. He pulled it low over his eyes and added sunglasses, even though dusk had already fallen. In LA, people wore sunglasses everywhere, so he’d hardly stick out.

  Turning the collar up on his jacket, he kept his head down and wandered into the store. Harassed moms dragged screaming children by the hands as they dashed down aisles, stuffing their carts with chips and chocolate and ice cream, no doubt staving off the guilt of feeding their kids such unhealthy food by telling themselves their offspring deserved a treat. After all, it was the weekend. Didn’t everyone treat themselves at the weekend?

  Nate didn’t linger. He went straight to the meat counter at the back of the store. Steak, salad, maybe some mango sorbet or his favorite—frozen yogurt. With his arms piled high, he headed for the fast lane at the checkout. The guy in front had twelve items, which pissed Nate off. Couldn’t the fucker read? Ten items. Ten fucking items. He let out a heavy sigh but resisted the urge to call him on it. Bringing attention to himself was the last thing he wanted. In, out, fast as possible, and then get the hell outta there.

  Nate kept his head bowed as the guy in front packed up tonight’s dinner, but when his own items remained stationary on the belt, he lifted his head, expecting to see the cashier tapping on her cell or picking her teeth, anything other than what she was meant to be doing—serving him.

  Instead, his gaze met an elfin face, high cheekbones, soft gray eyes surrounded by dark lashes, and that mouth he’d fantasized about fucking while he’d gotten himself off last night.

  Dex.

  She stared at him, those plump, rosy lips falling open. Color flooded her cheeks, and she wrinkled her forehead, following her confusion up with a slight shake of her head.

  “Would you like me to pack for you, sir?” she said, clearly deciding to ignore the fact they knew each other.

  Nate glanced over his shoulder. There were no customers waiting behind him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked. “Has Bernard fired you again?”

  If he had, Nate was going to rip him a new asshole.

  She shook her head and began scanning his items and placing them with infinite care into a plastic bag.

  “Then what’s going on?”

  She scanned the last item. “That’ll be nineteen thirty-six, sir.” She avoided eye contact, her gaze fi
xed somewhere around his navel.

  Irritated, Nate leaned in. “The only time I like sir as a form of address is in the bedroom. So call me sir again, and I’ll expect a different kind of service.”

  Dex’s head snapped up, and the look on her face, a hint of delight tinged with anxiety, triggered something in him. Time to stop lying to himself. He wanted her, this girl he didn’t know and hadn’t given a shit about until a few days ago. Yet now, with the image of her sprawled naked on his bed, his to tease, to tantalize, to play with as he saw fit, his dick hardened.

  “What are you doing here?” she seethed.

  He gave her one of his best “what the fuck?” stares. He cocked his head at the bag she’d packed for him. “Shopping. The reason you’re here, though, is much more interesting.”

  She shrugged. “We’re not all mega-rich stars with houses in Malibu and infinity pools overlooking the ocean.”

  Nate barked a laugh. He wasn’t exactly eating beans to stay alive, but he had a ways to go before he hit the rich list. “Correct. We’re not.”

  She narrowed her eyes, but when he stared her down, she relented. “I need the extra money.”

  “Why?”

  He’d seen her apartment building. It wasn’t in the best part of town, but not the worst either. She should be able to more than afford the rent on what Bernard was paying her before the raise Nate had forced him into. So why the need to take an extra job? She must be exhausted.

  She handed him his shopping bag. “Card or cash?”

  Clearly she’d chosen to ignore him. He smirked and handed over his credit card. “What time do you get off?”

  Dex wrinkled her nose and gave him one of those fucking adorable head tilts. “Why?”

  He leaned in close. Her pupils dilated, and she breathed him in. Now that was fucking sexy. “Because I want to get off. With you.”

  Her cheeks tinged with pink. She glanced around and then shushed him. “Stop it. I’m at work. The last thing I need is you getting me fired from yet another job.”

  He licked his lips, drawing her gaze to his mouth. “Then tell me what time you’ll be finished here, and I’ll go.”

  “Fine,” she said with an annoyed huff. “Eight.” She swiped his card and handed it back to him. “Will you go now?”

  Nate checked his watch. He could amuse himself for a half hour. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

  Her spine straightened, adding a couple of much-needed inches to her diminutive stature, and her eyes sparked with annoyance, but behind those sharp, slate-gray irises was definite attraction. Pleasure rushed through his veins. He might annoy the hell out of her, but she fucking wanted him—as much as he wanted her. Hollywood had taught Nate a lot about reading body language, and Dex’s was sending all the right messages.

  “And I’ll be going home. I’m tired and irritable. I want to take a shower, then go to bed.”

  Nate tongued his top teeth, his eyes locking onto hers. “Sounds good to me, Titch.”

  He walked away, leaving Dex slack-jawed. It was a great look on her—and he knew exactly how to fill that delicious mouth of hers.

  Chapter 5

  Dex barely had time to process what had happened before a line formed at her checkout. Whatever the fates had planned for her, they clearly wanted to make her suffer in the process. Of all the supermarkets in LA, he’d walked into hers. And now, like a lion toying with its prey before ripping out the poor, unfortunate animal’s throat, Nate Brook had decided it was playtime.

  In a daze, she served her customers, making small talk and sharing the odd smile, but it was like her brain had been set to autopilot. All she could think about was whether Nate really would be waiting outside, and what he’d meant by his last throwaway comment.

  He’d been a part of her dreams—and her deepest, darkest fantasies—for months, but now he’d finally noticed her, she wasn’t sure whether to leap for joy or run and hide. At twenty-two, six years younger than Nate, she was wholly unequipped to deal with a man like him. A worldly-wise, experienced man who rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, who probably consumed champagne and strawberries for breakfast, whereas she’d only recently stopped buying Lucky Charms and upgraded to muesli.

  “Shift’s over, darlin’. Time to go home.”

  Dex glanced up at Eric, one of the night crew, and the nicest man anyone could hope to know. She grinned and pushed back her chair. “Don’t know how you stay awake through the night.”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “Works for me. Means I can be there to take my little ones to school and pick them up at the end of the day.”

  “True.” She signed out of the checkout so Eric would be able to log in, and gave the waiting customer an apologetic smile. “You have a good night, Eric.”

  “I will. Stay safe.”

  She patted his arm and headed to the staff area for her coat and purse. As the exit doors opened, her heart thudded against her ribcage. She stepped outside and looked around. No sign of Nate. She lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. She should have known he was toying with her for his own amusement. Reaching into her purse for her keys, she walked over to her car. She unlocked it and opened the door, but as she went to climb inside, a hand reached around her and pushed the door closed.

  “You’re coming with me,” Nate whispered in her ear, his breath warm, his throaty voice sinfully wicked, yet full of promise. The promise of what she wasn’t quite sure.

  Dex froze on the spot. So he hadn’t left after all. “But my car…”

  “Will be perfectly safe here overnight. I’ll bring you back in the morning.”

  Her belly did a double backflip. The morning. Did that mean Nate Brook intended to stay the night with her? Every drop of saliva decided now was a good time to exit stage left. Her mouth was so dry, she couldn’t even swallow, and her sharp tongue deserted her at the very moment she needed it the most.

  “Turn around, Dex.”

  On stiff legs, she obeyed him. He was so tall—and she most definitely wasn’t—that Dex had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. He was no longer wearing the baseball cap or the shades. His lips were pulled to the side in a crooked grin, his arms folded across his taut chest, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing strong, muscular forearms.

  All the air rushed out of her lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe, and as he stood there, quietly assessing her, she blinked. Once, twice, a third time, her heart pounding while she waited for him to make a move.

  His arms fell to his sides, and he cocked his head. “Coming?”

  Time to make a decision, Dex.

  If she went, her life would never been the same again. Nate Brook would chew her up and toss her aside like trash as soon as he was done with her. But the devil on her shoulder couldn’t help interjecting that one night with Nate was worth a thousand nights with anyone else. And if she took this chance, this risk, at least she’d have a fabulous anecdote to tell her grandkids. The one time in her life that she’d grabbed something for her—and got down and dirty with a famous Hollywood actor.

  Nate didn’t even wait to see if she’d follow. Instead, he strolled across the car lot, hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans. He walked with supreme confidence, broad shoulders pushed back, spine erect, the hint of a swagger. Dex’s breathing became erratic, and her pulse jolted the closer she got to Nate’s car. He went around to the passenger door and opened it, the silent invitation roaring inside her head.

  “Get in.”

  There was no “please”, no “only if you’re sure”. Nate ordered—and expected—compliance. She almost told him to go screw himself, but the words stuck in her throat. The thing was, she wanted him. And he knew it.

  With her knees virtually knocking together, Dex found herself standing in front of Nate. He stepped back to allow her room to slip inside his car, but as she went to get in, he stopped her. His hand curved around her neck, his thumb caressing her earlobe. A quiver rushed through her. Christ. Barely a touch a
nd already she was a hot mess. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Her usual smart mouth had deserted her. Not too surprising really—she’d challenge anyone to hold it together around him.

  “Look at me, Dex.”

  She inched her head upward until their eyes met. Even in the dim light of the car lot, his glacier-blue irises were beyond beautiful. Enchanting. Captivating. She was so fucked. She’d do anything he asked. Anything. As long as he kept looking at her as though she was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.

  His thumb brushed over her lips. On a reflex, she parted them. Time stood still. She could swear the birds stopped tweeting, and the wind dropped, silencing the rustling leaves of the nearby sycamore trees.

  “I’m not sure whether I prefer quiet Dex or loud and obnoxious Dex.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  A brief frown drew his brows low. “Doing what?”

  She swung her hand between them. “This.”

  His lips twitched, and he lowered his head several inches until his mouth was tantalizingly close to hers. “I haven’t done anything, or rather done anyone yet.”

  She blushed—again. Elva might have nicknamed her Mouth Almighty when they were kids, but when it came to men, Dex’s experience was limited. Especially with men like Nate.

  “And I haven’t agreed to anything either.”

  Nate nodded. “True.” He slipped one warm hand around the back of her neck and settled the other one in the small of her back. A thrilling shiver coursed through her as she found herself pressed up tight to his lithe body. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was playing at—and that’s when he kissed her.