by Cat Schield
Ethan’s father didn’t look convinced. “Why would Taylor ask so many questions about Lia unless she suspected something was wrong?”
“You know what kind of lawyer Taylor is. She’s thorough.”
“But why would she need to be thorough? The testing service determined Lia is Ava’s daughter. I don’t understand why Taylor would question that.” His father’s eyes narrowed. “Unless she doesn’t think the testing service is reliable. Your mother wondered if we should have our own DNA test run.”
Although his father had just presented him with the perfect opportunity to explain about the mistake, Ethan hesitated to put an end to their scheme. They’d agreed to a couple weeks. Paul was acting as best man at Ryan and Zoe’s wedding the next afternoon and had invited Lia to join him. Both deserved a heads-up before Ethan broke the news that Lia wasn’t family.
“Is Taylor right to ask questions?” Miles demanded after Ethan took too long deciding how to answer. And then when Ethan continued to grapple with his conscience, his father cursed. “What is really going on with Lia?”
“Nothing.”
Miles crossed his arms and glared. “Do not lie to me.”
Ethan sucked in a deep breath and let it ease from his lungs. “Okay, here’s the thing...” As he explained the situation, claiming complete responsibility for the scheme, his father stared at him in dismay.
“Damn it, Ethan,” Miles raged as he kneaded the back of his neck. “This is the craziest stunt you’ve ever pulled. What were you thinking?”
“I did it for Grady,” Ethan said, refusing to be treated like a reckless teenager. “And for Paul. Haven’t you noticed that things between him and Grady have improved?”
Miles gave a reluctant nod. “And I’m glad, but you can’t seriously be planning to pass Lia off as family forever.”
“The plan was only supposed to last until Grady improved and he has. Everything will be over in a few days.”
“Over how?”
Ethan’s concern eased as he realized his father was willing to hear him out before deciding to blow the whistle. “We plan to announce that the testing service got it wrong and she’s not Ava’s daughter.”
“That is going to devastate Dad.”
“I know he’ll be upset,” Ethan said. “But I’m convinced that we would’ve lost him if he hadn’t believed Lia was Ava’s daughter. And he’s stronger now. I think he’ll be okay when he finds out the truth.”
“You hope he’ll be okay,” Miles corrected. “Just be ready for the consequences, because if there are any setbacks in Grady’s health, that’s on Paul and you.”
“Not Paul. Just me. By the time Paul found out what was going on we were too far in.”
Miles leveled a keen stare on his younger son. “One last thing. You really need to tell your grandfather the whole truth.”
Ethan shook his head. “I considered that, but decided that if Grady found out we tricked him on top of losing Ava’s daughter, it would be a bigger blow.”
“The problem with the whole DNA testing angle,” Miles said, “is that Grady will believe Ava’s daughter is still out there.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Ethan opened his briefcase and pulled out the test kit he’d ordered in the days after he’d concocted his scheme to pass Lia off as Grady’s granddaughter. “Maybe you could help me find her for real.”
Eight
The morning of his best friend’s wedding, Paul spent a few hours at the office, but found he couldn’t concentrate. That had been happening all too often in the days since that long afternoon in Lia’s camper. Despite the unusual surroundings, or maybe because of them, Paul knew the time with Lia was indelibly etched in his memories. They’d made love for hours, forgoing new truck shopping and skipping dinner. Only after their exertions made their hunger for food more urgent than their appetite for each other did they get dressed and grab a couple burgers at a fast-food restaurant.
He hadn’t been exaggerating: giving in to their attraction was going to complicate things. She wasn’t like any woman he’d ever known and he hadn’t crossed the line with her lightly. This left him with a dilemma. Sneaking around with her compounded his discomfort about the lies they were perpetrating. But the thought of giving her up left him in an ill-tempered funk.
Following the compulsion to see her, Paul left his office and drove to his grandfather’s estate. The sound of feminine laughter reached his ears as he exited his SUV, luring him toward the pool. Expecting to find his cousins clad in their customary bikinis, lazily floating on rafts in the turquoise water, he was besieged by wonder and a trace of amusement at what greeted him instead.
His cousins and Lia balanced on paddleboards in the middle of the pool, engaged in yoga moves. While both Dallas and Poppy wore bathing suits, Lia was dressed in her daily uniform of black yoga pants and a graphic T-shirt that flattered her lean curves and drew attention to her high, firm breasts. Given that both his cousins had wet hair and were wobbling dangerously on the ever-shifting boards while trying to hold a standing yoga pose, Paul assumed it must be much harder than Lia was making it look.
She moved fluidly on the board, shifting from one pose to another with barely a ripple in the pool. Her confidence fascinated him. At every turn she surprised him with a whole range of unexpected talents from cake decorating to accompanying Grady’s drumming on the harmonica to assorted art projects geared toward children that now adorned Grady’s bedroom.
With each day that passed, she endeared herself to his entire family more and more, and even Paul’s high level of skepticism had failed him. Lia was a whirling dervish of energy and optimism and it was hard to remain detached, especially when every time they occupied the same room, she became the focal point of his awareness. His determined distrust had given way beneath the pressure of the undeniable energy between them. The maddening chemistry was more than sexual. The hunger to be near her was a fire that burned throughout his entire body.
He found her stories of life on the road fascinating. Her kindness toward his grandfather wasn’t an act. Every minute Paul spent in her company boosted his optimism and lightened his mood. The tiniest brush of his hand against hers sent a shower of sparks through him. Dozens of times he’d caught himself on the verge of touching her in front of his family. Whenever they occupied the same room, he had to struggle to keep his gaze from lingering on her.
Spying Grady in the shade of the pool house, Paul approached and sat down beside his grandfather’s wheelchair. Grady reached out and gave Paul’s arm an affectionate squeeze. With the return of his grandfather’s love and approval, Paul had no more need to arm himself against the grief that had caused him to guard against personal relationships. Another positive change in his life he could attribute to Lia. Was there no end to her uplifting influence? Did he really want there to be?
Once again Paul was struck by concern for what the future might hold after Lia’s departure. While Grady grew more robust with each passing day, finding out that Lia wasn’t his granddaughter was certain to hit him hard. Would his depression return?
“What are they doing?” he asked, crossing his ankle over his knee as the afternoon’s humid air made its way beneath the collar of his navy polo.
“Yoga,” Grady sang, bright amusement in the gaze he flicked toward his grandson.
“Why are they doing it on paddleboards in the middle of the pool?”
“Harder.”
Seeing Grady’s fond smile, Paul felt a familiar stab of guilt that they were perpetrating a fraud on the old man. His grandfather loved Lia because he believed she was his long-lost granddaughter. That she wasn’t ate at Paul more every day.
“I can see that. The twins look like they’re struggling.”
Even as he spoke, Poppy lost her balance, but before she tumbled into the pool, she dropped to her knees and clutched the edges of the boa
rd. She laughed in relief while Dallas and Lia called out their encouragement.
Paul guessed this wasn’t Lia’s first time doing this because she was rock-solid on the board. “It’s good to see you outside,” Paul said, tearing his gaze away from her. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m feeling strong.” Grady spoke the words with triumph.
“You’re getting better every day,” Paul murmured. “That’s wonderful.”
The two men sat in companionable silence and watched the three women for another half hour, until Lia brought the session to a halt.
“Nice work, ladies,” she called, towing the paddleboards toward the storage room at the back of the pool house while his cousins toweled off.
Paul went to help her, eager for a couple seconds alone, somewhere out of the way so he didn’t have to guard his expression. He took in the light sheen of moisture coating her skin, tempting him to ride his palms over her sun-warmed arms and around her waist. If he dipped his head and slid his tongue along her neck, he knew she would taste salty. His mouth watered at the memory of her silky flesh beneath his lips.
“You’ve done that before,” Paul said, letting her precede him into the large room crammed with pool toys.
“My mother teaches yoga. I’ve been doing it since I could stand,” Lia said. “You should try it. Besides increasing flexibility and muscle tone, it can reduce stress.”
He paused in the act of stacking the boards against the back wall. “Do I seem stressed to you?”
“I was thinking maybe you’d like to improve your flexibility,” she teased, shooting him a wry grin.
Paul nodded, letting her score the point without retaliating. She wouldn’t be the first person who’d described him as intractable. It’s what enabled him to keep pursuing criminals when the trail went cold. At the same time, he recognized being obstinate had created problems in his relationship with his family.
“Grady seems to be doing better every day,” he remarked, reaching for her hand. As their fingers meshed, his entire body sighed with delight at the contact. “It’s hard to believe that less than two weeks ago we were all worried he wasn’t going to last until the end of the month.”
“You know he’s really proud of you.”
His gut twisted at her words. “I don’t know that.”
“Well, he is,” she said, her thumb stroking across his knuckles.
“Even though I didn’t join the family business?”
“It makes him happy that you’re passionate about what you do.” Lia’s warm smile eased the tightness in Paul’s chest. “And that you help people by making the world safer.”
“Thank you,” Paul said, tugging her closer.
Entreaty flickered in her eyes, quickly masked by her long dark lashes. His blood heated as he detected an unsteadiness in her breathing. Damn, he badly wanted to kiss her. The need to claim her soft mouth overwhelmed him. Not even the worry that they might be caught could temper the wild emotions she aroused.
Acting before he could convince himself that it was madness, Paul backed Lia toward the wall. A surprised whoosh of air escaped her as her spine connected with the hard surface. He skimmed his fingers down her arms, pinned her wrists to the wall on either side of her hips.
Curses momentarily drowned out his thoughts. “We should get back to the pool before someone comes looking for us.”
Releasing his grip on her, Paul flattened his palms against the wall and started to push away, but her reflexes proved faster than his. Before he could escape, she’d locked her hands around his back and tugged him even closer.
“Kiss me first.” Her lips curved in a sassy grin that was equal parts sexy and sweet. “Unless you don’t want to.”
He almost laughed at her words. Not only did he want to kiss her, he needed to kiss her. Needed it like the air he breathed and the food he ate. She was the most irritating, frustrating female he’d ever known. Thoughts of her distracted him all the time. It took effort to concentrate on his job and for that he couldn’t forgive her. Worse, he was ravenous for her in a way that couldn’t be denied and with each day his willpower weakened.
Her eagerness was a temptation he couldn’t resist and Paul found himself swept into the kiss. Into her warmth and sweetness and enthusiasm. He took what she gave. Unable to stop. Unwilling to stop.
Paul wasn’t sure what brought him back from the brink, but soon he lifted his lips from hers and trailed kisses across her cheek.
“I can’t stop thinking about being with you again,” he murmured, surprising himself with the admission. “But you have that birthday party at the hospital this afternoon, don’t you?”
Her chest rose and fell as she stared at him, her beautiful hazel eyes wide and utterly trusting. “You remembered.”
Paul stepped back and raked his fingers through his hair. “Do you mind if I tag along?”
“You’re always welcome to be my knight-errant.”
Even as warmth pooled in his gut, the urge to warn her to be careful of him rose. The things he wanted to do to her weren’t romantic or chivalrous. Her love of dressing up as a princess drove home the intrinsic sentimental nature of her true soul.
In fairy tales, princesses got rescued from towers, endless sleep and villains who intended them harm. Paul was no Prince Charming. In fact, he’d acted more like a beast with Lia. And even if his initial disdain had given way to grudging admiration, he didn’t deserve her trust.
“That’s fine as long as I don’t have to wear tights,” he grumbled and neither her surprised laughter nor her affectionate hug improved his mood.
* * *
On a normal visit to the children’s ward at the hospital, Lia would’ve lost herself in the part of Elsa, the Snow Queen. Bringing joy to children, especially ones who needed to escape reality for a little while, gave her own spirits an enormous boost. But Paul’s solemn gaze on her the entire time made her all too aware of the heat and confusion between them.
Every stolen moment with him pushed her further into uncharted territory. She’d never known the sort of urgent craving he aroused in her. In the past, she’d always viewed sex as a pleasurable way to connect with someone she cared about. What she experienced with Paul turned every other encounter into a foggy memory. The crystal-pure clarity of his fingers gliding over her skin. The keen pleasure of his weight pressing her into the mattress. His deep kisses and soul-stirring moans as he slid into her. All of it was etched into her soul never to be forgotten.
Yet all too soon she’d be leaving Charleston, never to see him again. Lia wasn’t sure what to do about her growing resistance to the idea of resuming her travels. Never before had she faced a compulsion to stay put. But her growing attachment to Paul was a big part of that. Normally Lia would blindly follow her heart, but this time she recognized that trusting her instincts was impossible. She’d mired herself in a scheme that had only one outcome. Once the genetic test was revealed to be flawed, no member of the Watts family would want her to stick around.
Not even Paul. Despite her longing for a relationship to developing with him, she feared that if she remained in Charleston, eventually her past would come between them. He’d dedicated his career to hunting criminals. She could imagine his fury when he discovered her grandfather was in prison. And learning what had put him there would confirm Paul’s initial opinion of her as an opportunist.
Part of her recognized he was probably still digging into her background. She’d be wise to tell him the truth and face his displeasure before her growing feelings for him made heartbreak inevitable, but as they walked back to the estate, Lia lost her nerve. She was gambling that he wouldn’t turn up anything with less than a week until she left Charleston. Better that she stay silent so that his memories of her remained unsullied.
They parted company at the driveway and Lia headed for the house. Upon entering her bedroom, she
spied something that hadn’t been there when she’d left. A garment bag, twin to the one from the boutique hanging on the armoire door, lay across her bed, along with an envelope. Puzzled, Lia set aside her long ice-blue gloves, opened the envelope and read the note.
We know you loved this dress and wanted you to have it.—Dallas & Poppy.
Overwhelmed by the twins’ generosity, Lia slowly unfastened the bag’s zipper to reveal the stunning blush gown she’d fallen in love with. Guilt clawed at her. She shouldn’t accept the gift. The twins had purchased the expensive dress believing she was their real cousin. Yet to refuse would force awkward explanations.
Lia wanted to scream in frustration. Why did everyone have to be so kind to her? The deception would’ve been so much simpler if she’d been greeted with the same sort of suspicion that Paul had demonstrated.
After shooting the twins an effusive thank-you text, Lia jumped in the shower. As she applied her makeup and experimented with several hairstyles, she tried to ignore her anxiety over what she might encounter at the upcoming event. Pretending to be Ava’s daughter had grown easier these last few days. Not that her subterfuge rode any easier on her conscience, but once she’d answered the tricky questions surrounding her childhood to everyone’s satisfaction, she’d been able to lower her guard somewhat.
But attending this wedding with Paul meant she would be under scrutiny once more. Although he’d promised his circle of friends wouldn’t ask too many questions about her, Lia suspected that they’d be wildly speculative about any woman he’d bring. Once again, the opportunity to spend more time in his company was a temptation she couldn’t resist. Hopefully it wouldn’t backfire on them.
The dress fit as perfectly as when she’d tried it on in the shop, reviving Lia’s confidence. Tonight she would demonstrate to Paul that she could at least appear as if she fit into his social circle, even if she’d be completely out of her element. As long as she smiled a lot, said little and stuck like glue to Paul’s side, she should be fine.
