Liar

by Lia Fairchild

  LIAR

  By

  Lia Fairchild

  Bestselling Author of

  In Search of Lucy and Circle in the Sand

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright 2015 © [Lia Fairchild]

  Cover Design by Sommer Stein,

  Perfect Pear Creative Covers

  [Cover Image: Shutterstock©AS Inc.]

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author /publisher.

  ISBN-10: 0986415324

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9864153-2-6

  LIAR

  When all you’ve known are lies, how do you face the truth?

  My past was a bitch.

  Now it’s come back to haunt me. After months apart, Daniel and I are finally trying to make our relationship work. But my lies run deeper than either of us imagined. Lies so terrible I imprisoned them in the darkest recesses of my mind. Just when my heart begins to come alive, the lies seep out of the shadows…revealing secrets with the power to crush me.

  ~ ~ ~

  Despite both of our troubled pasts, I want her…more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything. I’m determined to fight for her—to fight for us—even if it means facing my own demons. I have to reach Gray before it’s too late…before the truth completely destroys her.

  ALSO BY LIA FAIRCHILD

  Compulsive

  In Search of Lucy

  Circle in the Sand

  VigilAnnie

  Emma vs. the Tech Guy

  A Hint of Murder

  Special Delivery

  Home for Christmas

  High Maintenance

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  CHAPTER 1

  --------------------------

  Gray

  A strong hand landed purposefully on the back of my thigh, just below the hem of my black dress.

  “Are you trying to make me jealous?” The hot whispered words blew through the waves of my hair, behind my ear, and caused a live current to creep down my spine. A half-smile formed on my lips before I hid it away. I turned my head, brushing the tip of his nose with my curls, confirming a set of midnight blue eyes belonged to the person whose body pressed up on me.

  “Do I really need to try?” I whispered.

  He released a frustrated sigh. “You know you don’t…but you are.”

  “Say the word, Daniel.”

  Our eyes locked in a heated battle of longing and sexual frustration. He shook his head, then glanced over his shoulder at the festive scene in progress just a few yards away—a celebration and charity event to honor Jessie’s birthday. She’d been gone for less than a year, so I knew the night would be difficult for him. Daniel had followed me to the restrooms by the foyer of the ballroom after he’d watched with a fierce eye Nathan holding me close on the dance floor. It had been months since we’d been in the same room, so I’d welcomed the needy feeling billowing low in my belly from his intense stare, even if the act of dancing misled him.

  Daniel returned his attention to me as I twisted until we faced each other in the dim corner, hiding away like two bandits. His hand traveled from my thigh to my waist. “You know it’s not that simple, Gray.”

  I laid my palm flat on the lapel of his black formal jacket, slid it up until my fingertips brushed his neck. His response was to pull me closer. As usual, Daniel’s words contradicted the actions of his body.

  “Yes…actually it is,” I said.

  His gaze lingered on mine until my eyes wandered away, retracing every detail of his handsome face. I leaned toward his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. As he held me in that moment, I sensed a oneness—a feeling that we were both experiencing the same gamut of emotions. Longing for what could have been, hoping for another chance, and reacquainting each other with the closeness our bodies missed—though we’d only experienced a taste of all that was possible. Then he pulled back, and his expression softened. A subtle grinned materialized. “I was right about the dress.”

  I stretched my cheeks up. “See, I take your advice sometimes.”

  “You look incredible tonight.”

  There was no doubt those words were spoken by the man and not by Dr. Daniel Harrison to his former mental patient. The intention in his tone succeeded in turning my insides to mush. “Thank you.” I ran my other hand up the sleeve of his coat, stopping at his bicep. “And I like you in this suit jacket, but I have to admit, it makes me think of slipping it off of you right here.”

  Blue eyes widened on me and then fell to my parted lips. My breath pulled in on a high of anticipation. I waited… Six months ago, I’d walked out of Daniel’s office intent on proving my independence, showing him I could turn my life around, but most importantly, making him see that my feelings for him were real. But there I was, still waiting for him to be as confident. As I suspected, Daniel pulled back, his eyes darted away. “Don’t play games with me,” he said.

  “I’m not.” I fought to choose careful words. Honoring his niece was more important than getting my point across. “How is this any different than you texting me every week?”

  “Because…I’m…”

  “If you say what I think you’re about to say, you’ll walk away from this with your third leg broken.”

  “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what I was going to say. This isn’t easy for me either.” His hand dropped from my waist. He turned his back on me to face a large piece of artwork on the wall. An enormous black and white photograph of a turn-of-the-century woman looking forlorn towered over us. Sadness filled me that the first thing to come to mind was the drawing I had seen hanging on the wall in Daniel’s bedroom. I’d never had a chance to ask him about the woman in the image. And even as we’d spent many a night talking or exchanging texts about everything and nothing at all, I never asked. I waited…for him to tell me about her, because in my heart, I knew it was one of the things caught between us.

  I stepped up behind him, attempting to stay positive, redirecting my thoughts to the amazing man who had led me out of the darkest shadows of my soul. “This is not a game to me. If you think all this is me playing around with you, you’re dead wrong.” Braving the rejection, I looped my arms around his waist, touching my chin to the back of his shoulder. “I just don’t know how long you expect me to wait.” Silence. The wall of Daniel stood firm. Was that my answer? Like a desperate fool, I clung to him longer while my heart pounded in anticipation. “What are you so afraid of?” I whispered.

  He shook his head and layered his arms over mine. “I don’t want to hurt you, Gray.”

  Somehow I knew his answer would make it seem like this was more about me than him. I drew in a deep breath and let it out, released my hold on him, and slid my arms from under his. “You already are, Daniel.”

  When I turned toward the ballroom to go back to the event, his hand caught my wrist. “Wait.”

  My eyes connected with Nathan’s as he headed in our direction. Concern etched in his forehead. I shook my head, stopping him in his tracks. I held up a hand and turned my back to him, facing Daniel once again.

  “Thanks for calling off your bodyguard,” he said, glancing over my shoulder at Nathan.

  I tilted my head in disapproval, instead of acknowledging the comment.

  “Date?”

  I raised my eyebrows.

  “Then why’d you bring him?”

  “I didn’t, you jackass. Your si
ster invited him.”

  An embarrassed smile crept into his expression. He chuckled. “Why?”

  “Nathan used his restaurant contacts to help Rita get a deal on catering, so she invited him as thanks.”

  “Damn…I am a jackass, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah. We didn’t even come together. And he was nice enough to dance with me…since I didn’t have anyone else to dance with.” I delivered the second half of my sentence with sarcasm and a slight tip up of my chin.

  “You know there’s nothing more I’d want than to be the one with my arms around you out there.”

  “No, actually, I don’t know that. Why would I? How can I?” My head fell to my chest, mentally taxed from keeping up what felt like a one-sided love affair. But I wouldn’t give in to tears.

  “Hey,” he whispered. He gently nudged my chin up with his fingers until our eyes met. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I think it’s time we sat down and talked this all through once and for all. Face-to-face.”

  A sparkle of a smile spilled to my cheeks but was snuffed out when he spoke again.

  “Can you come by—”

  “No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I’m not coming to your office.”

  “Right. How about coffee?”

  Still guarded, I allowed myself a tiny grin. “Coffee sounds nice. Call me later, and we’ll set it up.”

  The hand that had remained under my chin then smoothed across my cheek and behind my neck. He pulled me toward him and dipped his head to meet mine. Our lips brushed against each other in a soft, tender kiss. “I have missed us,” he whispered into my mouth. “I hope you know that.”

  He pressed his lips harder into mine and then released me.

  “I do now,” I said.

  When I approached my table, I noticed Nathan was gone. I scanned the room and the dance floor, hoping he hadn’t left because of what happened with Daniel. A warm sensation filled my chest when I spotted him on the dance floor with Alyssa. I stood off to the side, watching. They appeared unaware of me—or anyone else, for that matter. Their lips moved quickly within their smiles. I pictured Alyssa on her wedding day and without a father of her own, dancing with Nathan after he’d walked her down the aisle. A year ago, I’d never have dreamed of such fairy-tale aspirations. A year ago, I’d never thought of Alyssa as anything but a sweet yet foul-mouthed teenager who somehow became my sidekick. Now, at seventeen, she’d grown into a beautiful young lady.

  I took a seat, sipped sparkling cider, and continued watching them until the song ended. Alyssa turned and spotted me, skipping over giddily. “Gray, oh my gosh, you look beautiful.”

  I stood and hugged her. “Me? You’re the one who’s gorgeous.” Her black, knee-length dress had a fitted waist and flared at the bottom. The purple streaks in her black hair barely showed with the fancy upsweep do. “Who did your hair?”

  “I did. Can you believe it?”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  “Hey, what about me?” Nathan said, coming up behind her. “I did my hair.” He ran a hand through his brown waves.

  “It looks fantastic,” I said to her as she gave him a gentle smack on the chest. “I thought your mom said you couldn’t come.”

  “Yeah, I know, and I don’t give a rat’s ass why, but she changed her mind. She even let me borrow her car.”

  “Really? So, you’re not grounded anymore?”

  “Nope. Remember she said when the bunny poop smell was gone, that’s when I could use the car again.” She giggled and shot a glance at Nathan for a reaction.

  “Whatever happened to those bunnies?” Nathan said. “What were their names? Crappy and Lazy?”

  After delivering a tiny punch in the arm, she put her hands on her hips. “Gatsby and Daisy, smart ass, and I got two of my teachers to take one home.”

  “Oh, sorry. Very resourceful of you.”

  “I know.” Alyssa gazed around the room with a delightful expression that warmed my heart. “I’m going to go show Rita my dress.”

  “Okay, see you in a bit.”

  Clad in black dress pants and a charcoal, long-sleeved button-down shirt, Nathan took the seat next to me.

  “So, how’s the food?” I asked, surprised he hadn’t brought it up yet.

  He made a meh face before saying, “I haven’t tried everything, but in the spirit of charity, I won’t comment.”

  “How generous of you, Chef Nathan.”

  “I think so.” He smirked with his typical cocky grin.

  “And have you heard from Charlotte yet?”

  His lips pulled to a straight line. “No. I’m giving her space.”

  I let out a breath while shaking my head. “Yeah, women love that.”

  “What? I thought you did. Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do wrong?”

  I caught Daniel walking over to Rita in my peripheral. My heart wavered between frustration and yearning, but I shook it off to focus on Nathan’s issues. “When your woman is pissed because you’ve done something wrong, and your response is to give her space, then you just screwed up again.”

  “What the hell am I supposed to do if I don’t even know what I did wrong in the first place?”

  I had a hunch why Nathan’s girlfriend had a stick up her ass the last few days, but I was afraid to tell him. He’d finally come to terms with the fact that he and I would just be friends, so seeing him happy with someone else brought me some relief. It was hard not being the only woman in his life, but I couldn’t be selfish any longer. “I don’t think Charlotte likes me very much.”

  “Sure she does. Who wouldn’t love you, with your sweet as pie personality and your friendly and welcoming attitude?

  “Wow, really? I’m trying to help you here. And for the record, I’ve been really freaking nice to your little pastry wench.”

  “Hey, that’s pastry chef.”

  “Whatever. Do you want to hear this or not?”

  “Yes, please continue, oh-expert-on-relationships.”

  I cracked a smile at the irony but hid it away and continued. “Look, I really am happy for you two. I figured in the beginning it would be a tough transition for her. That she might have been worried about me. But now I see it’s just the opposite. The closer you two get, the more she learns of our relationship, the more uneasy she’ll be.”

  Nathan ran his hand through is hair, leaned back, and sighed. “Shit…what the hell am I supposed to do about that?”

  I let the news sink in, watched the wheels turn behind his eyes.

  “Wow…giving her space,” he said when realization hit. “What a dick move.”

  Checkmate. I folded my arms triumphantly as I leaned back in my chair.

  “Well, you don’t have to seem so freaking happy about it.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m really not. But the good news is, this is fixable.”

  “So, I just need to tell her nothing is going on between us?”

  “No, knucklehead. You need to show her. You need stop giving her space and be there. You need to reassure her when she needs reassuring. If you show her, you won’t have to tell her.”

  His sparkling brown eyes told me he understood, and that his mind was already at work on a plan. If I could only get Daniel to do the same thing, we’d both have a shot at happiness.

  CHAPTER 2

  --------------------------

  Daniel

  I sat in my office, an hour past my last patient’s departure. I swiveled in my desk chair until I faced the window, where dusk had settled in. Gray’s image, standing in front of the glass, materialized before me. I’d fought so hard against my feelings for her. The unrelenting attraction between the two of us. That had been a serious misstep from the beginning. The heat between us from the start set off a warning signal that told me to step away. I had tried when I told her I wasn’t taking new patients. Yet, somehow fate kept plucking us up and dropping us into the same spot. Close. Too close. The more I fought, trying to do what the logical side of me expe
cted, the more my subconscious raged a battle of resistance. Pushing her away didn’t just hurt Gray. It tore me apart from the inside out. And it showed me that denying our fate could destroy us both.

  If I were seeing myself as a patient, I’d explain that although there are critical obstacles to maneuver, first there must be truth and understanding. Gray needed to hear about my past, then we both needed to seriously consider what that meant. She was a strong woman, determined to make it work between us regardless of either of our pasts. As a doctor, I would recommend putting trust in her just as I expected her to trust me. But as I gazed out to the moonlit sky, the man in me finally took the helm. He mattered most. He would be the one to hold her, to look into her eyes, and to be the man she knew he could be.

  I stood and strode to the window, resolute intentions rumbling up from my core. Gray had been right all along: we were inevitably bound together. Instead of fighting against us, I should have been fighting for us. For her. I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up on her now. The image of her at the hospital the first time we met, a bold and feisty depiction, flashed into my mind. A grin crept into my expression; I caught the reflection in the glass. Something drew me to raise my hand to the window, placing it against the windowpane. As my palm connected to the mirror image of it, I saw Gray’s hand touching mine. I stayed that way a few moments, until my computer alerted me of an email.

  I returned to my desk and took a seat, still fueled by my epiphany. My eyes widened at the highlighted email message from Dr. Wallace. I hadn’t heard from her but once since she’d moved her practice back East to care for her ailing mother. It was a mere formality of confirming I had taken Gray on as a patient. In the back of my mind, paranoia poked at me with images of Dr. Wallace suspicious of Gray and me. I dismissed them easily as ridiculous, given I’d seen hundreds of patients over the years, many young and attractive women with no connections at all. But Dr. Wallace had been aware of my past. And my feelings for Gray, no matter how much I’d denied them, had stoked the fire of fear.