Love's Deception

by Adrianne Byrd

  He looked up at a beautiful ballerina that at first sight stole his breath. There was no mistaking the dancer’s identity. “How old was she?”

  “I believe eleven. Her father painted it.”

  “I didn’t know he was an artist.” He leaned closer “He had a wonderful eye.”

  “It’s amazing what he captured, isn’t it?” Helena crossed her arms and studied the picture with pride. “But he was what I called a closet artist. He never pursued it professionally. I remember teasing him about how he was depriving the world of his talent.”

  Nathan faced her. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Her smile wobbled. “Despite his flaws, and let me tell you he had plenty, he was a great brother.”

  “I’m sure he was.”

  “I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Carissa announced as she made her grand entrance.

  Nathan looked up and simply stared at the creation before him. Her hair hung in perfect ringlets to her shoulders, while her face appeared luminous beneath the room’s low lighting. His gaze traveled lower to her provocative black dress, and his mouth went dry.

  Carissa’s heart pounded in her ears as a wave of heat followed the wake of his gaze. There was no mistaking the gleam of approval in his eyes.

  “You look amazing,” he finally said with a widening smile.

  Carissa shared a conspiratorial smile with her aunt.

  “You two kids have a good time.” Helena winked, then retreated to the guest room.

  “I’m almost afraid to show you out on the town. Someone might steal you away.” He walked toward her.

  “Scared of a little competition?”

  “Where you’re concerned, yes.”

  She stood mesmerized as he drew near. “I brought this for you.” He held out the rose.

  “Red?”

  He laughed. “I guess I wasn’t thinking. Red is for lovers, isn’t it?”

  She managed to nod, but wondered how she remained standing.

  “I promise next time I’ll remember to bring yellow.”

  “Next time?”

  “After seeing you in a dress like that, I’m anxious to see what other little secrets you have hidden in your closets.”

  Unaccustomed to such flattery, she felt her face flush deep burgundy as she accepted his gift. “What makes you think I have secrets?”

  “Don’t all women?”

  Chapter 20

  If Carissa hadn’t known any better, she would have sworn that she was a teenager on her way to her first prom. During the car ride, her stomach had twisted into knots, her palms were sweaty, and her knees knocked. But when she glanced at him, he appeared calm, cool and collected.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind going to this party? I promised a friend that I would put in an appearance.”

  “N-no. It’ll give me a sneak peek into the life and times of Nathan Edwards.” She teased him with a confident smile while her mind raced as to whether she’d bump into anyone she knew. “So what kind of crowd is this?”

  He shrugged. “Well, the usual. Photographers, designers and models. And you know, where there are models there are—”

  “Musicians,” they said in unison, then laughed.

  “Have you ever dated a model?” she asked.

  “No. It’s a rule of mine never to mix business with pleasure.”

  “Have you ever been tempted to break the rules?”

  He laughed as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Occasionally. How about you? You work in an office, I assume? Ever been attracted to someone you work with?”

  “Never,” she answered without hesitation.

  “Well, what kind of man are you attracted to?”

  “The kind in romance novels. Tall, dark and handsome.” Like you.

  Nathan’s brows arched with interest. “Romance novels?”

  She crossed her arms defensively. “You have a problem with that?”

  “No, no. But why would you want to read about love instead of going out there and experiencing it? I mean, I can easily picture you draped across an Arabesque novel with some tall, dark and handsome man searching your face adoringly.”

  She laughed at his flair for dramatics as he struck ridiculous poses. “You just make sure you keep your eye on the road,” she warned.

  He straightened in his seat, then flashed her a sly smile. “You know, I’ve told you a lot about my past relationships. In fact, I’ve told you a lot about everything. Don’t you think that tonight it’s your turn to tell me a little more about yourself?”

  Carissa’s smile vanished and her earlier nervousness returned. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Never been in love?”

  She shrugged. “Don’t make it sound like it’s a crime. I made up my mind a long time ago to pursue a career. I’ve put everything I had into my job.”

  “Running your father’s business?”

  She nodded.

  “What kind of business do you do?”

  Damn. She closed her eyes. It was time for another lie. “Commercial real estate. Nothing half as exciting as what you do.” Now, let’s hope he doesn’t ask me anything about real estate.

  He nodded as if digesting the information. “You must be very good at it. You seem very successful. But it sounds lonely.”

  “No more than traveling the world three hundred days out of the year. Tell me, how much time did you spend with your ex?”

  For the first time that night he didn’t look so confident. “Are you trying to say that it’s my fault she slept around?” He stared at her incredulously.

  “Of course not.” She took a deep breath. “I’m just saying that maybe we’re responsible for our own loneliness.”

  Silence filled the car and Carissa wanted to kill herself for ruining the mood.

  After Nathan parked, he turned to face her. “I guess I can see your point.” He nodded. “You know, there are no real accidents. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason.”

  Carissa stared at the glitzy club across the street and frowned at the overflowing crowd. She wasn’t ready to give up the quiet intimacy of the car. “Before Edwards’s…I mean, your father’s attack, you never once entertained the idea of trying to make amends with him?”

  He shook his head. “Too angry.”

  “And now?” She turned toward him, hoping to delay going into the club.

  “Can’t remember why or how I stayed that angry. I guess looking back on it, Smokey and I have always shared the same opinion of Travis’s desertion. Maybe our anger fed off each other’s.”

  “Smokey?” Carissa smiled to lighten the mood.

  Nathan laughed. “He’s my stepfather. Well, not really. He never actually married my mom. But I think they had considered themselves common law. Anyway, I’ve always thought of him as a father. From what I understand, back in the sixties—”

  “You’re not going to tell me that he’s an ex-hippie, are you?”

  “Ha-ha. No. He was a musician. The gigs he used to play were always in these smoke-filled clubs. After a while, his friends started teasing him about how the cigarette smoke would cling to his clothes. Then next thing he knew he was affectionately known as ‘Smokey.’”

  “It sounds like you two are very close.”

  “I like to think so. I mean, I don’t get to see him often. We’re both workaholics.”

  “Is he still a musician?”

  “Nah. He’s in the wonderful world of corporate America. Now, don’t ask me what he does. It all sounds like pushing paper around to me.”

  When she laughed, he propped his arm up against the back of the seat and gazed at her. “Has anyone ever told you you have a beautiful laugh?”

  “Thank you.” Her throat constricted with emotion as she melted beneath his intense stare. How was it that he could make her feel so alive?

  “I’m starting to hate that I promised to put in an appearance tonight. I’m not sure I want to share you with anyone else.”

/>   That makes two of us. “You still have a way of saying the right thing at the right time.”

  “I could say the same for you. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t think I would have found the courage to let go of my anger and try to seek some type of closure in all of this. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you’ve inspired me to rise about the past. And I’m eternally grateful.”

  Carissa closed her eyes and wanted to cry. The whole situation had gotten out of control and she needed to do something fast. “Nathan, I think there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Chapter 21

  Carissa struggled for the right words while her eyes glossed over.

  Nathan took her hand. “It’s okay. If it’s this hard for you to tell me, we can talk about it at another time, whenever you’re ready.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, still unable to speak.

  “Come on. Let’s go put in our appearance.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then got out of the car.

  He deserves much better than me, she thought as she watched him walk around to her door. He deserved someone honest and loving, not some callous CEO who wanted to play Cinderella.

  He opened her car door and helped her out. His gaze again assessed her figure. “You should have pursued modeling. You’re perfect.”

  “If I had, we would be breaking your rule.”

  “It would have been worth it.” He offered her his arm, then escorted her to the club.

  When they stepped inside, a crowd of people gathered around them. Many just wanted to welcome Nathan to the party, others wanted to know where he’d been and what his next assignment would be.

  Carissa was out of her element and soon felt invisible. Not to mention the music was three times too loud. Before she knew it, her heart seemed to pulse in time with the music’s bass.

  “Nate, there you are,” a feminine voice exclaimed over the music. “I was beginning to think that you weren’t coming.”

  Carissa watched as a beautiful woman approached them and embraced Nathan. And to her horror, he returned the affectionate gesture.

  “You know that I’m a man of my word.”

  “I don’t call you Honest Abe for nothing.”

  They laughed.

  Carissa, uncomfortable by how striking they looked together, cleared her throat.

  Nathan turned. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Where are my manners? Aria, I’d like to introduce you to my date this evening, Carissa Carnes—affectionately known as Risa. Risa, I’d like for you to meet one of my model friends.”

  Carissa relaxed. He never dates models, she remembered before extending her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  The woman’s cold hand slid into hers. “Likewise.” Her smile missed her eyes. And Carissa sensed that the woman was looking down her nose at her.

  “I didn’t know you acquired a new playmate in Atlanta.” Aria returned her attention to Nathan.

  Carissa caught the insinuation that there were other women and was amazed that the thought had never occurred to her. Why not? He was incredibly handsome.

  “Aria, behave,” Nathan warned with a sharp look.

  Aria smiled. “I’m always on my best behavior. You know that. But I was wondering how those nude shots turned out.” Seduction gleamed in her eyes as she edged closer. “We never did finish what we started.”

  Carissa’s face burned as her hands clenched at her sides. The audacity of this woman was outrageous.

  “Would you care to dance?” a male voice questioned at Carissa’s side before she had the chance to give Aria a piece of her mind.

  She turned toward a handsome gentleman with an impressive athletic body.

  “Actually, we were just about to leave,” Nathan informed him.

  “I’d love to.” Carissa overruled him and accepted the man’s hand. Two can play this game, she decided, heading toward the crowded dance floor.

  Even though it had been years since she’d been in a club, she took one look around and quickly began imitating the dances of various couples surrounding her. Before she knew it, she was lost in the music and having the time of her life.

  Nathan stood, fascinated, as Carissa and her partner became the center of attention. She was by far the best dancer on the floor. As he watched her, his gaze took in every inch of her. Why in the hell would a woman try to hide a body like that?

  “I see you picked out a wild one,” Aria whispered in his ear.

  “Trust me, it’s a news flash for me.”

  “Do you want to head on out there and stir up some of our own trouble?” She wrapped an arm around his waist.

  Nathan exhaled, then turned to face her. “I’m quite happy with the date I brought. But thanks for asking.”

  “It looks to me that she’s content with her partner on the dance floor.”

  “Only because of your trying to bait her into a catfight. Look, Aria, if you value me as a friend, please back off. I’ve told you before that I can only offer you friendship.”

  Her smile faltered. “Well, don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.” Sarcasm laced her voice, but then she quickly made an about-face. “But you’re right. I do value our friendship and I’ll back off. After all, a woman can only take so much rejection.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then went off into the crowd.

  Nathan smiled, pleased that he’d finally taken care of that problem. He then turned his attention back to Carissa. However, after the fourth song, he wondered if she’d ever leave the dance floor.

  When the next song started, her partner gave up trying to keep up with her, but another man was there to take his place. On the seventh song, Nathan cut into the number.

  When she faced him, he couldn’t mistake her look of irritation.

  “Oh, you finally broke away from your Playboy centerfold?” she asked, never skipping a beat of the music.

  “We parted company forty minutes ago,” he informed her with a laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m flattered by your jealousy.”

  She stopped. “I’m not jealous.”

  “Too bad.” He shrugged as she continued to dance. “I know I was while you danced with every man here.”

  His confession caused a shiver of pleasure to race down her spine.

  “Don’t gloat,” he warned, pulling her close. “And don’t rob me of my dance.”

  She laughed, then continued grooving to the music.

  Hours later, Carissa and Nathan decided to have dinner at Sambuca. During their meal, they were entertained by one of Atlanta’s prominent jazz bands and served one of the best meals Carissa had ever tasted.

  “Does your love for jazz come from your stepfather?” she asked him in between the band’s sets.

  “Among other things. He influenced my love for photography as well.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. He bought me my first camera when I was ten. I’ve never been able to put it down since.”

  “Sounds like you owe him a lot.”

  “I do.” He glanced down at his half-eaten dinner. “I know my sudden concern for Travis has hurt him in some ways. I mean, I don’t mean to make it sound as though he’s jealous, but I can tell that he’s hurt.”

  “Sounds a little selfish.”

  Nathan frowned. “I don’t know if selfish is the right word.”

  “I’m sorry. That was uncalled-for. I don’t know him.”

  “It’s okay.” He shrugged off her apology. “I think, in truth, he may feel threatened. It’s understandable, I guess. In a way, I think he saved my mom and me when my father walked out. Times were rough and money was scarce. Had it not been for Smokey, I don’t know what we would have done.”

  Carissa leaned her face against the palm of her hand as she listened.

  “Of course, that’s around the time he gave up his music career. He said that he wasn’t making enough playing in small pubs, and I think he always harbored hopes that he and my mom would eventually h
ave children. But it never happened.”

  “Were you all happy?”

  “I thought so. For a while, anyway. Then my mother suffered with serious bouts of depression. Later, she started drinking. I don’t think she ever got over my real father.”

  Carissa listened quietly as she sipped her drink.

  “She died after washing down a handful of pills with a bottle of vodka. Smokey found her lying on the bathroom floor. The worst part for him was finding a love letter to Travis balled in her fist.”

  Carissa swallowed a lump in her throat. “So she loved him until the end?”

  “Yeah.” Nathan didn’t meet her gaze. He continued to stare at his food.

  “I think I understand why your stepfather feels so threatened.” She reached for his hand.

  “Do you still think I’m doing the right thing? Smokey has already lost my mother. I don’t want him to think that he’s going to lose me, too.”

  “Then you’re going to have to assure him of that. But you also need to seek closure for yourself. Your stepfather has to understand that.”

  Nathan squeezed her hand. “I’m glad we met.”

  Carissa smiled. “I am, too.”

  Chapter 22

  Nathan and Carissa once again stood outside her apartment door.

  Her stomach fluttered in anticipation of a goodnight kiss. Would it feel the same? Would she lie awake just thinking about it? God, she hoped so.

  “Here we are,” he announced, gazing down at her. “Are you as nervous as I am?”

  “You’re nervous?” she asked, astonished. “What do you have to be nervous about?”

  “Are you kidding? The last time I kissed you, you avoided me for a week.” He smiled down at her. “I don’t want that to happen again.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that. I really had a good time tonight.”

  “Does that mean you’ll see me again?”

  “Only if you shut up and kiss me.”

  Her gaze watched his lips as his head descended. And when they landed against hers, it was everything she’d hoped for and more. The gentle invasion of his tongue sent ripples of pleasure through her entire body. When their kiss deepened, her arms slid around his neck to pull him closer. She wanted to savor each moment.