Web of Lies

by Sara Dailey

  Relieved, I covered her hand with mine and brought hers to my lips. “Want to tell me what happened?” I asked as I continued to rain little kisses along the inside of her palm.

  “No,” she replied as a wobbly smile spread across her face. “Tell me about your day.”

  I took a deep breath and lowered our hands to my leg. As we sat there by the fire together, I told Scarlett everything. I told her about the Sheriff and my dad’s car, about Marcus’s meltdown, and about seeing Michelle and Taylor at the grocery store. I told her how the worst part had been the way Marcus had been convinced that my father was dead and had switched his concern from finding my father to finding out which pack was after us.

  As soon as I mentioned that Marcus believed that my father was dead, Scarlett broke down again. Tears poured freely from her eyes, and I was at a complete loss. I had absolutely no idea what the hell to do. This is one of those times when not having a mother, sisters, or any other girls in my life really showed. The way she just sat there crying into her hands scared the shit out of me. I wanted to fix this for her, but I had two problems. I didn’t know what was wrong or what to do about it. So, I broke down the situation. First, she was still wet and would surely feel better in some dry clothes. That was a problem that I could solve.

  “I’m going to get you some dry clothes,” I muttered before shifting her off my lap and leaning over to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” I stood up and walked over to the stairs. I stopped when I got to the landing and looked back, she was still in the same position. Now I kind of felt like I was abandoning her when she needed me. Shit! I considered go back but had promised her dry clothes. God, this was confusing. Taking the steps two at a time, I hurried into my room. I opened my dresser drawer and pulled out a T-shirt for me and a long-sleeved thermal for Scarlett.

  I pulled my shirt over my head and hurried into my bathroom to grab Scarlett a towel when I heard her soft, hesitant footsteps on the stairs. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I turned and walked back into my room and stood there listening to her walk down the hall toward my room.

  “I got cold,” she said when she saw me standing there. She looked so lost and sad that it tore at my heart. I couldn’t stand to see her that way, and I only knew one way to make her feel better. I had promised myself that I would take things with Scarlett slowly, a promise that would surely be broken if she continued to look at me that way. Whatever was passing between us was too intense, and if she didn’t look away soon, she would be out of those wet clothes faster than anticipated.

  Without breaking eye contact, she asked, “Can I come in?”

  “Oh sorry, of course,” I muttered as I moved aside so that she could enter.

  She wandered around my room, picking up pictures and looking at the books that lined my bookcases. She smiled when she noticed a picture of my father and me when I was about eight, but all too soon, her face fell and she looked sad all over again. I wanted to take her mind off whatever had caused that look, so I moved toward her and said, “You know something, you are the first girl who has ever been in my room.”

  Scarlett stopped what she was doing, her hands dropped to her side, and she looked at me with raised eyebrows “Seriously?”

  “Another first,” I whispered.

  “What does that mean?” she asked, now looking thoroughly confused.

  I crossed the room to be near her. “It’s nothing. I just realized I’ve been experiencing quite a few of firsts with you,” I admitted, enjoying the delicate blush that crept up her cheeks. We were now standing toe-to-toe, the chemistry between us nearly visible and my bed only inches away.

  My eyes traveled up her still-damp jeans to the half-zipped hoodie and her T-shirt that clung to her chest. Immediately, images of last night flashed into my mind. My eyes roamed their way up past her neck to her lips. I paused there and watched as she drew her bottom lip into the warmth of her mouth, then bit down gently on it. There was no hiding how completely aroused I’d become in that moment. As soon as my eyes reached hers, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

  My lips met hers, gently at first, but grew more intense within seconds. Without breaking our kiss, I slid her hoodie off her shoulders leaving her in only a thin v-neck T-shirt. My lips traveled down her neck to the swell of her breasts as my hands found the hem of her shirt. In one smooth motion, I lifted her shirt over her head, wrapped her in my arms, and lay us both on my bed.

  Scarlett ran her hands up my shirt and let out a small whimper as her fingertips swept over my heated skin. With a new sense of urgency, Scarlett tugged at my shirt until I allowed her to pull it off of me. Our kisses reached a new level of desperation as she rubbed herself against my erection, and I knew that if she wanted me tonight, there was no way in hell I could slow us down.

  My hand found the top of her jeans, and after I unbuttoned them, I slid down the bed and helped her remove them. As I made my way back up, I took my time exploring and tasting her entire body. When I came to a certain highly sensitive spot, Scarlett froze.

  “A first?” I smiled, looking up at her. I paused for a moment, giving her a chance to stop me if she wasn’t ready, but she didn’t. Instead, she nodded. In record time, her sexy black panties were on the floor next to her jeans. She threaded her fingers in my hair and let her head fall back against the bed. I took my time, enjoying every moan, whimper, and shutter that came from Scarlett’s delectable body.

  When I kissed my way back up to her face, she looked worried. “Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck.

  “I’ve never…I mean…this is my first.”

  “You’re a virgin?” I asked cupping her face in my hands so that she’d look me in the eyes.

  She bit her bottom lip again and then murmured, “Yeah.”

  I slid off to the side of her and propped myself up on my elbow.

  “Luke, don’t.”

  I gently kissed her lips before I said, “We should slow down and wait until you are ready.”

  “I am ready,” she said, reaching for me.

  I tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her neck. “Scarlett, baby, I want you to be sure, because in a way it’s my first time too.”

  “What do you mean?” Her eyes locked with mine, and I couldn’t believe what I was about to admit, but it was the truth.

  “I’ve never been with anyone that I truly…cared about.”

  Scarlett smiled, and her eyes softened as she ran her hand down my face. “You’re shivering.”

  “You seem to have that effect on me,” I said before kissing her gently on the lips. Scarlett put her hands on my chest, and before I realized what she was doing, she’d rolled me over to my back and shifted her body so that she was lying on top of me.

  “I want you, Luke Stanton,” she whispered breathlessly as she pressed herself against me.

  The moment those words left her lips, I’d flipped her on her back and was looking down into her big, brown eyes. “You already have me, Scarlett. I’m all yours.”

  CHAPTER 42

  Drew

  I’d overheard the argument between Brian and Scarlett last night. Well it wasn’t as much of an argument as it was an awakening for Scarlett, I’d hoped. But when she ran out of here last night and didn’t come home, I knew we were in trouble. There was only one place an upset Scarlett would run: straight into Luke’s arms. Originally, that was exactly where we wanted her to be, but now it had become the last place she needed to be.

  I’d spent half the night listening to Brian retell the evening like I wasn’t in the other room to hear the whole thing and the other half waiting for Scarlett to return. She needed to be convinced that what she thought she felt for the meathead wasn’t real. It was fabricated. We fabricated it. It was part of the plan. She just wasn’t the one who was supposed to fall for it; he was. I knew Scarlett was getting too attached. I warned her, and I warned Brian. If she ruined this, if she ended up putting the future of my pack in dang
er, I would…

  The lock on the front door shifted, so I stood ready to knock some sense into this girl if I needed to. “We need to talk,” I said flatly when Scarlett walked through the door.

  Scarlett, looking like she had just been busted replied, “What do you want, Drew?”

  I took another step toward her, well aware that my nearness made her nervous. “I heard what you told your father last night.”

  “And?” she asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

  “Have you lost your mind Scar? Didn’t we just have this conversation? I clearly remember discussing just how much Luke is going to despise you when this is all over.”

  Scarlett tried to walk passed me, but there was no way I was letting that happen. I grabbed her arm and flung her up against the wall, causing a picture that hung nearby to crash to the floor. Trapping her between my arms, I got up in her face and took a deep breath. I could smell the sex they had last night and probably again this morning. That combined with the fresh scent of fear I was causing turned me on.

  I ran the tip of my nose down her neck and inhaled deeply again before I spoke. “You listen to me, Scarlett. I don’t care about your feelings for Luke. I don’t care if you think you love him. I don’t care if you have suddenly grown a conscience and decided that what we are doing here is wrong. It doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is my pack. If you care about your father, your brother, Luke, you will keep your big mouth shut. Do you understand?”

  Scarlett tried to duck under my arms, but I grabbed her tightly by the arms before she could escape. She attempted to wiggle out of my grasp, so I tightened my grip, digging my nails into her skin. “If I find out that you have said anything, I will pick up that phone and end Phillip’s life.”

  Scarlett’s eyes widened and tears pooled in her eyes.

  “I’m glad that something finally got your attention. Now, if you don’t want Luke to end up blaming you for the death of his father, you need to keep your end of the bargain and your mouth shut.”

  The first of many tears fell from her eyes as she pulled free and rushed passed me. I knew she wanted to run to her room and lock herself away, so I blocked her path to the stairs. She took off through the house and out the back door. I had said all that needed to be said, but decided to chase her down was just for the fun of it. Maybe since she wasn’t the flirty little virgin tease anymore, I’d just have to show her what it was like to be dominated by the alpha.

  Scarlett was clearing the back patio when I grabbed her by the back of her jeans. She whirled around, and with both hands on my chest, she pushed me back, yelling, “God damn it! Drew Barnes, I swear to God! You better back the fuck off of me, or I will—”

  “You’ll what? I could bend you over and take you right here on the patio, and you wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it,” I warned, cutting her off. Suddenly, a movement in the trees behind Scarlett grabbed my full attention.

  “What?” Scarlett asked, sensing that something was wrong.

  I mentioned toward the woods with a nod of my head. Scarlett turned and saw what I was already focused on. A wolf. Not an ordinary wolf. A werewolf, who was close enough to have heard Scarlett call me Drew. A wolf whose identity and scent, from this distance, couldn’t be detected.

  Scarlett turned back to me with a look of pure panic in her eyes.

  “Go inside and take a shower. You reek,” I said coldly.

  I stood there in the backyard and zeroed in on the wolf, who surprisingly stood stock-still staring right back at me. Finally it raised its nose into the air and ran off in the direction of the lake. Only then did I go inside.

  CHAPTER 43

  Scarlett

  I’d been locked in my room for hours. After I took a quick shower, I’d curled up in the middle of the floor and hadn’t had it in me to move. Ever since I’d spotted the wolf in the woods, my mind had been in a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and an outright panic. In under an hour, I went from dancing on cloud nine when I woke up in Luke’s arms; to murderous rage when Drew threatened Phillip’s life; to being completely panic-stricken after being caught red-handed by a mystery wolf. It could have been anyone, and if he heard what I thought he had, I was in some deep shit.

  When I ran to Luke’s last night, I had every intention of telling him the truth. He deserved to know everything that I knew. He deserved to know that I suspected that my pack had his father. That I believed that he was either already dead or that they were holding him for insurance. But I knew my pack well, and I knew that if they could use someone to get what they wanted they would, which meant there was a very good chance that Phillip was still alive. I wanted to be strong for Luke. I was willing to risk my life to help save his father. I knew when the truth left my lips it would mean a death sentence for me.

  But my father was right. I was selfish and even more than that, weak. When I saw the broken look in Luke’s eyes, I couldn’t find the words. I couldn’t do it. But not because I was scared of what my alpha would do when he found out I’d betrayed my pack. The truth was that I was terrified Luke would never look at me again the way he looked at me when I stood there dripping wet in the doorway of his bedroom.

  My skin broke out in chill bumps as I remembered the way his eyes devoured every inch of my body, the way I melted into his arms, they way I pushed all thoughts aside and allowed myself to get lost in the moment. How could something be so right yet so wrong at the same time? I wanted him. I needed him, and I didn’t want my first time to be tainted by the lies I’d told or the truths I’d chosen to keep hidden, but it was.

  I closed my eyes, envisioning our night together. The gentleness of his touch, the fire in his eyes, the fierceness in his kiss. Nothing had ever felt more perfect. I had been so wrapped up in the moment that everything else in the world just faded away. But then the colossal shit storm that I’d created all came to a head as soon as I saw Drew’s wicked grin this morning. It was like he knew exactly what had happened and planned to use it to his advantage.

  Now I was stuck. If I told Luke the truth, Drew would have Phillip killed, and there wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t believe him. He’d do it just to spite me. Then again, if I knew Drew and his father, they would use Phillip for all he’s worth first and then probably kill him anyway. God, what the hell was I supposed to do? Odds were they’d kill me too.

  I needed to talk to Gavin. No, if I called him, he would surely come running out here to my rescue and probably make everything even worse. I couldn't drag him into this mess; I needed to figure this out on my own. I’d screwed up royally, and though I was quite sure there was no way out of it, I needed to decide the best way to proceed. I should have told Luke the truth, but I didn’t. I should have never slept with him, but I did. Yet there was a huge part of me that didn’t regret it. I wanted to. More than anything, I wanted to give myself to him. There was no denying that I was falling in love with him, which made it hurt so much worse knowing he could never love me in return if he knew the truth. And he would, sooner or later. And that was why it was a mistake. I was hiding too much. There were too many lies entwined in this twisted web I’d woven.

  But there was nothing I could do about any of that now. All I could do was accept the fact that I’d fucked up and now needed to figure out what to do and somehow manage to not get anyone killed in the process.

  Lost in thought, I practically jumped out of my skin when my father began pounding on my door. “Scarlett, unlock this damn door. You’ve been in here all day.”

  I scrambled over to the door, sure he wouldn’t hesitate to knock it off its hinges if I didn’t act fast enough. Slowly I pulled the door open and stared into the cruel eyes of my father. There was no love there, no concern, no sympathy.

  He grabbed my arm and yanked me through the door and into the hall. “You need to get your shit together. You look like hell.” When I didn’t respond, he continued. “You have ten minutes to clean up and head over to Luke’s. Slap a smile on your face
and get to work. We need to know what’s going on.”

  Tearing my eyes from his gaze, I turned to head back into my room, but he wrapped his hand around my wrist, pulling me to a halt. “Listen carefully, Scarlett. I’m trusting that you’ll do the right thing here. You better keep your mouth shut. If you even think about telling Luke or anyone else why we are really here, I won’t be able to save you…or Phillip Stanton. Be smart about this. Play your part, and you just might get out of this alive.”

  I didn’t respond. There wasn’t anything to say. My own father just admitted that he wouldn’t stop our alpha from killing me. When it came down to it, his pack was more important that his own child. I just stood there in the hallway, completely numb. Without another word, he walked away.

  I did what he asked. I got dressed, pulled my damp hair into a ponytail, and put on a bit of powder and mascara. I stepped back from the mirror and looked myself over. My eyes were sad, bloodshot, and puffy. I put a few drops of Visine in my eyes and dabbed a bit of concealer under them. After I added more powder, some shimmery eye shadow, and eyeliner, I looked a little less pitiful, but none of it hid the sorrow lurking behind all of the makeup.

  When I walked into the kitchen, both Drew and my father stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I didn’t make eye contact or say a word. Instead, I grabbed a frozen pizza out of the freezer and a two-liter of Coke from the fridge, and I walked out the front door.

  CHAPTER 44

  Luke

  Scarlett showed up with a frozen pizza and some soda claiming that she wanted to make me dinner. Scarlett didn’t need a reason to come over, and I would have called and asked her to come over after my meeting tonight anyway, but I had a feeling that she came over so early because she needed to get away from her house, her father in particular. I still didn’t know what they’d fought about, but it must have been pretty bad. It sucked that things were so bad for her at home, and I wished that she felt like she could share that with me. I guess I couldn’t blame her though. Our relationship was still so new and there were plenty of things that I hadn’t told her either.