False Pretenses

by Tressie Lockwood

  He nodded, his expression matter-of-fact.

  “Can anyone get in on this conversation, or should we give you two time alone?” Piper snapped from across the table. Emma bumped her shoulder, but Piper glared at Alyssa.

  Like I want to steal your fake-ass man.

  She managed to retrieve her hand from Cullen’s grasp and twisted in her seat to meet Nathan’s furious stare. “How do you know him?”

  She opened and closed her mouth a few times. Had he seen Cullen touch her? No, he couldn’t have. Something told her Nathan would have put Cullen on the floor, but that would take his act too far. “He was the guy on the beach.”

  Nathan set his cloth napkin on the table, and she grabbed his arm.

  “Nothing happened.” Why was she defending herself? He had no right to question her. Well, not entirely. Then she got it. This wasn’t about her. Cullen had arrived pretending to be Piper’s boyfriend, yet he kept hitting on Alyssa. Nathan wouldn’t stand for that kind of treatment of his sister.

  The tedious dinner stretched on with Alyssa focused on Nathan, leaning into him and hanging on his every word, the devoted girlfriend. He reciprocated the affection, but a sixth sense told her his anger hadn’t cooled, perhaps directed at her and at Cullen. After a dessert of double chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream, which she refused, the family and their guests returned to the living room.

  “Dad, are you okay?” Piper said, and Alyssa tightened the hand she’d laid on Nathan’s arm. The muscles beneath it tensed. She glanced over at Leo, who appeared paler than earlier.

  The older man forced a smile. “I’m just happy my little girl has found someone. Maybe there are grandchildren in our future, Lydia, from both our son and daughter.”

  Lydia clapped her hands together. “Yes, isn’t it wonderful?”

  Cullen slid to the edge of his seat. “Hold on, I—”

  “It’s been a good day for us, darling.” Lydia stood and strolled to Leo’s side. “I think we should leave the rest of the evening to the young people.”

  “You’re right!”

  Alyssa didn’t like how he seemed hopeful they would all get up to making those grandchildren the second they were alone. As soon as the door closed behind his parents, Nathan sat back in his seat and took Alyssa’s hand in his. He laced his fingers with hers, but he didn’t look at her. All of his attention lay on Piper. His sister fidgeted in her chair, Emma stared out the window, eyes glazed, and Cullen snuggled close to Piper’s side in a belated attempt to appear the besotted idiot.

  “So,” Nathan began, the word somehow a warning no one could mistake, “why are you pretending to be my sister’s boyfriend?”

  Gasps sounded all around the room, including Alyssa’s. She couldn’t believe Nathan had called Cullen out for a liar. If nothing else, she thought he would believe the man a no-good cheating bastard who couldn’t keep his attention on the woman at his side.

  “E-Excuse me?” Cullen stuttered.

  Why had she been attracted to him?

  “I said”—Nathan’s gaze shifted to Cullen, shutting the man up with a glance, and then back to Piper—“why have you lied to Mom and Dad, Piper?”

  Talk about calling the kettle black. “Nathan,” Alyssa chided, “leave her alone.”

  They waited for Piper to speak, but instead she jumped to her feet and ran out of the room.

  “Piper!” Emma started after her, but Alyssa cut her off.

  “I’ll go talk to her.” What’s gotten into me? Emma stepped back.

  Alyssa found Piper at the end of the hall, but instead of tears, as she expected, her lips were compressed into a straight line, and her eyes almost crackled with fire. I don’t need this drama. “Piper, are you okay?”

  “Get my brother to back off.”

  “Whoa.” Alyssa held up her hands. “Look, I have nothing to do with this. It’s between you and your family. What I want to know is why, when you were so close to coming clean with your mother, you didn’t do it.”

  Confusion colored the woman’s face and then cleared. “You overheard us talking this morning.”

  “Couldn’t help it. I was on the way to breakfast.”

  “I wondered why…Never mind. Just talk to Nathan. If he doesn’t stop acting like he’s going to rip Cullen apart, we can’t keep the act up.”

  Alyssa tapped her foot. “I don’t know why you think you can command me and I’m supposed to jump.”

  Piper gritted her teeth. “Please.”

  “Of all people to bring here.” She tried again to reason with the woman. “Why don’t you tell them the truth? You’re an adult, aren’t you? I think Nathan said you’re twenty-four.”

  Piper snorted. “I’ll never be an adult in my parents’ eyes.”

  “No, you’ll never be an adult until you start acting like one.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  For some reason that hurt, given she had no parents, but she didn’t think Piper meant it that way. “No, I don’t, and I don’t give a damn either. Handle your business.”

  She turned on her heel and marched away. Piper didn’t try to stop her and didn’t return to the living room. After some time, Emma jumped up from her seat and left without a word. Alyssa sighed.

  Nathan rose and approached the wet bar. He poured himself a drink and looked toward Alyssa. She shook her head. He didn’t attempt to serve Cullen. When neither Piper nor Emma returned, Cullen stood. “Perhaps it’s best I leave for now.”

  Nathan downed his drink. “Better yet. Don’t come near my family again.”

  Cullen scowled, started to say something, and thought better of it. He faced Alyssa instead. “Alyssa, it was great seeing you again. Please, when you’re back in New York, look me up.”

  “She won’t.”

  “Nathan, enough!” She moved ahead of him to escort Cullen to the door. Aziz appeared from nowhere to open it, and all of them froze. Rain poured in great sheets, and the sky hung heavy with dark clouds. Even before Aziz could respond, a gale wind swept in and almost whipped Alyssa off her feet. Nathan’s arm came around her waist, and he hauled her back to his chest. Not for the first time, she appreciated his strength.

  “You may stay until this is over,” he said with grudging acceptance. Alyssa suspected if Cullen had been alone, Nathan would have kicked him out into the storm. He didn’t have such strong feelings against the man’s sister. Even still, Alyssa considered Nathan’s attitude blown out of proportion. Raising his voice might have been better than the cold treatment he displayed right then.

  On Nathan’s orders, Aziz went off to inform Talia of the guests sticking around, maybe even spending the night. Alyssa decided to leave the two scowling men in the foyer and to go find the women. She rounded a corner, hearing voices, and came upon Piper crying at Emma’s words.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t take it anymore. You’re ashamed of me, and I deserve better. We’re through. I’m leaving.”

  Alyssa moaned and approached them. “I guess you haven’t heard. There’s a storm. We’re all getting cozy tonight.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Alyssa woke from her sleep with a start. She lay on Nathan’s chest and felt the slow rise and fall that said he hadn’t roused. What had she heard to disturb her? A shout? The clock on the bedside table read three a.m. She climbed from the bed and tiptoed to the balcony doors to pull the curtains aside. From the look of things, the storm had passed. Down the beach, someone stumbled along. She frowned. Don’t tell me that idiot woman is out there pining over her girlfriend.

  She checked the bed behind her, and the memory of lying in Nathan’s arms washed over her. The pull came on too strong, driving her to want to stay at his side or feel him on top of her again like they’d done earlier. No, she couldn’t do that knowing Piper wandered outside with a broken heart. No one in her family knew the truth, so waking someone else seemed pointless. She doesn’t even like me!

  Grumbling, Alyssa pulled on the clothing she’d discarded whe
n she and Nathan came upstairs to bed. She chose flip-flops for easy removal once she walked on the sand and then left the room. Outside, a cool wind stirred her hair. She pushed the tendrils away as she scanned the beach. Piper had disappeared. With a sigh, Alyssa turned to walk around to the front of the house, but movement to her left stopped her. Someone else was out here. She was sure she’d seen the hulking figure of a man. Fear tightened the muscles in her throat, and she forced a swallow. Time to go back in the house, where safety lay.

  Clouds drifted in the sky, allowing the moon to shine brighter and illuminate the beach even more. The gentle waves lapped at the shore, giving a creepy and a peaceful feel to the night. She took a few steps back to the house, and then an unmistakable shout rang out. That had been Piper.

  Alyssa ran in the direction she’d heard the woman, and this time she spotted Piper standing up from the sand. She swayed on her feet, and Alyssa shook her head. Drunk at three in the morning and on the beach. Talk about dangerous.

  “Piper!” Alyssa picked up the pace, but the wet sand dragged at her feet and seemed deeper than previous days she’d walked there. She gained ground on the woman and opened her mouth to call out again when something jerked her from behind. She went down hard, the wind knocked out of her chest.

  “Alyssa, are you okay?”

  She froze. “Cullen, what are you doing out here?”

  He squatted beside her, serene as if they had run into each other during the day and not the middle of the night, as if he hadn’t just stopped her from helping Piper. Her heart hammered, and her mouth had gone dry. A buzzing in her head made it feel like she’d pass out any second, but by force of will, she struggled to calm down.

  “I was forced to spend the night, remember?”

  She peered over her shoulder in the direction she’d seen Piper. The woman had disappeared again. “I have to go. I think Piper’s upset and drunk. It’s not safe out here for her.”

  “Yeah, even a peaceful place like this can bring trouble for a woman.”

  She eyed him, wondering if he meant someone other than Piper—like her. Did he hold it against her that much because she’d turned him down? The man should be able to get any woman he wanted.

  “I’m glad you understand.” She stood, but he grabbed her arm. A jerk away didn’t unsettle his grip, and she frowned at him. “Let me go, Cullen.”

  “Come riding on my boat with me.”

  “Are you nuts? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Best time. No one will disturb us.”

  “I don’t think so. Now let me go before I scream.”

  For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t, but he released his clasp and stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. “See? I’m not a bad guy.”

  You so are. I know that now.

  Rather than go on to find Piper, she started back to the house. Better to wake Nathan and tell him the truth so he could help his sister. The hair stood at her nape, and her muscles ached feeling like any second Cullen would grab her again. She made it to the back door of Nathan’s house and stepped through into the cooler interior. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a hand slammed over her mouth from behind, followed by an arm around her waist. She screamed, but he muffled the noise and hauled her backward.

  Alyssa clutched at the doorframe. If he got her outside, her chances of getting away would decrease. She kicked at his legs with no effect and tried biting the hand. He ground harder, and she tasted the metallic flavor of blood. Tears wet her cheeks. Fear closed her throat, and panic made it hard to think.

  “Let go, Alyssa,” he whispered in her ear. “We’re going to have fun.”

  You’re insane. Nathan, please…

  Her fingers, burning with the effort to hold on, lost all strength. Cullen jerked her up into his arms, and she managed to wrench her mouth away. Sucking in a deep breath, she prepared to scream, but the crack across her cheek sent her head knocking into his collarbone.

  “You want to try that again?” The ringing in her ears made it hard to hear him. “Now, we’re going for a little ride. You’ll like the boat. It’s not as big as Nathan’s, but I’ve had some extras built in that are much better than anything he has.”

  He tangled his hand in her hair and yanked. She whimpered. When they stepped off the patio and onto the path, hope ebbed, but the next thing she knew, she lay on the ground facedown. A scuffle ensued behind her. She rolled over and cried in relief to see Nathan. In slacks, bare chested and barefooted, her lover lifted Cullen to his toes with one hand wrapped around his neck and pounded a fist into the man’s face. When Cullen went down, Nathan followed and drove blow after blow into his jaw. Cullen flailed about and then went still.

  Nathan stood and hurried to her side. He took her into his arms. “Are you okay, baby?”

  “I-I’m fine.” She did all she could not to cry again, but failed.

  He crushed her in his embrace and let her get it out.

  “I don’t understand why he obsessed over getting me to go on his yacht. It doesn’t even make sense. Why me? Oh no, I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Nathan walked with her in his arms toward the house, and lights came on in several rooms. Aziz appeared in the doorway. She buried her face against Nathan’s neck.

  “Call the police,” Nathan barked, “and bring him inside so he doesn’t get away.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did Felix stay because of the storm?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Wake him. I’m taking Alyssa to the hospital.”

  She raised her head. “No, I said I’m fine. I just need to get cleaned up.” The memory of his sister came back. “Piper! She was outside. Someone needs to go get her.”

  Nathan paled, but Talia appeared in the exit to the hall. “She’s inside. Miss James found her at the front of the house.”

  “She’s not hurt?” Nathan demanded.

  “No, sir. Just…” The maid seemed embarrassed.

  “Drunk.” Lydia bustled in. “What’s all the noise about down here? Why is everyone awake? Thank goodness I gave Leo his pain medicine. It knocks him out until morning.”

  “I apologize, Mom. Cullen attacked Alyssa, and I need to get her to our room so I can be sure she’s okay.”

  Lydia’s hand flew to her chest, and she sagged against Talia, who wrapped an arm about her employer. “I can’t believe he would do such a thing. Are you sure? We’ve known him and his family for years. Why would he?”

  Nathan’s lips tightened, and Alyssa had the impression he knew a lot more than he chose to say about Cullen’s motives. “We’ll talk later. For now, I need to take care of Alyssa.”

  He carried her past the two women, down the hall, and up to their room.

  “Put me down. I can walk.”

  He ignored her and sat on the bed with her on his lap. His hands explored her body, checking, she assumed, for broken bones or any other injuries. When he touched her cheek, she winced in pain and drew away.

  “That asshole will die!” He started to put her aside, but she clung to him.

  “No, stay with me, please.” Tremors took hold of her body from every direction. She nuzzled into him, trying to stop them. “I hate this. It’s not as bad as this reaction is making it seem.”

  “Shh, you were traumatized. The reaction is normal. I’m here, and I’m not going to leave you.”

  For a long while, he held her in his arms. The noise of car doors shutting outside roused Alyssa, and just when the shaking had eased, dread rose in her belly again. She’d have to recite to the police everything that happened and relive it.

  Nathan rose and put her on the bed. “Sit here just a moment. I’m going to tell them to take Cullen and that you’ll give a statement in the morning. Then I’ll come back and help you clean up.”

  She nodded, but when he left, she made her way to the bathroom on her own and showered. By the time Nathan returned, she stood naked in front of the mirror surveying her face. A bruise had begu
n to form, and her swollen cheek squinted one eye. The split on her lip had stopped bleeding at least.

  “What kind of vacation is this?” She shut her eyes to keep from giving in to another bout of tears. Nathan moved up behind her and encircled her in a warm embrace.

  “I’m sorry, Alyssa. You deserve better than this.”

  She turned in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “I told you to wait for me.”

  “I can take care of myself—mostly.” A sob rose, but she pushed it down.

  “Come on. Let me get you in bed.”

  With gentle care, he had her ensconced beneath the sheets and then went to shower himself. She shivered until he returned, and he pulled her into his arms.

  “Nathan.”

  “You should sleep, Alyssa. I’ll hold you until you wake.”

  She pushed at his chest and sat up. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me. I don’t want to get into your business, but since it affected me, I think I have a right to know.”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking away. “We have history, Cullen and I.”

  “What kind of history?”

  Still he hesitated.

  “Nathan?”

  “Five years ago, there was a woman, someone who…attracted me. I did what I had to do to get her.”

  Alyssa stared. “What does that mean?” Her chest hurt. She wanted to take back asking him about this.

  He rose from the bed and threw on a robe, then paced to the balcony doors. “Her name was Monica Devereaux. I seduced her. I told her whatever she wanted to hear just to get her to agree to have sex with me.”

  She cringed. “A lot of men do that. It sucks, but most women recognize the game and choose to either go along with it or tell the man to fuck off.”

  He sighed. “I wish it was that simple or that it ended there. The fact is…”

  He swore and looked away from the beach to her. The raw expression on his face took her breath away—a mixture between regret and love. Did he still have feelings for this woman after so long? Maybe she’d told him where to stuff it and left his ass when she realized he didn’t want a relationship.