False Pretenses

by Tressie Lockwood

  Alyssa blinked up at him. “You know a judge?”

  “I do.”

  She stared at him a little while longer, and he knew she did some judging of her own for the lifestyle he led. Never in his life had he questioned how he lived or even the money he had until he met Alyssa. If he were an average Joe, would she stay with him? Wait, what am I thinking here?

  “Well, some have called me flighty,” his mother said, “but I’m not stupid. You don’t seem to be broken up over Cullen’s betrayal, Piper.”

  His sister turned from the window. “I don’t hate her enough to want her hurt, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  Nathan clenched his jaw and uttered in a low warning, “No one assumed you hated Alyssa at all.”

  Piper’s gaze shifted from their parents to him, and he saw the fear. Her fingers gripped the arms of her chair, and then she straightened her back. “He wasn’t my boyfriend.”

  No one spoke. He hoped she wouldn’t leave the pronouncement there.

  “Emma was my girlfriend.”

  His mother waved her hand, and Nathan figured she thought Piper meant in the sense of being a friend who was female. The two women had been that way for years, and no one needed it pointed out.

  Piper licked her lips and glanced at Alyssa. Now he went on alert.

  “Emma was my girlfriend…I mean, she was my lover. Not Cullen.”

  His dad started in surprise, his mother’s hand flew to her mouth, but there was no reaction from the woman at his side. He raised the hand he held on Alyssa’s shoulder and tangled fingers in her hair. She shivered, and he let a few strands flow between his digits. So his sister was gay. A number of past incidents sped through his mind, clues to her preference, and while he wasn’t sure what he felt about her announcement, Alyssa remained at the forefront of his concerns.

  “Piper, I don’t understand this,” his mother complained, sounding tearful.

  His dad hadn’t said a word, and from the set of his mouth, he wouldn’t anytime soon. The feminine voices rose. Nathan blew out a sigh and leaned forward.

  “Enough!”

  Both women fell silent midsentence. His mother glared at him in reproach, but he ignored it. Piper’s gaze accused him of siding with his mother, which was ridiculous given he hadn’t voiced an opinion. “Mom, don’t you think you should discuss this later?”

  Alyssa popped to attention. “Oh, I can get out of your way.”

  He dragged her back to his side. “Not you,” he growled.

  His mother cast a fleeting glance at his father. “You’re right. Piper, you just took us by surprise. Let’s talk about it later and have a nice, enjoyable time on Alyssa’s last day.”

  Piper stood. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Because I was too scared to tell you the truth, Emma broke up with me. I’m going to go talk to her to get her back.”

  “Piper, don’t you dare,” his mother screeched.

  His sister apologized again, surprising him. For the first time, even while she defied their parents, she appeared more mature than he’d ever seen her. She wasn’t throwing a fit or being rebellious. She respectfully disagreed with their parents while holding to her decision. He admired her for that, and something told him the desirable little imp beside him had a hand in it. Maybe he should keep her.

  After Piper vacated the room, he stood as well and pulled Alyssa to her feet. “If you’ll excuse us, Mom and Dad, I need to talk to Alyssa alone. Okay if we meet back here around dinnertime?”

  His dad laid a hand over his mother’s. “Go ahead, son. Mom and I will be fine.”

  Nathan heard the anger in his tone and considered staying, but left them to it. He led Alyssa out to the back of the house, and the two of them removed their shoes.

  “You’re going to ruin your pants,” she chided.

  “I’m rolling them up.”

  She chuckled, but it seemed a bit hollow. “I thought you had a business meeting dressed like that.”

  “I did. I canceled.”

  She straightened, and she’d never looked more beautiful in the simple white sundress. He took her hand and led her out to the beach. A breeze stirred her hair, and he pushed it back only to have it cover one eye again. Already the swelling on her cheek had begun to recede, but the bruising remained. He needed to work harder to protect her. Maybe as an official boyfriend, he would have that right on an ongoing basis.

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  Her eyes widened. “Knew what?”

  “Don’t play coy, Alyssa. Piper’s admission didn’t surprise you. Why?”

  She sighed. “I caught them talking in the restaurant when we went shopping. She and Emma were arguing, and Emma begged her to tell you and your parents. Piper thought I was going to tell you, but it wasn’t my secret to reveal. I did end up advising her to start acting like a woman and not a spoiled child.”

  He nodded. So he’d been correct guessing Alyssa’s influence. “I want us to make it real between us,” he blurted.

  His sudden change of subject appeared to catch her off guard. She stared at him. “What?”

  He reached out and tugged her to him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. “I said, I want us to make this real. I want you to be mine—on a long-term basis.”

  “Yours?”

  She stepped out of his hold and turned to walk down the beach. He followed, frustration eating at him. When he reached her, he fell into step beside her rather than force her into his arms. The crease between her eyebrows said she struggled with his suggestion. Perhaps she couldn’t look beyond his past after all, and he couldn’t blame her.

  “Alyssa—”

  “We already had this discussion, Nathan. I told you. I’m not going to be your mistress. The mere thought of it denotes you taking care of me financially and me giving it up in exchange.”

  “Who said anything about you being my mistress?”

  She stopped walking. “Well what were you talking about?”

  He hitched his shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pockets. She’d been right. The pants he’d rolled up had uncurled, and now the ends were crusted with wet sand. Forget the pants. This is your chance. Being nervous with a woman was foreign. He’d always commanded control and set the pace of the relationship, if one existed. No, that was just it. He’d never had a relationship per se, but keeping Alyssa in his life dictated it.

  “I want you as my girlfriend as well as my lover.”

  Her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. She stuttered unintelligible words for a few moments, and he began to hope she would say yes. After all, she understood what he wanted, which he dared to guess was what she desired as well.

  “No.”

  His world fell apart. “Come again?”

  She took a step back from him as if she suspected he would attack. A rush of—was it pain?—constricted his chest. He would never hurt her, and it killed him to think she’d fear him. “Alyssa.”

  She held up her hands to ward him off when he raised his to touch her. He stopped midmotion. The full lips thinned, and the jaw set. Her narrowed gaze never left his face. “I did it for the money.”

  He blinked. “What money?”

  “I did it for the money,” she repeated. “I came here and pretended to be your girlfriend for twenty thousand dollars to save my bookstore.”

  What she said might as well be gibberish. “I didn’t offer to pay you.”

  “I know that, damn it!” Her hands slid to her hips. “When Trinity couldn’t come, or rather her boyfriend had a problem with it, I offered to instead in exchange for a loan from her to help me make some updates to my store. I didn’t tell you, and I asked her not to tell you because it’s my business, and—”

  “You thought I would look down on you. Do you think so little of me?”

  “Of course not.”

  “You didn’t sleep with me because—”

  The intensity of her scowl cut off his words. “I’m not selling my
body for anybody! The sex was good, and I did it because we were attracted to each other. I don’t deny that, but that’s just where it has to end. I’m sorry, Nathan. I like you, but there can’t be any more between us. Please, I want to go home.”

  So there it was. The first time he’d offered a woman more, and she turned him down. He couldn’t say he didn’t see it coming. In her own way, Alyssa was prejudiced, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to change it. He would miss her. Even as she walked ahead of him to the house, he saw his hope ebb and die, and defeat weighed heavy on his shoulders.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “So you turned him down?”

  “Trin, don’t look at me like that,” Alyssa complained and shifted the food on her plate from one side to the other. They sat having lunch, but Alyssa hadn’t taken more than a couple bites of the juicy steak. She really should since her cousin footed the bill. “I did the right thing for me.”

  “The right thing?” Her cousin shook her head, disbelief plain in her expression. “You click with the sexiest man alive—Curtis aside. He’s rich, generous, and wants to be with you, and the right thing to do is turn him down? I don’t get that. Please explain it to me.”

  Alyssa grunted. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.”

  Alyssa spread her hands, trying to think of the right words. “We come from two different worlds…”

  “And you’re intimidated by his.”

  “What!”

  “You feel like you don’t fit in and never will.”

  “I don’t get why you’re saying that, Trinity. I thought you were on my side.”

  Her cousin said nothing to this.

  “Okay, let me explain. We went to this party, and he said it was a beach party. I assumed it would be on the beach. It was in a ritzy hotel, and everybody was dressed up. Then I went to a real beach party, and it was fun. I even walked on the beach at night with this guy that turned out to be crazy, but aside from that—”

  Trinity burst out laughing. “Aside from the crazy?”

  “I’m saying I had my views, and he had his. A couple times we didn’t see eye to eye on how I should respond to certain things.”

  “Girl, please. Curtis and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot, and he is so not rich. Neither am I. That’s people. Admit that you’re scared to be hurt again, and because Nathan is who he is, you feel like it’s more likely you’ll get hurt.”

  She slumped in her chair and let her fork clatter to her plate. “I hate admitting all of that is true, but it is. Something bad happened to him in the past, and I feel like he can’t be serious because of it.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t assume. You like him?”

  Alyssa bit her lip and dipped her head. She shut her eyes and recalled the words Nathan spoke when he asked her to be his girlfriend. He never said he liked her let alone loved her. Not that she expected love this early in the game. This early? Should she expect any more, or better yet, try for any more? Maybe like Trinity had inferred, she’d chickened out before even giving the man a chance. From the start she judged him and found him lacking. Not in the looks or the ability arena, but in the boyfriend material sense. She was afraid, and no one could fault her for that. Everyone at some point had been hurt, and many were scared to try again. The biggest issue she had was that she…I love him. Already. This soon. I must be crazy. And yet, she could tell. With Trinity’s words, she knew she would give him a chance. That is, if he still wanted her after she’d shut him down in the islands.

  “You think he’s a real good guy?”

  Trinity rolled her eyes. “I’ve known Nathan for three years. He likes women, and he’s never without a partner.”

  Alyssa cringed.

  “But!” She reached across the table and took Alyssa’s hand in hers. “I’ve never seen the man so busted after having a fling with one, and he’s been grouchy as hell at the office lately. I’m thinking it has something to do with you. So my question is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m not sure.” She stood up and gathered her things. “Thanks for lunch, Trin, but there’s something I have to do.”

  Trinity cast her a knowing look, which Alyssa ignored and hurried out of the restaurant. She tugged her phone from her pocket and headed down the street. Her cousin had informed her she’d taken the rest of the day off to spend time with Curtis on his, who usually worked on the weekends. With Trinity out, maybe she could run in to see Nathan. Not until she reached the executive suite of his company did she realize he might not be available, since even in the Caribbean he’d dealt with constant meetings.

  “I’m here. I might as well go in, I guess.” She shifted her shoulders to relieve stress and pushed the glass doors open. When she reached Trinity’s office, she found another woman she hadn’t seen before sitting behind the desk. A moment of panic made her recheck the nameplate, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Trinity’s name still curled in etched gold letters on the plate.

  “Good afternoon, may I help you?” the woman said.

  Alyssa hesitated, still dealing with nerves. “Um, yes, is Nathan in?”

  “Mr. Corde is in with someone right now. Do you have an appointment?”

  Was it Alyssa’s imagination that she’d heard the emphasis on “mister” as if this heifer corrected her? “No, I don’t normally need one.” Now she was getting bold, which was laughable.

  Offense radiated off the woman, and Alyssa couldn’t figure out her attitude problem. She glanced down at herself and then realized she’d shown up in a T-shirt and shorts. Damn, she probably looked a mess, but she’d been cleaning out some stock at the store and preparing space for new books and equipment. Trinity’s invite to lunch had come without notice, but she’d thought since it was her cousin, she didn’t need to dress up, not when she would go back to work and continue what she’d begun that morning. No way would she go in to see Nathan like this.

  She started to turn away. “I’m going to give him a call later.”

  Embarrassment made her steps awkward, and when a door opened somewhere behind her and to the right, she froze. A tinkling laugh that seemed familiar made her glance over her shoulder. Nathan filled the doorway to his office, and the skank Natasha laid a hand on his chest, too intimate for Alyssa not to stagger with a stab of pain to her midsection.

  “You’re silly, Nathan,” Natasha teased.

  “I wasn’t trying to be,” was Nathan’s sharp reply, and Alyssa looked into his face. Her eyes widened to catch a less than impressed expression at Natasha’s playfulness. In fact, he appeared more annoyed than anything. Still, she hurried to take her leave before he spotted her. She made it less than a couple yards from the glass doors.

  “Alyssa.”

  She halted at his voice, the deep timbre going through her and doing things to her body that brought to mind all the times they’d made love. Why had she come here? To face him took an eternity, one she wished would go on forever. Better yet, if she’d never stepped through the door, this insecurity wouldn’t choke her now.

  “What are you doing here?”

  For some reason she thought he’d show the emotion Trinity had claimed he’d been feeling missing her, but his expression remained closed. Nothing more than mild curiosity showed, making her wonder if her cousin had lied just to let Alyssa make a fool of herself.

  When she could find no words, he continued. “Trinity took the rest of the day off.”

  “Um, I know,” she muttered. “We had lunch.”

  His brows rose, and he appeared about to say more when Natasha sidled up to him and clung to his arm, pressing her breast against it. A nasty sense of déjà vu came over Alyssa, and she gritted her teeth.

  “Oh, it’s you,” Natasha simpered, “the little bookstore owner.” The way she said it made it sound like Natasha discovered a roach had crawled in from the street.

  If Nathan had shown no emotion a moment before
, the floodgates opened in that second. He wrenched his arm from Natasha’s hold, almost knocking her to the floor. “Apologize! Now!”

  Both Alyssa and Natasha gasped. Natasha pouted up at him and took a step in his direction. The piercing light in his eyes could have singed the hair off the woman’s head if it had the power. Natasha wobbled on her spiky heels and halted.

  “I won’t repeat myself,” Nathan ground out.

  Natasha spun to face Alyssa with moist eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  Like hell you didn’t. Alyssa didn’t say a word, and Nathan seemed to notice that as well, as if because she didn’t forgive the woman for her insincere apology, neither would he.

  “Get out, Natasha,” he added. “And if you don’t leave without another word, I will call security to have you escorted from the building.”

  Seeing the seriousness in his gaze, the woman almost ran for the door. When she disappeared through it, Alyssa cast a hesitant glance at Nathan. “I heard you were grumpy, but…”

  “Not toward you.”

  The simple sentence hung between them. She became aware the woman replacing Trinity for the day stared at them in her office doorway. Nathan took her hand and led her to his door. She passed through and heard the door click shut behind her. The nerves started up again, and she twisted her fingers together.

  He strode up and rested his hands on her shoulders. She dared not turn and look into his face.

  “Tell me why you’re here.”

  The words flowed over her like a caress. A fantasy of him kissing her neck and nibbling at her ear flowed through her mind. She tried coming back to reality and just managed it with supreme effort.

  “I wanted to tell you…” She licked her lips.

  “Yes?”

  “I-If your offer is still on the table…” No way she felt brave enough to admit she loved him. “I want to be your girlfriend.”

  He spun her to face him and tipped her chin higher. She gulped. When he stared into her eyes, it was as if he bared her soul whether she wanted it uncovered or not.

  “Do you love me, Alyssa?”