A Daring Deception (Harlequin Presents)

by Amanda Browning

  Nathan gave the appearance of uncertainty. ‘I don’t know. It sounds good, but Rachel was looking forward to doing some shopping. What do you say, sweetheart? Shall we go?’

  Rachel reached out and ran her finger lightly over his lips. ‘I’ll go wherever you want me to, darling, you know that,’ she sighed seductively.

  Nathan closed his hand around hers and brought her palm to his lips. The brush of the caress sent a thrill through her whole body, even though she knew it was all for show. ‘Then that’s settled,’ he said, turning back to Ames. ‘We’ll be happy to join you, Mr Ames.’

  Ames’s delight was scarcely hidden as he rubbed his hands together. ‘Good. Good. I’ll send a limousine for you in the morning.’

  ‘No need. We have our own transport.’ Nathan refused the offer politely.

  ‘In that case I’ll leave directions at the desk. I’ll look forward to seeing you for lunch, Mr Wade, and you too, of course, Rachel.’

  Nathan didn’t release Rachel until Ames left the room. ‘Well, sweetheart, for good or bad, we’re in,’ he stated with satisfaction. ‘The next part won’t be so easy.’

  Rachel curled her fingers about her still tingling palm and did her best to ignore her still fluttering nerves. ‘Finding the letters. I supposed he’s bound to have put them in a safe? We can’t hope he would leave them in a drawer?’

  Nathan shot her a dry look. ‘Would you?’

  She winced. ‘I don’t supposed you can add safe-cracking to your list of accomplishments?’ she queried forlornly, and he laughed briefly.

  ‘It wasn’t required learning. How about you?’ Sighing, she sat back and shrugged. ‘I don’t get further than opening my cousin’s diary with a hairpin. I lost two nails.’

  Nathan glanced down at her, eyebrows raised. ‘Was it worth it?’

  Rachel couldn’t help grinning. ‘No, it was all pretty tame. She never put in any of the really interesting stuff. And she lied about going out with Rob Maxlow.’

  ‘Who was Rob Maxlow?’

  Her lips curled in a reminiscent smile. ‘He was captain of the football team. All the girls wanted to date him, but I was the lucky one.’

  ‘Sounds like you started your career at a young age,’ Nathan remarked, and she shook her head in vexation.

  ‘God, but you’re like a dog with a bone,’ she said accusingly. ‘For your information I was thirteen years old, and it was all entirely innocent. It may surprise you to know it, but I didn’t spring from the womb a fully fledged bitch.’

  ‘I never really thought you did,’ Nathan responded apologetically. ‘I guess thinking badly of you has become a habit over the years.’

  Rachel uttered a wry laugh. ‘I had noticed.’

  ‘I suppose you were young and innocent once. Then you grew up and discovered your power over men and you haven’t looked back since.’

  She raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Are you including yourself in that? Are you admitting I have power over you? she challenged.

  He smiled. ‘I should have said power over men who don’t know you as well as I do,’ he corrected smoothly, and Rachel sighed.

  ‘We’ll never get beyond my lurid past, will we?’ she joked, but deep inside it hurt to know it was no joke. His beliefs were unshakable.

  ‘I cannot take responsibility for your reputation. You made that yourself,’ he went on smoothly, and she shook her head in disbelief.

  ‘You’re incredible. I’ve told you before: there could be a perfectly innocent explanation for my behaviour.’

  Nathan’s response was to rise to his feet and look down at her mockingly. ‘I don’t think so, sweetheart. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m just about out on my feet. I suggest we go to bed.’

  That was too good to miss, and Rachel’s lips curved into a flirtatious smile. ‘Why, Nathan, that’s about the best offer I’ve had all day!’ she quipped, rising to join him.

  ‘Somebody should have paddled your backside a bit more when you were little and it would have done you some good,’ he drawled, urging her before him with a hand on the small of her back.

  Rachel felt that touch in every part of her, and in instant reaction the tiny hairs on her flesh stood to attention. ‘You mean we aren’t going to bed after all?’ she taunted as they reached the lobby once more.

  ‘Behave yourself, sweetheart, or you might get more than you bargained for,’ Nathan promised, reaching round her to press the button for the lift.

  ‘Spoilsport,’ she complained, and hastily stifled a yawn as exhaustion and jet lag, despite her afternoon nap, suddenly threatened to sweep over her.

  They reached their floor and Nathan let them into their suite. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her towards her bedroom and gave her a small push.

  ‘Go to bed, Rachel.’

  She turned with her hand on the doorknob. ‘Sure you won’t come with me?’ The seductive question was spoiled by an even wider yawn this time.

  Nathan laughed. ‘Even if I were tempted, you’re out on your feet.’

  He was right, of course, she didn’t mean it anyway—well, not much. Which only went to prove just how tired she was. Sighing, she went into the bedroom and closed the door. The bed looked awfully inviting, but from somewhere she found the energy to undress, wash and slip into her nightie before she climbed into it.

  The mattress welcomed her like an old friend. It had been an eventful day, and she fully intended running over what she had discovered in her mind, but no sooner had her head hit the pillow than she was asleep.

  The car Nathan hired next morning was a showy sports job that shouted of money to burn. They headed north on Route 89, which gave them stunning views of the lake, forests and mountains. Rounding the northern end of Lake Tahoe, they crossed over the state line again and passed through the outdoorsy town of Crystal Bay. From there they followed Ames’s directions. As he had said, his house was extremely secluded. Surrounded by trees, and with an unmarked track, without directions they wouldn’t have known it was there.

  ‘I don’t see any signs of security,’ Nathan remarked as he manoeuvred the car along the twisty track. ‘No doubt he feels safe out here. Let’s hope the house is the same.’

  The remark gave her pause for thought. ‘What could he have?’

  ‘Infra-red beams. Motion detectors. Heat detectors. Any one of a hundred things.’

  ‘I’m all for security, but that would make it more like a fortress than a home!’ she declared with a grimace.

  They rounded another bend, and Nathan brought the car to a halt.

  ‘Good heavens!’ Rachel exclaimed in surprise. The large two-storey building looked out of keeping with its surroundings. It was as if someone had plucked a small Hollywood mansion from the ground and dropped it here, without thought as to how it would look. ‘The man has no taste at all. It even has a tower. I can just see him sitting at the top of it, gloating and drooling over his ill-gotten gains.’

  ‘He certainly makes me feel less critical of my relatives,’ Nathan remarked humorously. ‘Cousin Edward, our particular black sheep, seems more grey to me now.’

  Rachel nodded agreement. ‘He’s a snake all right. Treating an old woman that way, and a relative to boot! Even my father didn’t do that, and he was a first-class rat fink.’

  He glanced at her curiously. ‘Your parents are divorced, aren’t they?’

  It was one of the few personal questions he had ever asked her, and her face set in grim lines, as it always did when her father was mentioned. ‘Not before time. He’s dead now, and I can’t say I’m sorry. He never knew how to be faithful, and treated my mother very badly, you know. I don’t want to get into that. It all happened a long time ago. I prefer not to think about it.’

  ‘Doesn’t sound like you’ve forgotten it, though.’

  She looked at him somberly. ‘I learnt a lot of things from my parents’ marriage that I never intend to forget. I won’t make the same mistakes.’

  ‘It doesn’t s
ound like you had a very happy childhood.’

  Rachel shrugged diffidently. It wasn’t a subject she cared to talk about too much. ‘It wasn’t so bad. The bonus was I always had my grandparents to run to when things got too awful. They were marvelous. I discovered through them that there was more to family life than loud voices, crying and slamming doors.’

  ‘You were fortunate,’ Nathan said sympathetically. ‘Some kids don’t have that kind of safety net. What happened to your mother?’

  That brought a smile back to Rachel’s face. ‘She married a really nice man this time. He’s an oncologist. They live in Yorkshire. It’s good to see her happy at last.’

  ‘Doesn’t sound like her experiences put her off marriage,’ Nathan observed, but Rachel shook her head.

  ‘Oh, they did, for a long time. She was very cautious. Harry had to work very hard to convince her that marriage to him was the right thing. He won her over, thank goodness.’

  ‘You see a lot of them?’

  ‘As much as I can. It isn’t easy, especially now, with my grandparents needing my help. I’m planning to surprise them with an anniversary meal next month,’ she revealed, making his brows shoot up.

  ‘You cook, then?’

  Rachel sent him a chiding look. ‘I run a catering business, remember. What did you think we did? Use magic? I happen to be cordon bleu-trained.’

  Blue eyes danced as he returned her look. ‘Very impressive. And you partner? Does she cook, too?’

  ‘Of course, though Emma is more of a whiz with pastry than I am. She can invent things that send the calorie count off the scale. You should try some.’

  ‘Perhaps I’ll get you to cater one of the bank’s functions,’ he suggested.

  She looked at him suspiciously. ‘Ah, but would you trust me with so many wealthy men?’

  His mouth curved humorously. ‘I doubt you can be faulted in your professional behaviour. It’s up to you, of course, but the offer stands.’

  ‘We could certainly do with all the business we can get. Give me a ring when we get back from this and we’ll sort something out,’ she agreed.

  ‘Fair enough. OK, let’s go join this party,’ he said without any enthusiasm, and Rachel laughed.

  ‘I thought you were flattered to be asked to such an…exclusive residence?’ she teased him, and he grinned back at her wryly.

  ‘Oh, I am. Can’t you tell?’ he returned dryly, and Rachel giggled. Nathan’s eyes scanned the delight on her face and something flickered briefly in his eyes and was gone in a flash. ‘You know, you have a lovely smile,’ he said seriously, surprising her so much she blinked at him owlishly.

  ‘I do?’ she said faintly, overcome by the unexpected compliment. She hadn’t expected him to be so honest.

  ‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ he drawled as he set the car in motion again.

  ‘But I am. I didn’t know there was anything about me you liked.’

  He brought the car to a halt near the other half-dozen cars already parked haphazardly outside. He glanced at her broodingly. ‘When you smile and laugh, I see the person you could be, rather than the person you are.’

  Rachel would dearly have liked to respond to that, but at that moment her door was opened and she glanced round to find a smiling young oriental man waiting for her to alight. As they climbed out, they could hear music and laughter in the distance.

  ‘Good morning, sir. Good morning, miss. Mr Luther said for you to go round to the pool when you arrived. Just follow the path to the left,’ the young man directed them.

  ‘Why would a man with a house on the shore have a pool?’ she asked out of the side of her mouth.

  ‘I haven’t the foggiest idea. I just hope you brought a costume with you,’ Nathan remarked as they made their way round the side of the house. ‘It looks like we’re expected to join in.’

  She had. Emma had tucked one in her case at the last minute. But to call it a swimming costume was stretching the point very thin. It wasn’t that she disliked wearing skimpy swimwear, but the thought of Luther Ames’s eyes wandering over her made her feel very uncomfortable.

  They passed through a gap in the shrubbery, and there at the foot of some steps lay a large kidney-shaped pool. There were maybe a half-dozen guests dotted in or around the pool, and Rachel could make out Luther Ames stretched out on a lounger topping up his tan.

  ‘Everyone seems to be having fun,’ she said dryly, watching a bronzed young man tossing a buxom brunette into the water.

  ‘How the other half live,’ Nathan added, equally dryly, and she gave him a long look.

  ‘Just a minute, we are the other half, remember, and we don’t live like this. He has to be the third half.’

  Draping an arm around her shoulder, which pulled her in to his side, he started down the steps. ‘With maths like that, I’m surprised your business flourishes at all. Did nobody ever throw you into a pool?’

  ‘Not if they wanted to live,’ she returned, with a laugh that wobbled faintly. It felt right being this close to Nathan. She could feel every movement of his body, could breathe the scent she always called pure essence of Nathan. It made her want to slip her own arm around his waist, and instantly she realised that she could. The part she was playing would cover her. Heart thumping a little louder, she did that very thing, and her blood pressure rose as their thighs brushed as they walked. It was a heady experience, and one she would remember always. A tiny piece of heaven plucked from a crazy world.

  They had been seen by this time, and Luther Ames waved a welcoming hand. ‘Come and join us!’ he called out, and that moment of intimacy was gone for good. ‘Glad you could make it,’ he said, shaking hands with Nathan before turning a roving eye on Rachel. ‘Sit yourself down right here beside me, Rachel,’ he ordered, indicating the empty lounger pulled up close to his.

  She didn’t want to leave the warmth of Nathan’s casual embrace, but that wasn’t what she was here for, so, with a silent sigh, she made herself comfortable as requested. ‘You have a wonderful house, Mr. Ames,’ she flattered, with a sultry smile, going into her act again. ‘I’ve always wanted to sleep in a tower. Do say you’ve given me a room there!’

  Reaching across the tiny gap between them, he took her hand. ‘Call me Luther, angel. Sorry, but the tower houses my private rooms. I’ve put you and Nathan in a room that looks out over the lake.’

  Rachel’s initial pleasure at learning so easily where Ames’s rooms were was spoiled by the knowledge that she and Nathan were sharing a room. Something she realised she should have thought of before. She doubted very much if it was a two—bedded variety, but that was something she would have to deal with later.

  She made a small moue of disappointment, then shrugged. ‘Oh, well, never mind. Nathan just adores lakes and fishing—don’t you, darling?’ She appealed to him by kissing her fingers and waggling them in his direction.

  Nathan had taken a chair at the near by table and thankfully followed her lead. ‘Do you do much fishing, Luther?’

  Ames shook his head with a shudder. ‘I leave that to the yokels. No, I prefer to sit here and soak up the sun.’

  Rachel ran her eyes over the proof of that statement. Ames was a fit man for his age, but there were signs of thickening about his waist. Nevertheless, she cast him a look from beneath her lashes. ‘I just love a man with a tan,’ she flirted, and Ames grinned back at her suggestively.

  ‘Then this must be my lucky day. I love a woman who loves men with tans. Especially if she’s blonde and very, very beautiful.’

  She gave a tiny feline stretch, as if to make herself more comfortable. ‘Mmm…I think I’m going to like it here.’

  Ames turned on his side, propping his head on his arm the better to see her. ‘You must let me show you over the house…unless Nathan would object?’ He took his gaze off her long enough to look at the other man. However, it was Rachel who answered.

  ‘Oh, Nathan won’t mind, will you, darling?’ she declared, casting him a glance,
then did a swift double-take. Nathan was frowning at her, and her heart skidded as she wondered what she had done wrong. Then it struck her that of course he would frown if he felt she was being poached from him. It was all part of the act. To which end she uttered a tinkling laugh. ‘He gets a little jealous, you know. I’m his lucky mascot, you see. He doesn’t want to lose me.’

  ‘Neither would I, if you were mine,’ Ames responded huskily, stroking her arm lightly.

  She didn’t like the possessive way he did it, and quickly placed a hand over his to stop him. ‘You wouldn’t really try and steal me away, now, would you?’ she asked archly, and he grinned.

  ‘Could I?’ he countered, and she sighed.

  ‘We-ell, a girl ought to keep her options open, don’t you think?’

  Ames laughed. ‘I do indeed. Angel, I think you and I are going to get along very well.’

  Nathan had said very little whilst all this side-play was going on, but Rachel was very much aware of him. The vibrations he was giving off made her want to shiver. If she hadn’t known it was all an act…but she did, so there was no point speculating otherwise. Now he rose and came across, reaching out a hand to her.

  ‘Come along, darling, let’s find our room and change into something less formal,’ he suggested coolly, and with an apologetic smile in Ames’s direction she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

  Ames sat up, a mocking look in his eye. ‘Hope I’m not treading on your toes, Nathan. I just like to keep the ladies amused.’

  Nathan smiled back with concealed insincerity. ‘Rachel’s a free agent. I never tie her down because I know she’ll always come back to me.’

  Ames didn’t look quite so amused now, and waved a hand at a servant who had been hovering, awaiting orders. ‘Have Michael show my friends here to their room. Lunch will be served on the terrace in half an hour. We’ll meet again then.’ Turning away, he dived neatly into the pool and began doing laps.