Beneath the Truth

by Meghan March

  And that was why I started with Mrs. Thurman. She was the stereotypical nosy neighbor with nothing but time on her hands to people-watch from her window. It drove my mom nuts, but I hoped it would turn out to be my saving grace.

  “Have the police been by to talk to you?”

  She harrumphed. “They sent a wet-behind-the-ears kid in a uniform who wasn’t even old enough to be my grandson. He didn’t even ask me about my day before he started in on the questions. Beyond rude.”

  “So you didn’t have anything to tell him?”

  She smiled, looking awfully proud of herself. “I had plenty I could’ve told him, but I decided I’d wait until they sent someone who would treat me with a little respect.”

  And that’s when things got interesting.

  Apparently, for months now my dad had been heading out within minutes of my mom leaving the house every day. Mrs. Thurman didn’t want to speculate on what he was doing, but she said he was constantly looking around like he suspected he was being watched. When she’d tried to confront him about it, he’d blown her off, so she’d decided to keep it to herself but hadn’t stopped watching. My folks had also had several unusual repair people, or so she assumed, because an unmarked white van had been parked on the street in front of the house a few times over the last couple of weeks.

  I took down notes in my phone, wishing I could ask my dad what the hell had been going on. If I knew my father, which I’d been questioning for a while, he wouldn’t have involved my mother in anything, so asking her would be a dead end.

  After I ate the stale cookies Mrs. Thurman offered and drank her lukewarm coffee, I left with more questions than answers.

  What the hell were you doing, Dad?

  I spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing other neighbors, none of whom were as helpful or as observant as Mrs. Thurman. However, all of them were nosy and not afraid to pry into my life. I finally left the neighborhood that held all my childhood memories around six o’clock and returned to my hotel to order a crappy room-service dinner.

  If I’d jumped on that offer Heath had made, I could be at Ari’s right now. Why the hell hadn’t I?

  After an hour of staring at the blank notepad that was supposed to contain all my brilliant theories about what had happened with my dad, I’d had enough. I needed to get out of this room before I lost my damned mind.

  Heath must have had a sixth sense, because my phone lit up with his name on the screen. After a year of not answering calls, it was strange not to ignore them.

  “What’s going on, Heath?”

  “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I got into it with Ari tonight. She stormed out of here pissed off, and if I go track her down, she’s going to be even more pissed.”

  As soon as he said her name, all my senses kicked into overdrive. “What happened?”

  “I had a cop buddy of mine out in Cali keeping an eye on her boyfriend, and, well . . . he sent me pictures this morning that were damning. I showed her today after we got Dad home from lunch, and I’m a little worried that she’s gonna do something stupid.”

  The fucking boyfriend. He had to go. Now more than ever, because Ari wasn’t his anymore. Not if I had a damned thing to say about it.

  But Heath didn’t know I’d staked a claim on his sister, and that discussion wasn’t happening over the phone. That would make me a spineless dick.

  “What kind of pictures?” It was more of a demand than a question.

  “The kind where he’s wrapped around another woman, buck-ass naked.”

  Dammit . . . the kind of pictures I’d delivered to more than one spouse after catching someone cheating. The aftermath was never pretty. I’d seen it all—people flying into a rage, curling up into a ball and crying, or staring out the window like their soul had been sucked out of them. I never left them alone without asking them if there was someone I could call.

  “And you just let her go?”

  “It’s not like I had a choice. She doesn’t listen to me. Not sure she ever did before. I would go track her down, but Dad’s riled up and I can’t leave him here alone. I need you, man.”

  Did Heath know something had happened between us? What was his angle here? Either way, there was no question about whether I’d go after her.

  “Where’d she go?”

  “I don’t know. She won’t answer my calls, and I don’t like the idea of her out hitting some bar by herself.”

  “You really think she’d go out?” The Ari I knew wasn’t a barfly, although she’d held her own last night.

  “I know so. I got in touch with her driver, and he told me he dropped her at Molly’s an hour ago and she sent him away. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving, so he’s parked as close as he can get. But unless she asks for him to come inside and babysit her, his hands are tied. He can’t go against her orders unless there’s an immediate threat.”

  Shit. Molly’s? I’d seen the way those guys had stared at her last night, and on a Friday, it had to be even more packed.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”

  “I know you will. There’s no one else I’d trust with my baby sister. Thanks.”

  When Heath hung up, his words echoed in my head.

  “There’s no one else I’d trust with my baby sister.”

  Tomorrow, I’d find out if he really meant that, because our come-to-Jesus talk was due.

  I didn’t waste any time before heading out to jump in my Jeep and point it in the direction of Molly’s.

  * * *

  The French Quarter was so packed with cars and people that traffic moved only inches at a time. I cut down a dark street that I knew would be mostly overlooked and found a parking spot I’d used many times before. Even after being gone a year, this city was still my home, and I knew the tricks.

  When I climbed out of the car, a couple of homeless punks paused in trying to jimmy a gate open and ran in the other direction. Before, I would have chased them down, and it was hard to suppress the urge. It wasn’t my job anymore, and I had more pressing business tonight.

  I strode down the uneven concrete sidewalk and swung into the open doorway of Molly’s. My first thought when I walked inside was pure instinct. I’m going to paddle her ass when I get her out of here. I couldn’t miss Ari, and neither could anyone else in the bar.

  A black sweater hung at her elbows, revealing a tiny white tank top that barely covered her bra or the tits pushing up over the top of its cups. With the sweater on, she might have looked like a sexy librarian waiting to be unwrapped, and with it off, she could stop traffic. The red-and-white plaid skirt that completed her outfit was no doubt giving every man in the bar schoolgirl fantasies.

  What the hell was she thinking? Her red hair spilled down her shoulders, and every eye in the bar followed as she bent over the pool table to take a shot.

  Was that . . . Oh, hell no. Please tell me I could not see the bottom curve of her ass when she leaned too far forward.

  Three other men had their heads tilted to the side in a way that would have been comical if she weren’t my woman. Whether she knew she was mine wasn’t the important point in my mind. It was inevitable.

  I stalked across the room and slipped the pool cue from her hand before she could twitch her ass again or take the shot.

  “What the hell—” Ari straightened and spun at the same time.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Her eyes, already bright from liquor, narrowed on me. “Not that it’s any of your business, but whatever the hell I want because I’m a single woman.”

  When she flipped her hair over her shoulder for an extra punch of attitude, my dick stood up and took notice. So she’s officially single now. Good to know.

  “We already covered this. You’re my business. Always have been.”

  “Hey, the lady and I are playing a game here.”

  I twisted my head toward the guy
leaning on a pool cue at the other side of the table. He looked pissed at the interruption. Too damn bad.

  “Game’s over.”

  “Says who?” Ari narrowed her eyes on me. “Me and Jack were just getting to know each other.”

  “It’s John—”

  “Thanks, John. I got this.” I swung my gaze from her pissed-off pool partner to her and said, “We’re going home,” loud enough so everyone in the bar heard me.

  “No, we are not,” Ari snapped back, and my gaze stuck on the bright red slicking her lips.

  Jesus, that would look amazing around my cock. As soon as the thought entered my head, I shut it down. That wasn’t why I was here.

  “Look, Heath told me about the boyfriend shit. Glad you’re done with him, but trust me, this isn’t the way to handle it.”

  She dropped a hand to her hip. “Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not my father and you’re not my brother. You’ve only kissed me once, so that means you can go ahead and keep your opinion to yourself.”

  I laid the pool cue on the table and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go, Red.”

  She tugged out of my grip and spun around to face John, who’d come around the table. “I’m not leaving without finishing my game.”

  I wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her back against me. “You want a game, Ari? Then you’ll be playing with me. Not some damned stranger.”

  She let out a grunt of anger and struggled against my hold.

  “Hey—” John interrupted, but my fierce glare shut him up.

  Ari whipped back around, no doubt to rip me a new one, and I silenced her the best way I knew how.

  I kissed her.

  14

  Ariel

  I had no idea how it happened, but Rhett Hennessy was kissing me. Again.

  The heat from the alcohol buzzing through my veins blended with the adrenaline dumping into my system from sparring with him. The result? Enough combustion to create an inferno.

  I moaned against his lips as he buried his hand in my hair and tugged my head to the side for better access. The kiss morphed from a maneuver to an obsession in a flash. All day, I’d told myself it wasn’t as good as I remembered. I’d built it up in my head. I might be suffering from some exotic disease.

  But no. I was wrong. It was better.

  Without thinking, I lifted my leg and wrapped it around his hip, wanting to get closer, to feel more, as his tongue dived inside.

  Oh sweet Jesus, he tastes even better too. Spearmint and spice this time, mixed with the bourbon I’d been drinking.

  Rhett reached down and cupped my ass—under my skirt—and I melted, drenching my panties.

  Even on my boldest day, I wasn’t an exhibitionist, but in that moment, I wouldn’t have cared if he’d boosted me up onto the pool table and taken me in front of the whole bar. Actually, it didn’t sound like the worst idea I’d ever had.

  But Rhett came to his senses and tore his mouth away. His hand squeezed reflexively, and my hips bucked against him again.

  “We’re leaving.” He growled the words, and I hoped the promise they carried was really there and not a figment of my drunken imagination.

  “You should probably kiss me again first.” I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, and his growl vibrated through my body.

  Within seconds, I found myself flying through the air and upside down, landing over his shoulder.

  “Hey—” My surprised screech filled the air, and everyone in the bar started shouting.

  “That’s the way to handle her!”

  “Nice move!”

  Men. Screw them all.

  When I struggled against Rhett’s hold, a heavy palm landed on my ass to hold me in place. My cheek stung where it landed.

  Oh my God. Did he just spank me? As quickly as that question flew through my head, it was immediately followed by another. And why do I like that idea so much?

  While I was trying to come up with answers to both those questions, Rhett carried me out of Molly’s to the sound of the patrons cheering him on.

  I was too stunned by what had happened to protest—or to flip them off.

  * * *

  Rhett set me on the sidewalk on my heels, grasping my shoulders to steady me. “You ready?”

  I crossed my arms, trying to block out the fact that my panties were soaked, and summoned up the proper level of indignation. “Are you seriously asking me that question right now? Shouldn’t that have been the question you asked before you threw me over your shoulder like a caveman and decided to carry me out of the bar?”

  One corner of his mouth quirked upward, and there was zero remorse in his expression. “I think you liked it.”

  “I most certainly did not!” The denial was instant, and the other corner of Rhett’s mouth lifted as he grinned.

  “Eyebrow’s twitching.” He grabbed me by the hand and hauled me against him.

  I opened my mouth to sputter something. Anything. But Rhett was quicker.

  “Good thing, because I sure did.”

  He covered my lips with his, tasting me like a starving man, his hands roaming over every inch of my curves.

  “Ms. Sampson, are you okay?” Carver’s voice came out of the darkness in an unwelcome interruption.

  I tore away from Rhett and twisted around to face him. “Uh—”

  “She’s fine,” Rhett answered for me.

  Gathering my wits, I spun back to glare at him. “I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself.”

  I turned toward Carver one more time, straightening my hair as if that would somehow make me not look like I’d been two steps from begging Rhett to take me up against a wall in some dark corner.

  “I’m fine, Carver. No need to be alarmed.”

  He nodded, his expression giving nothing away. “The car is this way, if you’d like to follow me.” He held out an arm to direct me.

  “I’m taking her back to her place,” Rhett replied.

  His answer surprised me, and Carver’s attention jumped between us, finally landing on me.

  “Ma’am?”

  “You can meet us at the house. Thank you.”

  With a deferential nod, he stepped back. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I twisted back to Rhett, but before I could open my mouth, he pinned me with his green stare.

  “You and I are going to have a talk. Let’s go.”

  “I get to have a say. I’m a freaking CEO. No one makes decisions for me, but me.”

  Rhett’s eyes narrowed. “Not when your decisions put you in the middle of a meat market like you’re out trolling for a random rebound hookup.”

  “So what if I had been? I’d be well within my rights!”

  “Because I had you under me this morning, and I’ll be goddamned if you’re going to let someone else put his hands on you before we figure this out.”

  He guided me down the sidewalk, and I let him, because I was too busy processing his words.

  “Figure what out?” I asked a few steps later.

  Rhett paused beside the Jeep. “You and me.”

  My mouth dropped open as he unlocked the door and lifted me to deposit me on the seat.

  You and me.

  Holy. Crap.

  Rhett shut the door and rounded the hood to hop inside. I was struggling to catch up with the point where you and me had become a thing when he pulled out of the spot and the Jeep rolled forward.

  As Carver pulled out behind us, I mumbled, “I feel like I need a flowchart to keep up with what’s happening here.”

  Rhett shot me a pointed look. “What’s happening here is I’m taking you home. You’re not going to Molly’s again without me. You want to rub up against a guy in a bar? It’s gonna be me.”

  “Did I miss something?”

  “What?” he asked, maneuvering the Jeep through traffic.

  “This massive shift? You’ve gone from never noticing my existence to all of a sudden hauling me out of bars and kissing me. Yeah, a flowchar
t would be helpful.”

  Rhett said nothing at that point, leaving an awkward silence that hung in the car until we hit the causeway over Lake Pontchartrain and toward my place.

  “Last time you were home,” he finally said, “your hair was about four inches shorter. You had blond highlights that looked more like the sun had turned your red into gold. You had on a green dress I wanted to peel off you. Your heels were tall and black, and I spent the entire night trying not to look at you because I kept imagining what they’d feel like digging into my back. I went home and jacked off thinking about how good it would feel to come inside you.”

  Oh. My. God.

  I didn’t realize I’d whispered the words aloud until Rhett glanced over at me, the heat in his gaze even stronger.

  “Don’t tell me I didn’t notice you. I noticed every goddamned thing about you. But because of your brother and the respect I have for him, I wasn’t about to let you know that I’ve been noticing you for longer than I want to admit. You think I don’t see you? I have to pretend I don’t, or I’d end up with my head mounted on Heath’s wall. He’s my best friend, closer than my own brothers, and I wouldn’t have disrespected him like that.”

  Okay then. Wow.

  Rhett was attracted to me. For real. And I’d be damned if my brother’s existence was going to be a Rhett-proof chastity belt.

  “My brother doesn’t get to have a say in that part of my life. I’m an adult.”

  “I know. He might not get a say, but he does deserve my respect. I’m going to tell him.”

  My entire world shifted on its axis tonight. Rhett wanted me. And he had for years. It pissed me off that he’d held back because of Heath, but it also made sense.

  Loyalty. Respect. Honor. Those were qualities Rhett had in spades, and without those, he wouldn’t have been the man I’d been wanting in my life for so long.

  And now when I was faced with photographic evidence of Carlos’s cheating, those things meant more than ever.

  What would it be like to be with a man who prized his principles as highly as he prized his woman?

  I had no idea. I’d told myself I was over Rhett, but I’d been making decisions with incomplete information, which basically meant I was making a different decision. I needed to analyze all these new facts.