The Lies I've Told: A By The Bay Stand-Alone Novel

by J. L. Berg

  Because you like him, my inner voice pressed.

  I let out a deep breath as the endless road passed by the window. We’d been on this particular boring stretch of North Carolina highway for what seemed like an eternity, but thankfully, we were almost to Mount Airy.

  “You all right?” Aiden asked, his voice soft, as if he didn’t want to startle me.

  “Yeah, sorry. Just bored.”

  “Guess we ran out of questions,” he said. I could almost hear the smile in his tone.

  “Yeah, but we gave it a good run. I think, if I’d bought more junk food, it would have lasted longer.”

  “It’s really quite terrifying how much sugar you can eat without going into shock.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

  That heavy silence settled between us once again. We’d spoken for hours during the first leg of the trip, and now, it was complete radio silence. Maybe it had been the sugar rush, propelling me forward and giving me the courage I now lacked. Or maybe I finally realized how much I didn’t want to go home.

  “Here’s a question for you,” I finally said. “If you’re still up for them—more questions, that is.”

  “Sure,” he answered, a sly smile creeping across his face.

  “Why granite?” I asked. “I mean, why not marble or limestone? Or do you use those, too? Basically, tell me more about what you do.”

  He laughed at my ridiculous attempt at a question, and I couldn’t help but join him.

  “What? It’s not like you meet a sculptor every day, you know?”

  I could see him nodding out of the corner of my eye. “I know. We’re a rare breed.”

  “So, educate me.”

  His voice deepened. “I’d love to.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing his words meant so much more than stonework and chisels. I felt my cheeks redden as I stared straight ahead, trying to stay focused on the road.

  “So, granite?”

  I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, “It’s native to North Carolina; that’s why I chose it. But, to answer your question, yes, I use other materials. Just last week, I held a gallery showing with several different types of stone.”

  “Do you prefer one over the other?”

  “Granite is definitely more challenging.”

  “Why?” I asked, thoroughly interested.

  “It’s a hard stone. Much more difficult to carve than something like limestone.”

  “Wow, I had no idea.”

  “And what about you? Is there a certain fabric you love to work with?”

  His question caught me off guard. “Oh, well…I mean, I haven’t really done much design.”

  I turned and saw his eyebrows rise.

  “Really? Why not?”

  “Well, I’ve dabbled but nothing serious. Just suggestions here and there.”

  “But you want to? Design, I mean.”

  I nodded, feeling like I was under a microscope. “Of course, that’s what I went to school for. But…”

  “But what?”

  I shook my head. “It’s complicated.”

  “What’s complicated about it?”

  I don’t have a job.

  The promotion I was supposed to get that would allow me to finally design was taken away from me.

  I’m currently blacklisted from probably every major designer in the world because I fucked my boss.

  “There’s a hierarchy. It’s corporate crap. Oh, hey!” I said, pointing to the exit up ahead. “We’re here.”

  His eyes followed the motion of my hand. Sure enough, we’d made it to Mount Airy and in record time, too. The fact that we hadn’t stopped for lunch and eaten junk food the entire way here helped.

  We didn’t say anything to one another as I pulled off the highway and followed the GPS to the address Aiden had given me. He’d set up a private meeting with one of the distributors since we would be arriving after hours. Pulling into the large parking lot, I turned off the engine and made a move for my seat belt.

  Aiden’s steady hand stopped me as his intense gaze met mine.

  “Nothing should stop you from getting what you want, Millie. Nothing.”

  And then his lips were on mine, like a hot, fiery brand. His fingers cupped the back of my neck as his mouth captured mine for a fraction of a second, and then, just as quickly as it’d begun, it ended.

  Leaving me breathless, achy, and wanting more.

  By the time I regained my composure, he was gone.

  And I was left wondering if his words had been meant for me.

  Or for himself

  What the hell was that?

  Still feeling dizzy from the kiss that could end all kisses, I stumbled out of the car and followed Aiden, who was already greeting a tall, bulky-looking man with a beard.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Thomas and I’ll be the one working with you tonight,” the bearded fellow said, holding a hand out to Aiden.

  Aiden did the same, before turning to introduce me. His eyes lingered on my lips a little too long. “This is my friend Millie. She was kind enough to drive me today.”

  Thomas, a big bear of a man, came over to greet me, his giant hand engulfing my own as he shook it. “Nice to meet you both. You ready to go look at some rocks?”

  Aiden nodded as Thomas led the way. I chose to linger a bit, enjoying Aiden in his element as he spoke with Thomas about the various choices they had for him. Apparently, he’d done business with this company before, having used them for the original memorial that had been destroyed.

  I wonder who drove him then?

  Did he kiss all his chauffeurs?

  Letting out a sigh, I watched as he ran his hands over the large boulders, seeing how the light reflected off it.

  He was intense and passionate and insanely thorough.

  It was sexy as hell, and it made me wonder just how hot he would look drenched in sweat, shirtless, with a chisel in his hand or a chainsaw even.

  “Millie?”

  “What?” I said, suddenly looking up to find him looming over me.

  “We’re done.”

  “So soon?” I asked. “That was quick.”

  He shrugged, his eyes meeting mine. “When you know, you know. And this place has excellent granite, so it wasn’t hard to find the piece I need. They’re going to deliver it later this week.”

  Even if I tried, I couldn’t tear myself from that gorgeous hazel stare. “So, um, dinner?” I finally managed to say.

  He blinked, and I made myself look away. “Yes, that would be lovely. Thomas was actually telling me about a barbecue place down the road. I think we passed it on our way here. Do you like barbecue?”

  I smiled, my mind still whirling. “What kind of Southern girl would I be if I didn’t?”

  “Of course. Well then, off we go.”

  He marched on ahead toward the car while I stood in place, wondering how the hell he’d managed to kiss me one minute and move on the next as if nothing had happened.

  I let out a breath and decided that if he could be so nonchalant about the kiss, then so could I. After all, I was the one who’d said we should remain professional, wasn’t I?

  Yes. Yes, I was.

  Catching up, I hopped in the car and revved the engine, making him look over at me with a curious glance.

  “Sorry, just hungry,” I said as I made quick work of getting us back onto the main road. A quick peek in the direction of the passenger seat had me noticing a sly grin on Aiden’s face. “What?” I asked, briefly turning my head to face him.

  “Nothing,” he answered, pressing his lips together.

  “That grin is not nothing! If you have something to say, then say it.”

  “You’re flustered. It’s adorable.”

  “Adorable?” I echoed. With a quick jaunt to the right, I pulled us off the road. Dust billowed around us as I put the car in park. “I’m not adorable! I’m pissed! Why did you kiss me like that and then act like it didn’t happen? Am I that forget
table?”

  “Forgettable? You think I forgot?”

  “Well, it certainly seems like it!” I fumed, all the pent-up frustration I’d felt from watching him saunter around with Thomas, laughing and joking like he hadn’t just given me the kiss of a lifetime only moments before.

  He shook his head, his hands running through his jet-black hair as he let out a deep breath of air. “Jesus Christ, Millie,” he whispered. “I remember everything.”

  “What?”

  His eyes met mine, and it was there again, that frightening intensity that seemed to pull me in like a goddamn tractor beam. I felt like I was flying and falling at the same time, and heaven help me if I didn’t want it to end.

  “I remember every minute of that night. Every bloody second. And, when I look at you, I can’t help but want to pull you into my arms and make you relive it all, so you can know the misery I’ve been living for the past two days, knowing I’ll never have it again.”

  My heart was running rapid in my chest at his confession, and my breath ran ragged. “Make me remember,” I said without thinking.

  I was done thinking.

  I’d thought through every aspect of my affair with Lorenzo, and look where it’d gotten me.

  Jobless and miserable.

  Nope, no more thinking. My loins were driving the bus now, and they were headed straight for the sexy British guy sitting next to me.

  “I need to know that you’re serious,” he growled, that panty-melting ferocity seeping from his eyes once again.

  I tried not to gulp. “I am.”

  “Good. Then, let’s go grab dinner.”

  “Wait? What?” I found myself saying, my thighs still clenched from the sexual tension ricocheting between us.

  “We haven’t eaten all day, and for what I have planned, you’re going to need more than just a handful of candy.”

  The look he gave me meant nothing but business as he gestured to the road. I did as he’d instructed, my insides doing double flips as I put the car in drive.

  “Plus, there’s a hotel next to the restaurant, if I’m not mistaken.”

  My face spread into a nice wide grin as I bit down on my bottom lip.

  Now, he was speaking my language.

  Dinner between us was like a long-drawn-out hour of foreplay.

  The appetizer consisted of fervent stares, a subtle gaze here and there, and I threw in a playful laugh to top it off.

  By the time our waiter came by and we ordered our food, I was so horny; I didn’t know if I could actually concentrate on real food when Aiden’s large hand was wrapped around mine, his thumb slowly circling the tender skin of my palm down the length of my wrist and back again.

  Like he was memorizing every inch.

  It seemed like such an innocent thing to anyone watching us, but inwardly, I was on fire. A burning inferno as I quietly watched him trace lines up and down my arm.

  “Why are we even here?” I finally asked.

  “I told you,” he simply stated.

  I rolled my eyes. “I know; I heard. But do we really need to sit down and have a meal? Can’t we just get takeout?”

  A wicked grin spread across his face as he leaned forward. “No.”

  “You’re frustrating. I thought guys were all about instant gratification.”

  “Melt versus crunch, remember? I don’t think this has anything to do with gender.”

  I had known that M&M conversation would eventually come back to bite me in the ass. “Okay, fine. But don’t think I plan on making this easy for you. I’m going to lick barbecue sauce off pretty much everything on my plate. Including my fingers.”

  He chuckled before pulling my hand to his lips and kissing each digit, one by one. “Or you can eat quickly, and I could lick barbecue sauce off of you when we get to the hotel room.”

  I nearly choked on my own saliva as the words rolled off his tongue.

  He could recite the damn alphabet or read the phone book aloud, and I would fan myself. That accent made every word he said ten times hotter.

  “I think maybe we need to set some ground rules,” I managed to say.

  “Like what?”

  “Like, is this a one-time thing?”

  His forehead furrowed. He didn’t like that idea. Not one bit. “Do you want it to be?”

  My lips pressed together as I contemplated the idea of walking away after today. My heart felt heavy, and I didn’t know why.

  “No,” I answered honestly.

  “Then, let’s not make it a one-time thing.”

  I let out a long breath. “But where does that leave us? Neither of us is staying in Ocracoke long.”

  “So, can’t we simply enjoy this—whatever it is—for however long we have?”

  “And then we part ways? Just like that?”

  He nodded, though part of me wondered if it pained him to do so, and I watched his eyes lower, and his lips part.

  “Just like that.”

  Our deep conversation was broken as the waitress brought over our food, and we both thanked her for doing so. Some of the flirtiness from before had long since passed as I looked down at my platter, brimming with barbecue sauce.

  “Do me one favor though, will you, love?” Aiden’s voice brought my eyes back up and forward.

  He was staring straight at me with that dark, brooding gaze once again, and I felt my heart quicken.

  “Of course,” I replied.

  “Guard your heart, Millie,” he warned. “I can’t offer you more than this, and I don’t want to be responsible for breaking it.”

  I found myself nodding, unable to speak, as I watched him unfold his napkin.

  At first, I thought about replying, What heart?

  Mine had already been trampled by Lorenzo only days earlier, but then I remembered all the times it had fluttered in response to the sound of Aiden’s voice, or the touch of his hand.

  How wildly it had beaten in my chest when his lips found mine.

  No, my heart was still very much alive and beating, waiting to be loved.

  Waiting to be destroyed.

  I looked up at Aiden one more time, knowing I should end this before it even began. I was playing with fire, and the only one who was bound to get burned was me.

  And yet I couldn’t turn away.

  Like a moth dazzled by a flame, I knew I was skating the edge between love and desire. I told myself I could handle it.

  I could stifle my budding feelings for Aiden Fisher.

  So, I did the only thing I could do. With a brief nod, I agreed to his terms.

  For better or for worse.

  Aiden was indeed correct about there being a hotel next to the restaurant we’d dined at.

  Although calling it a hotel might have been a bit of a stretch.

  “Are you sure you want to stay here?” he asked after paying the ridiculously low rate for our room.

  He dangled the key in front of me, a look of challenge spreading across his face.

  Grabbing it from his hand, I stalked forward toward our designated room. “Are you coming?” I asked over my shoulder as I shoved the key in room number thirty-four.

  “Right behind you. Are you sure you don’t want me to go in first? Do a quick check for dead bodies? Or police tape?”

  I rolled my eyes as I pushed the door open.

  To put it bluntly, it was pretty horrifying.

  “It’s fine,” I said, holding my head up high as I made my way in past the peeling wallpaper and the clunky old air conditioner.

  “Have you ever stayed in a place like this before?” he asked, stepping past me to take a peek in the bathroom.

  “Have you?” I asked, unsure of where to sit exactly. Was the bed even safe? Maybe if I removed the comforter.

  “A few times,” he answered, returning from where I could only guess the shower was.

  “Well, if a rich kid from Yorkshire can rough it, then—”

  “London,” he said suddenly. “I’m from London.” />
  My brows furrowed in confusion. “But, online, it says—”

  “I know what it says online, but I’m from London.”

  There was a pleading tone to his voice, and I knew not to ask any more questions.

  “Well then, boy from London, I believe I was promised a night to remember.”

  A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, making my stomach flutter. “I don’t think that’s exactly what I said.”

  “I might be paraphrasing.” I grinned.

  He took a couple of steps closer, and I used those precious few moments to appreciate the man I had here with me. If I could sculpt the perfect male form from clay, it would be Aiden Fisher. He was what I imagined when I closed my eyes at night.

  And he was standing right here, all hard, lean muscle from years of honing his craft. I couldn’t wait to run my hands along each ridge and curve of his body and feel the power hovering beneath. With bewitching hazel eyes and shiny black hair made for touching, I knew I was in for one wild night.

  “If you keep staring at me like that, this is going to be over quicker than I planned.” He was so close, I could feel his breath, hot and warm against my neck as he bent down to whisper in my ear. “Are you sure, love?” he asked softly.

  My insides melted. “Yes,” I answered, my legs shaky from his voice alone.

  I felt his lips brush my collarbone, and I nearly moaned. From the moment he kissed me in the car to the flirty foreplay at dinner until now had all felt like a fucking eternity.

  I was so wound up; I thought I might just orgasm right then and there.

  “Relax,” he whispered.

  “Easy for you to say; you’re a melter.”

  He chuckled against my ear, his hand sliding around my waist. “Just wait. By the end of the night, you’re going to have a vast appreciation for the art of patience.”

  A tingle went up my spine as his fingers began slowly pulling up the hemline of my dress, inch by inch. The cool air hit my bare legs as his warm hands spread across my backside.

  “Were you this appreciative the other night? Or are you making up for your drunken haste?” I asked, doing a little exploration of my own as my hand found the bare skin under his T-shirt.

  Hello, abs. I smiled.

  “I wasn’t that drunk,” he said, and my brow lifted in challenge. “Okay, I was, but at least I wasn’t drunk enough to skip over the good stuff.”