Loving Lies

by Renee Field

  Well so much for having one up on the guy. “It’s more what I can do for you.”

  He walks past me and opens the door. “Well, if that’s so, why don’t you come in and we’ll chat. My wife will be along shortly. She’s just gone to the restaurant to get me some coffee. Can I get you some?”

  “No. I’m good.”

  “So Blake, what exactly is it you think you can do for me?”

  An hour later I’m walking around the resort with both owners—one on either side of me. I’ve told them my made-up story. I’d come up here for some R&R, but the minute I’d stepped onto their property I’d fallen in love with the place. They, of course, beamed proudly. Now as we roam around casual-like I’m subtly pointing out things that will still need to be fixed even after they’re done the renovations on the cabins and pointing out how much that might cost.

  “So, I take it you’re interested in buying this place. Seems to me you’re awfully young to have the type of money we’d be interested in when it comes to selling. Not that we are thinking that,” says Mr. McCaid, who’s been holding his wife’s hand for the past twenty minutes.

  “Oh, I’ve got money in a trust fund that was set up for me years ago, and I’ve just been trying to figure out how to invest it. Did you have a dollar figure you were thinking of for this place? I know it’s like home.”

  “It is our home,” pipes up Sandy, Mr. McCaid’s wife.

  “Don’t get ruffled, darlin’, we’re just talking,” says Mr. McCaid as he hauls in his wife for a hug. They’re a very cute couple who have obviously worked hard to maintain this place.

  I’ve dug as much as I should today, so I casually back off. “Well you two can think about it. I’m here all summer, so I’m in no rush.”

  Hell, I’m in a rush but I can’t appear that way.

  “Well, Blake, I like you. This conversation wasn’t one I’d thought I’d be having today, but I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I know we’re not getting any younger and this place does need a good makeover.”

  “Well, like I said, take your time.”

  Just then I spy Alyssa as she dumps a large load of garbage out the back door of the tavern. I try hard to ignore her, but she’s a magnet. To cover up my staring at her, I say, “You must have to hire a lot of summer staffers for this place.”

  With pride in her voice, the wife says, “We’ve got over one hundred summer staffers and thirty full-timers.”

  “The staff here usually, like you, fall in love with this place. Most of the summer staffers are ones we’ve rehired, except for a few like Alyssa there, who is our new assistant bar manager.” He hesitates for a minute. “What on earth is she hauling out the back door?”

  Chuckling I say, “Looks to me like it’s a moose’s head.”

  “Oh shit, Roger’s going to have a fit.”

  “Is Roger her boss?”

  “Roger has been with this place almost as long as us. He decorated that tavern and those trophies he had anchored to the walls were his kills. We’d better get on over there before all hell breaks loose. Nice to chat with you, Blake. We’ll give it some thought and see you around.”

  I nod, wanting more than anything to come to Alyssa’s rescue, but she wouldn’t appreciate my efforts. I see the guy Roger, who I’d met last night, come out the back door. Alyssa’s standing her ground, but from their raised voices I know he’s not happy with her remodeling efforts.

  I return to my cabin and give grandfather a call. I made sure Bruce checked out this morning so I’ve got breathing space again, but I’m going to let him know I’m not pleased he feels the need to check up on me.

  Later in the evening I reserve a table in the fancy restaurant. Bruce might be gone, but grandfather informed me I have to wine and dine Carol, a fairly new investor he’s brought on board for this project.

  Carol is waiting for me at the restaurant. I resist the urge to poke my head into the tavern. All day it was a struggle to not think about Alyssa. In just four hours we’ll be together. Anticipation curls through my body. I tamp it down as I escort Carol to our table.

  We talk business for a good hour and enjoy a fine meal. Carol is closer to my grandfather’s age, so it’s sort of cute when she starts to flirt with me. I play along but it’s clear we both know it’s a game. We already have the mineral report for around the resort but after seeing that lake I know we really need to find out what’s under the surface. At the end of the meal she promises to call in a favor with one of her geological survey guys who might be able to give me a full scope of the mineral deposits for the lake area. Another hour of torture awaits me. Lust boils through my body and I find myself wandering into the bar only to discover no Alyssa.

  I’m praying she’s not chickening out, but there’s not much I can do about it if she is. We didn’t exchange cell numbers and I can’t very well knock on her building to ask to speak with her without getting her in trouble. I order one beer and down it and head back outside, hoping for once for a cool night breeze. No such luck. The heat might have died down, but not by much and all my body can think about is being up close and personal with Alyssa which makes my jeans hotter and damn uncomfortable.

  It’s only when I start down my road that I see a light on in one of the buildings further out, which, if I recall from my tour with the McCaids today, is the winter maintenance building. Relying on instinct I head in that direction. The large building abuts the forest and houses their winter gear. The door is unlocked and I step inside. At the back of the building I can hear someone rearranging things so I head quietly in that direction.

  Alyssa comes out with her arms full of boxes and cobwebs in her hair. She looks sexy as hell.

  “Hi.”

  She screams and drops the boxes and I can’t help but laugh. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re late for our date.”

  Her gaze darts back toward the office she’d come out of. “Shit. Sorry, I’m sort of busy and I totally lost track of time.”

  “I see that. Can I help?”

  “Oh my god, that would be great. I need to move all the stuff out of this room tonight to make way for my equipment.”

  “Equipment for the bar?” I ask, wondering why they’d relocate stuff from the bar to somewhere this far away.

  “No, silly. Noah checked with Donald and he said I can use this office for the summer for my photography.”

  “Oh. So you’re setting up a photography lab?”

  “If I’m able.”

  I walk over and help her arrange the boxes she’d dropped on the floor to a cabinet on the other side of the room. I step into the office and realize there’s more to this woman than I first thought. She’s funny and determined and watching her get her stuff organized makes me realize there are layers to this sexy woman that are begging for discovery. The question is, do I want to get to really know her if I’m planning to love and leave her?

  An hour later we’re finished. We’re both covered in cobwebs. Alyssa isn’t afraid of spiders and easily killed a good dozen while we shuffled things around, but the minute I mentioned walking home in the dark and the possibility of bears around here, she went rigid. I told her all our racket would keep them away, which appeased her.

  “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink after all that.”

  “That sounds good.”

  She locks up the building and I take her hand in mine, almost expecting her to withdraw it. She doesn’t and it makes me smile.

  “I’ve got beer and more beer. Hope that’s okay?”

  “Anything at this stage will be heaven.”

  I open the door to my cabin and let her enter. Once she’s inside, I lock the door. It’s the turn of the lock that makes her turn around with that deer-in-the headlights look.

  “I can unlock it if that makes you feel better.”

  “No. I guess I’m good.”

  I walk back to the door and unlock it. She cracks a smile that goes straight to my heart. “Let’s get a
drink and sit. Your feet must be killing you.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Actually, I do. I used to wait and serve drinks at my local bar for years. It was either my feet killing me or my back if I had to work a double-shift.” I go into the small side kitchen and haul out two beers. I twist off the cap and watch as she yanks the ponytail out of her hair.

  “It’s good tips, so I’m not complaining.”

  “I hear you. Mine were good enough to help pay for my first year of college.” I’m revealing more than I probably should, but there’s something inviting about Alyssa that causes my defenses to crumble.

  She takes a swallow and I find myself checking her out. She’s still got a cobweb in her hair so I move closer and pick it out for her, causing us both to chuckle. “I didn’t know you had a thing for spiders.”

  “I don’t.”

  “I know. You didn’t hesitate to squish them dead.”

  “My father believes killing a spider will make it rain. He…”

  She stops talking and takes a long drink. A guarded look has come over her and I’m not sure what boundary I’ve overstepped.

  “So what do you think of the décor of this place?” I say, switching the conversation, hoping she’ll loosen up.

  “It’s great if you like what I can only think was the in-thing in the 1950s. This place seriously needs a makeover. I got into a long argument with Roger today about how absolutely gross it is to have dead animal heads hanging from the wall.”

  “I know. I saw you hauling out that moose head.”

  “That was only one head. There were five more I had to fight him tooth and nail to get off the walls. I hauled that moose off the wall on my own and almost killed myself. I got a bruise on my leg.”

  “I’ll have to kiss it better for you.”

  She leans back into the beige sofa and sighs. “Now that, Blake, has to be the best thing I’ve heard in hours.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Alyssa

  I’m playing with fire and loving it. Blake’s funny, sexy as hell, and I can’t believe he actually helped me move all those boxes. It would have taken me another couple of hours to get that job done. I’m grateful, but more than that I feel like I’ve found a friend. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. There’s this sexual energy between us and he’s an easy guy to be with. While I get the impression he can be serious, I confess to liking the carefree charmer he seems apt at playing. Plus it doesn’t hurt that it’s been months since a guy’s tried to charm his way into my panties.

  But I also remind myself why I haven’t had a friend in years. I’ve kept it that way to keep my secret safe. Why then do I find myself treading in dangerous water when it comes to Blake?

  He pulls off my socks and I’m seriously hoping my feet don’t stink.

  “My feet probably reek,” I say, with a light laugh, as I take another long haul from the cool beer. It’s a light ale and not usually my favorite, but at the moment it’s delightful.

  “Nope. They, like the rest of you, smell sweet with just a hint of coconut and lilac.”

  Well, good to know he’s partial to my coconut body lotion. Perfume and lotions are my downfall. With limited funds I still find ways to get what I want thanks to sampling. I quickly discovered that if you walk into a store and look like you’ve got money, they’re more than willing to hand over samples thinking you’ll try them and come back to buy product. In my case, that’s a big, fat no. At one time I easily laid down over two hundred a month on cosmetics. I laugh recalling my one black eyeliner, cinnamon-colored lipstick, small rub on blush and mascara. That’s it. I gave up the finer things when simplicity made it easier to get by.

  I groan when his magic fingers truly massage my foot. Some guys say they’ll give you a massage, but within two minutes they usually cry that their fingers hurt and start to let their fingers wander from your achy muscles to your breasts.

  He leans closer to me and says, “I love it when you groan.”

  Laughing, I overdo my sound effects even though I feel like I’m putty in his hands. He laughs too and it’s that easy-going manner I have to be wary off.

  “You’re really good at this.”

  “I’m good at a lot of things¸” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Like what?”

  I shouldn’t have asked because I don’t want him to pry into my life. Still kneading my right foot, he quickly informs me he’s good with more things than I would have thought.

  “Like dry walling, framing, and plumbing.”

  He takes me by surprise. “Plumbing? Seriously?”

  “Yup, my father had this job once for a good year and he’d take me with him. We mainly fixed toilets and sinks. It wasn’t fun and it made me realize one thing.”

  “What?” I say, reaching for my beer again as I savor the liquid.

  He gets a serious look on his face and tells me, “I never, ever, want to be a plumber.”

  We both laugh at that. “Well, I’ve got one better.”

  “You do?”

  “Yup. I once had this job where I worked in a pet store and I know that seriously sounds like it would be a ton of fun, but my one and only job was cleaning the bottom of the cages.”

  “How long did you last?”

  Too long. “A month.”

  “Wow, you’ve got guts.”

  He doesn’t have to say it. He knows I was desperate. And he’s right. And for once I’m not ashamed to admit it or think how I suffered through it to get the much needed cash for my own place. I would have done almost anything to save up enough money for a flat. Before that I’d been staying at the youth hostel and trust me, that place was no picnic. I only quit the pet store because I got offered a full-time night shift at the bar. Before that I had been working part-time at the bar and part-time at the pet store, which I loathed.

  “Well, I did the plumbing thing with my father for a good year. It was the longest year of my life, but it was also the longest job my father ever held.”

  He goes quiet after that disclosure and I get that he hadn’t meant to let that cat out of the bag. Lucky for him I’m not into prying.

  I lightly say, “So you worked hard. Saved hard and went to college. All great traits if you ask me. What brings you up here?”

  He distracts me with kisses to my calves and I can’t complain. Honestly, I’m surprised we lasted this long without devouring each other. We might have been talking, but all I’ve been thinking is how he looked naked when he dove into the lake. My eyes keep wandering to his arms and that beautiful tat on his shoulder. He rolled up his dress shirt earlier to help, and I enjoy the bunching of his muscles. I want to touch and eye the tip of his tat peeking out from his shirt.

  “You need another drink?”

  I shake my head and wet my lips and just like that he’s on them. Hell yes, it’s about time.

  “God, you were all I thought of all day. You, Alyssa, are a major distraction,” he says, the words tickle my sensitive ear. Makes me wonder for a second what I am distracting him from, but just like that I get pulled back into the feel of his mouth on mine. It’s been too long and Blake kisses like a pro. Soft kisses that turn heated. I push my tongue into his mouth and then he’s grasping me to haul me onto his lap. The feel of his erection bulging tight in his jeans thrills me.

  He tangles his hands in my hair and vice versa. His hair is soft and I find myself leaning more into him.

  When we finally break our heated embrace he leans his head back on the sofa. “You’re killing me.”

  “Is it my weight?”

  He laughs, the sound a dark rumble I feel vibrating through his entire body. “Honey, you’re about as heavy as a butterfly. No, you’re killing me because I’m trying so damn hard to be good when I really don’t want to.”

  I feel my body instantly respond. My nipples harden and liquid pools between my legs. “Who said I wanted good?”

  I watch his eyes go half-mast and the grip he has on my arms
tightens.

  “Alyssa, I get the impression I might be too much for you.”

  I can’t help but laugh at that corny line. “I think you’re thinking I’m the nice girl next door and I’m not.”

  He cups my face in his large hands and stares into my eyes. “Who said I wanted a nice girl?”

  Maybe less talking and more action,” I say, as I lightly trace his thick eyebrows and his eyes close, instantly making his face look almost boyish. But that’s a mirage. The boy long ago became a man and it’s the man I’m wanting with all my beating heart. My hand wanders and I unhook the buttons on his dress shirt. His hazel eyes have heated, reminding me of the color of a new meadow. I yank out his shirt from his jeans and finally all that chest is mine. I lean down and kiss his nipples and the moans he lets fly inform me he’s going to like my next move. I suckle and nip both of his nipples and his hands are now cupping my ass and then he moves them to yank my shirt up over my head. I’m now clad only in my black bra. Within seconds he’s mastered the clasp and the bra is pulled down my arms and then he’s the one feasting on me.

  My head falls back and pleasure sweeps through me like a windmill—fast and furious.

  “You are so fucking gorgeous,” he says, taking my nipple into his mouth to suckle hard. Thankfully he repeats his actions with my other needy breast.

  “You sure about this?”

  “Absolutely not. But, if you’re asking me if I want you, that’s a big fat yes.”

  I’m swept up into this embrace and squeal like a little kid.

  “Oh honey, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard all day.”

  I nip his ear as he walks with me to the bedroom. “Like I said, I’m not your nice girl next door.”

  “Nice is overrated.”

  He eases me to the bed and instantly claims the top position to pin me down. I love the heat and feral look coming from him. “Okay this is your last warning. I will let you go if now if that’s what you want.”

  I bite his lower lip. “The night’s young. Let’s play,” I say, hoping I won’t hate myself in the morning. I did vow no more one-night stands but there’s something different, something I can’t describe pulling at all my strings to enjoy what Blake’s offering.