“I want one, and you don’t.”
“You want a husband.” He shuddered. “And kids.”
“That’s right. I’m not getting any younger. I’ll be thirty-five in three years, and that’s considered high risk for pregnancy. If I want time to get to know my guy, then I have to get after it now.”
He made a noncommittal sound.
“Don’t look like that. You don’t want kids or a wife. I get it, and I’m not looking down on you for it. Family isn’t for everyone. You’ve been on your own forever, and maybe you like it. You don’t know how it is to have a family supporting you, surrounding you. All I’ve ever dreamed about is having a family of my own, and it’s killing me to find myself in this place in my life still alone.”
He heard emotion in her voice, and she stopped speaking. A small tug brought her to his side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn’t fight him but settled in close. Her scent filled his nostrils, and he listened to the sound of her unsteady breaths.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get all worked up.” She sniffed. “Just trying to help you to understand.”
He understood far more than she could imagine. Family? Bonds? It clung to his DNA, although he wouldn’t admit it. When they met, he spun a story about himself saying he came from a small family, being an only child, and that his parents were gone. He’d said there was no one left, but the story was only partially true.
“I can’t get involved with you, Declan. Not just for something physical. That’s not me, and I know myself well enough to get that. My emotions would get into the mix and mess up our friendship and our business.”
“You’re rejecting me.” He infused his tone with hurt. “I’ll eventually recover.”
She leaned up and smacked his chest. “You’re ridiculous. Okay, get out of my office so I can work. I have fifty emails I haven’t even opened yet. You can go nap in your own office like usual.”
“Cruel, Nessa.”
“Whatever.” She strolled over to her desk, and he watched her hips swing with a sigh. As he headed toward the door, she called out to him. “Oh, and don’t set your sights on Monica. She has the hots for you.”
“Yes, boss.”
She grumbled as he let himself out of her office chuckling.
Chapter 3
Janessa dug fingers into her hair while checking herself out in the mirror. She needed a touchup, but she hated going to the salon. What should have been no more than an hour and a half at best dragged on for close to four. Her stylist liked to pack them in to make more money. God, sometimes Janessa felt dizzy with all the musical chairs that went on at that place.
“But if I want a date to look at me twice, I better do it.”
Another date had gone wrong, but honestly she didn’t feel all that bad about it. The only man she was truly interested in wasn’t right for her, but she kept hoping she would meet someone new who would replace the feelings she harbored for Declan.
Her cell phone dinged, and she checked the screen.
“Laundry,” he typed. “On the way up.”
She rolled her eyes. “What if I’m with someone and we don’t want to be disturbed?”
“Are you?”
He was impossible.
“Yes,” she lied.
The doorbell rang, and she couldn’t help the snort of laughter. That jerk didn’t give a crap if she was busy or not. He didn’t even call before he came over. Of course, they always did laundry together.
“Jeez, we’re like a married couple without any benefits.” She stomped out of her room to answer the door. Rather than greet his inconsiderate behind, she flung the door wide and left him standing there, calling over her shoulder. “You could have called on the off chance I was with someone.”
“Hey, at least I didn’t use my key. I was being considerate.”
She stopped to glare at him, and he held his hands up in defense.
“Okay, how about I wash all the clothes? You can go back to…um…entertaining ghost boy.”
“Declan.”
“Sorry. Ghost Man.”
She burst out laughing. When her stomach started to hurt, she pulled herself together. “If our business goes bust, how about a duo at the local comedy club?”
“Done.”
“And don’t even think about touching my clothes. The last time, you turned all your whites pink.”
“That was three years ago.” He strolled into her kitchen to the stacked washer and dryer in the corner. Both of them lived in an apartment complex, and Declan had a washer and dryer at his place. Somewhere along the line, they had fallen into doing these unwanted chores together. Sometimes she wondered how things would be once either of them brought a significant other into their life.
“It feels like last week,” she quipped.
“That’s because you won’t let me forget it. You women doh…”
“‘Doh?’ Boy, you know you’re white, right?”
He shrugged.
While Declan hefted his two heavy laundry baskets to the kitchen, she checked the fridge to see if she had anything to feed him. Declan could eat enough for three grown men. She didn’t know where he put it.
He bent over the basket, sorting clothes on the floor. She checked out his rear, which was all tight muscle. He wore loose sweatpants today, but she had seen his legs in shorts plenty of times. Declan’s thighs were solid as steel with a dusting of dark hair covering them.
As far as she knew, Declan didn’t work out much. Yet, his body stayed tight and fit. Not only did he have a great body, he had a face to match. Handsome with a strong jawline, he had to shave regularly or he would have a full on beard. All the same there was always a scattering of fine hair on his jaw and chin.
The silver eyes were her favorite. They drew her in, always distant even when he smiled. Declan claimed to care about little, and she wondered if that included her. On the other hand, he was a born liar and good at it. He had to be for what they did for a living.
That’s why she could never be with him. If he said he loved her, how could she believe it? If he promised to be faithful, how would she know? She saw Declan in action so often, and he managed to reinforce time and again he wasn’t the one.
“How about you sort, I wash, and I fold after they’re all done?” he offered.
She eyed him. “In exchange for what?”
“Remember those cheesesteak subs you made last week?”
“I should have known you were hungry. Do you even have food at your house?”
“Why should I? I eat here, or I hit a restaurant.”
“I bet you’ve got beer.”
“Maybe.”
“That reminds me. How’s the head?” She was glad for the excuse to zip over and touch his forehead. He stood a good head and a half taller than her, maybe more. She had to rest a hand on his chest and stretch up to her toes to reach his head. Okay, not really, but a woman was sometimes tempted beyond her control. Declan didn’t seem to mind when she was overprotective.
“I’m fine.” His cheeks colored, but he let her touch his forehead. As usual, his skin was cool to the touch. Desire stirred in her belly being so close to him. She wanted nothing more than to step into his arms and kiss him.
The closed off expression in his eyes kept her from making a fool of herself. She licked her lips and ducked her head quickly then stepped away. “Good because I’m not a nurturer. You’ll find yourself whining alone if I have to take care of you.”
She moved back to the refrigerator, but he stepped up behind her and leaned his chin on her shoulder. “You’ll let me die with a deadly virus and won’t even blow my nose?”
“Ew, gross. Blow your own nose. We’re close but not that close.”
He chuckled and moved his face closer to hers until their skin touched. All sense of what the heck she was supposed to be doing left. Her mind went blank. Nothing felt so right as to be skin to skin with Declan, even if it was just their cheeks.
“Hey,
take some of my cooties,” he joked.
“Declan, you idiot. Stop p-playing.” Her breath exited her body in a shaky pant. She elbowed him, but she might as well have elbowed a wall. Not that it hurt, but his body didn’t give an inch.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and zipped her off her feet. She screamed, laughing out of control.
“Put me down, dummy.”
He crushed her to his chest, holding her up with one arm. With his other hand, he tickled her until she shrieked and begged for mercy.
“This is payback.” He whirled her around the tiny kitchen like she weighed nothing.
“Stop, Declan. You’re going to make us sick. If I throw up on you, don’t say nothin’.”
He whipped her around a few more turns then set her on her feet. She tried to smack him, but her head spun and she wobbled. The idiot laughed his head off. He didn’t even look as dizzy as she felt.
“You play too much.”
“I don’t play enough.”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you? Goofing off all day, getting nothing done.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Because I’m charming.”
“Hah!”
Before they could tease each other any further, her doorbell rang. She started for the door, but he pulled her back. “I’ll get it.”
“No, you get the laundry going. That small machine is going to take us all day.” Before he could argue, she hurried to answer the door. Her head cleared on the way, and she opened the door to her little sister. “Lachelle, what are you doing here?”
Her sister was already looking past her. “Is Declan over here? I know you slave drive him every weekend.”
“Who slave drives him?” She put her hand on her hip. “And what does that have to do with you?”
Lachelle wore denim shorts, cut from an old pair of jeans. Her button-up lilac top was tucked in at the front and left to hang out at the back. She’d paired this simple outfit with cute sandals and a bit of jewelry. She looked like she was going on a date or trying to impress someone with her figure. “You said you don’t want him, right? You two aren’t seeing each other.”
“I didn’t…uh…” Janessa thought better of admitting what she felt for Declan. All she needed was for her family to start pushing. Lachelle had a big mouth. It would be a matter of time before they all knew. “So? You want him?”
“I want a baby.”
“What?”
“He looks like he has good genes. I want a baby, and I don’t mind making one with him. God, can you imagine her skin and hair? Yes!”
“Lachelle, you’re not serious.”
“I’m dead serious. Like I said, girl. You’re letting all that go to waste. I’m in. Oh, by the way, who is that guy hanging around outside? Who does he have his eye on?”
“Huh? What guy?”
Her sister pulled her over to the balcony doors. They stepped out onto balcony and looked around. All Janessa saw was the usual neighbors coming and going. The complex was a quiet one, and she enjoyed living there. Normally, no one skulked about.
“He was right there.” Lachelle pointed. “It looked like he was staring up at your place, but I’m not sure.”
A chill raced down Janessa’s back. “You’re kidding. He didn’t look dangerous, did he?”
“He could give Declan a run for his money.”
Janessa shivered again. “And you said he looked questionable?”
“Yeah.”
Janessa trusted Lachelle’s judgment. Her sister had considered being a police officer a few years back, but her fiancé at the time, who was a cop, had been killed. Lachelle’s dream died when her heart broke. Now, she wasn’t interested in anything serious. Apparently, her aim was to have a baby without the relationship.
“Well, he’s gone now,” Janessa said with relief. “It was probably nothing.”
“Who’s gone?” Declan joined them on the balcony. “How’s it going, Lachelle? You’re beautiful as usual.”
Lachelle grinned and raised a hand to her braids, which she had piled in a high bun on top of her head. “Thanks. You look good enough to eat too, Declan.”
“He didn’t say you look good enough to eat.” Janessa bit her tongue.
“Who were the two of you talking about?” Declan looked straight into Janessa’s eyes. “You’re nervous, maybe a little scared. Why?”
Lachelle laughed and moved to link her arm with his. “I love when you get all overprotective, Declan. We were talking about some guy hanging out in the parking lot watching the apartment. I mean I could be mistaken—”
“Where?”
She gave him the info, adding more details as he grilled her. Then Declan took off, leaving the apartment. Lachelle frowned at Janessa, as confused as she was.
“I didn’t expect him to take me so seriously.”
Janessa shrugged. “That’s how he is. One minute he doesn’t care about anything but having a good time. The next, well, whatever he’s doing right now. I guess I’m going to have to cook and do the laundry.”
Lachelle followed her into the kitchen. “What are we having for lunch?”
“We?”
“Yeah, girl, I’m hungry. What are we having?”
Janessa gave up battling her sister and Declan and just fell in line with their crazy.
Chapter 4
Sun warmed Janessa’s toes. She pulled them back a bit and made herself more comfortable on the lounge chair. Soon, she wouldn’t get even the little bit of shade she had under the umbrella.
Lachelle’s laughter rose above all other voices. She splashed water into Declan’s face in the pool. Janessa hid behind her sunglasses, pretending she didn’t watch them. If she could find someone of her own, whether Declan and her younger sister got together wouldn’t bother her. At the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to demand that Lachelle back off from Declan. Maybe she should tell him to back off later. That might work.
Selfish much, Janessa?
Earlier, she had made the cheesesteaks and some ice tea for the three of them. Declan returned to finish the laundry, but he was more subdued. Even as she watched him in the pool, she felt like something was on his mind. Had he come across the guy watching the apartment? He claimed not to see anyone, but she wasn’t sure if she believed him.
While the two played in the pool, Janessa gathered up her things. She would head back to the apartment and clean up a little. More chores would take her mind off Declan.
She was halfway down the walk toward home when Declan caught up to her. “Hey, where are you going?”
“Home. You don’t need to follow me. Have fun.”
He caught her arm when she tried to move away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“I know you.” He frowned, staring into her eyes.
“I could ask you the same thing, you know. Something’s on your mind. You said you didn’t find that man who was watching the house, but when you came back you seemed different. What’s up with you, Declan?”
His gaze shifted away from her.
She stepped closer. “We’ve known each other a long time, and we work together. Still, I feel like there’s a part of you I don’t know. Most of the time you’re confident, even indifferent about what people think about you. But every now and then, it’s like stuff gets to you hard.”
He feigned surprise. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do! I hate when you lie to me. I can tell. You’re lying now. I’m not asking you to tell me all your intimate secrets, but stop pretending.”
When he continued to deny what she was saying, she spun away from him.
“Forget it. Go play with Lachelle. She’s not serious, and neither are you. Goodbye.”
“I’ll walk you back.”
“Buzz off.”
She was burning up angry when she made it back to her apartment. Pacing to try to calm down, she
thought about everything she knew about Declan. Family? Friends? The past?
She didn’t know anything, come to think of it. He had once told her his parents’ names and the name of the town where he grew up. She had Googled him and his hometown. The town where Declan claimed to have grown up didn’t exist. All she had ever been able to find out was, a place by the same name was destroyed after the residents had some type of civil war.
The report had to be fantasy, of course, and Declan must have lied about where he came from. She wouldn’t put it past him. Why was he being so secretive? Was someone chasing him, and if so what had he done to cause it?
“And here I am in business with him. I’m crazy.”
She took a shower and dressed in a pair of shorts and simple T-shirt, leaving her feet bare. Not that she was some irresponsible woman who handed all her money over to some guy she didn’t know. Declan was the trusting one, the one who didn’t care about money one way or another.
When they discussed starting the business, Declan offered most of the startup capital. On the business and accounting side of things, she controlled it all. Declan hardly checked that she paid him a correct salary, and she was pretty sure he had no clue what the passwords were to their accounts.
“Maybe he’s the naïve one.”
She groaned and flopped down on the couch, slinging an arm over her face and shutting her eyes. Nothing made sense. Maybe she should dissolve the business and start over. If she let Declan go, loving him wouldn’t be an issue. She wouldn’t get hurt.
The silver eyes slipped into her head, and she sat forward. Declan was alone. That she knew. Something happened that made him the way he was. She didn’t seek to change him, but she did want him to trust her enough to share that experience. If it took another decade for him to do it, she wanted to be his friend until then.
No strings attached.
The door opened, and Declan strolled in. Lachelle tripped in after him. “Hey, sis, why did you leave? We were having a blast.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you jealous?” Lachelle winked at her.
Janessa rolled her eyes. “No. And stop dripping on my floor.”
Liar For Hire Page 2
