by Ava Miles
“Whoa!” Rhett held up his hands in mock surrender. “Seems as though you already found out what I was going to tell you, even if the conclusions you drew were wrong. Can I come in, or are you planning to beat the shit out of me on your doorstep?”
Even Matt was shocked at his violence, his throbbing knuckles. He’d only gotten into scuffs when he was a kid with his brother and a couple of bullies from school. “I want to tear you apart for making her the subject of some of the dirtiest comments I’ve ever seen on the Internet.”
Rhett sighed. “I didn’t like that either, Matt. Trust me, if I could have prevented it, I would have. I love those girls.”
Matt threw out a hand. “Girls! Stop calling them that.”
Rhett eyed a still barking and growling Henry. “I told you once that they hate it when I call them that, but it’s part of the way I speak. I don’t mean it like you clearly think I do. I love them like sisters, and I respect them more than I do almost anyone.”
The cold air was pouring into the house through the open door, but Matt wasn’t ready to let Rhett inside. Not yet. “If you cared for them, you would have found another way to have them scout for you on the down-low.”
“Can I come in? Seems you and I need to come to an understanding. You’re making me out to be some sort of pimp, and that’s something I just won’t abide. Are you going to check Fido there?”
Matt stared him down. “You have a hell of a nerve, coming here.”
Rhett rubbed his chin. “I came here to tell you the truth, some of which you seem to have figured out on your own. The rest is total bull puckey. So, why don’t you put your dog somewhere while we sort this out? I’m here because I love Jane and want to make her happy. Since you seem essential to that, I’ve done some serious high-stepping with the two other women I love, Abbie and Elizabeth.”
Even though Matt was nearly shaking in anger, he stepped back. Best hear it all. “I’ll put Henry in his crate.”
“Are you going to take another punch at me if I take my coat off?” Rhett asked.
Matt didn’t answer him. He rubbed down a trembling Henry and gave him a treat before closing him inside his crate.
When he returned to the den, Rhett had his hands on his waist. God, the guy really was massive. Likely had four inches on Matt. He couldn’t believe he’d hit him, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to apologize.
“Well, spill it,” he demanded. “Normally I’d pour you a drink and tell you to sit, but I’m not feeling particularly welcoming.”
“Understood. All right then. Tell me what you know.”
Matt almost laughed. “No way. You’re on my turf, and I’m not a rookie lawyer. You tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but, from the beginning.”
Rhett’s mouth quirked up. “Got a Bible?”
When his only response was silence, Rhett shoved his hands into his jeans. “All right then. From start to finish. Might take some telling.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
And so Rhett began, telling him about meeting Jane and Elizabeth that first time, both of them desperate to escape something. Jane, her family. Elizabeth, he wouldn’t say. He told Matt how smart they were, how being Raven and Vixen was the perfect ruse that answered all their various needs. Jane’s parents had covered up their tracks for political reasons, confirming what Matt had heard from his family tonight. When he told Matt about falling for Abbie and her outright disgust of the poker babes, Matt wanted to growl again. Even Rhett’s wife had thought they were slutty. Rhett insisted more than once that there had never been the slightest bit of “impropriety” between him and his scouts. An old-fashioned term to Matt’s way of thinking, but as Rhett continued with his tale, he decided that the colloquialism seemed to suit the man.
“When I saw her today,” Rhett said, wrapping up the whole sorry story, “still dressed in her nightgown at noon—a first, mind you—her eyes swollen, her nose red from crying, I said I’d fix it. I told Abbie I wanted to entrust you with the truth without all this lawyer privilege mumbo jumbo. After some smooth talking, she agreed. Elizabeth…well, she was a tougher nut to crack for reasons I can’t share. But she loves Jane, so she finally agreed too.”
Matt’s jaw ticked, and he forced his heart to stop beating as he listened to Rhett.
“Jane still thinks this news will hurt you politically if you two stay together, and for that reason she’s willing to walk away from you forever even though you’re the only man she’s ever loved.”
God, it hurt. Hearing that.
She was the only woman he’d ever loved too.
But this…
“When she told me she wanted to move back to Vegas because she couldn’t handle being here—”
“She what?” he asked, swinging around.
“Well, that got your attention. I was wondering what was going through your mind.”
“I think my mind exploded when I learned the truth,” he admitted.
“One thing I learned with Abbie is that the mind means nothing when it comes to how you feel. It’s like weighing a feather against an anvil.”
Matt liked the analogy, but the situation wasn’t that clear to him. “Just answer me one thing. Is Jane truly the woman I know or does she have a twin sister called Raven living inside her?” Part of him feared that the woman he loved didn’t really exist.
“I expect that’s something you need to talk about with Jane. What I can tell you is that she’s everything you know her to be and more. Jane, Elizabeth, and I used to laugh ourselves silly over the way we were fooling everybody. Jane even used to say they were like The Mirage in Vegas.”
A mirage. Yes, that sounded about right.
“And the bitching they did about the makeup, the outfits, and the…err, enhancements, well…they didn’t like the outfits or the way they were treated in them. But we all knew the truth, and that softened it. They’re wicked smart, smarter than me, and I owe them everything I’ve become.”
His revelation shocked Matt. Rhett was the champion, and yet here he was, crediting it all to Jane and Elizabeth.
“I only had my mama growing up, and I ran pretty wild at times. But Jane and Elizabeth and me…well, I guess we all helped each other grow up.” Then he frowned. “I sure as hell wouldn’t be standing here, talking about my feelings to you, if this wasn’t important to her. I wouldn’t have taken a punch without knocking you on your ass if she didn’t mean the world to me.”
Yeah, and he knew Rhett could knock him on his ass and then some.
“Anything else you want to know?” he sneered. “If not, I’m going to head home to my family.”
Matt met his challenging gaze. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“I’ll pass that along,” Rhett said.
“You didn’t know that when you came here?”
“No,” Rhett said. “Not for certain, but I was willing to do it for Jane.”
He shrugged into his coat then and walked to the door. Matt stayed where he was, still reeling from the man’s story.
“Think carefully about what you want, Hale, because I can promise you this. If you hurt Jane in any way about her past as Raven, I will beat the living shit out of you. ‘Night, now.”
Cold air washed over him again as Rhett left. He ran his hand through his hair, his mind examining all the different angles of what he’d heard, rather like a mental Rubik's cube.
Jane had wanted to tell him the truth without knowing how he’d feel about it. And how did he feel about it?
Sick, he had to admit to himself.
But sad too, particularly when he thought about how desperate she must have been to escape her parents.
And what of taking on this secret with her? It would likely ruin him politically and hurt everyone involved.
After staring into the fire, absently stroking Henry’s shiny coat, he came to the inescapable truth.
His heart burned for her. He loved her.
His uncle was right. What else mattered
?
Chapter 32
Wallowing was not a Wilcox trait, but since Jane really didn’t want to be a Wilcox, she decided to give herself more time for her pity party. She poured herself another glass of wine and resumed her fourth Bond movie of the day. Some girls watched chick flicks when they were feeling down. She watched Bond. But not the ones with poker because they were horribly inaccurate.
Right now, Sean Connery’s voice was like a lullaby in Dr. No. Rufus and Annie perked up on the couch beside her—another rule blown—when they heard a car crunching down the snowy driveway. It was Elizabeth or Rhett, she decided, untangling herself from her red throw. Her money was on Rhett. She downed the rest of the wine in her glass, bracing herself for his news.
Patting down her short hair probably didn’t help. She hadn’t showered and was still in her robe and P.J.s. Oh well.
When the knock came on the door, she retied her bathrobe—a small mercy—and went to answer it. She opened it to find Matt, Henry by his side, and shock rippled through her.
“Matt!”
Annie and Rufus nudged his legs, tails wagging wildly, and greeted a surprisingly calm Henry. “Jane. Can we come in?”
God, that dear, dear face. He looked more handsome than ever to her despite the grooves around his mouth from stress. She just wanted to kiss him senseless. But that wasn’t wise.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He pushed inside anyway, Henry following and still not jumping. Matt shut the door slowly, intentionally. Then he turned around, blue eyes blazing. “I know, Jane,” he said, his voice razor-sharp.
Had Rhett told him without telling her?
Her whole frame went ramrod straight. Oh God, he couldn’t… Her bravado was forced, but she managed to keep a steady voice and say, “What do you know?”
“That you’re Raven.”
The gasp she uttered was punctuated by a bark from Rufus, who clearly sensed her distress. “How did you—”
“Shut up,” he whispered and yanked her to him.
His mouth crushed hers, his arms wrapping around her like a vise. He fed on her, and she on him, the agony of their horrible parting cleansed away by that one, fierce kiss. It went on and on and on until Jane wrenched her head back.
“And?”
“I’m here,” he whispered hoarsely and dove back in.
She tunneled her fingers into his hair, standing on the balls of her feet now. His clothes were cold, but soon she was hot all over. He swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them. He laid her on the bed and shucked off his coat.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” she said softly, the connection between them delicate now that they weren’t touching.
“I know, and I’m sorry I couldn’t do it your way,” he murmured, stripping off his clothes and then tugging on her bathrobe. “You’ve been crying.”
“I didn’t want to lose you. Not over this.”
He covered her with his now-naked body and pressed his forehead to hers.
“Not ever!” The words were a harsh cry from her lips.
“Oh baby,” he said, kissing her again. “I’m here. We’ll figure it all out.”
She slipped out of her robe awkwardly and swept aside her pajama top. “Thank God! I was sure I’d lost you.”
He slid her cotton pants down her legs and then pressed himself fully to her, his skin warm now, igniting fires, soothing her broken heart. “Never. I love you, and I mean that. You can tell me your side later.”
“But how—”
“Later,” he said again and then took her mouth in another drugging kiss, his hands running over her, making her feel cherished again. Making her feel loved.
“I love you,” she whispered when he sought her breasts, and then she simply surrendered to everything between them.
The heat. The urgency.
It was all too much after the wild swings of emotion, and she came hard against him when his fingers sought her wet warmth. A foil packet tore as she panted for more. Then his hands found hers, and he pressed his full length against her, stretching her hands over her head. When he entered her, she gripped him with her knees, never wanting to be without him, without that slow slide of him inside her.
“Give it to me, Jane,” he whispered, teeth clenching as he thrust into her. “I need you.”
His desire fueled hers, and soon she was caught in the throes of pleasure again, only this time he was right there with her. Their breaths were in time with their bodies, and the union they entered was new and scary and fragile, which made her heart tear open wide when she came again.
His groans punctuated the silence, and then he froze above her. She squeezed his hands tight and nuzzled his head when he pressed his forehead to her neck. They stayed that way for a moment. She did not know how long.
Time ceased to have meaning. Sensation was everything.
The power of her love for him returned with joy.
“Oh, Matt,” she whispered, tears leaking from her eyes again, but for an entirely different reason now.
“Shh, I’m here. I’m right here.”
He rolled them to their sides, dispensed with the condom, and then pulled her onto his chest, running his hands over her back, his caresses soothing now.
When she quieted, they laid there in silence, fingers caressing each other’s cooling skin.
Soon she couldn’t ignore the reality. The new knowledge he had of her was lying between them like an old lover.
“How did you find out?” she finally asked.
His hands froze on her damp flesh for a moment before resuming. “First let me say that I wasn’t ready to let you walk away, and since you wouldn’t tell me what it was without putting money between us, I was determined to find out. Lucky for me, as Andy pointed out, we have investigative journalists in the family.”
Oh God, she thought as confusion fogged her mind.
“Don’t freeze up on me. I recruited Uncle Arthur, Tanner, and Meredith to help me because I knew I could trust them. I know we have different families but when it comes to mine, they are rock solid. Do you trust me on that?”
How in the world had they discovered her secret? Shoving onto her elbow, the fear over her. “They know? But how? I thought Rhett had—”
“Yeah.” A half smile cruised over his face. “He visited me right before I came here, but I had already found out from my family. They had a hard time unraveling the knots, trust me, but Uncle Arthur boasts he’s been studying mug shots for decades. He figured it out after comparing some photos.”
His words didn’t soothe the tightness in her chest. She knew they wouldn’t say anything if Matt had asked them to, but if they could figure it out, couldn’t someone else?
“I should also probably tell you that I took a shot at Rhett,” he continued, giving her arm a gentle caress.
Her mouth parted when he waggled his bruised knuckles in front of her face. “You did what?” That so wasn’t the Matt she knew. “Why?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Because I thought he’d forced you to wear those outfits and look…”
When he trailed off, she pulled away, but he yanked her back.
“Oh, no. I’m not letting you shut me out.” His blue eyes were stormy now. “I’m here, and I love you.”
“You were going to say ‘like a slut,’” she finished for him. “That’s what you were thinking.”
He sighed. “Yes, but I know you’re not.”
“And yet I dressed as Raven for seven years.”
He propped the pillows up against the headboard and drew her to him, covering them both with the bedspread. “Okay. Tell me why.”
She fumbled at first, but as his gaze remained steady, his hand holding hers tightly, she found her voice. When she finished, he cupped her cheek.
“It’s hard for me to imagine a family ever being as…pushy seems like an inadequate word. They were destroying you with their own plans and ambitions.
I’m glad you found a way out—even if it was rather unconventional.”
“Raven makes you uncomfortable.”
“Jane, I’ve gotten used to seeing you…well, like this. All cute and petite. Smart and sexy. I know you. I love you. But I don’t know that other woman.”
“And you’re not sure you ever want to.” Wasn’t that the crux? “It doesn’t matter now, I guess. She doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I think you’re underestimating her…and yourself. Aren’t fantasies our way of tapping into places inside of us we’d like to explore?”
Crap. He was right, and her vulnerability grew with that knowledge. “I wanted to be beautiful, okay? I wanted to be a woman men fantasized about, but one who was in control. And with Rhett…”
His face softened. “He was your protector, so it was safe.”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to act on any…well, sexual fantasies when I was dressed as her. Not that it would have worked out well. Once I started taking my clothes off, it would have become clear I wasn’t all that…ah, endowed.”
God, her face was heating just from talking about it.
“You are beautiful, Jane,” Matt said.
This time she caressed his face. “With you, I’m starting to believe that for the first time in my life, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. My childhood was hard. My mother always found me wanting, and being a smart girl didn’t help.”
He kissed her fingers. “I happen to like smart and beautiful.”
“Lucky me.” But a new pocket of fear rose up now as she thought ahead. “I’m still a threat to you politically, though. If your family could figure it out…”
“Hey,” he said quietly. “They knew they were looking for something. I don’t want you to worry about any of that.”
She flopped back against the headboard. “Matt, I meant what I said before. You are such a good man, and you’ll make an incredible politician. I don’t want to do anything to hurt your chances.”
It would drive a wedge between them if she did.
“And what if I said I’m willing to ‘roll the dice,’ to use your terminology?”
