“Attend some university functions; convince people that we’re lovers.”
She raised her head and looked at him.
“In a meaningful, committed relationship, of course.” He grinned and his leaf-colored eyes glittered.
Zander wouldn’t know a meaningful, committed relationship if it hit him upside the head. He bailed long before that stage. If a woman got too serious, it was time to move on. The question was why. He’d managed to deftly avoid the topic during anything that resembled a serious conversation.
But who was she to judge? She had plenty of secrets that weren’t up for discussion. Tessa was convinced the only reason she’d been in his life as long as she had was because there weren’t any romantic entanglements. Attraction and undercurrents, yes. But entanglements? No way.
Disappointment rose, and she gave herself a mental shake. What was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if she wanted a relationship with him. She wasn’t looking for Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now. She’d had more than her share of the latter. That was a mistake she didn’t plan to repeat.
“So?” He looked more like a hopeful little boy than she’d ever seen him.
Sit home by herself worrying about Zander losing his teaching position or play his devoted lover and have some fun? It would beat agonizing about the jerk who’d sent the notes. Besides, if the stalker was watching, maybe he’d leave her alone if he thought she was involved with someone. “Okay,” she said.
Zander smiled wide enough to show the dimples she knew he hated, and her stomach flip-flopped. It should be illegal for a guy to be as attractive as Zander and off-limits at the same time. He clasped her hand across the table and brushed his thumb across her knuckles. “You’re the best, Tess.”
Tingles of awareness flitted along her nerves. The best moron! He threatened her self-imposed restraint more than any man she’d ever known, and she’d just agreed to torture herself for an indeterminate amount of time.
Maybe she was worrying for nothing. It wasn’t as if he’d make a move on her. They were friends. As much as she might want to, she certainly wouldn’t jump him. She pushed the thought from her head.
“What are your plans for tonight?” she asked.
“How about worshipping you for saving my career? I’ll even watch chick-flicks with you. We could rent Pride and Prejudice. Again. Or…or…” he winced, “Titanic. I’ll bring the tissue and the popcorn.”
“How about going to the gallery with me, instead?”
“Art?”
“It’s better than watching those movies.”
“I suppose,” he muttered, then grinned. “Whatever you want, angel. You’re helping save my job. I’d go shoe shopping if you wanted.”
* * * *
Zander had never seen so much naked flesh in one room. Granted, most of it was on the wall. Tessa’s artist friend certainly didn’t shy from her subject matter. He thought he recognized a couple of the models in the crowd, but since they were both male, he didn’t study them too closely.
Though the gallery was crowded and brightly lit, the atmosphere was intimate. Servers delivered champagne to the small knots of people discussing the portraits. Watching the patrons was almost as interesting as viewing the photographs.
Zander started to move toward the next portrait, sparing a glance at the one before him. He did a double take. A nude woman sat on the floor with her legs bent slightly and arms wrapped around them. She’d dropped her head to her knees, and her hair cascaded over her bare skin shielding her features. She looked like innocence personified. Though he couldn’t see her features, something about her reminded him of Tessa.
The same model was also featured in the next print. She sat with her back to the camera, hair pinned loosely at the top of her head, arms wrapped around her drawn up knees. Something about the image brought to mind an angel led astray. The photograph, like most in the display, was black-and-white, but he could tell the model’s hair was blonde like Tessa’s.
He glanced at Tessa. She’d changed clothes before they’d left, and her black sweater did some sort of drape-y thing that exposed her upper back. The delicate line of her spine and her proportions were virtually identical to the model’s. Had her friend convinced Tessa to pose for her?
Discreetly, he looked between the photograph and the woman at his side. He eyed Tessa’s long black skirt and sweater, but he couldn’t tell if the sweet curve of her bottom matched the picture, but it certainly looked as if it could. His heart nearly stopped, but he shook his head, dismissing the thought. His angel hadn’t posed nude.
The photograph drew his attention again. On further inspection, he noticed she had a tattoo. A little, intricate Celtic knot marked the base of her spine. Tessa in a tattoo parlor was even more unlikely than Tessa posing nude. There was no way the woman on the wall and the angel at his side were one and the same. They couldn’t possibly co-exist in the same body.
Her laughter reached his ears, and he turned toward the sound. Tessa was absorbed in conversation with her friends, Annie and Cat. He strode to her side and settled a possessive hand at the small of her back. She jumped a little, before shooting him a sheepish grin.
Turning away, she scanned crowd, apparently searching for someone. He didn’t remember her mentioning meeting anyone else here. He watched her, wondering what was going through her head. As if she felt his gaze, she studied him with huge, wary eyes. Blinking, she turned from him and rejoined the conversation.
“I’ve got to mingle,” Annie said. “But let’s talk later.”
Tessa nodded. The short, vibrant red-head started to walk away but turned back. “By the way, Tess, I’m glad to see you gave my suggestion some thought.” With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd. Had Annie looked at him when she’d said the word “suggestion”, or had he imagined it?
Cat’s eyebrows rose in interest, and she briefly met his gaze. “And what suggestion was that?”
Tessa sighed. “The same advice you’ve been doling out for the last—for quite a while.”
“About time you listened,” Cat said with grin.
Tessa tilted her head toward her friend, and he thought he heard her say, “It’s not what you think.”
Curiosity roused, he decided he’d ask Tessa about it later.
“Call me tomorrow,” Cat said. “I’m dying to hear the post-game wrap-up.”
Zander had never noticed how similar the two women appeared. Maybe Cat had modeled for the pictures. He eyed her. No. Her curves were more pronounced. Besides, she didn’t have that same angel-fallen-from-grace look that the subject did.
Tessa watched him with a wry smile. She nodded toward her friend who sauntered away as she flipped open her cell phone. “Wishing you would have gone with what was behind curtain number two?”
“Instead of you? No way.”
“Uh-huh.” She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side, clearly disbelieving him. Something about her stance or maybe the laughter she tried to hide reminded him of the woman in the picture. Nothing concrete—just a feeling. Innocence with just the slightest hint of sin.
He couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea of a sinful Tessa. Which was ridiculous.
He knew from years of field work that the human mind was anything but one-dimensional. People were complex and multi-layered.
For as long as he’d known Tessa, nothing about her had been simple—certainly not his fascination with her. She aroused his curiosity like no woman he’d ever known. She aroused other things as well, but he refused to let himself go there.
At the moment, she feigned interest in a nearby photograph, but she covertly glanced around the room. Unease bristled across his nape.
“Who are you looking for?” he whispered against the shell of her ear.
She turned so quickly they almost collided. “No one.”
Her pupils had dilated a bit. Was it fear? Or had he simply blocked the available light?
She paused then stepped around him
. “Let’s check out the rest of the exhibit.”
He let Tessa lead him away, but her odd behavior interested him more than the photographs. She navigated the gallery like someone with a clown phobia would a fun house—as if at any moment, she expected something to jump out at her.
He took her hand, and she startled. He didn’t release her. Instead, he stepped closer. Even as a kid, he could never leave a puzzle alone.
Her demeanor grew more perplexing by the moment. Obvious questions weren’t getting him anywhere so he decided to try a different tack. “You know, if people are going to believe we’re lovers, you’ll have stop acting afraid of me.”
Any signs of uneasiness vanished, and her eyes narrowed. “I’m not afraid of you!”
“You jump every time I touch you.” He tried to keep his lips from twitching at her indignant expression. She’d be pissed if she thought he was laughing at her.
She yanked her hand from his grasp. “You startled me,” she insisted.
“You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Yes. Quit trying to analyze me.”
Maybe, he’d read too much into her behavior. Hazard of the profession, he supposed.
Before he could respond, she smiled and waved at someone across the room. Aidan. Zander didn’t care for the admiring glow in the other man’s eyes. Unable to quell his proprietary urge, he slid his arm around her to settle at her waist.
His soon-to-be-former friend returned Tessa’s smile as he walked toward them, pointedly studying the placement of Zander’s hand.
“Zander at an art show? Will wonders never cease?” Aidan grinned and turned to Tessa. “How lovely to see you again,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
She seemed utterly charmed by Zander’s soon-to-be-dead friend. How lovely to see you again, Zander mimicked in his head. He sighed. Since Aidan was European, he could get away with saying stuff like that while any other guy would sound like a freaking idiot. Women, even Tessa, apparently, were fascinated by that foreign allure. Zander couldn’t help but feel an absurd sense of relief that he’d gotten to her first. Not that it really mattered. None of this was real. Except his need to touch her. That was certainly real enough.
Now that he’d begun, he wanted more. He wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. If she tasted as sweet as he’d imagined. His hand still rested at her waist and he fought the urge to pull her against his body.
Her warm breath brushed his ear. “Are you okay?” she whispered. “You’re looking a little glassy-eyed.”
Aidan grinned. “Don’t worry about him, love. He’s just not used to this sort of artistic affair.”
Love? With the exception of students, Zander knew his friend used the endearment casually for almost every woman he knew, but it still rankled to hear it directed at Tessa. From Aidan’s amused expression, he knew it, too.
He turned to Zander. “I didn’t know the two of you were seeing each other.”
“We’re not,” Zander replied, lowering his voice. “We’re going to convince the Psychology Department that I’m a good candidate for tenure.”
Aidan raised a brow and shook his head. “You’re not going to fool anyone, least of all Dean Stapleton.”
“What are we all discussing?” Cat asked as she rejoined the group and kissed Aidan hello.
He nodded his head toward Tessa. “I was just informing them, that no one would mistake them for an actual couple.”
Cat’s brow furrowed. “Okay…what am I missing?”
“Tessa’s doing a favor for me.”
“Oh?” Cat sounded intrigued. “Do tell.”
Tessa quietly explained the whole situation to Cat. Finally, her friend nodded. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Aidan. Nobody’s gonna buy that act.” She put her hands on her hips. “A couple in the early stages of dating, yeah.” She leaned close to Tessa. “Which is what I thought was going on when we discussed advice earlier,” she whispered.
Interesting. He knew he wasn’t meant to hear the last, but he planned to ask Tessa about it, anyway. It seemed they’d have plenty to talk about later.
Tessa’s breath caught. She couldn’t believe Cat had said that with Zander standing right here, but a quick glance at him eased her concern. He didn’t seem to have heard. Good. She had enough on her mind without worrying about that, too.
She peered at him again. A glance would never be enough. She clenched her fingers to keep from touching him, enticed closer by the almost hypnotic play of muscles in his forearms as he pushed up the sleeves of his sweater. The charcoal gray color deepened the green of his eyes. They resembled a lush forest in which she’d willingly lose herself. Disgusted with the direction her thoughts had taken, she looked away.
Cat regarded her with an amused expression before turning to Zander. She looked as though she was about to add something to the discussion. Having had far more than her daily recommended dose of stress, Tessa changed the subject. “I love that dress. Is it new?”
Her friend had outdone herself. In midnight-blue silk and lots of skin, she’d turned more than a few heads in the gallery.
Cat grinned. Apparently, she knew exactly what Tessa attempted to accomplish.
Guys usually drooled over Cat until they found out she played for the home team. Even then, some poor saps continued to hold out hope they’d be the one to make her see the light. Even when they’d first met, Zander had never had that slack-jawed response to the glory that was Cat. Maybe his Gay-dar worked better than the average male’s.
“Where’s Susan?” Tessa asked. She’d been so distracted with Zander and his intent study of each of her photographs, she’d forgotten she hadn’t seen Cat’s partner of three years. They had such a wonderful, loving relationship that Tessa and Annie often joked that if Susan were a man, they’d be envious.
Cat frowned. “The emergency room is running short-staffed, so she got called in tonight.”
Zander looked between Tessa and Cat.
“What?” Tessa asked, warily.
“I never noticed how similar you two look. You could be sisters.”
Tessa shifted uncomfortably. Not that much alike. Cat was gorgeous. Add Cat’s waist-length, blonde hair, centerfold body and a few extra inches in height, and Tessa felt like the poor relation.
Aidan perked up. “I don’t suppose Annie’s done any shots with the two of you together?”
Cat cuffed him across the head. “You are such a guy.”
He shrugged. “Two gorgeous women and the possibility of them naked together? Can’t blame a guy for hoping.”
Tessa glanced at Zander. He’d clenched his jaw and glared at his friend. What was going on there?
“Which brings us back to the problem at hand,” Aidan continued as if Zander wasn’t glowering at him. “You two have to figure out how to behave like a couple before the party.”
The thought of acting like a couple in love launched waves of panic through Tessa’s stomach. Goose bumps stood out on her skin. The idea had seemed okay in theory when Zander had first brought it up, but now, her heart beat in her throat.
She turned to Zander. “What party?”
“Remember the faculty functions I mentioned? There’s a retirement party for one of the Criminal Justice profs.”
“When?”
“Sunday night.”
Great. Two days to figure out how to be convincing or Zander could kiss his teaching post goodbye. No pressure. No pressure at all.
“It’s all about body language,” Cat said, interrupting Tessa’s thoughts. “You’ll have to practice. A lot.”
Practice? Oh, this wouldn’t end well.
“I agree,” Zander added.
“Of course, you do.” Tessa crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.
“I’m not saying we need to be all over each other.” He grinned. “But, if you wanted to, I wouldn’t complain.”
“Whatever.” The real problem was that she wasn’t sure she’d complain, eithe
r.
“You’d also better decide what your story is,” Cat added. “You don’t want to give people different answers.”
“Good point.” Zander turned to Tessa. “We do need to work on this.” He looked bemused. “I thought we’d be more comfortable together. It’s not like we’re strangers.”
It was true. They weren’t strangers, but there were plenty of things she’d kept hidden. Plenty she intended to keep hidden.
“After the show, we could go for a walk or get coffee and see if we can figure this out,” she suggested. On second thought, sitting with him in an intimate coffee house didn’t seem like the smartest idea. Maybe, they should go to a fast food place. Cold, loud, brightly lit and absolutely no ambiance. They could even sit in the kiddie section.
“Actually, a walk sounds good,” he said.
They spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Cat, Aidan and occasionally, Annie. As the show drew to a close, Zander put his arm around Tessa. “I’ll get our coats.”
She felt his smile all the way down to her toes. What was the matter with her? This was Zander. Her friend. Not a prospective date.
He returned with her jacket and helped her slip into it. His fingers brushed the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck, and a shiver raced through her.
“Are you all right?” Concern emanated from his eyes.
“Just a chill. I’m fine.”
He studied her before finally nodding.
For just a moment, she wished he’d kiss her. What was the matter with her? Another thought occurred. He might have to kiss her before this charade was over. This might work out perfectly. She could appease her curiosity and longing without risking any kind of admission or involvement.
“I’ve got to speak with Aidan for a minute.” Zander held her gaze for a moment longer. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Sure.” Finding a relatively quiet spot near the wall, she waited and contemplated the lunacy she’d agreed to.
She shoved her hands in her pockets. Cool satin slithered across her skin and twined around her fingertips. Her stomach dropped to the floor. It couldn’t be.
Chapter Four
Vengeful Shadows Page 4
