Hidden Truths (Truths and Lies Duet Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  “No, I haven’t talked to anyone except my mom,” I tell him, flinching slightly when I mention her. The last thing I want is for her to be on his radar.

  “Hmm…” He hands me back my phone. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to have your ex on your social media. It looks bad.” In other words, delete him now before I make you.

  Remembering Aris is in the car with us, I glance over at him, embarrassed that Kostas is telling me what to do like I’m his puppet. I expect to find him smirking at me, enjoying Kostas giving me shit, but instead I find he has his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes are pointed narrowly at Kostas as if he’s silently cursing him. It’s no secret they have some weird love-hate relationship going on, but the way he’s glowering at his brother looks a hell of a lot more like hate than love.

  At the church, Kostas and Aris stand just inside the doors, greeting and thanking everyone for coming as each person walks through and extends their condolences. I stand by Kostas’s side as he introduces me to several people as his wife. Some look shocked, but most congratulate us. He explains who some are to me, and others, who I assume aren’t important enough in his eyes, he doesn’t bother.

  When his father arrives, a nurse wheels him up the ramp in his wheelchair and then Kostas takes over, pushing him to the front row, leaving him to sit at the end of the pew. The funeral service is being held in the same church as our wedding. Father Nicholas speaks about love and loss, and the entire time, Kostas’s fingers stay intertwined with mine. He doesn’t shed a single tear, but I can feel it in the way he squeezes my hand when Father Nicholas talks about her going to heaven, he’s barely keeping it together. I can practically feel the sadness radiating off him, and I wonder if, at some point, he’s going to finally lose it. In the short time since I’ve known Kostas he’s never once lost it. He’s the epitome of put together all the time. Aris, on the other hand, gets so upset, he ends up walking out of the church.

  The funeral moves to the cemetery for the burial, and once again, Kostas pushes his father down the sidewalk to the spot where the earth is open and Nora’s coffin is waiting to be lowered into the ground. There’s a tent set up so everyone can stand in the shade while Father Nicholas says a few more words, and then the casket is lowered.

  When Father Nicholas calls on the family to step forward to throw the dirt onto her coffin, Kostas pushes Ezio over and helps him gather a handful of dirt to throw in. Aris and I go next, and then the other family members follow. Everyone circles back around under the tent while Kostas remains in the front with his dad.

  Kostas’s gaze meets mine, and I try to convey through my gaze how sorry I am for his loss. As if he knows what I’m trying to say, his eyes go a little softer, and the smallest hint of a smile appears.

  And then they go dark. And hard. I have no clue what’s going on until I feel someone’s hot breath at my ear. “I know you married him because you thought you had to…because you’re afraid of him.”

  With my eyes locked on Kostas still, I do my best not to make a scene or show any emotion. I will not let Aris get to me.

  “You can’t deny we have something. From the moment I saw you in the bar, to the night we fucked…”

  My chest heaves at his words, and Kostas’s eyes narrow as he pushes his father’s wheelchair toward us, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “Just because you’re married now, doesn’t mean we can’t explore those feelings. I could make you happier than Kostas ever could,” Aris says.

  And just when I think he’s finally done, he grabs my ass.

  Panic rises inside me.

  I feel sweaty and dizzy.

  I’m thrust back to the night he shoved me against the dresser and took what wasn’t his to take. It’s difficult to keep my emotions in check.

  My lip wobbles slightly, and I pray Kostas doesn’t notice.

  Leave me alone! I want to scream at him. Push him away. But there are people all around us, and I don’t want to cause a scene at Nora’s funeral.

  Unable to stand this monster’s hand on me for another second, my self-preservation wins out. My eyes leave Kostas’s and meet Aris’s, and my hands comes out, grabbing Aris’s hand to remove it off my ass. “What the hell is your problem?” I seethe. “We’re at your mother’s funeral, for God’s sake.”

  Aris simply shrugs a shoulder and smirks, not even bothering to argue. When I scan the area to find Kostas, hoping he didn’t see what Aris did, I find him standing directly behind Aris. His fists are clenched at his sides, and his eyes are pointed down at my hand, which is still holding Aris’s. Oh, shit!

  “Kostas,” I begin, unsure how to even explain what he’s seeing. But he doesn’t give me a chance. Because when Aris spins around to face his brother, Kostas cocks his fist back and clocks Aris directly in the jaw. His head whips to the side, and he stumbles back. The hit is so loud, everyone turns to see what the commotion is.

  “You ever put your hands on my wife again, and you will lose them,” Kostas roars, his body trembling with rage.

  Aris, the instigator he is, just laughs and walks away. It’s like he has a death sentence he gleefully awaits.

  “Kostas.” I step toward him. “Please let me explain.”

  “Go home,” he demands, his eyes cold. “I’ll see you when I get there.”

  “But—”

  “Now, Talia,” he seethes, and I don’t dare to argue.

  I nod in understanding, and on shaky feet I walk back to the limo. When I get there, I’m terrified Aris will be in there, waiting, but thankfully he’s not. The driver returns me to the hotel, and I head straight back to our villa to wait for Kostas. The entire time I’m waiting for him, I pace the room. Back and forth. Rehearsing what I’m going to say. How I will explain. I’m not sure if he saw Aris grab my butt, or if he just saw what looked like we were holding hands. If he didn’t see him grab my butt, I don’t want to tattle on Aris. Based on the shit he was word vomiting, he’s either seriously delusional or scarily cunning. Either way, the last thing I need is to fuel whatever is motivating him.

  An hour later, the door clicks open and in walks Kostas. I stand frozen in place, waiting for him to speak first. His tie is now unknotted, the top several buttons undone, and his hair looks disheveled as if he was running his fingers through it in irritation.

  His eyes meet mine, and I look to see which man I’m dealing with. Warm. Sad. Soft. I take in a breath of relief. I can deal with this man. He will see reason.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” Kostas says, cupping my cheeks with his hands. My features must convey my confusion over his apology because he adds, “Aris explained that he was only asking if you were okay.” He told Kostas he was seeing if I’m okay? What the hell is Aris playing at? “He seems very concerned about you almost being taken.” I search his eyes to see if there’s any hint of disbelief in them, yet I don’t find anything but worry. Wow, Aris is fucking good. And that seriously worries me.

  “I shouldn’t have punched him,” Kostas grumbles. “At least not at our mother’s funeral. But as I told him, I don’t care what the reason is, he never has the right to touch you in any way. He’s lucky the only thing he was doing was holding your hand.” His lips descend on mine and he kisses me deeply. “You’re mine, moró mou. Only mine to touch.”

  He releases my face and steps around me. “My father was supposed to head over to the other side of the island to handle some business, but because he’s out of commission, he’s asked me to go. The business will probably take a week.” I follow him into our bedroom as he pulls out some luggage from the closet and sets it on the bed.

  “You’re leaving?” My heart begins to race, and my head goes fuzzy. A heaviness in my chest weighs down on me, and I have to grab the side of the dresser to steady myself.

  Kostas is leaving me here.

  For a week.

  Alone.

  No, not alone.

  With Aris.

  “Kostas, you can’t leave me.” I
cut across the room and grab ahold of his hand, yanking him toward me. “Please,” I choke out. “Take me with you.” Hot, wet tears fill my lids.

  Kostas brows dip low. Still allowing me to hold on to his one hand, he lifts the other to wipe the liquid from my cheeks. “Calm down, moró mou. Of course you’re coming. You don’t really think I’d leave you alone again, do you?”

  Kostas

  The farther away we get from Agios Nikolaos, the lighter I feel. I opted to take my Range Rover versus the Maserati because after the shit that went down a few days ago, there’s no way I’d go anywhere without bringing a small arsenal with me. The hour plus drive has flown by because Talia’s mindless chatter passes time in the best possible way.

  “I think I can see the ocean,” Talia says, leaning forward toward the windshield. “Where are we going again?”

  “Agia Fotia Beach. And we’re close. The cliffside home I reserved is about five minutes away.”

  She smiles at me. “Will you have to work right away or can we explore?”

  “Work can wait until tomorrow.” I’m chasing down a lead per my father’s request. He’s certain Estevan Galanis was behind the attempt on his life. Estevan has been known to hole up in one of the hotels on Agia Fotia Beach when things heat up. I’m about to bring motherfucking hellfire to his doorstep.

  She sits back and returns to looking out the window, a pleased smile on her face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so relaxed and happy. Getting away is exactly what we both needed.

  “Kostas,” she chokes out. “Someone’s following us.”

  I glance in the rearview mirror to see a black SUV behind us. “It’s Adrian and a few of my men. Basil is holding down the fort back home.”

  “Oh,” she mutters. “Duh. Wherever we go, they go.”

  Reaching over, I clutch her thigh over her dress. “Not everywhere.”

  She lets out a breathy laugh before covering my hand with hers. “I can live with that.”

  Adrian is droning on about the hotel Estevan is staying at and I’m trying to stay focused. It’s just Talia has changed into a skimpy bikini and is rooting around in the refrigerator looking for something. Adrian, a wise man, keeps his gaze averted. I, however, can’t take my eyes off her ass that’s barely covered in the white fabric. When she finds a bottle of water and closes the door with her hip, making her tits jiggle in the tiny triangles, I’ve had enough.

  “Time to go, Adrian,” I growl.

  “Yes, sir,” he responds with a chuckle and slips from the kitchen without another word.

  “Can we go swimming now?” Talia asks, her blue eyes flickering with wickedness despite the innocent look she has plastered on her face. As if she didn’t just seduce my dick into canceling my meeting to go chase after her fine ass.

  “We can,” I say as I stand. “I need to change first.”

  The dirty girl watches me with rapt fascination as I trade my three-piece suit for a swimsuit. It’s fucking cute when her cheeks burn bright red when I give her a preview of my dick.

  “Keep looking at me like that and we’ll never get to swim.”

  She bites on her bottom lip. Adorable as hell. “I mean, we can swim later.”

  “Nah, it’ll get cool. Let’s go down to the ocean before the sun sets.”

  Grabbing her hand, I guide her out of the small house and down the series of wooden staircases on the side of the cliff. As soon as our feet hit the small round rocks, I inhale the salty air and exhale the past week’s worth of stress.

  Even villains need a fucking vacation.

  Talia kicks off her flip-flops and gingerly runs along the rock-covered beach to the cerulean water. The waves lap at the shore in a soft, rhythmic way. Her blond hair flutters in the wind and she looks over her shoulder, smiling at me. I wish I could capture this moment. Freeze it into a frame to look at when the world is weighing heavily.

  She makes me soft.

  Inside.

  My dick is achingly hard.

  But my heart? I’m drawn to her. I want to own and spend hours exploring her. I’m happy as fuck that she’s mine now.

  “Come on, Kostas,” she calls out before turning back to stare at the Mediterranean Sea.

  I kick off my boat shoes and prowl after her, the rocks making me wince each time I step on a sharp one. She’s already knee-deep in the ocean by the time I make it to her.

  “It’s warm,” she tells me when I wrap my arms around her from behind.

  “Want me to make it hotter?”

  She laughs, tilting her head to allow me access to her bare neck. I kiss her soft flesh. “By all means, make it hotter.”

  I nip at her throat as my palms slide to her breasts. Her breath hitches when I pull the tiny triangles of fabric down to reveal her hard nipples. A small moan escapes her when my thumbs run over the hardened nubs.

  “It would seem that we’re both very hard for one another,” I tease as I pinch her nipples and rub my erection against her ass.

  “Very,” she breathes.

  “Your body is practically begging for mine.” I bite her neck again. “Don’t you think?”

  “It is. But you never give in. In a couple of days, if you still haven’t, it’ll be too late.”

  I slide a palm down her flat stomach and inch my middle finger down into the fabric of her bikini bottoms. She sucks in a harsh breath of anticipation. Before I go any farther, I find her ear with my mouth.

  “Why will it be too late, wife?”

  She groans, rubbing her ass against me as if to encourage me. “B-Because.”

  I slide my finger farther down, just between the lips of her pussy to tease at her clit. “Hmmm?”

  “I’ll be on my period then,” she murmurs. “You can’t have sex with me then.”

  Biting on her earlobe, I sink my finger farther down and push into her soaked opening. A kitten-like mewl purrs from her. Fuck, she’s tight around my finger. She’s going to strangle my cock.

  “You think a little blood scares me off?” I rumble, finger-fucking her in a teasing way.

  “I, uh…”

  I slide my finger out of her and rub the wet tip over her clit again. Her hips rock in tandem with my movements as she eagerly seeks release.

  “What, Mrs. Demetriou? Please enlighten me with your answer.”

  “It doesn’t gross you out?”

  “Nothing with you will gross me out. I already wiped away the only gross thing about you when I wed you in that chapel. Your last name. The new one is pretty fucking fabulous if I do say so myself.” I suck on her neck and then let go with a loud popping sound. “I’m going to fuck you whenever the need arises, zoí mou.”

  She whimpers when I bring her right into an orgasm. Her body trembles and shakes so much that I have to keep her standing with my free arm. When she finally comes down, I slide my hand from her bottoms and twist her to face me.

  “I’m going to fuck you now,” I growl.

  She blinks rapidly at me. “Now, now?”

  I point at the never-ending staircase. “I don’t have the energy for that shit right now. I’m going to fuck you on those rocks, Talia. It’s going to hurt.”

  Her brows furrow and she looks away, a slight tremble wracking through her. “Will I bleed again?”

  I sense a shift in her mood. True fear practically seeps from her pores. If I find out this Alex fucker hurt her taking her virginity, I’ll drag him to my cellar and make him bleed.

  “You bled your first time?” I ask, gripping her chin and tilting her face to meet mine.

  She blinks away tears and tries to avert her gaze. I keep her pinned so I can study her face. “Y-Yes. My, uh, my first time was painful and traumatic.”

  I suppress a growl low in my throat. “That first time…did you want it?”

  Her head shakes from side to side vehemently. “No, Kostas. I didn’t.”

  Fury swells up inside of me. One day she’ll tell me who the motherfucker was who hurt her. “Listen,” I say
harshly. “If you didn’t want it, it doesn’t fucking count. Understand? What we’re about to do fucking counts. That’s your first time. Are we clear?”

  Relief floods her features. “But you said it would hurt.”

  I smile wolfishly at her. “Because I’m going to fuck you on a beach of rocks. Your back is going to be pissed.”

  “Oh,” she utters, a shy smile on her lips.

  Grabbing her ass, I pick her up and carry her to a part on the shore where the rocks are smaller and finer. Gently, I lay her back as the ocean laps at our feet. With my eyes searing into hers, I peel away her bottoms, revealing her sweet cunt to me. Once they’re gone, I toss them farther up the beach. She unties her bikini top at her neck first and then undoes the one at her back. The moment it loosens, I rid her of that too. I stare at her perfect body, drinking in every tanned curve of her.

  “Beautiful,” I praise, skimming my palm down her thigh. “Mine.”

  A sweet smile tugs at her lips. “Your turn, husband.”

  My dick does a jolt at her words. I untie the top of my trunks and shed them faster than a teenage boy about to get laid for the first time. When I fling them up the beach, she laughs, her tits jiggling in a delicious way.

  “Come here, wife,” I growl, pouncing on her.

  Her laughter fades to uneven breaths as I kiss her hard. My cock rubs against her clit. At first, she’s stiff, but the more I rub on her, the more eager for it she is. Her legs gingerly hook around my waist and soon she’s digging her heels in, silently begging for it.

  “It’s not supposed to hurt,” I whisper on her supple lips. “It’s supposed to feel good.”

  “I want to feel good,” she pleads.

  “Are you wet enough?”

  She nods rapidly.

  “We’ll see,” I mutter with a wicked grin.

  I grip my dick and tease her slick opening. She’s more than wet. Her body practically weeps with need. I rub the tip of my dick up and down along her slit from her clit damn near to her asshole. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down.