Cold Deception (His Agenda 4): Prequel to the His Agenda Series (3 page)

“Stop calling him that,” Lacey said, even though she referred to him the same way inside her head.

“Why?” Lilliana grinned mischievously. “How often does a man rescue a damsel in distress these days?” She shook her head. “Anyway, he was asking about you. Don’t pretend you don’t feel anything.”

The corners of Lacey’s mouth quirked up. “Fine, what did he say?”

“It was more the way he said it. Your name. And the way he looked saying it. There’s no doubt—he’s hot for you.”

Lacey swatted Lilliana on the arm. “I’m sure you imagined it all.”

“Nope. I saw how he was looking at you today.” She pulled up a sleeve of her top, revealing her tattooed forearm. “I asked around. In case you’re interested, and I’m not saying you are, but if you are, this is his name.”

After scanning all the ink on Lilliana’s skin, Lacey saw it. “Terence,” she whispered.

“I have one piece of advice for you. Snatch him up before Doreen jumps him. She’s been drooling like a fool every time he shows up.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I
will
talk to him, but only to thank him again for what he did.”

“You do that. Make sure you thank him good and proper. But be careful. He could turn out to be like that ass, Craig. Can’t trust men these days.”

“I think he’s far from that kind of guy,” Lacey said. She walked away with a grin on her face.

Chapter Four

Terence

The dining hall stank of alcohol, cigarettes, and body odor. None of those smells came from Terence. He had always been religious about hygiene at the orphanage and in prison. He wouldn’t make an exception at the homeless shelter. He also didn’t smoke or drink. He hated the taste and feared addiction—to him it was nothing more than allowing a substance to control him.

“Mind if I finish that for ya?”

“Go ahead.”

Gonzalo Murdy, a bushy-bearded man wearing a dirty white cap, reached for Terence’s plate of mashed potatoes and gravy and spooned the food into his mouth without even a “thank you.”

Terence thought about prison, where something like that could get a person beaten up or worse. Inmates guarded their possessions, including their food, to death.

To hell with the food, though. He wasn’t hungry. He didn’t have to rely on Oasis to meet all of his needs. He’d only needed a place to sleep for a few nights until he found a job. He had sworn to himself he would never turn to Marion for help, and he hadn’t.

His plans had changed only slightly; now he was no longer in a rush to leave Oasis.

He moved his gaze from Gonzalo stuffing his face, over the heads of the other residents, also wolfing down their food, fighting, or playing cards at the dining tables, until it landed on Lacey. She was at a table in a corner, below a large painting of Jesus. She was filling empty mugs with water. Instead of her usual plain pants and top, she wore a khaki dress that reached just below her knees. When she moved, his eyes followed her round breasts and ass.

She laughed at something someone said, raising her face upward, offering him a perfect view of her fragile neck and jaw, her hair spilling behind her like a waterfall of honey.

He traced the smooth outline of her body with his gaze and shifted in an attempt to relieve the tension inside his pants. Damn, she did things to him. The very thought of burying his hands into her long hair drove him nuts. He had to talk to her today. He had no idea what he would say, but he knew he had to get close to her again, to find out if the emotion in the glances they sometimes shared were real, if he even had a chance.

She turned and looked straight at him, a hint of a smile still on her face. This time, he smiled back a little. He was getting better at it. She beamed in response. His breath caught. God, she was perfect.

He would get her alone as soon as she completed her duties. But it was taking too damn long. Other men in the dining hall were eyeing her, causing unbridled jealousy to burn inside his throat. He had to fight the urge to beat them up for lusting after his girl.

When she finally left the dining hall and headed for the kitchen, Terence didn’t waste time. He pushed back his chair, scraping it against the floor, and followed her. When he reached the kitchen door, he hesitated. Three other helpers were in there, carrying out various tasks. Lacey was at the sink with her back turned to him.

“This area is for staff only. Need something?” one of the women asked him, her arms crossed in front of her flat chest.

He felt like telling her to back off, but stopped himself. Making a bad impression in front of Lacey would not be a good idea.

“I only need a minute.” Terence pushed past the woman and went over to Lacey. “Can I talk to you for a moment…please?”

The other volunteers turned to stare, probably waiting for Lacey to throw Terence’s ass out of the kitchen.

“Sure.” Lacey turned back to the pots and pans she was scrubbing. “What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, sliding her long fingers into the soapy water.

Without thinking, Terence slid his own hands into the sink and fished out a pan.

“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to stifle a giggle.

Terence shrugged. “Helping with the washing up.”

“You don’t have to do that.” She averted her gaze. “I…”

“I didn’t ask if you needed help. I want to help you with the washing up. That way you’ll be done sooner and you can go for a walk with me. It’s not a question.”

She giggled. “In that case, I guess I won’t protest. Where are we going?”

“How about Serendipity Lake?” Terence scraped food off another pan.

“That’s a long walk.”

“We’ll drive there first, then walk.” He turned and looked at her. He couldn’t help himself.

She turned as well, and their eyes locked. “Are you sure you won’t take no for an answer?”

“Damn sure.”

She nodded and continued with the washing.

For ten minutes they stood side by side, working silently, Terence breathing in her scent. Being close to her was so dangerous, and yet it felt so good he couldn’t walk away if he wanted to. Occasionally they glanced out the window at the skinny branches of the trees in the yard reaching upward like skeletons.

When everything was washed and put away, Lacey went to get a sweater and followed Terence out the door.

“This is crazy. You might not get a place to sleep when we return,” Lacey said as they walked down the street to his motorbike, which actually belonged to his boss, George.

“Then I’ll sleep outside.” It would be worth it for a few moments alone with her. He gave her his helmet, and helped her onto the bike. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, he almost lost it. But he had to focus. She was not the kind of girl he wanted to rush into things with. Definitely not the kind he wanted to leave behind.

The night air was cool, but Terence was too heated up to feel a thing as they whizzed through the quiet evening. Most businesses in Serendipity closed up early, and most people hit the sack before ten. Terence liked it that way. At this time of night, the lake would be deserted. They’d be all alone.

Chapter Five

Lacey

Once they arrived at the lake, Terence removed a blanket from his backpack and led Lacey to a patch of grass on the shore. They could have sat on one of the benches, but he wanted them to watch the stars together.

She didn’t say anything for a long time. She lay down on her back on the blanket and he did the same. There were only a few lamps in the park, so the stars were clearly visible.

“Thanks again for helping me out the other day,” she said, but didn’t turn to look at him. “I’m sorry for walking away like that. It was rude. I was embarrassed.”

“All is forgiven. Did he come near you again? If you need me to—”

“No, he’s stayed away.”

Terence nodded. “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you choose to work at Oasis?”

“I was homeless once.” She smiled. “Oasis took me in. I felt so at home that I wanted to help others like I had been helped. Most people go there with heartbreaking stories.”

Terence pulled his gaze from the stars and leaned on his elbow, watching her. “What’s yours?”

She turned to look at him as well and bit her lip. “My story?”

“Yep. How did you end up at Oasis in the first place?”

“It’s a long one.” She looked down at the space between them.

“Time is all I have.” He placed a finger under her chin and tipped her face up so she was looking into his eyes. “You can tell me.” He was suddenly overcome with a weird feeling of belonging, as if he and Lacey were already connected.

Lacey drew in a long breath. “When I was ten, my parents treated me and my sister to a beach holiday in Florida. It was a celebration for my father’s promotion.” Her voice broke. “It ended up being my worst nightmare.”

“What happened?” Terence swept a hand across his forehead. He hadn’t noticed he was sweating.

“The day before we were supposed to go back home to Boston, I ran down to the beach to collect seashells. While I was wading, looking at the sand, a giant wave appeared out of nowhere… It crashed down on me, and swept me away.” She pursed her lips and said nothing for a while.

“I’m so, so sorry. I can’t even begin to imagine how that must have been for you.” Terence whispered. The idea of her hurting made it hard for him to breathe.

“It was brutal. I fought the water for a while, but I couldn’t win. So I quit.” Lacey gave a bitter laugh. “That was the moment my old life ended and my new life began.”

“How did you survive?” Terence swiped his hand across his forehead again.

“Apparently I was found on a shore quite a distance from where I almost drowned. I was unconscious and slipped into a coma. No one knew who I was or anything else about me.”

Terence touched a strand of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder and landed between them. She didn’t stop him. “How long were you in the coma for?”

“Long enough for my whole life to change. By the time I woke up and recovered, my father was dead, and my mother had been tracked down here in Serendipity. But… she was a mess.”

“She couldn’t take you back?”

“She was incapable of doing that. She was battling alcoholism and… going through other things.” Lacey massaged the back of her neck. “She couldn’t take on another kid.”

“She refused to take you back? What kind of mother does that?” Terence’s chest tightened. He knew exactly the kind. His own mother had walked out on them when Terence was thirteen and Marion fifteen.

He’d had a feeling that he and Lacey shared something. Now he knew what.

“She was not herself anymore.” Lacey paused. “So I lived in an orphanage when I wasn’t being shipped from one foster home to the next. I waited and waited for my mother to come and see me.”

“Did she?”

Lacey shook her head and a tear slid down her cheek. He brushed it away with a finger.

“She never did. When I turned sixteen, I ran away from the orphanage and went to look for her. I found her, all right. But she was too far gone. A few months later, I heard that she had died.” Lacey stopped talking and closed her eyes.

Terence waited a while for her to continue, but she didn’t. When she opened her eyes again, they were sparkling.

“How did you survive all those years? Did you return to the orphanage?”

“Yes, until I turned eighteen. Then I got out and changed my name from

Elizabeth to—”

“Your name is Elizabeth?”

“Used to be. I was named after my mother. I didn’t want anything to remind me of her, so the name had to go.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I was on my own then. I did odd jobs, lived in cheap motels and on the street until I found Oasis. Now here I am. That’s my story.” She smiled, but it didn’t fool Terence. He saw the pain behind her smile.

Terence reached for her hand and held it, running his thumb over her soft skin. He wanted to do more but feared it might be too soon. He didn’t want to chase her off, not after he had uncovered their bond. He would do his best to take it slow, even when all he could think about was kissing away her pain and touching her in a way he had never touched any woman. He wanted to take her right here in the open.

“Now that you know about me, tell me your story. Is it better than mine?”

Terence’s throat closed and he wrapped a hand around it as if he were choking. He wanted to tell her. He had come here ready to do just that, to open up to her and let the demons out of his system, but he couldn’t now. They reminded him how worthless he was, that no one could possibly love him. They had been inside him all his life. If Lacey knew the truth about him, she would turn her back on him.

“Let’s save my story for another day.” He flopped onto his back. He felt her watching him. He longed to kiss her, but he squashed the desire.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” She sounded concerned. “It helps to let it out sometimes, to share your burden with someone else. That’s why Oasis offers all those therapy sessions. I noticed you didn’t sign up for any of them.”

Terence closed his eyes. “Talking doesn’t help me. Never has.” He had kept it inside for so long, buried the pain and anger so deep, it would take more than talking to dig it all up. “But I can tell you one thing.” He turned his head to the side so he was looking at her.

“What’s that?” Lacey lowered herself back onto her back and turned her head to meet his eyes.

“I like you. And I
will
tell you more about me eventually. Then I will kiss you. But not tonight.” One kiss from her would send him falling, and he didn’t want that yet. For now he needed to remain on solid ground. She was his girl and he would have her soon enough.

She laughed. “I think when you’re ready, I will let you kiss me. I’d like that very much.”

Chapter Six

After helping Lacey with the washing up, as he had done the past few days after dinner, Terence asked her again to accompany him to the lake. She agreed without hesitation.