Deception (Carrington Hill Investigations Book 1) (8 page)

“Mother, that
’s enough!”

Lexi was spared from having to answer as the butler entered the room and announced dinner was served. Trip kept his fingers locked with
Lexi’s as the others preceded them out of the room.

Trip whispered, “What are you going to tell them your profession is?”

Lexi shrugged as her lips rose into a smile. “How about female escort?”

Trip tried unsuccessfully to hold back his smile.
“How about not?”

Lexi
had started pulling him toward the dining room when Trip pulled her to a halt. “Be nice, princess. That was just a glimpse of my mother’s real personality. Don’t bait her; she has claws.”

Lexi pressed
her hand against her chest in fake shock. “Why, I would never,” she said in the best southern accent she could muster as he led the way into the regal dining room.

Everyone was already seated at the
long cherry dining table centered in the room. All conversation halted as Lexi and Trip entered. Heat rose to her cheeks as she slid into the chair Trip held out for her. He sat next to her at the head of the table. His father sat on his other side next to Lillian. Lexi placed her napkin delicately in her lap as she met her mother-in-law’s disapproving gaze, refusing to look away first. She wasn’t scared of the old woman. The waiters entered and Lillian turned her gaze first.

Plates were placed in front of the guests as the tension in the room started to dissipate. Her years of training at
her mother’s hand and knowing which fork to use sure came in handy. At least she wouldn’t look like a heathen to mommy dearest. A nice burger or pizza would have sufficed if Lexi had her way. The other guests were deep in conversation, and Lexi eavesdropped, trying to get a feel for those around her.

As Lexi sipped her wine, she glanced over the top of her wine glass when she
felt Lillian’s glare. She found the woman shooting daggers at her, so she cleared her throat and placed her glass back down. She gave the sixtyish woman a smile, one that was sweet but laced with cyanide. Hell, no wonder Trip wanted a wife. She couldn’t imagine what it had been like growing up with the woman.

“I work for M
errick Accounting as an auditor.”

Lillian’s eyes widened. “Is that so?”

Lexi gave a slight nod. “I hired on with them five years ago after obtaining my masters in finance at Yale.”

Lexi didn’t miss Lillian’s eye roll. There was no doubt that
the older woman would be checking out her story, a story that would easily be verified once she made a quick phone call to her father’s trusted friend who would ensure her cover. Her student records would verify that she indeed held a masters in finance…before joining the FBI. Her father had insisted on it since one day she would be running the company. Her full identity would be known by this point, but she figured she’d have a few days to play the part.

Trip’s gaze held hers as if
he was trying to decide if her lies were true. He’d never even asked who she was before he proposed, much less assumed there might be more to her than meets the eye. He’d learn the hard way; they all would.

Clearing his throat
, he swung his gaze to his mother’s. “I’ve convinced her to come to work for me. With her intellect and sharp mind, we could benefit from one of our family members auditing the books.”

Lexi’s
gaze travelled around the table for any small sign that someone didn’t like the idea. There were none. She’d expected raised brows and smirks at Trip’s declaration, but no one would question his business decisions, well, at least until she gave them a reason.  

Celia gave her a polite smile. “We should do lunch next week so I can give you a rundown on the company.”

“I’d like that.” She silently wondered what her new sister-in-law would tell her. Was she a gossip? Did she have a clue what was going on? Or was the woman just trying to be friendly?

Lexi barely lasted through dinner. The conversation going on around her
held no interest for her. Her mind wandered to the memory stick in her bra. Placing a palm on her thigh, Trip leaned over with the ruse of kissing her cheek and, instead, whispered in her ear. “You’re going to leave an indentation in your lip if you keep biting it. What’s wrong?”

She struggled with how to play her part in a room full of watchful eyes.
She placed a palm on his warm cheek and let her gaze examine the man who was now her husband, his high cheekbones, tanned skin, and blue eyes that were trying to read her. “I’m sorry, honey. I just have some work I need to get done before we go to bed.”

He nodded and proceeded to hurry their guests along
. Within thirty minutes, they were standing alone in his office. “That was smooth, Hathaway.” She pointed back to the door with her thumb. “They didn’t even realize they were being thrown out.”

He chuckled. “Years of experience.” He pulled her down to the
supple chocolate brown leather couch and kept her hand clutched in his. “Now tell me what you found out.”

“We found her memory stick, and I’m dying to get a look at what she has on it.” A slight blush rose to her cheeks, remembering it was in the secret compartment of her bra for safekeeping.

He held out his hand. “Let’s take a look.”

She reached inside her dress and down to the slit closed by a secret clasp on her bra and tried to pull it open. Her face grew heated under his hungry stare as she struggled to open it. “Damn.”

A puzzled expression
crossed his face. He quirked a brow questioningly. “Lexi, what are you doing?”

S
he glanced up. How embarrassing. She should have disappeared into the bathroom, away from his gaze, but it was too late now. “It’s stuck.”

“How is that possible?” He leaned over to look down her cleavage
, his breath a soft caress against her cheek. The citrus scent of his aftershave drifted to her nose.

His proximity had her fumbling with the clasp
and dropping her eyes, unable to meet his. She glanced down, trying to unhook it as ladylike as possible.

His fingers slid across her shoulder as he lowered
one of the straps to her dress, his touch alone sending her hormones into a frenzy. “Let me.”

She let her hands fall
. Her pulse raced, either from his closeness or embarrassment, probably both. The lowered strap revealed the top of her bra. His fingers brushed against the sensitive flesh.

He cleared his throat.
“Beautiful.”

Her head fell back on her shoulders
, and she closed her eyes, every nerve endings in her body acutely aware and responsive to his slight touch. She heard the tear of the fabric and the pop of the clasp at the same time she felt her bra loosen around her shoulders. She lifted her gaze to his face and clutched at the torn fabric as he slid his fingers from behind her hands, holding the memory stick in his. “I believe this is what you were looking for.”

She moved her hands an inch away from
her body and glanced down at her freed breast before pursing her lips as she glanced back up at him. “You ripped my favorite bra.”

A
wide smile tilted on his lips, not bothering to hide his amusement. “Never underestimate a man on a mission.” He leaned over and placed a slow kiss on her lips. “I’ll buy you twenty more just like it.”

He rose from the couch and rounded the desk to his computer
as she righted her dress and slipped off the ruined material, stalking toward him. She dropped it on his desk. “That’s not possible.”

He plugged the stick into the computer and raised a brow without even looking at her. “What’s no
t possible, baby?”

She placed her palms on his desk. “My bras and panties aren’t something I can just go to the store and replace. These are specially
altered for me and serve a greater purpose besides covering my breasts.”

His eyes sparked as he rounded the desk
, waiting for the computer to come out of sleep mode. He placed his hands on top of hers before sliding them to her shoulder. “If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be wearing anything under that dress.” He tilted his head to the side as if to ease the tension in his neck. “But, I have to admit, you surprise me every time I turn around.” His gaze held hers and his face softened. “I promise to buy you a whole dresser full of that sexy lingerie with the hidden compartments as long as you model them for me.” He wiggled his brows.

His words should have offended her, but they didn’t. She was imagining doing just that. Would he be an easy lover?
A demanding lover? Any good at all? She was tempted to find out.

Her tongue
instinctively snaked out to run along her bottom lip, and she watched as his eyes zeroed in on the slow action. She placed her hands on his chest and ran them down the length of his torso. “Not gonna happen, husband.” She arched a brow, even as his proximity made her weak in the knees. “I’m not here to fulfill
that
role, just the role of your wife to mommy dearest and to find Catherine.”

H
e pulled her body snug to his as his mouth descended, pressing hot kisses down the column of her neck. “I think you’re forgetting that we’re actually married.”

She stepped out of his embrace.
“And I think you’re forgetting that you promised to be a gentleman.”

“Tell me you don’t want me.”

She stayed silent, afraid he’d hear a hitch in her voice if she answered.

H
e pulled her back to him, and his mouth crushed hers with a force she didn’t know he had. Eager and hungry, his mouth moved over hers. Her body tingled in places long forgotten. He deepened the kiss, and a moan rumbled in his chest under her palms.

She leaned into his heat
, relishing the feel of what it would truly be like to have him as her husband. She broke the kiss, coming back to her senses, and leaned out of his embrace, patting his chest. “Let’s get back to the real reason I’m here. I have work to do.”

She heard the footsteps approach outside the door and waited patiently to see if they were going to be interrupted. When no one entered
, but the footsteps never retreated, there was only one option. Play newlywed. She tilted her head to the door and whispered in his ear, “We have company.”

His blue
eyes darkened before he stormed to the door and yanked it open. Ethan’s eyes widened as he held up his hands.

“What are you doing?” Trip crossed his arms over his chest.

Ethan stepped into the office. “I didn’t want to interrupt if you were
busy
.” He raised and lowered his brows. “I was giving it a few seconds to make sure you weren’t in here consummating the marriage.”

Lexi
swallowed around the lump in her throat, not meeting her brother-in-law’s gaze. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, opening all of the files on the memory stick.

Ethan and Trip
moved around the desk as Lexi chewed on her bottom lip.

“Is that…” Ethan asked.

“It can’t be,” Trip replied.

“I should have known
,” Lexi answered without looking up. “Catherine encrypted the whole damn thing.” She pushed from the chair and pulled the memory stick out. “I need to get a copy of this to the FBI computer forensics team to start working on breaking the code.”

****

Lexi made quick work in the bathroom, showering and changing into something more comfo
rtable for bed. Her long shirt hung low, covering the cotton shorts beneath. Not what she would have worn if it were really her wedding night. She glanced once more in the mirror at her makeup-free face and lifted a hand to the dark circles around her eyes. She needed sleep and lots of it. Her gaze fell on the bathroom door, and for the first time, she mentally questioned if she’d made the right choice. Her husband—words still foreign to her—was waiting on the other side. Trepidation ran down her spine as she wondered if he’d think he’d be getting the expected action on their wedding night.

She shook her head and grabbed the handle
, reminding herself that neither
his
physical pleasure nor hers was part of the deal. She was here on an assignment, nothing more. She raised the walls around her heart and stepped out into the room, pausing on her side of the bed. Trip was already in bed with his hands resting underneath his head. A slow, sexy grin rose on his lips as he lowered his gaze down her body and back up.

“I’m not going to bite, baby.” His words contradicted the predatory look in his gaze. He turned
, resting his cheek on his palm and patted the empty space next to him. “Come on, you look like you’re exhausted and ready to fall on your feet.”

This wasn’t her first time sleeping with a man
, but the morning after would be different. She found comfort in their quick escape after the deed was done. No lingering broken promises and waiting days after for a call that would never come. But somehow this was different. There was no way of telling how long she’d have to share his bed. It was better to set the ground rules now than let any kind of a relationship start between the two of them.

She slid under the covers and released a sigh as she s
ank into the comfortable bed. The Egyptian sheets caressed her sensitive skin, making her hyperaware of the man smiling down on her. “You promised.”

He
chuckled, resting his palm on her stomach. “Don’t worry. I’m a man of my word.”

The tension in her shoulders eased as he laid his head down on the pillow next to hers.
She lifted her fingers to cover his, stroking the back of his hand. His proximity created a flutter of awareness that tingled through her body. “Why aren’t you married?”

His hand briefly stiffened over her belly before it
relaxed, his fingers rubbing the fabric of her shirt. “I am.”

She turned on her side and rested her
cheek in her palm. “That’s not what I meant.”

He
rolled to his back, locking his fingers over his stomach, and gazed up at the ceiling. “Never found the right girl.”

She let her head sink into the pillow
, staring up at the same white ceiling. “I get it.” She let out a sigh. “You like your world tidy with no complications. You’re committed to your work and don’t have time for things you might not be able to control.”

She glanced at him, figuring she hit the nail on the head.
His brow furrowed as he turned toward her, resting his palm back on her stomach. “How do you figure that?”

Lexi shrugged. “Marriage for you is like a merger.
You’re not the can’t-keep-your-hands-off her, throw-caution-to-the-wind, jump-in-head-first type, which is kind of how I imagine the relationship between Ethan and Catherine. You weigh the benefits and act accordingly.”

“You don’t think I can be passionate and not lose my
common senses like every other red-blooded male?”

“No.” Her words came out as a whisper as she rolled
, presenting her back to him, and closed her eyes. He could have shocked her by pulling her into his arms and kissing her with a passion that he rarely showed. She would have let herself become lost in his feel…in his kiss…in his arms had he shown the first sign of an emotion that he couldn’t control. That was the man she wanted to see. That was the man who would have had a shot of tearing down the walls around her heart.

She
was disappointed as she listened to him settle quietly back on his side of the bed. She’d just about fallen asleep when he whispered, “You’re right.”

Her heart ached for her husband
, knowing that he would deny himself the intensity a love like that would give him. Her heart ached for herself as the knowledge settled over her that she would never be on the receiving end of such emotion…from him. She lay awake for over an hour after his light snores filled the room, wondering if she’d ever come close to finding that for herself. Closing her eyes, she let her dreams carry her off to a foreign place devoid of fake marriages and other problems.