Exquisite Betrayal (5 page)

“
With a certain someone?”

I look at my sparkly toenails and nod.

“
Well, it seems it was more than just
a dance.”

I groan. “I thought it was going to be, but
then all of a sudden, he leaves me standing there. I think I have
halitosis or something. That was the second time he did that to me.
He’s giving me a severe case of whiplash.”

“
Really? The same bloke?”

“
Yeah. I’m hitting the store tomorrow
for some mouthwash.”

“
Fallon, do you really think it was
your breath?”

“
It was either that or up close he
thought I was ugly.”

R.T. howls with laughter. “Now that’s a good
one. You? Ugly? You’re about as ugly as a puppy.”

I take a good look at R.T. and smile. She’s
gorgeous. I mean truly perfect. Blue eyes that could swallow you
whole and blond hair that’s soft and shiny. I wonder if she’s ever
had to worry about a stupid thing like losing her virginity.

“
Well, coming from you, I take that as
a compliment.”

She laughs. “Why? Don’t you think you’re
pretty?”

“
I’m decent enough, I suppose. And I
don’t go around worrying about my looks, if that’s what you’re
wondering. But I also know I’m certainly not on your
level.”

“
Why is it that we women find it so
hard to see what’s right about ourselves?”

“
Oh no! Not you? You’re
perfect.”

“
Ha! That’s what you think. Under this
mask of artfully applied makeup, there are many imperfections, my
friend. I guess we all have our scars to bear.”

“
You can say that again.” We arrive at
the Space Nugget about that time. “Thanks so much for a fun
night.”

R.T. scrunches her brows for a second. “Are
you staying until Sunday then?”

“
Well, yes. Tomorrow night after the
closing ceremony, we want to party it up. What about
you?”

“
Same here. Care if I tag
along?”

“
Seriously?” I can’t believe R.T.
wants to hang with us!

“
Yeah. You Yanks are a
blast.”

“
Well, we’re not all Yanks. We have
Andrea.”

“
Right. And she’s a blast, too! Let’s
hit the clubs after the closing ceremony tomorrow. I hear they’re
going to have a Hot Man Abs showing for us.”

“
Ooooh! I’m so on board with
that.”

“
Catch you tomorrow, then.”

Everywhere I go, she’s there. I should’ve
expected it. As a blogger, and one who loves my books and supports
me like crazy, I should’ve known she’d be everywhere that Tilly
was. At the Meet and Greet I had to hide the entire time. Thank
God, Tilly finally corralled them all and left. I figured they’d go
home and then Tilly and I would have some drinks at the club. When
I saw Fallon standing there, I was helpless to do anything other
than grab her and dance.

The smart thing to do would be to stay
away from her. It’s the only way I’ll be able to keep my real
identity hidden, but when I’m around her, I lose my bloody common
sense. I don’t
want
to get
close to her; I haven’t wanted to get close to any woman since
Iris. Being close to one, especially one as gorgeous as she is, can
only spell trouble for her and me. Besides that, I find I’m out of
sorts when I’m around her. She has a way of jumbling up everything
in my head.

So now, I’m positive she must think I have
some mental disorder. Every time I’m near her, after a few minutes,
I haul ass. No question, the gorgeous girl addles the hell out of
me. But why wouldn’t she? She’s everything I’ve never dreamed of. A
tall, redheaded American with a southern accent. I always thought,
if I ever pulled my head out of my arse long enough to actually go
after a girl, I’d end up with a blond Iris-look-alike. But this one
with her gray eyes and full lips I want to lick and suck until I
hear her moan… well, damn… this writer here is suddenly at a loss
for words.

This potential complication is one I must
avoid. I can see myself falling head first into those gray eyes and
never climbing back out. And that damn body of hers. When I close
my eyes I can imagine the way her skin would feel beneath my
fingers and it traps the damn air in my chest. Why the bloody hell
does she have to show up here, and looking like that no less? I
would pay her to let me slide my thumbs across those nipples of
hers. Or better yet, mold my hands around the perfect cheeks of her
arse.

Hell, I need to go home and take a cold
shower. That girl has me way too jacked up for my own good. I feel
like writing erotica instead of a romance novel right now. It would
probably be a best seller, too, if I kept her on my mind the whole
time.

Since the temps had dropped somewhat, I
decide I’d rather walk the few blocks to the hotel versus taking a
cab. Maybe it’ll help calm my dick down and clear my head. As I
enter the lobby, my phone vibrates and I see it’s Tilly.

“
Why did you abandon Fallon?” Her
voice is harsh with disapproval.

She knows. I didn’t realize old hawk eyes
had been watching.

“
Tilly, doesn’t anything I do get past
you?”

“
Nothing. Answer me, Ryland
Thomas.”

“
Bloody hell, I didn’t abandon her. I
simply left after the song ended.”

“
Well, she thinks she has bad
breath.”

“
What?” Then I laugh as I think about
it. It really does make perfect sense.

“
So you have to apologize to
her.”

“
For what? Making her think she has
bad breath. It’s funny, Tills. Come on.”

“
It’s not. She’s a lovely girl with
hurt feelings.”

“
Because she thinks that I think her
breath stinks when it doesn’t? That’s rubbish.” It’s a wonder I
ever sold any books. The mechanics of a woman’s mind escapes me, so
how the hell do I ever write romance?

“
No it isn’t. What if someone told you
your teeth were wonky? Wouldn’t that hurt your
feelings?”

“
No. I don’t care what my teeth look
like!”

“
Bollocks! You do care. You’re always
flossing and brushing. I’ve seen those bleaching whatchamacallits
in your bathroom, too.”

Oh God. I groan. “Okay, so I care
about my teeth. But I don’t care if
others
think they look bad.”

“
Then, why do you bleach
them?”

“
Come on, Tills. This is crazy. Why
are we discussing my dental care?”

“
If you don’t tell that poor thing
you’re sorry, I’m going home tomorrow morning.”

“
You can’t do that. You’re up for an
award tomorrow night. What if you win?”

“
It’s not me, you bloody fool! It’s
you and you’ll just have to accept it, like you should’ve been
doing now for the past three years.”

I harrumph and scowl at my phone. I can’t
possibly reveal the true identity of R.T. Sinclair and risk
everything I’ve worked so hard for over the last three years.

“
Okay. You win. I’ll find her tomorrow
and apologize.”

“
That’s not enough. You’ll take her
out tomorrow night and act the perfect date, too.”

“
Seriously?”

“
Absolutely. And if you run off with
your tail tucked between your legs, I’m done with this whole
charade of yours.”

She isn’t kidding. I know Tilly as well as I
know myself. We’re two peas in that stupid, rotten pod. “Damn you,
Tills. Your fucking chain is squeezing the damn life outta me.
Loosen it up some.”

“
Not until I see some humanity back in
you.”

***

Tilly is magnificent in her acceptance
speech. She nails it once again. I have to hand it to her, she’s
come a long way since the first one of these conventions we
attended three years ago. Her poise, her calm in front of the
audience and the way they hang on her every word has even me
convinced she penned those novels.

Thinking back to the first one we attended
with Sam on hand to guide us through the steps, I laugh to myself.
We were both so damn green. Tilly wanted to know if she should wear
a disguise, and Sam and I laughed because I was the one whose
identity needed to be kept a secret. Tilly was so scared and
nervous; ever since then I’ve promised her I will always be by her
side for these events.

As applause breaks out again, she blows
kisses to the crowd then leaves the podium. She catches my eye and
we head towards the exit.

“
You’d better meet us there,” she eyes
me.

“
Um, what do you mean?”

“
I’m bringing all the girls with
me.”

“
Shit, Tills. How’s this gonna
work?”

“
You’ll stumble into her and then dote
on her all night long, just like you promised.”

I huff, but head over to said meeting
place.

This is not my kind of scene. As I wait at
the bar for a drink, at least three women approach me and ask if
I’d like some company. By the time the third one asks, I actually
snap at her. I know I’m being an arsehole, but whatever. I finally
get my whiskey, neat, and let the amber fluid ease the tension in
me.

My eyes scan the room and there they are,
walking in the door. Damn, I can’t stop looking at her, either. The
thing about Fallon is, most redheads have ghostly pale skin. Not
her. Her dark auburn hair is paired with bronzed skin with barely a
freckle in sight, and it only makes me want to run my palms all
over that delicious flesh of hers. She’s wearing a gold halter-top
that exposes entirely too much skin. Then there’s her skirt. Well,
damn it all, her legs run all the way to her neck. Jesus, I need
some privacy to go and adjust myself.

As I stare at her, her head swings my way
and those smoky eyes of hers lock onto mine. When her lips part,
there’s only one thing I want to do and that’s not possible in a
public place. What the hell is wrong with me? I haven’t had
feelings like this since Iris. Well, to be honest, Iris never
evoked a response like this out of me. This girl has me
charged.

She drops her head and one of the other
girls says something to her, grabbing her attention. Tilly is
scanning the crowd for me so I decide to text her so she doesn’t
spend all night rubbernecking the joint.

Me:
I’m at
the bar, straight ahead. I’ve already made eye contact with her.
Getting ready to make my move.

T:
Be
nice.

Me:
I will.
Promise.

I throw back the rest of my whiskey, knowing
I’ll need it, and order another. Then I head her way.

When I make it to where she’s standing, I
lean over her back and whisper in her ear, “You look lovely this
evening.”

She turns and says, “You know, you’re really
a weird guy. I think it best if you just leave.”

My eyes widen because, clearly, this isn’t
what I’ve been expecting at all. Then I flash her a smile. “I know
you must think that, but I have my reasons.”

“
Like what?”

Now I’m stuck. What do I tell her without
making her look like a fool? “I wasn’t feeling well.”

“
Seems to me you don’t ever feel
well.”

“
Yeah, I’ve had some, er, issues since
I got to Vegas.” Okay, it’s lame, but whatever.

“
Oh really? What kind of
issues?”

Bloody hell! What do I tell her now? “Yeah,
I’ve had some weird kind of stomach thing going on. Kind of
embarrassing actually.”

She eyes me as she cocks her head. “Uh-huh.
Well, Ryland, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Maybe you
ought to lay off the whiskey.” Then she turns away.

Talk about busting my chops. She has moxie,
that’s all I can say.

“
Yeah, you’re probably right. But if I
do that, then I lose any chance of running into you.”

Her head whips around and her eyes land on
mine. She clearly hasn’t expected that response. Now she’s really
inspecting me, assessing me. Those damn eyes of hers dig into me,
and I swear to God they’re reading my bloody mind. I know in thirty
seconds, she’s going to know every single secret I’ve ever had;
things Tilly doesn’t even know.

“
May I buy you a drink while you
continue to mentally examine me?” By this time, her friends,
courtesy of Tilly, have moved away.

Her eyes narrow, but then she nods. “Yeah,
okay.”

Linking my hand with hers, I guide her to
the bar where she orders a tequila shooter and I laugh. “You don’t
waste time getting right down to it, do you?”

“
Nope. This is my last night here so
it’s party time for me.”

“
I see.”

She throws her shot back like a pro, but her
grimace shows me she’s a novice. I bite my lip.

“
Another, or something
else?”

“
One more and then I’ll take a vodka
and soda.” I get her what she wants and she smiles.

“
So, Fallon, where’s home?”

“
Spartanburg, South
Carolina.”

“
And where exactly is Spartanburg,
South Carolina?”

“
It’s in the upstate of South Carolina
between Charlotte and Atlanta.”

“
I see. Sounds lovely.”