Little White Lies (15 page)

Holt stood up abruptly and walked over to the window.  “Do you have everything ready for our meeting with Edward Seymour?”

Miranda stared at his back.  Since when did he question whether she’d completed any task he asked her to do? “All the files are in my drawer, the plane and hotel reservations have been made, and I arranged for a car rental.  I don’t have the reports you need because I thought it would be better to run them just before we leave so they’ll be more accurate.”

“Good, that’s good.  What about your…boyfriend? Is he okay with you being gone for a week?”

Color stained her cheeks.  “I haven’t told him yet.”

Holt didn’t turn around.  It would have been a monumental mistake to let her see the triumphant smile on his face. “May I ask why not?”

“No particular reason,” Miranda said, hoping she sounded nonchalant.

“Are you stalling because you think he’ll be worried about the two of us being alone together?”

In a voice that was almost convincing she said, “I’m not stalling, I was going to tell him tonight.  And no, he won’t be the least bit worried because he trusts me.” 

It was true, Jack
did
trust her.  The problem was, did she trust herself?

Miranda left the office promptly at five o’clock, thankful the weekend had finally come so she could push thoughts of Holt to the back of her mind for a few days.  Jack had called earlier and offered to take her to dinner but she told him she wasn’t up to it.  What she really wanted was to do was curl up on the sofa next to him and watch an old movie then go to bed early and lose herself in the warmth of his body. 

They hadn’t made love all week because of her cycle, but it had ended that morning and she desperately needed to share that intimacy with him tonight.  She imagined Jack was feeling rather needy at this point too, though he hadn’t pushed her after her hormones had gone on a rampage and she’d berated him for even suggesting they do anything until it was over.

She reached their condo in less than twenty minutes and was just opening the door when the phone rang.  After a mad dash across the foyer into the living room, she picked it up just in time to hear a soft click as the caller hung up.  A quick glance at the caller I.D. told her it was Bri.  Knowing her sister as well as she did, Miranda dug her cell phone out of her purse and held it in her hand for all of two seconds before the light vibration signaled Bri’s incoming call.

“I tried your cell phone a few minutes ago and you didn’t answer,” Bri chided.  “You forgot to turn the ringer on again, didn’t you?”

“I left the office in a hurry.  I would have remembered eventually.  Did you call to nag about my phone or was there something else?”

“You know full well there’s something else, Miranda Lynn Carrington!  Why didn’t you tell me you moved out of the mansion?  I had to hear it from Missy, and don’t think she didn’t lord it over me that you told her before you told me.  She said you’d run off with a man for a week and then lost your head and moved in with him when you came back.  She kept calling him
that Devlin boy,
which means she’s forgotten his name, only she’s too stubborn to admit it.  So there I was,” she said dramatically, “
completely
embarrassed because I had no idea, when she drops the bomb and tells me you actually brought him to the mansion to meet her.”

“Bri, take a breath for God’s sake!”

“I can’t believe it, this is so exciting.  Of course, I’m still angry with you but I can’t help being excited for you too.  Oh, Miranda, I’m so happy that you and Holt finally got together.  I know you’ve been bonkers over him for years and…”

“It’s not Holt,” she interjected.

There was a moment of silence before a confused Bri said, “What?  But Missy said…”

“It’s Jack Devlin, his twin brother.”

“Oh, Miranda, you didn’t, you just couldn’t!”

“Jack is a wonderful man,” Miranda said defensively.  “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.  Granted, I may have been attracted to him at first because he looks like Holt, but they’re completely different and I care for Jack because of who he is not because of who he reminds me of.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

Miranda dropped down onto the sofa and kicked her shoes off.  “I mean it, Bri.  I’m happy with Jack and he treats me so well, like I’m something special.”

“You
are
something special.  I’m just worried that you settled for Jack because you couldn’t have Holt.  And don’t try to tell me you’re not still in love with Holt because you are not the type to give your heart easily.  Or the type to stop loving someone just because they don’t love you back.”

Miranda bit back the tears.  “So maybe I do still love him, but I truly love Jack too and honestly don’t know what to do about it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me what was happening?  I would have been there for you, you know I would have.” 

Bri’s understanding tone only made it more difficult for her.  She expected her care-free, flippant sister to laugh and rib her for getting into such a mess.  This was a new side of Brianne she had never seen before and hadn’t been quite prepared for.  But as much as Miranda wanted to spill her guts and tell her sister everything, Jack would be home soon and she couldn’t take the chance he’d overhear her confessing that she was in love with Holt and probably always would be.

“I can’t talk right now.  Maybe we can get together some time this weekend.”

“Oh, all right,” Bri sighed with disappointment.  

“I’ll call you tomorrow morning and we’ll set something up,” she promised, heaving herself off the sofa.  With any luck, she would have just enough time for a quick shower before Jack got home.

***

Jack stepped from around the corner and watched Miranda as she hurried upstairs, his mind replaying the conversation.  This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.  Miranda was supposed to realize how much more she loved one over the other.  Instead it was tearing her up inside because she saw the goodness in both of them and didn’t know which way to turn.  What option did he have now but to continue this charade until the end of next week when she left on the business trip to Texas?  Whatever happened or didn’t happen, it would tell him exactly where he stood in her life. He wanted to believe it would all work out in his favor, but a part of him was terrified she wouldn’t want anything to do with him afterwards.

Jack trudged up the stairs, wondering how a man who prided himself on his intelligence could have been so stupid as to get into a situation like this.  It had only been a week and already he was tired of the condo and wished he could move back to the ranch, but there was no way he could take Miranda there.  It would be too easy for someone there to slip up and give him away.  He might be able to get his housekeeper to play along until he sorted things out, but one loose tongued ranch hand would send the house of cards he’d built crashing to the ground.  No, it was safer to stay here until after the Texas trip.

He kicked off his boots then stretched out on the bed to wait for Miranda to finish her shower, contemplating the consequences of telling her the truth now.  On one hand, she might be so relieved she would forgive him, but on the other hand, she might just hate him for what he’d done.  The sight of Miranda in tears as she packed her clothes and left him was something he didn’t think he could handle.  She was just starting to come out of her shell, and instinctively he knew she would withdraw and never take a chance on love again if things went wrong between them. 

Miranda stopped short when she came out of the bathroom nearly dropping the towel that was wound around her chest. “Good Lord, you almost gave me a heart attack!”

Jack gave her a lazy grin.  “All women say that.  It’s the combination of excessively good looks and undeniable charm.”

“What I meant was I didn’t know you were home and you scared me.”  Her eyes wandered over his magnificently chiseled physique.  “I do have to agree with the excessively good looks, but the only thing undeniable is your over inflated ego.”

“Now that hurts,” he said, affecting a wounded look.

Miranda sauntered over to the bed, still clutching the towel.  “I’ll bet I can make you forget all about your bruised ego,” she purred.

Whatever reply Jack had in mind died on his lips when she dropped the towel and did a cat like crawl across the bed to where he lay.  Every muscle in his body went rigid as she straddled his thighs and pushed his shirt up to expose his chest then leaned forward and planted soft, feathery kisses all the way down to his waist.  Air hissed from his lungs as those finely boned fingers pried open his belt buckle and lowered the zipper on his jeans.  She glanced up at him, a sexy smile playing on her lips as she freed his throbbing flesh and took him on a slow, torturous journey to Heaven. 

                        ***

“You were right,” Jack said nearly two hours later as he lay beside her, totally devoid of any strength.  “You made me forget all about my bruised ego.”

Miranda laughed.  “I had ulterior motives but I’m glad it worked out well for both of us.”

“I’m starved, but I’m not sure I have enough energy to make it all the way to the kitchen.”

She was feeling a bit like a jellyfish herself but figured she owed it to him to fix dinner since she’d declined his offer to take her out. “Roast beef sandwiches and chips, that’s the best I can do in my weakened condition.”

“Sweetheart, I would eat a dog biscuit right now if I didn’t have to move a muscle to get it.”

“One dog biscuit coming right up,” she chimed as she climbed out of bed and put on her robe.

“You’re an angel,” he told her when she came back a short time later carrying a tray with the sandwiches and soft drinks.

Miranda placed the tray in the middle of the bed then planted herself cross legged on one side of it.  “Now tell the truth, has any woman ever served you such a fine meal in bed before?”

Jack chomped down on the sandwich and took a sip of his drink before answering.  “Actually, no.”

“You mean to tell me none of your girlfriends ever brought you breakfast in bed?”

He shrugged and swallowed what was in his mouth.  “I never gave them the chance.  I was always gone long before morning rolled around.”

Miranda tilted her head, not quite sure if she believed him or not.  “Really?  That seems a little…cold, don’t you think?”

“At the time I never thought about it.  All I cared about was getting the hell out so there wouldn’t be a scene when she woke up.”

“You never brought any of them to your house?”

“Nope.  It was easier if I went to their place.  That way I could leave whenever I wanted.”

Miranda frowned.  “Did…did you ever feel that way about me?  Like you wanted to make a run for it?”

Jack laughed at the forlorn look on her face.  “Sweetheart, I took you to
my
place that first time, remember?  How could I have been planning an escape?”

“So, I was the first woman you had ever taken up to Holt’s penthouse?”

He leaned across the tray and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.  “You’re the only woman besides mother who has ever been in the penthouse, period. 
And
you’re the only woman who has ever spent the night.”

Miranda snorted in disbelief.  “Oh, please, I’ve seen dozens of women traipse in and out of Holt’s office over the years.  There’s no way he hasn’t sneaked some of them up there for a lunch hour romp.”

Jack didn’t miss the slight slump of her shoulders or the reason behind it.  She didn’t like the idea that countless women had been made love to in the very bed he’d shared with her. 

“Does that bother you?”

She nibbled at her sandwich, keeping her eyes downcast so he couldn’t see just how much it upset her.  “Of course not, it’s just…well, Holt is a good man.  He’s kind and decent and it’s just not right for him to be with women who are so shallow.  They’re only with him because of his power and wealth anyway,” she added bitterly.  “He shouldn’t let them use him like that.”  Miranda’s head snapped up, startled by Jack’s amused laughter.

“Now that’s a first, honey.  You think those women were using him instead of the other way around?”

She tipped her chin defensively.  “Yes, I do.  The sex thing is mutual, but trying to sink their claws into Holt so they can trap him into marriage is just plain disgusting.”

Jack popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth then gulped down the remaining soda, all the while studying her intently. “You really think Holt is kind and decent?”

Miranda fidgeted, plucking imaginary lint from her robe.  “I know he doesn’t come across that way to most people, and he certainly doesn’t display it as openly as you do, but inside where it counts you’re both the same.”

“You’re pretty defensive of him,” he said, careful to hide what he was feeling.  “Should I be worried?”

Miranda bounced off the bed and grabbed up the tray, shooting an angry glare in his direction.  “Don’t be ridiculous!  If Holt had any feelings for me he would have acted on them long before now.”