Little White Lies (9 page)

Jack considered adding a little white lie to the ones he’d already told, then quickly dismissed it.  The closer he kept to the truth, the less likely he was to stumble over it later. 

“It’s an import/export company.”

“So you’re in direct competition with Devlin Shipping?”  Her eyes narrowed.  “Are you telling the truth? I know all our main competitors and their owners, and your name has never come up.”

“That’s because I’m not in competition with Devlin.  As a matter of fact, we’re located in the same city as Holt’s company.” 

“How come Holt never mentioned it to me?”

“I doubt he talks much about me at all, am I right?”

“No, he doesn’t.  Don’t you get along with each other?”

“Actually, we’re very close.  Holt just doesn’t like talking about family or having anyone knowing his personal business. We both learned long ago that anything we say about friends or family can get misconstrued and thrown back at us so we’re both pretty tight lipped that way.”

“Tabloids you mean?”

“Tabloids, newspapers, the high society grape vine.  They all like to latch onto a tiny piece of gossip and nurture it until it’s a full blown scandal.  Twisting our words seems to be a favorite with them so we just don’t give them any ammunition.  How is it you’ve managed to stay out of the lime light anyway?  Surely the gossip hounds have staked out the manor and tried to catch you coming or going.”

“Not really. It’s Missy they’re interested in, and since she never leaves the manor, there’s no food for their feeding frenzy.  They figured out pretty quickly that I live a boring little life and lost interest in me years ago.  Occasionally, Bri will get caught at a night club or something, but she adores being the center of attention so it never bothers her.”

“But it bothers you, doesn’t it?”

Miranda shrugged.  “A little, I guess.”

“Being seen with me is going draw attention, are you sure you’re up to that?”

She smoothed her fingers over the pastel colored sundress he’d bought her.  “Only if you promise not to forget my name when they ask who I am.”

Jack grinned.  “Melinda, right?”

“That’s right, Jerk…ur, Jack, I mean.”

“Careful, sweetheart, my ego is very fragile.”

Miranda rolled her eyes.  “I highly doubt the name Devlin and fragile have ever been used in the same sentence before.  Ego, definitely, but not fragile.”

“Ouch, the rose has thorns.  Was it the shopping spree that brought out the sass in you or the fact we haven’t eaten lunch yet?”

“It’s your own fault, you know.  You did promise to water and feed me every five or six hours and it’s hitting the six hour mark now.”

“There’s a great seafood restaurant just a few miles down the road.  We’ll grab something to eat then get settled at the beach house. Tomorrow we can go sailing if you want.”

It occurred to her that should have pretended to be at least a little indignant when he simply assumed she was spending the night with him, but Jack would have seen through it in a heartbeat.  Making love with Jack had been the most pleasurable experience of her life and she wasn’t about to pass up the chance to share that intimacy with him again.  Besides, maybe he wasn’t comfortable having her stay with him at Holt’s place.  Miranda’s brows drew together.  If Jack’s company was in the same city as Devlin Shipping, it only stood to reason he lived nearby. 

“Jack, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Is the beach house where you normally live?”

“No, I usually use it when I need to get away for the weekend.”

“Then where do you live?”

He hesitated, chastising himself for not seeing where this conversation was going and heading it off at the pass. “Would it surprise you to know I live on a ranch?”

Miranda’s face lit up.  “A real ranch with horses and everything?”

“Quite a few horses, actually.  Would you like to go riding some time?”

“Oh, Jack, I’d love to!”  Her face fell.  “I guess I should have asked where the ranch is first.”

“Only about twenty miles outside of Malibu.”

“If you live that close, why are you staying at Holt’s penthouse?”

Jack kept his eyes on the road.  One more white lie couldn’t hurt, could it?  “I’m having some remodeling done in the kitchen which was a bit of inconvenience, so when Holt offered his place for the week, I accepted.”

“Well,” she said with a soft smile, “I’m certainly glad he did.”

The tension left his shoulders.  “So am I, sweetheart.”

                       ***

Lying on the beach, soaking up the last of the sun’s rays, Miranda couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt so relaxed.  She had been a little self conscious slipping into the Hawaiian print string bikini Jack had insisted they get at Elizabeth’s, but the reaction she’d gotten from him was worth it.  Even now, with her eyes closed against the waning sun she could feel him watching her, so she wasn’t surprised when his warm hand glided over her belly.

Jack leaned over and brushed his lips across the spot his hand had just occupied.  “Let’s go inside.”

The low, sexy tone of his voice left no doubt in her mind what he planned on doing once they got there.  Hand in hand they walked back to the beach house and straight to the bedroom.  Already the aching need inside of her was so strong she thought she’d burst, and as his first caress trailed down her back making her quiver with anticipation, Miranda wondered if she would ever get enough of Jack Devlin. 

She’d always been so hard hearted and judgmental about Holt’s cast offs, but if he was anything like Jack, she could understand why those women tried to cling to him so tenaciously.  It was addictive, this inner heat, this passion, and she wanted it to go on forever.  But of course, it couldn’t.  Holt and Jack were cut from the same clothe. Jack’s desire for her would burn off, just as Holt’s always did for his female companions. 

Jack nibbled at her neck while his hands slid down her sides and settled on her hips.  “You know what I like best about string bikinis?”

“Hmmmm…they leave so little to the imagination?”

“That too.  But this,” he tugged at the strings on either side, chuckling softly when her bikini bottom dropped to the floor, “this is the best thing.” 

He did the same with the top; one tug at the string around her back, another on the string around her neck, and Miranda was totally naked.  His eyes travelled down her body and back up again.  In all of God’s creation there had never been a more beautiful woman.  But it wasn’t just the delicate curves of her body that drew him to her, although those certainly had his full attention at the moment. 

It was Miranda’s inner beauty, her quiet manner that spoke straight to his heart.  No woman had ever penetrated the granite wall he’d erected around it, but somehow this shy little woman was systematically tearing it down one stone at a time.  She both calmed him and ignited a raging fire at the same time, and though he couldn’t even begin to understand it, he was grateful for it nonetheless.

They made love with the French doors standing open and the cool ocean breeze whispering across their heated flesh.  Miranda had never felt so deliciously feminine, dwarfed as she was by Jack’s size, and it seemed an impossible defiance of nature that their bodies fit together so perfectly.  Every plane and angle of his corded muscles molded flawlessly against her softer, gentler curves. 

She took him inside of her, each heavy thrust of his hips forcing out small moans of pleasure that were lost beneath the sound of Jack’s harsher grunts of male satisfaction.  She loved the way he made her feel, but she loved it even more that she could excite him, get him so hot for her that he lost all control just as he was doing now.  He drove into her relentlessly, their muscles straining against each other until at last their cries split the night and they tumbled over the edge together.

Afterwards, as she nestled half asleep in the crook of his arm feeling warm and safe and incredibly satiated, the vision of Holt’s angry face suddenly snapped Miranda out of her dreamy state.  Would it bother him to know she was sleeping with his brother or would he care at all?  It seemed strange that every waking moment for the past three years had been consumed with thoughts of Holt and yet she’d hardly spared a minute for him since meeting Jack.  Maybe not so strange after all, she thought when he stirred in his sleep and drew her closer in a possessive embrace.

                        ***

They spent the next two days sailing and swimming and taking long walks on the beach.  They even squandered an entire morning building sandcastles that didn’t look anything like castles at all, but Miranda had such a wonderful time it didn’t matter.  By the end of the third day it seemed as if they’d known each other for years instead of less than a week.  They talked for hours, laughing and teasing and growing more and more at ease with each other.

The only dark cloud hovering over her was the knowledge that the long, lazy days and endless nights of love making would soon come to an end.  Every morning she woke expecting Jack to tell her it was time to pack up and go back to Malibu, but he didn’t.  Instead, he would wake her with soft, feathery kisses then make love to her before mapping out their day’s activities.  He even reminded her to call Missy so she wouldn’t worry, which Miranda thought was incredibly sweet.

“Let’s fly to Vegas for a few days,” Jack suggested one morning as they were clearing away the breakfast dishes.

“Vegas!  You want to leave the peace and quiet of the beach for a city that never sleeps?”

He grabbed her up in his arms and planted a hard kiss on her lips.  “You’ll love it, I promise.  I’ll even give you a roll of quarters to gamble with.”

“Your generosity is overwhelming,” she said dryly.

“What do you say, sweetheart?  The lights, the excitement, the hordes of people; it will be a pleasant culture shock after being here for five days.”

How could she say no when he seemed so enthralled by the idea?  “All right, I’m game.  When do we leave?”

“You go pack and I’ll arrange for a flight.  With luck, we can be there before lunchtime.”

“If you can manage to book flights to Vegas that fast, I’d say you missed your calling as a travel agent.”

“You just worry about packing; I’ll worry about everything else.” 

She had no doubt he would have them playing the slots before the day was out, and in spite of her reluctance to go among the hordes of people, as he called them, she couldn’t help being caught up in Jack’s enthusiasm about the trip.  It occurred to her that this must be how Bri lived her life; hopping from place to place on a whim, doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and not worrying about the consequences. 

Granted, Miranda had those moments when she lamented the end of her time with Jack, but for the most part she thought she was doing pretty well at following his lead into spontaneity.  Technically, she supposed she couldn’t lay claim to being as carefree as her sister, but it was quite a break from the old Miranda who had never even painted her nails anything darker than a pale pink.

With all the new clothes she had, in addition to packing Jack’s suitcase, it took her a little longer than she expected.  After dragging the suitcases into the foyer and making a final sweep of the bedroom and bathroom, she wandered back to the living room to find Jack, but he wasn’t there.  Assuming he must have gone outside on the deck, she was a bit perplexed to find he wasn’t there either. 

Scanning the beach and not catching so much as a glimpse of him, Miranda stepped off the balcony and circled the house.  She found him propped against the tailgate of his truck with his back to her, talking on his cell phone.  For a moment, she considered going back inside because he was keeping his voice so low it was obvious he didn’t want her to overhear what he was saying. But just as she turned to go, she caught a snippet of the conversation and instead of leaving, Miranda crept a little closer. 

“I miss you too, honey,” Jack said.  “I know it’s been awhile but I’ve got a company to run, you know.  Tell you what, I’ll set aside one day next week just for you, okay?  We’ll do whatever you want, will that make you happy?”  There was a short pause while he listened.  “Yes, I’ll bring you a present, don’t I always?  Now I really have to go or I’ll miss my plane.”  After another pause, Jack said tenderly, “I love you too, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you.”

Miranda sucked in a harsh breath, her heart breaking neatly in two.  Then she turned and fled as fast as her feet would carry her.

She tore down the beach, blinded by tears and sobbing hysterically, not caring where she was going.  All the time they’d spent together, all the hours of making love…it meant nothing to him.  She’d been a mere distraction; a stupid, naïve woman who was little more than a poor substitute for the woman on the other end of the phone. 

How could she have been so stupid to think Jack could actually have feelings for her?  It was as foolish as the belief that one day Holt would notice her.  It was embarrassing, humiliating, and it tore at her heart because she thought…no, she was
not
falling in love with him.  She wasn’t.  She wasn’t.