Caught Between a Lie and True Love (Caught Between series Book 1) (23 page)

Aghast, Paige backed up a step. “No. There’s nothing to talk about. I’m not in love with Brody. You’ll be happy to know, all I’m hoping for is a fling with some really good sex.”

As her mom stared at her, disappointment in her gaze, Paige shook her head just for good measure.

No.

She definitely wasn’t in love with Brody…was she?

Lisa shrugged and plopped back down on the chair. “Besides, what am I doing going after a man who’s almost thirty years younger than I am? I’d be better off with a man like Harry. He’s a little old for my tastes, but he’s still a hunk.”

Relief hit Paige in the solar plexus, but she couldn’t let Lisa see. She squared her shoulders and smoothed out her voice. “Harry’s a great choice. But I’m still not in love with Brody. If you want him, go for it. He’s ignoring me anyway. He’s probably lost interest already.”

“I won’t, I promise.” The other woman swung her long slim legs back under the table and sighed. “I told my agent that I wasn’t doing another porn movie.” There was a tapping of keys, then another sigh. “I’m writing now, decision made, and I love it.”

But Paige could hear the sadness in the other woman’s voice, and wondered if there was something she could do.

Before she could offer, feet pounded across the upstairs hallway, down the steps, and into the kitchen. Starr and Hope rushed in.

“Mom, we have a surprise for you, but you have to come with us
now
.”

With a huge smile, Lisa straightened. “Is it time?”

Suspicious, Paige eyed them. “Now will you tell me what’s going on?”

Hope grabbed her arm. “You’re going to love it.”

Starr exchanged a glance with her new friend. “Well, we hope you’re going to love it.”

Lisa pushed her out of the kitchen. “Go with the girls and don’t ask questions. I have things to prepare.” She glanced around. “Has anyone seen Jeb?”

“Right here, darlin’,” he said as the front door swung open and he entered the house. He glanced up the staircase, where the girls were pushing Paige up one reluctant step at a time. “Better get moving, Buttercup. Don’t want to be late for your—”

Lisa’s sharp voice rang out. “
Jeb
.”

“Okay, okay. My lips are sealed.”

An hour later, Paige was showered, dressed in a lacy short sleeved top and skirt. The girls had urged her to put on makeup, blow her hair dry, and look pretty.

They’d even brought her some of Lisa’s extra sultry perfume to dab on. Except that she’d refused to do so until someone told her what was going on. Only the girls had both looked so tragic, she’d finally dabbed a little behind each ear, at the base of her throat, on her wrists, and—eyeing the pink roses and chasing the girls out of the bedroom—a few other
special
spots too, just in case she got lucky.

She let the girls back into the room. “Well?”

Starr glanced at the clock, then over to Hope. “I really thought it would take her longer.”

Hope plunked down on the big armchair, pulled out her cell phone, and typed something on the screen.

A moment later, Starr’s phone beeped. She glanced at the screen, giggled, and typed.

Paige sat down to wait, and silently watched them go back and forth with the messages.

Forty-five minutes later, with the heady scent of food wafting through the house, Paige’s stomach rumbled noisily and she pushed to her feet. “I need some food. When you two are done playing games, you’ll know where to find me.”

Starr slipped across the room, barring the doorway. “You can’t leave, Mom. You’ll spoil the surprise.”

Hope typed furiously, then stopped and waited. This time, Starr just stared at her phone. A minute later, both teens’s phones beeped.

“Now?” Paige asked, and was rewarded with a loud cheer from both girls.

Starr pulled open the door. “Follow Hope.”

She watched Starr head for the window. “Where are you going?”

But a very tightlipped Starr was already climbing out the window and disappearing into the darkness of the evening.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Hope took her hand and smiled shyly. “You have to close your eyes.”

Paige returned the girl’s smile and shut her eyes. “Now what?”

“Follow me.”

The teen guided her carefully down the staircase and across the front foyer to the dining room, and as Hope slipped her hand out of Paige’s grip, another bigger, warmer hand took her place.

Brody’s deep voice washed through her senses. “You can open your eyes now, Paige.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and as she did so, her gaze drifted up the soft white material of his shirt, past the strong column of his neck, over the shadow of his beard, until she gazed into his dark eyes. And all of her girl parts gave a happy sigh.

As Hope slipped away and disappeared behind the kitchen door, Paige waggled her eyebrows at Brody. “Did you enlist my family’s help so you could get lucky? Because really, it wasn’t necessary.”

“No. This is a date.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, sending tingles up her arm straight to her heart. “Although truthfully, getting lucky has crossed my mind a time or two.”

“Only a time or two?” she teased. A laugh escaped her. “So we’re definitely past the little girl part?”

“More past than you can even guess.” He shifted, set one large hand on the small of her back, and guided her toward the table where he pulled out a chair. “Sit. Please. Dinner is about to be served.”

As she sat down, she glanced toward the kitchen. “Who’s cooking?”

“Lisa.” He took the chair next to her and leaned toward her, brushing the hair away from the side of her neck. “Turns out she’s a gourmet cook.”

She barely contained the shiver coursing through her body. “You have to try her chocolate chip cookies. They’re delicious.”

“You smell good.” He buried his face against the spot behind her ear, inhaled deeply, and his voice turned husky. “I missed you.”

“You do know flowers and dinner aren’t necessary, don’t you?” Paige tilted her head to the side to give him better access. “All you had to do was crook your little finger and I would have fallen into your bed.”

A huff of warm laughter slipped over her skin, down her neck, and into the curve of her top. “Where’s the challenge in that?”

The kitchen door swung open and Brody straightened.

Jeb walked into the dining area. He was dressed in an old tux and had a bottle in his hands. “May I start you out with the house wine, Ma’am?”

“Yes, thank you.” She watched him pour the sparkly liquid into the two glasses on the table. Then he set the bottle down on the table and turned to leave. Bemused, she turned to Brody. “How did you convince him to agree to this?”

“He wants you to settle down with a nice guy.”

“And he thinks you’re the one?”

“Well, he’s finally taken a liking to me.” Brody shrugged, a sheepish grin on his lips, and picking up her glass, handed it to her. He touched his glass against hers. “Here’s to the beginning of a relationship of the forever kind.”

Her heart thumped in her chest. “Forever?”

The grin vanished, replaced by a frown. “Am I going too fast?”

She leaned forward and cupped her hand against the whiskers on his chin, and lowered her voice so she wouldn’t be overheard. “This isn’t necessary, you know. A quick fling and—”

He covered her hand with his and interrupted her. “What if I want more?”

More?

Hope and fear raced through Paige, but before she could reply, the kitchen door swung open and Starr appeared. She had a pad of paper in one hand and a pen in the other.

Paige withdrew her hand from Brody’s face and sat back.

Starr stopped between them. “Good evening, Sir. Miss. Has anyone given you the specials of the evening?”

Brody took Paige’s hand in his and held on. “No.”

“Tonight we’re serving a lettuce salad with the house dressing, spinach lasagne, and for dessert, the chef’s world famous peanut butter and dark chocolate cheesecake.” Starr leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Between you guys and me, I’ll throw in a couple of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I hope you remember that when you’re figuring out the tip.”

Paige met Brody’s gaze. “This is going to be an expensive date.”

He kissed her fingertips. “Whatever it takes to win your heart, sweetheart.”

As Starr retraced her steps back to the kitchen, Hope came through the door and set plates of salad in front of Paige and Brody. The green leaves glistened with dressing and Paige’s stomach rumbled noisily. With a flourish, the teen shook out the napkins, and set them on their laps.

“Bon appetit,” she said before she returned to the kitchen.

Paige picked up the salad fork. “Let’s eat so we can get to the good part of the evening.”

Beside her, Brody quirked on brow. “Am I boring you already?”

“No, it’s just been forever since the—” She slid a look toward the kitchen door, leaned toward him till their shoulders touched, and lowered her voice. “—since the S-E-X part of my life.”

Brody chuckled deep in his chest. “I should be able to take care of that for you.”

Paige looked deep into his dark eyes. She wanted to push aside the food and straddle his lap. With a blink to break eye contact, she refocused on the food and attempted to put some distance between her and the man determined to woo her.

Through the three course meal, they made small talk, and as Paige pushed back the empty dessert dish and coffee cup, she asked, “Are you nervous about the debate?”

He caught her hand, his gaze on her face, and kissed her fingertips. “Yeah. I hope it doesn’t show.”

“When you’re up there on the stage, just remember that my dad is a smooth talker. He can convince anyone to do anything.” She grimaced as she told part of the truth. “He lies. A lot.”

“My whole reason for going into this was to get custody of Hope. Now I’m not so sure it will make a difference.”

“You can’t give up, Brody.”

“I won’t.” He caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her close until their foreheads touched. “So what happens after the election? What happens to you and me?”

Her stomach did a somersault and she closed her eyes against the intense look in his.

She was putting her heart in danger, and as much as she’d wanted to deny it, she couldn’t.

She was falling for this man, falling fast and hard.

As she opened her eyes and met his gaze, everything in her stilled.

There was heat there and something more. Affection. Trust.

Paige experienced a moment of panic.

One wrong move, one whispered confidence, and her world could come crashing down around her. She could lose everything. Her daughter. Her freedom. Brody…

And then hope blossomed, because once Jeb lost the Mayor’s race, his con would be over. He’d leave town and take their secrets with him. Maybe then she could feel safe enough to settle here with Starr.

He interrupted her thoughts, his tone serious. “Do you want the truth?”

“All I want from you is your body,” she said, but that was only half of the truth. She may have thought Delores could have Brody, but she’d been lying to herself.

She wanted to be part of his life, part of this community, part of the island. As impossible as it all seemed, she wanted this man to know
her
truth.

“It’s my fault Hope’s mother is dead. My fault Hope doesn’t have her mother. And every day, I fear she’ll find out.”

There’s so much pain and sorrow and regret in his voice. Softly she asked, “What happened?”

“She tried to blackmail me. I knew she was unstable. I wasn’t thinking of Hope’s welfare. All I was thinking about was how an ugly court battle would affect my career, my reputation, my endorsements. I’d have advertisers pulling their contracts, fans booing me off the field. I was such a jerk.”

He rubbed his knee and grimaced. Paige grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed.

“When I picked Belinda up, it was dark and raining, and the roads were wet and slippery. I’d decided the simplest thing to do was pay her off, keep her and the kid—who incidentally, I wasn’t even sure was
my
kid—out of the news and my life. But the moment the offer was out of my mouth, she changed the game. She wanted more than money. She wanted marriage, respectability, and me on my knees begging.”

Silent, Paige tightened her hold.

“She was drunk and argumentative. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it till just that moment. Too wrapped up in myself,” he said in disgust. “I was driving too fast, frustrated and angry, and then out of the blue, she grabbed the wheel.”

He gave a self-depreciating laugh and absently rubbed his knee again. “I guess I’m lucky to be alive. I think she wanted to kill us both.”

“If she couldn’t have you, no one else could.”

He smiled sadly at her. “And then I saw Hope. One look at that kid, and I knew she was mine. I couldn’t turn my back and walk away. I figured, how hard could parenthood be? So I jumped right in and decided to sink or swim.” His gaze was steady on her face. “I want you to know the real me. I can be a selfish bastard, but I’m working on changing. I’m learning to be a good dad. I know I can learn to be a good husband, too.”

She pushed to her feet, pulling him up with her, and looped her arms around his neck. There was only one way to ease his pain right now. “Listen, do you think they’ll miss us if we disappear? Or is that sending the wrong message to our girls?”

As he lowered his head to kiss her, she slid her hands around his back and gave herself over to the feel of his mouth against hers.

Was it possible to hide her past forever and make a fresh start here on Serendipity Island? Wake up every morning for the rest of her life in his arms and in his bed?

Yeah, she wanted his body.

But she wanted his heart, too.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Just as Delores put the final touches on the party food—a sprig of peppermint here, a leaf of parsley there, a dash of paprika on the deviled eggs, some rat poison on the special pound cake she’d baked for Paige—the guests for the debate began to arrive. She glanced into the polished metal of the fridge door, wiped a smudge of something off her cheek, fixed the smear of lipstick on her front tooth, and headed out of the kitchen.