Sharks (11 page)

Brazen this out girlfriend. You have to
got
to cover your tracks and that ridiculous kiss.
"Rob, this is my good friend Bentley. Bentley, Rob."
You have got to make it look as if you want to rock it with him.

Rob grinned from ear to ear. "And this is my fiancée, Tanya."

A trophy wife, so why did she feel so unnerved. She had always known she didn't fit that particular stereotype nor had she ever wanted that adjective applied to her. But it still hurt. Why was she always attracted to players? Was that what all men wanted, someone to show off? Someone to hang on their arm and their every word as if they spouted magic prose?

"Nice to meet you."

"Like wise." Bentley nonchalantly draped his arm around her in what seemed at the moment to be a protective gesture. She hadn't thought he had one protective instinct in his entire body.

She shuddered and her stomach clenched. This was unbelievable, but she'd done it. She was stranded in limbo and she would have a whole lot of unraveling to do before this day was finished. She didn't like Bentley, but she never wanted to purposely hurt him. Fool, a man with no heart can't feel pain. But Bentley--maybe he did have a heart. After all, he didn't have to go along with this ploy. He could denounce her as a fraud and walk away.

"Would you join us for dinner?" Bentley asked, his voice smooth as well as holding a tone that could only be defined as smug.

What? No.

"Of course," Rob said, pulling his fiancée Tanya closer. "We would love to get to know you better. Any recommendations?" Rob planted a quick kiss on Tanya's forehead before smiling down on her.

Bentley and Rob strode ahead, talking and gesturing. Lilly walked beside the woman who Rob had fallen in love with. Tanya was chatting on and on and all of it went through one ear and out the other. Every once in a while Lilly would nod and say, "Hmm or ok or that's nice."

Eternity could not be this long. The men finally stopped at a little outdoor café. The girls ordered wine and the men beer. Lilly sipped slowly and made small talk, but most of the time she went over in her head what she would tell Bentley and prayed the evening would end sooner than later. She had never thought she would find herself apologizing to this man. She had no taste for the Dover cod she ordered and pushed the food around on her plate.

Oh, Bentley, by the way I'm a user just like you.

~ * ~

It had taken Jacob a lot of soul searching to finally garner the courage to confront Lilly with his engagement. There had been times he thought that maybe he could have a relationship with his best friend. But he knew better. He loved Sara. But he couldn't give Lilly the news over the phone. He had to see her, talk to her and receive her approval.

Lilly would always hold a place in his heart but as a friend not a life-mate.

Where better to be than Paris in the spring? The artist in him personified to the forefront.

Humming a little tune, Jacob bought a ticket to Paris. Putting everything in its proper place would take a huge load off his shoulders.

~ * ~

Lilly's phone buzzed. "Hello?"

"In the city, where are you? Would like to talk."

Lilly's heart fluttered. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Jacob, has he come to rescue me? Will he save me from the jaws of this lion I've single handedly created. I could not have done anything more stupid concerning Bentley.

"Rob rose and pulled out Tanya's chair for her. "We have to go. We haven't even checked in to our hotel yet. You two lovebirds have a goodtime." And before Lilly could protest, all she could see were their backs moving down the street. Her heart dying a slow death, she watched them walk away. She wondered if she would ever find true love.

"What's wrong?" Bentley's concerned tone stopped her from the thoughts of getting up and fleeing the scene.

Bentley put his hand on hers and to Lilly's surprise a shimmering wave of sexual heat swept through her. "N-nothing," she stammered like a virgin high school girl. But Lilly couldn't help wondering about the strange sensations. She pulled her hand back but realized she wanted the warmth of his touch. Perhaps she only thought she needed it. This had been such a surprising evening. Could anything get any worse? Bad things came in threes. She held her breath, anticipating what was yet to come and wondering if she could withstand it. Whatever it was.

"I couldn't help but see the tension in your face. I can help if you want," he said, some hesitancy in his voice. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but his engagement came as a big surprise to you."

He sounded sincere, but he'd always sounded that way when he spoke to her. Well, except when he was trying to hard to be funny. "Jacob is here--in Paris--he wants to talk. I don't know what about and Rob--Rob's engaged. I thought…" On the verge of tears she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Damn!"

"I have to see him," she said, feeling Bentley's jealousy to the tips of her toes and liking it. She swiped the moisture from her eyes and stiffening her back breathed in deeply.

What on earth am I thinking? Why does his jealousy appeal to me?

I despise Bentley, always have,
always
will. Can never forgive him.

Liar, the little devil on her shoulder told her. You didn't hate him when you accepted that first date. Or do you forget so easily? Never is a very long time. Remember,
never say never
.

That's right. I thought he was cute, incredibly smart, and debonair. He was always nice to me. Now that I'm remembering, he was like the old school gentleman, opening doors, pulling out chairs.

Then everything went haywire. Was it my imagination? Did I overreact and not give him a chance to explain?

Lilly giggled and thought he might have even thrown his coat over a mud puddle if she was about to step into one.

Chivalry is not dead. It exists in Bentley. The thought sent crazy, spine tingling shivers down her spine

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Bentley said. "You have proven that to me over the last several years. You are strong minded and so very intelligent it boggles my mind."

"He is a friend."

"True enough. Do you want me to go with you?" He asked this time, taking both her hands into his.

She held her breath, thinking about his question. She watched him cock his head to one side and raise one eyebrow as he waited. "I think I do." Lord, but it felt good to have someone care even if it was Bentley. Suddenly she felt supported as if she had someone whom she could count on. She'd never felt that way before, not even with Jacob.

Her world had just turned upside down.

You didn't feel that way with Jacob because… because why? He was always a best friend--the brother you never had.

Looking down at her phone she quickly texted him the location of the restaurant. "He can come here," she said.

"Good, and we can have another glass of wine while we wait. Would you like that? The alcohol might relax some of that tension from your neck and shoulders." His grin spread across his handsome face. "I'd give you a massage but you probably wouldn't appreciate my expertise here in a public place."

"I do believe I would," she said, "like a glass of wine," the smile inside warming her throughout. Bentley was right. One more glass would relax her enough to deal with whatever bad news Jacob was about to bring. But would it be bad news? She didn't think so. If he meant to announce an engagement, she was happy for him. She just prayed he found someone suitable and not a trophy.

"Waiter," he held up two fingers and pointed to her wine glass. The waiter nodded and few minutes later they were sipping Riesling.

"I'm appreciating this moment with you," Bentley said. "It's the first time we have enjoyed conversation." He leaned forward, the lines in his face tense. "I never meant… I…"

"I think I have misunderstood your intentions and I came to conclusions that possibly were not true. I won't apologize for my stubborn behavior just yet. But…" she paused a moment. "I'm not going to jump to conclusions again. I don't know if this is just another pretense to get me…"

"In bed," he finished the sentence for her. "Don't ever believe I don't want a relationship with you of that sort. But I learned a valuable lesson. One, I might add, I've been paying for a very long time. I will savor each moment and I will not ask for anything from you. If and when you are ever ready, then I'll expect you will let me know."

Heat rose to Lilly's cheeks. She put her hands there to cool them and watched his smile. "I'm going to proceed with caution." Her heart fluttered, shocked at what she said and how she felt. "We can begin as friends who might date, but not lovers, not yet."

"And I thank my lucky stars for Rob and being in the right place at the right time. I don't think you would have ever let me into your life without that little situation exploding in your face. You needed me and I intend to be there for you every time you ask." He brushed a piece of hair from her face and tucked it in behind her ear. Sexual desire rose instantly.

~ * ~

Jacob watched the tender scene enfold in front of him. No, it can't be. That's Bentley and he is touching Lilly and--she seems to like it. Has the world just taken a strange upside down twist?