So I Married a Werewolf (Entangled Covet) (5 page)

Chapter Eight

Carter took Faith’s arm, aware of the heat her body emanated as she pressed against him, and led her through the Owenses’ home. It was a mansion of glass, with an open floor plan and a lap pool stretching through the center of the home. Bridges spanned the pool, connecting the kitchen and living room to the bedrooms and office. It was the most amazing home he’d ever seen.

In this environment, surrounded by fifty or so high-ranking members of the Enforcement Bureau, Carter expected Faith to stumble or freeze up.

Surprisingly, she didn’t do either.

She introduced herself to the captain and members of the council as Carter’s fiancée, smiling and talking effortlessly. It actually felt
comfortable
to have her arm snaked through his. Although they could’ve remained indoors, where a few members were gathering around the hearth, the party was centralized in the backyard. A large, tri-level patio lit with tiny white lights ended at a small section of beach. Looking out, a private dock stretched into Lake Washington.

“You’re doing great,” he said, escorting her onto the patio.

“I’m so nervous, I’m sweating.”

Pressing his hand against the small of her back, he leaned in close and whispered, “I can’t tell.”

She smelled sweet. Soft. Like she’d just gotten out of the shower. He thought making the switch from friend to girlfriend was going to be uncomfortable, but he was wrong. Touching her back was easy. He didn’t hesitate or question whether it looked right. And he breathed in the rose-scented fragrance in her hair, like a lover would do to his partner, without even realizing it.

“I could use a drink.” She brushed her hands up and down her arms. “Or two.”

Hadn’t she just said she was sweating? If he wasn’t mistaken, goose bumps were blooming over her skin.

He escorted her to a bar situated in front of a line of trees. The home wasn’t adjacent to a forest, but there were enough trees to provide shadow and cover from the homes next door.

“Vodka cranberry for the lady,” he ordered. “I’ll take a Crown and Coke.”

The bartender mixed quickly and slid them over.

“Carter Griffin, there you are,” a male voice said from behind him.

He turned. Nate looked presentable, as he always did. Black suit and skinny tie. Hair buzzed short. They shook hands as Nate gave Carter a wide, pompous grin.

“Good to see you,” Carter said. “This is my fiancée, Faith Hamilton.”

“So you’re the worthy competition,” she said, extending her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s mine.” Instead of shaking, Nate turned her hand over and kissed her knuckles.

Carter had the uncanny urge to growl in disapproval. He dismissed the reaction as ridiculous and shoved his hands in his pockets to stop from hauling Faith against him.

“Carter,” Nate said. “I think you’ve met
my
fiancée.”

“I have?”

“Pumpkin?” Nate called to a woman in red silk standing a few feet away, her back to them. A waterfall of blond hair cascaded down her back. And where her hair ended, the fabric of the dress was cut away, revealing a wolf paw-print tattoo.

When she turned, Carter froze.

Nate draped his arm over her shoulder. “Paisely Brooks.”

Yeah, Carter had more than met the model-turned-actress. They went out a few months back, and had a few bouts between the sheets before he’d called it quits.

She pursed her bright red lips before pulling them back into a smile. “Good to see you, Carter. I haven’t seen you since that night at Cosmo’s. I was at the bar for a few minutes, turned around, and you’d just disappeared on me. I didn’t know what happened.”

He wasn’t about to sit around and watch her flirt with every other man in the bar.
That’s
what happened.

“I realized I had a better deal waiting for me somewhere else.” Giving in to the urge surging through his veins, he tugged Faith against him. “This is my fiancée, Faith.”

“Oh.” Paisely set her martini on the bar and extended her hand. “Lovely to meet you.”

“Same here.” Faith smiled, though Carter could feel tension ratcheting through her shoulders. “How do you and Carter know each other?”

“We used to date,” Paisely practically purred. And then she beamed. “Didn’t he tell you?”

Yeah, he had.

Faith took a hard drink. “No need to dig up old things from the past.”

Carter buried his face in his glass to hide the grin stretching across his face. Faith had her claws out. Paisely smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes, and Nate ordered a scotch on the rocks.

“Aren’t you a darling?” Paisely said tightly. “Where has Carter been hiding you?”

“In his bed.” Faith pushed her drink across the bar. “Carter, what do you say we thank the Owenses for welcoming us into their home tonight?”

“Lead the way.”

They traipsed around a sparkling pool and across a wooden dance floor, to where the Owenses were seated and talking to the captain.

Carter couldn’t help but notice that Faith walked with an elegant kind of grace. Was it the shoes? The dress? The expectations of the night? He’d never seen her look more regal than this moment.

She was putting on one hell of a show.

This fake engagement of theirs just might work…

As they stepped off the raised dance floor, her ankle twisted. She pitched forward, gasping as she fell. He reached out to catch her, but it was too late. Everyone on the patio let out a collective moan as her knees hit the concrete.

“Are you all right?” Cradling her beneath his arm, he helped her up. “Faith, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she bit out, but she wouldn’t stand up straight. She flattened out the front of her dress. Re-strapped her heel, using his arm for balance. “I tore my dress. Look, it’s—”

“Don’t worry about the dress. Come on, let’s sit you down.”

When she nodded, Carter finally got a look at her face. Tears hung to her lashes and threatened to fall. The sight panged his stomach.

“Dear, how are your knees?” Mrs. Owens asked, coming to help. “I’ve told Manny to put an easement against the edges of that dance floor, but getting a man to do anything is a pain in the behind. Are you hurt badly?”

Faith hobbled to a chair at their table. “I think I just need to get off my feet for a moment.”

“Do you want ice?” Carter asked.

“Ice! Yes!” Mrs. Owens hollered. “Manny, get some ice!”

“No, no, really. Don’t trouble yourselves.” Faith sat down and tried to hide the rip that sliced from her knee to the floor. “Just give me a minute.”

“Sweetheart,” Carter said, with so much ease that it shocked him, “take all the time you need.”

…

He’d called her sweetheart.

Don’t get used to this feeling.

Faith had repeated those words to herself over and over again throughout the party, but they didn’t seem to be working.

The more time she and Carter spent together this way, the more difficult it was for Faith to separate the act from reality. Carter looked at her as if she was his fiancée. As if he truly cared for her. His touch was soft, the gleam in his light eyes gentle.

Don’t get used to this.

They’d spent the next hour at a private table with the captain and the Owenses. When dinner was served, Mrs. Owens insisted that Faith and Carter stay and join them at their table. They talked over herb-crusted salmon and asparagus, and laughed heartily after a few glasses of wine. After getting over the initial embarrassment, Faith realized tripping over the dance floor lip was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to them: they got to sit at the table with influential people, while Nate and Carter’s ex—the freaking actress—had to sit near the pool.

She didn’t want to be too hopeful, but it seemed like she and Carter were hitting it off.

Carter leaned close. “How’s your ankle?”

“Getting better.”

“Good.” He smiled, warming her heart. “Want to take a walk? They just lit up the gazebo.”

Faith followed his line of sight to the pier jutting into the lake. At the end, a gazebo had been illuminated with strings of miniature white lights. The night was completely dark, and not a single star peeked from the lumbering cloud cover.

It smelled like rain.

“All right.”

Carter pulled out her chair and waited for her to lead the way. As David Gray played softly in the background, they wound around the pool—passing Nate and Bimbo who pretended not to notice them—and down to the beach. They ascended the few steps onto the dock, and then walked side by side to the end, where a bench stood. The water was pitch black, and the warm lights of the houses along the shore looked like they were calling people home.

“I can’t thank you enough,” he said as they sat on the bench seat beneath the lights. “You’ve got them eating out of your hand.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You do.” His gaze heated the side of her face. “Did you trip on purpose?”

She laughed and covered the tear in her dress with her hand. “No, but it worked out pretty well, didn’t it?”

“You certainly got the sympathy vote.”

For the next few minutes, nothing but the sound of water lapping against the wood posts of the pier filled the silence between them. Faith couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat. She was completely at ease with him.

Their eyes met, and for a split second, Faith thought he was going to lean in and kiss her.

“Want another drink?” he asked quickly, averting his gaze to the lake. “I’d like another drink.” He stood, brushing his hands down his pants. “Wine?”

She nodded. “I guess. Sure.”

“Wait here,” he said, then stormed down the pier.

It was quiet without him, still. The solitude under the gazebo was nice. At first. But as the minutes dragged on, Faith started to wonder if he was going to return at all. She peered through the dark at the Owenses’ house. Carter wasn’t at the bar, but she couldn’t pick him out from the other members of the pack who were also in tuxedos. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared at the end of the pier.

He was coming back.

Nerves spiraled in her belly. She breathed deeply, and slid her hands beneath her legs so they wouldn’t quiver. He was finally seeing her as someone he could be with. She’d finally gotten out of the dreaded friend zone.

She was going to owe Tracy big-time for helping her pick out this dress.

“He’s a dumbass for leaving you out here all alone,” a deep voice said.

Nate.

Deflating, she said, “He just went to get us a drink.” It didn’t feel right being out here with Nate like this. “He’ll be right back.”

“Mind if I sit?” He pointed to the bench.

Yes.
“No, not at all.” Faith scooted to the end of the bench, making room for Carter’s competition.

“How long have you two been a couple?” His tone was oddly light. Like they were long-lost friends who were in need of catching up.

“About a year, off and on.”

Don’t stumble. Play the part.

“He’s dated other women this year,” he said, as rain dimpled the water around them and made a soft pitter-pat on the gazebo roof above. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

She looked at him, feigning confidence. “We haven’t been exclusive until recently. He’s dated other women, and I’ve dated other men. His relationships with them would only bother me if I was insecure about what we have.”

“And you’re not,” Nate said.

“No.”

It was raining harder now. The clouds must’ve really opened up.

Faith glanced down the pier.
Empty.
Carter still wasn’t coming. What would have held him up for this long?

“Well, I’ve got a confession to make,” he said softly. “The relationship he had with my fiancée bothers me. You’re a stronger person than I am to let that kind of bond roll off your shoulders.”

Faith twitched, but didn’t take the bait.

“From what Paisely says, they were close to getting married.”

“That’s nice.” Didn’t sound familiar, though. Faith mentally scrolled through Carter’s dating reel. He’d dated Paisely a few times, but he’d said they weren’t serious. A fling, he’d said. Why wouldn’t he have told her the truth? “When are you two getting married?”

Lightning ripped open the sky, illuminating the hard lines of Nate’s face.

“Next weekend.” His jaw clenched. “But we’re going to need to have a talk before then. Especially after tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

Thunder rumbled the gazebo, and a gust of wind blew through the posts, chilling Faith to the bone.

“Because I don’t like the way they’re talking.” Nate stood, paced around the bench, and rested his hands on Faith’s shoulders. He pointed to the top of the patio near the back doors of the house. “They’re standing too close. Like two people who still share something.”

Through the rain, Faith spotted two figures. One was facing the lake and the other was pressed against his or her side. As lightning illuminated the dark, the sharp angles of Carter’s face and the bright red sheen of Paisely’s dress came into view. They weren’t doing anything wrong. They weren’t kissing. She couldn’t even tell if they were touching or if they were simply standing really close together.

But Nate was right. Carter should’ve been out here with her instead of pinned against the wall by a Hollywood starlet. Although he and Faith weren’t
actually
dating, which meant he could stand near or touch anyone he wanted, he’d sworn not make her look foolish for the next few months.

They were at a business function.

He was supposed to be with her, his new fiancée.

And he was flirting with an ex-girlfriend.

Now
she felt foolish.

Slowly, Faith glanced down at her tattered dress, the crazy-tall heels strapped to her feet, the French pedicure. She raised her chin and sighed.

She’d made a fool of
herself
by thinking she could pretend to be somebody she wasn’t. For thinking Carter might actually feel something for her beyond friendship. For wanting him to.

As the clouds on the horizon parted, the bright yellow glare of the moon peeked through, wrenching her heart.