The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) (9 page)

The woman eyed the money and smiled.  “It’s my pleasure.  You have a wonderful wife.  I’ve enjoyed taking care of her.”  The sound of the word
wife
stunned me.  I started to correct her, but decided against it.  McKenzie and I were nowhere near wedding bells, but it was nice to think that we were heading in that direction.  Someday.  

McKenzie stepped out of the dressing room with a garment bag in one hand and a purchase bag in the other.  I quickly signed the receipt the sales lady had presented to me.

“How much damage?” she asked.  I took the two bags and extended my arm for her to take.  She accepted, even though I could tell she was still a little frustrated with me.

“Not as bad as you think, my dear.  You might’ve cost me about as much as one of my ties.”

“And how much might that be?”

“Does it really matter?”

McKenzie stuck out her tongue and glanced up at the sky.  She hemmed and hawed for a moment, then a small laugh expelled from her lips.  “I guess not.  This was really sweet of you.  You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me.”

I turned my head and pressed a tender kiss to her temple.  “It was no trouble.  I’d do anything for you, my love, and I do mean anything.”

McKenzie

Tension ran high between us all the way to his condo.  Every stolen touch set my skin on fire.  The whispers of his desire amplified my own.  His little stunt back at the mall had really boiled my blood, but not in the fit of anger I led to him to believe.  I was more aroused than annoyed, and I enjoyed every second of his seductive little game.

I loved when Drew took control.  The way he commanded me was a matter of love, respect, and pure devotion.  He knew exactly how to make my body sing for him, and I would do anything to feel that type of high and watch the way his love for me poured out of him.

“Can this car go any faster?” I questioned, pressing my thighs together.  I was done waiting.  My patience was gone.  I needed Drew.  Hard and fast.  Soft and slow.  I didn’t care how as long as I felt him.  All of him.

Drew glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his devilish smirk teasing me with promises of what was to come.  The car jerked forward as he shifted gears.  My heart raced at the speed of the vehicle.  Trees blurred past us.  The sky raced by.  Drew weaved in and out of traffic with ease.  He was cool and relaxed.  The confidence I’d seen in him the first day we met was back in full force.  As he turned a corner, I grabbed the handle above the door for support.  He appeared unfazed by the force of our turn.  The tires squealed as he came to an abrupt stop in front of a tall, glass building.  I extended my hands forward to keep my face from meeting the dash at the same time his hand reached out to block me.  “Fast enough for you?”

He pulled his hand back, his fingers sliding across my breasts in the process.  I swallowed hard.  “I’d say so.”

Two young men dashed out toward the car.  Our doors opened simultaneously.  I took the outstretched hand of the handsome man waiting on me.  He smiled as I slipped out of the car.  Drew was at my side in the blink of an eye, moving between me and the man, his hand pressed to the small of my back.  “This way.” His hot breath tickled my ear.

From what I could tell, the foyer of the condominium was elegant.  All earth tones and crystal.  Everything I’d grown accustomed seeing with Drew.  Yet, the beauty of the building failed to hold my attention.  All I could concentrate on was the warmth of his hand on me and the thought that in a few moments, I would be reunited with the man I loved.  My skin tingled with want and anticipation.  My heart pounded against my chest.  This was everything I wanted and had denied myself for so long.

Drew led me down a hallway to a row of gold-plated elevators.  One opened the instant he pressed the button.  We barely stepped inside before he had me pressed against the wall with his mouth covering mine.  There was no rush in his kiss.  The hunger was evident, but the need to feel, to take things slow, was more prominent.

The taste of his tongue moving against mine was heaven on earth.  His hands wandered down my sides, stopping at my hips where his fingers dug into my flesh.  Unable to control the urges inside me, I wrapped my arms over his shoulders, drawing his body closer to mine.  His hard, strong body pressed against me, leaving no space between us.  

I dropped my head back against the wall, gasping for air.  Drew’s lips moved down along my jaw to my neck, sucking and nibbling as he went.  “I need you,” I pleaded, scraping my nails along the back of his head.

“I know.”  His tongue flicked against my exposed collarbone.

I pulled his head back, determined to make him understand.  Deep blue eyes met mine, confirming I wasn’t alone.  Everything that held us back—all the lies and secrets—were gone.  For the first time, we would make love, true love.  “I know,” he repeated, his husky voice resonating deep inside me.

The elevator doors opened.  Drew stepped back and lifted me off my feet.  I pressed my lips to the curve of his neck as he walked.  The smell and warmth of his skin consumed me.  With a flick of my tongue, he shivered.  I pulled his sun visor from his head and tossed it aside, watching it land on a large, brown leather sofa.  In strong contrast to his beach house, this place was much darker.  The furniture was all mahogany instead of oak, and what walls weren’t glass, were painted deep shades of red.  This place felt rustic and manly.  I liked it.

Drew marched us down a hall and pushed open a door.  He walked into the room and set me down on my feet.  I stared up in his hooded eyes, so warm and filled with love.  He grazed his knuckles along my jaw.  “Turn around, Mickie.”

A little confused, I did as told.  I felt Drew step in closer to me, his hands resting on my hips.  Much like the rest of the condo, his room here was the complete opposite of what I was accustomed to.  A large, fluffy bed, covered in dark blue satin, sat in the center of the room in front of a huge stone fire place.  Walls of glass ensconced us, shedding dim sunlight over the floor space.  It came as no surprise to me that I could see Boston Harbor in the distance.  Drew was drawn to water.

Gentle fingers slipped under my shirt, lifting it over my head.  I closed my eyes and dropped my head back against his chest.  Drew pushed my hair away from my shoulder, slipping my bra strap down my arm.  His lips moved over my skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. Soon, the other strap was moved and the bra unclipped.  It slipped from my body, landing on the floor in front of me.  Drew slid his hands down over my breasts, slow and steady, rubbing my taut nipples between his fingertips.  I hummed my approval of his attention, his warm kisses covering my shoulder.  

Inch by inch, he moved his hands down my chest and over my stomach, stopping at my waist.  His fingers toyed with the button of my shorts, teasing my bare skin.  I placed my hands over his, popping the button.  Together, we pushed my shorts down my hips.  I stepped out of them, leaving only my shoes on my feet.  

“Sit down on the bed, Beautiful.”

I took two steps forward, stopping at the edge of the mattress.  I turned around to find him close behind me.  A wicked smirk twitched his lips and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.  I sat down on the bed, my legs slightly open for him to see how badly I needed him.  He knelt before me and took my foot in his hand, slipping my shoe off.  He placed it on the floor and trailed kisses from my ankle to my knee cap.  I leaned back, pressing my hands into the soft mattress, aching for his mouth to move further up.  Instead, he repeated the process with my other foot.

“I’ve missed this,” he proclaimed, kissing my ankle.  “The way you taste.” He left a trail of wet heat along my calf.  “The smell of your skin.”  He released my leg and stood up.  “The way you feel when I make love to you.”  My stomach clenched at the tone of his voice.  It dripped with seduction and desire.

He brushed his fingers along the lines of my stomach.  His tongue darted out over his lips, and I could see the restraint it took him not to devour me.  “Move up to the top of the bed,” he commanded.  

I obeyed without question.  

Drew pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside.  Soon after, his shorts dropped to the floor and all I could think was this magnificent man was about to own me.  I was his and he was mine, and there was nothing in this world that could ever change that.  I squirmed in anticipation, motioning for him to join me.

The bed shifted under his weight as he crawled up toward me.  He pushed my knees apart, coming to rest between them.  “All mine.”

I wrapped my legs around his hips, my fingernails raking down his spine.  Drew hissed at the slow ache, his nose tracing the line of my jaw.  “All yours,” I growled.  Our mouths met, and for the first time since I left him, I felt whole.

Hours later, we lay in bed, panting for air, sweaty, but momentarily sated.

“I think buying that dress might’ve been a waste of time,” I teased, rolling over on my side.  The sun had disappeared into the night sky and the moon was making its appearance in the world.  The room felt cool but my skin was on fire.  Drew had reminded me over and over again how much I meant to him.  I ached in all the right places, my body remembering how it felt to be pleasured by him.

“Think again,” Drew announced, sitting up and dropping his feet onto the floor.  “We’re going to dinner.”

“But it’s late.  Don’t we have to get back?  I’m sure by now Olivia and Jonathan are seething at our absence.”  I hadn’t even looked at my cell phone since the morning, pretty certain that it was full of messages from Olivia wanting to know where I was and how come I wasn’t in bed sick.”

Drew removed the condom that sheathed him, tossing it in the trash along with the rest that had been used in the last few hours.  “No one is looking for us.  Jared has pretended to check on you, and as far as my family knows, I’m visiting old friends.  Everything is covered.”  

I leaned up on my elbow, watching as he discarded the wrappers on the nightstand.  “Apparently.  So, do you always keep condoms stocked here, or was this a special occasion?”

“I had Ruby stop by earlier.  I, too, needed clothes for tonight, and figured it best if I had her bring a few extra items,” he dangled the empty box of condoms at me before tossing it in the garbage can, “such as these, so I wouldn’t have to stop and get some.”

Heat rose in my face at the thought of dear old Ruby, Drew’s adorable granny-like housekeeper, picking up condoms.  “Oh, God.  I can only imagine what she thinks of me.”

Drew dropped back down beside me, pulling me on top of him.  He wrapped his arms around me, kissing me.  “Ruby adores you, baby girl, and she is very pleased that you’re back in my life.  So, please, don’t worry about what she’s thinking.”

“At least tell me you paid her extra for picking up your raincoats.”

A deep, hearty laugh exploded from Drew’s chest, bouncing his body against mine.  The feel of his laughter and his bare skin sent waves of desire through me once again.  It seemed impossible to want more, but I did.  He pushed my hair back from my face and pressed his lips to mine.  “Only you would call them that.  Yes.  She was very well compensated.  Now, let’s get dressed.  We have a dinner reservation to keep.”

I kissed the tip of his nose and rolled off him.  My feet landed on the cool hardwood floor.  “Reservation?  I didn’t realize we had a reservation.”

“Of course we do.  Now, go get dressed.”  His hand cracked across my bare backside.  I jumped and squeaked, growling at him.  His deep laughter rumbled, sending sparks of happiness to my soul.  The crinkles around the corner of his eyes reminded me of why I fell in love with him in the first place.  Drew might be a cocky son of a bitch, but he had a heart of gold.

I flipped him the bird and started to the bathroom.

“Again, baby?  Jesus.  I’m not Superman.”

“Oh, hush,” I squeaked and walked into the bathroom.  On the counter sat my makeup bag and toiletries.  “Oh, and by the way,” he called out, “I also had Ruby bring some stuff over for you.  I hope you don’t mind.”

I stared in the mirror at my kiss swollen lips and smiled.  “Not at all,” I replied.

“Jeffrey,” his voice resonated into the bathroom, “Can you please bring up the bags in my car now?”  I shook my head, staring at myself in disbelief.  If someone had asked me two weeks ago where I saw myself, this would not have been on my list of answers.  I’d run away from my feelings for Drew for so long that I felt strange embracing them now.  A good strange, but strange nonetheless.

After a quick shower and a little primping, I was dressed to impress.  I stepped into the living room to find Drew in a black suit and a burgundy, navy blue, and white striped, silk tie.  In his hand was a bright red rose with a white string tied in a bow around the stem.  “You look amazing.”  

I shifted my stance, twirling the chain of my coveted diamond necklace around my fingertip.  The heat of my embarrassment burned through my skin.  He presented me with the rose and kissed my hand with such tenderness, I felt weak in the knees.  “Thank you,” I whispered.

Drew stepped back, offering me his arm.  “Let’s get out of here.  I’m starved.”

I laughed, taking his offer.  “That’s not surprising.  You did work up your appetite.”

“I did,” he agreed with a wink.  “I most certainly did.”