Page 45 of Tell Me No Lies

I wait my turn at the front desk, offering up my name and credit card when I finally get there. Luckily I was not directly linked to what happened with Lydia's father and brother, so there's no reason anyone here would be alarmed if they heard it. I could've gotten my hands on a fake ID, but it would've complicated things further, and the situation is difficult enough as it is.

Once I have our room number and key, I go back out to find Piper still inside the SUV. And while she's not overtly staring at anyone, she is sneaking peaks here and there. Not enough to call attention to herself, but hopefully she's starting to get a lay of the land.

I get back behind the wheel, and shift into drive, taking us away from the crowded entrance. Thankfully our room is located near the side entry point, so hopefully that will make it easier for us to come and go without having to be on guard every second. After parking, we unload our luggage, and I wheel it across the lot. Piper walks close beside me, but she keeps giving me odd glances.

"What's wrong?" I know she's got a million questions—there was only so much we could do to prepare her—so I want to give her as much as I can. The more she knows, the better off we'll both be.

Plus, it's been nice being able to interact with her without fighting. Strange, but nice.

"I just feel bad not rolling my own suitcase." Her concerned gaze goes to where her bag rolls behind me. "I don't get why these women can’t handle their own suitcase when they’re expected to do just about everything else."

I'm grinning again in spite of everything pressing down on me. "I’m not carrying your suitcase because of that." I pause as I tug each bag over the tiny curb leading to the sidewalk. "I'm carrying your bag because that's how it should be regardless."

Piper rolls her eyes. It’s a move I will eventually have to tell her she can't do, but for now I enjoy it. "How very caveman of you."

I laugh, enjoying the jab. "If it makes you feel better, I'll let you hold the door open for me."

Piper’s shoulders square a little. "Actually, it does." She swipes the key across the sensor beside the door, waiting for the lot to click open before pulling it and holding it wide. "After you, husband."

It's the first time she's used that word, and I'm surprised at how much it affects me. So many of the men I've come to think of as brothers have become husbands, and I've seen how it's changed them. The peace it's brought.

But hearing Piper call me husband does not bring me peace. It elicits an entirely different response. One I've sworn not to indulge during this trip. I know how slippery the slope of getting physical with Piper is and the distraction it causes both of us. We need to be focused on our task, not on how fucking good we are together.

Gritting my teeth, I go past her, rolling both our bags into the closest elevator before punching the button for our floor. The doors open to reveal a group waiting on the other side. Their eyes all turn our way, and this show has started.

One of the men points my direction. "Are you here for the gathering?"

I step through the doors, nerves twisting my gut as I settle the bags in front of me. It takes everything in me not to turn to see what Piper’s doing, but I manage to keep my attention on him. "We are. You too?"

"Us too." He shoves one hand my direction. "I'm Rick." He grips my palm in a firm shake, thumbing over one shoulder at the men behind him, introducing each of them by name before motioning at the women at the back of the group. "Those are our wives."

The dismissive way he lumps them together as if their identities don't matter grates, and I'm already struggling to keep my smile, but I have to do it. "I'm Tate." I jerk my chin in the direction I hope Piper is standing. "This is my wife."

I try to leave it at that. Do my best to keep her as irrelevant as the women across from me.

But I can’t fucking do it, and her name slides free. "Piper."

I hear her suck in a quiet breath behind me, making it clear Myra prepared her to be essentially the nameless female at my side. There to do nothing more than look pretty, humble, and subservient.

But that's not who she is—not who I ever want her to be—and it fucking pisses me off to think anyone would expect that.

Rick gives me a nod, continuing to ignore Piper the same way he's essentially ignoring the women with them. "Good to meet you." He reaches out to grab the elevator before the doors slide closed. "We’re heading down to the dinner. We'll see you there?"

Fucking hell. I was really hoping to have tonight to acclimate, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case. "Definitely. As soon as we get settled, we’ll head that way." Again, I add Piper into my plans, maybe not by name, but I still include her.

Rick gives me a fleeting look, before loading into the elevator with the rest of his friends, wives filing in last, standing quietly against one side.

I lift a wave as the doors close, miraculously holding my smile until they seal shut. The second I’m out of sight, my shoulders slump.

Piper comes in close beside me, her dark eyes searching my face. "I thought you weren't supposed to introduce me by name."

I rake one hand through my hair, frustrated with myself. "I'm not." I grab the handles of our suitcases and turn, going in the direction of our room. I need space. I need privacy.

I need her. The real her.

Piper stays quiet, following me off to one side. I pause outside our room and she uses the key card to open it, once again holding the door for me as I come through with our bags. The second the door clicks shut, I start to pace, trying to expend some of the anger bubbling through my gut.

Piper watches me for a few laps before stepping in my path, her hands pressing against my chest. "Stop."

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