Page 55 of The Liar

Heart sinking, I did as she said, lowering her feet to the floor and supporting her until she was steady. She walked to the bed on her own, crawled beneath the covers and pulled them up to her chin.

My throat constricted. Would she ever let me hold heragain, or was this the last time I’d feel her weight tucked safely against me, where I so badly wanted her to belong?

I turned and left, closing the door behind me. She had every right to stay away from me, and she deserved me respecting her enough to honor her wishes and keep my distance.

I brushed my teeth and dragged myself into the bed we used to share. It felt cold and empty without her. Hell, my whole life would soon be that way if I couldn’t change things.

I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep, my father’s face flashed through my mind. Then, I could have sworn I heard a shot.

16

JOANNA

I held my wrist out to West. “Can you do up my bracelet please?”

I hadn’t wanted to ask. It felt too intimate. But I’d been fiddling with the latch for several minutes and couldn’t quite lock it into place.

“Of course.” He shrugged his suit jacket on and moved closer. The spicy scent of his cologne went straight to my head, and I gritted my teeth. Why did he have to be so intoxicating? Couldn’t they have sent one of the less tempting undercover operatives to marry me?

West took hold of my bracelet with one hand and used the other to do up the clasp. His fingertips brushed the sensitive skin on the inside of my wrist, and I suppressed a shiver.

He hardly ever touched me anymore. Not unless there was a good reason for it. I appreciated him respecting my boundaries, but it only made me more aware of how badly I craved contact between us.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured.

I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. His gaze wasroaming over my body, his eyes the deep shade of green they turned when he liked what he saw. Despite my better judgment, I couldn’t help but be pleased that he wasn’t completely immune to me.

The body didn’t lie. He couldn’t fake something like that.

“You look good too,” I replied, relieved by the detachment in my tone. I couldn’t afford to have mixed feelings about West, and I especially couldn’t afford for him to know about them.

I stepped away from him and gathered my jacket from where it lay over the back of the sofa. I probably wouldn’t need it once we arrived, but I might want it for the drive over.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked.

West nodded. “You still want to drive rather than book a ride?”

“I think it’ll be best that way.” I’d drive, which left West free to drink whatever he needed while he made nice with his suspects. Meanwhile, I’d have an excuse not to drink too much—a legitimate one that even Captain Thackery couldn’t tease me about.

I donned my jacket and checked that my wallet and phone were in my pocket and my weapon was in place in case I needed it. “Ready to go?”

West patted his pocket and then his hip, no doubt going through the same process I had. “Yeah.”

We drove as close as we could to Allan Mansion, where the event was being held. We had to park a couple blocks away and walk the rest of the distance. I clutched my jacket closer around me, grateful I’d brought it because the wind was bitterly cold. At least it wasn’t raining or snowing, I supposed.

As we reached the front of the mansion, its gray stone facade towering above us, I spotted Captain Thackery andhis wife, Beth, strolling toward us. Thackery’s shoulders were hunched against the cold, but Beth didn’t seem to feel it. She beamed, her long, tanned legs bare from the knees down. I hated to think about how much cold air must be swirling beneath her skirt.

“Joanna, it’s so good to see you,” Beth exclaimed, greeting me with a hug. I liked Beth well enough, but I wasn’t exactly a “huggy” person. I especially didn’t feel comfortable hugging my boss’s wife.

“Hi, Beth.” I joined the end of the line, creating a few feet of space between us before she could go for a cheek kiss. “You look fantastic.”

It was absolutely true. Beth was only a couple of years older than me, which made her a decade younger than Thackery. She took excellent care of herself and had a killer sense of style. Her dress clung to her figure so tightly, it was almost scandalous, yet everything from her neck to her knees was covered.

Beth turned to West as the Captain and I exchanged pleasantries.

“I don’t think we’ve met.” She offered him her hand. “I’m Beth Thackery. This stick-in-the-mud is my husband.”

“Nice to meet you.” West shook her hand. “I’m West Gallo, Joanna’s husband.”

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