Page 85 of Lie With Me

“Time to wake up, little valentine.”

His wings are just dark and leathery.

“Wake up, valentine…”

“Valentina! You’re having a nightmare. You’re okay,” Tripp’s worried voice fills my ears as my eyes snap open. My lungs burn as I gulp in mouthfuls of air.

Tripp’s rubbing circles on my back, while his other hand pulls my damp curtain of hair off my neck. I’m overheating, but my skin is broken out in goosebumps. My face is wet, and I wipe at my cheeks only to realize I’m crying.

“Jesus fucking Christ, you scared the shit out of me. You started moaning in your sleep and shivering.You were saying something, and then you just full-on started screaming.” Tripp’s eyes are wide, concern bleeding from them as he continues stroking my back.

“I’m sorry. I’m okay.” It’s a lie. I’m not okay. I’m shaken down to my fucking core. I haven’t had nightmares in months. And while they usually are of my childhood, I’ve never had one likethat. If I were one of those people who believed in symbolism in dreams, I’d say mine was very,verybad.

“Come here.” Tripp pulls me into his arms, hugging me to his chest as though silently telling me he’ll protect me from whatever else tries to haunt me. His soft lips kiss my crown as his legs wrap around me. “You’re okay,” he soothes.

I don’t answer him, my eyes focusing out the window on the wall opposite the bed. The sky outside is mottled with dusky blues and purples. The clock on the nightstand reads six in the morning, and my eyelids start to droop, not ready to get up for the day.

I fall back to sleep feeling warm and safe and protected.

The inn has a large indoor swimming pool with a jacuzzi, surrounded by glass. There’s a room just off it, without a door, that houses banquet tables full offruit, pastries, coffee and tea, and just about anything else you could possibly want for Saturday brunch.

Personally, I think it’s a little weird to host a brunch where a swimming pool is. The air is moist and has the sharp scent of chlorine, even though it’s a salt pool. But no one here seems to care. There had to have been over a hundred people at the dinner last night, but now there are no more than twenty either sitting to converse while they eat or taking a dip in the pool.

Tripp and I have our bathing suits beneath our clothes, but the second we step foot into the room, he’s whisked away to talk business. He’s reluctant to leave me, but I reassure him that I’m going to warm up in the jacuzzi before grabbing something to eat.

I secure my hair on top of my head and pretend I don’t notice how the men’s eyes roll over me when I take my dress off to reveal my white bikini. It’s one of the more modest ones I own, covering everything it should and revealing nothing it shouldn’t.

A few of the more daring men clap Tripp on the back, their congratulations resonating clearly across the room. He shoots me a look that tells me he’s damn proud to have me on his arm and another at them while he tells them they better watch their mouths because he won’t tolerate any crude talk about me.

The water is warm as I dip my toe in before settling on the bench. It reminds me of Captiva Island and how much I miss it already. The nice weather, thehot sand, and the easygoing locals who are friendly and welcoming.

Leaning my head back on the edge, I relish the soothing current as the bubbles break on the surface. It relaxes my muscles and eases the tension in my body that I woke back up with. I tried to get a massage at their spa, but Emily has everything booked—as she should. Itisher wedding weekend, after all.

Barely ten minutes go by before I feel the air stir next to my head and Tripp smoothly asks, “You doing okay?”

Without opening my eyes, I smile. “Yeah, thank you for checking. Are you doing okay? Do I need to save you from the boring world of business talk?”

He chuckles and grips my shoulders, kneading my muscles while he responds, “As boring as it is, it’s an important conversation. One of those guys over there has a hold on a quarter of the block where Ginny’s center is. I’m trying to get him to sell so Jackson has complete control of the block.”

“Sounds illegal.” My words drip with mischief as I open one eye to look at him. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

His hand collars my throat, nudging my chin up to look at him upside down. “Strangely, that just did something for me. We’ll have to explore that later.”

He Spiderman kisses me before getting up to return to his conversation. I watch him go, but my attention is drawn across the room as Neil walks in. He sees the men and looks like he might join them, but then he stops next to a pool chair and pulls hisshirt off. He gets in the water, fully submerging himself before he begins to swim leisurely laps.

When Tripp introduced us last night, I recognized his voice immediately. It’s hard not to with his distinctive, deep timbre. I’m only hoping he doesn’t recognize me.

After all, that’s what the masks at Désirer are for.

My initial thought was to tell Tripp immediately, but that would betray the club's rules. It would be betraying everything Carmela worked so hard to achieve. And honestly, it isn’t going to do my relationship with Tripp any favors. He’s already had this man take something from him once.

A strange sense of foreboding washes over me, and I decide I’ve had enough of the jacuzzi. Quickly, I put my dress back on and motion to Tripp that I’m going to grab a plate of food and go back to the room. A few more men have joined his group, and I have a feeling he may be busy for a while.

Grabbing a plate from the breakfast table, I’m just about to pile on an assortment of fruit before I hear Neil’s unmistakable voice behind me. “Interesting scar,Bianca.”

His words make me feel physically ill. Tiny pricks crawl up my arms like a million little ants as acid worms its way up my esophagus. I set my plate down, turning to see him dripping wet, making himself a coffee. “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. When Em told me about Tripp’s new fiancée Bianca, I thought nothing of it until I saw youlast night. Obviously, I wasn’t sure it was you. But your scar just gave you away.” His knowing smirk is nauseating.

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