Page 10 of Beautiful Deception

“I overheard tonight’s activity,” Dr. Kian hints while crooking his finger at me.

I lean in, waiting for the big secret the host’s son was hyping up about. Joe announced at breakfast that his butler had an exceptional skill, and we’ll find out by tonight.

I swear the butler looked ambushed and so horrified that his last few black hairs turned gray with the rest.

“It’s a surprise,” Dr. Kian whispers, our faces being inches away from each other.

His lips shamelessly stretch into a perfected smile, so teasingly smoldering that the back of my throat squeaks in embarrassment when the smile dangles above the line of intimacy.

My face falls, glaring at him weakly as he straightens his body with a chuckle under his breath.

“Our next session should’ve been tomorrow,” he notes, flinging an amused glint up at the cloudy sky. “Come to me after dinner.”

As his gaze returns to the jacket around me, my stomach tightens, and every nerve rattles. I instinctively bring it closer to me, creating a sort of protective barrier, and pool the musky scent into my lungs as an anchor.

It’s not hard to see why Remo’s jacket offers a sense of security. It’s not Remo himself, but the title of his profession serves as a guarantee. I’m not naïve enough to believe that every FBI agent is honorable, but the foolish side, cowardly even, locks that thought inside a box.

“See you later,” Dr. Kian bids his parting words while sending a curt nod to Kimberly.

She shuffles closer to me as soon as he’s out of earshot. The widened eyes and puffed cheeks hide no excitement about the gossip she wants to pry out of me.

“So, two?” she rasps, the knitting needles trembling dangerously close to her chest. “I know, I know.”

She’s giving me the same feeling as Junnie meeting her favorite singer after spending triple the price on tickets just so she can buy out the seats around her.

It’ll make the artist notice her. It did, and she made it on the news because she was standing in the middle of empty seats in the front row with a swarm of angry fans behind her.

“People these days are open to new ideas,” she says, bobbing along her words. “It’s not a big deal. I had three boyfriends before, so I know that feeling.”

I take a gulp of water and let my lips hover over the rim, wishing she takes the hint that I’m not interested in the subject, especially since one is bound by ethics while the other is here to solve a murder.

“We’re not,” I mumble, shaking my head. “I don’t know them that well.”

“The way they look at you,” Kimberly drones with a yearning lament. “Old times. I miss them.”

Dr. Kian looks at me the same way he looks at all his patients—respectful and friendly. Remo keeps everyone at arm’s length and probably wants to finish his job before the trip ends.

This is the part where Junnie should jump into the conversation and take over. I don’t care about this woman’s boyfriends or whatever she’s about to say next.

Once Kimberly starts, she won’t stop anytime soon. I’m forced to listen to her recount the moment she met them, how they got together after months of back and forth, her family’s rejection, strangers’ judgments, and intimate details.

I did not need to know about the twin moles on one boyfriend’s inner thigh.

I clench my teeth, gathering what’s left of my etiquette to ask her, “Why aren’t you together anymore?”

“One died, and the other two married each other in Finland.”

I try to read her face, but she’s not giving me anything to work with. Do I console her or congratulate them?

The neutral option prevails. “Oh, I see.”

She snuffles and rubs her arm as she stares out the darkened window. “Don’t let them get away. People will always talk, but you’ll get through it.”

How do I tell her that I prefer someone who doesn’t deal with documented offenders?

Kimberly cocks a questioning brow. “You’re a bit pale.”

I chug down the cooled water and smile drearily.

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