Page 69 of The Devil's Deceit
A bite of remorse nips at my insides. Here are two more people I’m lying to. Two more who will look back on every interaction and wonder how they could have missed such a manipulative liar.
The enormity of the occasion and the poisonous deceit running through my veins becomes too much. I catch Juliet’s eye on the other side of the gigantic ballroom where she’s chatting to a middle-aged, red-haired woman. I jerk my chin and cock my head, and she instantly recognizes my subtle SOS. After extricating herself, she glides through the myriad guests standing around in small groups and loops her arm through mine.
“Christian, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m stealing my girl away for a few minutes.”
“And if I mind?” His eyes twinkle, his lips curving up.
“Well, then, I’ll just stay right here and chat to you both. Did I tell you that I sent three letters to my local councilor this week about the pothole at the end of my road? He?—”
Christian’s hands come up, bracketing the sides of his head. “I surrender. Please, no more letters of complaint about the state of Britain’s roads.”
Juliet flashes an impish grin and leads me to a quiet part of the ballroom. She conjures up a couple of glasses of champagne from somewhere and passes one to me.
“How are you holding up?”
“By my fingertips.” I blow out a slow breath. “It’s a lot. I don’t think I realized how tough this would be. I’m… I’m having regrets. I think I’ve made a horrible mistake.”
“Marrying Christian, you mean?”
I shake my head. “All of it.” I glance around to check no one is within hearing distance and lower my voice to little more than a whisper. “The fake background, the lies, the innocent bystanders who are going to get hurt by what I’m planning to do. I’m not sure I can keep this up.”
“I knew this would be hard for you. You’ve always been such an open, honest person. But look at it this way. Now you’re married, you’ll see a lot more of Christian, and that means your chances of finding out what happened are far greater. With any luck, he’ll confess in his sleep.”
She grins, and I find myself smiling, too. That’s Juliet. She always manages to bring levity to the most serious of situations.
“You’re right. I can do this. I can.”
“Yes, you can. I believe in you, and I’m here for you. You’re not alone, even though it might feel like it. You’re one of the strongest, most determined people I know. You won’t be here long, I know it.”
“You’re right. I just have to stay alert to opportunities, remember what I’m here to do, and do it.”
Oh, and somehow stop myself from falling for the billionaire’s charms. Except, as I look across the room and find Christian staring at me, his expression one of blind lust, I have a horrible feeling it’s already too late.
Chapter Twenty-Two
CHRISTIAN
Since arriving back at Oakleigh, it’s been a whirlwind of greeting guests, doing the rounds, and looking at my watch while figuring out how much time has to pass before I can grab Grace and get the hell out of here.
I’m still smarting over the conversation in the car, and I can’t figure out why. She said nothing untrue or that we hadn’t agreed on, yet the way anger and, yes, hurt, swelled inside me took me by surprise. It’s still there, simmering away beneath my skin, which, frankly, is ridiculous.
I seek her out, my gaze landing on her standing in a dim corner of the ballroom talking to Juliet. Stunning was a pitiful word to say to her at the altar. She’s so much more than that. It isn’t just how pretty she is, or her smoking body, with the perfect curves I itch to get my hands on. It’s… well, it’s her. Grace.
My Duchess.
My wife.
A warmth spreads through my belly, unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. She nods at something her friend says,their conversation appearing quite serious, which, from what I’ve seen of Juliet so far, isn’t the norm. I’m about to head over there when Grace scans the room and our eyes meet.
I get hard in about one point three seconds. She blushes, her teeth gliding over her bottom lip, and ducks her head as those long eyelashes of hers sweep down. This right here is what’s so damned attractive about her. One minute, she’s sassing me with copious amounts of wit, and the next, she’s giving off shy vibes. The combination of the two diametrically opposed personalities will be the death of me.
Crooking my finger, I beckon her to me. She stands her ground and mirrors the move. I smile. Well played, wife. I can’t resist the pull, though, caught as I am in this woman’s orbit. If I think back to the first time I saw her gliding past me in that gold dress, I was a goner from the start. She’s sodifferentfrom every woman I’ve ever known.
After sidling through the crowds, I finally reach her and take her hand, pulling her to my side. “My turn to steal her away, Juliet.” I tug, leading Grace to the dance floor. “One dance to please the masses, then what do you say we get the hell out of here?”
“Don’t we have to cut the cake or make speeches or something?”
“Can’t do those things if we’re not here.” I slide an arm around her waist, and we sway to the music. “Haven’t you worked it out yet? I’m a rule breaker.” She stiffens, only for a second, but it’s noticeable. “Don’t worry. The only person who’ll get in trouble with the old man is me. He already loves you like his own.”
