Page 29 of False Pretenses

He shared stories of dealing with the rich, having to take the blame for what he didn’t do. Alyssa patted his arm and commiserated with his plight. He had her tearing up at the sad stories one minute and laughing at his jokes the next.

“I think you can be a writer,” she told him.

His eyes widened. “Me? No. Don’t tell me you don’t believe me.”

“Of course I do. I just meant the delivery is so good. You should make money off this stuff. Then again, I guess you’d lose your job if you exposed the crazy that’s in your household.”

To her surprise, he seemed to consider her words with all seriousness. “You, my beautiful Alyssa, have a good mind of your own. If I’m not careful, you’ll make me fall in love. Then where will we be?”

She snorted. “Yeah right.” She started to walk off, but he caught her hand and drew her back. A misstep landed her in his arms, and she sucked in a breath. “I think I should get back.”

“Stay a while.”

“I can’t. It’s late.”

“Aren’t you on vacation?”

She couldn’t explain. Matter of fact, she didn’t want to explain. Not if it meant he would stop talking to her. Being with him felt good, even if he didn’t stir the longing that Nathan did. Cullen was fun in his own way, and the complication of wanting to spread her legs for him wasn’t there to confuse her. Okay, it might be nice to kiss him. No, that’s wrong. I do not juggle two men at a time. Not my thing.

“Tomorrow morning,” he urged when she didn’t say anything. “Meet me on the beach where we first met.”

“I—”

“Alyssa!”

Her throat went dry, and she jerked from Cullen’s hold. She peered over her shoulder and realized Nathan was storming in their direction. She couldn’t see his face in the shadows, but she’d recognized the voice and with it the height and build. The moon behind the clouds made it likely he only guessed it was her standing there with no one else nearby.

She spun back to face Cullen.

“Don’t say anything!”

“Don’t say anything!”

She blinked at the fact that he’d spoken the same words, but then figured he meant pretend it wasn’t her so she wouldn’t have to leave. On her part, she wasn’t ready to let this new friend go, so she didn’t want Nathan and Cullen finding out about each other. She’d sunk low.

“Tomorrow,” she assured him and darted along the sand until she reached Nathan. He grasped her arm and peered over her shoulder. She pushed past him and started walking in the opposite direction.

“Who was that?” he demanded.

“Just somebody I met at the beach party—the real one,” she snapped.

“You alone in the dark with a man is not a party,” he growled.

She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips, glaring up at him. “Excuse me? You’re out here questioning my actions when that little blonde bunny wrapped herself around you so tight, she was practically in your boxers.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Whatever.” She started again, and he fell into step beside her until they bordered the partygoers, and light illuminated his face, a mask of anger. Now she knew he coul

d get angry, but he still hadn’t raised his voice. The controlled way he held himself in check would have been sexy if he hadn’t pissed her off.

“So that’s what this was, a childish way to get back at me? You picked up some strange man at a party where you know no one, and you walk off into the darkness with him half naked?”

When he put it like that, she did seem like an airhead, but she would not straighten him out with the truth. “Look, it’s late. I’m tired. This night has been a joke, so if you don’t mind, I want to go back to your house. If you won’t take me, I’m sure I can find a ride somewhere.”

She cast a glance in the direction of several men, and he grunted as if he would toss her over his shoulder at any second. Alyssa would cut him down to size if he even tried.

“I bet you could,” he bit out.