False Pretenses (3 page)

He narrowed his eyes and at last released her. Alyssa buried her hands in her lap while struggling to calm the sensations he had evoked.

“You seem angry at me. I understood that you volunteered to take Trinity’s place.”

She gasped. “You don’t think…I mean, I never meant to imply…”

“No, Trinity made that clear. Don’t worry. I know you’re not available for anything other than pretense, but I’m curious. Do you have a boyfriend?”

She bit her lip. “No. He…
I
…broke it off a few weeks ago. We weren’t right for each other.” She didn’t care to tell him Tony had suggested an open relationship and informed her he never wanted kids. Two blows in one. He hadn’t cheated, he said, but the fact that he wanted to see other people while still having her said he eventually would. “So what about you? Surely, there was, or is, someone special in your life that you can take to meet your parents, and if not, why pretend? Isn’t that giving them false hope?”

“There isn’t.” He seemed to hesitate, but she wouldn’t let him get out of giving her a straight answer. When he tapped the table in a decisive movement, she realized he wasn’t the type to back off of a challenge. “My father has terminal cancer.”

Alyssa gaped. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. “I’m so sorry.”

He nodded his thanks. “They both want grandchildren more than anything at this point, and my sister, for her own reasons, refuses to give in to the demand, so to speak. That leaves me.”

“And you don’t want kids either?” The truth hurt even though she had no designs on him. Just knowing another man who stepped all over her own dream got to her.

“It’s not that I don’t want them. I need a wife, but I’m not ready to find one.” He shrugged. “However, my father means a lot to me, and I want to make his last days happy. If he thinks I’m close to getting married and having kids, that will be enough for him.”

Tears welled in Alyssa’s eyes. “I understand that.”

“I chose you, or rather Trinity, when it occurred to me that a white woman wouldn’t do.”

Alyssa stared. The logic escaped her in this instance.

“I can see you think I’m crazy. Think about it. I’m thirty-five. Over the years, my father has seen me date or have a fling with one blonde after another, a few brunettes thrown in here and there, but all of a certain type.”

So in other words, you’re a man whore who likes the leggy, empty-headed model type.
She tried not to show her conclusion in her expression, but something told her she failed when he chuckled. Nathan didn’t care one bit what she thought of him, and he had made no bones about admitting his love of women.

“He won’t believe it’s real if you bring home the same kind of woman,” she said.

“No, he won’t, and I thought, what type of woman could be extreme enough for him to think at last I had succumbed to love?”

“Trinity.”

“You,” he corrected.

Trinity had gone to college and held a master’s in communication. She hobnobbed with rich people every day and held her own. She’d never take down to any of them. Alyssa realized she would make the perfect candidate for Nathan to take home. Alyssa’s bachelor’s in English literature did nothing to enhance her career since one didn’t need to have a command of Shakespeare to sell erotic romance books or “how to build your own furniture” manuals. The average Joe frequented her store, and she had only ever rubbed elbows with the working middle class.

“I don’t want to bring up race, but if you’re thirty-five, your parents have to be in their fifties?”

“Sixties.”

He didn’t appear offended, so she continued. “Won’t they have a problem with you getting serious with a black woman? Even younger people sometimes have issues, despite seeing more and more mixed couples these days. I wouldn’t want to upset your dad. I respect people’s opinions. I just don’t have to deal with them.”

“I’ve thought about it, but I believe with the crisis we’re dealing with, he won’t care. After Trinity agreed to come with me, I mentioned to my mother over the phone that she’s African American. My mother sounded surprised and a little taken aback. I know she told my father, but I heard no more about it. Mom called me several times after that to make sure I was still coming and bringing you.”

“Are you insane?” she squeaked. “So you don’t know what we’re walking into. They could be planning a family intervention.”

He burst out laughing. “Don’t worry.”

“I am worried, damn it.”

He reached across the table and touched her cheek just as their food arrived. Alyssa found her fears escalating, both because she couldn’t shake the attraction to this man and for whatever waited at his family’s vacation home. All she knew was even if his parents came at her wrong, she couldn’t cuss them out with his father so ill. No way would she cause the early death of an old man. With each passing moment, she wondered if this was the stupidest mistake she’d ever made.

Chapter Three

“Ready?”

Nathan held out his hand, and Alyssa slipped her sandals off and then took it. From the first step, her feet sank into the warm white sand, and she followed him along the beach. As they strolled, the sun glowed orange on the horizon, creating a breathtaking view. The night breeze brought the scent of mangoes and lime, and she inhaled it, allowing the atmosphere to ease away some of her worry and stress.

“What about you?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Me?”

He nodded. “Over dinner I told you a little of my family. I’d like to learn more about you, and if possible, help you to relax.”

She ducked her head, annoyed he could pick up on how tense she’d been. All through dinner, as they discussed various light subjects, she hadn’t been able to get his family off her mind, especially his father. On top of that, knowing she had to perform for all of them tangled her stomach even more. Sure, she’d been desperate enough to volunteer for this madness, but in the face of it, the situation had changed.

Nathan squeezed her hand to bring her back to the present, and she sighed. “Nothing much to tell. I have no siblings, and I grew up with Trinity and her dad and stepmom.”

His eyebrows rose in the waning light. “Your parents?”

“They were killed in a plane crash when I was ten.”

“I’m sorry.”

She thanked him, and while the tragedy had happened eighteen years ago, she still felt a strong sense of loss at not having a mother.

“What was that like?”

His question surprised her. Most people on hearing she’d been orphaned at a young age shied away from the subject. Studying Nathan, she tried determining if he was insensitive or just nosey. His calm expression gave few real clues, and since she had no reason to ignore him, she answered his query.

“It wasn’t bad. I mean, after my initial grief and depression. Trinity’s dad is an awesome man. He loved me like a daughter, and he offered to let me live in his house forever, even after I grew up. He’s not a blood relationship to me. Trinity’s mother was my mother’s sister, but she left them early on, and he remarried when Trinity was five. Even after my mother died, she never came to the funeral or to see us.”

“I didn’t know she had such a past. When she mentions her mother, she sounds like she loves her very much.”

“Her stepmom,” Alyssa agreed, “she’s pretty special, but I was determined to stand on my own two feet, and when I found out I had a small inheritance from my parents, I used it to start my business.”

“Interesting. I would enjoy hearing more about your business.” He stopped walking and faced her. “For now, since we don’t have a lot of time, I think we should practice a little more.”

All the relaxation Alyssa had achieved went floating away over the waves of the ocean. When he laid gentle hands on her upper arms, a tremor passed through her that was not all nervousness. He drew her close, and she peered up at him through her lashes. She could say no and tell him they didn’t need all these displays of affection to appear to be in love. Everyone wasn’t that open. The problem was, she wanted to kiss him again, and deeper than the last time.

She licked her lips and waited, but he didn’t close the space between them. Was he nervous as well? Getting bold, she let her sandals fall to the sand and rose up on the balls of her feet. Her hands on his chest, she leaned in and touched her lips to his. Nathan’s hand roamed from her arms to her waist, and he tugged her to him. His lips parted above hers, and the moment his tongue touched the tip of hers, he swept her away on a cloud of yearning that made her cream her panties.
Back up, Alyssa. You don’t know what you’re doing, girl.

She pressed tighter to his chest and slid her palms along the contours of his hard muscle. Taut nipples met her fingertips, and she came close to losing her breath. Nathan nudged her chin even higher and deepened the kiss. His tongue snaked along the insides of her mouth and curled with her tongue. A moan rose in her throat, but she tamped it down. At last, she found the strength to pull back, but he sucked a bit, a move that caught her bottom lip between his. The sounds they made when they separated had her wanting to go back, but she stepped out of his hold.

“That was more like it,” he commented, amusement in his tone.

She glared at him. “It was more than necessary. I doubt you’ll need to put your tongue down my throat while your family’s around.”

“Would be convincing.”

“Not on your life, pal.”

He grinned and stuffed his hands in his pockets, but not before she spotted the tent there. She turned her back on him and rubbed a hand over her mouth. When she bent to get her sandals, he beat her to them, stooping way too close. He took his time straightening, and to keep from looking like the scaredy-cat she felt, she held her stance, refusing to be intimidated. Nathan’s suppressed grin and raised eyebrows said he recognized the act for what it was.

“You said you just ended a relationship?” His gaze steadied on her face.

“You’re insinuating I’m inexperienced?” She tilted her head to the side and placed a hand on her hip, challenging him. The sexy eyes crinkled at the ends.

“I would never.” He reached out to grasp a lock of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “From that kiss, I think it’s safe to say you’re not new to the game.”

“Oh, it’s a game, huh?”

“It can be.”

Alyssa began walking, and Nathan fell into step beside her. She kept her attention on putting one foot in front of the other because just as he had insinuated, that kiss had lit her on fire. All she could do was fight to keep her hands to herself and not suggest to him that they go back to his room. She wasn’t into jumping into bed with men she had just met, and while Nathan wasn’t exactly new, he was Trinity’s boss. That could make things awkward for her cousin, and Trinity didn’t deserve it.

“Why did you agree to come with me, if you don’t mind my asking?”

She stumbled, and his hand shot out to catch her before she fell. Yes, she did mind him asking. Stalling, she pushed her hair back from her face when a breeze stirred it. “I told you I grew up with Trinity. Doing this favor for you meant a lot to her, and for her it meant a lot to me. She’s been there for me when I needed her. I wanted to give back in a way that I could.”

He listened in attentiveness to her explanation, and while he nodded when she finished, she wondered if he believed it. Then she decided she didn’t care if he did or didn’t. Her money issues were her problem, and a man like him couldn’t understand anyway. After some moments, he reached out and threaded his fingers with hers. She tried pulling away, but he held on.

“There will be times we walk along the beach with my family present. A couple in love wants to touch each other often.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She shivered, and he frowned in concern. “Are you cold?”

“Um, no. I’m good, thanks.”

He tugged her to his side and wrapped an arm about her shoulders. This time she didn’t flinch or pull away. Deciding she wanted this to work, she nuzzled in under his arm and laid her head against his shoulder. They moved as one, taking slow steps.
I bet to anyone looking we seem like a couple.
She peered up at his face.
What would it be like to love a man like him?

“Shouldn’t I know more about you, like your routine?” she asked.

He snapped his fingers. “You’re right. Come. We’ll sit down here and study.”

They found beach chairs, and Nathan brushed the seats free of sand. For the next few hours, they sat together sharing some intimate and some boring details of their everyday lives.

“I own a bookstore,” Alyssa confessed, “and I never thought we’d have anything in common, but I guess we’re both workaholics.”

Nathan agreed. “We don’t get a lot of time to spend together, so we cherish what we can.”

She ducked her head. He spoke as if they really were a couple. The man had the acting thing down pat. “I text you just to say I love you at various times of the day.”

He fingered her palm. That was the kind of thing she dreamed of having with someone, a closeness that reached across space and time, trust and loyalty that didn’t waver. Would Nathan be faithful to the woman he dated, or would he tell her up front she would never be the only one?

“I’m not into open relationships,” she blurted, and he started in surprise.

“Neither am I. I do not share my woman.” Switching directions, he added, “My favorite food is French fries.”

She laughed. “Seriously?”

“Does that seem weird?”

“I don’t know. You don’t look like the French fry type.”

“Meaning?”

He didn’t appear to be offended, so she told him the truth. “The corporate kind of man who knows which of the fancy forks to use when at a formal dinner.”

His boyish smile took her breath away. “Ah, but that’s the appeal of the French fry. You can’t enjoy it unless you eat it with your fingers.”

“And it’s not good if it’s not a little greasy.”

“Agreed!”

After another hour or so of getting to know each other, Alyssa began nodding off, and Nathan rose and dragged her to her feet. By now his arms around her had started to feel normal and comfortable.