Liar Liar (11 page)

“Oh, right. My keycard.” Jess grasped the edge of the key just as Matt turned the corner. He paused right in front of them, like a deer caught in headlights. His gaze darted from her to Rex to the key suspended in both of their hands. His eyes narrowed. A haunted expression flashed across his features then vanished as his lips curved into a tight forced smile.

“Whoa, don’t let me interrupt.” Matt backed away with his hands spread. “Excuse me. You two have a good morning.” He turned on his heel and headed for the lodge restaurant like a steam engine on full throttle.

Jess wanted to vaporize on the spot.

“That was odd.” Rex stroked his chin. “Do you know him?”

“You could say that.” She rubbed the ache starting to form behind her eyes. Did she know him? More than she should but not as much as she wanted to.

All she’d wanted to do was avoid a scene. Okay, that wasn’t quite true. If she was totally honest with herself, what she wanted was some time with the sexy Texan who just stalked out. She couldn’t blame him. It probably looked like she was giving out her room key right and left. Given her easy attitude yesterday, Matt probably assumed the worst. Well, she wasn’t that type of girl, even if she couldn’t prove it. She needed to explain things, if only to assure herself that she wasn’t just like Stan. She’d always been a faithful woman. The fact that she’d succumbed to Matt’s charms didn’t mean she was susceptible to every Tom, Dick, and Rex.

“Are we still on for tomorrow?” Rex asked.

Jess sighed. “I’ll see you later.” She ignored Rex’s confused sputter and scooted after Matt’s departing form.

***

Matteo clenched his jaw and signaled for a coffee from the waitress as he bellied up to the high bar at the front of the lodge restaurant.

Lesson learned, he reminded himself. You get involved and you get burned. The old familiar ache in his chest grew tighter, an ache he thought he’d long outgrown.

He’d showered and dressed with care, anticipating a day in the company of an incredibly beautiful woman who made him forget all his carefully honed reserves--something he hadn’t done in a long time. He’d changed his clothes three times, feeling more like a nervous college kid than a man with more conquests than he cared to count. Jess had been so responsive last night, his cock had been hard for the past half hour just from the memory of her touch. His erection finally subsided only from sheer will power and a good old fashioned cold shower. As he’d smoothed gel through his hair, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, what it would be like to run his hands over her luscious body again. To kiss that succulent mouth of hers.

What if she really was as good as she looked?

He hadn’t felt that way about a woman since…well, he couldn’t remember when. Not since his first real heartbreak. It still galled him that after all this time he was susceptible to the hope that one day someone would prove to be as good as they appeared. Would he never learn? She was playing him. A woman like Jess would make her own decisions, regardless of his feelings.

His throat was dry. Where was that coffee? Matteo ground his teeth in frustration. He was as hardheaded as Seneca claimed and twice as stupid.

The comedy of the situation is that he’d started a fling with Jessica Barlow out of a sense of obligation to uphold his company’s reputation. Why it hurt him to see her passing her key to another man was beyond him. She was nothing to him, just another LoveLines patron. So why did it bother him so much? He should be thrilled that she was having luck with the service--it kept him and his company name out of court.

An image of Jess with her head thrown back and her lips parted in ecstasy flashed behind his eyes. Damn him. He gave a mental shrug and tipped the coffee mug to his lips, savoring the bitter fluid that washed away his disappointment like a rainstorm.

Matteo shook his head. Not a rainstorm. After yesterday, he’d never think about rain the same way.

“Is this seat taken?” she asked. He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

She’d followed him, too quickly for him to cool off. For a moment, he wondered what had happened to Stanton. Then he remembered that he didn’t care. Plastering a false smile on his face, he gestured to the empty line of leather topped stools. “Bar’s empty. Take your pick.”

Jess settled onto the stool next to his. “Hey, what you saw back there…it wasn’t what it looked like.” She fidgeted with the wooden edge of the counter.

Matteo shrugged. “No big deal. It’s a free country, Jess. We’re all here for the same reason.” At least, as far as she knew, they were. He felt a lot less guilty about letting her think he was a LoveLiner rather than the company owner.

“And what reason is that?” She looked angry, now. Her cheeks were flushed and her hazel eyes deepened to almost brown. Good, her anger matched his own intense inexplicable feelings.

Well, she wasn’t going to get anything out of him. “You tell me. Why are you here, Jess?” He wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to hear her reason.

She didn’t answer. Her face was a mask of uncertainty--indignant and shameful all in one. Though he’d always been attracted to the strong women, the fact that he’d upset her made him feel like a heel.

She took a deep breath. “Rex ran into me near the elevator. He asked me to breakfast. I dropped my key and he was handing it over when you bumped into us. It was nothing more than that.”

Matteo rubbed a palm over his freshly shaved chin, trying to ignore the flare of hope that pierced his anger. It was a plausible excuse. She had a habit of mislaying that keycard. And Stanton hadn’t appeared flustered by Matteo’s presence--there was no protective posturing to signal territorial marking. Matteo shook his head. He’d never been so confused. He should be thrilled that she’d entered into conversation for further contact from an actual client. Should be, but wasn’t.

Don’t get involved. Batting clean-up for the company. Damn, damn,
damn
.

He set his mug on the bar. “Are you going to go?”

“To breakfast? With Rex?” Jess shrugged. “Depends.”

He couldn’t help it. “On?” he prompted.

“On what happens today. With you.” Jess stared at him.

His heart jumped in his chest and he stifled the urge to pump his fist in the air. Instead, he called for another coffee and pushed the fresh cup across to her.

“Things went pretty well last night,” he ventured. “At least, I thought they did.”

Her long fingers wrapped around the cup handle and she took a small sip. Her cheeks pinked prettily, and he knew she was remembering last night’s passion, just as he remembered those fingers wrapped around his cock. Heat rushed to his crotch and he shifted. Her blend of shyness and bravado drew him like a stallion to a filly in heat.

“Um, I wanted to talk to you about that,” she began. “You see what happened was pretty out of character for me. I’m not the type to, well, you know….” She swallowed her last words in a swirl of black coffee and pulled a face. “I don’t do casual sex.”

Matteo paused. He could hold on to that tidbit of information, let her think she’d hooked up on the off chance that she was really out to investigate LoveLines. Then, he discarded the idea. Even if she was out to ruin his company, he wasn’t going to let her feel badly about herself.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t go through with it.” He sipped his java, feigning a casualness he didn’t feel.

Her eyes widened. “But…but I thought.” Her brow furrowed. “I saw the condom in the trash, Matt,” she mumbled. The room began to fill with happy hopefuls and tourists. Her eyes darted around the lounge filling with men and women from the program.

“C’mon, Jess. What do you take me for? You were a tipsy and you slept it off. I’m not into taking advantage of women who aren’t in a position to refuse.”

Jess blushed. “I wouldn’t have refused. Not you, anyway.” Her lips pursed.

This time he felt his own cheeks warm. “Uh, well…maybe. I mean, we’ll see.” He couldn’t believe how he was stumbling over his words. What he really wanted was to ask her to kiss him again with those sweet, full lips. To put her hands on him and hold on tight.

Jess looked down, focused on a miniscule speck of nothing on the bar top. “So last night was…innocent?”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t say that nothing happened. I just said we didn’t have sex. I can fill you in all the details, if you like.” He stared at her over the rim of his cup. “We can relive the memories or we can make some brand new ones.” His blood stirred just thinking about it. “I’m free tonight and I’d like to continue things, if you do.” He’d finished half his coffee, but the knot in his throat hadn’t eased.

“Tonight?” Jess shook her head and looked away. “No, I don’t want to continue tonight.”

Matteo recoiled as if struck.

An emotional sucker-punch to the gut. He should have seen it coming.

He clenched his jaw to keep from asking why. “Okay.” He knew she would be trouble. Let her go. He pushed back from the bar, feeling like he’d been tossed off the electric bull at Coyote Joe’s.

Jess put her hand over his before he could escape. “I mean, I’d rather we start over. Today. I want to get to know you better before we…you know. Before things go any further.”

Matteo leaned on the bar, trying to recover his breath. “Okay.” His voice sounded strange, not at all the voice of a guy that had plans to love her and leave her.

He’d had more emotional upheaval in the last five minutes than he’d had in the past five years. Jessica Barlow was the type of woman that could do a number on him, if he wasn’t careful. He’d built barricades around his heart, barricades that women had thrown themselves against without success. But those expressive eyes and that luscious body of hers made him want to leap over his own mental barriers and give her a chance.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked. He needed to be wary.

“Breakfast?” she suggested. “Not in my room--out here.” She gestured to the sunlit lounge.

“And after that?” he asked.

Jess shrugged. “Depends.”

Beautiful, picky woman. He grinned back. “Do you trust me?”

Jess paused, as if on the verge of making one of her cynical quips. But surprisingly, she tilted her head and gave him a tentative smile. “Something fun? But no more rainstorms. I’m not taking any chances.”

Matteo smirked. “No risky walks in the rain. Check.” He smiled, a genuine one this time. “I’ll see what I can arrange.” He drained his last bit of coffee.

“Great, you check with the concierge and I’ll grab a table.” Jess pushed her unfinished coffee away and stood.

“Meet you back here in five, beautiful.” Matteo whistled as he headed towards the front desk.

Now that the drama had passed, he felt perfectly in control again--of both the situation and his emotions. Maybe he’d check with Seneca to see what options there were for secluded sight-seeing. He wanted to show Jess a good time, experience something a corporate investigator from Atlanta would consider memorable. If he ran into his sister, there was little chance that Jess would notice the family resemblance, not unless they stood right next to each other. He favored their German horse-ranching father, and Seneca was a ringer for their Hispanic mother, but he didn’t want to take chances. Luckily, knowing Seneca, she was probably still in her room, checking the progress of other clients.

A brightly colored tri-fold brochure on the entry table caught his eye as he reached for the house phone. He paused as a sudden flash of inspiration jumpstarted his adrenaline. No time to waste. He’d update his sister later. Right now, he had a seduction to plan—one that was guaranteed to get Jessica’s blood rising. Matteo made his way to the front desk.

“Hello, Mr. Brandt. Everything to your liking?” The manager on duty gave him a polite smile.

“It’s fine. Just fine. You’ve been very accommodating.” Matteo glanced around the lobby, ensuring no one was within earshot.

“Well, your company’s business is very important to us. What can I do for you?”

Matteo glanced over his shoulder, stifling the urge to tell the guy to keep it down. When he spied a familiar redhead near the breakfast buffet, he was certain that Jess was a safe distance away. “I have something special planned for me and a guest.” Quickly he sketched in the details.

“No problem. We’ll take care of everything. Enjoy your breakfast.” The manager moved away with a smile.

It was amazing what money and the right attitude could get you these days. Matteo whistled on his way to the lounge. With any luck, he’d be back at the table before Jess had time to pour the syrup.

After breakfast, he updated his progress on sister’s voice mail and rented a car, while Jess changed her clothing. They drove forty-five minutes through winding mountain highways with vistas that mirrored a tourist’s camera with understated beauty until they reached Absarokee, a quaint little town north of the Beartooth Mountains. Jess was curious about the day’s planned activity. She’d peppered him with questions for almost the whole ride, everything from wondering if her clothing was appropriate to speculating if he was an only child.

“Why do you ask?” His heart lurched. Had she talked to Seneca? What if she’d finally put two and two together?

“You’re too good at keeping secrets.” Jess gave him a mock pout. “This isn’t fair.”

“All’s fair in…uh….” Matteo trailed off, feeling suddenly uncomfortable in the close proximity of the front seat.

Jess smothered a smile.

Damn, but she was enticing. He couldn’t get enough of her. Now that she was more relaxed, her personality blossomed. She was funny and sexy, far too sexy for him to keep his hands off her. He cursed his choice of stick shift rental. It meant he hand to keep both hands occupied instead of sliding a finger up her creamy white thigh to see if she was as soft as last night. Jess pressed her face to the window and stared at the scenery, trying to puzzle out their destination, completely oblivious to his raging desires. He couldn’t fathom how she could mistake his frequent hungry glances at her, but clearly she was oblivious to her effect on him.

She really needed to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee.