She rests her hand on my upper arm. “Relax, Payton. We’ll figure this out. I’m fine. You’re fine.” Her brows dance together as she studies me. “Why don’t you rest while I unpack? I think you need it.”
I inhale deeply, realizing at the same time that I’d been holding my breath, then exhale. “Right. I’ll go and read a book. Or something.”
Naturally, I shut the bedroom door when I leave to give Lily privacy, but as soon as I hear the click of the latch, the tension in my shoulders releases, and weariness from the long flight hits me harder than a crosscheck.
The last thing I remember is sitting down in my favorite reading chair and opening the Kindle app on my phone.
Soft voices filter in, rousing me into a foggy state of awareness. The clink of a dish followed by the sound of running water lures me back to reality.
And my current predicament.
I’m tempted to keep my eyes shut and pretend I’m still asleep—pretend that none of this is real, that there’s isn’t a gorgeous bodyguard standing in my kitchen, ripping apart a head of lettuce with startling gusto. I make a mental note to never let those hands near my head, as I’m quite attached to it.
Perhaps losing my head isn’t what I should worry about, though. I’m beginning to think there’s more to Lily—and I mean a lot more—than just the abbreviated story she gave me. She’s stronger than she appears, too, which I can tell she uses to her advantage. Best way to surprise your opponent is by deception, of course.
We are neck-deep in subterfuge here, and Lily’s carefully guarded depths draw me in like a cat with a few lives to spare. And I’m almost certain I’d lose a few.
Resolved to table this examination until a later time, I stretch my stiff limbs as I yawn.
“He’s awake.” Luke’s voice rumbles through the room.
Lily glances at me but says nothing. However, her smirk tells me one of two things. Either she realizes what a pathetic bloke I am, or she’s satisfied with her work destroying a head of lettuce.
Not entirely sure which I prefer, to be honest. “Please tell me I didn’t drool. How long was I out?”
Smirking, she dries her hands with a towel that says ‘I only puck around in the kitchen.’ I dearly hope she didn’t read it. “Almost two hours.”
Without looking up, Luke shakes his head. “Didn’t think you’d opt for sleeping, Pay.”
If this is what it’s going to be like when I tell the rest of the team, I may have to reconsider this strategy. I scan Lily’s face for her reaction but see none. Not even a slight blush or an awkward gesture. So, unlike me, innuendos don’t seem to bother her, yet she blushed when we were in the bedroom.
I stand and wander over to the kitchen area of my open-plan apartment. “What are we making?”
Lily raises her brows, seemingly surprised. “We?”
Luke slides a package of steaks across the island toward me. “Payton’s the master cook of this residence, which I’m going to miss, by the way. Sophie’s great in the kitchen, but not like Payton.”
“Oh, really?” Lily leans against the counter with a gleeful expression.
“Don’t tell her I said that.” Luke shoots a warning gaze with his words, then gives Lily a look of disbelief. “He hasn’t cooked for you yet?”
I clear my throat. “No, never had a chance. I was staying with my parents, so we always went out.”
A slight twist of the truth. I went outsome while I was back. Just not with Lily. I dart my gaze to her, making sure we’re on the same page.
She dips her chin as her brows lift, as if to say ‘well done’ while Luke stoops to grab a pot out of the drawer.
“Then tonight, you get to show off your cooking skills to your new wife. We’ll take care of the salad. You do the rest.”
My new wife…
I mentally shake myself to brush off the weight of those words, reminding myself that all of this is temporary. I’m confident the investigation into my cousin’s death will be resolved quickly, and then Lily can be on her way back to England. Or wherever she calls home. I make a mental note to ask her more about that.
After doing my best to impress my fake bride with my cooking skills, the rest of the evening glides along with good food and easy banter. However, I noticed Lily grew very intent when Luke mentioned his father and that they were recently reunited. Again, she displayed her curiosity without being intrusive, but I personally found her questions quite telling as they seemed to focus on the familial aspect, especially regarding Luke’s sister.
I suppose that makes sense. Lily said she grew up in foster homes. I can’t imagine what that was like. My family’s always been close—sometimestooclose, if you ask me. But to go through life without that kind of support system… I make a mental note to call my sister tomorrow and speak to my mother, as well.
Once we finish clearing the remnants of our meal and load the dishwasher, Luke excuses himself, pleading weariness and an early morning ahead of him. Ido notmiss the wink he sends me as he passes on the way to his room. And the click of his door punctuates yet another awkward moment about to ensue.
