Things Liars Hide(9)

I expect Tabitha to grab her messenger bag and slide her sexy self out of the booth, but instead, she surprises me by grabbing her menu with a resigned huff, scanning it briefly, and saying, “I’ll have the black angus cheeseburger, medium rare, with a side of fries. Extra pickles. Oh, and an iced tea please.”

She sighs and hands the waiter back his menu. “You made me come here. This is what you get in exchange.”

“A non-date date?”

She folds her arms across her fantastic breasts. “Exactly. I’m just not sure dating you would be a good decision for either of us.”

I watch her the entire time I give my order to the waiter. “Double cheeseburger medium rare, cheese curds, ranch on the side.” I hand the menu over, Tabitha’s earlier agitation making me chuckle. “Why isn’t dating me a good decision? And why do you have to say it with that look of disgust on your face. I’m kind of insulted.”

“Several reasons, and I’ll gladly list them off for you. First, you’re Greyson’s brother—you don’t think that’s weird?”

“I refuse to discuss it. Next.” I watch the kitchen’s service door swing back and forth, willing the food to come out though we just placed our orders.

I’m fucking starving.

And not just for food.

Tabitha prattles on across from me. “Second, we got off on the wrong foot. I freaked out at the coffee shop, and now this dating thing could be awkward for us.”

“Quit bringing that shit up. Trust, me, you’ll get over it. I did. Next.”

Now she’s ticking items off on her fingers, bobbing her cute little head as she counts. “Third, you just moved back into the area. Don’t you want to see what’s on the market? There are a lot of attractive women in this city.”

“Been there, done that. Next!” Shit, maybe I said that one a little too loudly—the couple at the neighboring table crane their necks in our direction.

“You’re really annoying.”

I ignore her complaining. “Are you looking forward to dinner? I’m ravenous.” I chuckle, delighted with my own wit. “How’s that for smut romance lingo?”

“Meh.” She gives me a flirty little wink. “Not bad.”

I take that as a good sign. “How bout a glass of wine?”

She sighs, defeated. “I guess I could use some alcohol to calm my nerves, but wine doesn’t really go with a burger. How ‘bout a beer?” Tabitha reaches for her water, taking a dainty sip before continuing. “You don’t want to play the field? Casually date?”

“What am I, nineteen? No.” I reach for her hand across the table and pull it towards me. She lets me. “Look, we could do this all night, Tabitha. But I’d rather just enjoy your company.” She bites down on her plump lower lip. It’s driving me crazy. “God, I can’t even look at you without wanting to put my mouth on you.”

“Oh my god, you can’t just say things like that!” she hisses, mortified.

“You’re kidding me, right? You write sex books for a living.”

“Shh! No one is supposed to know that.” Her hand settles into mine and her thumb begins distractedly stroking my palm. “And that’s not what I do for a living.”

“But that is what you want to be doing, right?”

She frowns. “What I want and what’s best for me are two totally different things. I can’t leave my dad’s business until Cal is ready to take on more responsibility.”

“Is that what your parents told you?”

“Well, no—”

“And you don’t think they want you to be happy, Tabitha?”

When I say her name, she looks up from our joined hands. “Have you always just done what you wanted? As if it were easy?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

She bites down on her lip again and gives her head a gloomy little shake. “I thought working for my parents was what I always wanted. It’s the only thing I knew.” She scoffs. “Hell, my degree is in Business with an emphasis on Construction Management, for crying out loud. It’s the only thing I’m qualified for. How sad is that?”

“You’re incredible. I am actually in awe of you right now.”

“Collin, stop.” She tugs her hand out of my grip and sets it in her lap.

“Why should I? You need to hear it.”

“I do hear it. My family tells me they love me all the time.”

I disagree. Being told you’re loved and being given the chance to make your own choices are not the same thing, but I keep that opinion to myself, choosing my next words wisely. “Then why are you hiding yourself from them?”

For a while, I don’t think she’s going to respond. Instead, her forlorn frown studies her hands, where she’s clasped them in her lap. Opening her palms, she spreads them wide, appearing, for the first time since I met her, young and vulnerable. “It’s because I’m scared.”

“Of what?” My words come out above a whisper.

“Of everything.”

I pause. “Well, that’s horseshit.”

Surprised laughter bursts from her lips. “You’re ridiculous,” she says, shaking her blonde hair. “And kind of an ass.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

And when she does, she’ll like it.





I’ll be the first one to admit I’m actually enjoying myself on this non-date. Of course, I won’t be admitting that to anyone out loud anytime soon. Or in writing.

Well, okay—maybe in writing. After all, I still need a storyline for my second book, and Collin makes the perfect muse for the hero: strong, handsome, charming…

Tenacious. Disarming. Alluring.

I sip this disgusting beer and sigh, watching him retreat to the men’s room, my rapt gaze trailing after and landing on his tight, firm, denim-clad ass. He’s been incredibly attentive, respectful (sort of, for the most part), and funny. Intelligent. Not to mention really, really ridiculously good looking.

Crap.

Now I sound like freaking Derek Zoolander.

And I mentioned he’s funny, right? It’s a pretty lethal combination, and if he weren’t Greyson’s brother… and I hadn’t acted like a complete bitch when we first met, well…

There might be a slight chance I’d date him.

Oh, who am I trying to kid? I’d date the shit out of him in a heartbeat because nice, funny, respectful guys aren’t easy to find. In fact, they’ve become more of an urban legend than a reality.

However, the fact remains: he is Grey’s brother, and for whatever reason, I find the thought of dating him a bit strange. Weird. Creepy, even.

For me, it feels like fishing for a boyfriend in the family pond.

You just don’t do it.

I give myself a pep talk, reminding myself to quit gushing. This thing with Collin Keller is not happening...

I will say this though: he’s going to be hard to resist.

Fortunately, I deal with impossible, sometimes arrogant, men at work on a daily basis, so his persistence should be a piece of cake.

Theoretically.

I’ll just enjoy his company tonight, and in the future we can causally bump into each other at family functions. This attraction thing is no big deal; I can handle it. I am a fortress of feminine willpower. I’ve taken all the feminist classes in college. Women’s Studies. How to be an Independent Woman 101.

I’ll plop Collin deftly into the Friend Zone category, right where he belongs, and that will be that.

It won’t be weird at all.

Yup, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

The waiter comes with our food and refills while Collin is in the bathroom, and to busy myself, I prep my burger, adding the garnishes and extra pickles. Dipping the burger in ketchup, I take a huge bite and chew.

It’s so delicious I actually whimper into my next bite.

My thoughts stray to Collin, and I shake my head. Get a grip, Tabitha. He is not the guy for you. If you get close to him, the carefully erected wall you built will come crashing down around you…

I’m so committed to not falling under his spell, I avoid looking directly at him when he re-approaches the booth and drops himself down with a cheeky grin. A grin full of white teeth. I don’t look away quick enough and can’t help but notice one of his bottom teeth is just a tad bit crooked.

Irresistible.

So irresistible that my stomach does that fluttering thing again, followed by my annoying, rapidly beating heart.

Sweaty palms.

A nervous giggle, and I slap a palm over my mouth, horrified. My traitorous body apparently belongs to a hormonal teenage girl.

It has terrible timing.





Blare twisted a lock of her brown hair and regarded Adam from across the booth, her eyes riveted on his full lips and five o’clock shadow. His words sent shivers down her spine every time he opened his mouth to talk—a mouth she wanted all over her body. Of course, she couldn’t admit this out loud—not until she knew how he really felt. He smiled again and laid his palms flat on the table. “Stop teasing me,” Blare said, giving her brunette locks an agitated shake, her silky hair floating around her shoulders in waves. “You’re trying to bait me into an argument, Adam, and it won’t work.”

“Bait you? What the hell does that even mean?” The dawning of realization sets in and Adam laughs, rich and deep and throaty. A laugh that makes Blare want to climb across the table on all fours and straddle his lap. “Ah, a word from one of those slutty romances you’re always reading. I like it.” He winks at her and she drops her head onto the tabletop with a loud thump, letting out a groan. How humiliating. “Oh my god.”