Page 63 of Nothing to Deny

“And you didn’t think to tell me that? I’ll need to introduce you to my family. What if I’d used the wrong name?”

“Holly’s last date is Tuesday. After she picks a guy, we’ll have a meeting with Conrad, get our stories straight.”

“I thought we weren’t using prep sheets.”

“We’ll have our own private prep session after, Lil’ Skit,” he said, running a hand up her leg.

She stroked his face to guide their mouths together. “God, this is complicated,” she whispered on their kiss.

All she wanted was to be with this man. Life was never as simple as that. She’d have to introduce him to her family but mislead them about his true identity. If it worked out between them, then what? She’d confess what he did for a living? What if Baer didn’t want that? His family didn’t know, why would he want her family to know?

Kissing him felt so right, so good, giving this up, whether in a week or a year, wouldn’t be easy.

NINETEEN

THE FINAL DATE with Lyon went better than all the others combined. Thank you, Baer. Holly now had a plus-one for their vacation. On the Wednesday, the two of them did the paperwork at Squires, then Conrad showed them to a large private room with couches and a bar. An entertaining space all to themselves.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” he said, heading out. “I’ll be back in a while.”

Left alone, she wasn’t entirely sure what would come next.

“Should we get drunk?” Holly asked, going over to the bar.

Freya went to the couch and bent to unbuckle her shoes. “Conrad said we could spend as much time in here as we have to tonight.”

Hunting through bottles, Holly flashed her a grin. “We have our men for the whole night… You know what that means.”

For Holly maybe. Not for her.

Monday past, she’d held good on her promise to cook brunch for Baer and Abel. The latter regarded them with some kind of… something in his expression. Were they suddenly so peculiar?

Meeting the boys from school had been fun until she sat with Presley to tell him they couldn’t be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. She’d asked permission to see Baer socially, Presley wanted time to think about it.

Fair request.

Because they didn’t see each other the night of that conversation, it had been their date on Tuesday before she could fill Baer in on the development. He’d promised to talk to his little brother and that was the last she’d heard about it.

Baer came in with Lyon not far behind.

“Holly,” Baer said in greeting then came straight to her.

Dropping onto the couch with a tired exhale, he was quick to slide into a slouch.

“You look tired,” she said, moving onto her knees to touch her lips to the corner of his.

Closing his eyes, a wry smile appeared. “Could do with a vacation.”

“Good thing you met me then,” she said, loosening his tie and undoing some of his shirt buttons. “You could’ve changed before you got here. Was your dinner good?”

He’d eaten with another woman. Whether or not he’d been required to eat the woman too… she wouldn’t ask.

“The food was good.”

That was as nice an answer as he could probably give.

“Take off your jacket,” she said, pulling at his lapel. “You can go and change if you want, I’ll wait.”

“No, I’m good.” He slid an arm around her to stop her fussing. “Come give me a proper hello.”

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