Page 20 of Exposed

One eye narrowed at her and he wagged his finger near his hip. Heat seared across her chest. She shifted in her chair andturned her cheek away from him. A loud splash split the air and she turned back as he surfaced, his long arms cutting through the water. Thank god, Carlos was on a conference call in the room.

It was next to impossible to be in such close proximity to Nate without reacting. She hadn’t known he’d be at the pool, yet her eyes had sought him out amongst at least one hundred people. She took a long sip of the ice-cold cocktail in her hand. Tangy sweetness touched her taste buds, but it did nothing to cool the flames that had spread to her cheeks.

“Maddie? Is that you?” a shrill voice split the air behind her. Maddie shot forward and whipped her head around. Her margarita sloshed over the side of the plastic glass and coated her hand.

Brittany Renner let out a squeal and scurried across the deck. Her strawberry blond hair hung in a ponytail at the top of her head, and she wore white shorts and a navy-blue tank top. She dropped onto the side of the vacant lounge chair beside her and threw her arms around Maddie’s neck.

Panic lodged at the back of Maddie’s throat as she pulled out of Brittany’s embrace.

“What are you doing here?” She forced the words through the tightness in her throat.

Brittany’s freckled brow furrowed and her cool blue eyes squinted. Damn. She’d been stupid to assume she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew. With the wealthy crowd that circled her family, and on a ship like this, she should have expected the possibility. Her pulse slowed and she fought the urge to massage her temples.

If Brittany met Carlos, she would blow her cover. Brittany had always had a mad crush on Ethan and asked about him every chance she got. If Carlos found out her brother had beenwith the FBI and was now a private investigator, she’d be screwed.

“I’m on a cruise, honey. What are you doing here?” Her mouth dropped open and she straightened her shoulders sharply and scanned the deck. “Who are you here with? Are you seeing someone?” she hissed as she leaned in and snagged Maddie’s hand.

Maddie swallowed and turned in her seat to scan the crowd. It was on the tip of her tongue to point out a random stranger, but that wouldn’t work. She had six days left on the ship and there was no way in hell she’d be able to avoid Brittany that long. Nate strode across the deck, the bulging muscles in his biceps flexed as he moved. Even from a distance, his scowl at her made her whip her head toward Brittany.

She had to stop looking at him. She cleared her throat and squeezed Brittany’s hand.

“I’m with… a guy.” She leaned in as if she were letting her in on a big secret. “Actually, he’s married.” She dropped her gaze to the blue towel on her lounger.

Brittany gasped, and her lips formed a giant ‘O’. “Maddie! You’re so bad,” she cried. But her eyebrows lifted with interest. “Who is he?” She asked, peering over Maddie’s shoulder.

“He’s on a business call right now. But he’d be so upset if he found out someone who knows me is here. We’re trying to be discreet, so if you see us together please don’t say anything.” She pleaded, her voice dropped low.

Concern etched the smooth ivory of Brittany’s skin. “Oh my god. Is it someone well-known?”

“No, not really.” She tucked the corner of her mouth in at the irony of the question. If she told Brittany that Carlos was well-known for drug-trafficking, she might have a heart attack.

“He hasn’t broken it off with his wife yet, and he’s paranoid about bumping into people. My coming on this trip was very lastminute, but we couldn’t resist the chance to be alone.” Disgust swirled inside her.

Since they’d set sail yesterday, she and Carlos hadn’t had any alone time. Carlos had stayed out late with the guys, and she’d faked a headache and had gone to bed early. Tonight was formal night and they needed to be at the main dining room for cocktails at five p.m.

Brittany nodded and understanding creased the fine lines beneath her eyes. “It must be so hard to sneak around. Is it serious?”

Maddie lifted a shoulder. A flash of red crossed her peripheral vision, but she focused her gaze on Brittany’s. No way in hell she’d let him catch her checking him out again. Her tongue burned as another lie formed on her lips. There was no help for it. Brittany being here was like a ticking time-bomb—unless she had a reason to watch what she said.

“I like him a lot. He told me he and his wife have had problems for years, and she has expressed wanting a divorce.” She sipped the pale-yellow drink in her hand. “We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to hold my breath. For now, we’re having fun, and if he doesn’t want to leave his wife then we’ll end things.”

She set her drink down on a nearby table and zeroed in on Brittany. “But you have to promise that you’ll pretend you don’t know me. It would really upset him.”

Brittany pouted and crossed her legs. “But we’re both on a cruise, how can we not hang out?” Confusion clouded her eyes and Maddie’s fingernails dug into her palm. It wasn’t Brittany’s fault. She was a nice woman, and they’d been friends since college, though it had been months since they’d gotten together. As much as she liked Brittany, it was difficult for Maddie to be around people that didn’t understand her career path.

Maddie forced a smile. “Of course we can. I’ll tell Carlos we just met. You just have to be very careful not to bring up my family or past.”

Slim, carrot-colored eyebrows rose. “You mean he doesn’t know who your family is?”

Apprehension churned in her stomach, eating away at the lining. Carlos wasn’t stupid. He knew she drove an expensive car, and lived in a high-end area. She’d told him her family had money, but if he looked into her background, he would find that the Worth family was one of the wealthiest on the west coast.

Thankfully, if he looked into her siblings, he would find nothing on Ethan. As a private investigator and ex-FBI agent, Ethan had ensured that his background was covered up. Of course Carlos had questioned why she was working in a club and not traveling or shopping like most trust fund babies. She’d shrugged and told him she was bored of that life, and that because her parents didn’t agree with her moving to Miami, they’d limited her funds. He’d bought it.

“Not exactly.” Maddie’s toes curled into the smooth wooden planks on the deck. If Carlos finished his call early, he would be looking for her. “Where’s Henry?”

Brittany straightened her spine and turned her wrist to glance at her watch. “Oh my god. I have to meet him for lunch.” She got to her feet and Maddie stood next to her. “Will you be at the formal dinner tonight?”

“Yup, and Carlos will be there too.”

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