Page 21 of Deceptive Vows
NAZAR
Dates with womenhad always been a convenient escape—predictable, temporary, and forgettable.
But Thea was different.
That kiss was different.
Brief, innocent, and as filled with fire as any kiss I’d ever experienced. The tiny touch had given me a lesson in restraint that I’d nearly failed. It had taken all my willpower to accept her thin excuse and not press the issue.
For me, that hadn’t been just another kiss. It shifted the trajectoryof this plan. We were to be engaged and never make it to the altar. That end goal was now in jeopardy.
Sitting across from her, I couldn’t shake her pull on me. It wasn’t just her beauty or her sharp mind. It was the way she carried herself with effortless confidence. The spark in her eyes. Her entire countenance intrigued me. For the first time in my life, I wanted to know more, to see where this might lead—if I let it.
Maybe before she cut Marco’s throat, I’d have to thank him.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Caught off guard, I smiled. “Why do you think something is on my mind?”
Her lips curved into a knowing grin. “Because you’ve been staring at me like I’m a puzzle you’re trying to solve.”
I leaned back in my chair. “What’s the boldest thing you’ve ever done?”
A range of emotions played on her face, and I wanted to know the story behind each. “There’s bold, and then there’s calculated risk. In my opinion, I choose the latter.”
“All right, calculated risk, then.” I’d never hung on to every word a woman had uttered, butI didn’t want to miss a syllable that fell from her lips.
Instead of responding immediately, she took a sip of her water, her gaze shifting to the candle flickering between us. “My Pa didn’t want this world touching me. He was…” Her lips curved in a faint lift. “Such a good, honest, and kind man. As much as you could be in this midtone world. But he was the best father I could have had.” Her gaze slowly lowered to the table. The next words came out softly. “He didn’t understand that this world had already touched me long before we met.”
“Before you met?”
Her eyes drifted up and locked with mine. “You’re a cybersecurity expert. I’m sure you’ve seen my adoption papers.”
If this would upset her, at least it would happen early enough that maybe we could move past it. “I have. I hope I haven’t upset you.”
An exhale as she waved me off. “When I resigned myself that I wouldn’t find anything online about you, I called a friend in New York. I’m waiting to hear back.”
“I’d expected nothing less.” I grinned.
“And you? Do you have any family?” Her fork paused midair as she asked.
Memories I’d long buried stirred, unwelcome and sharp. “Not in the traditional sense.” I kept my tone even. My mother and brother’s faces had turned blurry due to the passage of time. Their voices were a mere indecipherable hum. Thirty-two years later, the grief was still sharp as a knife.
“Traditional?” Her brows knitted in curiosity.
I forced a smile. “The people I trust… they’re my family. Blood doesn’t always mean loyalty.”
She tilted her head, her intense gaze locking with mine. “True.”
Silence hung in the air, heavy with understanding. It wasn’t pity. I was all too familiar with that emotion to mistake it, but something deeper. In that moment, it felt like a kinship had formed.
Our waiter stopped at our table with our meal. The wagyu filet with fresh sautéed vegetables and couscous were fragrant and a pleasant surprise. When I checked the restaurant’s website earlier in the day, it highlighted the creativity of the chef and his eclectic personality. Each evening the menu was set by the availability of locally sourcedingredients.
I expected something I couldn’t pronounce or eat.
Based on the aroma alone, the meal would be exquisite. Little did I know that I would find myself barely tasting it because my focus would be on her. Her laughter was enjoyable, and her words seemed to wrap around me like a thread I didn’t want to unravel.
The conversation over dinner was light and playful. Her charm, intelligence, and wit were refreshing. She was everything I’d ever wanted in a woman. It was as if she’d been formed out of clay by God himself with my tainted soul in mind.
