Page 42 of False Pretenses

“I shouldn’t have asked.” She shut her eyes and lowered her head. The discomfort in her cheek intensified. “Do you have any pain meds?”

“Damn it. I’m sorry. Let me get you something now.” He disappeared from the room. While she waited for him, she thought of the possibilities. Did she get pregnant and he had a child somewhere? Obviously, she and Cullen were no longer together.

Nathan entered the room with a glass of water and pills. He handed them to her and stood over her while she swallowed them, and then took the glass to set on the nightstand. He raised her chin and examined her face. Concern darkened his eyes, and from the bulging vein in his temple, she guessed he’d like nothing more than to go to the police station and beat Cullen some more. Despite the sickening violence of it, knowing he’d protected her gave her a warm and cozy feeling.

“Better?”

She shrugged. “It’ll get there.” She lay in bed and pulled the sheets to her chin. Maybe if he thought she was too tired to listen, he wouldn’t continue his story. Curiosity won out over fear, and she had to ask. “What’s the worse thing you mentioned?”

Nathan dropped to the bed beside her and stared at nothing. “I took her out on my yacht.”

A cold chill raced down Alyssa’s spine.

“She—we—were drinking and having a good time. Then she told me she’d fallen for me. I told her I didn’t feel that way about her. I thought she would take it in stride. I was wrong.”

At the end, his voice went flat, unemotional, but instinct told her a lot more than indifference coursed through his mind.

“The death was ruled an accident. I was below deck at the time. I don’t believe she killed herself—at least I tell myself that. One of the crewmen said he saw her leaning over the rail. He started toward her to try to convince her it wasn’t safe so late at night. Several of us heard a scream. Then she was gone.”

Alyssa put a hand to her mouth, but the sob escaped. Nathan reached for her, but she shook her head. “I’m okay.”

“I jumped in after her when I found out. So did the crewmen. We shined lights on the water and threw in a life preserver. Over and over we dove. Nothing. Now you know the true bastard that I am and how I destroyed two lives in one night.”

“Nathan.”

He watched her, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t reach out to him and hold him to tell him it was okay. Shock kept her immobile, clutching the sheets until her fingers hurt. After some moments, he stood up and walked to the door.

“Why did Cullen single me out? I mean, I’d barely gotten here before he approached me.”

He turned to face her. “For the simple fact that I’ve never brought a woman to meet my parents. It’s possible he saw us together in New York and made some inquiries, found out I intended to bring you here, and made sure to be down here at the same time.”

“Oh.”

He waited in silence, and then said, “I’ll arrange for you to return home tomorrow.”

She didn’t answer, and he left the room without another word. Going home was the right thing to do. Nathan’s plan had not exactly backfired, but it hadn’t gone well. Her being here meant more stress on his dad. Who knew how the old man would react upon learning she’d been attacked in his home. He needed relaxation and to be surrounded by his family. She had to go, and yet…I’ve been dumb enough to fall for Nathan too—in just a few days.

Unlike Monica Devereaux, however, she was not some weak woman who would drink herself silly or risk her life because of a broken heart. She would not confess to Nathan. After tossing back the covers, she stood to her feet and threw on a robe. The clock read four thirty. So little time had passed after so much happening. If she was going tomorrow, she wanted to spend her last hours with him. Maybe together they could forget the darkness, if just for a little while.

Chapter Twelve

Nathan swirled the amber liquid in his glass and took a swig. No matter how hard he tried to put it from his mind, he revisited the decision to tell Alyssa about Monica. Her eyes, full of shock and revulsion, clouded his mind until he could see nothing else. He’d thought…no, it didn’t matter what he thought. Cullen had hurt her because of him, and even while his blood boiled to get his hands on the man again, he deserved a beating as well. Five years ago, he had gotten off without a hitch. Correction—the law hadn’t punished him for his foolishness, but the guilt weighed without mercy. Now he would have to see Alyssa home and say good-bye to her.

He downed the last of the drink and slammed it on the table before him.

“Are you going to get drunk too?”

He started, so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn’t heard her enter the room. She wore a robe, and he wondered about the nightie beneath and the body beyond that. Despite plans to wipe her from his mind, he couldn’t help wanting to touch and kiss her, to make love to her. Even with her bruises, she called to his lust.

“Why are you up? You should be sleeping.”

“I couldn’t. Not knowing you were down here alone beating yourself up.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not so delicate.”

She approached, padding on bare feet. He focused on those long legs and sighed.

“So you want me to leave?”

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