Barefoot With a Bodyguard (13 page)

Ah, yes. The cover. “We don’t have to go.”

“I don’t think we have a choice,” she said. “Nino said we were expected to be there. Gabe’s orders.”

Fuck Gabe
. “Okay, but the only thing we’re going to discuss at dinner is the life of Tilly and Benjamin. Not Kate and Alec.”

“I can do that,” she promised. “You have my word.”

He walked away, swallowing the comment that he wanted to make. He’d had her word before his shower, too. He couldn’t forget that, no matter how attracted he was to this woman, he couldn’t really trust her. That could cost both of them their lives.

*

“Well, there go my hopes and dreams up in smoke. Nate Ivory really is getting married.”

Robyn pulled herself out of the fog that seemed to surround her all the time now. Ever since she’d seen Cole—or had she?—she felt like she had her head in a jar and couldn’t think straight. Blinking into the fluorescent lights of the doctor’s office, she turned to the only person she considered a friend, a girl she’d worked with at the telemarketing place—until they fired Robin for taking too many sick days.

Selena, who’d dropped out of high school a year earlier, had big dreams of becoming an actress. As always, she was nose-first in her phone, scrolling through some social media site.

“What?” Robyn asked.

She angled her phone for Robyn to look. “I thought it was just a rumor, you know. But he just confirmed he’s getting married to some bitch in Florida.”

“Mmm.” Robyn nodded, so totally not interested in the celebrities that Selena obsessed over. She closed her eyes and put her hand on her stomach. “Do you think they’ll do an ultrasound? I have to know if it’s a boy or a girl.” And then, next time she saw Cole…

Selena didn’t answer, making Robyn look to see if she was shooting glares of disapproval or back on the celebrity hunt.

Glares of disapproval.

“What?” Robyn asked. “Wouldn’t you want to know?”

“You
know
what I’d have done the minute I missed my period.” Selena made no bones about how she thought Robyn should have handled an unwanted pregnancy. Which was fine, that was Selena. Robyn was different.

“It’s too late for that,” she said under her breath. “Anyway, I want this baby. And what would Cole have said?”

“Maybe he wouldn’t have ditched you.”

Robyn closed her eyes as the comment hit its mark.

“And I know you think you saw him, but either you imagined it or he’s up to no good with that Russian guy. Either way, I think you should forget about him.”

She was probably right. Selena had the kind of street smarts Robyn admired and wished she had. Selena wouldn’t have let herself get pregnant in the first place.

Whatever. She
was
pregnant, and there was nothing she could do about it except protect this little baby. “I just wish they’d call me back there already.”

“She’s not even that pretty,” Selena said, elbowing Robyn so she’d look. “I mean, the guy is so freaking hot, and he’s a billionaire.” She flicked her fingers to zoom in on the image.

“Mmm.” It was all Robyn could muster.

“I guess she has nice eyes, but she has a
kid
.”

“Oh, and someone wants to marry her. Imagine that.”

“Sorry,” Selena said. “But she did nail the hottest, richest guy in America. But, I’m telling you, she’s not that pretty. How did some chick named Liza Lemanski get him? How?” She shoved her phone in Robyn’s face. “It’s like there’s hope for all of us if she could get him. Look at her, Rob.”

Robyn gave up and looked, seeing an attractive woman with pure joy in her eyes. What was it like to be that loved and happy? “She’s pretty.”

“Not really.” Selena flicked at the screen some more, zeroing in on the lady’s face, almost cutting out the crowd of gawkers around her. “She kind of looks like me, don’t you think? I mean, I’m that pretty, right?”

No, and no. “Her eyes are really stunning.”

“But she’s not like J-Lo or something. She worked in the County Clerk’s office, for fuck’s sake.”

“Shhh.” Robyn put her hand on Selena’s arm, glancing at the other, enormously pregnant, woman in the waiting room. This was a nice office, and she didn’t want to get kicked out for swearing.

“I mean it!” Selena added in a hushed whisper.

“Just be quiet.”

“Then look at her. I’m that hot, right?” Selena shook the phone a little, as if that could force Robyn to agree.

“Of course you are,” Robyn said, studying the picture to see if she could find a flaw in the woman’s face, because that would make Selena feel better and shut the hell up. “She’s just…” The words faded as her gaze fell on something in the picture.

Not the woman’s face, but the hand of a man in the crowd, curled around another woman’s shoulder.

“Holy shit,” she mumbled, grabbing the phone to pull it closer.

“I know, right? Not that pretty but—”

“Where was this taken?” Robyn sat up straight, squinting at the phone.

“I don’t know. I follow the hashtag NaughtyNate on Insta. I see everything about him.”

“Who posted it?”

Selena leaned in to look at the screen. “Somebody named CelebWhore6. Imagine that five other people wanted that handle before her.” She tried to take the phone back. “What difference does it—”

Robyn whipped the phone away, hoarding it as she peered so hard at the image it danced before her.

The
letters
. The letters on his knuckles. бить

Her own knuckles shook a little as she tried to zoom out and see the face attached to that hand.

“Gimme the phone,” Selena whined.

“Just a sec. Please.” Her voice cracked with desperation as she took in the whole picture. Most of his face was covered by the head of the woman he was holding, and what she could see was just a baseball cap and shades.

Was that him? Was that Alec Petrov, the trainer?

“I thought you didn’t care!” Selena gave Robyn’s shoulder a good tap.

“Stop it! Wait! This is important.” This was nine freaking thousand dollars’ worth of important. Forget that, this was the ticket back into that house. Where Cole was!

The tattoo was so small. She’d never ever have seen it if Selena hadn’t zoomed in on the woman’s face. No one would.

She started tapping madly, trying to read the comments and get more information.

“What are you doing?”

“How long ago was this picture taken?” she demanded. “And where?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

That got a vile look from the other pregnant lady, but Robyn was too worked up to apologize. “I have to know, Selena. I
have
to know.”

A door opened, and a young, dark-haired nurse stood, holding a clipboard. “Robyn Bickler. You can come in now.”

Now? She shoved the phone at Selena. “Can you find out where it is and when it was taken?”

“Why?”

“Miss Bickler?” The nurse’s voice grew impatient.

“Please, don’t ask. Just do this…for me.”

“I’m already doing this for you.” She gestured toward the waiting room.

“I’ll pay you,” Robyn exclaimed, desperate. “Please, Selena. I have to know.”

“Are you going there to find Nate and steal him away?” she teased.

There was no room for humor. “Just dig through your social media stuff and find out where he is in that picture. If you can do it before my appointment is done, I’ll give you”—how much could she spare?—“fifty bucks.”

Selena’s eyebrow lifted. “Deal.”

Casa Blanca Resort & Spa took their honeymooners seriously. The minute Alec and Kate arrived at Junonia, the elegant restaurant off the main lobby of the resort, they were whisked outdoors to an expansive deck built over the sand. There, a few private tables were spread far apart, each under a canopy, all flickering in candlelight.

The hostess seated them side by side on a cushion-covered bench, facing the moon-spangled water. Completely romantic. Fake romantic, but still. More romance than Kate had experienced in a long time.

Especially since Kate didn’t feel fake at all, even all dressed up and on the arm of a man whose last name she didn’t know. She felt a little dreamy. Or maybe her brain was just mush from studying torts all day.

“Chef Ian has prepared a special dinner just for you, our honeymoon special,” the perky hostess said. “We’re so happy you chose Casa Blanca for this unforgettable time in your lives.”

As the woman held out two menus, she noticed Alec reaching for his with his left hand, his other hand under the table. Of course, that tattoo. Without thinking about it, Kate closed her hand over the one he was hiding, the gesture natural, she hoped, and protective.

“We’re delighted to be here,” she cooed, the lie rolling off her tongue.

Encouraged by the conversation, the young hostess’s eyes lit up. “Where are you guys from?” she asked.

“We’re from—”

“Chicago,” Alec said quickly. They shared a look and a smile, but the hostess laughed out loud.

“Look at that, you’re finishing each other’s sentences already.”

Because they didn’t want to contradict each other. But he was right; their ID packets from Gabe had said they were both from the Chicago area.

“But we’re in paradise now,” Kate said brightly, hoping to deflect the next question.

Looking grateful for the save, Alec put his arm around her shoulders. “Anywhere is paradise with my wife,” he added with maybe a little too much emphasis on
wife
.

“Awww,” the girl said, angling her head to take in their affection. “I love the newlyweds. We do a lot of weddings here, did you know that?”

Kate let out a little sigh of frustration that only Alec could have heard.

“I’m sure you do, uh, Melissa,” he said. “Now, could we get—”

“Nate Ivory is getting married here this spring!” she exclaimed. “He was just here the other day. Did you hear?”

“We saw him,” Alec confirmed, then leaned forward and looked directly at the girl. “Can you bring us a bottle of champagne?”

God bless the man.

“Absolutely, Mr.—”

“As soon as you can.” He threw a playful look at Kate. “She’s been talking about it all day.”

The hostess laughed, finally getting the hint that they wanted to be alone.

“Thanks,” Kate whispered. “And that wasn’t a lie. At least I’ve been thinking about a drink today.”

“You earned it with all that studying,” he said. “But don’t get too soused and blow our cover,” he teased.

“No worries.” She leaned back, relaxing for a moment to drink in the absolute gorgeousness of the setting.

A quarter moon rested on its side like a drawing in a children’s book, so big and beautiful it was hard to believe it wasn’t painted in the sky. Around them, a slight breeze rustled the palm trees, the waves lapped over the sand, and music in the distance added to the magic of the moment.

Kate took in a deep, salt-tinged breath of tropical air and let it out on a sigh.

“That didn’t sound too happy,” Alec said softly.

She glanced at him, wondering if the comment was an invitation to open up or a reminder that she was an actress on a stage right now. “I’m just wondering…”

“About?”

“Everything,” she admitted. “I’m wondering about you, about our fake past, about how long we could go in this confined situation and not share…anything.” Or everything.

She swallowed that last thought, having already said too much.

“There’s nothing so interesting about me,” he said. “As far as our, uh, history, Gabe told us to make one up a while ago. And…” He clenched his jaw and looked straight ahead, as if looking at her for too long was impossible. “We’ll go as long as we have to, and we’ll share…nothing.”

“Too late. I already know a lot about you.”

“Against my will,” he murmured, both of them barely whispering the conversation.

“I want to know why you think you’re the worst person to protect me.” The confession had haunted her all day, tearing her attention from the books and forcing her imagination into overdrive.

He threw her a look, then almost instantly averted his eyes, like he always did.

“Nuh-uh.” She put a warning hand on his arm, pressing to make her point and feeling the muscle tighten under her touch. “You can avoid eye contact with me in the villa. But not out here,
honey
.”

He barely reacted to the endearment, but he did steal another look and held her gaze. “It’s not easy.”

“Looking at me?” She couldn’t help the note of disappointment that slipped into the question, hating herself for it, but starting to feel pretty damn dissed by this man.

He gave a quick, dry, sarcastic laugh. “If you think that, you should look in the mirror.”

“Careful.” She leaned into him, using the cover as an excuse to press her bare arm against the warmth of his arm and shoulder. “That was almost a compliment, Benjamin Carlson.”