Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies (31 page)
Read Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies Online
Authors: Cynthia Cooke
Tags: #Romantic Suspense, #action-adventure, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Family secrets, #fast-paced suspense, #hero protector
Honestly. It did.
The tears crested, and broke over her lashes.
Her watery gaze went to the corner of the desk and the imaginary photo sitting there. Brilliant blue eyes gazed back at her.
Becca wasn’t right.
Genie deserved more than this. She deserved to be happy. To have a happily ever after. She deserved Kyle.
…
Winded, and sporting a good-sized blister on her heel, Genie ran into the bar, her sandals sinking into the thick carpet. She longed to slip off her shoes as she rushed past the round, thick leather booths and toward the long mahogany bar where Kyle sat, perched over a scotch on the rocks.
“Well, well. The prodigal daughter,” Kyle said as Genie sucked in a deep breath of relief. She’d finally tracked him down. It had taken her three phone calls to Johnny, a miserable plane ride, and two pairs of shoes that were ruined by the Las Vegas sidewalks. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” He raised a half-empty tumbler and downed the contents, then motioned for another.
Genie gripped the bar stool, kicking off the second pair of strappy sandals with a grateful sigh. That’s what she got for wanting to look sexy when she found him.
“Do you know how many bars there are in this casino?” she groaned.
“Eight.”
“Nine.” She plopped onto the stool next to him and eyed him closely. “You tried them all, huh?”
“All but one, apparently.”
Genie took in his haggard face and tired eyes. He looked like shit. She swallowed a twinge of guilt and said, “Damn, boy. Whoever she was, she must have done a helluva number on you.”
“You have no friggin’ idea.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. It wasn’t enough, but it was all she had.
“Yeah.”
“No. Really. I’m sorry, Kyle. I was…a jerk.”
He turned and looked at her. Really looked. Gave a tired shrug. “You were grieving.”
“I was. My dad.” How could she explain? She couldn’t. “He was my rock. But he was wrong. And so was I. About so much.”
“What will you have?” the bartender asked, approaching from the far end of the bar.
“Vodka tonic,” she told him, and then turned back to Kyle as the bartender gave them their drinks.
“How’d you get here?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were right. You’re always right. I love you. I want to make it work between us. No more secrets. No more lies. Just me, plain and simple. If you’ll have me,” she said tentatively, her heart slipping right out there on her sleeve.
He hesitated. “You could never be plain, or simple.”
She gave a hesitant smile, but it faltered as she took a long pull off the drink the bartender placed in front of her.
Kyle watched her, his blue gaze wary. Guarded. She wouldn’t read him. If this was going to work between them, she’d have to respect his boundaries.
“I don’t know,” Kyle said. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said.”
She winced. She’d said so much. “You mean that we all need to have secrets?”
“Yes.”
“I agree. And I can promise to try not to read you. To keep that wall up between us.”
“And if you can’t? If the temptation is too great? The emotions too strong?”
“Well, I’ve thought about that, too. There is a way around that.” Her heart skipped a beat.
“Is there?” He stared down into his glass as if he could care less. But he did care. A lot. She just had to convince him they were worth the risk. That
she
was worth taking a chance on.
She placed a hand on his arm. “Yep.”
“How?” He looked skeptical.
She took a leap of faith and leaned into him, pressing her mouth against his, sweeping her tongue inside to spar with his, raising her trembling hand to his chest. Tasting the scotch. Tasting his hope. Tasting his wariness. After a breathless moment, she pulled away.
He stared at her, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Whenever you don’t want me to know how you’re feeling, I want you to think about that kiss,” she said quickly, hoping to give him something to think about other than sending her away.
He took another sip of scotch and regarded her. “I think you need to do it again, just to make sure I don’t forget.”
She kissed him again. Hard. Pressing her mouth against his, terrified that if she stopped, she would slip away, and for them there would be no hope.
“Are you sure?” he asked, when she finally came up for air. “Because I can’t go down that road again, Genie. I can’t open myself up to you, give you my heart on a silver platter, only to watch you pulverize it and walk away. Nope, won’t do that again.” He took another long swig, finishing the last of the amber liquid.
“Kyle, I won’t walk away. Not again. I promise. I’ve learned how it feels to be alone, to be lost and vulnerable. I don’t want to live like that, not when we have so much to live for. We’re good together. Great together. Trust me, I’m more sure about this, about us, than I have been about anything for a very long time.”
“Trust you?” he almost laughed, but it died somewhere on his lips.
“Yes, trust me. Because I’m trusting you. For the first time in my life, I’m trusting you with all of my secrets and fears, my hopes and my dreams. With my heart. All of it. Because that’s what I believe love is—giving all of yourself to a person and believing they will protect and treasure you. And I will, Kyle. I will cherish our life together. I will cherish you.
He moved toward her, slowly, tentatively, and then he kissed her. Gentle at first, tasting, searching, and then the kiss deepened. He grabbed hold of her and pulled her to him, roughly almost desperately squeezing until finally he pulled back, but didn’t let her go. “I believe you,” he rasped.
And as he said the words, hope filled a dark place inside her.
“I do love you,” he insisted. He looked deeply into her eyes, holding her captive as the tips of his fingers grazed the bruises around her cheekbone. She could feel his pain, his hope, his overwhelming love for her filling every cell in his body so strong and raw it almost scared her. And in that moment, she knew what Cat had missed by turning off her abilities. In that moment, Genie felt
everything
Kyle felt for her, emotions he would never be able to say or express
or hide
. No, their abilities were not a curse. They were a gift.
She smiled for the first time in days. “Not more than I love you.”
“What do you say we move this conversation up to my room?”
Her heart hiccupped with anticipation. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He paid the tab, and before they’d even made it out of their chairs, Kyle’s cell rang.
Genie groaned as she picked up her sandals and slipped them back on her feet.
“What’s up?” Kyle asked, trying to hide his annoyance. He looked at Genie. “They’ve got a lead on Emerich. You ready to jump back into the fire?”
“Now?” she asked, pushing away her disappointment.
“Johnny and Becca are in the bird on the roof.”
“This roof? Together?”
“Yep. You game?”
“You tell me?” she asked, her mouth twisting into a grin. “We always were a great team.”
He grabbed her hand. “We still are, babe, and we always will be.”
About the Author
Cynthia Cooke is an award-winning, multi-published author who has published 11 books and short stories for Harlequin/Silhouette and Steeple Hill. Her latest book,
Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies
, is the teaser book for Nina Bruhns’ Dead Sexy Romantic Suspense line at Entangled Publishing. Cynthia is best known for writing page-turners that will keep you up at night. So, if you choose to take that ride, over the edge and into the dark, don’t forget to
turn on the lights
. Cynthia’s books aren’t sweet—and they aren’t for the faint of heart.
Enjoy the Dark Seduction
Visit Cynthia at her website
http://www.CynthiaCooke.com
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