Love & Deception (Agents in Love - Book 1) (4 page)

Carlie rolled her eyes, though she knew
Shelley couldn’t see her. “And how do I do that?”

“Oh, you know.” Shelley set to work ratting
her hair again, apparently not satisfied with the first attempt.
“Flirt, Carlie. You do know how to flirt, don’t you?”

“Sure I do.” She wasn’t about to admit that
she never felt comfortable flirting. What could Shelley teach her
in the remaining ten minutes before Nick arrived?

Ten minutes. Carlie wiped suddenly sweaty
palms against her slacks, wishing she had time to go home and
change her clothes. Waitress chic wasn’t very sexy.

“I hope so.” Shelley clearly doubted
Carlie’s ability to handle a man like Nick. “Okay, so here’s the
most important thing. No matter what, don’t let him get away
without a goodnight kiss.”

“On the first date?”

She laughed. “The world moves fast, Carlie.
If you want a man like Nick Kendall, you’ll have to keep up.” She
passed the brush over Carlie’s hair a few more times and stepped
out in front of her. “You look super hot. There’s no way he’ll
resist you.” She pulled a small mirror from her bag and handed it
over.

Staring in amazement at her reflection,
Carlie never imagined she could look so pretty. Her hair fluffed
around her shoulders, soft and feminine. Smokey eye shadow brought
out the color of her eyes, turning them from their usual dull hazel
to a sexy, vibrant green. Although Carlie knew Shelley piled on the
makeup, she didn’t appear to be wearing a lot. She smiled,
revealing the small gap in her front teeth, and quickly closed her
mouth. Unfortunately, Shelley’s makeup couldn’t cover all her
imperfections.

“What made you decide to help me?” Carlie
couldn’t stop looking at her reflection. “You’ve made me so pretty.
I thought you wanted Nick for yourself.”

Shelley laughed. “I’m always searching for
the right guy, but I’m not going to waste time with one who doesn’t
want me.”

Carlie looked past the mirror, meeting
Shelley’s eyes. “Are you okay with me dating him? I’m not willing
to lose a friend over a man.”

“There’s no chance of that happening.”
Shelley patted her leg. “I’m truly thrilled for you. Nick is super
fine, and I bet he knows how to treat a woman. You deserve a nice
night after putting up with Stephen last weekend.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Of course I’m sure. All I want is for you
to enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks.” Carlie handed the mirror back and
stood up, smoothing her t-shirt against her black slacks. “Now that
you’ve worked so hard on my hair and makeup, I wish I had something
nicer to wear.”

Smiling, Shelley delved into her backpack,
pulling out a beautiful green sweater with a scooped neckline.
“Voilà.”

“Do you always carry this much stuff
around?”

Pulling out a gold chain and a pair of large
hoop earrings, she pressed them into Carlie’s hands. “You never
know when you’ll need to look your best. Can’t land a husband
looking like a waitress who worked all day.”

Carlie couldn’t help but feel a bit
chastised. She always went around looking like a waitress who
worked all day. In her defense, coming into Carlie’s Creations to
start baking bread at six in the morning and working until six or
seven at night, plus spending an hour and a half in a dojo three
times a week, didn’t leave much time for hair care and applying
makeup. If Nick had been asking Shelley about her for a few weeks,
he must not mind the waitress look as much as Shelley thought he
should.

She walked into the small bathroom across
from the kitchen and pulled her t-shirt over her head, reveling in
the softness of the sweater when she slipped it on. Although
Shelley filled it up more than she did in front, the cut was
flattering enough that she didn’t mind her slighter
proportions.

After putting on the earrings and fastening
the chain around her neck, she opened the bathroom door. Only to be
blasted with a squirt of too-sweet perfume.

“He’s here.” Shelley practically jumped up
and down with excitement. “I’m going to get out of here, but don’t
forget what I said.”

Carlie’s head was whirling and sweat coated
her palms again. She couldn’t remember being this nervous in a long
while. “What
did
you say?”

“Oh...you’re hopeless, Carlie.” Shelley
shook her head and slung the backpack across her shoulder. “Don’t
let the night end without getting a kiss. Good luck. Flirt a
lot.”

As Shelley walked away, Carlie dried her
hands on her pants again and breathed deeply in an attempt to slow
her heart rate. This wasn’t a date, not really. She had to calm
down. Nick wanted to get to know his future sparring partner.
Shelley had to be mistaken about what she thought was going on.
Somehow, it all got confused. This was simply a dinner between two
people who planned to help each other out.

She walked through the dark hallway, making
her way to the front of the store. Shelley had turned out all the
lights except the security lamp that always stayed on near the
front door, so shadows cloaked the place.

Nick stood in the one pool of light. He’d
put on a jacket and tie, which made Carlie even more grateful for
the pretty sweater. He turned as she approached, and his eyes
traveled up and down her body. “Wow!” Nick took a step toward her
and cocked his arm at an angle. “You always look great,
but...wow.”

Pleased in spite of herself, Carlie slipped
her arm through his. “Thanks. Shelley’s handiwork.”

When he turned his head toward hers, his hot
breath caressed her cheek. Nick placed his free hand beneath her
chin, gently lifting her face until their eyes met. “You can’t give
her credit for this. You’re beautiful.”

Carlie licked her lips and hoped he couldn’t
feel her trembling. Stephen certainly hadn’t made her heart pound
so hard or her body shiver with anticipation at the nearness of
him. A small part of her protested, warned that Nick could be
dangerous. He was a stranger, and she avoided strangers at all
costs.

The bigger part of her told the other to
shut up. Kissing someone dangerous held a certain appeal, and
Carlie loved the warm glow his complement provoked in her heart.
“You look fantastic too.”

A peculiar grin crossed his face, but
vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. “Then we’re well suited,
Carlie.” Her name flowed like music from his lips, and Carlie
feared she was close to swooning. But she didn’t swoon over men,
that was crazy.

“I haven’t eaten all day,” she said,
suddenly anxious to break the intimate mood. “Are you hungry?”

“For more than food,” he muttered, but led
her to the door.

***

Carlie focused on the large statue of Buddha
in the center of the restaurant. Bamboo trees surrounded the base
of it. Chinese lanterns hung at intervals across the ceiling, and a
crystal chandelier dominated the center space above the statue. It
was certainly higher class than her small shop, but Carlie found
the excessive amount of red too stifling and hot. Or maybe it was
her dinner companion that made the room seem to lack oxygen.

She took another bite of mandarin chicken,
though she was unable to enjoy it, nervous about the stall in
conversation. They’d discussed karate as much as they could while
waiting for their entrees. Nick seemed content to watch her eat,
but the silence unnerved her.

“What do you do for a living?” she
asked.

He picked at the chicken almond ding with
chopsticks, though only a little food remained on his plate. “I
invest in startups.”

“Businesses?”

“Restaurants. This place is my newest
venture. That’s why I moved here, to make sure it gets off to a
good start.” Nick glanced around the room. “What do you think?”

That I wish I met you five months ago
when I needed money for a new oven.
She studied the room with
fresher eyes before answering him. “The bamboo’s a nice touch.”

“My idea. You don’t see live plants much in
restaurants anymore.”

Silence rushed to fill the space between
them. Desperate to keep the conversation moving, Carlie jerked her
chin in the direction of the chandelier. “I love how big that
is.”

“Really?” Nick lifted one eyebrow and his
lips quirked at the corners. “I’ve heard size is important.”

Embarrassment burned all the way up her neck
and face. “I meant the chandelier. I wasn’t saying...” Holy crap.
She was supposed to flirt. Another woman would have come up with a
witty comeback, but Carlie had nothing.

He laughed and reached across the table,
patting her hand. “Relax. I figured that’s what you meant. Just
trying to lighten the mood.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so
nervous.”

“It’s okay, but you really don’t need to be.
I don’t bite. Well,” he glanced at the tablecloth briefly before
looking at her again, heat in his gaze, “not on the first
date.”

“I...you...” Carlie gasped for a few seconds
and then sighed. Shelley would be so disappointed in her. “I’m not
good at this.”

“You’re not trying to tell me you don’t date
much, are you?”

“Well, actually, I don’t.” She took a sip of
water. The truth was the wrong path to take here. Guys wanted
worldly, experienced girls who knew how to have a good time.

Flirt!

She winked at him, hoping it didn’t look
like she had something in her eye. “At least, not men as sexy as
you.”

He winked back. “And big, don’t forget
big.”

He must delight in flustering her. She
fanned herself with her hand. “You’re certainly forward.”

“Life’s too short to be timid.” He leaned
across the table and held her hand in his. “I’ve learned to go
after what I want.”

“And you want me?” Her voice came out as
barely a whisper.

Nick squeezed her hand. “Do you like to
dance, Carlie? A beautiful woman should dance.”

She couldn’t help but be charmed by him.
Nick had no problem dishing out compliments. That was unexpected,
but nice. “I haven’t done much dancing.” The last time had been at
her wedding. Ryan didn’t like going out much—at least, not as a
couple.

Nick stood in a fluid motion and pulled her
to her feet. “We need to change that.”

He stepped into her and cradled her against
his body. Carlie felt the hard muscles beneath his shirt and jacket
and tried not to think of how good he’d look without clothes. The
last thing she needed was to blush again.

“We can’t dance here,” she protested. “This
is a family restaurant.”

“We can do whatever we’d like.”

Nick placed one arm around her waist and
held onto her hand with his other, turning her in a slow circle.
For a woman who tried not to draw attention to herself, it crossed
Carlie’s mind how ridiculous they must look to the other diners.
The ambient music playing across the restaurant’s sound system
included some sort of flute and certainly wasn’t what Carlie
considered dance music.

When Nick raised his arm and spun her before
pulling her back into his tight embrace, looking silly ceased to
matter. He pressed his cheek against hers, his breath gently
blowing into her ear. Tremors of anticipation shuddered through
her. The masculine scent of him made her ache with a need she
didn’t know she had. Kissing on the first date didn’t seem so
farfetched when he held her that way.

“I don’t want to scare you off,” he
whispered into her ear, “but I’ve been going crazy since the first
day I set eyes on you.”

“You have?”

“All I wanted was to talk to you, and you
were always with Stephen.” His hand rubbed the small of her back
and his chest heaved beneath her with a sigh. “Shelley hinted you
were with him and serious, so I just watched you without saying
anything.” He paused for a second. “I’m not normally a patient
man.”

“But you think I’m worth waiting for?” she
asked, uncertainty causing her voice to hitch.

“Yes.” His voice was full of conviction, and
Carlie couldn’t doubt him.

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed
her eyes, nuzzling into his neck with a contentment she hadn’t
expected to feel. “I’m glad you watched me, especially since I
needed you to come to the rescue yesterday.”

“I wanted to kick that bastard’s ass.” Anger
bit at his words.

“Mmmmm... Let’s not talk about him anymore.
I don’t want to spoil this.”

She danced with abandon, concentrating on
nothing except the music and the rapid beat of Nick’s heart against
her chest. The flute reached a high note as the song ended and he
stopped shifting his feet. Applause broke out around them. Carlie
opened her eyes and jerked away, knowing she must be blushing yet
again.

“Honey,” complained a woman to the man next
to her, “why don’t you ever do romantic stuff like that?”

Carlie threw a sympathetic glance at the
man. Maybe the four children clamoring for attention around them
had something to do with lowering his romantic sensibilities.

“It’s time for us to leave,” she told Nick,
not wanting to face the other diners longer than she had to. Most
of them gawked as though they expected another performance to
accompany their meal as the next song started, but Carlie had
provided them enough entertainment for one evening.

Nick chuckled and pulled out his wallet,
throwing some money on the table. “Sure you don’t want to wait for
a box to put our leftovers in?”

Embarrassment ate away at her. “Don’t tease
me. I’m not good with being the center of attention, and everyone’s
staring.”

To her relief, he twined his fingers in hers
and headed for the exit.

Nick paused at the door to the restaurant,
and Carlie hoped he hadn’t forgotten something. She wasn’t going
back into the dining room.

He looked at her and shook his head. “I
can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier. Where’s your coat?”