“Is that so?” I teased. My whole body felt warm and tingly, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for anything.
As usual, Violet was at the table in the dining room reading the paper. She did a double take when she saw the state of Philip’s clothes.
“Good morning,” he said to her. “Thank you for the breakfast invitation.”
“Of course,” she murmured, still agog at his severely wrinkled T-shirt and jeans. “Please… help yourself. There are eggs and bacon, or I could have my cook prepare an omelet if you’d like.”
My brows went up with surprise. She’d never offered to have her cook prepare me an omelet.
“That won’t be necessary. This is great.”
We both went over to the sideboard and grabbed plates. When we were done getting food, we joined Violet at the table. She was still eyeing Philip when she asked if the power was still out down at the carriage house. He told her it was, and she explained how she’d been on the phone half the morning with the other town council members, coordinating cleanup efforts for the storm debris.
“At least it’s Saturday,” I said, swallowing a bite of toast. “Fewer people on the roads.”
Violet nodded and then turned back to Philip. “Will you be joining us for our Pirate Days party?”
He glanced at me. “Yes, Claire invited me.”
She picked up her teacup. “Did she also explain that it’s a fundraiser for Truth Harbor?”
He nodded, picking up his glass of orange juice. “She did.”
“We’re trying to stop these horrible real estate developers from destroying our town. They seem to think money is the only thing in this world that matters.” Her southern drawl was strong, and there was a hard edge to her voice that confused me.
“Is that right.” He put his glass down.
“Yes, it is.” Violet put her cup down as well.
The two of them seemed to be having a staring contest.
“Is something going on here?” I asked, my eyes flashing between them.
“Perhaps you should have Philip tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Violet sighed. “I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, Claire, but I’ve done some digging. It turns out Philip and his company are part of the real estate group that’s planning to tear down our town.”
My mouth fell open with astonishment. “What? That’s not true!” I turned to Philip. “Is that true?”
He shook his head. “No, it isn’t.”
Violet snorted. “Please. I just read an article about it online. I was quite shocked.” She leaned toward him, pointing. “You weren’t being honest with me, young man, when I asked you about yourself the other night.”
Philip’s brows slammed together. “I was completely honest. I told you Gavin and I own a company called NorthStone Capital.”
“Wait, are you part of the group that’s planning to destroy our town?” My voice rose an octave. I could barely believe this. All my newfound happiness was going up in flames.
“We’re not.” He turned to me. “Gavin and I considered it for a short time. Word of our possible involvement leaked to the financial press, but we’re not a part of that deal and never have been.”
“Okay.” My pulse rate began to go down. “So you’re not buying that land?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“That’s not what I read online,” Violet countered.
“What you read online was inaccurate. You’re hearing it directly from me now.”
She sniffed. “And how do you explain the way you acted the other night? You led me to believe you worked for Doug, that you were just starting out with your business.”
“No he didn’t,” I said to Violet. “You assumed that was the case based solely on the way they were dressed, but he never said that.”
She went silent.
To be honest, I was ready to get up and leave. I didn’t enjoy coming here and having Philip accused of things he didn’t do. Appearances were overly important to Violet, always had been. She was so rigid with all her rules and supposed standards that even my dad used to complain about it.
“My apologies,” she said stiffly to Philip. “It appears I was mistaken, though you certainly could have corrected me instead of letting me make a fool out of myself.”
“There’s no apology necessary, and you weren’t foolish. I understood you were only looking out for Claire.”
Violet nodded in agreement and seemed somewhat placated. “I was, and I still am.”
“Good. So am I.”
The two of them continued to assess each other. Violet’s eyes flickered over him, but I sensed she was backing down. Ethan had always been intimidated by Violet. During our marriage, he tried to avoid her, so it was ironic that he was now married to her daughter. Philip was clearly unfazed by her though.
“Oh, and there’s a town meeting in ten days.” She turned toward me. “You might like to come to that, as we’ll be discussing the land purchase.”
“I’ll be there. I was already planning on it.” Unlike my dad and Violet, I’d never been interested in town politics. Not to mention, the last time I went to a town meeting, people were still reeling from the scandal of Ethan dumping me for Ivy. There were a lot of sympathetic smiles, people clucking and whispering, “Poor Claire,” under their breath. I knew they meant well, and most everyone made it clear they were on my side, but it still wasn’t easy.
Violet seemed more relaxed now that she’d said everything she needed to. I could tell she’d finally decided what box Philip fit into, and since it was a successful, wealthy one, she was turning on the charm. She regaled us with the story of how she’d first met my father on a cruise ship, a story I’d heard many times but didn’t mind hearing again.
We said our goodbyes after breakfast and were walking back down to the carriage house when I asked Philip about the real estate deal. “How come you never mentioned that before?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t see any point in it.”
“There’s no chance you guys will still be part of that, right?”
“No.”
“Because I don’t think I could handle it if you were lured into making money off the destruction of my hometown.”
“I don’t want to see the destruction of your hometown.” He stopped walking and faced me, pulling me in closer. “And the only thing I’m being lured in by is you.”
Ten days later, the town meeting ran late into the evening. There were so many people I hadn’t seen in a while, so many of my dad’s friends and associates. Happily, not a single person referred to me as “poor Claire.” I figured it was because I was a bona fide business owner now, a real contributor to the local economy, but that turned out to be wrong. Word had gotten out that I finally had a boyfriend.
“It’s a miracle!”
“We can’t believe it!”
“Just when all hope was lost!”
“Don’t let this one get away!”
“Ethan and Ivy are having marital problems!”
Of course, that last remark was made out of Violet’s earshot.
By the time the evening wrapped up and I headed home, it was after nine. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a certain someone in front of my house. Someone with black hair and blue eyes. Someone who looked an awful lot like a pirate. A thrill went through me at the mere sight of him.
It was just before sunset, the sky golden and the air scented with the lush green of a summer evening.
I walked up to where he was sitting on one of my Adirondack chairs. Even sitting, Philip exuded a strong male energy. I shouldn’t be surprised to see him here, since he’d been coming over every night for the past week and a half. I knew we were moving too fast, that we should put on the brakes, but I couldn’t seem to resist him.
“How did it go?” Philip asked, his eyes roaming over me with interest.
I shrugged. “It was okay.”
“I brought you something.” He motione
d down to the bag on the ground beside him. “I thought you might be hungry. It’s Pad Thai from your favorite restaurant.”
“You got me Pad Thai?” For someone with the reputation for being an intimidating hardass, he was astonishingly thoughtful.
“And for dessert….” He reached into the bag and pulled out a couple of Kit Kat bars. “Who’s your sugar daddy?”
I squealed with delight. “You are!”
He grinned and picked up the bag. We went into the kitchen together to make up plates, though Philip mostly stood behind me and kissed my neck while I dished out the food.
“I missed you,” he whispered in my ear, sliding his hands down to my hips. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. You’re my new obsession.”
I smiled. I’d been thinking about him all day too.
“After we eat, I’m going to take you to that naughty bed of yours and make you scream my name.”
I chuckled. For some reason, he was really into my bed.
“Laugh all you want, my pirate princess, but soon you’ll be overcome with passion.”
I put the peanut sauce down and turned around to face him, still smiling. “What am I going to do with you?”
He wore a playful expression. “You’re going to fuck me senseless.”
“Is that right?” I asked softly. Then I stepped closer to him and slid my arms around his neck. Resting my head against his shoulder, I sighed.
“Hey, what is it sweetheart?” he murmured, stroking my back. “Is something wrong?”
I didn’t reply right away, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. “I’m just worried we’re moving too fast. That maybe we should slow down. We’ve been together every night.”
He went still against me. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Of course not.” I glanced up at him. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I can go. Maybe you want a night to yourself.”
“No. Don’t go.” I hugged him tighter. I didn’t want him to leave. That was the last thing I wanted.
“I don’t think we’re moving too fast,” he said, stroking me again. “I think you’re amazing, and I want to spend all my time with you. That’s why I can’t stay away.”
That was the other surprising thing about Philip. He didn’t seem to hold anything back. It was unnerving. The other night, when we were in bed together, he’d told me about his past and how he used to date a lot, how he’s been called a dog by certain people. “Are you always like this with women, then?” I asked.
He went quiet and reached for my hand. “I’ve never been like this with anyone, Claire. Ever.”
“You haven’t?”
“No.” He seemed thoughtful, studying me. “This is a first.”
As I stood in the kitchen hugging Philip, I wished I could be as fearless as he was. He seemed to embrace our relationship with genuine gusto. “Have you ever had your heart broken?”
He shook his head. “Not like you. But I watched my mom go through it, so I have some idea of how bad it can be.”
“It’s the betrayal. It makes it hard to trust someone again.”
He nodded. “I know, but I’m not Ethan. I’d never betray you like that.”
I wanted to believe him.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s eat dinner, and then I’ll replace every bad memory you have with a happy one.”
I smiled and leaned against him again, closing my eyes. He really was something. Of all the fake boyfriends I might have conjured up, it turned out Philip was better than any I could have imagined.
We pulled apart, and I finished putting together plates for us. After giving my birds some fruit, we took our meal outside.
We sat out front, and I told him about the town meeting, describing some of the people and how the plans were moving forward to have the downtown area officially made into a historic district.
Philip mostly listened while he ate noodles with chopsticks.
“Oh, and there was this older guy there,” I said. “Apparently he’s one of the real estate investors. He spoke to everyone about what his plans were if they won the bid.”
“An older guy?” He took another bite of food.
“Yeah, he came and spoke to a few of us after the meeting. I told him I owned a maid service, and he said he was a big supporter of small businesses like mine.”
“What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. Black hair with brown eyes. Very tan. He was probably in his early sixties.”
Philip’s face changed upon hearing this. “About my height?”
“I think so.”
“Son of a bitch.” He put his chopsticks down. “I don’t believe this.”
“What is it?” I stopped eating too.
“You said he spoke to you?”
I nodded. “He spoke to a few of us afterward. He seemed nice enough. What’s wrong?”
Philip’s jaw clenched. He shook his head.
“Do you know him?” I asked. “Who is he?”
He went silent. “My father.”
“Really?” My eyes widened with surprise. “What a strange coincidence he was there.”
“What else did he say? Tell me exactly.”
“He said he was partnering with another real estate group. He was trying to convince people they didn’t need to worry about turning the downtown into a historic district, that he and his investors weren’t planning to make any changes downtown.”
He snorted. “I’ll just bet he was.”
I studied Philip as I tried to reconcile him with the man I’d met earlier. Oddly, now that I thought about it, there was a vague resemblance between them.
He remained quiet and appeared to be going over something in his mind.
“So your dad’s a commercial real estate developer?” I asked.
He nodded. “Listen to me, Claire. If you see him again, don’t speak to him. He’s not a good man.”
“Really? He didn’t seem that bad.”
“Trust me, everything he says is a lie. He can be charming, but none of it’s real.”
“So the things he told everyone about leaving the downtown area alone weren’t true?”
“No they weren’t. He’s only telling people what they want to hear. If he gets a hold of that land, he’ll tear down everything and build whatever he deems most profitable.”
“So he’s just like every other developer.”
Philip nodded. “Only worse because you’ll never see him coming.”
We finished eating and brought everything inside. The conversation between us had grown stilted, as Philip now seemed unhappy and distracted. After putting the plates in the sink, I told him I was going to take a shower. He nodded. He had his phone out, texting someone. Usually he joined me in the shower, but finding out his father was at that meeting had obviously upset him.
When I emerged twenty minutes later, he was sitting on my bed against the pillows, still fully dressed and on his phone.
“Are you going to put that away?” I asked, climbing in beside him wearing my satin robe.
He glanced at me. “I’m almost done.”
I watched his tense profile as he continued texting. He had the air about him of a general marshaling his troops. “Is everything okay?” Hearing about his dad had changed the whole tenor of our evening.
He didn’t reply. I doubted he even heard me.
I was tempted to go over work stuff, but instead I got up to visit my birds. Quicksilver was chewing on the new wooden perch I’d put in a few days ago. “Caught you,” I said to him as he continued to chew. “That’s the third perch I’ve bought you, young man.”
“Kiss, kiss,” squawked Calico Jack. “Kiss, kiss.”
“Talk some sense into your friend here, will you?” I told Calico.
Behind me, I heard movement. When I turned around, Philip had finally put his phone down and was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
I went over to him. “Are you all right? Tell me what’s going on.”<
br />
He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me. “Come here.” He put his arm out, and I climbed in beside him. “Mmm, you smell nice,” he murmured. “I can’t believe I missed my nightly eye gouging in the shower.”
I couldn’t stop my laughter. I kept elbowing him in the face every time. It was terrible.
He shifted position and rolled toward me, sliding his hands down my body over the outside of my robe, then beneath it to caress my bare bottom. “You feel good,” he said, moving closer, his lips pressed to my ear. “You always feel so good.”
I wanted to talk though. I tried to ask about his father, but he must have sensed my intentions, because he immediately kissed me, moving from my mouth to my neck, sending hot shimmers through me. It was always like this. I grew aroused so quickly. Making up for lost time, I told myself, though I suspected it was Philip himself I found so arousing.
“Take your robe off. Let me see you,” he said softly.
I sat up partway and did as he asked, loosening the tie and then letting it slip down over my shoulders.
Philip’s eyes were on my face but then dropped lower, watching as the robe slid all the way off. He wore the same mesmerized expression every time he saw me. Every single time. I didn’t even know couples were like this together. I’d always thought Ethan and I had a good marriage, but he never looked at me like Philip did.
Like I was a gift.
“Beautiful,” he said, reaching for me and pulling me closer. “So beautiful. I want you all the time.” He was still dressed, and it felt erotic and naughty being the only one naked.
I put my hand over his erection, measuring the column beneath his jeans. When I unzipped his pants, he didn’t stop me, and when I pushed his jeans lower and took him out, he didn’t stop me either.
“Is this for me?” I asked, stroking his hard length, smooth and thick in my hand.
He nodded, his eyes half-lidded. “Only you.”
I smiled and then bent down and took him in my mouth. I heard his intake of breath as I gave him a blow job. He was always going down on me, but I hadn’t returned the favor nearly as often.
Truth About Men & Dogs Page 29