Dark Little Lies

by Gabrielle Snow

  DARK LITTLE LIES

  - TEMPTED SERIES -

  BOOK THREE

  GABRIELLE SNOW

  Copyright © 2020 by Gabrielle Snow

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination and used in a fictitious manner. Any similarity to actual people, living or dead, places, or events is entirely coincidental or fictionalized.

  Table Of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

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  Chapter 1

  Amelia.

  The rays of the morning sun peeking through the half-open curtains woke me up from my sleep. I glanced at my side and saw Lucas snoring quietly next to me, his blond hair strewn on the pillow. The expression on his boyish face was peaceful, as if he was dreaming about pleasant things. Observing him brought a faint smile to my face. I would never get bored of how he looked when he slept. I yawned and slipped my naked body from underneath the comfortable covers and shuffled to the bathroom. After I had brushed my teeth, I walked over to Lucas’ side of the bed and gently woke him up by tugging him.

  “Good morning sleepy.”

  He grinned happily, his blond hair messy and tousled from our night of passion. “Morning beautiful,” he murmured in his low morning voice and pulled me next to him on the bed, holding me close to his warm chest. The skin to skin contact felt blissful. I turned to face him and lifted my leg on top of his, half straddling him from the side.

  “It’s noon,” my voice came out croakily.

  We’d spent the night dancing away at the reception and had only gotten back to the room in the early hours of the morning. “I think we better start heading out,” I sighed. “I have to face my mom. Rather sooner than later.”

  Lucas squeezed my arm affectionately. “We’ll figure it out. I’m sure she won’t throw you out, the idea is absurd,” he remarked. “You’re driven and focused and being involved with someone hasn’t compromised that.”

  I shook my head. “I hope she’ll come to realize that. I just wish Harvey hasn’t gotten to her yet. It’s better that I’m the one breaking the news to her.”

  I got up from the bed and started pulling out a spare change of clothes from my weekend bag. “But I’m not innocent either. I should’ve acted like a responsible adult and told her about us sooner. Instead, I was trying to keep it a secret and ended up disrespecting her in the heat of the moment,” I said feebly as I pulled on a pair of leggings and a top. I reached for my dress that was resting on the back of a chair, folded it and put it in the bag.

  “Hopefully she’ll be willing to hear you out,” Lucas said encouragingly as he hopped out of the bed. He put on a pair of grey sweats and a white t-shirt and then walked over to me and stroked my hair. “And you can always lean on me.”

  I kissed him softly on the cheek and after gathering all of our things, we were out the door. Xavier and Lily had arranged for a late breakfast for all guests, and so before heading out, we stopped to enjoy the buffet. Most of the guests had either already eaten or were still sleeping. My mood lightened up as we filled ourselves up with eggs, toast and bacon. Things would turn out alright.

  Once we had finished, we hailed a cab and rode back in silence. My light mood was starting to be overtaken by the feeling of impending doom. If only I had been upfront with my mom before.

  I got out of the cab and stopped on the curb to say goodbye to Lucas. “I’ll let you know what happens,” I grimaced and he gave me a warm hug. With a nod, he got up the stairs and inside his house.

  I shook my arms, trying to relax my tense body and prepare for what was to come. I made my way to the door and opened it. Immediately, I saw my mom sitting on the couch, her face turned towards the door. Her expression was equally blank and angry, somehow extremely distant.

  “If it isn’t the return of the prodigal daughter,” she sneered as I dropped my bag on the floor and closed the door.

  “Mom, I want to explain,” I began and paused, looking for the right words to say. My eyes skimmed over the living room and I noticed four bags sitting by the wall outside my room. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. She had already packed all my things. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

  “No need. If you want to act irresponsibly and date our neighbor, you’re free to do it elsewhere. I will not stand it,” she remarked sternly, her eyes fiery. “Not in my house.”

  I was exasperated: I had no job, and my internship that was starting Monday wasn’t exactly a high paying one. I’d counted on being able to stay with her in the hopes of getting off my feet—that's what she had promised me when I had graduated.

  “Please mom, please let me explain,” I begged, walking over to her. “I promise it’s not like that. He’s not like that. Whatever Harvey told you wasn’t the truth!”

  She let out a cold laugh. “It’s exactly like that, honey. Can’t you see? You just turned twenty-two a couple of months ago. And how old is he?” she asked rhetorically. “He must be about fifteen years your senior. Hell, he’s closer in age to me than you,” she snickered and shook her head disbelievingly. “You don’t want to see it, but this guy is a creep. He’s been watching you grow from a teenager to a young woman, biding his time till you’re just old enough to fulfill his fantasies with. Men like that are no good and I’ve told you this before. I’ve told you to be careful.”

  Her words stung me like a slap in the face. She and Harvey had formed a completely false image of Lucas in their minds. He wasn’t like that at all. Hell, I’d been the one to make the first move.

  Before I had a chance to defend myself, she got up from the couch, walked over to the bags, picked them up and then carried them to me. “If you think he’s so great, you can go stay with him. I’m not going to watch you deliberately being taken advantage of. You can continue your twisted little relationship there.” She shoved the bags in my hands and opened the door, ushering me out.

  As soon as I stepped outside, she slammed the door behind me. I walked down the steps and sat on the bottom one, dropping the bags to my sides. A loud sob escaped my lips and I felt my tears breaking free of their constraints, running down my cheeks.

  I was basically unemployed and homeless, with nowhere to go. My own mother had practically disowned me for getting involved with our neighbor. Who was a great guy. The thought only made me cry harder. Why was it impossible for her to realize that not all guys were bad? Not all of them had ulterior motives or were cheats. I buried my face in my hands as the tears rolled all the way down to the concrete.

  I heard a slam and glanced up, seeing Lucas hurrying from inside. His face was grey and full of worry.

  “What’s wrong Amelia?” he asked and sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around me.

  I buried my face into his chest, and slowly his heartbeat soothed me enough to be able to tell what had just happened. As I recapped the story, he listened to me intently, stroking my shoulder gently as he did. Finally, I finished the story, letting out a small hiccup.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” he said, wiping my tears away with his fingers.

  “But I’m homeless!” I cried out, feeling hopeless.

  “No you’re not. You’re gonna stay with me,” he said sternly and his blue eyes fixed on mine piercingly.

  I hesitated for a moment. I hadn’t even considered the possibility.

  “Are you sure?”

  He chuckled quietly. “Of course I am. I would love
it,” he placed a soft, affectionate kiss on my lips and then got up and held his hand out to me. When I took it, he pulled me up and grabbed my bags from the ground. We walked up the steps to his place.

  “I’ll make you some coffee. Go sit down on the couch and I’ll be right back,” Lucas said gently and I nodded, slinging myself on the couch. A couple of minutes later, he sat down next to me, holding two steaming cups in his hands.

  I took a sip out of mine and as the warm liquid ran down my throat, my body became more relaxed. It was as if the hot beverage was slowly dissipating that horrible exasperated feeling that I’d had.

  Lucas positioned himself by the armrest and pulled me close to him, so that I was leaning against him. Having him so close was also working wonders to soothe my feelings.

  “There’s just one thing that’s unclear to me,” he said between sips. “What does your mom think of me? Was it that same stuff Harry was saying last night?”

  “Harvey,” I corrected him and took a deep breath. “They’re both under the impression that you’re a...a creep,” I revealed after hesitating for a moment. “I tried to explain to her but she didn’t want to hear it,” I glanced at him apologetically. “She said you had been biding your time till I became old enough. So you could fulfill your fantasies with me.”

  Lucas’ eyes widened and he almost spat out a mouthful of coffee. “That’s the most fucked up thing I’ve heard,” he shook his head in disbelief.

  I glanced at him, biting down on my lip. There was something all this talk with mom and Harvey had made me wonder about. “I just...I want to ask you something. And I don't mean it in a bad way.”

  He looked interested. “Go ahead.”

  I thought of my choice of words before speaking. “Did you ever..notice me when I was younger?”

  Lucas replied instantly. “No.” His voice was stern. “I only noticed you for the first time right before you went to college. And even then, I just thought you’d grown up to be a beautiful woman,” he explained. “That’s all. I never thought anything more of it. I didn’t think that it would be appropriate.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry for asking,” I said apologetically and nodded. I didn’t want him thinking that I thought he was anything of the sort that my mom was making him out to be.

  “It’s okay, Amelia. You can ask me anything, I hope you know that,” he gave my side a soft pat and leaned his head on my shoulder. “You know, the only reason I acted on my feelings later, was because you had kissed me first.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did,” I smiled and rested my head on his chest.

  We finished our coffees in peace, just talking about pleasant topics. He really had the ability to make me feel like things would turn out okay—or even better than before. I felt his authenticity in my heart and I was really starting to like him—more than like him.

  “So, I have an idea. How about I swing by the store to get us some ice cream?” Lucas asked.

  “Why ice cream?”

  “Because it’s the ultimate comfort food,” he grinned. “Then we’ll have a nice night in and I’ll be your personal servant, making sure you feel better by each passing minute,” he smiled widely, his baby blue eyes sparkling in a boyish way.

  He was so darn cute and handsome at the same time.

  “I would love that,” I said and planted a rather forceful kiss on his lips.

  Chapter 2

  Lucas.

  August cooled into September as Amelia settled into living with me. I was still finding it hard to believe that her own mother had kicked her out—and for something that was completely harmless and natural.

  The aftermath had left me feeling guilty and corrupted—as if there was something truly wrong with me on a deeper level. Amelia’s story kept replaying in my head: Janis’ words caused me to doubt myself and my motives, as ridiculous as it sounded. I questioned whether I was really that creepy older guy, lusting after a young girl. But even the thought of it made me shudder. I didn’t think so, it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Logically speaking, I knew that there was nothing wrong with the two of us being together. I truly cared about Amelia and her well-being, and mentally we matched in age—she was mature beyond her years. I just didn’t like people assuming the worst about me, especially when I only wanted the best for her.

  As the days rolled into weeks and the weeks passed by, I had to admit to myself how much I enjoyed living with Amelia. I’d always been the type to like living on my own: I liked my own space and my peace and quiet. But with her there, it just felt natural. Every day after work, we made dinner and enjoyed a bit of time together, before doing some more work quietly. We were similar in that way: both of us enjoyed the simple things and having company without actually having to speak all the time.

  Amelia had started her internship right after she’d moved into my place. Ever since, she had been working extremely hard, clocking long days at the office and then working on her designs in the evenings. I also had a huge new project at work which took most of my time, so our evening work sessions became a regular.

  However, no matter how much I liked our new routine, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in my head which was making me feel uneasy. I needed to explain to Janis how I really felt about her daughter.

  We’d seen her a few times outside on the street, but each and every time she had escaped to the safety of her home before we’d had a chance to talk to her. I knew that even if Amelia didn’t want to admit it, not being on speaking terms with her own mother was getting to her. Luckily, a few days after their blow out, Janis had apparently left town, which had made the transition easier.

  I left work earlier than usual on Thursday and felt like surprising Amelia. She’d been working so hard despite the situation and if anyone deserved to be treated, it was her. On my way home, I popped into the grocery store and bought ingredients and wine for a special candle-lit dinner.

  As soon as I reached home, I got started on the cooking. Amelia had texted me that she’d be home at eight and in that time I managed to prepare a good old-fashioned steak dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. When the door opened five minutes before her estimated arrival, she entered the dim house that was only lit by candles.

  “Lucas!” she gasped. “What’s all this?”

  I walked over to her and helped her out of her jacket, before handing her a glass of wine. “You’ve been working so hard, I thought we’d both deserve a night off.”

  “This is amazing. Thank you so much,” she smiled and reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze. I led her to the dining table and drew a chair for her.

  “Let me get the plates and then we’ll eat,” I said and hurried to the kitchen, soon emerging with two full plates.

  In between devouring the food, we shared about our days at work.

  “So, I’m really hoping to become a part of that project,” Amelia explained, taking a sip of her wine. “But I need to keep working on my designs. I have a lot of ideas but I just gotta get them on paper and that way I can show them.”

  I nodded, getting up from the table and started clearing it. “That sounds like a great action-plan to me. I’m sure it’ll pay off in no time. You’ve been working so hard and staying focused,” I assured her. “I’m gonna take this stuff to the kitchen and then we can enjoy another glass of wine on the couch?”

  Amelia smiled warmly. “Sounds like a plan. Thank you so much, that was one of the best meals I’ve had.”

  She planted a quick kiss on my cheek and I carried our plates to the sink. After grabbing the wine bottle from the table, I snuggled up next to her on the couch and topped our glasses. We were enjoying each other’s company when I saw a cab pull over in front of the house. I glanced to my left and noticed that Amelia’s eyes were fixed on the car as well.

  Only seconds after, a very drunken-looking Janis stumbled out of it and struggled towards her door. Finally, I heard the door slam, indicating that she had made it inside.

&nbs
p; Janis was back from her escapade. We’d have to address the elephant in the room.

  I cleared my throat. “So I’ve been thinking..I wanna try to talk to your mom..about us and what this is. Maybe I could make her see that the situation isn’t what she thinks.”

  Amelia looked at me with hesitation in her grey eyes. “I’m not sure that’ll work..but if you really want to, you can do it,” she agreed reluctantly. “But I’d prefer to stay out of it if that’s fine with you.”

  “Of course. I’ll see what I can do.”

  THE NEXT MORNING WE both woke up early to have some breakfast together. I decided to work from home, since it would give me the opportunity to talk to Janis. There was no guarantee of when she would take off again, so it was better for me to tackle that issue immediately. She didn't exactly have the best track record of staying put.

  Amelia left to work in a hurry sometime after eight and I got started on my regular tasks. Around noon, after a few hours of work, I figured it would be late enough to go meet Janis.

  I changed into a pair of jeans and button up, hoping to make somewhat of a good impression on her. I needed her to give me the time of day to let me explain. After checking my reflection in the mirror and brushing my always-tousled hair into something more presentable, I headed out and walked to her door, delivering three firm knocks on it.

  The door opened with Janis appearing a bit worse for wear behind it. Her usually sleek blonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she had bags under her eyes. I could tell that she was definitely feeling the after effects of all the fun she’d had during her time away.

  “Hello Janis. Can I come inside? I’d like to have a conversation with you,” I finally broke the silence.

  “Whatever you want to say to me, you can say it from there,” she croaked.

  I caught a whiff of alcohol emanating from her. She was wearing cream velour joggers with a white tank top. Casual day for Janis, I thought to myself. It was unlikely—usually she was dressed like your typical Upper East Side lady. But not today.