by Inara Scott
Unlike Kaia. Clearly, he knew nothing about handling women like Kaia.
Aaaand there he was, thinking about her again. Damn it.
“W-would you like to come in?”
The voice, nervous with just the hint of a stutter, was vaguely familiar. Garrett narrowed his brows. Odd accent, unclear origin, husky tones, surely not… ?
She pulled the door open and he stepped inside. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light, but not nearly that long for him to recognize the woman standing in front of him.
Kaia.
She looked different. Completely different. Some of the changes were blatant. Her expensive, barely-there silk dress had been replaced by a threadbare knit shirt and cheap cotton miniskirt. Instead of flashy, high-heeled sandals, she now wore the ubiquitous half-flattened flip-flops Portia thought heralded the end of Western civilization. Other changes were more subtle. The hair he remembered flowing over her back in thick waves, dark honey sparkling with gold, was now a more uniform brown, just a few hints of lighter highlights at her temples and around her face. Her skin no longer had the same unearthly golden glow; her eyes were still green, but they lacked some sparkling depth, some emerald quality that had made it impossible to look away. Where before the skin around them had looked perfectly smooth, he could now see tiny wrinkles in the corners, and even a blemish on one cheek.
Her body looked different as well. She was thinner now, her hips still round and her legs impossibly long, but she no longer resembled a living Barbie doll. Her curves were less pronounced, her lines were more angular.
In short, she had gone from heartbreakingly perfect to… imperfect.
Human.
Garrett stepped back as a sizzle of hot fury raced through him. Had it all been an act? Fancy makeup? Padded bra, special undergarments? Had he been drugged? Did that explain his bizarre behavior that night?
“What the hell are you doing here?” he managed to say calmly.
She blinked and took a step back, seeming surprised by the level of animosity in his voice. Her hands twisted in front of her. “I’m working for Rachel now. In the flower shop.”
“Working for Rachel?” Garrett shook his head. “Rachel doesn’t have anyone working for her. She’s been complaining for months that she needs someone but she can’t afford to pay a decent wage.”
Kaia tried to smile, though it emerged as tremulous. “I suppose decent is in the eye of the beholder.”
“You’re trying to tell me you’re working at Rachel’s Roses? For minimum wage?”
She bit her lip. “I needed the job, and Rachel—”
“Rachel has no idea what she’s doing.”
As if on cue, Rachel’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “Are you two all right out there? Ted and I are out back wrestling with the grill if you need us.”
Garrett twisted his lips into an approximation of a smile. “We’ll be right there,” he called back.
He stared at Kaia, still unable to fully comprehend the image of her standing in Rachel’s living room, surrounded by Rachel’s hodgepodge style of interior decoration, which mainly entailed buckets of shells, black and white photographs of brides holding bouquets, and mismatched pieces of furniture covered with handmade quilts. At the Avalon, Kaia had been a walking fantasy—a woman who lived in haute couture fashion and slept on silk sheets at the finest hotels. Now, with her chin up and hands betraying her nerves with the hint of a tremble, she was so changed, it was as if she had become an entirely new person.
He couldn’t say that she’d somehow become plain, or even that she looked entirely comfortable in Rachel’s house. She was too tall, too striking, her eyes too exotic, her features too captivating. Looking at her was like finding a single rose in a garden filled with daisies.
Yet this was not the same woman he had known.
As he continued to stare, her chin jutted nervously forward, and he realized the true difference between the Kaia he’d known and this new Kaia: her air of vulnerability. The woman he met just two weeks ago had been supremely self-assured, wearing an air of confidence in everything she did and every move she made. This woman was vulnerable. This woman did not know how she would be received.
This woman, amazingly enough, did not know how beautiful she was.
Yet somehow, now that she’d lost that air of otherworldly perfection and confidence and her flaws had been revealed, she had become even more attractive.
It was devastating.
And infuriating.
“You’re a fraud,” he said pleasantly, fighting to maintain his tightly controlled smile. “A fake and a fraud. You can stick me with a gigantic hotel bill, but I’m not going to let you do it to my friends. I want you gone by tomorrow. Out of Rachel’s life, out of Ted’s life, and out of mine. I don’t want Rachel hurt or embarrassed. You disappear like the trash you are. Understand?”
Kaia’s hands fell noiselessly to her sides and the color fled from her cheeks. “Stick you with a gigantic bill?” she whispered.
“Don’t try to play dumb. I may be an idiot, but I’m not that big an idiot. I talked to the front desk after you left the Avalon. When they ran your bill, your credit card was rejected. Perhaps you didn’t notice that you didn’t receive a charge for the Avalon? Perhaps your bills are so high every month, you don’t notice a couple thousand extra here and there?”
White-faced, she shook her head. “I used my husband’s card. I didn’t know it was… er… rejected.”
Bile filled Garrett’s mouth. “Dear God, you’re married, too?”
“No, no!” She took a step toward him, looking panicked. “He’s dead. Oh, it’s complicated. Very complicated.”
Garrett crossed his arms over his chest. “This ought to be entertaining.”
“I’m not sure this is the right time.” Her gaze darted to the back of the house. “Maybe later, I could—”
“Now.”
“We don’t really have time. Rachel and Ted, they—”
“Give me the short version. If I’m feeling generous, I’ll let you fill in the details later.”
Kaia took a deep breath, and her lashes fluttered down to hide her eyes. “I was married very young. I tried to leave him a few times but he controlled everything. For the last few years I barely saw him. I think he had other women. He died in a car accident about six weeks ago.”
She spoke quickly and unemotionally, as if trying to get everything out before he could interrupt again. “I spent a couple of weeks after he died trying to figure out what to do with myself. I went a little crazy, I think. I traveled around, trying to clear my head. And that’s when I met you. I thought the credit card worked. I never paid the bills. He always did that. When I got back home there were creditors calling and I had no money to pay them. I had no job, no skills, and no one to help.”
“Sounds rough.” Garrett narrowed his gaze. Her story was far too polished to be true, and his gut told him something about her didn’t add up. On the other hand, he had no idea what to think about the genuine look of shock on her face or the very odd turn of events that had landed her back in his life after what had appeared to be a clear case of take-the-money-and-run.
In either case, he knew trouble when he saw it. “What I said earlier still goes. I want you gone. Tomorrow.”
“You can’t mean that,” Kaia said. “I’ll pay you back. Just tell me how much I owe you and I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
“Five thousand bucks, give or take a few dollars,” he drawled. “You got that in your checking account?”
Kaia closed her eyes and whispered something to herself. She opened them again and said carefully, “It will take a while. I just started working for Rachel. Maybe we can work out some kind of payment plan.”
“Payment plan?” He laughed. “I have no interest in becoming your banker. I just want you out of our lives.”
For a moment her lower lip trembled, and he thought she might cry. She stuck out her jaw and said firmly, “I’m
not going anywhere. Rachel and I have become friends. She’s given me a job and I’m keeping it. For the first time in my life I’ve got my own money and I’m in control of my own destiny. I’m not giving that up just because you don’t like me.”
Garrett took a step closer to her, marveling at the feeling of meeting a woman’s gaze so close to his own, just like he had when they’d danced together at the Blue Hour. She crossed her arms defensively. Like the rest of her body, her arms were tawny-colored and lean, with long, sinewy muscles. He pictured for a moment unwrapping those arms, dragging her body against his, and kissing her until she writhed with pleasure.
Instead, he forced himself to laugh. “Don’t like you? Darling, I’m not sure you understand. This has nothing to do with like or dislike. This has to do with protecting my own.”
There was a clatter on the back deck and a yelp from Rachel. “Don’t worry, everything’s all right! We’ll just be another minute. Help yourself to drinks!”
Garrett ran his fingers through his hair and sighed at the painfully obvious attempt Rachel was making to leave them alone together. He pinned his gaze on Kaia. “As you may recall, when we first met, you were wrapped around my very engaged friend, Ted. After sleeping with me, you disappeared in the middle of the night with absolutely no explanation, and left me with a very expensive hotel bill. Now you’re back, claiming to be friends with Ted’s fiancée, who has been kind enough to give you a job. Forgive me if I question your motives.”
Kaia furrowed her brow. “I can understand why you’re upset, but I swear, I didn’t mean things to happen the way they did. I had no idea about the credit card, I really didn’t.”
“So why did you take off? Where did you go?”
“I told you, I wasn’t myself that weekend. Charlie had just died. I never intended to sleep with you, or anyone else for that matter. I guess… ” She met his eyes, and something electric sparked between them. The memory of that night, and the feeling of her body beneath his all came back in a rush. “I guess I got carried away.”
“And then?” he prompted. He hated the fact that he was bothering to ask. He shouldn’t care, damn it. She had left. It didn’t matter why.
Suddenly, the answer to that question had become vitally important.
She turned her back to him and walked to the wicker entertainment console that held Rachel’s stereo and television. A row of starfish decorated the top, interspersed with giant conch shells. Kaia picked up one of the large pink shells and gently rolled it in her hand.
“I panicked,” she said finally, her voice soft, with just a hint of hesitation. She set down the shell and faced him once again. Her eyes darted around the room. She was nervous, her chest rising and falling at a rapid rate. “I’d never done anything like that before, especially not with a man like you. You made me feel something I’d never felt before, and it terrified me. I didn’t know what else to do. So I ran.”
He studied her, from her trembling hands with their uneven, broken nails, to the tip of her nose, which looked like it was recovering from a recent sunburn. She was not what he had thought, but what was she? Thief and hooker? Innocent victim of an overbearing husband? Didn’t he owe it to her to at least try to find out?
He heard the voices of Ted and Rachel as they entered the house and leaned forward, dropping his voice. “I’ll give you a week. And I’ll be making some calls to see if your story checks out. If you lied to me about anything—anything at all—I’ll personally march you out of town. And this time, I’ll make sure you never come back.”
Chapter Fifteen
Kaia spun around, unable to look any longer at Garrett’s beautiful, cold face.
She was screwed. Plain and simple, no way out. She might as well give up now. The imp was somewhere laughing hysterically, she was certain. What questions would he ask? What answers would he find? She hadn’t existed until a few weeks ago. Now, she had a driver’s license. That was all.
Would that be enough? Would that answer his questions? How could she prove she had a husband? A dead husband, for that matter?
Questions bubbled up with increasing speed and terror. She suppressed them with a firm, internal shake to the shoulders. Now was not the time to panic. Later, when she was alone on her cot at Good Sam, she could panic. But not now. Now, she had to focus on seduction.
Or rather, on love. She still didn’t entirely understand the difference, but for now at least, it probably didn’t matter. For now, she had to focus on convincing Garrett to let her stay in Miami. She couldn’t think about how ashamed she was to be doing exactly what Garrett thought: defrauding Rachel and Ted and disappointing everyone who’d gone out of their way to help her.
Rachel came into the room, a speculative look on her face as she noted Kaia and Garrett standing so close together. “Kaia, can you give me a hand with dinner?” She turned to Garrett. “Ted’s out back grilling the steaks. Kaia and I are going to whip up a salad. Feel free to make your escape from the kitchen now, if you’d like.”
Garrett flashed her an easy smile. “Rachel, this has nothing to do with escape. You know as well as I the danger of leaving Ted in charge of a delicate piece of equipment.”
Kaia winced at the sound of his voice. He spoke casually, as if totally unaffected by her story. He had a hint of a Southern accent, and regardless of his words, it sounded as if he was mocking her.
She hadn’t even known credit cards could be rejected, whatever that meant. Did that happen every time she left the human world and traveled back to Faeria? Did the credit card disappear along with her? Or had it been a trick of the imp’s? She could just imagine the annoying creature messing with her credit card, just to amuse himself.
As they entered the kitchen, Rachel handed her a head of lettuce and a wooden cutting board. She waited until Garrett joined Ted on the back deck before speaking. “Are you sure you’re okay with Garrett being here? I know you haven’t dated much since Charlie died.”
Kaia carefully rinsed each leaf of lettuce. “Not at all, actually. But this isn’t a date, is it? More like a dinner party.”
“You call it whatever you want,” Rachel said as she pulled dressing and salt and pepper from a cabinet over the stove. “I think you’re incredibly brave to be getting out at all, given what you’ve been through. If you don’t mind my asking, how long were you married?”
Kaia finished chopping the lettuce before she spoke. “About ten years too long.”
“Oh.” Rachel bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay. It’s still a bit raw, though. I hope you don’t mind.”
Kaia generally avoided questions about the fictional Charlie. Talking about him only exacerbated her guilt over what she was doing here. She had no choice but to break Garrett’s heart; Zafira and the Black Ladies would show her no mercy if she failed. Lying to women like Rachel and Jenny, who seemed so intent on helping her start a new life, felt wrong.
“How long have you known Garrett?” Kaia asked, hoping to change the subject.
“About two years. I met him when I started dating Ted.”
“He seems very nice.”
“Nice?” Rachel snickered. “Nice isn’t the word I’d use. And by the way, you two seemed pretty intense out there. Are you sure you and Garrett just shared a cab back from the Blue Hour?”
“We left right after Ted,” Kaia said, trying not to sound defensive. “Garrett had a lot of work, and a meeting in the morning.”
She tried to imagine how Garrett would characterize their meeting. Surely he wouldn’t tell anyone they’d slept together.
Surely not.
“I’ve never known Garrett to shy away from a late night,” Rachel said. “Odd combination of things, is our Garrett. Gentleman and satyr, business mogul and frustrated artist, all wrapped into one.”
Kaia paused to consider the image of Garrett as a satyr. Somehow, it wasn’t too difficult. “What do you mean?” she asked as she threw the lettuce into a bowl and
started slicing a bright red pepper.
“Only that Garrett’s life hasn’t always been easy. The way Ted tells it, Garrett’s grandmother, the one who raised him, is a real piece of work. She kept him on a really short leash when he was growing up, and you know what happens when you do that.” She shook her head knowingly. “Instant rebellion.”
“Rebellion? He doesn’t look very rebellious to me. He helps run the business, and he lives close by. He seems to be the perfect grandson.” Yet another reason why Zafira’s quest to break his heart seemed odd. Why target a man like that? There must be some skeleton in his closet, but what?
Rachel flashed her a knowing look. “So you know a little something about Garrett?”
Kaia’s cheeks burned. “Oh, um, he mentioned it. While we were in the cab.”
Rachel nodded, though a tiny smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. She pulled a stack of plates out of a cupboard. “Well, you’re right, he didn’t go out and get a bunch of weird tattoos or piercings, and he’s definitely a moneymaker. It’s more the subtle things. He refuses to be seen with the same woman for more than a night at a time, when he knows darn well his grandmother wants him married and settled down. He helps with the business but he won’t become an executive. I think he’s in management or something.”
Rachel waved her hand in confusion. “I don’t exactly know how it all works, but as I understand it, Portia keeps trying to get him to become vice president, or CEO, and he keeps refusing. The one thing she did manage to beat out of him was his art. Ted tells me when they were kids, Garrett was a heck of a musician. Grandma let him play up until high school and then she cut him off. Decided it was time to focus on business. So no more music. I don’t think he’s played since.”
Kaia froze, her knife inches above the pepper. She recalled their conversation at the Blue Hour, Garrett’s impassioned description of jazz and blues and his confession about his dream of becoming the next Wynton Marsalis. “No more music? That’s horrible.”