by Cat Schield
“I love it.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and bent his lips to her ear. “It’s just that I love your beautiful soft skin so much more.”
She felt goose bumps at his words. He had a knack for turning her on with a look or a compliment. She became aware of the pulse throbbing between her thighs as she anticipated his hands coasting over her body, stripping the gown away, baring her to his gaze and touch. A groan built in her chest as desire bloomed, but she held it in and savored the rush of longing that flowed through her veins.
Being around Ryan made her happier than anything she’d known before. On the heels of this realization came a bitter reality check. The purpose behind why she’d met him in the first place. The reason she’d moved into his spare apartment and had cultivated his friendship was to cause him harm.
Despair struck at her, ruining her mood. Her smile faded as they neared Ryan’s car. He noticed the sudden change and pulled her into his arms before opening the car door.
His thumb caressed her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The lie came easily to her lips. So did the reassuring smile.
She’d spent most of her married life pretending to be something she wasn’t. Lately she’d felt safe enough to display her true emotions. Ryan was a rock that she could batter with sarcasm, anger and tears. Nothing she said or did seemed to faze him. He absorbed everything and gave back understanding and acceptance.
“Are you worried about seeing your ex?”
“It’s not just him. Everyone I used to know will be there tonight. They’re all going to be judging me.” Perhaps it wasn’t the whole truth, but it was true enough to justify her sudden bout of melancholy.
“You don’t have to let their opinions matter,” he reminded her. “They can’t hurt you unless you let them.”
“You’re right.” She heaved a sigh. “It’s just really hard to stop caring that they disapprove.”
The admission wasn’t one she’d confided to anyone before Ryan. She trusted him not to dismiss her concerns. Somehow he recognized how determined she was to face up to the challenges she’d once avoided.
“You’ll get there.” He kissed the top of her head. “In the meantime, you can count on me to play guard dog for you. I’ll bare my teeth at anyone who makes you uncomfortable.”
She smiled as no doubt he’d hoped she would. Grinning at him released more of her tension. She captured his face between her palms and kissed him firmly on the lips.
“Thank you,” she said, feeling her heart expanding as she gazed at him.
“I’m serious.”
“I know.” She released him and stepped back. “And you’re a wonderful champion.” I don’t deserve you.
The thought continued to ring in her mind as Ryan drove them to the venue, and even when he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led the way into the party. Her agitation grew with each stride into the historic downtown Charleston plantation home overlooking the Ashley River. Who would she run into at tonight’s thousand-dollar-a-plate fund-raiser for Susannah’s state senate campaign?
“Zoe Crosby.” A beautiful brunette stepped into her path. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You cut all your hair off.” Before Zoe could update Polly Matson with her post-divorce surname, the woman’s keen blue eyes shifted in Ryan’s direction and lingered. “Obviously divorce agrees with you.” She stuck out a slender hand tipped with blush-tinted fingernails. “You’re Susannah’s brother, aren’t you? I’m Polly Matson.”
“Ryan Dailey.” He shook her hand and gave her a polite smile.
“Susannah’s brother. You must be so proud of her,” Polly gushed, her entire focus coming to bear on Ryan.
“Of course.” Ryan nodded. “If you’ll excuse us, we were on our way to find her.”
“Don’t let me hold you up,” Polly said as Ryan guided Zoe away.
Zoe didn’t need to look back to know that Polly would make a beeline for Callie Hill and Azalea Stocks. The trio had never been all that fond of Zoe before her divorce. No doubt they’d been gleeful when the rumor of Zoe’s supposed infidelity had begun to spread. Charleston’s elite loved a juicy scandal and of course everyone had come down on Tristan’s side. He’d been the model husband, after all. The darker elements of his controlling nature had never made a public appearance. And those pesky rumors surrounding his supposed infidelity? No one cared. Yet Zoe had been shunned after the same allegations had been lodged against her.
“I take it she’s not a friend of yours,” Ryan said.
“I didn’t really have any friends.” That sounded overly dramatic so she quickly clarified, “Not true friends anyway. Not the sort you can trust with your darkest secrets and deepest fears.”
“Did you have a lot of those? Secrets and fears, I mean.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
For several seconds Ryan regarded her somberly. She knew he hated it when she deflected his attempts to understand her better, but she’d spent so long guarding her true feelings that it was second nature to hide behind flippant remarks and bravado.
Zoe gave a huge sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I felt this exposed.”
“I understand.”
And she knew he did. He’d proved to be more sensitive to nuance than any man she’d ever known. Was it because his twin was female? Whatever the cause, he knew how to listen.
“Shall we go find Susannah?” she suggested, taking his arm.
The steely muscles beneath the elegant tuxedo jacket reminded her that he’d promised to be her champion tonight and she relaxed slightly. Unfortunately her calm lasted for only a few steps because across the room she spied her ex-husband.
Tristan was deep in conversation with a slender brunette. Although she wanted to tear her attention away, something about the woman struck a chord. The elusive familiarity nagged at her while Ryan paused to chat with a friend. It wasn’t until the woman glanced over her shoulder and made direct eye contact that Zoe realized that the brunette was Everly in disguise.
What the hell?
Her anxiety spiked into the red zone as she was swamped by a barrage of questions. What was Everly doing at Susannah’s fund-raiser? Why was Everly talking to Tristan? What could possibly be going on? Panic roared through Zoe as she noted their ease with each other. Not once had Everly indicated she’d known Tristan. Was their association a recent development? If so, had she sought him out? Zoe wouldn’t put it past her. Damn the woman for stepping over the line again.
Zoe couldn’t tear her attention from the pair and when she saw them part ways, she excused herself from Ryan and headed after Everly. With the other woman demonstrating she had no intention of sticking to their original agreement of no interference, Zoe decided that gave her grounds to back out of the revenge bargain. And it wasn’t as if she’d done anything with the documents London had given her about Tristan’s financial dealings. If Zoe never went after her ex-husband’s offshore accounts technically she’d never get her revenge on him.
Hope bloomed. Maybe there was a way she and Ryan could be together. But first, she intended to get some answers.
She caught up to Everly near the bar and nudged her away from the guests and toward a quiet corner on the far side of the party. Once isolated, she let her irritation show. “What the hell are you doing here and what were you and Tristan talking about?”
“I was just saying hello.”
“You were saying hello?” Zoe echoed in disbelief, dumbstruck that Everly could be so flippant about approaching Tristan. “I don’t believe you.”
“Fine,” Everly said, all glibness leaving her manner. “I came to remind you to keep your eye on the ball.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve forgotten why you were supposed to get to know Ryan in the first place. We had a bargain, you, London and I. W
e did our part. Now it’s your turn.”
“I don’t need you riding me all the time. And now I see you talking to Tristan. That’s taking things too far.” Zoe’s hands shook and she gripped her evening bag to keep her anxiety from showing. “In fact, this whole thing is making me uncomfortable.” Suddenly Zoe saw a light at the end of the tunnel. A way out of this mess. “I’m done.”
Her giddy sense of relief lasted barely a second.
“Excuse me?” Everly’s lips tightened and when she spoke next, her words were barely audible. “You can’t just quit.”
“I can and I am.” Zoe’s stomach gave a sharp lurch as fury exploded in Everly’s bright green eyes. “Because here’s the issue. I don’t trust you.”
* * *
With the dinner portion of Susannah’s fund-raiser over, Ryan had no interest in lingering. While three of his sister’s friends were asking Zoe questions about her store, Ryan went in search of his twin to say goodbye. Seeing that she was deep in conversation with one of her biggest donors, he decided not to interrupt and was about to reverse direction and head back to Zoe when a man spoke from behind him.
“You really should watch yourself with Zoe.”
Ryan turned to confront Tristan Crosby, anger lancing through him at the man’s warning. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“She’s going to cause you nothing but trouble,” Crosby continued smoothly, as if Ryan hadn’t spoken.
“Seems to me you’re the one looking to create problems,” Ryan responded, his tone hard and cold. “Why don’t you mind your own business and let Zoe get on with her life?”
“You know, my ex-wife is full of sob stories,” Tristan said, undaunted by Ryan’s warning. “The last thing you want to do is believe everything she says.”
Although he regretted engaging the man, Ryan had promised to defend Zoe. “I have no reason to doubt anything she says.” Yet at one point in time hadn’t he done exactly that? Of course, that was before they’d started sleeping together.
The explosive chemistry Ryan enjoyed with Zoe had blunted his initial reservations about her.
As if Zoe’s ex could read Ryan’s mind, a cruel smirk formed on his lips. “She’s good at keeping secrets, but I think you’ll find that out soon enough.”
When Ryan refused to respond, Crosby offered a mocking salute before walking away. The exchange had been both brief and unpleasant, yet its disturbing aftertaste lingered in Ryan’s mind. Obviously, Crosby wasn’t satisfied with all the damage he’d done to Zoe during the divorce proceedings. He intended to pursue his grudge even further.
“Why were you talking to Tristan?” Zoe demanded as she approached him, her frightened expression startling Ryan.
“He was just trying to cause trouble between us.”
Zoe frowned. “What did he say?”
Ryan cursed the distrust Tristan Crosby had stirred in him. Thanks to all the fantastic sex Ryan had been having with Zoe, he’d stopped suspecting her.
“He made some vague warnings about you being trouble,” Ryan replied, his tone dismissive. At the horror reflected in her expression, he added, “I set him straight, and then told him to back off and leave you alone.”
“Thank you for standing up for me.” She reached out and took his hand in a fierce grip. “It’s not something I’m use to.”
Her appreciation left him feeling guilty for his earlier doubts. Suddenly he was remembering what had happened with Kelly Briggs. When he’d discovered her boyfriend had locked her out of the apartment they’d been sharing and wouldn’t give her back her stuff, Ryan had found her a new place to live and persuaded the ex to turn over her things as well as to give up several expensive items Kelly had purchased while they’d been living together.
While Ryan had never crossed a line with Kelly because she’d been his employee and he hadn’t been attracted to her in the least, he missed how emotionally vulnerable she was. To his dismay, she’d misinterpreted his motivation behind aiding her and created a fantasy where he’d felt something for her beyond friendship. When he’d set her straight, she’d overreacted to his rejection and retaliated by deleting his company’s important engineering schematics.
Ryan recognized that he’d made a huge mistake with Kelly Briggs. Had he repeated the error with Zoe? Would his actions once again come back to bite him in the ass?
His choice to invite her to stay in one of his guest apartments had been far from prudent, but lust had proved stronger than curiosity or suspicion. He might have overpowered his desire to take her to bed if their chemistry had been less explosive.
The speed with which things had been moving between them coupled with Crosby’s warning awakened Ryan to just how fast Zoe had slid beneath his skin. Should he tap on the brakes? Her financial situation wasn’t the best. Did his wealth make him more attractive to her? She hadn’t asked him for help, yet she’d made it clear that her situation was desperate.
Ryan believed he’d resolved the questions surrounding Zoe joining Susannah’s campaign. He’d been lulled by their deepening connection to invite her into his inner circle. Now, Crosby’s ambiguous threats reminded Ryan that in many ways she remained an unknown entity. If things fell apart with their fledgling relationship, would she act out the way Kelly had? What sort of fallout should he brace for?
Her fingers tightened around his. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, peering at him in concern and leaving him to wonder if his expression had revealed his inner turmoil.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, pushing aside his doubts about what was or wasn’t real about their relationship. “I think I’ve supported my sister long enough.”
“Sure.” The smile she gave him would’ve appeared perfectly natural if it had reached her eyes. “I’m dying to be alone with you.”
Her response was perfect. Too perfect? Disgusted with himself, Ryan led her toward the exit. “Do you want to grab a drink somewhere or head straight home?”
“Let’s go back to your place,” she said, leaning into him. “I want to get naked with you.”
Her whispered words sent lust raging through him, but Ryan couldn’t stop himself from wondering if she was saying what she knew he wanted to hear or if sex was truly on her mind. It would be so easy to take her at face value. He could just consider himself incredibly lucky to be involved with a woman whose passion matched his own.
“Keep talking like that and I’ll get pulled over for speeding,” he teased, shoving aside his doubts for the rest of the evening.
* * *
Everly sat in her car outside Susannah Dailey-Kirby’s campaign headquarters, replaying her latest conversation with Devon Connor and wondering how long her business would survive if she lost her biggest client. The golf resort magnate was far from happy at her latest ideas to brand the new property he’d purchased and had given her a week to come up with a fresh concept.
Which was why she should be brainstorming at her office instead of watching the campaign staff file out one by one until only the deputy campaign manager remained. In the past, when Everly cruised by at this time of night, she’d noticed Patty Joyce working late, putting in ridiculous hours to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Everly expelled a frustrated breath. Sitting here while nothing was happening was a huge waste of time, but since Zoe had decided to renege on her part of the bargain, it wasn’t like Everly had any choice. From the start it was obvious that Zoe lacked commitment. Everly’s fury with the former socialite had grown in the days following the fund-raiser and she’d added Zoe to her growing to-do list. As soon as Everly dealt Susannah’s campaign a death blow, she would make Zoe pay for turning her back on all Everly’s careful planning.
Deciding tonight’s surveillance was a bust, Everly took a hold of the keys in her ignition, but before she could fire the engine, she spied a man approaching Joyce. The l
ate hour and darkened storefronts he passed prevented her from seeing his features, but she assumed it was Gil Moore, the campaign manager. Nothing new there. Moore worked as hard as his deputy.
Only as she watched the man approach Patty Joyce, Everly realized she’d guessed wrong. Crowing with delight, Everly lifted her cell phone and zoomed in on Jefferson Kirby as he pulled his wife’s deputy campaign manager into his arms and kissed her.
In seconds Everly had captured a dozen images of the couple’s passionate embrace. While she waited for them to leave, Everly studied the fuzzy pictures, wishing the faces were clearer. From their body language this wasn’t a first-time event.
Moments later the lights went dark and Everly tracked the pair as they headed for Patty Joyce’s car. Disappointed that she hadn’t done a better job documenting Jefferson Kirby’s infidelity, Everly started her car and put it in gear, following the couple.
Their destination turned out to be a motel a mere ten-minute drive from the campaign office with access to the room off the parking lot. With no hallway to walk, they ran less of a chance of being seen. Only, they hadn’t counted on Everly.
Thanks to the couple’s preoccupation with each other, neither one noticed as Everly parked close enough to capture the whole sordid scene as they kissed their way to the door. The entire spectacle lasted less than thirty seconds, but Everly recorded every instant.
She’d been hoping for dirt on Susannah Dailey-Kirby but, like her brother, the candidate had proved squeaky-clean. Never had Everly expected anything like Jefferson Kirby’s affair to fall into her lap, but now that it had, she needed to figure out the best way to capitalize on what she’d uncovered.
Nine
Zoe was picking up lunch for Eva and Jessica at the coffee shop down the street when her phone chimed, indicating an incoming email. With two people ahead of her in line, she’d been scrolling through her social media feed liking cute pictures of cats and sharing photos of the store’s newest inventory. The number of people who followed Second Chance Treasures on social media had tripled in the weeks since Susannah had thrown her support behind the store and Zoe was humbled and grateful. If not for Ryan and his sister, Zoe would’ve had to close the boutique. She owed them an incredible debt.