Bury Me with Lies (Twin Lies Duet Book 2)

by S. M. Soto

  My heart seizes in my chest, and my breath leaves me in a whoosh of air. Like a blow to the gut, the air is completely knocked out of me. He must see the panic on my face because he sighs.

  “He’s waiting for you in the penthouse. If you need me to go up there with you, I will,” Dan reassures.

  I shake my head, clearing the nervousness from my throat. “No. No, I think we’re okay. Thank you, Dan.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Wright.”

  I smile, softening at his remorse. “Don’t be. And please, stop calling me that.”

  The entire ride up the elevator to the penthouse level, I’m shifting on my feet, and Ava notices. “Are you nervous?”

  I jerk, my gaze shooting down. “What? No, what makes you say that?”

  She lifts a brow in a comical gesture. “You keep moving, and your hand is sweating a lot.”

  My face reddens. “Okay, yes. I’m a little nervous. But this is fine. We’re going to be fine. Just signing some papers, then we’ll be out of there.”

  She’s still eyeing me like I’m insane, and hell, maybe I am.

  My anxiety shoots through the roof when the elevator dings, announcing we’re on the top floor. Squeezing Ava’s hand for strength, I guide the way through the hall that I’ve walked through countless times before. It feels strange being here, but at the same time, it feels right. And that’s precisely the problem. It shouldn’t feel right anymore.

  I raise my fist, knocking on the penthouse door. My heart is thundering in my chest, and my breathing is so irregular that I have to internally coach myself on how to inhale and exhale like a normal person. When the door opens, my mouth goes dry. I press my tongue into the roof of my mouth, at a complete loss for words.

  There stands Baz, in all his handsome glory. He looks just as big and as formidable as ever, dark, unruly hair hanging in his face, and bright eyes, that feel like they can see into my soul, pin me to my spot. Dressed in an impeccable three-piece suit that does nothing to disguise his incredibly built body beneath, he looks like a million bucks.

  My heart twinges when our eyes lock. I feel some internal part of me latch onto him with fists of forever, determined to never let go. I feel like our souls are shaking hands and kissing hello, reacquainting themselves, while we don’t utter a single word. His gaze searches my eyes, scanning my face and taking every part of me in. I want to hide under the weight of his scrutiny, but I stand strong.

  “Hi.”

  His brows jump at the sound of the voice, and he glances down, just now realizing who’s with me. The corner of his mouth quirks.

  “Hey, Ava.”

  “Do you really live here?” she asks, stretching on her tiptoes to see behind him.

  He chuckles. The sound is warm and deep, and it settles in my chest. “I do.” He opens the door wider and takes a step back, allowing us to step inside. I avoid looking at him at all costs, instead, following Ava’s awed gaze as she takes everything in.

  Baz clears his throat, drawing my attention to him. A crease forms between his brows, as he looks back and forth between us. Ava doesn’t stand still for long. She walks straight toward the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the incredible view we don’t have back home.

  “What?” I ask.

  He shakes his head, wiping the look off. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he shrugs noncommittally. “I haven’t seen you two together, and I guess I just wasn’t expecting you to look so similar. Both with blond hair now, you really do look like you could be her mother.”

  My gaze trails back to Ava. I’ve thought the same thing a few times, while looking back at pictures of us, but I just thought it was the hair and the fact that she was calling me Mom that led me to think that way. I just sort of brushed it under the rug, but knowing others will think I’m her real mother makes me feel better. Maybe growing up with an adoptive mother won’t be so hard. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but I do want her to fit in.

  When I glance back at Baz, my heart skips a beat when I realize he’s been watching me this whole time. My cheeks turn a bright shade of pink, and I clear my throat, glancing away as I gather my thoughts. I can feel his stare burning through me, as though he’s taking note of everything going on inside me.

  I risk a glance back at him and find him still looking at me, but this time, he’s wearing a little smirk on his face. It makes me blush even harder.

  “What’s that whole face for?” I circle my finger in the general direction of his face, and his smirk widens.

  “You seem happy. You both do.”

  My heart gallops. I look down at my feet, warring with myself, wondering if I should say what I want to. Inhaling a deep breath, I peek at him through my lashes and decide to hell with it.

  “I am happy, and I have you to thank for that, but there’s something miss—”

  “Wow!” We hear Ava yell from the window, looking out at his infinity pool. “It’s so big.”

  She all but presses her face against the glass. I take her cutting me off as a sign that the words are never supposed to leave my lips. Baz pauses, looking like he wants to ask me to finish what I was saying, but then he sighs to himself, obviously thinking better of it, and heads toward Ava. He opens the door, walking out with her. I follow them, my heart twinging with each step, just being this close to him again.

  I watch from a distance as he listens to Ava prattle on and on. He asks her questions while he shows her around the top floor of the penthouse. My heart does something strange as I watch him with her. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest, crushing me, but there’s this light, fluttering sensation in my belly. I press my hand to my stomach, trying to quell the sudden wave of emotions slamming into me. I tune into the conversation they’re having, a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

  “Do you know how to swim yet?”

  Ava shakes her head. “Not yet.”

  Baz mock gasps. “That’s insanity. You mean to tell me you have an amazing pool in your backyard, and she hasn’t shown you what to do with it yet?”

  We both laugh like little schoolgirls with a crush. Ava shakes her head. “Will you teach me?”

  “I will. Whenever you want, just say the word, and I’ll be there. Also, let’s keep this between us, but it’s probably better you learn how to swim from me anyway. I heard your mom isn’t the greatest swimmer.”

  “Hey!” I yell out lightheartedly, playing the part. Ava laughs, obviously enjoying the ribbing session she’s having with Baz. I try not to focus too much on the fact that he’s promising to teach her to swim. It’s insane how she can be nine years old and still not know how to swim. There are so many things that’ll be firsts for her that we’ll need to catch up on. I just hope he won’t let her down on this. I’ll obviously need to have a talk with him about promising stuff to her he doesn’t intend on following through with, but I’ll save that for a later time.

  For a while longer, I stand off to the side, watching how easy it is for Baz and Ava to interact with one another. I thought she’d be a little hesitant around him, seeing as he’s not really a part of my life anymore, but she seems all too happy to spend time with him, and Baz, he’s just as good as he was with her at the gala. He listens intently to her every word, his focus solely on her.

  It warms my heart.

  Ava busies herself with some pen and paper, courtesy of Baz, and draws another masterpiece while he and I finish up the paperwork we came here for.

  “You didn’t have to buy that shitty car,” he says, handing a thin file of paperwork over to me.

  I shoot him a scowl. “Yes, I did. I feel like you’ve done everything for me. I wanted to do one thing myself, but…I get why you did it. And I’m thankful.”

  Our eyes lock, that lingering tension zapping between us, the current suffocating us both. He clears his throat. “Anytime.”

  When it’s time to leave, I want to hang back and ask Baz to come over for dinner, but I don’t know if that’s crossing the line. Today was just
about signing papers. It might be a bit premature of me to invite him over. We hover near the door. The easygoing nature we had earlier is now gone and in its place is tension-filled air.

  “It was good seeing you. And thank you.”

  Baz nods, his gaze darting between the two of us. “See you later, Ava. And don’t forget about those lessons, okay?”

  She smiles. “See you later, Sebastian.”

  Our gazes linger on one another for a beat and so much passes between us. It all becomes too much, so I take Ava’s hand, and I turn, refusing to look back at him. I know if I do, I’ll never be able to leave. I’ll fall back into old habits, and I can’t let that happen.

  That swimming lesson Baz promised Ava happens a lot sooner than I’m prepared for. I sit on one of the loungers on his balcony and watch as he tries to teach Ava how to swim. For the first thirty minutes, I sit on the edge of my seat, a nervous wreck. It isn’t that I don’t trust Baz. It is just that I don’t want anything to happen to Ava. But much to my surprise, he’s been patient and extremely gentle, guiding her on how to pump and kick to stay afloat.

  My laptop is warm on my lap, as my gaze drifts from Baz to Ava, when I’m supposed to be working. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I force myself to dig deep and let the words flow, but as much as I try, they don’t come. I worry that signing that publishing agreement was premature. Don’t people usually do this when they already have a body of work written? I have nothing but my article. This…this is on a whole other level.

  “Can you swim with us?” I jolt at the sound of Ava’s little voice. She’s standing next to me, wearing a pleading look in her eyes. I glance down at my clothes and the pool. I didn’t bring a swimsuit or a change of clothes, figuring I’d spend the day watching Ava swim and working.

  “I don’t know. I don’t have any extra clothes.”

  “Oh, come on!” She points at the water. “It’s so warm.”

  I glance at Baz just as he slips under the water. He raises effortlessly a few seconds later, water rolling from his tan skin, and when he rakes a hand through his soaked hair, slicking it back, my core clenches at the way the muscles in his arms bunch and cord.

  “You can borrow my clothes if your clothes get too wet,” he offers, knowing exactly why that’s a bad idea. But as I glance back at Ava and the hopeful look on her face, I heave a sigh, giving in. I strip out of my shirt, staying in my tank top, beyond grateful that I chose a plain bra and underwear this morning. I can’t imagine wearing a thong and getting into a pool with a nine-year-old is appropriate. I feel Baz’s heated gaze on my skin as I take Ava’s hand, guiding her back into the water with me. He’s obviously a good teacher because, as soon as we get in, she breaks away from my hold, showing me what she can do on her own.

  Still nervous, I stay near her. I also do it, so I don’t have to look at Baz. Too many memories are in this pool and the Jacuzzi next to it. Flashes of his hands on my skin, his tongue burning a trail of fire across my flesh, his mouth on mine, making me come—all of it appears in sporadic flashes that suddenly have my body feeling overheated.

  Ignoring him works out as long as he isn’t part of our conversation, but as soon as Ava includes him, I sneak a glance at him and stifle a groan. He’s propped up against the ledge of the pool, half his body submerged, leaving the upper half on display. His arms are propped on the ledge on either side of him, making him look confidently lazy. He looks incredibly sexy like this. And he doesn’t even have to try. It’s just from him sitting in a fucking pool. Droplets of water roll down his chest, but it’s the look in his eyes as he stares at me that causes my stomach to fill with butterflies. My heart gallops, and I quickly look away, trying to pretend he didn’t just catch me checking him out.

  The sexual tension between us only gets worse the longer we’re in the pool. I’m all too glad when Ava announces she’s tired. I damn near hop out of the water with her and rush inside. I brought a bag for her with a change of clothes and hair products to fix her hair. Baz offers us the guest bathroom, where I let Ava shower, then wait for her to dress, so I can fix her hair.

  By the time she’s showered and clean, she crawls onto Baz’s couch, and without being asked, he turns the TV on for her. Some Disney show plays that she’s immersed in. Her eyes are a little droopy from all the swimming, so I know she’s going to conk out soon. I’m in the guest bathroom, wringing out her swimsuit, when I feel his presence.

  “Here are the clothes. You can shower, too.”

  I turn, shaking my head. Being naked in his shower is way too intimate. I can’t. “It’s fine. I can wait until we get home. Plus, I don’t want to leave her sitting out there for too long.” Baz rests his shoulder against the doorframe, watching me intently.

  “She’s asleep, if that makes you feel any better.”

  My eyes widen. “Already?”

  “Just take a shower, Mackenzie. All your stuff is still in my bathroom. I can wait out on the couch with her.”

  I hesitate for a bit but give in eventually. I’m being ridiculous. It’s just a shower. With a sharp nod, I walk past Baz into his bedroom and head straight for the en suite bathroom. I don’t want to look around out of fear it’ll give me other ideas that certainly don’t need a home in my head.

  I’m just setting down the clothes he gave me on the marble sink when I see him hovering near the bathroom door. Swallowing, I turn around, my hands gripping the ledge for support.

  “Yes?”

  He steps inside the bathroom, consuming the space, stealing the air from my lungs, making his luxurious bathroom suddenly feel like we’re in a bathroom on an airplane. He stops right in front of me, close enough that I feel his body heat. I feel all his wants and desires because they match my own.

  “There’s one box Dan forgot. He planned on bringing it later this week. There are some of your clothes in it. Figure you could use these.” I look down, just now noticing the fresh pair of underwear and the bra in his hand. My cheeks flame with heat, and I nod jerkily, snatching them from him.

  “Thank you.”

  He nods, but he doesn’t make any move to leave, just stands there so close yet so far away, infuriating me.

  “Is that all?”

  “No.” He steps into me, one hand settling on my hip, making me gasp, and the other sliding around my neck. His whole hand engulfs me, making me long to feel his touch in other places. Arching my neck back, he leans down, hovering his lips just inches from mine, staring down at me. “Tell me to stop. Tell me this is a bad idea.”

  My throat constricts. His hold on my neck shifts, and his thumb traces my lower lip in tantalizing motions that have my core clenching. Just as he starts leaning in, and I feel his lips almost touch mine, I whisper, “This is a bad idea.”

  He changes his course, pressing his lips against my neck, and I just about fall apart. If I wasn’t gripping the counter, and his hand wasn’t holding me upright, I would’ve fallen into a puddle at his feet by now.

  Without another word, Baz leaves me in his space to shower with an aching core and a throbbing heart.

  After hanging out with Ava before bed, I lie next to her for a while, enjoying the silence and the comfort of being near her. This has become nightly routine for us. After getting cleaned up for bed, we head into her room and watch some TV before she falls asleep. She’s an easy child. I thought school nights would be a lot harder to get her to bed on time, but when I say it’s time for bed, she doesn’t even argue. She just smiles and tells me good night as she snuggles into me and falls asleep.

  Feeling beyond comfortable next to her, I start to doze off, but jerk awake at the sound of the doorbell. Slowly, it takes me a beat to push myself upright and reach for my phone. Baz had the security company install the Ring app, so I open it, checking to see who would be outside this late. I never have visitors. The only person who ever comes over is Dan, but I know this can’t be him.

  My brows dip into a frown when the camera outside shows that no one is there. I
wait it out, wondering why someone would ring the doorbell then leave so quickly. An unsettled sensation churns in my gut, but I try to tamp it down. Could be an accident. Maybe they realized they had the wrong house, and that’s why they left.

  Swallowing thickly, I press the playback button on the app, checking to see who rang the doorbell. My stomach bottoms out when I see a hooded figure casually stride up the steps wearing a black hoodie, shielding their identity. They ring the doorbell, then stand for several seconds, before walking away. My hands are shaking as I set my phone down. I climb out of bed with Ava and start pacing, wondering if I’m overreacting.

  It could be kids. Maybe it’s nothing sinister? I wonder if I should call Baz, or Dan, at the very least, but it’s already ten o’clock, and though I know he’ll be awake, what will he say?

  He’s all the way over there, and I’m here.

  I’m no longer his problem.

  Slamming my eyes shut, I inhale a deep breath, trying to settle the wild thoughts running rampant in my mind.

  “Pull yourself together,” I mumble to myself, as I flick on Ava’s nightlight and head down the hallway back into the living room and kitchen. I left the lights on out here while I was getting her ready for bed. I start flicking off the lights but startle at the sound of my phone chirping, followed by the doorbell. Again.

  My heart is pounding in my chest, my feet rooted to the floor. My stomach cramps with fear, and I keep still, trying to listen for any sounds outside, but it’s dead quiet. Almost too quiet. My hands tremble as I reopen the app, and sure enough, there’s no one there again, but as I replay the footage, the same black hooded figure is there.

  Tears of fear spring to my eyes as I stand there helplessly, trying to figure out what to do. I run into the kitchen and grab a knife from the knife block, hating now more than ever that Baz took the gun from me.

  Keeping the app on my phone open, I hurry back into Ava’s room, wanting to make sure she’s okay. When I walk in, she’s still sleeping soundly, and I breathe a ragged sigh of relief.