Beautiful White Lies Duet

by K L Clare

  The scent of heaven’s woodlands drifted across the car. My tongue swept over my lips as I thought about how well he kissed them. His eyes burned into the side of my face, and mine fled from the fast-moving English countryside to him. God, he looked amazing behind the wheel. He drove as he did everything—aggressively and always in command.

  Through my stare, I willed him to me.

  He leaned over and kissed me, murmuring something about the color red.

  “What?” I breathed against his lips before he moved to refocus on the road.

  “When you go shopping, be sure to get another red dress.”

  “Favorite color?”

  “Only when it’s on your body. And, as you know, that now belongs to me.”

  I smiled. I wanted nothing more than to belong to him. “You’re quite full of yourself tonight.”

  A big, easy smile covered his face, though he kept his eyes on the road. He reached for my hand as he settled deeper into the leather seat and accelerated.

  * * *

  We pulled up in front of an elegant boutique hotel located just a few blocks southeast of London’s Manchester Square. Will opened the door and took my hand but hesitated after I stepped out, allowing me a few moments to take in my first sight of the streets of London.

  A west-pointing street sign caught my attention. “Wallace,” I whispered, dazzled. The Wallace Collection was a significant assemblage of art that included originals by the Old Masters and an exhibit of eighteenth-century French works. An artist’s dream. One of my dreams.

  The satisfied grin on his face gave him away—he’d anticipated the moment. “If everything goes well, I’ll take you through.”

  I touched his cheek and rewarded him with an affectionate smile. He pulled my fingers to his lips. Several unexpected camera flashes went off from the opposite side of the street. Will wasn’t bothered by the intrusion in the least, so I also dismissed it.

  The hotel doorman approached. “Mr. Hastings, sir?”

  Will nodded. “The three cars behind me as well.”

  “Shall we park the cars for you?”

  “No. We’ll park and manage the bags. Thank you.”

  The young doorman bowed his head and opened the hotel entrance wide.

  Joe Taylor sprinted over from one of the other cars. “I’ll park the Jag so you can get her off the street. We’ll set up and see you later.”

  Will placed his hand on my lower back and ushered me between stately white columns into the grand Victorian building made of red brick. As we passed through the door, he put cash in the doorman’s hand. Not for service, for silence. He guided me across the polished floors of the quaint lobby to a lounge styled in rich woods and earth tones and gestured for me to sit on a tufted sofa in a semiprivate space reminiscent of an old snug.

  “You’ve been here?” I asked.

  “Yes, it belongs to one of the clients. The place does quite well, so I want one of us with you at all times. Even on our floors.” He pulled out his phone and read a text message as he sat.

  “What do you mean our floors?”

  “Ethan cleared the fourth and fifth floors. Sleeping rooms on four. Five is one large suite that we’ll use for a private lounge.”

  “Is all that necessary?”

  He leaned close and inhaled, and my breath quickened in response. His voice dripped with the same deep gravel he used in bed. “Yes, it’s necessary. Don’t be con—”

  He stopped mid-sentence and turned to the bar server, who had coughed to draw his attention. “Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Laphroaig,” Will said, his pronunciations flawless. “And do not clear your throat for my attention again,” he added.

  His focus jerked back to me. “I wouldn’t bring you otherwise. Don’t be concerned about the indulgence when it’s of no concern to me. Ethan and I make a lot of money, and we spend a lot of money. Get used to it, Elle.”

  “Occasionally your arrogance is off-putting, you know.”

  “Yeah.” His ego was too great for even him to dismiss.

  The server returned to Will’s side with our drinks. Will retrieved my glass of wine from the offered tray and handed it to me. “Taste,” he commanded, and as he studied my face with a raised brow, I did taste it.

  The wine was delicious, though the alcohol content was higher than I was used to, but he knew that when he chose it. “Very nice, thank you. Where are your brothers and the other men?” I asked.

  His face lit with satisfaction. He grabbed his Scotch and sent the server away with a food order. “Inspecting the rooms and setting up shop in the security office. One of ours will monitor the surveillance cameras inside and out at all times, and another will patrol the property on foot. Just you and me for now.”

  “And you’d rather see to my intoxication than check things out for yourself?”

  “I’ll do that after I carry you to bed.” He smirked.

  That small haughty smile unmade me, sending shivers along my spine. My unruly body prepared itself for his, heat building between my legs. I slid my hand to his inner thigh.

  His hand captured mine and squeezed. “You need to be careful out there tomorrow, Elle. You better make damned sure you come back to me unharmed.”

  “You’ve covered the bases. And that’s part of the plan, right? To expose me to the public and pull in allies?”

  “Introduce, not expose. There’s a difference. It won’t be me out there with you, and I don’t like that. You pushed me, baby, hard. I wanted more time to implement.”

  “If you really don’t want me to go without you, I won’t do it, Will.”

  He kissed my forehead and then pulled me against the sofa beneath his arm. “We’ll give it a shot. I must learn to trust Thomas.”

  “You trust Ben.”

  “I do, but it’s not the same. He’s not blood. As close as we are, there’s no guarantee he’d risk himself the way my brothers would. Enough of this talk—it’s spoiling date night.”

  We laughed together out loud. Although I feared what we both knew was out there lying in wait, my spirit was light, and my heart filled with something I’d never known, never expected.

  “I’m so happy it’s you, Will. I can’t imagine getting through this with anyone else.”

  He pressed his lips to mine. “I won’t let you down.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll be tied up tomorrow and most of the following day. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes. Thomas will take you shopping. Ben and two of the Six will also go. You must do as you’re told, Elle. Promise me. I have business matters to handle, and if I’m distracted—”

  “What will you promise me?”

  “Anything you want.” He swallowed what was left of his whisky and held up the glass in his surly way to call for another. “Give me your word.”

  I sipped on my wine and considered him.

  “Give me your fucking word, Elle.”

  The server was back with two more drinks, again holding the tray near Will.

  Will jerked his chin toward the cocktail table. “No more wine. Keep the whisky coming.” When he didn’t get anything from me, he took the glass from my hand and set it on the table. “You must promise. You understand what we’re up against. I’ve left Ethan to run the company for months, and I need to take care of some clients this week. I can’t accommodate avoidable distractions.”

  What crossed my mind next took me by surprise. I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. “Stay with me every night—even if you get back late or you’re working on something. Even if you don’t wake me, be there. With me.”

  He nodded. “That’s it?”

  “No other women, Will.” The bitter taste of regret abruptly filled my mouth. Jealousy had never been something that possessed me. But there it was. Women looked at him like they wanted to devour him, and I hated it. He was mine.

  “What?”

  “That’s what Ethan does, right? Sleeps around when he’s here.”

  He grinned. �
�That’s what you’re worried about?”

  “Well, yes.”

  That wicked grin remained on his face. As handsome as it was, it irritated me, and I snapped at him. “I won’t have it, Will. It’s a deal breaker for me.” There. I’d discovered one.

  Will pulled me against his body, filled his hand with my hair, and kissed me hard. He angled his head and thrust his tongue deep, tasting me, possessing me. My heart beat wildly, and I fell into his impassioned kiss. When we broke, he pressed his lips softly to mine several times before he loosened his grip on my hair and rested his forehead on mine. We stayed in that position for God knows how long, wrapped up in each other.

  There was nothing else.

  A thought entered my mind but was lost before I could make sense of it. Anything outside of the space we shared became pointless. His hand still owned the back of my head, preserving the contact between us. It was an incredible, intimate moment.

  “Only you. I swear,” he breathed. He caressed my lips with his thumb and placed one more soft kiss there. We laced our fingers and rested our combined hands on his thigh.

  A woman with long, silver hair arranged two elegant place settings and platters of food on the cocktail table before us. She untied a decorative cord from around one of the napkins and placed it on top of our combined hands, gesturing in a way I didn’t understand. “Carry on, loves,” she said with a warm smile.

  25

  Ethan approached as though he’d come from nowhere. His words destroyed the peace Will and I had found after the passionate kiss we’d shared only moments before.

  “All clear. Go to the security office and see to your men. They need to know how serious you are about this. We’ll stay with Ellie until you return.”

  Will nodded at Ethan, then kissed the back of my hand. “I won’t be long, Elle. Eat while it’s warm.”

  Ethan and Thomas moved the surrounding leather club chairs closer. Ethan pulled out his phone and scrolled through his email, cursing about the number of new messages.

  “So . . . we’re going shopping,” Thomas said with a wink.

  They all had the same eyes and a similar wink, which they shared often. I loved that these brothers chose to show rather than suppress their affection. It made me wonder if their father had done the same.

  “Sorry, Thomas. I know you’d prefer to spend the time doing something else, but I insist on shopping, and he insists it be you in charge of my safety. You brought Kirsty?”

  “He’s right. Until things settle, it must be one of us. Don’t give me the slip, Ellie,” he warned. “Kirsty will stay here while I take you out. I can’t have my attention divided.”

  “Can you keep up?”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “You’ll tire long before I do.”

  “What is this, and how do I eat it?”

  “Yorkshire puddings. Those are sweet,” Thomas said, pointing to one platter. “What are you drinking?” He scooped a pudding from the other platter, soaked it with gravy, cut it into small pieces, and handed me the plate.

  Mary Hastings may not have had much to do with the training and education of her sons, but she had taught them good old-fashioned chivalry. Her boys opened doors, sent flowers—and prepared Yorkshire puddings.

  “Chateauneuf.” I took a bite and moaned, stuffing another into my mouth right away. “This is delicious. Roast beef and . . . watercress?”

  Thomas nodded. “Great pairing. Makes you sleepy.”

  “He plans to work late into the night,” I muttered through a mouthful.

  “We’ll see. Maybe not after that snogging.”

  “Thomas!” I felt my cheeks burn and diverted my attention back to the plate. I’d never heard the term before, but the meaning was clear.

  Will looked down at me with his handsome smile before resuming his seat on the sofa. He canted his head toward the bar and sent his brothers away, determined to finish what we’d started. My date picked up one of the sweet puddings and held it close to my mouth. I took a bite, and he shoved the rest into his mouth and watched for my reaction.

  It was a little bite of heaven—sweet, moist bread filled with toasted coconut and warm, melted chocolate. “That is so good. You’ll make me fat with your English food, Will.” The dribble of chocolate on his mouth was utterly kissable. I dabbed at it with my napkin.

  Will leaned in and sucked a bead from my bottom lip. “Next time, do it this way.” He demonstrated again. Sensing my undeniable arousal, and after adjusting his own, he smirked. “Drizzling some on your lovely naked body in my bed . . . also acceptable.”

  Sweat dotted the nape of my neck. I wanted the chocolate, the nakedness, his bed.

  The rest of the party began to drift in, chasing away our intimate mood. Drinks flowed, and the guys carried on in a raucous manner. The camaraderie was remarkable. They were a blend of brothers by blood and brothers-in-arms but a band of brothers nonetheless.

  I thought of the tattoo on Will’s shoulder. His father had inked the same shield on each of his sons as they’d turned eighteen. It was a traditional rite of passage for a warrior-trained Hastings, and it committed them to the ancient dynastic pact meant to keep me alive.

  Content and heavy-eyed, I nestled into Will’s side and placed my head on his chest, gripping his shirt in my fingers. His heartbeat and voice—both rich, intense—relaxed me.

  He soon kissed the top of my head. “You’re tired. Let’s go up to the room.”

  I said goodnight to the guys, and Will and I entwined our hands as we headed for the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he swept me off my feet.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I told you I’d carry you to bed. I’m a man of my word, if nothing else.”

  I laughed from my belly.

  “Haven’t seen you laugh this much since—”

  “Don’t say it, Will,” I said, my words not much more than a whisper.

  “Are you scared, Elle?”

  “No.” It was true that my need for him displaced fear and logic at times, but this word resting on my lips was a lie.

  Will pushed through the door of our suite and kicked the base of the bed to ensure it was solid wood before he placed me on top. He removed my blue strappy heels and slid his fingers sensually along the arches of my bare feet.

  “Christ. Even your feet turn me on.” He blasted me with the heat in his eyes as his body covered mine.

  God, I wanted our clothes gone. “How much time do we have before Ethan shows up?”

  “Not enough.” He pushed his hard length against my body and kissed me, owning me completely with a single kiss. “Goddammit, not enough,” he grumbled, lifting himself from the bed and adjusting his fly. “You’ll be the cause of my ruin, woman.”

  I whined in protest but received nothing more than a wink and a crooked smile.

  “Sleep, Elle. I’ll be on the other side of this door.”

  Will and Ethan spent the next few hours working on their business strategy for the week in the sitting room of our suite. I could hear their voices—the thunder of Will’s and the smooth roll of Ethan’s—but it didn’t stop me from drifting off to sleep.

  Another nightmare breached the dark recesses of my mind, but this time I couldn’t wake—I couldn’t cry out. I’d fallen into a state of sleep paralysis, not awake but not sleeping. Seconds passed before my body caught up with my brain. I jerked upright and cried softly into my hands before calling out to Will.

  He rushed in and pulled my shaking body to his chest. “It’s not real, Elle. It’s just a dream—not real,” he repeated.

  “Please make it stop,” I whispered.

  “I will. I’ll stop them,” he promised.

  “We’ll get them,” Ethan said. He patted Will’s shoulder and slipped out of the room.

  26

  I stared into the bathroom mirror and ran my fingers through my long brunette layers. It was the perfect time to make a change. I was coming to terms with the real me, or the new me—I didn�
�t know which it was, but it didn’t matter. The important thing was I understood the evolution that continued to strengthen and define me.

  The hotel concierge rang back and confirmed an immediate appointment at one of London’s finest salons. Fact was, the Hastings name turned heads and moved mountains throughout South East England. London was no exception.

  My phone chimed from Thomas’s text: Do not open that door until I’m waiting on the other side. Hit me back when you’re ready to go.

  I replied immediately: Ready now.

  It seemed like he was at my door within seconds. “Can we get coffee to go?” I asked. “I should be at the salon within the next thirty minutes.” I forgot myself for a moment and pushed through the center of my four-man protection detail, heading for the elevator.

  “Hold it, Ellie. Don’t walk off like that. You must behave with me as you do with Will.”

  I turned to Thomas with hands on my hips and a raised brow.

  “You know what I mean,” he said. “And wait—salon?”

  “Yes. Salon.”

  “Christ. You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

  I handed Thomas a slip of paper with the salon info and a list of the shops I wanted to hit. He looked up twice before he finished reading. “Let’s get on with it, then. This’ll take two full days.” He pressed the elevator button and held out his arm, corralling me behind him as the doors opened.

  “Done by tea tomorrow,” I promised.

  As we stepped outside the hotel entrance, Thomas grabbed a newspaper and cursed. An intimate photo of Will and me in front of the hotel the night before had made the front page of the city’s tabloids. The caption and write-up speculated about the Hastings Group CEO’s long-awaited return to London and how his prior absence may have been related to the “mystery woman” in the photo.

  “Will set up that photo. I’m sure of it. Let the games begin,” Ben said.

  Thomas tossed out the paper. “Some warning would have been nice.”