Dangerous Deception

When Dom sat down across from Audrey, she smiled. “I’ve been dying to dive into this cheesecake, but I waited for you so we can savor every bite together.”

They had ordered one slice of cheesecake to share. Audrey had bemoaned the fact that if she ate the entire slice herself, she’d put on a couple of pounds overnight.

Dom picked up his fork, sliced into the rich, luscious dessert, and instead of taking the delectable morsel to his mouth, he reached across and aimed it at Audrey’s mouth. Her eyes widened, then she opened her mouth. When Dom inserted the bite, she nipped it off his fork, rolled it around over her tongue and sighed.

“Sheer heaven,” she said.

“Are all your appetites that easily appeased?” he asked.

Her big green eyes widened even more, her expression one of amused surprise.

“Are you propositioning me, Mr. Shea?”

“Could be.”

She laughed, the sound mellow and soft, and somewhat tentative, as if she didn’t laugh all that often.

“What about our agreement?” She glanced down at the cheesecake. “Let’s eat dessert and take that stroll on the beach, then see what happens.”

Smiling, Dom sliced off another bite and once again fed her. He watched the way her mouth opened, the soft fullness of her lips, the curve of her small, pink tongue.

He was getting hard just watching her eat.

Ten minutes later, dessert plate wiped clean and the check paid, Dom escorted Audrey through the restaurant, into the hotel lobby and toward the front entrance. Once outside, they headed straight for the adjacent beach. The Classico Hotel faced the Atlantic Ocean. Lights from the nearby buildings illuminated the path to the beach. Overhead a three-quarter moon and countless stars brightened the black sky.

Dom eased his arm around her waist as they neared the long stretch of sand.

“Want to take off your heels?” he asked.

She nodded, then clamped her left hand on his shoulder as she used her right hand to remove first one high heel and then the other. Dom took the sleek little bronze leather sandals from her and slipped the straps onto his index finger.

“Are you chilly?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“If you are, I can take off my jacket and—”

“You play the gentleman quite well,” she told him.

“It’s not an act. I actually can be a gentleman when the occasion—or the woman—calls for it.”

“A charming gentleman.” Audrey turned and took several steps away from him.

He followed her, draped his arm around her shoulders and fell into step alongside her. They walked together in silence for quite some time, occasionally glancing at each other and smiling. Dom couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman so much.

“MR . SHEA HAS FOUND Audrey,” Edward Bedell said to those congregated in his study.

“When?” Cara asked.

“Where is she?” Patrice Bedell glared at her husband.

“Is she with him?” Tears misted Grayson Perkins’s eyes.

“Not a one of you asked if she’s all right.” Edward clenched his teeth. Damn the whole bunch of them. They didn’t love Audrey, didn’t care if she was dead or alive. No one loved Audrey the way he did, no one understood her the way he did. Emotion welled up inside him, threatening his composure. He took several deep breaths.

“Of course she’s all right,” Patrice said. “I knew she’d just run off somewhere with Bobby Jack.”

“She’s not with that vile man,” Edward said. “Mr. Shea says that she is quite alone, that she seems well and…happy.”

“Why shouldn’t she be happy? She’s spending your money and living the high life.” When Patrice’s gaze connected with Edward’s, she shrank away from him, as if she feared he might hit her again.

“Where is she?” Cara repeated her original question.

“West Palm Beach.” Edward rose from his leather chair behind the massive desk. “I asked Mr. Shea to tell her to call me, to let me hear her voice.”

“How did he find her so quickly?” Grayson asked.

“The Dundee agency was able to track her through her credit card use,” Edward said.

“What hotel? I want to fly down there immediately and bring her home.” Grayson confronted his father-in law, a determined expression on his handsome face.

“No, Gray, don’t run after her,” Cara pleaded. “Not again. Not this time.”

“Cara’s right.” Edward clutched Grayson’s shoulder tightly. “None of us are going to chase her down this time. We’ve all jumped through hoops for that girl. It’s high time we step back and let her do whatever she wants to do.”

Cara couldn’t believe her ears, couldn’t believe that her father was actually going to allow Audrey the freedom to live her own life. If only Gray would do the same, if only he would let Audrey go. How could he love a woman who had treated him so badly, a woman who had wanted a divorce for years?

“But Audrey needs—” Grayson said.

“Listen to Daddy.” Cara interrupted him mid-sentence as she held out her hands to him in a beseeching manner. “Don’t go to Palm Beach. Don’t chase after her. It’s time for you to accept the fact that Audrey doesn’t want to be your wife.”

But I do, Cara thought. Stop loving my sister. She’s never been worthy of you. Just once, look my way and see what’s right before you—a woman who worships the ground you walk on.

“I LIKE THIS ,” Audrey said, the evening breeze gently caressing her face and tousling her hair.

“You like what?” Dom asked as he stopped walking, turned her in his arms and gazed down into her eyes.

Tilting her chin, she looked up at him. “Everything. The beach, the starry sky, the ocean waves, the feel of the sand under my feet.” She stood on tiptoe and wound her arms around his neck. “Strolling along the beach, just the two of us, not talking, just…being.”

He pulled her closer. “You know what, Audrey Perkins, you’re an enigma to me. I can’t figure you out.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m not all that complicated.”

He chuckled. “The hell you’re not. Honey, you’ve got to be the most complicated woman I’ve ever met.”

“How can you say that when you just met me? We don’t really know anything about each other, do we?”

“I know that your father is one of the richest men in America, that you’re a married woman, that for some reason you’re here in Palm Beach all alone.”