Love, Lies, and Deception(53)

I would love to see him in a kilt.

A smile crept across my face at the thought and Alec narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t know if I like that look,” he muttered skeptically. “Are you up to something I should know about?”

Shaking my head, I bit my lip and grinned mischievously. “Well … I was just thinking how sexy you’d look in a kilt. What do ya say? Do you think you might indulge me a little bit?”

Rolling his eyes, Alec leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips, and then traced his tongue across them. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”

The mood had lightened between us and I was thankful for that. It was a shame we weren’t hiding out in Scotland, but it wouldn’t be fun having to watch your back at every corner. Alec’s hand tightened on mine when we took off, and I also noticed he had done that when we left Atlanta. For someone who was fearless on the waves, I never expected him to be fearful of the air. It made me realize that he was normal just like everyone else, even if he was a famous pro surfer.

His eyes were closed when I glanced over at him, and his jaw was tense, the muscle ticking with each clench. I squeezed his hand back to reassure him and turned my head to look out the window. Soon, we would be in Colorado.





The moment I stepped out into the Colorado air, I was immediately in love. It was cool and fresh, as the breeze blew by me, and the mountains were breathtaking. Alec sidled up beside me and whispered, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Very. Have you ever been here before?”

“No, I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to Aspen, and let me tell you … skiing is not my thing,” he answered.

He hailed us a cab, and when the driver came to a stop in front of us and popped open the trunk, Alec began loading our bags. I laughed, imagining what he would look like fumbling on the skis and falling on his ass in the snow.

“Well then maybe I could teach you someday since I’m an expert at skiing. We can trade lessons, surfing for skiing. Does that sound good?”

After the bags were loaded, Alec took my hand and nodded. “That sounds like an amazing plan, but you’ll have to be patient with me. I’m really terrible at it, and I promise I’m not exaggerating.”

Laughing, we both slid into the backseat.

The driver turned around and asked, “Where to?”

I had no clue, so I looked to Alec. To the driver he said, “The Ritz-Carlton, please.”

Eyes going wide, my breath hitched and I stared up at him. “Did you have to pick the most expensive hotel?” I asked quietly.

Smirking, he shrugged and whispered back, “If I’m paying for it, I’m going to have us staying somewhere nice. Trust me, you’ll love it. They have excellent service.”

“I’m sure they do considering how much they charge.”

Alec put a finger up to his lip and hooked a glance at the driver. I nodded in understanding and for the remainder of the drive I sat quietly, holding onto Alec’s hand. We had to be careful what we said in front of strangers.

When we pulled up to the hotel, I felt completely out of place in my hoodie and jeans. Confidently, Alec put his arm around my waist and we strolled inside.

“You look fine,” he said, smiling down at me.

The lady at the counter beamed at him and didn’t even acknowledge that I was at his side. Bitch, I wanted to say to her, but of course I kept my mouth shut.

She was a tall blonde and looked like she should be in movies or on the runway instead of working at a hotel. Was this how it was always going to be with him? I wondered. With everyone looking at him and me being invisible.

“Reservation for Conner Jacobs,” he said smoothly, flashing her a lazy smile.

I wanted to growl at him for even smiling at her since she was blatantly ignoring me, but I bit my tongue and kept a smile on my face. She typed away on the computer and said, “All right, Mr. Jacobs, you’re all set. If you need anything it’ll be my pleasure to assist you.”

She handed over the keys, and I could tell she made the extra effort to glide her fingers over his hand. When she finally noticed me, I moved closer to Alec and smiled smugly. “Thank you for your help, but I’m sure the pleasure will be all mine.”

Her mouth flew open, but she hid her scowl very well. As soon as we got in the elevator, Alec burst out laughing. “Wow, sunshine, I didn’t know you had that much of a jealous streak in you.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at him and said, “Well, I’m not used to being with someone like you, who attracts every female within a hundred mile radius, especially ones that are famous and look like models. I’ve seen the pictures, Alec … remember?”

Exasperated, he sighed. “Yes, I know, but that’s when trust comes into the picture. I want you, Marissa, and only you. That was a long time ago … remember?”

When the elevator doors opened, we stepped into the extravagant hallway and made our way down to our suite. I gazed at everything in awe and wonder. It must be nice to be able to stay in such opulence all the time. However, my wonder was cut short when I remembered the real reason we were there. We were in hiding, and there was nothing glorious about that.

So when Alec opened the suite doors I wanted to feel excited, but what I ended up feeling was terror. This was going to be a nightmare.