Beneath These Lies (Beneath, #5)(43)

Oh my God. Oh my God. This is not happening. Rix is going to go to prison for killing a cop.

And yet the kiss was good. Delicious, actually. Rhett had serious skills, but the heat that roared through me when Rix kissed me was missing.

Finally, Rhett released me. “I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t help it. You can’t answer the door like that.”

“Um. Uh. Okay. Sorry?”

I was babbling words that made no sense. The kiss had thrown me completely off-balance, but Rhett just smiled. A little smugly, in my opinion.

“Was there something you needed?” I asked, grasping onto the fact that I needed him gone as quickly as possible because I didn’t want to clean blood off the floor in my foyer.

“Besides another taste of you? I thought I could take you to coffee to make up for cutting our date short the other night. It’s been a hectic few days and I had a couple hours free, so I stopped by.”

Oh shit. I looked down, desperately thinking of something to say. I caught sight of the paint and my nipples pressing against my shirt.

“I’m a mess,” I blurted. “I’m really not in any condition to be leaving the house.” I looked up as he reached out and caught a tangle of my wild hair.

“But you look beautiful. I hope you were thinking about me before you answered the door.”

My mind immediately went to Rix and the memory of him stroking his cock. Heat flushed my cheeks again.

“Well . . . I, uh . . .” Get it together, Valentina, I scolded myself. “I guess a lady should have some secrets. But thank you. I appreciate the invite.”

“That’s too bad. How about tomorrow?”

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I bit my lip, trying to remember what was going on tomorrow. The opening.

“Work,” I said. “I have a work thing. Maybe another time?”

“Thursday night.”

Thursday. Crap. What was Thursday? I was beginning to think my brain was fried from man-overload.

“Um,” I mumbled. “I don’t think I have anything going on.” As soon as the words were out, I kicked myself. I wasn’t supposed to be seeing him again.

“Then Thursday it is. Enjoy your Sunday.” He leaned in and stole another kiss. “This is a good look on you.”

I smiled and shakily closed the door and locked it. I jumped when I felt the heat of a body behind me. A really big, really hot body.

“You let him touch you,” Rix growled in my ear.

“I didn’t ask him to.”

“Don’t care. No one touches what’s mine.”

I spun to face him. “You just told me that you couldn’t really have someone because it was too dangerous. So explain to me how that makes me yours?”

Rix’s growl deepened. “Don’t throw that back at me. So long as no one knows about us, you’re safe.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Guess I’ll have to show you.” Rix cupped my jaw and lowered his mouth to mine. “No lips but mine kiss you. I don’t f*cking care whether you like it or not. Mine.” His other hand smoothed the hair out of my face. “No hands but mine touch you.”

“So you want me to tell him no?”

His grip on my face tightened slightly. “You’re gonna tell him no. Whatever he thinks you’re doing on Thursday night, you’re not. You’re gonna be with me. I’ll have your girl back, and we’ll figure out how this is gonna move forward. You got that?”

Finally. God, the relief of having a defined date was palpable. That was the best news I’d heard all day, and in exchange for that, I’d agree to just about anything, including canceling a date with Rhett.

After that kiss, I knew I didn’t want him the way I wanted Rix. Rhett was an honest, good guy, and I couldn’t keep jerking him around. This juggling two men business was exhausting, and I was ready to be done.

But even having made that decision, I knew that I wouldn’t necessarily get to keep Rix when this was all over. He’d made that clear. His life didn’t allow for attachments, and I needed to find a way to unattach myself before I was in too deep and set myself up for a fall.

Who would have ever thought I’d be worried about falling for him?

“You get me, duchess? That’s how it’s goin’ down.”

I slid my hand around the back of his head and raised up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. “I think I get you.”





BECAUSE I WAS STILL A novice when it came to girl posses, I didn’t realize having one meant that they’d show up uninvited at your exclusive gallery openings. But halfway into the evening, Yve, Elle, and Vanessa came through the door of Noble Art.

“I need something for the lake house,” Vanessa said. “And I saw the flyer for Burton Ridgeway’s work, and I fell in love.”

“That’s only because you didn’t see the painting I snagged by Valentina’s anonymous artist friend,” Yve countered. She turned to look at me. “Did you get more yet?”

I shook my head. “No, sorry.”

“Let me know. I called dibs.”

“I’m here for the champagne,” Elle added. She shrugged. “I mean, let’s be honest. Someone’s going to pawn some of this stuff eventually, and I’ll get it for a song.”