The Mistresses: Make-Believe Mistress

She fidgeted with the stem of her wineglass and he realized he’d probed past the bounds of what was polite conversation and gone straight into that forbidden territory marked personal. A place that it was obvious she wasn’t ready to go.

“This is a really nice house. I can’t believe how big all the houses are in this area.”

Actually, the house was rather modest for the neighborhood, only 4,000 square feet. Certainly small compared to other properties he had around the world. But he’d liked the soaring windows and the large deck outside was a terrific place to work on the laptop on nice days. Well, it would be if he were ever here long enough to enjoy it.

Since the Johnsons had gone, he had a cleaning service come in periodically to check on things and dust. He’d had them stock the kitchen before he’d arrived. He might have to have them in more often if he truly was going to stay in Plano for the next six months.

“Where do you live?” he asked, because every detail about her life was becoming important to him. He’d certainly be happier discussing her and her life. Maybe get her to confess she’d always been attracted to him and had written a sexy little story about the two of them.

“Not so far from the school. My subdivision is a few years old. It’s a good thing I moved there when it was first built. I don’t think I could afford to buy there now.”

“What do you like about where you live?”

She took a sip of her wine. He finished putting the tomatoes and onions on the salmon and wrapped them in foil before putting them in the oven. He checked the boiling water and dumped in the couscous and then turned back to her. She was staring at him.

“What?”

“I thought you were faking it. That you were going to pretend to know how to cook, but then when I turned my back you’d be pulling ready-made meals from the freezer.”

“No matter what else you believe about me, Grace, know that I never lie.”

“Never? What if I asked you if this suit looked nice on me?”

“I would say that the color is good with your skin tone but that the cut isn’t flattering.”

She arched one eyebrow at him. “What if you get pulled over for a speeding ticket?”

“Not even then. I just don’t see the point in making up a story.”

“Even when you’re starting a relationship? When you want to make a good impression?”

He shook his head. “That would set a tone for the relationship that I think I can fool the other person and I don’t like it.”

“Did someone lie to you?”

Deep inside the icy part of his soul where he hid the truth of what he was, he cringed. Lies were the very foundation his life had been built on and he hadn’t even realized that until he was twenty-five. At that age when most people were coming to terms with their past, he’d learned his was a sham. “That’s in the same closet that you closed the door on.”

“What closet? When did I close that door?”

“The one marked personal. You closed it when you changed the subject from your mother.”

“Oh. If I tell you about her …”

“I’m not trying to make a deal with you. Just saying some areas aren’t meant to be trod this early in a relationship.”

There were some places he didn’t ever want to go. Digging into her secrets and finding out more about Grace was his only goal. He didn’t want her to see him in a different light.

“Are we going to have a relationship?”

“I didn’t invite the rest of the board back to my house for dinner.”

“No, you didn’t.” She set her wineglass on the counter and walked around the island so that she stood right next to him. “Why is that? Why are you suddenly noticing me as a woman and not just as a coworker?”

He realized that he’d boxed himself into a corner. “I saw a different side of you today. I was—I am—intrigued.” That was the truth.

“Desperate and willing to do anything to save the school—no wonder you’re interested in me.”

He laughed because he could tell she wanted to lighten the moment, but inside he knew that he shouldn’t seduce her until she revealed the truth. Until she acknowledged that she’d been attracted to him for a long time.

“I don’t see you as desperate.”

“Well, I was. And you are turning out to be a very nice person to have in my corner.”

Thinking of why he’d invited her over, he knew he wasn’t nice. “No one would ever call me nice.”

“I would, Adam. I know you don’t see it that way, but taking a chance on me and the school … it was a very kind thing you did. And I really appreciate it.”

“I don’t want your appreciation.”

“No?”

He shook his head, closing the distance between them and drawing her into his arms. He lowered his head, brushing his lips over hers. He told himself that he was just telling her the truth with his body because he still couldn’t reveal it with his words, but he knew that something else was going on here. For the first time since he was twenty-five, he wanted to pull a woman into his arms and keep her there forever.

For a man who liked living a solitary life, that was a scary thought.

Grace rose on her tiptoes to meet Adam’s mouth. She snaked her arms around his waist and held on to him, afraid to wake from the dream that he’d enveloped her in. For some reason, Adam Bowen was suddenly paying attention to her and she didn’t want to let him go.

The worries she’d carried for the last ten days faded to the back of her mind. He opened his mouth and she knew he’d said something but for the life of her she couldn’t hear him over the roaring in her ears. She kept her eyes open as he moved closer to her.

“Grace?”

“Hmm?”

“Last chance …”

She realized he was telling her to pull back but she couldn’t. He was her fantasy and after the long stressful day she’d had, she wanted—no, needed—to put her needs first. She’d wanted to kiss Adam since the first moment they’d met.

His lips brushed over hers. Adam Bowen was kissing her. He tasted way better than she’d imagined he would. He kept his touch light, his tongue tracing the seam between her lips. She let her eyes drift closed and knew that she’d made a choice that was going to change the nice safe world she’d created for herself.

The timer on the oven beeped and he pulled back. Reluctantly. He directed her toward the dining room and she went in by herself, knowing she needed to collect her thoughts and find her center.

What if he was toying with her? One other time, she’d believed in a man and he’d disappointed her badly. She didn’t want to be a fool again, but Adam had always seemed different to her.

The dining room was ultra-formal, decorated in dark wood and antiques. This was the kind of showplace house her father would have eyed with a fanatical gleam, sure the owner had plenty of spare cash to donate to the church. The kind of place she’d never have been invited into as a child.

She heard Adam’s footsteps behind her and turned as he entered the room. He set the plates on the table and held out a chair for her. Once seated she muttered a quick prayer of thanks under her breath.

Then glanced up in time to see him take his seat. The meal was delicious and she wanted to keep the conversation light. To remind herself that no matter what Adam intimated, this wasn’t the beginning of a personal relationship.