CONNED by Stacey Joy Netzel

Author:Stacey Joy Netzel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781939143518
Publisher: Stacey Joy Netzel
Published: 2016-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

Rachel hadn’t lied, but the fact she’d carefully chosen her words for optimum effect had her lying awake the next morning as Nick slept, his arm curled around her. She truly believed he was a good man at heart, and she’d played on that, hoping to guilt him into not betraying her if they found the cross.

Her own personal twist on the love con.

She hugged his muscled forearm against her stomach as a lump formed in her throat. If only they’d met under different circumstances.

Another time. A better place.

Well, the romance of Italy wasn’t the problem really, but their situation sucked big time. And despite all her efforts, she really hadn’t changed much at the core, had she?

Not if she was still willing to do whatever it took to achieve her own goals in the end. She might not know yet what she would do with the cross, but in her search for it, she was no better than her mother.

She’d lied to herself about why she’d come to Italy. Curiosity. What a joke. In the church yesterday, she’d realized the truth, and it had nothing to do with adventure. Of course, she’d worded her answer to Frate Lucio much more generally so it sounded good, but as Nick said, the truth was the truth no matter where you spoke it, or who you spoke it to.

Sometimes, it didn’t even need to be spoken at all. All she had to do was read between the lines.

She wanted revenge.

Not only for herself, but Ben and Halli, too. If she could get to the cross first, then the very thing their mother wanted above all else—above them—would be gone. Vanished. And then she would know exactly how it felt to be betrayed by someone who was supposed to love you.

Her lungs grew tight at the sting of hurt she usually managed to suppress.

And if Nick betrays you, too?

The increased pain that constricted her heart told her she was in trouble all the way around.

Unable to lie there any longer with her eyes beginning to burn, she tried to ease out from beneath his arm.

His hold tightened with his soft murmur of protest. “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.” Her voice was choked, but she managed to add, “I’ll be right back.”

He threaded his fingers through hers, then lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss before letting her go. She didn’t look back as she hurried to close the door between the two rooms. Afraid of what she might see in her own eyes if she looked in the mirror, she splashed cold water on her cheeks and then buried her face in a towel.

Get yourself together. Do what you need to do, and you can go back to a life of being good. A life that includes Ben and Halli and their new families.

After a couple of deep breaths, she opened the door and stuck her head out into the bedroom. Nick quickly turned from rummaging through his bag, T-shirt in hand. The brief flash of tension in his face twisted her stomach.

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