Dangerous Lies by Brooke Page

Author:Brooke Page [Page, Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-09T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

We both stayed quiet in each other’s arms until our stomachs began to growl. Untangling our limbs from each other, we got up and began preparing dinner. There wasn’t much talk between us, at least, nothing heavy. When I offered wine, she passed. It was probably for the better. She didn’t need alcohol to convince her to do something with me she’d regret in the morning.

Although, I craved being near her body. I couldn’t stop my hands from simple touches while we moved around the kitchen. I may have taken the long way around the island counter so I could run my hand along the small of her back on my way to the refrigerator or oven. She didn’t complain or flinch, only smiled and continued with her task. She even nudged me a few times when I’d walk by.

Now, we were done with dinner, sitting on the porch with the setting sun painting a breathtaking sunset of multiple colors across the skyline.

“I’m going to gain weight if you keep cooking me meals like this,” she sighed, stretching her arms over her head.

“You helped cook tonight. Besides, we had a well-balanced meal.”

She laughed. “Balanced with fat and carbs!”

I smiled at her. “You chopped veggies to go with the pasta. That counts as being healthy.”

“I think the nutrition fades when they’re drenched with butter.”

I shrugged my shoulders, taking our plates and heading back to the kitchen. She didn’t follow me, but stood, walking toward the railing and gazing at the sky. Dropping the dishes into the sink, I found my way back to her, studying her expression. She wasn’t easy to read.

“How did you end up here?” She asked, her brows furrowing.

My back stiffened. “What? In New Zealand?”

She shrugged. “On this lake in the mountains. Is your family nearby?”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I tried to come up with a way to change the subject. I didn’t want to talk about me. She seemed to like me for what she knew. Her opinion of me could change in an instant if she knew who I really was.

“Mum is about a half hour drive north. Dad is lost in the desert.”

She lifted brow. “Lost in the desert?”

I nodded, gripping the railing and stretching my own back now. “Haven’t seen him in a long time.”

She rotated so her elbow was resting on the railing. “I don’t understand.”

Taking a deep breath, I decided to tell her the truth, at least a short version of it. “He’s in the military, overseas.”

She squinted. “Really?”

“Yep.”

She waited for me to give her more information, but I stayed silent.

“What about siblings?”

“Only me.”

She scowled. “You don’t like to talk about your family, do you?”

“Why would you say that?”

She eyed me from head to toe. “You’re wound up tighter than a knitted blanket.”

I straightened from the railing, turning so we were face to face. “Not a whole lot to say. I don’t see them often, if at all.”

Her lips twisted. “We’ve got that in common.”

I frowned. “Maybe you should reach out to them? Now that you’re divorced.

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