Twisted Lies (Twisted, #4)

by Ana Huang

“The blizzard’s already rolling in, and there are ice patches all over the sidewalks.” Christian rested his forearm on the steering wheel—an action that had no right being as attractive as it was. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“It does.” Christian finally spoke, his tone and expression unreadable. “Good.” The word shook through my chattering teeth. “Then I’ll let you—” The soft click of a door unlocking interrupted me. “Get in the car, Stella.” I got in the car.

For a man I barely knew, he had more power over me than almost anyone else.

“The plants are doing well.” He threw out the statement so casually and unexpectedly it took me several seconds to realize that one, someone had broken the silence, and two, that someone was, in fact, Christian and not a figment of my imagination. “Excuse me?” “The plants in my apartment.” He stopped at a red light. “They’re doing well.” What did that… Oh. Comprehension dawned, followed by a tiny flicker of pride. “I’m glad.” I gave him a tentative smile now that the conversation was in safe, neutral territory. “They just need a little love and attention to thrive.” “And water.” I blinked at his obvious, deadpan statement. “And water.”

The words hung between us for a moment before a laugh broke free from my throat and Christian’s mouth curved into the tiniest of smiles.

When the light turned green, the powerful rumble of the engine nearly drowned out his next words. “You have a magic touch.”

“No more walking in a blizzard, Ms. Alonso.” We stopped by the bank of elevators and faced each other. His shadow of a smile returned, all lazy charm and confidence. “I can’t have one of my tenants dying of hypothermia. It would be bad for business.”

I didn’t like people touching what was mine.

If Stella was my weakness, Vivian was his.

I wasn’t a sentimental person, but there were two areas of my life where my usual pragmatism didn’t apply: Stella and Magda.

In the absence of conversation, my mind drifted toward a certain brunette. If my thoughts were chaos, she was my anchor. They always went back to her.

Twin flames of resentment and frustration burned in my chest. I was weak for Stella Alonso, and I hated it.

“Touch Stella again, and you’ll no longer have a fiancée.” I slammed the door in his face. Dante was my first client and an old friend. I didn’t provoke him often. But like I said, I didn’t like people touching what was mine.

Christian’s expression remained polite, almost disinterested, while Luisa talked, but there was nothing disinterested about the way his eyes held mine.

“Stella.” The deep, smooth timbre of his voice sent a warm shiver down my spine. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“What impression did I make on you?” The question sparked and hissed like a live wire between us, swallowing enough oxygen to make every breath a struggle. Christian set his glass down with a precision that pulsed in my veins. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”

“That bad?” From what I remembered, our first meeting had been fairly standard. I’d said a total of two words to him. “No.” The word was a rough caress against my skin. “That good.”

“We were talking about something personal.” Raya rolled her eyes, but her expression contained a hint of nerves. “I see. Next time, refrain from doing so at a public event. It’s disrespectful.”

“Are you following me?”

“Merely making sure you return to your hotel safe and sound,” he drawled.

“I’m friends with her nephew. And no, I never slept with her.” A hint of laughter threaded through his voice. My cheeks blazed hotter, but thankfully, my voice came out cool and even. “Thank you for the information, but I’m not interested in your love life,” I said with a regal tilt of my chin. “Never said anything about love, Ms. Alonso.” “Fine, I’m not interested in your sex life.” “Hmm. That’s a shame.” The hint of laughter intensified.

“Why did you show up at dinner tonight?” It wasn’t to catch up with Luisa; he’d barely spoken to her all night. A shadow passed through his eyes before it sank beneath the cool amber surface. “I wanted to see someone.”

Something amused and dangerous surfaced in his eyes before he turned away. “Good night, Stella.”

He didn’t get a chance to finish before I slammed into a brick wall. I stumbled and instinctively reached up to steady myself. Soft wool and masculine heat touched my fingers. Not a wall, my dazed mind noted. My eyes traveled up past the peaked lapels of a black suit, the open collar of a crisp white shirt, and the tanned column of a strong, masculine throat before they rested on a beautifully carved face, shadowed with disapproval. “Ms. Alonso.” Christian’s cool voice sent goose bumps skittering across my skin.

“What do you think? Is this outfit date-worthy?” I didn’t even complete my first spin before Christian’s hand closed around my arm. When I looked up, the shadow of disapproval had morphed into something darker. More dangerous.

“You’re going on a date.” Christian had a talent for turning every question into…well, not a question. “Yes.”

“That’s where you take someone out for dinner, drinks, maybe some hand-holding. It might sound like a foreign concept, but you should try it sometime, Mr. Harper. It’ll do you some good.”

“And where is your date tonight?” “A bar.” “How specific.” “How none of your business.” I gave him a pointed stare. Christian’s smile didn’t soften the smooth, bladed edge of his voice. “Have fun on your date, Stella.”

“I assume the whispered sweet nothings and good-night kiss are off the table.” My skin grew hot at the familiar drawl behind me.

“Once is chance, twice is coincidence.” I turned my head. “What’s three times, Mr. Harper?”

“Fate.” He slid onto the stool next to mine

“Good. And don’t worry, Ms. Alonso.” Laughter remained in Christian’s voice as he lifted his glass to his lips. “I don’t believe in love.”

Adult friendships took work and conscious effort to maintain, but the ones that stayed were the ones that mattered most.

“Try it on. See if it fits.” Christian leaned against the wall, his eyes glowing with soft satisfaction. “I’ll be here.”

“Perfect.” Reverence weighed his soft assessment. Perfect. No matter how hard I tried, I had never been perfect, nor would I ever be.

“Maybe I’ll post tonight.” If a fancy gala didn’t make for good social media fodder, I didn’t know what would. “Good.” Awareness flushed through me at the hint of possessiveness in his voice.

A stray strand of hair slipped from my updo and wisped around my face. I’d been so thrown off by Christian’s early arrival I’d forgotten to set it with more hairspray. Luckily, it was one of those styles that looked better the messier it was, but a strange current kept my lips sealed and my body taut when Christian lifted his hand to tuck the stray hair behind my ear.

“Careful, Stella.” His low warning pulsed between my legs. “I’m not the gentleman you think I am.”

My reply fought its way past my dry throat. “I don’t think you’re a gentleman at all.” A slow, lazy smile tugged at his lips. “Smart girl.”

Christian’s hand rested on my thigh almost carelessly, like it was the natural home for his touch and not something he’d planned.

“This is beautiful,”

Green eyes. Green dress. Symbolic of life and nature. Green. Apparently it was my new favorite fucking color.

“Yes, it is.” I didn’t turn to see what she was so enraptured by, nor did I pay attention to the curious stares people sent our way.

I filed that away for future reference. There were no unimportant details when it came to Stella.

Beside me, Stella eyed the new arrival with curiosity, which deepened my foul mood. Kurtz didn’t deserve an ounce of her attention.

“Stella, it was lovely meeting you. I hope to see you again soon, and with a more agreeable date.” My hand flexed around my champagne glass. Over my dead fucking body.

“Is everything okay? You’re acting weird.” No, they’re not. Things haven’t been okay since the day I first saw you. “I thought something happened to you.”

The memory of her in the car, staring at me with those big green eyes and parted lips, her hard nipples all but begging me to take them in my mouth and taste how sweet they were, flashed through my mind. Not unlike the way she was staring at me now, only this time, defiance sharpened the edges of her softness. And fuck, that was a turn-on. Heat rushed to my groin until my cock ached with a painful throb.

“What I want…” I pressed a thumb against the pulse at the base of her neck. Its wild flutter told me she wasn’t as indifferent to the pull between us as she pretended to be. “Is for you to be safe. There are bad people in this world, Butterfly, and some of them are in the room right outside. So next time, I don’t care if I’m in the middle of a conversation with the queen of fucking England. Interrupt me. Understand?” Stella’s eyes narrowed. “Butterfly?” Beautiful. Elusive. Hard to catch.

“Because I don’t want to be jailed for murder if anyone touches a hair on your head.”