Little White Lies (8 page)

“They have a game system, Nick. Why did you buy another one?” she asked fiddling with her onyx earring, conscious of his eyes taking in every detail of her appearance in a long hot look. Her pulse accelerated immediately, her breath coming hot and fast. Her body’s seemingly automatic response to him appalled her.

“Caitie never gets to play when Jason and Todd have the game. I figured that called for another one and a few games for her age group. We’ll hook it up in the living room.”

“Well, that was very thoughtful of you, but you shouldn’t have spent the money. Jason and Todd need to learn to share,” she snapped.

“Have Jason hook this up, honey,” Nick told Caitie, setting the bag down. She hugged him hard and ran off to tell the boys.

Moments later Caitie reappeared, tugging Jason by the hand.

“This is cool, Nick,” Jason told him. “Now maybe Caitie will leave us alone for five seconds so we can play. Thanks.”

Nick leaned against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Tell me, Maggie, just out of curiosity. Did Jim have any problems with you wearing the dress?” Nick asked his voice deceptively low.

“I bought if after he died,” she answered, refusing to feel intimidated. “Why, what’s wrong with it?” she demanded, turning slowly for his inspection.

The reaction she got was slightly more than she anticipated. The desire in his eyes was plain to see, and somewhat flattering; the tick in his jaw wasn’t quite what she was looking for. Nick angry she could handle, and Nick passionate was always appealing, even if she did refuse to give in and become his ticket to Jason. But a combination of the two was downright combustible. Her body’s response swamped her like a strong wave as fear and fire coursed through her.

“A little revealing, don’t you think?” he asked huskily. “Where are you going, Maggie, and with whom?”

“Who are you, my father?” she chided, secretly pleased he found her attractive. So many times he had seen her at her worst, sweaty, dirty, and exhausted.

“You’re lucky I’m not, sweetheart,” he responded smoothly, “because if I was, you wouldn’t get out of the house dressed like that.”

“Old-fashioned to the core,” she murmured quietly.

“What was that?” he inquired, trying to keep his cool while desire and jealously battled within him.

“Nothing,” Maggie replied.

“So, who’s the lucky guy you prefer over me?” he asked bluntly, fixing her with a cool blue stare.

No one, her heart whispered softly as she burst out, “Tim Morrisey,” sliding her tongue across very dry lips and studying her freshly painted nails as she told the blatant lie.

“No kidding. I was just talking to him the other day,” Nick remarked, straightening up from the bar and stretching, his big body appearing deceptively relaxed.

“How do you know Tim?” Maggie asked, not ready to make eye contact. Shoot, the first name that popped into my head, and he has to know him personally. Tim had asked her out several times after Jim died, but she’d always refused.

“Tim was the real estate agent who handled the deal for my new office,” he informed her softly. “He also happens to be getting married next month. I imagine that slipped his mind when he asked you out.”

Maggie quickly walked to the sink and ran the cold water. What she really wanted was to stick her head under the faucet and hope she drowned. Instead she reached for a glass.

“I know that,” she told him after taking several large gulps which nearly threw her into a choking fit. Damn. Turning around she caught the grin on Nick’s face that said better than words he didn’t believe her. What was it they said about “if it wasn’t for bad luck”…? Maggie was nothing if not stubborn, and at this point she had nothing to lose. If he was going to catch her in another lie, something that she seemed to do a lot when it concerned him, it may as well be a whopper.

“Maybe I’m going to be his last fling before he ties the knot,” she smiled as his grin faded remarkably fast to be replaced by a fierce scowl.

“The hell you are,” he growled, advancing on her with a determined stride.

Maggie’s hand flew to her throat, and she unconsciously backed up a step. Her high color could have been caused by anger, but Nick had the feeling it wasn’t. One hand settled in the shinning curls at her nape, and the other slid around her bottom lifting her clear off the floor. Backing up, he leaned against the bar, and settled her firmly into the cradle of his thighs. His tight worn jeans and her thin dress left little to the imagination. Hard and hot, soft and melting, she allowed herself one ineffectual push on his chest before the blue fire promise in his eyes forced her to surrender, and she let her head drop back. The kisses he trailed from her ear to the top of her breasts were like flashes of heat lightening. The roaring in her ears drowned out any sounds of children in the other rooms, and the rocking of his hips had her whimpering in need within seconds.

Never had desire come so quick and fierce as it did with Nick. He was so much of a man that everything female in her responded without reason. The strong arms that held her suspended were also gentle. As her fingers threaded through his hair, she pulled his lips to hers. She knew no matter how many years separated them, how many arguments, how many problems, she would always be forced to respond to him. Yes, Nick was a dangerous man, capable of making her forget almost everything… everything except the young man standing in the doorway watching the ravishment of his mother.

Struggling wildly Maggie whispered the one word guaranteed to gain her release,
Jason
. Setting her down, Nick’s hands smoothed her dress back into place while shielding her with his body. Taking several deep breaths, he strolled to the breakfast bar, arranging himself on the opposite side from where Jason was standing. Looking into his son’s blazing eyes, Nick felt like a teenager caught red-handed and made a mental note to go lightly if and when the situation were reversed. Glancing at Maggie was a mistake. The guilt on her face wasn’t reassuring, and he steeled himself for the angry words he knew were about to come. Running a hand through his hair, he faced Jason.

Jason watched the two adults frozen in time. The tension in the room was incredible, but he was old enough to understand where at least some of it was coming from. Hey, he watched movies, and not all of them were ones his mother would approve of. Straight-faced, he approached Nick at the bar and watched closely as he unconsciously slid a finger around the collar of his shirt. Slowly taking an apple from the fruit bowl, Jason calmly tossed it into the air and caught it several times. Finally, snatching it out of the air, he grinned and took a large bite.

“You guys should be more careful,” he said crunching happily. “I could have been one of the kids,” he added with a wink and left the room whistling.

Maggie’s breath came back in spurts and gulps. She was shamed by what her son had witnessed with such apparent unconcern. It wasn’t every day that his mother was just about having sex standing up in the kitchen. She and Jim had never been especially affectionate in front of the kids, preferring to keep that side of their marriage private. Surely, Jason had been shocked and mortified by her behavior.

Maggie searched around for her hair clip, purposely avoiding eye contact with Nick. Did he think she indulged in this sort of thing on a regular basis?

Nick said nothing after Jason left the room. The stern set of his jaw when Maggie finally glanced at him from under her lashes let her know, better than words, it was time to retreat.

“Well,” she breathed, smoothing her dress and straightening her hair. “I guess I’d better be going.”

“I don’t think so,” Nick responded sharply. Apparently being caught in such a compromising situation by his son hadn’t done anything to improve his mood. “Get upstairs and change your clothes.”

“What?” she asked incredulously.

“You heard what I said,” he stated very calmly for a man who stood like a mountain, arms crossed and feet planted firmly in her path. “But just on the chance that you didn’t get it the first time, I’ll repeat myself. Get upstairs and change. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”

Maggie’s jaw dropped open, and she snapped it shut just as quickly. Even for Nick, this was pretty high-handed.

“Just who do you think you are?” she demanded, her arms crossed, her toe tapping in agitation.

Nick approached slowly, his calm slipping with every step. He bent down until they were almost nose to nose. The fire in his blue eyes warned her, but it was not in her nature to back down, although she did take a step back.

“Lady, you wore that dress tonight looking for trouble, and you found it right in your own kitchen. I will not be a party to your little
fling
, and I certainly won’t babysit so you can enjoy it. Now get yourself upstairs and change before I do something I’ll regret for all of thirty seconds, and you’ll be sorry every time you sit down for the next week,” he growled furiously.

Maggie gasped and jumped back, instinctively putting her hands behind her back to protect her already cringing butt.

“How dare you tell me what I can and cannot do,” she shouted, sorry that she’d started the whole thing. “Besides, you don’t understand. I wasn’t going to—”

“I understand a great deal more than you think,” Nick told her as he grabbed her arm and turned her towards the living room doorway. “I’m not about to sit back and allow
you to make a fool
of yourself,” he continued, giving her a sharp swat on her bottom to encourage her on her way.

Too late
, she thought, but
allow
was the final straw. Perversely, Maggie, who had not really wanted to go anywhere in the first place, found herself determined now and changed direction so fast that Nick lost her for a moment. Snatching up her purse, she stalked toward the back door cursing the high heels that slowed her down.

For a large man, Nick moved surprisingly fast when he had to, and he was planted in the doorway before she even got close. The look on his face was fierce, and she knew she’d never get past him. They faced each other, neither giving an inch. Maggie—determined to go on her imaginary date just to prove she could and Nick—equally determined to stop her.

Suddenly the whole thing struck Maggie as quite comical. Poor Nick was trying to save her virtue by forbidding her from doing something she had absolutely no intention of doing. They’d been caught making out like a couple of sex-crazed teenagers by their son, and now she was fighting tooth and nail to do something she really didn’t want to do.

Maggie dropped her head into her hands and started to laugh. The night had turned into a ridiculous fiasco, and it had all started with one little white lie, followed by another, and another. Maggie decided right then that, while she might not tell Nick everything, she would try not to lie to him again.

Nick was not exactly pleased by the sudden turn of events.

“I see nothing funny in this, Maggie,” he told her firmly, definitely sounding more like her father every minute, which only made Maggie laugh harder.

By the time Nick lost his patience and threw Maggie over his shoulder, tears were streaming down her face and she was howling with laughter. Nick stomped out of the kitchen and across the living room, mumbling about hysterical females.

Two heads poked out of the den and watched open-mouthed. Caitlin, he noted had fallen asleep with the game paddle dangling from her fingers.

“Don’t be alarmed. guys,” Nick spoke reassuringly to the boys. “Your mother is having a little meltdown. She’ll be fine.”

Maggie saw them upside down and tried to push the tangled hair out of her eyes. She was still laughing. The boys grinned back and shrugged their shoulders.

Nick took the stairs two at a time and strode down the hall, setting Maggie on her feet outside of her bedroom.

“Stop it, Maggie,” he ordered. “There’s no need to get hysterical just because you didn’t get your own way.”

Maggie sagged against the wall and wiped the tears from her face. His superior attitude still had the power to annoy her, even though she brought this whole nightmare on herself. She pulled down her dress and tried to compose herself, feeling more foolish by the second.

“I’ll be giving Morrisey a call to let him know exactly what I think of him and his ways. What kind of man asks a woman out when he is getting married in a few weeks? I can’t believe the gall of that guy.”

Laughing suddenly seemed the farthest thing from her mind. Maggie knew she would have to confess her lie. It was entirely unfair to put poor Tim in the middle of this, and she’d never be able to look him or his new wife in the eye once they became aware of her deception. She wracked her brain for another way out. There was no way in hell she wanted to admit this lie to Nick, partly because she didn’t want him to know she never really had a date, but mostly because she vividly recalled the night she’d been caught lying to him. Even though her bottom had been back to normal by the next day, a spanking from Nick was at the top of her list of
things to avoid at all costs
.

Nick watched, puzzled as Maggie went from trying not to laugh, to worrying her bottom lip. A shiver went through her, and before he could blink she threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly and resting her head on his chest. His strong arms closed around her, and he kissed the top of her head. Whatever was wrong with her, he could sure get used to it he thought, breathing in her delicate scent.

“Magpie, what’s wrong, honey? I don’t hold you responsible. Obviously you would never have agreed to go out with him if you had known he was getting married. I don’t want you worrying about this, baby. I will take care of Morrisey in my own way. I—”

Maggie’s fingers came up to softly cover Nick’s lips. He kissed and nibbled on them gently, completely robbing her mind of what she wanted to say as his hand soothed her by rubbing up and down her back. For a few moments she let herself enjoy the security of his embrace, sinking into him completely and sighing. His heartbeat was strong against her ear, and she wanted nothing more than to go back in time before she’d created this mess. Good grief. How did she get herself in these predicaments? Lies, lies, and more lies. Not big whopping ones, but little white ones that were probably going to be the cause of a not so white bottom if she wasn’t careful.