Deceived Read online

  With any luck, I’d figure out a way to get Cade to notice me—not the friend who cut up with him frequently at the bar, but the woman who realized how rare it was to find a man who could make me laugh, who could make me enjoy conversations about the most mundane things, who could make tingling sensations cascade down my spine at a simple brush of his hand.

  I was going to take Cade’s advice.

  I was going to make it happen.

  Chapter 2

  Snog

  Seren

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do, dear?”

  I looked up from my dinner plate and noticed my mother watching me. I’d been thinking about how I was going to get Cade’s attention, which included a whole lot of thoughts that I certainly wouldn’t be sharing with my mother, and her question freaked me out.

  “Hello?” she asked, obviously noticing the blank stare on my face. “Your graduation money? Are you going to use it to buy another car, or do you want to take that trip to Ireland you keep talking about?”

  Relief flowed through me. “Oh.” My parents were holding a nice little chunk of change for me, their present for my college graduation. One of their conditions was that they knew how the money was being spent. I assumed to make sure I didn’t make any stupid decisions or piddle it away on frivolous crap I didn’t need.

  I’d totaled my car a few months ago, and my mother bought herself a new one, so that I could drive her old one. It was an ancient model that screamed family, but as much as I wanted something shinier and newer, I really wanted to travel to Europe.

  Since I planned to start my job search soon, I figured I could buy a car once I had a steady income.

  “I want to go to Ireland,” I announced. “If I don’t go now, who knows when I’ll get another chance?”

  “Good choice,” my dad said, light reflecting off his bald spot as he nodded his head in approval without looking up from his dinner plate.

  Since my paternal great-grandfather had emigrated from Ireland after World War II, my father had always been interested in his Irish heritage. I knew it was a trip he wanted to make himself but hadn’t allowed himself the luxury of taking that much time off work.

  “I wish we could go with you,” my mother lamented. “And speaking of that, I checked on a travel package, and it’s based on two people. Dad and I will pay for you and a friend, so who do you want to take with you?”

  My brow furrowed. I really didn’t know who I would take, and I doubted Lexi would be able to leave the bar that long, which was precisely the reason I wanted to take the trip before I started a new job.

  And as I thought about the people who might be able to go with me, it dawned on me that this was the perfect time for me to wow Cade.

  ***

  “So tell me if I’m crazy.”

  “Oh, you’re definitely crazy,” Lexi said collapsing on my bed, exhausted from a long day at Whiskey Nights.

  “You haven’t even heard my plan yet.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re still crazy.”

  I felt as if I would burst if I didn’t tell her. “I figured out how I’m going to wow Cade.”

  Lexi ran her fingers through her long brunette tresses, pulling them away from her face. “You’re going to wear that French maid outfit that he asked you about a few months ago and clean his apartment?”

  “I forgot about that.” I sat cross-legged on the bed beside her. “I just might have to add the French maid costume to my plan, but there’s no way in hell I’m cleaning his apartment.”

  “You say that now.” Lexi shot me a look of disbelief. “You might change your mind once you see his apartment.”

  I shook my head vigorously. “Not going to happen. Once you start that, men expect you to do that stuff all the time.”

  “I got lucky. Mason may not be as much of a clean freak as I am, but he’s pretty clean.”

  “Forget cleaning,” I demanded, growing impatient. “Concentrate.”

  “Okay,” Lexi agreed, “let’s hear it. How’re you going to wow him?”

  Excited, I slid my palms together rapidly, feeling the warmth created by the friction. “I’m going to invite him to go to Ireland with me.”

  Lexi cocked her eyebrows. “One hotel room or two?”

  “Well, only one room comes with the travel package, so if he insists on having his own room, he’ll have to pay for it.”

  She furrowed her brow as she concentrated. “Nope. Can’t see it.”

  “What? You don’t think he’ll go with me?”

  “Oh, he may very well go with you. I just can’t see him demanding his own hotel room.”

  A grin broke across my face. “I hope not.”

  “What if he can’t go?”

  I knew it was a possibility. Cade and I had talked often at Whiskey Nights, and I’d even joined Flex Appeal, the gym that he and his brothers owned, just to get more time around him. But I didn’t even have his phone number, so even though he might not be interested in taking a trip with me, I really didn’t want to think about his refusal. I’d already imagined touring the Irish countryside with Cade. And while I would let nothing ruin my trip, I desperately wanted to travel with him. “He has to go, Lexi. I already have my heart set on it.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  Her question surprised me. As my best friend, Lexi was well aware of my attraction to Cade. “You know how I feel about him.”

  She nodded, her expressive eyes revealing her concern.

  “What?” I asked, wondering if she knew something I didn’t.

  “Nothing.” Her dark eyes focused on me. “Are you sure you don’t want to try something a little less drastic? Like asking him to lunch?”

  “We’ve sat at the bar a million times and eaten together.”

  “Yeah, but I meant asking him to go somewhere else. You know, more like a date.”

  My eyes dropped to my hands as I entertained her suggestion. “I’ve known him since elementary school when he used to sit behind me on the bus and pull my hair. You know when you see something so often that you don’t pay much attention to it anymore? Take a new car, for example. When you first get it, everything’s exciting. You love the smell of the interior, the way the steering wheel fits in your hand. You wash it all the time and keep it shined up. But after a while, all the new wears off, and everything about it becomes so familiar that you don’t even notice it.

  “I want to take Cade out of our familiar surroundings. I want to do something sensational, something that doesn’t happen every day. Plenty of girls have probably invited him to lunch or to sit and watch a sunset. How many girls have invited him to an eclipse?”

  “An eclipse? Is there going to be an eclipse while you’re in Ireland?”

  “No,” I clarified, “I’m just using that for an example. I want to do something that will burn into his brain, something that will make me stand out from any other girl who might try to get his attention. I want to stand at the Cliffs of Moher with him as we breathe the ocean air and our feet get tingly because we realize how high the cliffs are, how far down it is where the waves crash onto the shoreline.”

  “I think you can discover whether he’s interested in you without going all the way to Ireland.”

  “I know, but going to Ireland will be a much more exciting way of finding out just how interested he really is.”

  “I just don’t want you to be disappointed.” Lexi gave me a small smile. “Especially not if you’re halfway around the world, and I can’t get to you.”

  “I’ll be fine. If he just wants to be friends, then we’ll have fun touring Ireland together, and it will still be a memorable experience. If he happens to be as interested in me as I am in him, then who knows? We may be telling our grandkids how Nana and Poppy fell in love on The Emerald Isle.”

  “It’s settled then. Whether Cade knows it or not, he’s going to Europe. When are you going to ask him?”

  “I was thinking I might catch his
interest more if I added a little mystery to it, you know? Make the invitation so intriguing that he can’t say no.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  “I thought I’d hand him a written invitation of some sort. Make it a secret rendezvous and forbid him to mention it to anyone. That should add a layer of mystery. Maybe have him text me if he wants to know more information. Make it a game. I don’t know yet, but he already knows the everyday side of me. Now I want to show him the Seren he hasn’t seen yet.”

  “Ooh la la.” Lexi flashed a smile. “Cade Mayfield, you better watch out.”

  Laughing, I shoved her playfully. “I’m serious. I think I could be really happy with Cade.”

  “I know.” Lexi rubbed my arm. “Cade would be lucky to have you.”

  “Now all I have to do is convince him of that. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  Lexi stood and stretched, yawning. She looked tired, and I knew that she and Mason both worked long hours at Whiskey Nights. “I’m going home now, but let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. You know…like knock Cade out and put him on a plane.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But if it does, I’m going to take you up on that offer.”

  ***

  The next afternoon, I drove to Whiskey Nights. Cade and Hawk were already sipping beer, and I slid into the empty barstool by Cade.

  “What’s up, guys?” I asked, nodding to Mason as he held up an empty martini glass several feet away.

  Hawk answered first. “I’m just hanging out while I wait on Amber to swing back by and pick me up. She went down the street to get a haircut.”

  “And for me,” Cade said, “it’s the same shit, just a different day.”

  “If you want to do something different, you can go ice skating with Amber and me,” Hawk suggested.

  “Oh, that’s right,” I said, “they have that rink set up on Main Street.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be in town much longer,” Hawk said. “Amber’s been wanting to go, so I told her I’d take her over there tonight. She wanted to wait until it got dark. They’re supposed to have it all lit up with strings of lights and winter decorations.”

  “That sounds like fun,” I said.

  Cade seemed surprised. “You want to go?”

  “I’d love to, but I’m not sure I’d be any good at it.”

  “Let’s do it, Flanagan.” Cade tipped up his beer. When he set it back down on the coaster, he continued, “You can ride with me, if you want. I’ll bring you back to get your car when we’re done.”

  Hawk glanced past Cade at me. “You should do it, Seren. Amber would love it if you went.”

  My eyes switched from Hawk to Cade, and they both were looking at me, waiting for me to answer. “Yeah,” I agreed, “it sounds like fun.”

  Mason set a Pear Martini down in front of me. “You know, love, I could make you something different every once in a while. Maybe a Mai Tai or a Margarita.”

  I pointed at him. “You’re the one that got me hooked on these.”

  He shot me a crooked grin. “I just wanted you to know you had options. If you love Pear Martinis that much, I’ll be more than happy to keep them coming.”

  I took a sip of it and nodded my head in approval. “I do love them that much.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “Far be it from me to come between a girl and her favorite cocktail.”

  “You’re a wise man,” I assured him.

  Cade waved his hand in my face. “You’re not getting sucked in by all that phony bartender charm, are you?”

  Mason scoffed. “Phony?” He slapped his hand to his chest. “Man, you’re supposed to have my back.” Mason pointed at him in an accusatory manner. “I see how it is. That’s fine. Sooner or later, you’ll want another beer.”

  Cade chuckled. “Yeah, and you and I both know it’s going to be sooner.”

  Mason grinned in response and grabbed another bottle. “This is your warning beer. Insult my bartending skills again, and I won’t bring you anything but nonalcoholic shit.”

  “Ouch,” Cade said. “A very effective reprimand.”

  “It’s too bad you and Lexi are working,” I told Mason, interrupting their banter. “We’re leaving in a few minutes to go ice skating, and I wish y’all could come with us.”

  “She’s knee-deep in getting our tax information together, and I’m,” Mason said, pausing as he cast a long glance at Cade, “too busy listening to the regulars sing my praises.”

  Cade angled his beer in Mason’s direction, acknowledging the reference.

  Mason lightly slapped his hand against the counter. “Y’all have fun, though. Maybe we can catch you next time.”

  As we finished our drinks, Amber texted Hawk to tell him that she was in the parking lot. We all donned our jackets and left, and Cade and I followed them to the outdoor skating rink.

  Despite my protests, Cade paid for my entry and my skate rental. We sat on a bench and laced our skates. Occasionally, I glanced up admiring the inky sky sprinkled with stars and the glow of the white lights that had been strung around the perimeter.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been on the ice,” Cade said, tugging his laces tight and tying them.

  “I’ve never been ice skating,” I confessed as I finished with my skates and sat upright.

  “Never?” He stood, offering me his hand. He pulled me to my feet, and we both walked toward the ice.

  I shook my head as I held my arms out slightly, trying my darnedest to keep my balance as I stumbled toward the rink.

  He stepped onto the ice and floated gracefully across its surface.

  “Well, you’ve obviously been before,” I said.

  “I played hockey on a rec team one year when I was in middle school. I guess it wasn’t a big hit, though, because the rink closed down after the season was over.”

  Amber skated by, waving as she chased after Hawk. “Hey, guys!”

  I waved back, and Cade lifted his chin in acknowledgement as he waited for me.

  Music played from the speakers set up strategically around the rink. It was just loud enough to hear without having to yell if you wanted to have an actual conversation. I was grateful it wasn’t blaring because I was desperately trying to focus on the task at hand.

  Stepping onto the ice reminded me of the time Lexi and I had the bright idea to squirt a whole bottle of my mother’s dishwashing liquid on my Slip ‘N Slide. I had taken a running start, determined I was going to stay upright on my feet as if I were surfing a wave. Instead, I immediately landed on my butt, giving myself a huge purple bruise that made it difficult to sit down the following week.

  As I teetered on my blades, I was pretty sure history was about to repeat itself, only this time I was taller and I had farther to fall.

  I had no idea how to propel myself forward, and I wound up shuffling my feet, my entire body twisting at odd angles as I tried to keep from falling.

  Cade grinned as his hand shot out and grabbed mine, steadying me. “Come on, Flanagan, it’s not that much different than roller skating.”

  “I’ve never been roller skating.”

  His amused expression dropped from his face. “You haven’t been roller skating, either?”

  I squeezed his hand as another violent urge to fall on my face overtook me. “No.”

  “In middle school, you didn’t spend Friday nights at the skating rink kissing boys in dark corners and shaking your ass as you sped around the rink?”

  I grinned at his question. “My mom thought skating was dangerous. I could break an arm or a wrist. You know, the whole only child thing. She was definitely overprotective.”

  He grabbed my other hand. “Shit, Flanagan. I can’t believe you’ve never been skating.”

  “I did see a lot of movies.”

  He started skating backwards along the edge of the rink, pulling me with him. “Just move your feet. You’ll get the hang of it.”<
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  Luckily, the rink was dead. Other than us, there were only a handful of people, which was good because a wide berth made it easier to concentrate on my movements without the fear of getting in other people’s way. My awkward shuffling slowly improved, and eventually, I graduated to skating while holding only one of Cade’s hands as he patiently coached me.

  Finally, he released me totally, and I glided across the ice like a pro. Okay, maybe not a pro, but considering from where I had started….

  A fast-paced rock song came over the speakers, and Cade asked, “Will you be okay if I leave you for a minute?”

  I nodded, not too vigorously because I didn’t want to mess up my rhythm. “I’m fine,” I promised. “Go ahead.”

  He cocked his head, an unspoken question asking me if I was sure.

  “I want to see what you got,” I called to him.

  Casting a mischievous grin in my direction, his skates grinded to a halt, the sudden movement casting tiny shards of ice into the air. He did a sexy little dance, swirling his hips as his arms crossed over his abdomen, and he grabbed the hems of his thin jacket and shirt, pulling it upward until I saw a peek of his muscled abdomen.

  I laughed at his antics, part of me wanting him to continue his striptease. “You know what I meant.”

  He dropped his clothing and shrugged his shoulders, and then he spun around and rocketed around the rink. Skating seemed to come so naturally to him that I had a hard time believing he hadn’t done it since middle school. As he circled around the ends, he easily toggled between skating forward and backward, and I wondered if he had been able to move that easily when he was bogged down in hockey gear.

  I’d gotten so caught up in watching him as he circled around, I stumbled, knocking my balance off-kilter and landing flat on my bottom. I sat dazed for a moment, pondering how I was going to get back on my feet.

  Cade skated up beside me, obviously making short work of that lap, and bent over. “Are you okay?”