Lies That Sinners Tell (The Klutch Duet 1)

My eyes bugged out. “You bought a beautiful, stunning, breathtaking house with this view, and you don’t like the ocean?”

Something moved in his eyes. I didn’t know what because I’d only had three sips of coffee, three hours sleep maximum and I was waking up in heaven after a night in hell.

“I bought this because it’s one of the best places to be. The view doesn’t matter to me,” Jay replied. His tone was cold, businesslike. “Now, I’ve got a meeting that I need to leave for in the next five minutes,” he continued.

It was six in the morning. I did not question what kind of meeting he had to go to this early because it was none of my business and because this was L.A. Between the traffic and the kind of business that was being done in this city at any given moment, such a thing wasn’t unusual.

“When you’ve finished your coffee and had something to eat, a car will be waiting to take you home,” Jay said.

He was dismissing me. Of course he was. I had no idea why he’d even brought me out here in the first place. It wasn’t to be compassionate, he didn’t strike me as the compassionate kind of guy, but whatever the reason, he wasn’t about to leave me here all day. Whatever, I needed to go back to my normal life, deal with the aftermath of all of this.

“I can leave now,” I suggested, taking a heavy gulp of my coffee. “I don’t need food. I’ll just ...” I trailed off. I was going to say I was going to get dressed, but the thought of putting those clothes on was impossible. “I’ll get these dry cleaned and sent back to you,” I said finally, gesturing to the sweats.

“You’re eating,” Jay countered. “Your body went through considerable trauma last night. Adrenaline burns a lot of calories, so now you’re running on empty.

“Really, it’s okay,” I argued.

“It wasn’t a discussion.” His tone was firm. Hard. Controlling. That should’ve pissed me off, if there was ever a time when I needed my own agency it was now. But having orders, having someone else tell me what I needed so I didn’t need to think about it ... that helped. A lot.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Keep the clothes, of course,” Jay continued. “I have a lawyer talking to the precinct that handled that ...” he trailed off, taking a harsh inhale. “That handled the man who attacked you. We’ve organized your side of the story, your reason for leaving the scene. She will brief you on the details, but you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?” I repeated.

“In the legal, logistical sense, yes. But in the emotional sense, I can imagine you have a lot to work through. I’ve also arranged for a trauma counselor to contact you. She’s one of the best in the business. I know you have friends. I suggest you call them on the car ride home, so you won’t be at your apartment for too long. Perhaps the neighbor that works from home ... Carl?”

I blinked at him. His tone hadn’t changed. Nor had his expression. This was business to him. A task.

“Okay, so last night was ... a lot, so we didn’t get around to the fact that you’ve been having me followed which was bad enough, but you also know the people in my life? That’s ... I don’t even know what that is. I’ve been through too much to process that right now, but what I do know is that it’s fucking insane,” I hissed.

I should’ve been scared. Very scared. This man had had me fucking followed. And let’s not forget the fact that it was very likely he was involved in some kind of organized crime syndicate or something. He had a goon who knew how to almost kill a guy without even getting a blood stain on his shirt.

Jay didn’t seem at all bothered by my tone. “I told you that I wanted you, Stella,” he said. “I’m a man who’s used to getting what he wants. And I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to get it. You really think I was going to let you just walk away?”

The wind blew the ocean air toward me, it was mixed with the musk of Jay’s cologne, his scent. It was a smell so specific, so addicting, I knew I’d never forget it. I’d always associate the salt of the sea with Jay from now own, even when it wasn’t mixed with his scent.

His eyes peered into me, not just touching my skin but my insides. I couldn’t get over the way he looked at me. The way it made me feel. Despite the fact I was a hopeless romantic, I’d dismissed insta-love as pure fantasy. And this wasn’t love. No. But it was something. Something that shouldn’t exist between two people that barely knew each other. Especially when one of those people was a man who wore a mask of cold detachment. But it did exist. It was there.