Past Lies Read online

  And now Zach was here to see the fallout.

  Stupid tears burned her eyes.

  She couldn’t blame Gregory for this. Her life was already a mess of lies, a tangle that had caught her up for six years. One she felt impossible to undo. No, she couldn’t go on like this. In a week, she would be free. Free of Sofia, of…of Zach. She ignored the constriction in her chest. There were no feelings there for him. None.

  She would be free to start over.

  Anna looked up at the hard line of Zach’s jaw, found his attention fixed on Andrew Wood. Yes. She could start now. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “Yes.”

  “Anna and I had plans,” the other man said.

  She met Andrew’s hot gaze, holding down the familiar shudder. “No. We didn’t.”

  “Why, you…”

  Her face burned at the names Andrew Wood called her, his features angry, twisted, but she didn’t look away.

  “Enough.” Zach’s low growl sent a chill over her skin. Andrew Wood’s face blanched and he took a back step. “Anna is with me.”

  Andrew stabbed at the lift button. His gaze slid over Anna, his mouth sliding into a sneer. “You’re welcome to her.”

  “Zach—”

  “I have people waiting for me.”

  He turned and strode away. Anna, in a half run, followed him, her boots clicking over the marble floor. The damn things were designed for sitting down, not actually walking. “Zach. Wait!”

  He stopped in the quiet of the corridor. “What?”

  “I wasn’t…I didn’t…with him.” Her hand waved back down the corridor. She took a steadying breath. Yes. Time for the truth with Zach. Her heart was pounding. There would never be anything between them. Not anymore. It would be her first step to freeing herself of her old life. “It’s all a lie.”

  His gaze narrowed on her. “A lie?”

  “Yes. The men. There’s been no one.” She could feel the fire in her face as she focused on his tie. “No one…since you.”

  Silence. For too many heartbeats, complete silence.

  And then he started to laugh. A harsh, bitter sound. He lifted her chin and his smile was sharp. “You don’t need to charm me, Anna. We have this week. After that you can sell off your inheritance and leave the country.”

  He moved closer. Fingers snaked around her neck.

  Her heart was tight. He hadn’t believed her. Why had she expected he would?

  Zach’s breath, warm over her mouth, so close she could almost taste him.

  “But don’t ever embarrass me like that again.” His voice was no more than a rough whisper, his eyes dark, hard. “Because you don’t want me as an enemy, Anna.”

  “I—”

  “No.” His fingers slid from her skin and chilled air washed away the heat. Anna shivered. “I’ve had enough lies from you today.”

  And he left her standing there.

  Her hand covered her mouth and she felt the sting of tears. She had finally worked up the guts to tell him the truth and he’d laughed in her face.

  The day couldn’t get any worse.

  Damn.

  Sofia would be home now.

  Yes. It could.

  Chapter Four

  Anna caught up with him in the long corridor that led back to the function room. She was not going to try again. He could believe her. Or not. Damn the man. She let out a measured breath and willed her heart to be calm. “Are you ready to leave, now?”

  Zach didn’t slow his fast stride. “No.”

  Anna hissed against the pain in her feet. Stupid boots.

  “I am not changing my schedule for you.”

  “Oh, but it’s fine for me to chase around after you, wasting my

  time—”

  Zach stopped. Anna teetered on her heels and found her balance. “Yes.”

  She gritted her teeth and pushed down the surge of anger that wanted to slap him into next week. “Zach, I really need—”

  “What?” His voice was cold and his body stiff. “What lies do you want to spin now, Anna?”

  She breathed in. And out. “I’ve finished with lying.”

  He laughed again, without mirth. “Of course you have. Lying to you is as easy as breathing. It always has been.”

  She swallowed the pained lump in her throat. “Not anymore.”

  “Anna.” His hand framed her jaw, tangled in her hair. The heat of his touch burned her skin. “Women have lied to me my whole life. It’s what you do.”

  A fist crushed in her gut. She was just another one in a long line. She stepped back beyond his touch. “No.”

  A smile quirked his mouth. “Then we’ll agree to disagree.”

  “Fine.” She sidestepped him and pushed open the door to the ladies. “What? Can I not go to the toilet now?”

  “Again?”

  “Yes.” Regret sparked into the familiar burn of anger. The man could turn her emotions faster than anyone she had ever known. She lifted her hand, stared at her palm and then waved it at him. “Or would you prefer to meet your colleagues with a red welt across your jaw?”

  Zach laughed, something harsh and grating. “You’re enjoying this latest mask, aren’t you?” He glanced ahead. “I’ll be in the bar. And you have ten minutes, Anna. Any longer and I’ll come in there and get you.”

  “How will that look to your precious reputation?”

  He ignored her and strode away. His words cut back. “Ten minutes, Anna.”

  She let the door bang into place.

  Anna released a shallow breath and slumped into the nearest chair. It was the one she had vacated no more than half an hour before. A smile tugged at her mouth and she ran her hand through her hair. “How am I going to last the day, never mind the week?”

  She stared up at the white ceiling and breathed the soft scent of jasmine deep into her lungs. She blinked. She knew that scent.

  A stall door hinge creaked.

  Anna jumped. No. It was not the best time to be talking to herself.

  She stood. Her heels clicked over the polished floor and she stopped before the gleaming sink. She stared at her reflection, willing herself to find the courage to be in Zach’s company again. But her insides rioted.

  “Anna, this is a surprise.”

  The knot in her chest twisted tighter. Jasmine. “Isabelle.”

  Isabelle Quinn put her bag onto the table. She turned the golden taps and washed her hands, drying them with slow, measured wipes on the small towel. She dropped it into the basket.

  Turning back to the mirror, Isabelle examined her reflection. Long nails traced over her perfect jaw line, her head tilted to the sharp spotlights above. Her hair was a sheet of gleaming copper. She pulled at a strand, before stroking it back into place.

  “I didn’t expect you to be here today.” Anna twitched a smile. Getting out, finding Zach and telling him his ex-wife was prowling sounded like a great plan right then. She was certain he would want to avoid a confrontation. Anna waved a hand back to the door. “I should be going…”

  “Zachary’s waiting for you?”

  “Yes.”

  Isabelle smiled.

  Anna ignored the kick to her gut. Zach’s ex-wife was flawlessly beautiful.

  “You know I’ve always tried to help you.” Isabelle’s smile softened. “I tried to warn you years ago to stay away from him. Zachary enjoys mind games.” She turned back to her reflection and tilted her jaw. Without looking, she opened her bag and pulled out a gold compact. She dabbed powder over her skin. “Don’t fall for his charm, Anna. I did.” For a moment, her smooth brow wrinkled. Her lips twitched and the furrow slid away. “Thankfully, I saw sense early on.”

  Anna was about to say that, obviously, there was nothing between her and Zach. The constraints of Gregory’s will stopped her. And there was the lie. Because something did seethe between them, had for too many years. “Yes.” She pushed back her cuff and stared at her watch. There had to be only a few minutes before Zach came looking
for her. “It was nice seeing you again, Isabelle—”

  “We’ve always been friends.” She put her hand on Anna’s arm and her fingers tightened. “I’m not Sofia.”

  Anna let out a slow breath and she made the smile work across her mouth. “I know.”

  She had always admired Isabelle’s poise, her innate charm. When Anna was younger she had tried to be her. And for a short time, Isabelle had been the big sister she had never had, one with whom to share her worries and secrets.

  Anna’s smile eased into something more real as she said, “It was kind of you to sit with me that afternoon. Especially when you had your own problems.”

  Isabelle turned back to the mirror. “My decree absolute.” She brushed a delicate sheen of gloss over her lips. “To be honest, your miserable boyfriend took my mind off it. Zachary and I had ended long before then. It was odd to be so…disturbed by it.”

  Isabelle had been his wife and Anna had never understood his animosity. Anna focused on the taps and ignored the twist of guilt. It made her uneasy. Always had. “Iain Bridger. I was his girlfriend for a whole week and then he broke my heart. Left me for Fiona Campbell. The whole running off, getting soaked to the skin and excessive tears was a slight overreaction on my part.”

  Isabelle grinned. “You were sixteen. It’s what you do at that age.”

  Anna couldn’t help her laugh. “True.”

  “And now you’re what, twenty-five?” Isabelle packed her cosmetics back into her bag. “Zachary will hurt you far more than Iain Bridger.”

  “I’m not…” Anna stopped herself. “He won’t.”

  “I thought that too.” Isabelle turned her body and smoothed her hands down the soft silk of her pale blue, shift dress. “He’s not what he appears to be.” For a second, her mouth turned down in a hard line. “Not what I thought he was anyway.” Her calm expression returned and Anna doubted what she thought she’d seen. A malicious gleam lit Isabelle’s pure green eyes and she looked too much like Sofia for comfort. “And of course, then there’s his problem—”

  “Anna. Your time is up.”

  The door banged against the floor stop.

  Zach stared. Isabelle. What other nightmares could the day conjure? Anna looked pink and she wouldn’t meet his eye. Or couldn’t. A fist crushed tight in his chest. Isabelle had been at work again. “Hello, Isabelle.”

  “Zachary.” She smiled. He was no longer fooled by the pleasing perfection of her face. “How nice to see you again. I didn’t realise the date.”

  “Of course.” He stood back from the doorway and indicated for Anna to precede him. “Anna, please.”

  Isabelle’s smile deepened. Her heels clacked against the polished marble and Zach willed himself to breathe evenly. Her finger edged his jaw. Skin prickled where she touched and he forced down the need to flinch. “I love the way you become monosyllabic around me.” She glanced back to the unmoving Anna. “Remember what I said.”

  Anna’s cheeks flushed a deeper pink.

  “You used to come looking for me too, Zachary. So possessive.” Her gaze slid down his chest, dropped lower and a sharp smile curled her mouth. “But then that all changed.”

  “Yes.” He stepped away from her, stood between her and Anna. “I’m sure someone’s missing you, Isabelle.”

  “Harsh.”

  “True.”

  “Zach.” Anna’s cool hand slipped into his and her fingers brushed his palm. Heat shot up his arm. “We should go.”

  “Isabelle.” He stepped forward and out into the thankfully empty corridor. There was enough gossip circulating about him today. He wanted to get away. It seemed Anna read his thoughts.

  “Let’s get out of here, Zach.”

  Her words perversely strengthened his resolve to stay. He pulled his hand free of hers and increased his pace. “Neither you, nor her, will drive me out of here.”

  “You’re being ridiculous!”

  “I liked you better as a liar.”

  He strode ahead of her and his breath tightened. His mouth ran off before his brain engaged. Always did around Anna. He was an idiot. “Anna…”

  “No.” Her face had flushed. “And Isabelle worried about me falling for your charm.”

  Isabelle. The thought of his ex-wife spreading her lies to Anna had pain shooting into his skull. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t need to remind you of the stipulations of Gregory’s will.”

  “Thank you, Zach.” She pushed open the glass doors leading into the bar. “It’s obviously so difficult to remember.”

  Zach stopped himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. A headache pulsed and mixed with the wine, worsening his mood. He leant against the bar and ordered two mineral waters.

  Anna curved an eyebrow.

  “Do you really want anything more to drink?”

  “Around you?” She put her tiny, impractical bag on the polished counter. “Unwise.”

  “Funny.”

  The doors opened again and Isabelle stood there. Zach counted the seconds as she waited for everyone in the crowded bar to look at her. And they did. Isabelle was, after all, a striking woman. He turned back to his drink, his fingertip sliding down the cold, wet glass. Nine years wasn’t long enough to separate them. A twist of a smile curved his mouth.

  “What?” Anna glanced at him briefly and sipped at her water.

  All thought of Isabelle faded.

  Anna’s skin glowed in the clear light. It was as if someone had kicked him in the chest. He saw his hand moving to frame her jaw. His fingers slid over the delicate skin of her cheek. He was stupid to keep touching her, but this was Anna. He couldn’t stop.

  “Zach…”

  His thumb pressed against her lip, brushing away the moisture. Silencing her.

  This woman had his life in a tailspin. His privacy, his reputation, meant everything to him. Always had. But they were forgotten as easily as his ex-wife. He slid from his barstool and edged closer. Anna’s parted thighs brushed against his legs. Her mouth was level with his. So close, he could almost taste her.

  Anna’s eyes were a liquid black, endless, and with each breath, he felt himself falling, falling—

  “Anna Shrewsbury!”

  Zach’s hand dropped. It was a spell that she cast over him. He would touch her and forget that she was exactly like his Isabelle. No. Lust would not make him a fool for a second time.

  A stool scraped over the floor and Zach shook the haze from his mind. “Excuse me, we’re not—” He stared and he knew his face slid into the familiar ice mask. His gut twisted and he stopped his hands from tightening into fists. “Nathan.”

  The wide bright smile flared Zach’s growing irritation. Smug. The bastard always looked smug. “Zachary.”

  “We were having a private conversation.”

  “Conversation? That what you call it?” With a smirk, Nathan Alexander planted himself on the stool and patted Anna’s leg. She twisted away from his touch. “Haven’t seen Anna for years.”

  “Yes, there’s a reason for that.”

  A hard edge cut her voice and it made heat rush under Zach’s skin. Lead settled in his stomach. Nathan was a man from her past. Yes, history was repeating itself. “Nathan.” He kept his voice low. Already, those closest to them had grown still and he could feel them listening. “So how much of a hint do you need to go away?” Fury burned through him. With a slow breath, he contained it. “And I’m being polite.”

  “Zachary.” His oily tones made Zach want to grab him by his ridiculously expensive jacket and haul him up against the nearest wall. “I understand you’re stressed today. But we can be mature about this? I just wanted to say hello to Anna.”

  “Done,” Anna said. “Bye.”

  Zach’s mouth twitched. “Now that’s both of us.”

  His pretty-boy lips turned down and a crease formed on Nathan’s too-smooth brow. “Isabelle wants to talk to you in private.”

  “I have nothing to say to her.”

>   Nathan sank against the shallow back of the stool. He watched Zach while he swirled his whiskey, the ice clinking against the crystal. “We both know Isabelle.” There was a conscious flick of his eyes to Anna. Zach frowned. “I’ll keep Anna company.”

  “Two minutes.” He pushed himself away from the bar. Habit made him straighten and fasten his jacket. “Anna.”

  “Counting the seconds.”

  Zach drew in a deep breath and turned through the loose crowd. He should have been spending the afternoon in the quiet company of his friends. Instead, he had his ex-wife, her lover…and most aggravating of all, Anna.

  Isabelle relaxed back in a curved, leather booth. A hard little smile cut her mouth. He stared down at her. Her beauty was all surface, he knew that now. But he’d been a shallow young man when he proposed. He had learnt his lesson. He never trusted a pretty face again. “All right. What?”

  “Sometimes I don’t know what I saw in you. What Anna sees in you.” She waved a manicured hand at the empty curve of the rest of her booth. “Sit.”

  “Anna and I are not open for discussion.”

  Isabelle stared past him and her elegant features tightened. He refused to turn. He did not want to see Nathan and Anna together. Old memories fired his reluctance.

  “Lust suits you, Zachary.” She sipped wine and her tongue tip touched her wet lips. “But then I always thought it did.”

  Was she flirting with him? The thought made his skin itch. “Get to the point.”

  She patted the place beside her. Her French polished talons gleamed against the dark brown leather. “Sit.”

  Zach pulled up a short stool, unfastened his jacket and sat. “Two minutes.”

  “You never used to be so much of a stickler for your schedule.”

  “I didn’t have to before I met you. One and half minutes.”

  Isabelle’s perfect lips pursed. Her jaw stiffened. “You and Anna are an unlikely couple.”

  Zach said nothing. He willed his expression to stone.

  “Especially given our past.”

  “One minute.”

  Loathing darkened her green eyes. “I told her.”

  Cold rippled through him. He watched the loathing transform to satisfaction. A wrinkle cut her flawless cheek from her sneer of a smile, marring her beauty. “Your time is up.” Zach stood.