Read Online Deceived 6 - Ultimate Deception by Eve Carter - Free Book Online
Authors: Eve Carter
Tags: Suspense, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy, romantic suspense, New Adult & College, Mystery & Suspense
Ads: Link
bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. If I was wrong about the iced tea, was I also wrong about the wine? Had it just been a weird combination of things? It couldn’t have been food poisoning since Chloe and I had eaten the same things for days now, but it could have been the combination of stress and fatigue with the wine. That would be a more logical explanation for what had happened.
Still, no matter how logical it was, my gut was telling me that something was up with Nina. Now I wondered if maybe I should have told Ryan about my suspicions. I tossed around the idea of calling him back, but the same problems as before remained. If I was wrong, the fallout would be bad. And it wouldn’t just affect Chloe’s relationship with Ricky and Elyse. If I accused Nina of doing something as despicable as drugging me, then kissing me, and I was wrong, Chloe would be pissed.
I raked my hand through my hair. Just thinking about it got me all wound up again. I couldn’t keep it a secret forever. I didn’t want a marriage where I lied to my wife, even if it was about another woman hitting on me. I planned to tell Chloe about it, but after the birth, way after the birth. Even if Nina had drugged me just to make me an easy target for her kisses, I didn’t believe that she truly wanted to hurt Chloe. Why would she? They were friends and the fact that Nina opened her house to us was a sure sign of that. Nina’s intentions, whether she did do it or not, were probably just misguided. Whatever the case, I’d just make sure I kept a closer eye on Nina and not let her and Chloe be alone together.
I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. The end of the week couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 8
Patrick
Keeping an eye on Nina was actually easier than I’d first thought it would be. After she’d brought Chloe the iced tea late in the afternoon, she’d come back a few hours later, peeking in to tell us both that she had to fly to Orlando for an emergency business meeting first thing in the morning and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday evening. Chloe had been dozing, so I’d just smiled and told Nina that I hoped she had a good trip.
A wave of relief washed over me as I heard Nina’s heels clicking across the marble floor toward the front door. From the noises coming from the front of the house, I assumed she had called a cab to take her to the airport. When I heard the silence after the click of the front door, I was able to relax a bit more. I went back to sorting through all the emails from Ryan on my laptop, hoping to get a good portion of them answered, when the edge I felt before came back. Although I had no proof, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that there was more to what was happening than I knew.
Chloe and I had spent the morning making plans for various labor scenarios and were enjoying feeling Victoria squirming around.
I placed a hand on Chloe’s stomach and waited. “There she goes again. That’s my little girl.”
“I think it’s good that she’s so active. Maybe it’ll make the birth easier. I’m kind of scared about how it’s all going to happen. But actually, this makes me feel better about it.”
I smiled in reply. The fact that she was moving so well was starting to put both of our minds at ease regarding the birth itself, and now that we were feeling good about it I didn’t want to rock the boat with my concerns about Nina. I turned my attention back to the unopened emails. There were dozens of them waiting but I didn’t mind because at least they would keep my mind occupied.
Ten answered emails later, I glanced over to see Chloe’s eyes shut. The magazine she had been reading had slipped out of her hand. I closed my laptop and headed to the kitchen to make lunch for us while she dozed. No sooner had my foot crossed the threshold into the tiled floor of the kitchen than my suspicions started to nag at me again.
I began opening cabinet doors, telling myself that I was
Still, no matter how logical it was, my gut was telling me that something was up with Nina. Now I wondered if maybe I should have told Ryan about my suspicions. I tossed around the idea of calling him back, but the same problems as before remained. If I was wrong, the fallout would be bad. And it wouldn’t just affect Chloe’s relationship with Ricky and Elyse. If I accused Nina of doing something as despicable as drugging me, then kissing me, and I was wrong, Chloe would be pissed.
I raked my hand through my hair. Just thinking about it got me all wound up again. I couldn’t keep it a secret forever. I didn’t want a marriage where I lied to my wife, even if it was about another woman hitting on me. I planned to tell Chloe about it, but after the birth, way after the birth. Even if Nina had drugged me just to make me an easy target for her kisses, I didn’t believe that she truly wanted to hurt Chloe. Why would she? They were friends and the fact that Nina opened her house to us was a sure sign of that. Nina’s intentions, whether she did do it or not, were probably just misguided. Whatever the case, I’d just make sure I kept a closer eye on Nina and not let her and Chloe be alone together.
I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. The end of the week couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 8
Patrick
Keeping an eye on Nina was actually easier than I’d first thought it would be. After she’d brought Chloe the iced tea late in the afternoon, she’d come back a few hours later, peeking in to tell us both that she had to fly to Orlando for an emergency business meeting first thing in the morning and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday evening. Chloe had been dozing, so I’d just smiled and told Nina that I hoped she had a good trip.
A wave of relief washed over me as I heard Nina’s heels clicking across the marble floor toward the front door. From the noises coming from the front of the house, I assumed she had called a cab to take her to the airport. When I heard the silence after the click of the front door, I was able to relax a bit more. I went back to sorting through all the emails from Ryan on my laptop, hoping to get a good portion of them answered, when the edge I felt before came back. Although I had no proof, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that there was more to what was happening than I knew.
Chloe and I had spent the morning making plans for various labor scenarios and were enjoying feeling Victoria squirming around.
I placed a hand on Chloe’s stomach and waited. “There she goes again. That’s my little girl.”
“I think it’s good that she’s so active. Maybe it’ll make the birth easier. I’m kind of scared about how it’s all going to happen. But actually, this makes me feel better about it.”
I smiled in reply. The fact that she was moving so well was starting to put both of our minds at ease regarding the birth itself, and now that we were feeling good about it I didn’t want to rock the boat with my concerns about Nina. I turned my attention back to the unopened emails. There were dozens of them waiting but I didn’t mind because at least they would keep my mind occupied.
Ten answered emails later, I glanced over to see Chloe’s eyes shut. The magazine she had been reading had slipped out of her hand. I closed my laptop and headed to the kitchen to make lunch for us while she dozed. No sooner had my foot crossed the threshold into the tiled floor of the kitchen than my suspicions started to nag at me again.
I began opening cabinet doors, telling myself that I was