Read Online Rulers of Deception by Katie Jennings - Free Book Online Page A

dancers, stagehands, and family members as he wound his way through the chaos, keeping his eyes peeled for his wife.
    A few people called out his name, waving at him. Some stopped and stared. Others turned their noses up and walked in the opposite direction. He was used to the attention being a Vasser gave him, and had long since learned to ignore most of it.
    By the time he found Lynette, she was just sitting down at her dressing table, releasing her tumbling length of red hair from its binds. He came up behind her, sliding his hands over her shoulders.
    “Hey, beautiful.”
    Their eyes met in the mirror, and Lynette smiled wistfully. “Hi, handsome.”
    “You were great.”
    “Was I?” She was riding on the high of the performance, her mind a jumbling vibration of nerves and relief and giddy joy. She ran a brush through her hair a few times, enjoying the feel of Linc’s hands massaging her shoulders.
    He leaned in to press a kiss to the side of her neck, his lips lingering there to savor her scent. “I need to get you home and out of that outfit. Not the shoes though. You’re leaving those on.”
    She giggled and swatted him away, only to notice Simon approaching. He went directly to her, kneeling down to take her hands in his and kiss her fingers.
    “Bravo, my dear. Bravo.”
    “Thank you.” Lynette glowed, basking in the praise. “It was a brilliant dance as usual, Simon.”
    “I can only take minor credit for the masterpiece that you brought to life.” Simon rose to his feet and only then seemed to notice Linc. “Ah, hello again, Linc.”
    “Simon.” Linc accepted the other man’s hand, his jaw set in a hard smile. “She’s great, isn’t she? I’m a lucky guy.”
    “You most certainly are,” Simon agreed, glancing down fondly at Lynette once more. “Will you be attending the after-party? It’s also something of a birthday celebration for me. Marie insisted.”
    “Oh, well, I don’t know.” Lynette blinked, a smile lighting her face. “But in case we don’t, happy birthday.”
    Simon bowed his head. “Thank you.”
    He wandered off to greet some of the other dancers. Linc watched him go, irritated for reasons he couldn’t explain.
    Lynette removed her stage makeup and disappeared behind a nearby folding screen for a second to change her clothes. When she returned, she gathered up her purse and duffle bag. “Ready to go? I don’t really want to go to the party. They usually end with Simon urging me to drink more champagne than I can handle and then I hate life the next morning.” She laughed to herself, not noticing the tension in the air. “I just want a shower and my bed. Oh, and maybe you too.”
    Linc snorted as he slipped his arm over her shoulders and led her from the room, his eyes still on Simon. “Good to know I’m on the schedule.”
    “You always are.” She let him direct her down a hallway that led to a dark, quiet area backstage where the prop masters stored old decorations that lay lost and forgotten. They were there before she realized what was going on. “Why are we back here?”
    He said nothing and cornered her against the wall, pressing her into the cool, painted brick. His mouth found hers greedily, unapologetically, taking what he needed from her. When she returned the kiss and her nails bit into his back, he reveled in the feel of it.
    “Linc, someone could walk back here and see us,” she reminded him, her voice catching in her throat when he lifted her hips and brought her legs around him.
    “I don’t care. I can’t wait.” Some dark part of him wanted them to be found. By Simon, in particular. He knew it wouldn’t happen but something about the concept gave him a sick kind of pleasure. The man was sniffing around his wife, and if it went any further then he’d just have to kill him.
    Lynette shivered, her fingers winding through his hair. Her head fell back so his lips could cruise over the curve of her exposed neck. When he sampled the spot just