True Lies by Opal Carew Page B

like a dope. She drew in a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm and collected.
    A few minutes later, they settled at a nice table by the window of a café just a few doors down the street from the office. They ordered two coffees and the waitress brought them in big, colorful mugs.
    She couldn’t believe she was sitting across the small table from Rafe. Her heart fluttered as she took in the sexy sight of him in his black linen suit paired with a black T-shirt, probably made of Egyptian cotton. She longed to reach out and stroke the soft, fine woven fabric, imagining the feel of his hard, muscled chest beneath her fingertips.
    It wasn’t his usual elegant business style, but he’d only sported that look to stay in line with his father’s wishes. He was really pushing the limits coming to the office in such relatively casual attire, but he hadn’t quite crossed a line Dane would take exception to.
    His dark hair was longer than he used to wear it, but combed back, and she noticed small diamond studs in his ears. This whole new bad boy look had her heart palpitating.
    “It hasn’t been the same around here without you,” she said.
    His sky blue eyes locked on her, and he smiled, stealing her breath away. “I missed you, too, Melanie. Especially those wild nails of yours.” He glanced at her fingers, wrapped around her coffee cup. “But I see you’ve toned them down. Probably Dane’s doing. Did he read you the riot act and tell you to go more conservative in the office?”
    She glanced at her fingernails. She was wearing a duochrome polish that flashed from peach to gold in the sunlight streaming in the window, but looked mostly peach in the office lighting. It was as far as she would push it at work, but when Rafe had been here, he’d been fine with her typically daring choices, like a rich teal holographic, sparkly purple, or black with flashy green and royal blue flakes.
    When she was younger, her parents had stifled her creative urge, insisting she take more practical courses in college than art. She knew it was because they were concerned about her finding a stable, secure job, but that didn’t change the fact she had to leave her passion for color and design behind. But Rafe had encouraged her to be herself. That was one of the things she had loved about him from the start.
    “He never actually said anything,” she said, “but I noticed his disapproving glances at my hands from time to time, so I finally backed off to pale, more neutral colors.”
    So her nails, like her life, had simply become more beige after Rafe had left.
    He shook his head. “That’s Dane alright. It’s too bad you caved.”
    She straightened a little in her chair. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re his brother. You don’t have to worry about your job.”
    “True.” He sipped his coffee. “And I wasn’t criticizing. I just hate to see him riding roughshod over everyone. I always loved the way you expressed yourself.” He smiled again, sending tremors through her. “I admired that about you.”
    “Well, maybe now that you’re back, I’ll go a bit wild again.”
    A frisson of excitement rushed through her as she realized maybe she didn’t mean just wild nail polish. Now that she was near Rafe again … she felt this intense yearning to be folded into his arms and devoured by his lips … maybe she would let him know how she felt about him.
    Maybe, like Jessica, she would allow herself to take a chance and experience what she’d only dreamed about.
    “Good for you. I highly recommend it.” He smiled. “And don’t worry about Dane’s disapproving glances. We’ll just ignore them.”
    Her eyes widened. Had he read her thoughts? Did he mean he and she should…?
    But it was just his usual charming, although quite devastating, smile. There was nothing in his sexy blue eyes that showed any interest in her as a woman.
    None at all.
    Just as well. She probably didn’t have it in her. Taking chances wasn’t