Deceived by Patricia H. Rushford Read Free Book Online Page B

chair near the guy she’d been watching. “Come on down. Matt and Dominic want to meet you.” Lisa must have connected with the blond while Jennie had been making a fool of herself.
    Jennie groaned. The last thing she needed was for Lisa to try to pair her up with a guy who obviously disliked her.
    â€œGo ahead, Jennie,” Gram insisted. “Enjoy yourself. If you need us, J.B. and I will be walking on the promenade deck below—deck six, I think. Just be sure you girls are ready for dinner by eight. It’s informal, but you’ll probably want to wear dresses.”
    Jennie didn’t like being trapped into things and felt like throwing a tantrum. She didn’t want to enjoy herself, meet guys, or wear a dress.
Come on, McGrady. Ease up. This is Lisa’s cruise and you were going to make sure she had a good time, remember?
Jennie heaved a resigned sigh, shrugged her shoulders, and headed for the stateroom she shared with Lisa to change into her swimsuit. She took her time, hoping the guys would get bored and leave. No such luck.
    When Jennie approached the threesome, Lisa bounced out of her lounge chair. “It’s about time you got here. Guys, this is my cousin and dearest friend, Jennie McGrady. Jennie, this is Matt Hansen and Dominic Ramirez. Dominic and Matt go to the University of Miami. Isn’t that fantastic?”
    â€œHi.” Jennie set her sports bag on a vacant chair beside Lisa’s and shook hands with each of them. Matt greeted her warmly, his blue eyes welcoming and kind.
    Dominic’s lips parted in a smile that didn’t quite reach his intense brown eyes. “Hello, Jennie,” he said in a thick accent that left no doubt about his Spanish descent. He held her hand longer than she liked. Challenging her? That was crazy. He didn’t even know her.
    â€œI’m ready for a dip,” Matt said, unfolding himself from the chair. “Coming?”
    Lisa followed him.
    â€œWould you like to swim as well, señorita?” Dominic asked, his warm baritone voice melting over her like sunlight through an afternoon window.
    â€œAh…no. I mean…”
Good grief, McGrady, get a grip. What’s wrong with you? So the guy’s got a great body and a voice so deep you could get lost in it. So what? He’s out of your league. He doesn’t even like you.
“Urn…look, Dominic…” Jennie lowered herself into the chair beside him. “You don’t have to…I mean, just because Lisa and Matt are…”
Come on, spit it out
. “Look, don’t feel like you have to keep me company.”
    A concerned frown etched Dominic’s face. “Why would you say such a thing? How could I not want to be with one as beautiful as you?”
    â€œEarlier, when you looked up there and saw me…” Jennie shrugged.
    â€œAh…but you have misunderstood. I have been accused of this before. My mother would often tell me I looked as though I was angry with the world. It is my way, señorita. Please…you will forgive me, no?”
    â€œSure.” Jennie smiled, still wondering about his sincerity. Not certain where to go from there, yet wanting to fill the long silence, Jennie asked him about his accent. “I am from Bogotá, Colombia. I lived there all my life until the death of my father.” An angry frown crossed his handsome features, then fled. “Now my home, when I am not at the university, is with my grandfather.”
    â€œI’m sorry about your father,” Jennie empathized, suddenly able to understand his moodiness. “My father is d—” Even with all the evidence confirming his death, Jennie still couldn’t say the word aloud. “…gone,” she finished.
    Dominic stared at her for a moment, then glanced down at his hands. He’d balled them into tight fists. Slowly, deliberately, he released them, then lifted his gaze to meet hers. “The day