Deception (Carrington Hill Investigations Book 1) by Kate Allenton Read Free Book Online Page B

like to introduce you to my wife , Lexi.” He kissed her hair again. “Lexi, this is my younger brother and Vice President of Hathaway Enterprises, Ethan Hathaway.”
    Trip had to hold back a chuckle as a shocked expression overtook Ethan’s face. He guided Lexi up the steps. “Well, don’t be rude, Ethan.”
    He shook his head and took Lexi’s hand into his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “My apologies, Lexi...” He tilted his head and regarded his brother. “I didn’t realize Trip was even dating anyone seriously.” He returned his gaze to hers. “Uh…Welcome to the family?”
    Trip’s chest puffed out with pride. Had his marriage been real, she was exactly the type of woman that he’d be proud to bring home—strong, independent, and caring. “She’s friends with Ms. O’Donnell, and I’d like for you to keep that to yourself for now.”
    A smile curved on Ethan’s lips as he threw his arm around her shoulders and heralded her through the doors. “Any friend of Catherine’s has good taste and is welcome here.” He glanced over his shoulder and raised his brow. “Even if you did marry my brother.” He pulled her into another room and motioned for her to have a seat on the couch. “Can I get you a drink?” He moved to a nearby bar set up in the corner.
    She folded her hands in her lap. “No thank you.” She glanced from Trip to Ethan. “How did you come to meet Catherine?”
    He took a seat across from her with a beer in his hand as Trip stood behind the couch and placed a palm on her shoulder. Suspicious, she was already starting with the questions, but in this instance, she was barking up the wrong tree. Ethan crossed an ankle over his leg. “You first, dear sister. How did you come to meet Trip?”
    Trip gave a disapproving look at his younger brother. He knew Ethan was worried about Catherine , and he couldn’t really blame the guy. If the person he loved was missing, he’d be the same way. Trip cleared his throat. “It seems you and my wife have a lot in common.” He rounded the couch and held out his hand watching as she placed her fingers in his. “I’m going to go get Lexi settled in our room, and we’ll meet back in my office in thirty minutes, and she can tell you all about it.”
    His unspoken words elicited a chuckle from his brother. “When you said you’d handle it, I wasn’t expecting you to go this far, Trip.” He shook his head as he walked out. “You’ve surprised me. Wait until Mother finds out.”
    Trip led Lexi up the staircase and into their suite. He knew she had a million questions and was biting her tongue until she could get him behind closed doors. He had no sooner pushed the doors closed than she turned with a scowl on her face and let the questions fly. “What didn’t you tell me, Trip? How does Ethan know Catherine? And what the hell did he mean when he said that you’d handle it?”
    He took her by the hand and guided her to one of the brown couches in their sitting room. She hadn’t even glanced at her surroundings, letting him know that she wasn’t about to be distracted. He turned to her and took her hands in his. “Lexi, Ethan was helping Catherine in her investigation and somewhere along the line… he fell in love with her.”
    Lexi pulled her hand from his and clenched her eyes shut. Clearly not screaming, no, she was calm and reserved, and that worried him much worse.
    “Well , that explains the who.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “She mentioned to Sara that she’d met someone. We just didn’t know who.”
    She stood and started pacing the room, worrying her lip yet again. He held back from pointing it out . “And what did he mean by that you’d ‘take care of it’?”
    Trip stood , pulled off his coat and threw it over the back of another chair, then loosened his tie. “My brother loves her, and when she came up missing, he was a mess.” He sat in a chair across from the couch when she plopped down again, absorbing the information