Trust by J. C. Valentine Read Free Book Online Page A

drink orders. “So, how have you been?” Gianna asked him as she snapped open a cloth napkin and draped it over her lap.
    Felix met her pale blue gaze dead on. “Pretty good, and you?”
    “As well as ever, but I have to ask. You seem distracted. Is everything all right?”
    Balling his hands under the table, Felix looked away. Gianna had always been able to read him like an open book. It was a quality he wouldn’t mind her losing. “I’m a little stressed,” he admitted. “All this going behind Poppy’s back is starting to become a problem. A couple weeks ago she confronted me about lying about where I’d been all day.”
    Gianna’s eyes rounded with concern. “Did you tell her about us?”
    Felix shook his head. “No, of course not.” Because that would be a disaster .
    She visibly relaxed. Taking a sip of her mimosa, Gianna regarded him thoughtfully. “Maybe it would be best if you told her what was going on. Keeping secrets has a way of making a bad situation worse.”
    He knew that, and still he knew that he wasn’t going to say a word. Soon, Gianna would be on a plane back to California and he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder or walk on eggshells anymore. “I’m not telling Poppy anything. Not right now, at least.” He stared back at her, willing her to understand. “This needs to stay between you and me right now. I’ve went through a lot of effort to keep this—” he motioned his finger between the two of them “—quiet. There’s no point saying anything right now.”
    “Felix, it’s going to come out eventually.”
    “It will, yes, and I will deal with it then.” He sighed. With Poppy already suspicious, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this under wraps, but he was determined to try. She would thank him for it later. They both would.
    Having already eaten a large lunch, Felix stuck to his drink while Gianna ordered herself a salad. She was one of those women. She watched her figure by eating like a rabbit. He couldn’t help noticing the difference between her and Poppy. They were both sophisticated, intelligent women, but Poppy was shorter, curvier, and her fiery temper was something he could never imagine Gianna harboring under that cool, professional exterior.
    Gianna ate half her salad before setting her silverware down and sliding the plate away. “So, your place or mine?”
    Shifting in his chair, Felix experienced a note of discomfort. He’d already told Poppy earlier that he would be swinging by the condo to pick up some papers and would be home late. If she knew he was having a lunch date with this woman she would rip his balls off, shove them down his throat, and ask questions later. But she didn’t know, and he intended to keep it that way. And since he was all about keeping his promises, there was only one choice to be made. “Mine,” he said definitively. At least at the condo, he was on neutral ground. He could control the variables.
    Flagging down the waiter, Felix paid for the meal and stood. Placing his hand at the small of her back, he guided Gianna out of the restaurant.
    ***
    Felix was going to be surprised.
    Poppy had awakened early today with one thought in her mind: to do something special for Felix. They had been spending so much time apart lately, their relationship was starting to suffer, and she wanted to try to fix it. He was distracted with work and the housing situation was always looming in the background causing tension between them. Maybe if she met him halfway, it would ease some of that.
    Then he had unwittingly given her the perfect opportunity to make it happen. He was planning to stop by the condo on his way home, so why not meet him there? She gave herself a mental pat on the back for being so clever.
    Felix was out with Jon, Tate, and Travis again. He had been spending a lot of time with them recently, and she was happy that he had found himself a group of friends like she had. It went a long way in maintaining balance