It was dark in the bedroom with low, angled ceilings, but moonlight poured down through a skylight onto the platform bed.
I wanted control back. My brain scrambled, searching for a new rule to regain some power.
“If you lie, you have to take something off.” I did my best to make it sound firm, like an order, and not ridiculous like it really was.
He set me down on my feet, a full grin on his face.Oh, holy God.I’d never seen him truly smile before. Goosebumps burst down my arms and breath hung in my lungs.
“Strip interrogation?” he whispered, leaning in and dropping a quick kiss on my lips. “I like it. Same rule applies to you.”
“You have more clothes on than I do.”
He toed off his shoes and sat on the end of the low bed, pulling off his socks one by one. Then, his elbows came to rest on his bent knees, and he looked up at me. “Now you’re ahead of me.”
Ethan probably expected me to sit beside him on the bed, but in a strategic move, I strolled to the white chair angled in the corner and sat facing him. The chair was higher than the bed, and that, plus the distance, felt like an advantage.
“Tell me about Constantine’s death.”
He didn’t hesitate. “It was during Kara’s rescue when I was carrying her out of the house. Constantine was armed and came up behind us. I didn’t have time to evaluate the shot before I took it.”
“It was self-defense?”
“No,” he said. It was a lie, on purpose. His hands went to his red tie, loosening it?—
I shook my head. “The jacket, first. Why doesn’t Fletcher know about it?”
The window above the bed was like a spotlight on him as he shed his jacket. In the moonlight, the holster straps and black gun were a stark contrast to his white dress shirt.
“Fletcher and I don’t work together,” he said. “I only informed the people who needed to know.”
My pulse picked up. “Now you can take off the tie.”
Confusion flooded his face. “I’m not lying about that.”
“You toldmeyou killed Constantine,” I said. “Did I need to know that?”
He undid the silk at his neck, sliding it free from the collar. “A bit technical, don’t you think?”
Yeah, but I’d take them where I got them. That was one less lie he could tell. “What’s your?—”
“Pretty sure it’s my turn.” His expression said he was about to go big or go home. “Why don’t you do relationships?”
Of course he’d zero in on the one question I didn’t want to answer. I crossed my legs and looked down at my red heels while searching to find a way out or to distract him. The silence stretched as he waited.
“That’s a lie by omission,” he said finally, hushed. “The dress, if you don’t mind.”
Well, maybe that could distract. I rose from the chair, my gaze locked on his. I clasped the zipper at my side and drew it down, letting the dress fall from my body until it was a puddle of fabric at my feet.
He let out a groan of satisfaction at the sight of me.
I’d splurged on all the lace and silk. The strapless bra and panty set, plus the thigh-high stockings had cost a small fortune, and had totally been worth it. The lingerie was empowering. It made me feel like one of the women in the sexy magazines my older brother pretended weren’t in his closet growing up.
“See something you like?” I asked.
“No, I really fucking don’t.” He peeled his holster off quickly, adding it to his stack of discarded items.
The air was thick with electricity and lust. It clung to my skin, painted on with every pass of his gaze over my body. I lowered into the chair and again crossed my legs, assuming a strong posture.
“You’ve only got three lies left,” I said.
