Deceived 6 - Ultimate Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

much pressure on myself, but knowing it and doing it were two different things. I kept my eyes on my hands as we turned down a short hallway at the back of the house. I didn’t want anything to distract me from remembering the details of the painting. Once I was sure I hadn’t missed anything, I’d put aside the thought and let it simmer. Sometimes, when I was trying to remember something, it didn’t come to me until I stopped thinking about it. I just hoped that’d work here, too.
    I looked up when we entered the guest room that Patrick and I would be calling home for the next several days. It was bigger than our bedroom in our penthouse – and that was saying something – but it was clearly a guest room. The paintings on the wall were beautiful but generic. There was a dresser and a matching set of tables on either side of a large, king-sized bed. All of them were expensive-looking and the entire room spoke of someone with impeccable taste. But the colors were soft, neutral beiges and mild darker browns, clearly chosen to show no preference for one particular color scheme over another.
    “It’s lovely, Nina.” I forced a smile even as a wave of homesickness washed over me. “Thank you.”
    “Your bathroom’s through there.” She pointed at the door across from where we were standing. Well, where they were standing and I was sitting. “I’ll leave you two to get settled in. If you get hungry, the kitchen’s across the foyer and two doors up. Help yourselves. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
    “Thank you,” Patrick said as she left. He looked down at me. “Let’s get ready for bed.”
    “You should eat something,” I protested.
    “I’m not hungry.” He pushed me around to the side of the bed that was closer to the bathroom and then went back to our luggage. He opened up my suitcase and started sifting through the clothes. He frowned. “I’m going to have to go shopping. We didn’t bring much.”
    “You’re going to buy me clothes?” I asked, letting my skepticism take on a teasing note.
    He grinned at me as he pulled out my favorite nightgown. “What, you don’t think I can buy clothes for my wife?”
    “I think you’ll end up getting yourself in trouble if you try,” I countered. “I love you, but you should never be allowed to purchase women’s clothing without a chaperone.”
    “I’ll ask Nina to help, how about that?”
    I nodded my approval and held out my arms for him to help me up. My legs were shaky as I stood. I hadn’t been up much at all and my muscles were still adjusting. He held me steady as I slowly undressed myself. I knew if I’d let him, Patrick would’ve done it all for me, but I was determined to have as much independence as I could. The very least I could do was change my own clothes.
    I let the maternity dress I’d worn out of the hospital drop to the floor. I’d assumed that had been what I’d intended to wear on the plane ride home, or I’d worn it down and Patrick had washed it. It was more about comfort than style, though it was still nicer than a lot of the maternity clothes I’d seen before Nina had come along. I debated whether or not to take off my bra as I looked down at my stomach. I’d been expecting to see bruises when I’d first seen myself naked, but there had been surprisingly few. The doctor’d said it had been because of the angles I’d hit and now that I’d actually seen the stairs, it was a good thing they had thick carpet on them. Too bad it ended at the last step where it met the marble flooring. I’d just taken it as another miracle and didn’t try to understand it.
    Patrick reached out and placed his hand on my bare stomach. My heart gave a wild thump as heat spread out from where his palm touched me. I looked up at him, but he was staring at my belly. The complete adoration I saw on his face sent a flare of desire through me. It amazed me how much my love for this man continued to grow.
    He raised his head so that our