Deadly Deceit Read online

  “Keeping secret while we were dating was easy. We always went on double dates with the boys; Christie pretending to be with Joseph, and Christian pretending to be with me. When Joseph and I proposed, about a year and a half after we started dating, we realized we would have a serious problem on our hands, when it came to the school.”

  “Christie loves teaching, and so does Joseph. Neither of them wants to move to another school, so we have to be really careful. The living situation hasn’t really been an issue, because we all share a house,” Jolene paused to contemplate her own words.

  “Well, sort of,” Christie snorted sarcastically.

  “Well, don’t worry, Christie,” Jillian said, laying a comforting hand on her new friend’s shoulder, “Your secret is safe with us.”

  Christie searched Jillian and Cole’s faces for any sign of malicious intent. Seeing only honest compassion and understanding, her posture softened and she smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

  “No problem,” Cole said, waving off the thanks, “Neither of us has ever had to hide, but we both have friends who do. We completely understand.”

  Relieved, Christina glanced out at the water. “Which of you surfs?” she asked, indicating the lone surf board propped against the back of the canopy.

  Jillian raised her hand. “That’d be me. Cole can, but she prefers to watch me.”

  Jolene chuckled and shot Cole a knowing look. “As much as I love being out on the water, watching Christie get all wet in a bikini is much more interesting.”

  The group laughed, and Christina stood, holding her hand out to Jillian. “If the spectators want a show, let’s give them one.”

  Jillian smiled brightly and took the offered hand. They grabbed their boards and blew kisses to their wives, before running off toward the water.

  “Man, that view never gets old,” Cole commented, lowering her sunglasses to stare at Jillian’s ass as the woman ran.

  “Tell me about it,” Jolene replied, her eyes glued to Christina’s firm backside.

  “I’ve been staring at the same fantastic ass for almost fifteen years, Jo,” Cole offered, “and I have never been tempted to stare at another. Jillian is everything I have ever wanted, and more. Sure, we’ve had our problems, all couples do, but never once have I thought about looking at someone else the way I look at her.”

  Jolene heard the conviction in Cole’s words, and smiled at the woman. “Same,” she replied honestly, “Christie has had my undivided attention from the day we met. She has it all; gorgeous black curls, an amazing heart, a personality that most women would kill for, and the deepest, most expressive blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s everything I have ever wanted in a partner, and that will never change.”

  ***

  “Well, shit,” Christina frowned, looking around her with disdain, “so much for catching some waves.”

  The previously rolling waters had stilled within minutes of the women entering, leaving them sitting on their boards in the nearly motionless sea.

  “Just wait for it,” Jillian assured, “The waters here are unpredictable. Calm and serene gives way to some of the best barrels you will ever ride.”

  Christina raised a brow in disbelief, but didn’t voice it. “If you don’t mind my asking,” she said instead, “How did you get those scars? It wasn’t from a shark, was it?”

  Normally, Jillian didn’t open up about her scars to people she didn’t know, but the fear in Christina’s eyes made her want to put the woman at ease. She’d gotten much better about not hiding them in public, but talking about it still tended to give her pause.

  “No,” Jillian said with a comforting smile, “it wasn’t a shark. Although, these scars are the reason Cole and I come back here every year.”

  At Christina’s inquisitive head tilt, Jillian stuck her foot into the water and paddled to turn her board to face the woman.

  “Cole and I came here for our tenth anniversary, and toward the end of our stay, I was attacked by a large dog. I was protecting the chihuahua it was trying to eat, and it decided to go through me to get to the poor little thing. I almost died, and the traumatic flashbacks made me terrified of the beach.”

  “My therapist told me that facing my fear would help, but I couldn’t bring myself to come back here. We started by visiting the beaches back home, and I finally agreed to come back here two years ago. Cole makes it sound like we’ve been here a million times, but it’s really only been four.”

  Before Christina could reply, Jillian did a double-take over Christina’s shoulder and quickly moved to shift her board out to sea. “Hurry,” she called to Christina, leaning forward on her board to ready herself, “This one is going to barrel. You good with those?”

  Christina shook her head vehemently. “I’ve never been able to make it through. I always wipe out before I get to the end!”

  Just as the wave began to curl, Jillian hollered to her friend. “Follow my lead, I’ll get you through it.”

  Mentally preparing herself for the wipe-out, Christina quickly readied herself and climbed to her feet as the water lifted them into the air. Using their hips to maneuver their boards, both women pointed their boards toward the opening of the long tunnel of water.

  Christina kept her eyes on Jillian, mimicking the redhead’s movements as she steered the board across the water. Holy shit, I hope Jo’s watching! I think I’m actually going to make it!

  ***

  “So, how is it sharing a house with your bothers?” Cole asked as she and Jolene watched their wives converse in the water.

  Jolene shrugged. “It’s not as simple as I made it sound,” she replied, taking a sip from her insulated water bottle, “Our house is actually a custom-built, two-story duplex. When Joseph and I proposed, Christie’s dad hired Hank Davis Construction to build us a house.”

  “Our parents understand Christie and Joe’s concerns about being outed, so they had the house built to accommodate the secret.”

  Jolene paused at the look of confusion on Cole’s face. “I’m getting there,” she chuckled in explanation.

  Cole grinned and motioned for the woman to continue.

  “Each side of the house is an exact mirror for the other,” Jolene went on, shifting her attention back to their wives when she noticed movement in the water, “Our front doors are separated by a two-car garage. Inside the garage, there are two doors that lead into the kitchens.”

  “When Christie and Joe get home, they both go inside through the left front door. Joe uses the kitchen door to go to his house, and when Christian and I get home, we do the same thing from the opposite side.”

  “So, to anyone watching,” Cole said for clarification, “it looks like you and Christian live together, as do Christie and your brother?”

  Jolene nodded with a smile. “It’s actually a pretty nice set-up. We’re able to keep up appearances, and still enjoy the privacy and intimacy we need. Thankfully, our bedrooms don’t share a wall,” she added with a mischievous smirk, “I don’t think I could handle hearing my brother have sex.”

  Cole snorted, shooting water out of her nose. “Oh, that hurt,” she said, rubbing her nose on the back of her hand. “I don’t think I could handle that either. Although, Jillian’s very vocal in bed, so I’m sure I wouldn’t be hearing much.”

  Jolene’s smile brightened. “Oh, it’s not that. Christie is quite the screamer. Unfortunately, so is Christian. In the first house we shared, our bedrooms were just across the hall from each other. Joe and I used to have a competition to see who could get their partner to scream the loudest. It was fun, at first, until Christie found out about it. She’s the one who pointed out that it was gross to hear our siblings getting laid.”

  Cole laughed loudly. “Yeah, that is kind of weird,” she agreed, “Oh, look. The girls finally caught a wave.”

  Jolene glanced out at the water and bolted to her feet. “Uh-oh,” she said, moving quickly toward the waterline.

  “What’s wrong?” Cole asked, following the redhead as she snapped pictures of the wives with her phone.

  “Christie’s great with basic waves, but she sucks at barrel riding,” Jolene replied, ready to swim out and help her wife back to shore, “she always loses her balance and falls.”

  “Jillian is excellent,” Cole said, making sure to get a few shots of Christina, “Christie will be fine.”

  Jolene didn’t have the heart to argue, but she held her breath as their wives disappeared behind the curling wall of salt water. A few long seconds later, Jillian’s board skimmed out of the end of the tunnel. The redhead turned the board just in time to give Christina the space she needed to exit, without being caught in the cascade of water as the wave subsided.

  “Holy shit!” Jolene cried, jumping up and down as she waved to get Christina’s attention, “She did it!”

  “I saw,” Cole laughed, “I even got pictures of it. I’ll send them to you.”

  Jolene’s response was lost as Jillian and Christina reached the sandy beach, each screaming loudly as they cheered.

  “Jo, I did it!” Christina squealed, launching herself into Jolene’s arms.

  Jolene wrapped her arms around her wife and spun her in place. “I’m so proud of you, baby! Cole said she got some pictures, so we’ll be able to show the boys.”

  “Come with me,” Christina said, tugging Jolene toward the water, “Let’s surf together.”

  Cole and Jillian smiled in amusement as Jolene tried to convince her new wife that she needed her board from under the beach canopy.

  “I like them,” Jillian said, slipping her arm around Cole’s waist.

  Cole pressed a kiss to Jillian’s cheek. “I do, too. They remind me of us, back when we first got married.”

  “Maybe we can get togethe
r with them sometime, after we get home,” Jillian said, following Cole’s lead back to their blanket.

  Cole grinned and tipped her head toward Jolene, who was trying desperately not to drop her surf board as Christina dragged her back to the ocean. “Maybe, Sweetheart,” she replied as she dropped onto the blanket and pulled Jillian down beside her, “I don’t want to make them uncomfortable, or risk outing them.”

  Jillian looked out at the water, where Christina and Jolene were levering themselves onto their feet to ride the crest of another wave.

  “It’s ridiculous,” she said, “that either of them has to hide who they are, Niki. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Oregon for nearly twenty years. Nationwide for almost half that! We literally have the exact same rights as heterosexual couples, now. Why are there still places in this country that forbid people from being who they are?”

  “I don’t know, Jilly Bean,” Cole replied with a sigh, “But, considering they live in the most religion-based town in all of Oregon, I’m not surprised. It doesn’t matter how many freedoms we have, Honey, there are always going to be people, and places, who use the Bible to keep us hidden.”

  Jillian crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “Well, it’s just not right. I’m glad we don’t have to hide ourselves, just to keep our jobs.”

  Cole chuckled and offered Jillian a bottle of water. “That would never have happened. Do you really think your father would have let his own company discriminate against his daughter?”

  Jillian sipped her water. “Of course not,” she giggled, “Daddy loves and supports us in everything we do. Hell, he’s the reason the PRIDE flag was incorporated into the company logo.”

  Cole nodded her head absently, her attention suddenly focused on the bead of salt water that was slowly making its way over the swell of Jillian’s breast. When the water disappeared into the green fabric of the bikini top, Cole reached out and traced her fingers over Jillian’s chest.

  “I’m ready to go back up,” she said, her voice low and husky.

  Jillian shivered at the look in Cole’s eyes and nodded. They gathered their things quickly, offering Jolene and Christina a quick goodbye as the couple arrived at the canopy.

  “I like them,” Christina said, watching as the others made haste across the warm sand.

  “Me too,” Jolene replied, tucking Christina’s surf board under her free arm, “But, I like their idea better.”

  “What idea?” Christina asked, gathering the rest of their belongings.

  “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you,” Jolene replied with a wink.

  Chapter 3

  “Oh, my Lord, it feels good to be home.” Jolene stepped through the door that connected the garage to the kitchen. She unceremoniously dropped her suitcase onto the black and white tile, then made a beeline for the overstuffed black leather sofa.

  “Jo,” Christina grumbled as she stepped inside, “are you just going to leave this here?” She nudged the suitcase aside, making room for herself to enter with her own luggage.

  Jolene tossed a glance over her shoulder. “Yep,” she replied with a tired grin, “it matches the appliances and chairs. Besides, it will make a great conversation starter when we have people over.”

  Christina laughed and dropped her own bags next to Jolene’s. “While you have a point, my love,” she said, leaning over the arm of the couch to kiss the redhead’s cheek, “you need to at least move it into the bedroom. One of the boys is bound to trip, and we will never hear the end of it.”

  Jolene let out a groan and looked pitifully at Christina. “Baby, I have exactly,” she paused to glance at the clock above the television, “twenty-eight hours, and twelve minutes until I have to be back at work. I’m tired. My back and legs are killing me, and the chances that I will need anything that’s in that bag, are almost zero. I promise, I will move it before we go to bed.”

  Christina smiled tightly, but didn’t push the issue. She was a stickler about order when it came to their living space, but she conceded Jolene’s fatigue. Their week-long honeymoon had been well spent, even if they were both exhausted. While the newlyweds had spent a good amount of time worshiping each other in bed, they’d also done more than their fair share of exploring.

  The couple had bonded quickly with Cole and Jillian, and Jolene and Christina had spent many an hour following the older couple on treks to some of the lesser known attractions around the island. Now that their week of fun and celebration was coming to an end, the newlyweds were both ready to just relax at home and do nothing.

  “Alright, sweetheart,” Christina said, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, “we’ll let them be for now. But, starting tomorrow morning, we go back to picking up after ourselves.”

  Jolene smiled and reached out to grab Christina’s hand and pull her down beside her. “I love you, Christie,” she said, kissing the woman softly.

  “Hello, wives,” Joseph announced, interrupting the women as he and Christian walked in through the garage door, “Your husbands are home. Where’s our dinner?”

  Jolene growled at her twin, launching a decorative pillow over the couch. It hit its mark, smacking the man right in the face. “Hope it was delicious, we slaved over it all day,” she deadpanned.

  “Oh, my God, Jolene. So violent,” Christian said, his hand fluttering to his throat and a look of appall on his face, “I don’t think this marriage is going to work. I want a divorce.”

  Jolene snickered and pulled Christina closer. “Good,” she replied, “you can have one. I’ve been cheating on you with Christie for years.”

  “What?” Joseph exclaimed, a look of utter betrayal playing over his handsome features, “Christie, darling, is this true?”

  Christina looked up at her brother-in-law, smothering a laugh at the crocodile-tears in his eyes. “I’m afraid so, Joe,” she replied, her voice soft with faux regret, “Jolene gives me so much more than you could ever offer.”

  “Yeah, like an orgasm,” Jolene chimed, eliciting a round of uproarious laughter from the others. “How was Ibiza?”

  Christian and Joseph moved into the living room, settling together on the love seat. Joseph lifted his arm, allowing his husband to lay against his chest.

  “It was fabulous,” Christian replied, locking his fingers with Joseph’s, “We didn’t do much; plenty of partying and sex, but not many adventures. We did, however, discover that Joey would have quite the lucrative career as a dancer,” he added, needling his husband affectionately. The women snorted.

  Joseph’s face flamed, and he chuckled nervously. “Never order a Jedi Mind Trick if you’re already drunk,” he said, avoiding the amused look on his sister’s face. “How was Hawaii?”

  Jolene and Christina filled the men in on their trip. They described their favorite parts, the foods they brought recipes home for, and meeting Cole and Jillian.

  “Greyson, Murphy, and O’Shea?” Christian asked thoughtfully, “I’m pretty sure they represent the vineyard.”

  Christina’s eyebrow arched. “Really? I thought George Parsons handled mom and dad’s business affairs.”

  Christian shook his head. “He handles the affairs for the bakery. Greyson, Murphy, and O’Shea handle things for the vineyard, itself. If someone has a beef with the bakery, Parsons handles it. If the beef has to do with the vineyard, Greyson, Murphy, and O’Shea deal with it.”

  “Why do they have two separate lawyers, though?” Jolene asked curiously. She knew that the Hess family kept themselves well backed, legally, but having more than one lawyer for their businesses seemed excessive.

  Christian shrugged and fought back a yawn. “Dad bought the vineyard when he was eighteen. It was nothing but withered grapes and infertile soil, but he busted his ass. It took a few years, but by the time he met mom, the fields were thriving. It wasn’t long after they started dating that dad decided to use the grapes himself, rather than selling them to the other vintners.”

  “Mom’s grandparents started the bakery, and it was passed down to her when her parents died. Parsons and mom were friends in high school, and when he started practicing corporate law, she asked him to represent her. Dad doesn’t like him, so he chose to go with someone else to represent the vineyard and winery.”