Free Naughty Before Christmas (Decadent Delight Series #3) by Angie Daniels Page B

the call before she had a chance to respond.
    Frowning , Berlin glared at the restaurant until he disappeared inside.
    “ What did he say?”
    Swallowing against the lump in her throat , Berlin replied, “Lies. Nothing but lies.”
    “ Now don’t jump to conclusions,” Arianna put in softly, but firmly.
    “ What else could he be doing?” she whispered and dropped her phone back into her purse.
    “ And what is it you think he is doing?”
    For the past few weeks Reggie had been acting funny, like he was hiding something from her. Now she knew what it was. “I think my husband’s having an affair.”
     
    *  *  *
    “ Sorry ’bout that,” Reggie said as he hurried back to the table.
    Lyric Jones gave him a dismissive wave. “No problem. I went ahead and ordered shrimp tacos like you asked.”
    “ Thanks.” He straddled the chair and smiled over at the beautiful dark-skinned woman.
    Leaning across the table, she batted her long eyelashes and purred, “So tell me what it is you have in mind?”
    Reaching for his phone, Reggie typed in a password then slid his finger across the screen. “Here are the pictures.”
    She took the phone from his proffered hand and gazed down at the photographs. “Oh my! This house is beautiful! How many square feet did you say?”
    “ Six thousand.”
    She whistled. “Very nice. I love the colors you chose.”
    He was pleased by her compliment. “Honeysuckle beige is my wife’s favorite color.”
    “ Good choice. Can I suggest adding greens and blues to make the rooms pop?”
    “ You’re the interior designer. That’s why I hired you.”
    She winked. “Good answer.” Reaching inside a large black satchel, Lyric pulled out several color swatches to show him. “What accent colors would you like to work with?” she asked as she fanned the color wheel out for him to see.
    Reggie held up his hands. “Yo, you’re the expert. I’ll just nod and agree with anything you pick out.”
    She laughed and then he caught her staring at him. “Your wife is one lucky woman,” she replied.
    “ Yes, she is.” Reggie just hoped he could keep the renovations a secret from Berlin until Christmas Eve.
    He had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy.
     
     
    *  *  *
    Berlin was in a daze the rest of the day. She still couldn’t get over seeing her husband with that beautiful woman. And what was even worse was that he had lied about it. Sure he said he was with a client but there was just something in his voice that told her he wasn’t being completely honest. But what? Now she wished she had done as Arianna had suggested and confronted him and the hussy then Reggie would have had no choice but to have been honest. Now all she could do was hope he would tell her the truth.
    She stepped into the en-suite and stared at her reflection. Her face was slightly rounder and her stomach clearly screamed, pregnant ! Berlin released a heavy sigh. Did Reggie still find her attractive? she wondered. He told her he did but that was what husbands were supposed to say to their pregnant wives. But what was he going to think when she got too big to even strap her shoes?
    Quickly she shook off the ridiculous thoughts. She had never been a woman with self-esteem issues and she’d be damned if she started now. However, she did reapply her mascara , brushed on a little blush then pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail before departing the master bedroom.
    Moments later, Berlin was sitting on a leather sectional in the family room, in front of a blazing fireplace, sipping hot chocolate when she heard Reggie’s work truck pull onto the driveway. Breathe , she told herself and took several small sips from a Christmas mug trying to calm her nerves.
    The side door opened and she heard heavy footsteps as he came through the house looking for her. “Boo! Where you at?”
    “ I’m in here,” she said in a shaky voice as she lowered the mug to a coaster on a vintage end table. Within seconds Reggie was