Free Deception (Carrington Hill Investigations Book 1) by Kate Allenton

was on the same page with her. She took comfort that Ethan had voiced it for her.
    Trip raised his brow. “I was worried about my wife, Ethan. I’m sure you know how that feels.”
    Ethan halfheartedly chuckled as he lugged her suitcase up the garage stairs. He was walking out of the room she shared with Trip as they walked in.
    Ethan managed to get one last dig in before he left. “I still can’t get over the fact that you didn’t know who she was when you proposed, did ya?”
    That question confirmed it. Lexi and Ethan would turn out to be great friends. He turned the corner, and his full-body laugh could be heard all the way down the hall. She dropped her bags by the closet, plopped down on the bed, and fell backward, sinking into the divine feel of the Egyptian comforter. She’d had a long day, and the last thing she wanted to do was to meet the rest of his family. She pushed up on her elbows. “Can’t we call off the reception? Maybe have it tomorrow instead, or better yet, we can have a divorce party when it’s all over.”
    He sat in the chair at the end of the bed , completely ignoring her remark. “Who’s after you, Lexi? Who broke into your apartment?”
    She let out a long, exhausted sigh and wondered if he’d end up going cave man on her. “Anyone and everyone I’ve ever busted.” She rolled over on her side and propped her hand on her cheek. “But the break-in was Constanza’s guys. They pinned my black wig to the wall and spray painted my walls.” She slid off the bed. “And his threat the other day was another dead giveaway.”
    It didn’t look like she could get out of the meeting with the folks; she figured she had to start getting ready. She grabbed everything she needed and turned toward Trip, juggling her armful of stuff. “Hope you don’t mind, I’m taking over the bathroom.”
    “What’s mine is yours, Lexi.” His brow rose and he frowned as if it was just hitting him that they were indeed married.
    “You say the sweetest things.” She blew him a fake kiss then raised her brow, wondering if the investigation lasted more than a week if he might get used to her sense of humor, and her wild ideas, and bad attitude. She shook her head. Nah, she doubted it.
    He stood and walked to the door. “You’ve still got a couple of hours before everyone starts to arrive.”
    She glanced down at her watch and felt her eyes bug out of her head. She was going to need every minute she had. It wasn’t as if she got dressed up every day. Heck, she barely wore makeup unless her assignment was to pose as a streetwalker, and even then, someone else put it on for her.
    He smiled. “I’ll be back in a little bit to bring you something to eat.”
    “Thanks, I’m starving.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down to a good meal that she hadn’t cooked in a microwave.
    He nodded , leaving her with nothing but her thoughts, and that was a dangerous place to be. She reached into her bra and pulled out the memory stick and glanced around the room. She didn’t know his place. She didn’t know if there were security cameras or where the good hiding spots were, so she shoved it inside her favorite bra, the one that she’d be wearing tonight as she put on her best performance yet, hoping she remembered which fork she should use first and the other manners her mother had taught her.
    True to his word, Trip brought her a snack about an hour later and sat down with her to eat it. He disappeared shortly thereafter leaving her alone to continue getting ready, putting makeup on while she waited on her curlers. She grabbed one of the cocktail dresses from the garment bag and dragged it into the bathroom with her. She hated getting dressed up. She was always more comfortable in her preferred outfit of choice, T-shirt and jeans with gun holsters somewhere on her body.
    She shoved the memory stick into the compartment of her bra and emerged from the bathroom with half an hour to spare to find