Dirty Little Liars by Missy Lynn Ryan

become so invested in my political future.”
    The timer on the oven dinged and Juliette turned to retrieve her cookies. She set the tray on top of the stove and let the oven door slam shut.
    Ty reached for one of the cupcakes and she swatted his hand away with her dish towel. “Don’t you dare.”
    “Are you planning on eating four-and-a-half dozen baked goods in the next twenty-four hours?”
    “Baking helps me stay calm. You, on the other hand, bring me nothing but stress. And if you keep popping in and out of my life I am going to be making baked goods for the next ten years.”
    “Come on, it’s not that bad.”
    Juliette stared at him. He really had no idea. The way she felt when she was with him. The way her body relaxed at his touch, the way her heart leapt every time she stared into those deep blue eyes. He was her Achilles heel and he was destroying her one breathtaking kiss at a time.
    “Do you love her?” Suddenly Juliette wanted to know.
    Tyler was silent as he stared back at her.
    “You do love her, right, Ty?”
    “I only love one woman.” He moved a step closer and warning bells went off in her head. This is how it starts. If he gets less than six inches away, you’re a goner.
    She stepped back against the counter and searched for a distraction. She grabbed the nearest cupcake and held it out in front of him.
    “Here.”
    “I can have one?” he asked.
    “Yes, but you need to leave now.”
    “What if I don’t want to leave?”
    She sighed loudly. “I don’t really care what you want, Tyler. What if someone saw you come here? It’s not that hard to figure out who I am. If they put two and two together and the story of your cheating rears its ugly head again…”
    “So what?” He pulled the liner from the bottom of the cupcake. “I lose the election. I don’t get married. Name one bad thing that comes out of all of it.”
    “How about my face all over the nation’s largest newspapers. I’ll be branded as that whore who broke up your engagement. It never turns out well for the other woman.”
    “You aren’t the other woman,” he muttered into the cupcake. “You’re the woman.”
    He took a bite and chewed without taking his eyes off her. She stopped breathing as she watched him, wanting his words to be true. But if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Tyler Chase was an excellent liar.
    “If you don’t love her, than maybe you should tell her that.”
    “Why are you so worried about Courtney?”
    “Because she’s my friend.”
    His laugh was a bitter slap in the face. “You’ve known her for what—a few weeks?”
    “Nearly two months.” It didn’t sound any more impressive and she almost wished she hadn’t said anything at all. She was making his case for him. “And who cares how long I’ve known her. The point is that I think she’s a good person—a decent person. She doesn’t deserve a cheating fiancé who doesn’t love her and is only using her for political gain.”
    “And what are you using her for?”
    “Excuse me?”
    He set the half-eaten cupcake on the counter. “I think it’s a huge coincidence that the day after we slept together you have the sudden desire to befriend the woman I’m dating. It’s not sane. In fact, it’s kind of creepy. Stalker creepy.”
    “So now I’m a stalker? You’re the one that keeps showing up at my doorstep unannounced. How the hell did you people even get my address?”
    That shut him up, but only for a second.
    “Fine, maybe we’ve both done some slightly questionable activities in the last few weeks.”
    That was the understatement of the century.
    “But right now, Courtney is content with our original story. Telling her about the affair will only hurt her. I know you think that I’m a complete jerk, but I never meant to hurt her.”
    “Then why agree to marry her?” Juliette’s words flew out at him like daggers. He instinctively took a step back.
    “It’s complicated. But please believe me