Page 38 of Indecent Lies

“Come on, little girl, you need food to soak up all that booze,” he told her and was in time to watch her eyes roll as she scoffed. “Not hungry. I want more rum.” She tried to push herself off the couch to reach for the bottle and he stopped her with his hand pressed to her bare arm.

Heat went right up to his elbow like a jolt of static electricity.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

“It’s not fair,” she muttered under her breath, falling back on the cushions. Before he could ask her what, she scowled across at him like he’d eaten her last twinkie and said, “this sucks.”

“Yeah, well, you puking all over like the exorcist would suck more, little girl. No more booze for you.”

She was half cut and cute.

“Thank you for taking me in, Tait. No one has ever been so nice to me, ever.” His heart squeezed at her sincerity. If she truly meant that, then her life must have been shit. “Thank you for buying me. I’ll try to be good, won’t get in your way.”

Fucking hell.

There was no time to process, suddenly Texas had a warm woman straddled over his lap and her mouth slammed down over his.

The shock hit him in the solar plexus and when Poppy went to town on his mouth, moving left and then right, he almost…fucking almostopened for her until clarity rained down on him and he took the top of her arms to push her back. “Whoa. Hold up, Poppy.”

“You used to have a great smile. Why don’t you smile anymore, Tait? Let me taste your smile.”

She went for his mouth again, a tiny assassin, and fuck him, he didn’t even try to stop her.

Not when he still felt her on his lips. The taste of rum and something else, much sweeter and warmer. It lingered and infiltrated his mouth. So when she went at him again, though his fingers grasped around her skinny arms, he let her go at him. Just for a second. It had been a while since he’d enjoyed a kiss.

Heat swirled around his belly, and other body parts that shouldn’t be reacting to her at all started to growl and demand attention too.

She was like a sexy octopus. Hands everywhere. In his hair especially, driving her fingers in and out, making his scalp tingle and when he groaned, she groaned in return and that’s when he dropped her arms, desire punching him with a one-two combination and he took hold of the back of her head to direct her into opening her mouth with slow licks on her bottom lip.

Jesus, what was he doing?

He was making out with a drunk woman who lived with him while her taste became an addiction on his tongue.

Who was writing the book of his life? This chapter was all wrong and far too horny.

Because he was making out with a very grown up and sexually alluring Poppy Astor.

When their tongues connected, Texas knew he’d never had a kiss this good. Sloppy, wet and disorganized as it was.

Her tongue plunged inside, slid against his and started to explore in such a way that if Texas had his eyes open, she would have sent him blind.

She lay siege to his mouth and in turn, Texas waged a surprised war on hers.

Licking up each of her kitten mewls as she tried to crawl into his mouth.

Addiction rose up from the pit of his gut and almost strangled him with how much heneededher.

She was a ravenous hungry thing, moaning and twisting and only with his will stronger than her tongue was he able to pry her away. Heavy breaths fell over his face and he saw her frown, her fingers flexing in and out of his hair.

“It’s not fair,” she said again and the pain of those words hit him in a place he hadn’t felt in months.

His heart stumbled because he cared for her and whatever was making her sad. Whatever was happening in her life that drove her across the country to seek refuge from a man she hadn’t seen in forever.

Whatever sadness made her reach for a bottle of booze until it made her sick.

Yeah, Texas cared for her.

“What isn’t fair, little girl?” He tried to gentle her by brushing the bangs of her hair back.