“Nice,” she said with a smile full of forced cheer. “Craig took us to a place that, um…had wonderful burgers and chicken. Yeah, on the south side of town. They sang to her. But Craig is doing well. I’m glad we went.”
Liar, liar… But why?
“The whole thing tuckered Hallie out, so I put her to bed. It’s just us now.”
And he couldn’t miss the suddenly seductive note in her voice. She swayed closer.
What the hell? After avoiding him for days, she was suddenly turning on the charm?
Oh, baby. If you’re going to play with fire, I’m going to burn you so bad…
“Great.” He took her hand. And if you’re willing to seduce me for information, let’s see how far you’ll go to get it. “But I’m more tired than I thought, and it looks like I have to leave town soon. I can’t say much, but let’s catch up next week, when the op is over. And if I’m back on Wednesday for her big day, I’ll take you and Hallie to dinner then.”
She swallowed. “So the rescue op is definitely on for this weekend?”
“We’ve got a really solid plan that… Well, sorry. I can’t tell you. I’ll see you later?”
Tessa squeezed his hand tighter, as if she thought that would stop him from leaving. “Don’t go. I-I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?”
“You. Us.” She bit her lip—something she only did when she was nervous. “Moving in is a really big step. I know I said earlier that it wasn’t a good idea, but…I’ve reconsidered. I’m open to talking about it.”
He wasn’t buying it. How fucking long had she been playing him? “That’s good to hear, baby.”
“And I know you’re tired, but I’d love it if you stayed a little longer so we could…talk?” She pretended to adjust the tie of her robe, but she pulled it free. The folds slid apart. And under the thin white terry cloth, what she wore scrambled his brain.
Her blue, lacy baby doll covered less than half her tits. The bow tucked just under gave way to a filmy, transparent fabric that told him she wore nothing underneath except a teeny tiny thong.
Yeah, she was playing him—no question—and it pissed him the fuck off. But holy shit, when he clapped eyes on her, he could barely breathe. And he was more than willing to let her take advantage of him in whatever way she wanted.
“Tessa, baby…”
She shrugged off the robe and tossed it on a nearby chair, then tugged him through the darkened living room and into her candlelit bedroom.
Tessa had definitely ramped up the seduction factor for his visit. Because she wanted something other than sex or love or commitment from him.
Goddamn it.
Later, he’d let himself hurt. He’d wonder why the first fucking time he had truly lost his heart it had to be to a lying viper with big green eyes and gorgeous tits doing her best to play him for reasons he could only guess at. He’d take her engagement ring back and kiss all his dreams of a happily ever after goodbye. He’d wonder how the hell he was going to pick up the pieces of his life to live without her forever.
Now, he was too angry that she’d turned out to be just as self-serving as every other asshole he’d grown up with.
“Zy?” She looked tense. No, worried. “Do you not like this?” She gestured to her lingerie, almost cupping her breasts—and making him lose his ability to speak.
Until something occurred to him. “Who else have you worn that for?”
She relaxed, as if that question didn’t stress her. As if she didn’t have to lie. “No one. I bought this for you.”
When? After she’d decided to screw him figuratively and literally? “You look sexy as fuck.”
He could say that with all sincerity. The lace and ribbons framed her cleavage so temptingly, he itched to touch her. The shadow between her thighs was dusky and mysterious and he swore he could almost taste her. His mouth watered.
“Thank you.” She stepped closer. “I’d planned to talk to you tonight…but I want to be with you, too. We’ve only been apart a handful of days, but it’s felt like a lifetime.”
“It has.” Zy couldn’t keep the rough note out of his voice.
“Do you want to talk now and get it over with? Or talk…after?”
“Definitely after.”
After that, he lost all patience for talk. He flattened her against the wall of her bedroom, gripped her hair in his fist, then slanted his mouth over hers with a groan.
Tessa might have turned out to be a poisonous liar, but she tasted so fucking sweet.
Against him, she arched, then whimpered as he stroked his tongue inside her, loving the way her breath caught. He slid deeper. The kiss turned urgent. He cupped the pert globes of her ass and crushed her lush tits against his chest.