Page 15 of Sweet Poison

The hesitation before he answered was almost imperceptible, but I saw it.

“There you go. That’s what I mean by mysterious,” I pounced. “You almost didn’t even want to give out your name.”

He laughed and it truly had to be the most mesmerizing sound I'd ever heard. Deep, quiet, and as rich as one of Mrs. Dearborn’s famous fruitcakes. I loved it. It showed his gorgeous teeth and lit up his face.

“It was the one-night-only thing that threw me,” he mocked. “Some one-night-only encounters are conducted without names and I wasn’t sure if this was to be one of them.”

I stared at him. “I suppose you’d know all about them.”

He shrugged. “Sure, I’ve had a few. Is this your first?”

I crossed my fingers and, tossing the curls that Kelly had skillfully put into my hair, proceeded to lie with a straight face. “Of course not. I’ve had loads and loads of experience at this kind of thing.”

Chapter 7

Cole

I stared hypnotized into those beautiful eyes and didn’t quite know what to make of her. One thing was for sure, she was lying through her teeth. Loads and loads! Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was her first one-night stand.

To be honest, I’d never expected to come to a town in the middle of nowhere and find a raving beauty offering me a one-night stand. Everything about her awakened a primal instinct in me to take and possess, a reflex I’d long ago set aside to provide and care for my daughter; but without even trying she made it all come roaring back. The iron restraint I had was gone.

I was like a fucking caveman.

I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to my bed.

My cock throbbed with need as my eyes roved the firm, full breasts that were nearly popping out of her dress. I let my eyes travel to her flat stomach, her flaring hips, and down those long, long silky legs before I came back to her plump lips. I had all kinds of things planned for that sexy mouth. My gaze moved up to her eyes. They looked like circles of wet moss strewn with flecks of pure gold underneath transparent epoxy.

My situation was complicated, dangerous even, but she was only offering one night. What’s the harm in that? Surely, I could allow myself to bite into this sweet fruit for just one night. It wouldn’t be selfish or careless to indulge in just one bite.

Just this once. I would lose myself in her sweetness.

Tomorrow I would go back to reality where my only focus would be protecting my daughter. For once, since the day I knew I would soon be a father, I would take the night off. My child was safe with Mrs. Frost.

Montana was an unexpected gift from Fate. And I wasn’t about to say no. It was yes, yes, yes. A thousand times over.

I smiled at her. “I think your drink has gone directly to your table. Can I get you another?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

I took her hand, and to my surprise, the skin on her palm was not soft, but raised and rough with calluses. I couldn’t help but stroke the warm coarse skin. She was an enigma. This was the hand of a woman who worked hard at honest labor. I think I liked her even more at that moment.

I turned around and she let me lead her to the bar.

The bartender came over to me.

"A Dirty Martini and a Whiskey Sour, please," I ordered.

Chapter 8

Montana

Even though the bar was air-conditioned, I felt flushed and overheated. Probably because I was more than slightly embarrassed by my callused hands. The skin on his palm was smooth and his nails were clean and nicely manicured.

I turned to face the bar, towards the vast assortment of bottles that lined the old-fashioned wooden shelves. The muted LED lights shone on them casting the rows of alcohol in a warm, luxurious glow. It was sort of soothing to stare at them.

In actuality, I was very nervous, but I tried to convince myself that I was being silly. Women did this sort of thing all the time, and it wasn’t as if I didn’t know how everything worked. Obviously, I did. I just hadn’t actually done it before. At the end of the day, I couldn’t carry on being a virgin all my life. Having my cherry popped was long overdue.

And I was ready to get it done and over with.

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