Page 51 of Loving Smoke

“How come you bolted out of here yesterday?”

“I didn’t feel well and?—”

“Bullshit. How come you ran out?”

“I just told you I didn’t feel well all of a sudden and?—”

“So, you felt fine all day, we fucked, you cook for me, and all of a sudden you don’t feel good. Sorry, babe, I’m not buying it.”

“Okay, you’re right, I remembered something I had to do at home.” I closed my eyes for a second and Rita’s sweet face flashed in my brain. I had to focus for her sake. “I hadn’t planned on staying here so long and then I realized the time.”

Smoke drew in a deep breath, his expression unreadable. “And where did you go home to?’

“My family’s home where you dropped me off.” Truth. I had gone to see Rita. And right about now I wished it was my real home.

“Ya know.” Smoke scrubbed his hand over his face. “I thought I could do this. I thought I could play this out, but fuck me, I can’t listen to your lies.”

“I’m not lying.” I bit my lower lip and he caught me.

He pointed at me. “Right there. That’s what you do when you’re lying or about to lie. You did it the night I took you home and last night, only now I’m finally catching on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But of course I did. What I hadn’t planned on was Smoke picking up on my irritating tell.

Smoke grabbed my upper arm and wheeled me out of the office.

“What are you doing?” My heart jacked up at the look of pure hate embedded like stone on his face.

“Shut up,” he spat out the two words, then pushed me in front of him toward the back stairs. A few of the strippers leaving the dressing room threw us a look, but Smoke’s deadly expression deterred anyone from saying anything or interfering.

I paused at the bottom step and he crowded behind me leaving nowhere to go but up. At the upstairs landing, he grabbed my arm again and hustled me down the hall to his door. He quickly unlocked it and pushed me inside.

I spun around determined to get my bearings and not show fear, but Smoke’s narrowed menacing eyes held rage and a savage anger.

“Okay, babe, no more games.” I stalked across the room and pinned Marisol’s arms at her side. I used enough force to scare her but not enough to leave a mark. “I know who you are and I know what you’re after.”

Her eyes widened slightly. Enough to let him know she was caught and she knew it.

“You’re wrong or you have me confused with someone else.”

“I’m not wrong, and wherever you had me drop you off the other night isn’t your home either. According to my resources you live in some fancy villa on the Baja Coast.”

“Baja Coast? How could someone like me afford to live there?”

I barked out a harsh laugh. “I gotta admit you’re good. You really had me going. The ditsy act when Blood first hired you. Making me feel sorry for you. You played it great, but the game’s over.”

She shifted her feet and avoided my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She struggled against me. “Now, let me go.”

“Not a chance cause you’ve been lying your ass off for your father since you walked into this club. Not one fuckin’ thing outta your mouth was the truth.”

She stayed silent and it pissed me off. I wanted her to fight back so I could lash out and make her feel as shitty as I did.

“You got nothing to say?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Okay, then let me tell you. You graduated with honors from Stanford. Then you lived in Cali for a while, and for some reason you left the States and came back to Mexico.”

Her breathing stuttered and her back stiffened.

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