Page 167 of Tell Me Lies

“I know you’re a whore,” he said softly. “Trading sex for money.”

“Yeah, I know the definition of whore,” she muttered.

Why did the whisper of his breath cause a ripple of sensation over her skin? Why did his nearness cause a flood of desire to settle between her thighs? It embarrassed her that he affected her to the point of becoming aroused. Was she so messed up that she found him attractive? What the hell was wrong with her? The man was insane and a bully, so why did he turn her on?

“Then watch out, little slut. I won’t hesitate to protect Dan.”

Her gaze flickered down to his lips, and for some completely unknown reason, she envisioned kissing them. She shook her head, trying to dislodge that mental picture.

“If he pays his tab then we’re square,” she said, hardly daring to believe what she said. “Business is business.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

She cocked an eyebrow without answering. It didn’t need to be said. Truthfully, Marnie didn’t care if this Dan fellow gave her sister the money or not. Hell, she didn’t need it. But she refused to give Mr. Psycho the satisfaction.

He sneered at her and then he licked the side of her face before letting her go. She reached up to wipe his saliva off, and he grinned when he saw what she did. His gaze dropped to her mouth, then lower, going up and down her body in a slow perusal before traveling back up. White-hot lust rolled through her body, causing her breath to hitch. This close, she saw his pupils dilate as they stared at her mouth, and she licked her lips. A harsh breath exited his mouth and she thought for a second he was going to kiss her … and then he pulled back. The spell broken. Without another word, he turned and left her behind.

What. The. Fuck.

****

“Stupid,” Reece muttered. “Absolute stupidity.”

There was no way he could be attracted to a prostitute. She wrecked marriages for money. She was blackmailing Dan! So why was his dick hard enough to hammer nails? Why did she take his breath away?

As he headed to his truck, his cell rang. He pulled it out and saw Dan was calling him.

“She called me again, Reece, demanding her money. Said I have until Mondy to pay her, or she was sending proof to Anna.”

“How much?” Reece demanded, pissed because he just left her in the goddamn grocery store. Did she immediately call Dan as soon as he’d walked away?

A deep sigh came through the phone. “Five thousand.”

Shock burned through Reece. “Dollars? Holy fucking shit, Dan.”

“I know! I’m dumb.”

“Yeah, you sure are. A very dumb motherfucker.”

“Please, Reece. You’ll never know how much I regret ever meeting Rebecca.”

Reece’s mind raced. Monday was two days away. It wasn’t a lot of time to convince Rebecca Fox to do the right thing. Stalking and scaring certainly wasn’t helpful. In fact, he might have just fucked everything up worse. Reece hung up, knowing he was going to have to take matters to the next level.

Chapter Five

Driving back to Bec’s home, Marnie felt like she was being watched. Again, she could’ve sworn she saw a white truck in her rearview mirror, and knew it had to be him. Trying to ignore the fear, she briefly thought about calling the police. It was the knowledge she would have to drag Rebecca into this mess that stopped her. She would never do anything to jeopardize her sister.

It wasn’t until she locked the door behind her that she felt safe. She cooked a light dinner then took a shower and put on sweats just as the distant sound of thunder rolled. She loved storms, the wildness as they buffered the land. Rebecca would always turn the stereo up to drown out the booming thunder, but Marnie would dance in the rain. Stepping outside, she leaned on the deck railing to watch the tempest brewing on the horizon. Lightning briefly lit up the sky, the jagged arcs a powerful yet deadly beauty.

A gentle pawing on the glass door caught her attention and she turned. The cat meowed, even though she couldn’t hear it, and she smiled. Heading back inside, the cat wove around her legs, begging as only a cat could. Marnie smiled and headed for the pantry.

“Are you hungry again? Making up for lost mealtime? I know. My sister is a terrible sitter.”

She opened a can of wet food and the cat jumped onto the island. Marnie sat the can down and the cat practically attacked the food. She stroked the soft fur and the animal pushed its rump out to maximize the petting.

“If this was my place, I wouldn’t allow you on the island. But it’s Rebecca’s so I’m not going to worry about cat cooties.”

Marnie left the cat to eat and headed upstairs to shower. She gave Bec forty-eight hours before she started bugging her sister to return. Here she was, once more saving her sister’s butt, the good and reliable twin whose sister always walked all over her.

---