Page 56 of The Rogue

“Then why are you mad?”

His jaw sets and his scowl is back. “You asked him to lie to me.”

Oh.“That wasn’t cool, was it?” I bite my lip, drawing his irritated gaze to it.

“No, Tess. It wasn’t. Look, I know you’re no saint. You’re new at this. Asking a kid to lie to his parents is a big no. Asking Jackson to lie tome? That's a downright felony in my book.”

I throw my hands in the air. “Then put me away, Sheriff. Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a badge. You don’t make the law. You just walk around town with a chip on your shoulder.”

“Only when you’re around,” he mutters.

I shove his chest but it’s rock solid. “Then don’t have me around. And it was a little creepy, you watching me sleep this morning.”

“Explains why you slept like a baby.”

“And for your information, I was going to tell you about the car incident. I just wanted you to hear it from me.”

“Right, because you’re so good with words.” He runs a hand over his face like he doesn’t know what to do with me.

“You don’t have to like me,” I growl, pressing a finger to his chest. “It’s enough that your kid does. And I happen to really like him. Which is important. Probably.”

He stares at me, and I’m not certain that he’s entirely with me.

“So yeah, if Wiggles and I want to keep secrets, that’s our prerogative. Weren’t you ever a kid? Parents are meant to be lied to.”

“Notthisparent,” he roars, making me flinch back.

He turns away, seeming to settle himself. “Jackson’s mom isn’t allowed to see him. Not without me or some other supervision. For years without my knowledge, she’d sneak in a visit with him, would pull him out of school for a day, and make him tell me all kinds of lies.”

He runs a hand through his hair, and I resist the urge to catch it in mine.

“I’m not getting into it right now, but she’s done enough damage with that kid for me to ever let her near him again.”

“I’m so sorry.” My apology is breathy and broken, and I’m not even sure what it's for. What he’s been through or how I made it worse.

He crosses to the opposite side of the stalls, and while I thought I’d be relieved for the space, I miss the closeness.

“I didn’t like grilling him. I didn’t like looking at him like he might be hiding something from me. It took us a while to get there, but we trust each other now. I trust that he’ll always come to me and he trusts that I’ll always be there when he does. So yeah, it’s important, Tessa.”

There's a stabbing pain in my chest. Like I'd destroyed something so precious for these two. Like I'm no better than her. I didn't realize until now that I wanted to be everything she wasn't for Jackson.

Sucking in a breath, I drop my head with a small nod. “No lies. Got it.”

14

Tessa’s damp hair fallsaround her face and I just…stareat her.

The breathy…raspy way she complies. That overly abused bottom lip is pulled between her teeth again and my chest pulls.

Goddamn this woman. Downright dangerous the way she has me raging out of control one minute and my cock twitching the next.

The way it seems to do when she’s this close. Or when she’s challenging me. Pushing me.

Like I didn’t have enough when her breasts were planted against my back for the entire ride back to the stables.

A ragged breath shakes out of me.

Stepping close, I capture her jaw with both hands and lift her face. “Stop that,” I bite out, tugging to save that bottom lip from between her teeth.

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