Page 27 of Pretty Lies & Ugly Truths

Damn. This guy’s good. That disarming smile, paired with a face and body like his, I’m sure he gets all the ladies. Too bad it does nothing for me.Now if he was a certain tattooed, grey-eyed broody asshole…

“Watch yourself, Jayce,” Archers growls from behind me, his deep voice ghosting over my bare shoulder, causing goosebumps to break out on my arms and legs.

He steps into me so close, I can feel the heat radiating from his body against my back, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath he takes. My head spins as a low heat starts deep in my belly.

“What, brother?” he says, not bothering to divert his gaze from mine.

Wait, what?

“Brother!” I squeak out, looking from this man to Archer and back again, not really seeing any resemblance.

“Half-brother,” Archer grunts out with a deep scowl that only causes his brother to chuckle before holding out his hand to me in greeting.

“Jayce,” he says.

“Maggie. It’s nice to meet you,” I say, reaching out to return the handshake. Only, he doesn’t shake it. Instead, he turns it over and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Yep, this one is definitely trouble.

Archer rolls his eyes, slapping at Jayce’s hand. “Enough of that,” he barks, which only results in Jayce laughing harder.

“Everything should be taken care of. I was able to borrow a couple of bottles from Pete next door. It should be enough to get you through the night. The boxes are going to be redelivered by the time we open tomorrow,” Archer tells his bother before turning to me.

“Ready to go?” Archer asks, and I nod.

He takes my hand, helping me down from my stool—and damn, there’s that spark again.

After saying our goodbyes, he guides me through the crowd, his warm palm at the small of my back. At the door, he drops it, but I can still feel it there, like a brand on my skin.

Outside, I take a few steps, hoping that putting some distance between us will help me clear my head. I don’t know what it is about this man that affects me this way. Maybe Natya is right, and I do need to get laid.

The thing is, I’ve never understood the big deal about sex. I never experienced the same desires and urges as other people my age. The only time I even really get aroused is when I’m by myself, so these feelings are all very new to me. And of course, it would happen for a man who I have no chance in hell of sleeping with.

“What are you in the mood for?” he asks, cutting through the silence.

You. Surprised by my own thoughts I look away, hoping he can’t see the blush I know now stains my cheeks.

“Um…anything, really.”

Despite what I said earlier, I am actually starving.

In the end, we decide to grab sandwiches from one of the food stands and eat at one of the tables down by the river.

“So…your brother seems like a lot of fun,” I say, taking a bite of my food.

It’s so good I’m not even a little bit embarrassed bythe moan that slips out of my mouth. My tongue darts out to catch a little of the aioli sauce that lingers at the corner.

I open my eyes to meet Archer’s darkened gaze as he glares at my lips before his face smooths out, once again adopting that blank expression.

“Umm...yeah. He’s a good guy,” he says, obvious affection warming his tone.

“You said he was your half-brother, right?”

He nods.

“We have the same mom. David Wilder, Jayce’s dad, was my stepfather. He adopted me and pretty much raised me as his.”

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