Page 35 of Pretty Lies & Ugly Truths

“I said, are you hungry?” I gesture to the breakfast I was cooking.

“Oh—yes. Starving, actually,” she replies.

I plate her veggie omelet with extra spinach—it’s supposed to be high in iron, and I figured she might need that since she is losing blood.

I make us both coffees, hers with the salted caramel creamer I know is her favorite, and we sit next to each other at the bar top counter to eat.

She takes a few bites before turning to me.

“Oh, I meant to ask you yesterday but—you know, I kind of got distracted. I was wondering if the police have found anything out about the guy who attacked me?”

I cough as I choke on a bite of food, and she reaches over to pat my back.

Taking a large sip of hot coffee, I take a minute to think of a decent response. I can’t exactly tell her that he’s probably in the belly of an alligator right about now, butit doesn’t feel right to lie to her either. So, I give as much of the truth as I can.

“His name’s Kyle Palmer. Apparently, he’s a real shitty bastard. You don’t have any connections or known relatives up in Massachusetts, near or around the Boston area, do you?” Genuine surprise flickers on her face.

“No.” She shakes her head, the corners of her lips turning down in a frown. “Not that I know of, but like I said, I don’t know much about my birth family. As far as I know, I’ve never even left this state. Why do you ask?”

“Because that’s where he’s from. He was involved in a lot of criminal activity up there, doing some pretty shady shit for one of the largest families in the Irish crime syndicate, the McGregors.”

“What!?” Her head rears back, eyes wide as a mix of shock and fear bleed the color from her face. “What the hell is he doing here then? And what would he want with me?”

That’s the million-dollar question.

I have been wracking my brain for days trying to figure that out, but I can’t come up with a single thing that makes sense. The best I got is what Becks theorized: Maggie’s birth mom got herself into some sort of trouble, and someone plans to use her daughter as leverage.

“I’m not sure. You said you thought your mom was on drugs. Do you think it’s possible she got mixed up with the wrong crowd? Maybe she owes someone some money. They may be trying to use you to get back at her.”

“Maybe…but how would they even know about me? Like I said, I haven’t seen her in years.”

I shrug. “Trust me, people in that world have a way of finding things out.”

She narrows her eyes, and for a second, it looks as if she wants to ask me something. As much as I don’t want to tell her about my past, I know if she asks, I wouldn’t lie to her.

In the end, though, she stays quiet, and I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed.

We both turn back to our plates, and I watch as she moves her food around with her fork, no longer eating. Instead, she chews her lip with a blank expression on her face, and I don’t like it.

She startles when my hand comes to rest at her nape, and her brilliant green eyes lack their usual luster. My thumb strokes along her pulse point as I lean in, holding her gaze, making sure she can see the sincerity of what I’m about to say.

“Nothing and no one is going to hurt you—and I will not stop until we figure out what this is all about. Do you hear me? You are safe with me.”

Her eyes drop to my mouth and linger there.

I know I should pull away—nothing good can come from this—but I just can’t. Every cell in my body is begging me to take her. Claim her. Make hermine.Ruin her for any other man.

That last thought gives me pause, but only for a moment, because when she looks back up at me, her eyes filled with such naked hunger, I come completely undone.

My lips crash to hers, sucking on her plush bottom lip before taking it gently between my teeth. I run my tonguealong the seam of her mouth, and she lets out the most delicious moan before opening for me.

My hand tangles in her long, silky ponytail as I wrap it around my fist, using it to tilt her head back to deepen the kiss, but it’s still not enough. I can’t get fucking close enough.

She lets out a little noise of protest as I break the kiss, but only long enough for me to grip her under her hips and pull her onto my lap. Her arms and legs wrap around me as she straddles me on the barstool.

There, that’s better.

She brings her mouth back to mine as she begins to move her hips, her pussy rocking on my hardening cock. Her head falls back as I nibble and suck my way down the slender column of her throat.

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