All the Pretty Lies (33 page)

“And you’re sure he won’t try to get us into
trouble?”

“I’m positive. He was a bad boy. I’m sure
there’s nothing we could think of that he hasn’t done ten times
over.” We stop a few feet behind him and I hear Tori whisper, “Good
God, look at him.”

So I do.

I can see why Tori would find him appealing.
His tanned skin is glistening in the hot Carolina sun. The
well-defined muscles in his chest and shoulders ripple as he picks
up a crate from the back of the truck, and his washboard abs
contract as he swivels to set it on the ground. His worn blue jeans
hang low on his narrow hips, giving us an almost-indecent look at
the way the thin trail of hair that leads away from his navel
disappears into the waistband.

But then Tori’s words come back to me and I’m
immediately turned off. She said he’s a bad boy. And I’m not
interested in bad boys. They don’t figure into my plans. At all. In
any way. That’s why I don’t have to worry about being attracted to
him.

Even though he’s hot as blazes.

Tori clears her throat as we move closer.
“Hi, Jake.”

Jake’s dark head turns toward us as he pauses
in his work to wipe his brow. He looks first at Tori. “Hi,” he
replies around the toothpick stuck in one corner of his mouth. His
voice is low and hoarse. His smile is polite and I think to myself
that he’s handsome enough, but nothing to warrant Tori’s insistence
to talk to him.

But then he looks over
at me
.

Even with him squinting in the bright sun,
his eyes steal my breath. Set in his tan face and framed by his
black hair and black lashes, they’re striking. The amber color is
like honey, honey I feel all the way down in my stomach—warm and
gooey.

“Hi,” he says again, one side of his mouth
curling up into a cocky grin.

For some reason, I can’t think of one single
thing to say. Not even a casual greeting, one that I would give a
perfect stranger. I stare at him for several long seconds until,
finally, he chuckles and turns back to Tori.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Uh, she’s just shy.”

“Shy?” he asks, turning his attention back to
me. I almost wish he hadn’t. My belly is still full of hot liquid
and I’m starting to feel breathless. “Hmm, I don’t meet shy girls
very often.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Tori wave
her hand dismissively. “Eh, she’ll loosen up in a minute. In fact,
that’s sort of why we’re here.”

Jake glances back to Tori, releasing me from
the prison of his strange eyes. I take a slow, deep breath to
settle my swimming head.

“Oh, I’ve gotta hear this,” he says, leaning
back against the tail gate and crossing his arms over his chest. I
can’t help but notice how his biceps bulge with the action.

Tori steps closer to him and whispers, “We
were sort of hoping you’d sell us a bottle of that peach wine. You
know, on the down low.”

He looks from Tori to me and back again
before he bends to pick up one bottle. “One of these? To loosen her
up?”

“Yep. It’s sure to do the trick.”

His golden eyes return to me as he slowly
straightens to his full height. “I don’t believe you. I don’t think
she’ll drink it.” His gaze drops to my mouth and then on down my
neck and chest, to my stomach and my bare legs. I wonder what he’s
seeing—just the light green strapless sundress that sets off my
tan? Or is he imagining what’s underneath? What’s underneath my
clothes? Underneath my skin? “I think she looks like a good girl.
And good girls don’t drink.”

The fact that he so accurately pegged me
stirs up my temper for some reason. Immediately defensive, I pull
in my stomach, puff out my chest, and jack up my chin. “What? I’m
just some simple, one-dimensional country girl? Is that it?”

He shrugs, his eyes never leaving mine. “Am I
wrong?”

“Yes,” I declare defiantly, even though it’s
an outright lie. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

One raven brow shoots up in challenge. “Oh
yeah? Prove it.”

Too proud to back down, I reach out and
snatch the bottle from his fingers, unscrew the lid and tip it
back, taking one long gulp.

It’s just local, homemade wine from his
daddy’s peach orchard, but that doesn’t mean the alcohol doesn’t
sting the throat of someone who’s not used to drinking.

As I lower the bottle and swallow what’s left
in my mouth, my eyes water with the effort not to sputter. Jake
watches me until my cheeks are no longer full of the wine.

“Satisfied?” I ask, shoving the bottle into
the center of his broad chest.

“I’ll be damned,” he says softly.

Ignoring the way his voice makes my stomach
clench, I reach for Tori’s hand. “Come on. We have to get back for
our shift in the booth.”

Tossing my hair, I turn and stomp off with as
much dignity as I can muster. Tori is reluctant, but when I tug,
she follows along.

“What the hell are you doing? You just
totally screwed that up for me. Not to mention that you left the
wine.”

“We don’t need that jerk’s wine.”

“Uh, yeah, we do. And what’s this about the
shift at the booth? We aren’t supposed to be there for another
forty minutes.”

“Then we’ll go early. It’s just a kissing
booth, for Pete’s sake. It won’t kill you to work another forty
minutes. In fact, you’ll probably like it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks
indignantly.

I pause in my mad trudging to look at her. I
shake my head to clear it. I don’t know how that Jake guy managed
to get under my skin so quickly, but he did.

“Sorry, Tori. I didn’t mean anything by it.
I’m just aggravated.”

“I can see that. But why? What did he ever do
to you?”

“I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose. I just
hate it when people assume the worst about me.”

“Assuming you’re a good girl is not a bad
thing.”

“He sure made it seem like it was.” I start
walking again and look back at Tori until she catches up. “Besides,
weren’t you just fussing at me for not living a little?”

“Yes, but this is not really what I had in
mind.”

I smile and loop my arm through hers, hoping
for a quick reconciliation so we can leave the topic of Jake
behind. “Be careful what you ask for then, right?”

She sighs. “I guess.”

“Now then, let’s go.”

********

Twenty minutes later, I’m regretting my rash
decision. I’ve kissed the cheek of every pimple-faced boy in town.
Tori has jumped in front of me to take all the cute guys that have
come. Not that I have a problem with that. I guess I owe her since
I messed up her meet with Jake. Besides, I’m not interested in any
of the boys from Greenfield. The only reason I’m working the booth
at all is to raise funds for the church.

I smile politely as I take two dollars from
the next boy in line. He looks like he can’t be a day over twelve.
I bend forward to give his cheek a peck. I press my lips to it and
then offer mine. He kisses it sweetly then looks shyly away. “Thank
you for the kiss,” I say for the hundredth time. I look down as I
put the money in my till. When I glance up, prepared to ask for the
next person in line, my heart stops and the words die on my
tongue.

Standing in front of me, smiling like he
knows I can’t breathe, is Jake Theopolis. He’s wearing a t-shirt
now, a blue one that fits snugly over his wide shoulders. His pecs
shift beneath the material as he digs in the front pocket of his
jeans. I see him toss a ten dollar bill onto the counter in front
of me. Confused, my eyes flicker back up to his. The bright, liquid
orbs are intent on mine.

“I came for the peaches,” he says quietly. He
reaches up to take the toothpick from between his lips. I watch,
spellbound, as his face gets closer and closer. “I need a taste
before I go,” he whispers, his sweet cinnamon breath fanning my
lips.

And then his mouth is brushing mine. I don’t
even think to resist. In fact, I don’t think at all. I only
feel.

His lips are soft against mine and he smells
like soap and clean sweat. His touch is feather light until he
tilts his head to the side and deepens the kiss. I feel his tongue
trace the crease of my lips until I part them to let him in. In
long, leisurely strokes, his tongue licks at mine, like he’s
savoring the flavor of it. I savor him right back, drinking in the
hint of cinnamon in his mouth. I lean toward him, bracing myself on
the counter, afraid my legs won’t hold me up much longer.

Finally, he leans back and looks down into my
stunned face. “Mmm, that’s the sweetest peach I’ve had in a long
time,” he purrs. When he winks at me, I feel a gush of heat pour
into my stomach like hot lava.

Without another word, he turns and walks
away.

COMING MARCH 4, 2014