Read Online Hot Secrets by Lisa Renee Jones - Free Book Online Page B

expectancy.
And trust. She kept giving him her trust and it tore at him. It
tore at him because he
wanted to deserve it, and right now, he didn’t.
    “Don’t kid yourself, Lauren. I’m
no good guy.”
    Confusion flashed in her eyes,
but only for a moment. “I’ll decide that on my own, but thank you
anyway.”
    “I’m not.”
    “Innocent until proven
guilty.”
    And he would be. He’d be guilty
in the end of deceiving her. There was no way around it. The words
were like ice water, dousing him with hard reality, and he pulled
her to her feet. “I better get you to that lunch before you find
the picture of my bulldog ‘Rocky’ dressed as a clown.”
    She laughed. “You’re not
serious.”
    He sighed. “There’s a reason I
wasn’t allowed into the canine unit.”
    And when she smiled at him, he
knew he’d do just about anything to keep those smiles coming his
way. He just wasn’t sure ‘anything’ would be enough.
    ***
    Lauren stepped into her father’s
house feeling more than a little out of sorts. This thing, whatever
it was, between her and Royce, was confusing. Of course visiting
her father’s place always made her uneasy.
    Voices led her to the dining
room where she found not only her father and stepmother, but to her
surprise and discomfort, her stepbrother, Brad Foster. She wouldn’t
have come had she known he’d be here. Everything about Brad
s a t wrong with herfrom
his personality to his mousy brown hair, black rimmed glasses, and
standard uniform of a pressed button-down shirt and a blazer. Brad
looked up and smiled at her. It took tremendous energy for her to
smile back. “I thought you were out of town, Brad.” Lauren entered
the room as she spoke, a slight edge to her voice she couldn’t seem
to contain.
    “I flew in late last night,” he
said, his eyes following her movements.
    She hated the way Brad watched
her all the time. “It was too bad you couldn’t make it to the
party.”
    “Morning, Lauren,” her father
said, settling his napkin in his lap and reaching for a crystal
glass filled with iced tea.
    “Morning, Daddy,” she said, and
then forced her attention to her stepmother, “Hello, Sharon.”
    Lauren sat down at her place
setting, directly across from Brad, flipping her napkin open. The
table was filled with an array of brunch items. Lean cuts of roast
beef, croissants, fresh fruit, and potato salad. “I’m starving. The
food looks good.” Despite the rather nauseating company, her
stomach was feeling better, as was her head.
    With a wink, her father smiled.
“Well then, by all means, let’s eat.”
    “Brad was just telling us about
his most recent case,” Sharon commented, clearly aiming to take
some sort of jab at Lauren. She always had an agenda.
    Brad leaned back in his chair,
arrogance etched in his chiseled features. Lauren couldn’t help
making a hasty comparison between Brad and Royce. Although Royce
was arrogant, he wasn’t a snob. Royce was confident. Brad oozed an “I’m better than
you” cockiness that drove her bonkers. “Just a little
corporate trademark case,” Brad gloated with fake humbleness. “A
few million in jeopardy. Nothing as exciting as the murder and
mayhem Lauren favors.”
    Lauren was reaching for her
glass when Brad’s words hit her. Her hand froze around the chilled
drink. Slowly, she withdrew her hand, fixing Brad with a frosty
stare.
    A slow, poisonous smile turned
up the corners of her mouth. “I protect the public. Do you have a
problem with putting criminals behind bars?”
    “I don’t think it’s appropriate
for a senator’s daughter,” he commented dryly.
    Her mouth dropped open for a
moment, then, through clenched teeth, she demanded, “And how
exactly does your trademark war you’re litigating better serve the
public than putting a murderer behind bars?”
    “I guess I don’t consider
putting a battered woman in the electric chair justice for the
public or anyone else.”
    “You don’t know anything