Read Online Liar Liar by Julianne Floyd - Free Book Online Page A

suspicious creature. It was her nature, what made her excel at her profession. “The bartender said you could practically set your watch by the weather. Did you know it was going to rain when you asked me on a walk?”
    The set of his shoulders relaxed. “Clouds were gathering in the distance, Jess. Plain as the nose on your face.” He took another mouthful of beer before continuing. “Did I know it was going to rain? Of course, I did. I just didn’t think we’d get caught in it. I hadn’t planned on being so…interested…in walking.” His cheeks flushed.
    Was he actually blushing beneath that tan skin?
    Jess bit her lip again. She’d been pretty interested in walking, too. Couldn’t find fault in that logic, she thought, as the vodka dissolved some of her ragged emotions.
    “So….” She took a deep breath trying to regain her composure. “How often do you find yourself being interested in rainstorms?” Her lips were starting to lose feeling from the rapid intake of alcohol. Good. It would keep her from an anxiety attack.
    His smile returned. “Not as often as I used to. And not half as often as I’d like.” He finished off his first beer and the bartender slid another across the polished bar counter. “What about you? How’d a knockout like you end up at a place like this?”
    He thought she was a knockout. Her bullshit alarm stopped pinging.
    Jess giggled. “It’s true. Girls like me don’t often slum in five star luxury resorts.” She finished her drink and selected a piece of ice to suck, wishing for a moment that it was Matt’s tongue she was slipping between her lips. “The things my mother never told me….” She let her voice trail off with an affected sigh.
    His eyes fixed on her fingertips as she wet her lips with the rapidly melting cube and let it dribble into her mouth. His tongue came out and wet the crease of his lips as if he could taste the vodka-tinged liquid. “What else didn’t your mother warn you about?” His voice was even more husky than usual.
    Her blood surged to the surface of her skin. Had she eaten today? Must be the vodka on an empty stomach. She took a sip of the fresh drink the bartender placed in front of her, feeling really glad that her inner alarm had been wrong. “Men.” She glanced at him. “Men like you.” Matt was a charmer, for sure, as much as Stan had been back in his heyday in college.
    Matt blinked. “That’s a pretty bold statement. You don’t know that much about me.”
    “I know more than you think.” She challenged and tipped her glass again. She had him pegged.
    “Really?” His brow raised a fraction. “Tell me.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
    “Tall, dark. Decently attractive.” She knew the understatement would goad him a little, and she liked teasing him.
    “Well, thank you very much.” Matt leaned back on the stool. His eyes were alert and amused. He was clearly playing along with her game.
    She gestured at his expensive watch. “Moderately wealthy. Self confident. And from our encounter in the woods, you’re used to getting your own way. You’re either an heir apparent or you’re an entrepreneur.”
    “Guilty on all counts.” Matt chuckled, more at ease. “Now, you’re a psychic.”
    “I suppose I could be.” She liked the sound of his laugh. Just the sound of his Texan drawl made her knees weak. She took another swallow of heavenly courage. The vodka tonic fizzled over her taste buds, better than champagne. “If you believe in that sort of thing.”
    Matt shrugged. “My grandmother, Abuela Tina, was really big into fortune-telling. Said it made her feel more in control of her life. She swore by her palm reader.”
    Jess laughed. “No wonder you signed up for LoveLines. Sounds like a palmistry term.” She felt a little wobbly.
    Matt’s hand froze over his beer bottle. “Uh, yeah. How about that?” He laughed, but his eyes didn’t crinkle like they usually did.
    “No need to be embarrassed.