Page 26 of Justified Lies

Unknowing if they kissed for thirty seconds or thirty minutes, a high-pitched ringing began to intrude on her fantasy. As the shrill sound continued, the lusty fog dissipated. Her fingers released his hair, sliding down his chest, this time stopping to push against him. She gained enough clarity to realize the sound was coming from his phone.

Pulling her mouth away with considerable effort, she gasped his name. It came out breathier than she intended and sounded much more like an invitation than a warning. He must have thought the same, as he turned his attention to her neck. The feel of his hot open-mouthed kisses sent Lianna right back to fantasy land.

Gabe reached into his pocket and silenced the phone, while his firm lips lit her sensitive skin on fire. His beard was deliciously rough, scraping across her exposed shoulder. Lianna relaxed the hands pressing against his chest, realizing she had no interest in stopping where this was headed. Then the ringing started again.

“Stop.”

Her voice sounded incredibly unconvincing to her own ears, so she tried again.

“Gabe, stop!”

She added another push to his chest for effect. Looking disoriented, he released her. She instantly regretted it, feeling off balance and exposed.

Gabe stood there, chest puffing, eyes so hooded they were almost closed. He looked wild, primal even. She considered tackling him onto the entry rug. Instead, she shook her head, and looked in the direction of the sound.

The shrilling phone finally brought some cognition to his eyes. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the little cock blocker. When he looked at the display his expression changed,his eyes opening in alert, his back stiffening. He silenced the call once again, but this time kept the phone in his grip.

Lianna folded her arms around herself and stepped to the side when he reached for her.

“Lianna.”

“You should go.”

Sanity had returned, illuminating the fact that she had so passionately given herself over to a man she had accused of loathing her just seconds before. Confusion and embarrassment took hold. The way she flung herself at him must have appeared so desperate.

“Come here…”

“Just please go,” she cut him off tersely.

Jerking his chin at her tone, he rubbed his lower jaw as if she physically struck him. Gabe considered his options.

“Okay, if that’s what you want?”

She gave a curt nod.

“Will you call in the police report when I leave?”

She had forgotten all about it. “Yes, I’ll do it now.”

“And you’ll forward me the case number when you get it?”

“Sure.”

Seemingly appeased with her answer, Gabe retreated towards the door. Stopping with a hand placed on the knob, he looked over his shoulder at her.

“Wearegoing to talk about this,” he eyed her determinedly, “but it’s up to you if we finish it.” Then Gabe opened the door, and this time he was gone.

Chapter Nine

Shutting off the ignition, Gabe closed the garage door behind him. Instead of exiting the vehicle, he glanced at his cell phone’s call log again. ‘Community Training Residence Saskatoon, SK.’ Somehow his brain was having trouble processing it.It means Megan is out of prison.

His free hand gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. The day was teeter-tottering so quickly Gabe started to feel nauseated. He had been dizzy with anger, then lust, now fear.

If he hadn’t spent most of yesterday playing happy family at the pumpkin patch, he would have checked his email and seen the mandatory alert. The Correction Center was required to notify him within twenty-four hours of Megan’s release.

Frustrated, in more than one way, he let go of the wheel to comb both hands down his face. Everything was coming to a crest at once. The past had a sneaky way of catching up at the most inopportune times. Jacob’s mother was being released from prison. The timing couldn’t be worse.

While Gabe had been planning for this moment for the past seven years, he still felt ill prepared. Too many questions ran through his mind. What would Megan ask for? Would she ask for anything, or would he constantly be looking over his shoulder waiting for her to come knocking? Gabe’s biggest fear was losing full custody of Jacob—that was non-negotiable.

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