Page 27 of Indecent Lies

“You need clothes. Do you argue about everything?” Texas questioned, trying not to notice the bare legs and perky tits standing so close to him, smelling like his bed sheets.

The morning started an hour ago, he was at the stove making eggs he’d run down to the store to grab, when Poppy stumbled out of his room. Her hair a mess around her face, pillow marks on her cheeks and those legs of hers bare.

Sure, his shirt covered some of them. It swamped her tinier frame, but still, he was looking at her legs too fucking close for his liking.

She’d protested when he said he’d take her to get some clothes.

“Do you like wearing other people’s stuff?”

She frowned and picked at the hem of his shirt. He meant Roux’s clothes, not his. He didn’t want to dig into why he didn’t mind seeing her in his t-shirt.

He kept on having to remind himself that probably one day soon she’d trot her little brat ass back to Harrison and into the arms of her sexless fiancé, no matter what hungry little glances she was sending his way, he was not picking up that signal.

Not for a woman from his old life.

No matter how cute she looked or how much the center of his palms itched to slide up those bare legs.

Texas was no saint, far from it, but putting his head back in that familiar noose … he would have to be raving fucking mad.

She was no Addison, that much he could tell.

If Penelope had a manipulative bone in her body, then she was some actress.

But it was more than obvious she’d go back home after she realized her mistake.

For now he’d given her a roof and was indulging her rebellion.

“Well, I’d prefer my own, just because they fit. Plus, I only have two outfits from Roux, and I already wore one, so I need to do laundry today, if that’s okay.” She posed it like it was a question, even though she’d already helped herself to the coffee and a piece of toast he was making for himself.

“Then we’ll get you some clothes and don’t give me that money bullshit again. I already laid down 100k for you, what’s a few thousand more for you to have fucking underwear.”

Yeah, he’d noticed that too when she went up on her tiptoes to reach a cup from the cabinet, the shirt skimmed the meaty cheek of her ass, showing she was bare.

His fucking tongue nearly curled up in his throat.

“Why don’t you ever come home?” She asked, sipping on a coffee he’d made for her.

“It’s not my home anymore.”

“I get that, people move away, but you don’t come back for the holiday’s or visits. You didn’t come for your father’s 60thbirthday party. The mayor was there.”

Not a surprise. His father knew a lot of influential people Texas couldn’t stand.

“If you haven’t already guessed, I don’t get on with them anymore. They made themselves clear when I left. I’m good with it.”

“We’re both orphans now,” she declared dramatically, holding a triangle of toast with egg balanced on the top.

Texas’ mouth split with a half grin.

Seriously, he was demented taking this girl in, but he didn’t have it in him to toss her out.

He knew how that felt.

Still feeling it even now months later.

He wondered how the boys and their old ladies were doing. Snake must have his twins by now, he wondered about them too and the brothers he’d raised.

Life was ticking on for everyone, new shit happening for Penelope, whatever the girl decided to do with her life, most probably go back to Harrison to become a boring housewife with no opinion of her own. But if that was her choice, that would be the decision she’d have to deal with in time.

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