innocent’ moment, are you?”
His expression changed completely. From pensive to surprised. He shook his head
and said, “I hadn’t exactly thought about it in those terms. But I do know how people react in this town. Your reputation’s gonna take a hit, darlin’, now that the reverend knows what we’ve been up to this morning. Even though it’s been a long time since…”
His voice trailed off and he rolled his eyes.
She stood and took a step toward him. “A long time since… what?” she asked in a soft voice, liking this new revelation. “Since you’ve made love?”
Jack smirked at her as if to say, “No, since I flew a kite.”
Smiling, she confided, “You’re not the only one. But again…not a virgin, so you’re
off the hook.”
He didn’t exactly grin at her, but the scowl was gone. “So you’re not feeling
debauched?”
“Are you kidding? In fact, I was just thinking—”
“Are you hungry?” he interjected before she got her say in how to spend the rest of
the afternoon. Under the covers.
Her brows knitted together at the sudden change of subject. But she spared a glance
at the clock in the kitchen. It was after two.
“As a matter of fact, yes, I am.”
“Great. Why don’t we head into town? I’ll buy you lunch.”
“You made breakfast. I owe you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, his voice still holding that far-off note.
He was totally lost in thought, she could tell. So she let him stew over whatever it
was that bothered him as she went into the bathroom and cleaned herself up and
changed into a new outfit. Seemed she wasn’t the only one with demons. Hadn’t he said as much last night?
72
Devil in Texas
When she was presentable, she returned to the living room and asked, “So where
are you taking me for lunch?”
“Italian.”
Liza frowned. In a little Hill Country town called Wilder, Texas? “You remember
I’m from New York, right?”
He gave a short laugh. “Trust me, city girl.”
“Okay.” She followed him out the door and to his truck. The brooding thing was a
little challenging to decipher. She couldn’t tell if his mood had shifted immediately after he’d come, during her phone call or when Reverend Bain had shown up. Or anytime
thereafter. It sucked to have so many options from which to choose.
When they reached his truck, he didn’t bother with the rung below the door. He
simply clasped her waist from behind and all but hefted her up. She had to laugh at the He-Man power play. “I was expecting a hand on the ass.”
Jack grinned that slow, easy, sexy smile that drove her wild. Dimple and all.
Yet another quick change in mood.
“If I touched your ass, we’d never make it to lunch,” he said with a flash of white
teeth and a wicked glint in his eyes.
The ache deep in her cunt came back full force. “And that would be a bad thing?”
Seriously, she’d skip a meal or two or ten if it meant falling back into bed with him.
Jack reached for her, gently taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and
easing her head to his. He kissed her, long and leisurely, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. An odd contradiction to the ominous mood he’d been in previously.
But that was ancient history now. One scorching-hot lip-lock from this guy and Liza
was melting all over again, completely forgetting about the strained attitude in her
cottage and the unexpected visit from the good reverend.
When Jack eventually pulled away—and it felt as if he’d kissed her for at least ten
minutes—she sighed. Her eyes were closed and the corners of her mouth lifted.
“Another hot one,” she said.
Jack groaned. “You’re making me hard again.”
“I’m up for skipping lunch.” Unfortunately, her stomach protested, choosing that
exact moment to remind her they’d worked up one hell of an appetite in bed.
The Devil chuckled. “There’s time for more sinnin’ later, city girl. Let’s get
something to eat.”
She opened her eyes and sighed. “Never thought a man would choose food over
sex.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “It was your stomach that growled.”
Oh yeah.
She tucked herself into the cab of the truck and latched the belt, much more steadily this time, as he closed her door and rounded the front end. Had it only been last night 73
Calista Fox
that she’d watched him do that very same thing? And had anticipated how the rest of
the evening would play out?
A little flutter of excitement rippled through her.
What more did she have to look forward to where this handsome devil was
concerned?
74
Devil in Texas
Chapter Seven
Town was always an interesting place to be on a Saturday afternoon. The citizens of
Wilder were out in force—relatively speaking, of course, given a population of right
around three thousand. Parents bustled about, grocery and shopping bags in tow, while their rambunctious kids raced up and down the sidewalks. There were a few cafés with
outside seating, and plenty of people braved the summer heat and thick humidity for
some fresh air.
Jack pulled the truck into a dirt parking lot and climbed out. He was already
rounding the front of the truck to help Liza when she eased her way to the ground
while trying to keep her short skirt from hitching up. He was disappointed to find she’d just about mastered that maneuver. A little hitching would have gone a long way with
him.
Diverting his attention from her shapely legs, which he hoped to have wrapped
around his hips later tonight, he shut the door behind her. Though the little head
wanted to overrule the big one and take her right back to bed, he’d been raised with
better manners than that. She was probably starving. He certainly was.
Of her independent nature, he said, “So much for the chivalry thing again. I could
have helped you out of the truck.”
“I already know you’re a gentleman. Well,” she amended with a flash of lust in her
deep green eyes, “sometimes.”
He grinned. “Haven’t heard any complaints so far.”
“Doubt you will,” she said with a suggestive wink.
Keeping his mind off sex with Manhattan was going to be right up there with
running for City Council. One hell of a battle.
As they fell into step together on the sidewalk, he took her hand in his.
She faltered a bit, either from his intimate gesture or her shoes, he wasn’t sure. Once again she wore shoes that made him question their comfort and overall practicality.