Devil in Texass(31)

Liza thought she might get more to the story—finding it extremely intriguing that

the self-proclaimed sinner was related to the town crier spreading the Lord’s gospel.

But Ruby cut the dialogue short, as though she knew Jack would discuss it no further.

“Running for City Council, I hear. Good for you.” Her attention shifted to Liza.

“How about you, sweetheart? What’ll you have?”

She sighed. Damn it! Foiled by those in the know who know when to not push the envelope. Here she’d hoped to get a deeper look at Jack’s family tree. Clearly he wasn’t interested in talking about his relatives. An alternative source would have been helpful.

But it was obvious Ruby was a staunch supporter of Jack. She wasn’t about to commit

treason.

“Hmm,” Liza said, back to contemplating her lunch order. “Who am I to argue with

a man who has his own table in the back? I’ll have the special too.”

Ruby grinned at her in a curious way. As though it surprised the older woman that

she liked Liza. “Well, damn,” she muttered as she collected the menu. “They say there’s 80

Devil in Texas

someone for everyone and good Lord, it just might be true. Surprising in Jack’s case, but God does work in mysterious ways.”

As she moved away from the table, the Devil next to Liza groaned.

“That was the equivalent of meeting your parents and having them show me your

most humiliating baby pictures, wasn’t it?”

He didn’t laugh. Instead, he said, “There is no equivalent to meeting my parents.”

Liza felt the tension in his body, heard it in his voice. She thought about the stuffy Reverend Bain being his uncle—didn’t really see how the two could possibly share the

same DNA, if that were the case. “Not a close family unit?”

“Not a topic of conversation.”

“I told you about my dad,” she reminded him.

He seemed to consider this, then countered, “But you haven’t mentioned your

mother.”

“Ah well.” She reached for the rolled-up flatware and toyed with the white band

taped around the napkin. “Wicked Witch of the Upper Eastside. Very self-absorbed. In

fact, she still thinks I’m in New York, because it’s more convenient for her to believe that. She’s left a dozen voicemail messages over the past week, wondering why I missed so-and-so’s party or why I haven’t stopped by for cocktails. ‘What is wrong with you, Elizabeth Lavinia Brooks? Have you no manners at all’?” she sighed. “It’s all about her.

Always.”

He nodded. “I get the picture. Your mother and my mother should do lunch.”

Liza whistled under her breath. “Sounds like a waiter’s worst nightmare.”

“Better him than us.”

She laughed. “Good point.”

Jack drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly. As though cleansing his soul of the

unpleasant thoughts of his mother. A practice she was quite familiar with herself.

And yet… She wasn’t inclined to let him off the hook so easily. “So how is it that a

sinner is the nephew of a preacher?” she asked.

Jack’s teeth gritted together. He didn’t look at her as he shook his head, as though

to dismiss her question.

“Oh come on,” she chided in a light tone. “Inquiring minds wanna know.”

Jack’s tone was dark when he said, “My mother had an affair with the reverend’s

brother. She divorced my father and married Bill after the scandal broke. Little towns like this…” He shook his head again as he seemed to war with his emotions. “They’re

not so forgiving of the sins of the flesh. They cite weak constitutions, but aren’t willing to overlook the trespass. And believe the bad apples don’t fall far from the trees.”

“Must make things difficult for you.”

His shoulders squared. He didn’t say another word on the matter.

81

Calista Fox

A little tickle of frustration at how closed off he was emotionally made Liza prod

him. “I’m sure the reverend frowned upon the affair. And likely the second marriage. Is that why you don’t get along with him?”

“Part of it.”

Seriously, this was worse than pulling teeth. “So what’s the crux of the problem?”

Jack waved a hand in the air and, just like that, his mood changed. Lightening up

dramatically. That hand returned to Liza’s leg and his fingers started to caress the

inside of her thigh as he said, “None of this matters, darlin’. We are who we are because or regardless of our parents and their actions. Yet we still have our own lives to live.

What we do is up to us, not them.”

“Nice sentiment. And true.” Sadly, she had to admit that she’d given into her

mother’s bidding the whole of her life. She’d done the same with Peter, regrettably.

But the man sitting next to her had, thus far, asked Liza to be nothing more than

herself. He didn’t expect her to change from big city socialite to small town girl because she’d “settled in” to town, as he’d put it last night. He still expected her to be herself.

“You’re very astute,” she told him. “Despite the hokey pick-up line you used on me

last night.”

He laughed. “I told you that was real. Ask Ruby if you don’t believe me.”

His electric blue eyes were lit up with sincerity so she conceded the point. “Okay,

fine. I believe you.”

“Well, if it takes some convincing…” he whispered in her ear as his hand moved a

little higher up her leg. His long fingers dipped between the slight parting of her thighs and his thumb disappeared beneath the turquoise material.

“Jack,” she whispered back as a five-alarm rager instantly erupted deep in her

pussy. The arm that was draped over her shoulders pulled her a bit closer to him.

“Don’t worry,” he said into her ear. “No one can see us.”

“That’s not at all what I’m worried about,” she told him. And she was sure she

didn’t have to say more, because her body was trembling and she’d swear all it would

take for her to come was for him to press a finger to her clit and whisper something

dirty in her ear.

“You make me hot, Liza.”

She pulled in a shallow breath. “That’s not helping matters.”

“Mm,” he muttered in her ear, just as his hand moved higher and his fingertips

grazed her sensitive pussy lips through her panties, inciting all kinds of riotous