Lie to Me

by Natasha Preston

  "Ooh, I'll top these glasses up. You two go through," Judy says.

  "Can I help with anything?"

  Harrold looks up. "Just grab something on your way and tuck in."

  I take a dish and follow Heidi. I'd have picked up two, but my arm still hurts when I carry something with a little weight. Heidi has the bread and is looking at it like she wants to run off with it.

  I put my dish down in the middle of the table. "Where should I sit?"

  "Next to Kent," Judy says over my shoulder as she places a large plate on the table. "I'll go back for wine. You all sit."

  When I turn, Kent is looking at me with his eyebrow arched. I don't want to sit next to him now, but if I don't, it'll look like I pussied out. Old me wouldn't have backed down, so the new old me can't.

  I walk around the table, ignoring his goddamn smirk, and sit next to him. Heidi is opposite me with Harrold and Judy on either end of the table.

  "What?" I say, keeping my eyes on the food.

  Shit, that is a lot of food.

  "Nothin'. Want a sausage?" He holds up a plate of sliced sausage. I look at the bowl with a frown. "It's not weird really. Dad wants to put it in every pasta dish, but Mum won't let him, so they compromise."

  Okay, that makes sense. "Hmm... no, thanks. I don't like tiny sausages."

  Kent lowers the plate and narrows his eyes. "Oh, I know you didn't mean what I think you mean."

  Nope, I've seen your bulge.

  "Head out of the gutter," I say, using Harrold's words.

  Judy comes back in with wine, and she takes her seat. I immediately take a sip. God, I feel a bit too comfortable in their house. It warms my heart at the same time as scaring the living crap out of me.

  Losing my family--well, walking away from them--was hard enough, but these people don't owe me anything. We aren't related, so there's nothing stopping them from never talking to me again.

  I'd hate that. The very thought leaves a nasty taste on my tongue. I love Heidi and her family. I can't go there with Kent. It'd be too awkward, and I know I would hate seeing him with other women after.

  He bumps my arm, thankfully not my fractured one. "Dig in. They hate it when there are leftovers."

  My eyes widen. Are they expecting five people to eat seven dishes of food plus a ton of bread?

  Kent chuckles. "Kidding. You'll be sent home with a tub full though. It's the only reason I keep coming back."

  "Kent Lawson!" Judy snips. I love it when she uses his surname, too. "You had better be eating properly. If I find out you're living off leftovers and takeaways ..." Judy doesn't finish her sentence, and although her intention is clear, I really wish she had said something about slapping his arse.

  "Mum, do I look malnourished?"

  No, he looks mighty fine to me.

  I press my lips together, so the words can't slip out.

  Judy squints, looking at him like she's trying to find something about his appearance to pick at. "You'd better not be, or you'll be moving back home."

  He rolls his eyes. "I'm twenty-five, for fuck's sake."

  "Language!" Judy and Harrold say at the same time.

  I shake my head at him. "Honestly, the amount of F-bombs you drop."

  "I knew this would happen, Harrold. As soon as they move out, they think they can swear."

  "The fact that I'm an adult means I can choose to swear."

  Oh my God, I love their family!

  I wonder if they want to adopt another child. Though that would be weird with the way I've been feeling about Kent.

  "I'm your mum, and I don't care how old you are."

  There was a lot my mum cared about that she shouldn't have. I admire Judy so much for loving her children unconditionally. That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? There's this bond between a mother and her child that nothing could break. My mum is an exception to that rule.

  "Fucking hell," Kent mutters under his breath.

  Neither of his parents hears though as Heidi starts talking about Brooke's wedding dress.

  I dish a spoonful of every pasta onto my plate and take a piece of rosemary bread. I'm not sure what's in every one of these pasta dishes, but they all look and smell great.

  Kent piles up his plate like he's trying to make a food mountain.

  "Are you going to eat all that?" I ask.

  He grins. "Of course I am."

  "You'll be sick."

  "Are you planning on us doing anything particularly active after dinner?"

  I roll my eyes.

  "If you are, I won't eat as much."

  "Pile it up, buddy, because, unless you're planning on going for a run after this, you'll be just fine."

  He laughs, and it makes my insides squirm.

  10

  Kent

  My stomach is screaming when we finish up the desserts. My parents are feeders. It's a miracle Brooke, Heidi, and I aren't all massive.

  Savannah looks at the empty serving dishes in the middle of the table with wide eyes.

  "We should get going. We both have work tomorrow," I say before Mum can offer a final course of coffee and biscotti.

  Savannah looks so full, I don't think she'll need to eat for the rest of the week.

  Nodding, she stands up with me. "Okay."

  "Are you sure you don't want to stay for coffee?" Mum asks.

  "No, thanks," I reply, ushering Savannah around the table.

  When you decide to leave my parents', you have to just leave. If you hang around, Mum will start a conversation, and you'll be stuck.

  "Okay, I'll grab leftovers before you go," Mum says, getting to her feet and heading back to the kitchen.

  Heidi left a few minutes before us because she is at the other side of the city and takes a different motorway.

  Mum heads out of the house with two tubs full of food.

  Dad, Savannah, and I follow her outside.

  It's warm out tonight, and the sun has almost set, turning most of the sky pink. We reach my car with my parents close behind, like they're trying to soak up as much Savannah time before she goes. They love her, and Mum definitely wants something to happen between us.

  They've both been waiting for me to find someone else for a while, not that they will ever admit to it. Savannah has been chosen as the woman to change everything.

  Apparently, I don't get a say.

  Savannah clutches a plastic tub full of food that Mum handed over.

  I hold my door open, waiting for my mum to stop talking so that we can leave.

  "You'll come back soon. I won't take no for an answer."

  Savannah laughs. "I would love to. Thank you so much for tonight."

  "It was so lovely to have you with us, darling," Mum replies. She then turns to me. "You make sure you bring this one next time you're here."

  I'm not her boyfriend, but okay.

  Biting her lip, Savannah looks at me over the roof of the car.

  "Let's go. See you guys later. Dad, hold Mum back, or we're never going to get home."

  Mum raises her hand and steps back from the car. Dad puts his arm around her waist as they smile at us.

  Savannah and I get in the car, and I lock the doors.

  "Was that necessary?" she asks, putting the tub down by her feet.

  "My mum seems to love you, so I wouldn't put it past her to come for one last hug."

  I reverse on the drive and turn around.

  "Your mum is awesome."

  "If you say so," I reply, but I know she is. As interfering as she is, I wouldn't swap her.

  "Oh my God, I'm so full," she groans as I head toward the main road.

  "Me, too. I don't think I could do you right now, sorry."

  With a little laugh, she swats my arm with her hand.

  "Okay, I don't think you should hit the driver."

  "You're an idiot."

  "An idiot who could leave you to walk home."

  "I wouldn't walk home. I would call your mum and tell her what you did."
<
br />   "You wouldn't be able to call with no tongue." Savannah's eyebrows shoot up, and I frown. "Yeah, sorry, that went a bit darker than I'd planned."

  She nods. "Yeah. Besides, you wouldn't cut my tongue out because then you wouldn't get a blow job."

  I nearly crash the fucking car as I join the road from the track to my parents'. As I grip the steering wheel, my head snaps to her while my dick stands to attention. "Don't say shit like that if you're not serious."

  Laughing, she tips her head back.

  "I'm not joking, Savannah. That's just cruel. Tell me you want my cock in your mouth, sweetheart." I'm hot. It's too hot in here. I jab my finger into the air-con button.

  Shit, I really am going to crash the car.

  "Kent, I'll be honest; this conversation has backfired a little."

  Cutting her a scathing look, I growl, "You're such a tease."

  Grinning, she tilts her head toward the road. "You need to look where you're going."

  "You need to ..." Don't say it. Just don't even think about her mouth or what you want it to be doing right the fuck now. Groaning, I look ahead and take a breath.

  Why am I like a horny teenager again? I thought getting hard at inappropriate times was over. I'm an adult now. Shouldn't I be spared that embarrassment?

  "Sorry, that was mean of me." She doesn't sound sorry. Her voice is light and packed full of amusement.

  "No more blow-job talk unless you're going to do it, okay?"

  "Deal," she agrees. "But don't hold your breath."

  "I thought we were getting on now?"

  "You get blow jobs from every woman you get on with?" She pauses and frowns. "Right. Of course you do."

  I feel uneasy under her judgment of my sex life again. "Savannah, I'm single, and--"

  "And they know the score," she finishes. "I got that."

  "Then, why the look of disgust?"

  "I just don't get it, but casual sex isn't for me, so I'm not going to."

  Fuck's sake. My dick shrivels up and dies at her words. I'm not going to get in her pants if she's sticking to that.

  "You've never done it, so how do you know?"

  "Trust me, I know." She sounds so sure of herself.

  Arsehole ex? Bad experience? I don't know why she's so against a night of no-strings sex, but she needs to sort it out. I've got blue balls over here, and I'm fucking dying to be inside her.

  "Have you ever had sex with someone you love?" she asks after silence drags into minutes.

  I clear my throat. "Yep."

  "Didn't end well, I take it?"

  "Nope."

  "Would you want to again? Let someone in, I mean."

  I cautiously eye her, not really sure if her question holds any weight or if she's asking out of curiosity. "Probably. Why?"

  "Just wondering."

  I don't know what to think of that. It's a bit of a weird thing to wonder, isn't it? Why would she care if I were open to a relationship again?

  "You missed the turn," she says casually, sinking back in the seat.

  "Fuck," I mutter, braking so that I can make a U-turn.

  She puts her hand out on the dashboard as I swing the car around. "Where is your mind?"

  "You don't want to know."

  Rolling her eyes, she says, "Blow jobs again?"

  "I think I remember telling you not to bring that word up unless you're going to do it. And you agreed, babe, so away you go." I hook my eyebrow at her.

  "One day, I'm going to do it, Kent, and you won't know what to do."

  I snort. "Oh, I'll know what to do, but I'm game if you want to test that theory."

  "Is sex all you think about?"

  Not usually. "You make me hard as fuck. What can I say?"

  She turns her head, but I can see the pink in her cheeks from the glow on the dashboard.

  "You're not used to people being so up-front, are you?"

  "No," she mutters.

  "No one has told you how painfully sexy you are?"

  Her head turns away a bit more. "No."

  "Come on." As if I'm buying that one. I mean, look at her; she's the hottest thing I have ever seen.

  Her shoulders hunch, like she's trying to protect herself.

  Is she embarrassed?

  "You're serious?" I ask.

  "Yes."

  "Look at me, Savannah," I demand.

  She turns, widening her eyes. "Look at the road, Kent!"

  "I'll look at the road when you open up."

  "I know we called a truce, but that doesn't mean we have to be besties and share everything."

  I ignore her bitchiness. She's only saying that because she wants to hide away from something.

  "What about the guy? The one you were with for a little while?"

  "That was nothing really. It was a long time ago, and the whole thing was a mistake."

  "He's an idiot."

  "Yeah, he really is."

  What did he do to her? She's lacking in confidence--when she's not trying to drive me crazy, that is--so was he a dick to her?

  I don't know how anyone can find a fault with the way she looks.

  "Well, that was a conversation killer," she mutters. "Sorry, but I don't really know how to handle compliments."

  "You could say, Gosh, Kent, that really turns me on when you tell me I'm stunning. Take me now. That would be an appropriate reaction."

  "Your mum really did drop you, didn't she?"

  Laughing, I peek back at her. Her pink lips are pressed together, smiling. I want to lean over and take her mouth, see if her lips are as soft as they look.

  Down, boy.

  "You're hilarious," I reply dryly. "Are you going to the summer festival?"

  Why am I asking her that?

  "I wasn't planning on going. Every year, I say I will, but I never do."

  "Heidi will probably make you come along."

  "You go? Doesn't seem like your thing."

  "Beer and food. What's not to like? Brooke, Freddy, and Heidi love it, so I tag along with them."

  "Until you find the beer?"

  "Exactly. You should come, too ... if you want?"

  Biting her bottom lip and making me fucking crazy at the same time, she nods. "Yeah, I would like that."

  Did I make that sound like me asking? Well, fucking obviously. I asked her somewhere. Fuck.

  If she tells Heidi I invited her, my sister is going to say things. Then, she'll tell our damn mum, and she will say lots more things.

  Why couldn't I have just left it to Heidi? She definitely would have made Savannah come along.

  I'm losing my touch. She is making me turn into some sappy twat, desperate to spend more time with a girl I barely know.

  No, I'm not desperate to spend time with her. I'm desperate to fuck her.

  Those are very different things. Very goddamn different.

  "Kent, do you want the whole road to yourself?" Savannah snaps, holding her good arm out in front of her.

  Shit. With a sharp intake of breath, I veer the car back into my lane. We were right on the line, so I wouldn't have stacked it in the ditch, but how could I have let my car swerve?

  She's going to kill me. Literally.

  "Sorry," I mutter, my heart sinking.

  I have got to get her out of my head, but I don't think that's going to be easy. I need someone. Anyone.

  I need her, but that's not going to happen.

  "Are you okay? I would offer to drive if you're tired, but--"

  I cut in, "But fractured arm and four glasses of wine."

  "Three glasses of wine."

  "It was four, Savannah."

  Her lips purse, and my eyes flit from them to the road and back again.

  Jesus, concentrate on driving. If we die tonight because I can't keep us on the road, I'll have no chance of getting in her pants.

  "Oh, it was four," she says. "Please tell me your mum and Heidi had four, too. I don't want to be the only wino."

  "No idea," I reply with a
shrug and turn onto the motorway.

  I watch the road for once, but I feel her grey eyes burning a hole in the side of my head.

  "What?" I ask.

  "Why do you know how much wine I had and no one else?"

  Shit. Busted.

  "You were sitting next to me, and I had to judge the chance of you throwing up in my car." The words spill from my mouth so smoothly, I'm seriously impressed. That sounds plausible, too. I don't know what it is about her, but I notice everything. Like the smell of her hair, the darker grey flecks in her eyes, and the way she tilts her head when she's flirting. It all seems to automatically register with me without any effort on my part.

  "I've never been sick through alcohol."

  "Never? Isn't that like some rite of passage that everyone has to experience once?"

  "I'm not going to worry about never having puked up vodka."

  "One night, I'm getting you absolutely shit-faced."

  She laughs and turns her body in my direction. "Shit-faced?"

  "Yep. Don't worry; I'll hold your hair back."

  "Wow, such a gentleman."

  "Believe it, baby. I've never held a girl's hair back before."

  "What? Do you usually let them vomit all over themselves?"

  "Hell yeah, I do. They got themselves into that state, and I'm not risking getting it on me."

  "But you're making an exception for me?" she slowly speaks the words, like she's thinking hard about each one.

  I grit my teeth. Yeah, I seem to be making all sorts of exceptions for her. It's doing my head in, but I can't help the way she makes me feel. Admittedly, that's pissed me off half the time, but the other half is good. Real good.

  "That's what I said," I reply tightly.

  "Well, thanks."

  "You're actually looking forward to this, aren't you?"

  We turn into the city, and my heart drops. I've only got her for another ten minutes.

  "I think I am. I'll probably not say that in the morning. What does that say about me?"

  "That you want to catch up on all the fun things you missed from being so perfect, growing up."

  "I'm not perfect, Kent."

  Could've fooled me.

  "You certainly won't be when you're puking your guts up in my toilet."

  "Your toilet? What makes you think we'll be at your place?"

  I roll my eyes. "I'll be on my best behaviour. No matter how much you beg me to take you, I won't put my dick anywhere near you."

  She snorts. "Thanks."

  "I'm more than happy to get you off with my tongue though."

  "Oh, there it is. I was wondering when you'd turn it dirty."

  "It's only a matter of time, babe."

  Her eyes dance. "I would really love to watch you come on to a woman."