by M. Leighton
ALL THINGS
Pretty
By
M. Leighton
Foreword:
Thank you so much for following the Locke family to Sig’s story. He captured my heart from his first appearance over breakfast with Sloane in All the Pretty Lies, and I’ve looked forward to the day when I could tell his story. It’s an intricate story, however, with plenty of twists and turns, and I wanted to do it justice, so I had to make a choice.
You see, due to contracts with my amazing publisher, when I publish an independent release, it is restricted to no more than 65,000 words. Well, I probably could’ve told Sig’s story in that amount of words, but I feel like it would’ve been rushed and I would’ve had to sacrifice details that I feel are important to the story. So, what I’ve done is break the book into two parts. This is part one. It ends at the upswing into the climax, so be prepared:) LOL Rather than charging for part two, however, what I want to do is make it available to anyone who wants it for free. It will be ready in just two short weeks (10/14/2014) and will be delivered to you (in the format of your choice) FREE OF CHARGE. To receive it, you only need to sign up for my newsletter, which has an automated component and will send you the file immediately upon release.
I hope you fall in love with Sig, just like I did. He’s more than I ever hoped he would be. But then again, he always told me that he never disappoints. I guess I should’ve believed him.
To Kevin
My inspiration
My husband
My Sig
I thank God for every day that I get to wake up beside you.
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2014, M. Leighton
Cover photo by Viorel Sima
www.shutterstock.com
http://www.mleightonbooks.com
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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and storylines are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ALL THINGS PRETTY
Pretending to be something they’re not, afraid to trust anyone completely, destined to tear each other apart– this is the story of unlikely love and unbearable consequences.
Sig Locke is a cop. He was raised by a cop and all his brothers are cops. He bleeds blue, believes in right and wrong, and sees in black and white, never in shades of gray.
But that was before he met Tommi.
Tommi, with her long legs and bright green eyes, she captured Sig’s interest from the moment he saw her. Even after he discovered who she was–the girlfriend of a drug dealer, the beauty behind a criminal–he still found her utterly irresistible. What Sig doesn’t know, however, is that she has a secret even a cop can’t uncover.
Tommi Lawrence hasn’t had an easy life, and it only got more complicated the day she met Sig. She learned long ago that she can’t trust anyone. Her gut tells her that Sig is no exception; her heart tells her that he is. But that was before she found out his real identity.
Can love be forged in a fire of lies? Or will the truth destroy them both?
CHAPTER ONE- TOMMI
The little thingy on the end of the jack slips off the lug nut and I smash my finger against the hot pavement. Again. I resist the urge to stick my throbbing middle finger into my mouth and I swallow the curse that’s swelling in my throat. Don’t cuss! Don’t cuss! I’m like a well-trained dog these days. I act just right, dress just right, talk just right. I’m all about appearances. I have to be. Lance demands it. And I need Lance, so I play ball.
I wipe the back of my hand across my damp forehead and try again. Just one more nut, just one more. I sigh in relief when I put all one hundred and twenty eight pounds of my body weight on the car jack and the stubborn lug gives. I unscrew it and pull off the flat tire, rolling it over to lean up against the back fender of my car. Dusting off my hands, I check my nails to make sure none are broken –God forbid I show up for drinks with a gnarly manicure– as I walk to the trunk to remove my full-sized spare.
After I manhandle it out of its little cubby beneath a false panel in the back of my car, I let it drop onto the asphalt, thinking I’ll roll it into position. And that would’ve worked just fine if my spare weren’t flat, too.
“Noooo!” I cry aloud.
Oh for the love of god! Are you kidding me?
I start to get frantic as I glance at my watch again. At this rate, I’ll never have time to change and then make it to the hotel on time. But if I show up dressed like this, I’ll never hear the end of it. I know better than to wear things like these shorts and this tank top, but sometimes I just can’t resist feeling just a tiny bit like me. The me that I used to be. The me that I still am, under everything else.
“Why didn’t you accept help when it was offered, Tommi?” I mutter, eyes closed, face turned up toward the sky.
Being a blonde female stranded on the side of the road isn’t always a bad thing. Thankfully, it usually draws a lot of men who are more than willing to be the hero and save the poor damsel in distress. This time was no different, only I politely turned each of them away. I mean, most of them were creepy and I am stranded out here alone. Not the smartest thing. So now, here I am. Stuck. Hero-less, helpless, and frustrated.
“It’s not too late, ya know,” an incredibly pleasant, amused voice says from behind me.
Startled, I yelp and whirl around. There’s a darkly handsome man standing behind me. He’s so close and so tall that I take a step back, tripping over my flat spare tire and nearly landing myself, butt first, in my own trunk. All my classy grooming goes right out the proverbial window as I flail to regain my balance. “Holy assmunch shitface!” I squeal in surprise.
Two big, strong hands reach for my bare upper arms to pull me upright and save me from a humiliating blunder. The electricity in his touch combined with his husky laugh causes chills to break out down my arms. Attraction vibrates along my nerve ends like tremors of an earthquake. “Part beautiful woman, part sailor. My kinda girl.”
Oh God, I think, embarrassed. But I quickly forget why when I get a good look at my rescuer.
I’m face to face with the most stunning guy I think I’ve ever seen–soft brown eyes that glisten in the dying sun like two chocolate diamonds, long black lashes that frame them like feathers, and a smile that threatens to melt me where I stand. Holy lord. And I have to look way up to see him, which is saying a lot because at five-nine, I’m a tall girl.
“Pardon the expression. Y-you scared me,” I stammer, curling my fingers around muscular forearms before I can think better of it. They flex beneath my fingertips as he holds me steady. We stand touching each other for several heated seconds. I know I should back up, protest, feign outrage, do something, but I can’t. As unwise as it is, I don’t want to do anything because I don’t want him to let me go.
“Don’t apologize. I love a woman who talks dirty.”
“That wasn’t dirty,” I defend weakly.
One sable brow arches inquisitively and I realize how bad that sounded. “So there’s more? Dirtier?”
Despite the oppressive heat, I feel a blush warm my cheeks. A blush! I can’t even remember the last time I blushed. I’ve seen and done things in my life that have desensitized me to the point that I would’ve sworn nothing could embarrass me. And yet here I am, blushing for a perfect (perfectly hot) stranger.
I take a shaky breath and smile, easing away from him as the danger of my situation finally dawns on me. This guy could mean to do me harm and I’m practically drooling all over his chest. His wide, hard, muscular chest.
I squeeze my eyes shut. God! Stop it, stop it, stop it!
“Are you okay?” Perfectly Hot Stranger asks, all playfulness gone from his voice.
Avoid eye contact.
When I crack my lids, I purposely look down at my dirty tank top, straightening it as I step out from between his impressive body and my open trunk. “I’m fine. I just…ummm…it’s pretty hot and, uh, I’m changing my tire. I’m just…hot. And tired. And…”
I back around the corner of my car, thinking that my purse and my phone are but a few steps away should I need them.
I watch as Perfectly Hot Stranger kicks my spare with the toe of his boot. “I hope this is the one you just took off.”
Oh crap! How could I forget my conundrum? I’ve got two flats!
I’m as deflated as my inner tubes as I watch him walk around to the other tire, noting its floppy side. “I’m Sig by the way,” he offers casually. He crosses his arms over his chest as he stands back to survey my predicament. “And it looks to me like you might need a tow.”
A tow. Yes! I race to the driver’s side and lean in for my cell phone, all too aware of my cut-off denim shorts and the way they’re riding up my legs as I stretch. I hurry back out, brandishing my iPhone like a weapon. “Yes! I need a tow. I’ll call now,” I say, trying to ignore the heat of his warm eyes as they unabashedly make their way up from my legs.
I start to search for a towing company, but instead, I just stare at the blank screen, knowing that my dilemma is much worse than this man assumes. If I get my car towed, I’ll need a ride into town, which means I’ll have to waste more time waiting for a cab to arrive. Then I’ll still have to stop to buy clothes so I can make it to drinks on time, which will put me even later, but at least I’ll be dressed appropriately. But either way, it’s lose-lose. I’ll be late and car-less. And Lance will be furious.
Long, tanned fingers cover mine and force my hands to drop a little lower. He bends until his face is in my line of sight. “Do you need some help? Because I stopped to help you. Nothing more.”
His eyes are earnest, but there’s a twinkle to them, like he knows what I’m thinking, like he knows I got suspicious. For some reason, I feel ridiculous all of a sudden. Something tells me that he’s being honest, that he’s only here to help, not to hurt me. And, as I look up into his striking face, I do the unthinkable.
I agree.
“I do need some help, actually.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured. What can I do? Give you a ride? Wait with you while the tow truck gets here?” A short pause. A long, wicked grin. “Give you a strong, incredibly attractive shoulder to cry on?”
I can’t help smiling. “And here I thought chivalrous egomaniacs were all dead.”
“This one’s alive and kickin’, sweetheart,” he declares with a wink. Between that and the southern, manly way he calls me sweetheart, I fight the urge to shiver. “Now, where do you need to go?”
I glance back at the shiny, black truck parked behind my car. I must’ve been in more distress than I thought not to hear that thing pull up. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind? I have somewhere to be, but I need to make a super quick stop first. Would that be okay?”
“As long as it’s ‘super quick’,” he teases.
“So quick it’ll make your head spin.”
“My head’s already spinning,” he says with a grin that makes my stomach flip over. “But I’m in no rush. Take all the time you need.” He’s appreciative gaze and casual demeanor say that he’s more than happy to spend time with me. It makes me feel like blushing again. What the heck is this guy doing to me?
I open the car door and slide behind the wheel, making sure all the windows are rolled up before I grab my purse and lock up. When I get back out, Perfectly Hot Stranger (otherwise known as Sig) has already put my spare back into the trunk and is reattaching my flat tire, I guess for towing purposes.
I watch his arms and shoulders through the thin material of his shirt as he deftly maneuvers the jack. He really is just a big guy! His back is extremely wide, but it tapers in a dramatic V to a trim waist and narrow hips. As I examine the way his long, bent legs curve into his butt, I notice that his shirt has ridden up just enough that I can see smooth skin at the base of his spine. I can’t see buttcrack. But I can’t see underwear either, which makes me wonder if he wears any.
God, that’s hot!
I jerk my eyes away, as though he might be able to feel me looking at him and thinking such things. It wouldn’t do for me to flirt with another man. If wind of it ever got back to Lance…
This time, I do shiver, but not in a pleasant way.
Sig rises to his feet and turns his panty-melting grin toward me. “That oughta do it.” He brushes off his hands. “All locked up?”
I nod, trying not to be affected by his charisma, but geez! It’s so hard!
“In that case, your chariot awaits,” he says, sweeping his arm out in front of me. “Or in this case, a truck because it’s the only thing big enough for a guy like me.”
“How tall are you?” I ask as he opens the passenger door for me.
“Six-six.”
“Wow! Six-six?” I repeat, impressed.
“Yep. Six feet, six inches of awesome.”
“And modesty.”
“Yeah, that, too,” he half-grins, closing my door.
I watch my rescuer make his way around the front of the truck to the driver’s side, a dreamy sigh fluttering in my chest. As much as I don’t want to be, I’m charmed. Right down to the butterflies in my stomach and the weak feeling in my knees. I’m just thankful that, after today, I won’t ever have to see Perfectly Hot Stranger again. Because I’m pretty sure that would be a disaster.
CHAPTER TWO- SIG
“So, did I hear you call yourself Tommi?” I say as I pull back onto the highway.
“Yes.”
Damn that’s sexy! A dude’s name on such an incredibly gorgeous, very feminine woman? Good God Almighty!
“Is it short for something?”
“No. Just Tommi.”
Tommi, with blonde waves. Tommi with emerald green eyes. Tommi with an ass so perfect my fingers itch to grab it, squeeze it, hold her against me.
“Where to, Just Tommi?”
She gives me the address of a women’s clothing shop in a swanky area of town. I’m not too surprised by the neighborhood, considering that she drives a candy apple-red Maserati.
Despite how much I want to, I don’t ask questions about her destination. I don’t want to make her more uncomfortable.
I can tell that I make this woman nervous. Not like she thinks I might try to hurt her or try to take off with her or anything, but like she’s uneasy with our attraction. Because I know damn well she feels it. Holy shit! I can almost taste it, it’s so strong.
I kinda like that I make her uneasy. I like watching her squirm. It’s very interesting–the way she avoids eye contact as much as she can, the way she nibbles her lip before she answers me. She wants to get away as fast as she can, but maybe because she thinks it’s best, not necessarily because she wants to. I get the feeling what she wants to do is flirt back. Only she won’t.
Or I could be the egomaniac she thinks that I am and this could all be in my head.
But I don’t think so.
I’m not sure why she’d feel like she needs to act a certain way around me. Unless she puts on a show for everybody, which makes me even more curious about her. I’ve been around her for
all of ten minutes and already I find her fascinating. Yeah, this should be interesting.
“Tell me, Tommi, what makes you tick?”
That draws her eyes over to me. If I weren’t driving, I’d hold that gaze until she turned to putty in my hands.
“What do you mean?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. What do you love? What do you hate? What makes you get up in the morning? What do you dread more than anything?”
In her head, she had an immediate answer to one of my questions. I just don’t know which one. It showed on her face before she could look away. Of course, she won’t be sharing it with me. I’m not even sure I expected her to. I just wanted to ask. I’m not sure why. Maybe just to see how she’d react.
“Are you always so nosey?” she asks distantly, her eyes facing forward, staring blankly out the windshield at the passing scenery.
“Always.”
I see the corners of her mouth twitch. “At least you’re honest.”
“To a fault.”
Rather than bantering with me, Tommi grabs her phone and holds it up for me to see. “I guess I’d better call a tow truck.”
I’m quiet at she searches for a number and then again as she talks back and forth with a rep on the other end of the line.
We arrive at some ritzy little boutique far too quickly. And I wasn’t rushing either. In fact, I was barely going the speed limit.
When I pull into the lot and shift into park, I turn to Tommi. She’s ready to jump out and run, it looks like. Her hand is on the door handle and her eyes are wide.