Craving Heat: Steele Ridge: The Kingstons by Adrienne Giordano

Author:Adrienne Giordano [Giordano, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steele Ridge, LLC
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

What in holy fuck?

Jay swiveled sideways and faced Maggie, looking straight at her. Considering what Maggie was probably thinking right about now, his next statement might be the most important of his life because he knew what he’d be thinking. That the guy in front of him was a crook. A liar to the nth.

“I did not sign those checks.”

She held his gaze—zero movement, not even a millimeter—while she processed his words. “You’re sure?”

The way she said it, that tinge of…what? Something. Not doubt, but not assurance either. Something squarely in the middle, but bottom line was she didn’t believe him. Not completely. After admitting things to her he’d only trusted to his inner circle, her lack of confidence damn near gutted him.

All the years of dealing with Drunk Marlene, the compartmentalizing and visualization, the coping he’d done hadn’t prepared him for the systematic unraveling of his career. And now this? This…this…shit…could land his ass in jail.

If it got out.

Protect, protect, protect.

Still with his eyes on Maggie, he touched Sam’s shoulder. “Would you give us a minute please?”

His baby sister wasn’t an idiot. She sensed the energy shift and peered over her shoulder, first at Jay and then Maggie. “Um, sure. I’ll grab a soda or something.”

In the few seconds it took for her to get through the door and shut it behind her, Jay put a stranglehold on his temper.

He locked his jaw, fought the wave of anger banging around inside him. Goddammit. So fucking tired of living in a fucking bubble where every fucking thing he said became fodder.

Well, screw that. Officially out of a job, he was done constantly running offense. Let the defense have a shot. Starting with Maggie, a woman who’d interrupted his thoughts—handcuffs and all—way more than any sane man should allow.

He pointed at the laptop. “You don’t believe that’s not my signature.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Didn’t have to, sweetheart. I can read you.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

She could doubt it all she wanted. “Then look me in the eye and tell me you believe me.”

She looked at him. Dead straight in the eye, just as he’d asked. He waited. Come on, Maggie, tell me.

A long few seconds of silence dragged on while Jay’s rib cage came apart. Apparently, the good sheriff couldn’t grant the back half of his request.

“Great,” he finally said. “I thought we’d gotten so close.”

Sarcasm. The Tucker family go-to. Did it make him a prick? Sure. But from the moment she’d stepped into his world, he’d been honest. Painfully honest in detailing things that scared the ever-loving shit out of him if the tabloids got hold of it. And now Maggie considered him a liar.

Ironic.

“Don’t be an ass,” she said. “I’m in law enforcement and being as objective as possible. Do I think you’re lying? Of course not. Am I willing to consider, as any good law enforcement official would, there’s a chance your accountant handed you a stack of checks to endorse and these were in there? Absolutely. Anything’s possible.

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