Liars (Licking Thicket 2)

“Yesterday was a Thursday,” I protested. “Hardly anything happens on Thursdays. They didn’t need me at all.” Which was a true and actual fact—more or less—though I’d had to repeat myself to Colin three times when I’d told him I wasn’t coming in, and even then he’d seemed to worry that I was trying to subtly alert him that I’d been kidnapped without letting the bad guys know.

Parrish Partridge did not take unplanned days off as a rule, but then again, Parrish Partridge didn’t have sex eight times in forty-four hours either—a number I would not be sharing with Miss Sara—so maybe I needed to revise my rules about what I did and didn’t do.

“I don’t want to be a bad influence on you.” Diesel ducked his head and ran his nose along my jaw, while his hand slid down my thigh. He hitched my knee up, setting our cocks into perfect alignment with only two very thin pairs of underwear separating us. Unsurprisingly, my dick perked up like it was a divining rod and Diesel was the great, wide ocean, but the wanting didn’t feel frantic anymore. It felt peaceful. Satisfying. Delightful.

“Too late,” I said, and my voice came out hoarse. “You’ve already taught me all kinds of questionable skills.” I braced my forearms on his broad chest and grinned down at him.

He rolled his eyes and traced a finger over the shell of one ear. “Be serious.”

“I’m totally serious! So serious. For example, I know how to make you moan like a porn star.”

Diesel snorted. “Please. That’s ridicu—ohhhhhhhhfuckkkkkyeahhhhhh!” he groaned as I simultaneously ground our cocks together and sucked one nipple while I rolled the other between my thumb and finger.

“You were saying?” I asked sweetly.

He blinked slowly like he was coming out of a daze. “I think I was saying, please show me more of these sexy skills you’ve learned.”

I smiled and scraped my teeth over his chin, all thought of work forgotten. “Well,” I said huskily, “I could show you how I—” I broke off with a wince as Marigold’s deep, hiccuping cries emerged from the bedroom. I cleared my throat. “I could show you how I prepare a baby bottle while you go fetch Her Majesty and change her?”

“You’ve never been sexier to me,” Diesel said drily.

I laughed as I pushed myself off him, then reached out a hand to help him up. He kissed my forehead briefly before he sauntered off, and I sighed as I turned to watch his ass sway as he disappeared into the bedroom. It was a particularly fine ass. The man it was attached to was even finer. And after two days of playing house with Diesel Church, two days of seeing his sweet smile when I opened my eyes and watching his gaze flare hot as he fucked me, I wanted him more than ever.

I was also more convinced than ever that Diesel, amazing Diesel, could have any man on the planet, so I couldn’t see why he’d want to keep me any longer than necessary.

By the time I’d prepped the bottle, I’d managed to work myself into a little bit of a state where I was half-convinced that as soon as either of us left the property, the bubble around us would burst and I’d wake up back at the Jackson King B&B all alone. I needed to pace.

Diesel appeared in the kitchen with a sleepy Marigold nestled in one arm, and I handed her the bottle just as his phone alarm began blaring.

“Ah, sugar. Time to feed the chickens,” Diesel sighed. “Parrish, you wanna stick around for ten minutes and feed Marigold? Or should I put her in the front carrier?”

“Neither!” I said brightly. “I’ll take care of the chickens.”

“You will?” He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Sure. I’ve seen you do it enough, right?” I walked back to the bedroom so I could pull on my clothes and an old sweatshirt Diesel had lent me since the last couple of mornings had been unseasonably cool. Naturally, the thing fell to my knees. “Fill the feeders, fill the water-ers, spread out the kitchen scraps. Have a little chat with the girls, catch up on the gossip. No problem.”

Diesel grinned and grabbed me as I came through the kitchen so he could press a kiss to my mouth. “I lied before.”

I blinked. “You did?”

“Uh-huh. Now you’ve never been sexier to me.” He winked.

I sighed as I let myself out the back door and down to the chicken run.

I got out the hose first and cleaned out Diesel’s watering system, which was easy enough. Henry pecked the ground nearby, but Nosy got right up in my business and even tried to jump up into it while I cleaned it.

“Excuse me, missy, but it’s cold this morning. I’m not looking to take a shower out here,” I informed her, and she jumped down obediently, almost like she could understand me.