A Lie for a Lie (All In 1)

He arches a brow. “Dating must’ve been fun.”

“Not really.”

He laughs again, rich and throaty. “Did they make it impossible for you in high school?”

“Sort of. We were all homeschooled, so it was a little different for me.”

RJ’s eyebrows shoot up. “Homeschooled? What was that like?”

“It’s probably less isolating than it sounds. There are whole communities built around homeschooling. Like, we even had dances and events and stuff.” Not that I did much dancing. I was more the wallflower, standing off to the side, watching everyone else while I tried not to have a panic attack with all those people in one place at the same time.

“With your brothers and sisters?”

It’s my turn to laugh at his slightly disturbed expression. “Not just my brothers and sisters, silly. Plus, most of them were a lot older, already done with college by the time I was high school age. We’d get together with all the homeschooled families in the area. They had sports teams and everything. I usually only had about three hours of instruction a day, and I learn fast. Anyway, by the time I was fifteen I’d finished all of the curriculum for my senior year of high school, so I took the college admission tests. I did well, but my parents thought I was too young to go to college, so I took courses online for a couple of years.”

“So you’re a genius?” RJ asks.

I shrug, embarrassed, and focus on my drink. “I’m just a fast learner. I pick things up quickly, and I have a good memory.”

“Smart is sexy, Lainey.”

I glance up to find RJ smiling warmly, but it’s the way he’s looking at me that makes my palms damp and my stomach flutter. Like I’m a fascination.

“What about you? You must have a pretty active job to look like this.” I motion to all the cut lines of his torso.

Two dimples pop in his cheeks. “Is that a compliment?”

“It could be, if it doesn’t offend you.” I hope he doesn’t think I’m objectifying him.

“It definitely doesn’t offend me, so thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I take another sip of my drink and realize I’ve reached the bottom of my glass.

RJ plucks it from my hand and stands. “Here, let me get you another one. Unless you want something else? I have a few bottles of wine kicking around—and whiskey.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to monopolize your afternoon.”

“Are you kidding? You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in the past two days. I gotta be honest, fishing alone isn’t nearly as fun as it is when my brother is here. Why don’t you stay for dinner? I was going to make steak and baked potatoes, and it’s way easier to cook for two than it is for one.”

Anything that isn’t noodles or toast sounds amazing. And I don’t really want to go back to my cold, lonely cabin any sooner than I have to. “As long as I can help cook.”

“That would be great, because I can barbecue a mean steak, and I can bake a potato, but my cooking skill set is pretty limited otherwise. I’m excellent at ordering pizza, though.”

“I ruin steak every time I try to cook it, but I can manage pretty much anything else, so we’ll make a great team.”

I can’t believe I’m having dinner with an insanely attractive man. Sure, I dropped in on him unannounced, and we’re both likely starving for conversation, but I can still be excited. And nervous, definitely very nervous.

I have a new friend, and he looks great without a shirt on, and that makes my damp palms and my speedy heart rate totally worth it.CHAPTER 6

SMOOTH MOVES

Rook

When Lainey excuses herself to the bathroom, I rush upstairs and throw on a T-shirt. I know she said whatever makes me comfortable, but sitting around shirtless is such a douche move.

I make it back to the kitchen and pour her a fresh drink before she returns from the bathroom.

“How can I help with dinner?” Lainey drapes her sweater over the back of a chair.

And my mouth goes dry. Like I ate an entire sleeve of saltines and chased it with a tablespoon of salt. So far I’ve only seen Lainey in a giant parka or an oversize sweater. Under all that bulky fabric is one hell of a body. She’s wearing a simple white waffle shirt that conforms to her curves. A pair of dark-wash skinny jeans encase her toned legs.

I’m used to bunnies throwing themselves at me, often in questionable states of undress. I stopped getting excited about miniskirts and revealing tops a long time ago. There’s something infinitely sexier about a woman who can show off her body without actually showing it off at all.

Lainey tips her head to the side. Her teeth press into her full bottom lip. I want to do that. Suck that pouty, full lip between my teeth and bite it. I want to do a lot of other, far more explicit things than that, but a kiss seems like a good place to start.