Page 40 of The Complete Truth Duet
Much like Drew, he ate a ton. Two turkey bacon burgers, two sweet potatoes complete with butter and cinnamon, and over half the spinach salad later, there were no leftovers for me to put away. As he leaned back in his chair, a satisfied expression pulling at his lips, my only regret was not cooking more.
“I can’t remember the last time I ate that well. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” I murmured, wiping my mouth before discarding my napkin onto my plate.
“Truth or lie,” River announced out of the blue, her dark eyes and wicked grin landing on me. “If me and Savannah give you guys some privacy for the rest of the night, you won’t force us to wash the dishes?”
“That sounds great,” Penn answered for me. “You ladies cooked. I’ll handle the cleanup.”
“You don’t have to do that.” I rose to stop him, but he was already on his feet, collecting plates. “Penn, really. Tonight was my way of saying thank you. To you.”
“It’s okay. I got it.” He winked before adding, “Wouldn’t be much of a date if I made you do everything.”
The girls started laughing and I shot them a glare that probably left burn marks on the wall behind them. Though, much to my dismay, it didn’t faze them. Savannah even had the audacity to waggle her eyebrows.
Lord, raising teenage girls was the second ring of hell.
Penn continued gathering plates and cups as the girls fled down the hall. Their door shut, followed by the click, tick, and slide of their locks.
“Sorry about that,” I said as soon as we were alone.
He breezed past me to do another round of Molly Maids on the table. “Don’t be. They seem like good kids.”
“Good might be an overstatement. But kids is definitely accurate.”
He chuckled, carrying four glasses sandwiched between his large hands.
I stopped at the edge of the kitchen without entering, the space suddenly feeling too small for the two of us.
“Truth or lie?” he asked, depositing the dishes into the sink.
“Lie,” I answered instinctively, too afraid of what he was going ask.
His head popped up, his mouth splitting beautifully. God, I loved it when he smiled.
“No, I was asking what it means… Truth or lie? River said it.”
“Oh!” Out of habit, I toyed with the star around my neck. “It’s a game we play.”
“You want to teach me?”
There was only one answer. “Lie. And yes.”
His mouth fell open. “So that was what your lie bullshit was about when I asked you to stay away from me.”
“Lie. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He laughed. “Now, you gotta tell me.”
“No. I really don’t.” Cursing my luck, I nabbed the laundry basket off the floor and set it on the counter. “Put the dishes in here. I’ll carry them down to the first floor and wash ’em in the morning. No water, remember?”
His handsome face filled with apology. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.” I slid the basket in his direction. “Last I checked, you didn’t take a magical wand of rust to my pipes.”
“No. But I’ll get it working again this week. I promise.”
“No pressure.”
“Cora, look at me.”
My gaze snapped to his and then my body locked tight.
He was only a few steps away, but as he moved closer, there was no mistaking his prowl. “I’m gonna take care of it.”
“Okay,” I breathed as he stopped, his large chest filling my vision. I had no choice but to crane my head back to see his face.
Just like he did so often, his hands found my hips.
And, just like it always did, it set me ablaze.
“I’m gonna take care of a lot of things from here on out. You just gotta trust me.”
Unable to stop myself, I rested my hands on his firm biceps and shuffled closer. “I appreciate it, but, Penn, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He searched my face. Then his gaze lingered on my mouth as he whispered, “I know enough.”
With a fluid movement, he slid his other hand around to my lower back, two of my fingers slipping under the hem of my shirt to tease my skin.
Oh wow. A soft gasp escaped my mouth as the most delectable chill rolled through me. God, how did something so simple feel so incredible?
“Penn,” I breathed.
He shifted me deeper, our fronts becoming flush. “Say you understand me, Cora.”
I honestly didn’t. I didn’t even know what he was so faithfully promising. Or, better yet, why he was promising it to me.
“You’ve known me for just over a week.”
“Irrelevant.”
“Is it?”
His hand slipped higher up my back until his whole palm was warming my skin—and scrambling my thoughts. “It’s gonna be okay, Cora. From here on out, I swear on my life, you’re gonna be okay.”
I wanted to believe him. That was the dream, right? A white knight riding into town, saving the damsel in distress. But I didn’t live in a fairytale. I lived in a world where good people died, got arrested, or just flat-out disappeared. And I couldn’t live with myself if I added Penn to that list. However, I had a sneaking suspicion that keeping him off it wasn’t going to be all that easy, either.
