Page 45 of The Complete Truth Duet
He was not wrong about that. However…
“Nic wasn’t like them. He was a really good guy. One of the best.”
“And knowing he was your man, neither of us would doubt that, either.”
God, why did that feel so good? Someone assuming the best about me rather than the worst?
I melted deeper into his arms.
“If you knew about what happened to Nic, is that why you cleaned Angela’s apartment?”
He sighed and his arms loosened for a fraction of a second. “Partially. Ripping out the carpet was completely selfish. I couldn’t live in a building knowing the bloodstains were there. It was too much like… Yeah. Anyway. Laying the linoleum and getting rid of the couch was for you. I didn’t know that woman, but you did. And I didn’t want you to have to go down there and let her go all over again.”
A silent sob reverberated in my chest. “Thank you. Truly. I’m not sure turkey bacon burgers and screaming at you to get out of my apartment was the appropriate way to say it, but…thanks.”
He leaned away to flash me a weak smile, and then he dipped low to rest his forehead on mine. “I don’t like talking about Lisa, but if you ever want to talk about your man, I’ll listen.”
Great. I’d been an ass and he was being sweet and understanding. Guilt soured in my stomach. “I’m sorry I accused you of working for Manuel.”
His nose brushed mine. “I’m sorry I gave you reason to think I was. But I swear to you, I have no fond feelings or sense of obligation toward any of the Guerreros.” He paused. “Present company excluded. Because, even though she’s stubborn as hell and refused to let this thing go between us, I happen to have quite a few fond feelings for this one.”
My cheeks heated, and I bit my lip.
He groaned. “Christ, you’re fucking cute.”
I’d prefer stunning, irresistible, or sexy. But, from Penn, I’d take cute any day of the week.
“So, truth or lie?” I blurted.
His mouth stretched, so obviously recognizing my redirection. “You gonna explain it now?”
“It’s a game I made up so that I can tell lies.”
“Oh, well, that’s reassuring.”
Rolling my eyes—and probably grinning like a maniac—I took advantage of our continued embrace and traced his biceps up to his shoulders. “If someone asks a question and you don’t want to answer it, you can lie, but you have to announce that it’s a lie. That way, you don’t break trust and there are no hurt feelings, but the truth remains a secret.”
His hand traveled up my back, stopping between my shoulder blades. “Makes sense.”
“You can also ask for a lie if you’re not ready or don’t want to hear something.”
“And what if I want the truth?”
I shrugged. “Well, you can ask for it. But I’m under no obligation to give it to you. That’s the purpose of the game. So, truth or lie? Which one do you want?”
His smile fell. “From you? I always want the truth. You don’t have to hide with me, Cora. I’m not somebody else you have to protect.”
My breath caught. Sweet baby Jesus. He was not allowed to say things like that anymore. Because I liked them. A lot.
I cleared my throat and then stated, “Okay, then. Truth. Despite me turning into a statue when you arrived, then morphing into a crazy woman after dinner, and then spending a solid five minutes telling you all about my ex, this wasn’t the worst date-slash-non-date in the history of all date-slash-non-dates.”
His hand came up to my face, sweeping my jaw up to my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear. “It did end pretty okay, didn’t it?”
“Is it already over?” My disappointment was laughable.
“Well, considering that River and Savannah are standing in the hall behind me, I’d say the date part is over, but I’d be happy to hang around for the non-date portion of the evening.”
I pushed up onto my toes to peer over his shoulder, and just as he’d stated, both girls were peeking their heads out, watching us intently.
“What happened to you two staying in your room all night?”
“We heard you yell,” Savannah defended, River’s pale face confirming it.
Reluctantly, I released Penn, hating the loss immediately. After walking over to them, I patted Savannah on the cheek and then threw my arm around River for a side hug. “All the more reason you should have stayed in your room. You both know better than to come out during something like that. But relax, okay? Everything’s fine. Penn and I just had a little misunderstanding. The good news is he’s offered to hang around and watch Moulin Rouge with us.”
Penn put his palms up in defense. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I did not agree to that!”
The girls both laughed.
Penn grinned.
And I beamed at him.
