Page 46 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“Is that what you think? Guess you’re still as cocky as you used to be after all.”

He glanced across the ring at the kids heading to the bull pen, and stepped closer to her, putting his hand on her hip, out of view from anyone else. Those dark eyes held her captive as he slipped his thumb under the edge of her shirt, brushing it lightly along her skin, sending shivers of heat rippling through her. “I haven’t forgotten your tells, darlin’.”

“I don’t have tells.” She totally did, but he couldn’t possibly remember them.

“You’re probably right.” He lifted his other hand and brushed his fingertip over the corner of her mouth. “This twitch is definitely not a tell.”

“Nope.” Holy cow. You remembered.

“And the way you wrinkle your nose when you’re lying?”

“I had an itch.” She could barely keep a straight face.

“Makes sense.” He put his hand on her hip and squeezed, sending prickles of anticipation racing through her. How did he still have that effect on her? “I guess the toe of your right boot hitting the dirt and that wiggling ankle aren’t tells, either.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s just a habit.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Guess I’ll have to learn all your new tells.” He lowered his voice. “FYI. I do my best research naked.”

The image of him naked popped into her head, and her eyes bloomed wide. She pressed her lips together, blinking rapidly to try to clear the lust from her brain. He chuckled and turned back to the riding ring.

She swatted his arm. “That was not fair.”

“I was just being honest. Would you rather I lied?”

“Yes.”

He looked down as her toe hit the dirt and her ankle began wiggling, and they both laughed.

She bumped him with her shoulder. “Do you really have something to talk to me about, or did you just come here to get me flustered?”

“I do need to talk to you, but I have missed that gorgeous smile.”

How could something so simple make her feel so good? “In that case, you’re forgiven.”

“Do you want to talk here?”

The other parents were sitting by the bull pen, giving them a modicum of privacy, and they had a few minutes before the kids started riding. “Sure. That way we won’t miss Lucas’s ride.”

“I reached out to my buddy Reggie Steele. He’s a PI. I asked him to look into the situation for us. What I’m about to tell you might be hard to hear, and it needs to stay between us. You can’t talk it over with Jade or anyone else.”

“Okay.” She crossed her arms, needing a barrier between herself and any talk of her father. “What did he find out?”

“It seems the FBI has quietly been investigating your father for two years for a slew of corrupt activities from kickbacks to money laundering and bribery. They just need more proof before they can take him down for it.”

“That’s not hard to hear. I always knew he was dirty, and knowing what he did to his own daughter, I wouldn’t put anything past him. Did you ask Reggie to track down Ana? She’s the one I want to talk to.”

“Yes. She’s still working for your family.”

“Of course she is. It’s a cushy job.”

“I think it might be more than that. She’s got a thirteen-year-old son, and it looks like your father might be her son’s father, too.”

“What? No way. She never liked him. She used to talk about him behind his back, and she hated the way he treated me. She’s the one who suggested I write you letters because he had all the phone lines tapped.”

“I could be wrong, but there’s no father listed on the birth certificate. Did you know she was married when she started working for your family?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Why?” There was a commotion by the bull pen, and she saw one of the girls putting on safety gear.