Sinful Suspense Box Set by Tess Oliver Page A

his mood abruptly. Just like on the road, when I’d told him I was staying in Blackthorn, his face had turned hard as stone. I stood up to walk out, but he grabbed hold of my wrist.
    I looked down at him. He held me just roughly enough that I should’ve been a little concerned. But I wasn’t. Every time he touched me, a familiar sense of relief washed over me.
    He stared at my hand. “Nothing about this place is as it seems. You don’t want to dig too deep.” His brown gaze lifted to my face, and suddenly, all of it, the constant lines of sorrow in his expression, the brutal scar on his otherwise remarkable face, the deep, lost tone of his voice made me want to trust him. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, Tashlyn—give it up for good.”
    I swallowed back the ache in my throat and stared down at him. “You don’t understand. I lost a piece of myself. I can’t give it up.” I pulled my hand from his and walked out.

Chapter 8
    Jem
    It had been a long, fucking day, and I was regretting my decision to hang out at Rotten Apples. The usual backroom poker game had been cancelled, and instead of a band, the manager was setting up the stage for karaoke. About the only thing that could make the night worse was if they announced that they’d replaced all beer with their famous apple martinis.
    Katy, a girl who I’d occasionally hung out with mostly because we both liked casual sex, walked in and headed straight to my table. She pulled out a chair.
    “I like that sweater,” I said just before taking a drink of my beer.
    “You say that about all my sweaters.”
    “That’s because I like them all. Especially when they are tight like this one.”
    She leaned over and rested her hand high up on my thigh. “So, is it true?”
    “That your hand on my leg is making my cock hard? Yep, it’s true.”
    She laughed, pulled away her hand and smacked my shoulder. “God, you’re so damn predictable. No, is it true you pulled Finn Harris from the pond?”
    “Yep, he fell in, and I pulled him out.” Finn had gotten off with just a bad concussion. The doctors had released him only a few hours after he was admitted. He’d been dealing with a shitty ass headache, but it wasn’t too big of a price to pay. I, on the other hand, had been suffering after Tashlyn’s first aid treatment in the locker room. And I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since.
    Dane walked back from the bar with another pitcher. Katy shot him a bitchy scowl. My brother ignored it because he couldn’t have cared less. It was one of the traits I envied in him, the ability to not give a damn what anyone thought or said. I was starting to harden myself to his way of handling other people, but I wasn’t quite there yet.
    Katy scooted her chair closer and leaned against me so that her tits were pressed solidly against my arm. “I think you should buy me a couple of drinks, Jem Wolfe, and see where it gets you.”
    I grinned at her. “Since when do I need to get you drunk to get between you and your panties?”
    She leaned back and made a good show of acting shocked. It lasted for all of two seconds before she pressed against me again. “I’ve got my dad’s truck tonight. The one with the roomy backseat.”
    “And the gun rack,” I added. “Don’t forget your dad’s hunting rifles. I know I never forget them cuz I figure one of those rifles is going to take my head off when he finds out I’ve been fucking his daughter in the backseat of his truck.”
    “I know you, Jem, dangerous shit like that only makes you want it more.” She ran her tongue across her bottom lip. “But maybe you’re just not in the mood tonight.”
    “Never said that.” I lifted my mug. “Just let me finish my beer.”
    Dane leaned over. “Hey, I’m thinking of doing that fucking singing contest. Gabe said that they’re giving out a five hundred dollar prize for the best performance.” He spoke straight to me and completely ignored Katy. And if there was one thing