The Professional Alibi

Chapter 21: Pizza and Pressure Points

When we're done eating, Tex pulls me across his lap so that I've got my back to Kamryn and my arm draped over his shoulders. Between his massive chest and the booth, I'm wedged in pretty tight. I suspect that's just the way Tex likes it.

I'm eye-level with Tex, which means, we're constantly locking gazes and he continually steals kisses. It's all fine and dandy for the first two kisses, but now he's kissing longer, and bolder. When he pulls me in for another kiss, Kamryn sighs dramatically.

"Geez you guys. Get a room!"

Trig grins. "I dunno. I'm kind of enjoying the view."

I slide my gaze in Trig's direction, and notice his hooded gaze and a Mona Lisa smile I can't quite decipher.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, making me jump. I pull it out of my Wranglers and show it to Tex, frowning. "I've gotta go. I've got an appointment with my advisor in thirty minutes."

Tex mutters under his breath. "All right. But I'm coming over tonight."

"You'd better," I say, sliding off his lap and out of the booth. "Don't make me hunt you down and practice my roping on you."

Kamryn cackles behind us. "I'd pay money to watch that."

"I bet you would," Tex says over his shoulder. He stands, then plants yet another kiss on me before turning to Trig and the others. "I'll check in tonight."

Trig nods. Then his eyes zero in on me again. "Nice to meet you, V."

"Nice to meet you too." I flash my warmest smile, trying not to shudder under his attention. Then I wave at the girls, before Tex tugs on my arm and pulls me away from them.

We're relatively silent during our walk to the car, arm-in-arm. I go over our small talk at the table. Was I convincing enough? Did they like me? How big a scar should I leave on Tex after he tried to grope me earlier?

Tex opens my car door offering his hand to me. I stand on the truck's sidestep to get in, but he tugs on my arm, making me turn to look at him. I'm a little taller than him now, but not much. It makes it easy to gaze into his hazel eyes.

I put my hands on his shoulders. "What is it?"

It's like a storm erupts in his eyes, making the green more vivid. He grabs me by the waist with one hand, and cups my neck with the other hand, then pulls me to his massive, muscled body. When our lips meet, this kiss is nothing like the relatively chaste kisses we shared in the pizza place.

Tex's hand threads into my hair at the base of my head, pulling me closer. His lips open, the perfect mixture of soft, yet demanding, and his tongue probes my mouth, until I open for him, our tongues tangling. Holy mother of...

I don't know what's gotten into him. I'm not sure if Trig and the girls followed us out and Tex feels like he needs to perform one more time for them. Or maybe he's trying to take advantage of me. What I do know is I'm not willing to risk giving him a beat down only to discover Trig observing us from afar.

I go with it, trying to ignore the rising heat in my body and the way his hands seem to memorize every part of me.

His fingers find their way under my shirt, caressing up my ribs, around my waist, and along my spine. The only thing that feels better than his hands are those damned lips of his, leaving a trail of heat along my chin, up my jaw, and nipping at my neck and ear. Jolts of electricity surge through me with each touch.

With a Herculean effort, I pull away, panting and flushed. I press my forehead to his and swallow. "What the hell was that?"

A slow, easy smile spreads across his face. "Just adding some spice to our date."

Growling, I shove him away, climb in the truck, and slam the door in his face. I refuse to look at his cat-ate-the-canary grin or the way he saunters around the truck to his side and climbs in, starting the car. I fold my arms over my chest and glare out the windshield.

I don't say a word to him the entire drive back home. The jackass keeps talking, asking me questions, pausing as if he's waiting for me to answer, then going on like nothing's happened, still grinning.

When we pull into my driveway, I jump out before he turns off the engine. He still follows me to the door. "I think that date went pretty well, don't you think?" he says.

Gritting my teeth, I succumb to the rage boiling inside me. I whirl around to face him. He's standing on the porch next to me with his hands in his pockets, grinning from ear to ear.

I ball my hands into fists and hit him in the solar plexus as hard as I can. Just like my father showed me how to do. This is nothing like the love tap I gave his sternum at the beginning of our date. I fully intend to break something.

Tex collapses on his knees, his face bright red, and his eyes bulging. He grasps his chest with his hand and stares up at me, struggling to breathe.

I glare down at him and say through gritted teeth, "I warned you. Touch me like that again without my permission and I'll rip your balls off and feed them to you for dinner."

Then I go inside and leave him on the front porch. I shoot a text off to Wade.

Me: Come collect the redneck. He's on my doorstep. He might need a doctor.

Wade: I'll be there in five minutes.