Page 36 of Sharp Lies

And where the hell were thoughts like that even coming from? I barely knew this man and he was at least ten years older than me. Maybe more. I should be running for the hills from the look in his eyes.

Instead, I was standing there staring up at him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, his kiss soft and questing and hesitant, like he wasn’t sure he was going to be allowed to get away with this.

And I was kissing him back for all I was worth, telling him that he was allowed to do exactly this and that I expected more of it.

Because now that I’d figured out who and what he was, it turned out I liked him a whole lot more than I thought I did.

And I was no longer thinking about leaving Oakville. I was thinking about staying right here and figuring out what this thing was between us, rather than letting Tony McCarthy scare me away from what might be the most exciting thing I’d ever experienced.

CHAPTER 17

LILY

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IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME to fall asleep that night.

Partially it was that I had Tony McCarthy on my mind, and his dad, and that doctor Warren and I had seen when we were out to dinner. I couldn’t figure out why he had sounded so nervous about me staying in town... until I could. And once I figured it out, once I realized that the tone he’d taken had been one of concern for my well-being, I started to put all the pieces together. He’d seen what Tony had done to me, and maybe he should have called the cops and reported it. He knew exactly what was going on. The marks on my throat. The way I’d jumped when anyone touched me. The bruises on my arms and the older bruises on my body.

Anyone who’d seen me would have known exactly what to make of it, and with that thought in mind, I guessed I was probably lucky they hadn’t pushed more when I was actually in the hospital.

Or maybe I wasn’t so lucky. Maybe it would have been better if they had, because that way I would have eventually come clean and they would have reported it, and all of this would already be figured out.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Because given what I’d seen when Warren and I went to report Tony for breaking into my house, it wouldn’t all be figured out. Officer Layton had made it pretty clear that he had no intention of taking us seriously or filing any sort of complaint if it included Tony McCarthy, and I was betting that wasn’t a brand-new policy.

Hell, I was betting that had been the police policy since the elder McCarthy moved into town with his millions of dollars and started throwing them around, buying friends and allies as quickly as he could. He’d been in Oakville for as long as I could remember, which meant that my entire life had been one in which Stephen McCarthy—and eventually Tony—could get away with whatever they wanted.

That was terrifying.

Even more terrifying was the thought that the hospital might have reported my injuries to the cops as a matter of policy. Maybe they hadn’t even needed my permission to do so, but just the photographic evidence of fingerprints on my throat. And maybe the cops had sat there and listened to them... and then gone back to their coffee and donuts like nothing had happened. Maybe they’d already been set on their path of keeping the McCarthy men out of trouble in whatever way they had to.

Which evidently boiled down to letting them do whatever they wanted to and turning a blind eye when it came to helping the victims.

That was the scary part. Knowing that I was hurt and in danger and the cops—even if I’d managed to call them—might not have bothered to show up. Or more likely, they would have showed up and arrested me instead of Tony, then accused me of false charges or something.

Could that actually have happened, though, or was I exaggerating? I mean, I’d seen the movies like everyone else. I’d seen how corrupt public officials could be. This was Oakville, though, and a lot of the police had known me since I was a baby. Surely they’d take care of one of their own before bowing to the pressures of some rich guy who’d moved into town.

But Officer Layton sure hadn’t been interested in taking care of me.

He’d been more interested in saying that he knew the law and we were overreacting. Even with Warren there.

Warren.

My thoughts changed route so suddenly that it was like I’d never even been thinking about Layton and Tony, and suddenly all I could think about was Warren. His dark hair and twinkling blue eyes, the way his skin creased when he smiled, the weathered-to-perfection look of him. He just might be the handsomest man I’d ever seen, but that didn’t even come close to touching the best parts of him. It turned out he was not only damaged like I’d originally thought but also intensely vulnerable, and that he was looking for not only a friend but also safety.

Well.

If the kiss he’d given me this afternoon was anything to go by, he was looking for a whole lot more than a friend. He was looking for someone to find safety with. And he wanted that safety and security here in Oakville. He wanted to put down roots with someone and build a life that would last.

I felt the smile growing on my lips without planning for it and let myself move into an all-out grin, loving the way it felt on my face. The happiness rushed from my mouth through my body, leaving tingles and butterflies in its trail, and before long I was stretching and glorying in the way I felt.

The way Warren made me feel.

Because I’d been thinking this afternoon that I missed that carefree life on the road, and that I might have to go back to it if Tony and his father kept making trouble. I’d actually had the thought that it had been nice to be away from all the responsibilities that living in one place gave you.

But the moment Warren had said he wanted to settle down and build a life with someone, love her and keep her safe, I’d known that that was what I wanted. I might love the road and all the freedom out there, but if Warren offered me a home and a life with him at my side, I’d give up the road in a heartbeat.

Faster.