Cash (Sexy Bastard #2) by Eve Jagger Page B

small access road. I ruffle her hair. Of
course I know where to turn. “Hey, not the hair.” I poke
her side and she stifles a giggle. All these years and she’s
still ticklish. Sometimes it’s not so bad when things stay the
same.
    Stopping the car under a pecan tree, I
stare through the wrought iron gate toward the mansion that looms in
the distance.
    The access road was meant for servants
and gardeners, so that they could come and go without ever being
seen. What Emmett and Martha didn’t anticipate was that their
children would use it to sneak in and out of the house. We were too
perfect for that. For once, their stupidity was our gain.
    It was how I stayed sane under their
demand of perfection. During the summer when I was home from boarding
school, I’d steal out the back, escape, and explore Atlanta.
While the pocket money I had could get me in anywhere, I found myself
searching out the unexpected. The bars and eateries off the beaten
path. It’s how I realized the effect of my parents’
decisions, because unlike my parents, who lived isolated in the
mansion surrounded by a moat of wealthy, self-involved clones, I knew
people who depended on a weekly paycheck.
    “When did you learn this route
out of Palace Gardner?” I ask. Never in my life did I show this
to anyone, not even Tasha. She’d been molded into a mini-Martha
from an early age. Money, vacations, and decadence were Tasha’s
bread and butter. It was always the best and then better with her,
and never once did I think she’d want to break out of her ivory
tower.
    “Since you started using it. I
was young, not blind. I noticed everything.”
    “You good to get inside?”
    “We’re going to have to
talk about you going parental on me all the time.”
    I throw up my hands. “I’m
backing off. Go get some sleep.”
    “Thanks.”
    “No problem. Call me anytime.
I’ll tell you about the way out, through—”
    “The tennis courts,” she
cuts me off, “but exiting through the old barn is better,
there’s more coverage.”
    I stare at her.
“There’s an exit there?”
    She smiles. “So much to learn big
brother, so much to learn.” She holds out her hand and I fist
bump her.
    “You take care,” I tell
her. “And call me, OK? Whenever you need, no questions asked.
I’ll always be there.”
    Tasha gives me the ghost of a smile.
“Thanks.”
    She gets out and I watch her find the
removal post in the fence and sneak back inside.

 

CHAPTER NINE
     
    Savannah
     
    It’s a good thing the date ended
early—at least that’s what I’m going to tell
myself. Otherwise I might have screwed his brains out in the alley
where anyone could have seen. I’m guessing that’s against
not just the law, but the code of ethics for lawyers too. I would
have risked disbarment, but hell, it would have been worth it.
    If Cash can make me feel like that with
one hand, imagine what he could do with both of them.
    Or his cock.
    I wish we’d been able to take it
to the bedroom and keep the night going. On the other hand, the bar
is his thing and would I want Cash getting upset if I had to run out
to help a client? No way. Things work both ways. Though it doesn’t
make going to bed alone any easier.
    I take the cab home and change into my
PJs, then I pour myself a glass of wine and take a long sip. Now that
the lust is fading from my system, I’m realizing just how close
I came to losing my head. Improvising and spontaneity had gotten me
in trouble with Tanner. But then, I had stars in my eyes, thinking it
was the real deal. At least with Cash, I know exactly where I stand.
    How did he put it? Chemistry. Instinct.
It’s a classy way of referring to a quick fuck, but now I
think, Cash wouldn’t take it fast.
    No, he’d make me moan all night
long.
    I pour more wine. The last guy that
made me come like that was Tanner…. I curl up on my couch and
turn on the TV, trying to push thoughts of Tanner out of my mind.
    I went in blind with him—should I
do the