Tell Them Lies (Three Little Words Book 3) by Karla Sorensen Page B
Authors: Karla Sorensen
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brush a kiss on her cheek and slide a hand around her waist. "You look beautiful."
Scattered. She felt so scattered by him. Pulling back so she could breathe, Liz said the first thing that came to her mind. "You shaved."
That grin again. It would be the death of her. "I had to pull an A minus, at least. Can't do that looking like a lumberjack."
"Well, who has a problem with them?" Rachel said from behind them. Kieran turned to face her and Tate, keeping his arm around Liz's waist. "Kieran, this is my husband, Tate. I'm going to grab a drink while you tell him what excellent taste he has in picking a spouse."
After an unabashedly adoring look at Rachel, Tate held out a hand to Kieran, and the men introduced themselves.
Tate asked a few polite questions to Kieran, and Liz could barely pay attention to the words they swapped. Kieran's hand burned through the mint-colored fabric of her dress where it sat just above her hip.
This would make it worse, wouldn't it? When it came out that none of this was real. Because they'd never really talked about showing affection. Which was something he apparently did very easily.
Instead of feeding the beast of doubt that was growling in her head, Liz took a deep breath and joined the conversation, laughing when Rachel returned with two glasses of wine.
"Hey, I'm just saving my energy from having to walk all the way back over there."
"That's my wife," Tate said proudly, tucking her under his arm, "always thinking ahead."
Before anyone could say anything else, a shriek came from the entrance of the room, and Casey came over to them, all but skipping at the sight of Kieran.
"Oh, you are the thing I was most looking forward to about tonight," she proclaimed as she stepped right up to Kieran and hugged him. Kieran laughed and hugged her back.
"See?" he said, grinning at Liz when he pulled back. "I'm not the only person who hugs strangers."
"The stranger who just happens to be my wife," Jake interjected, stepping up next to Casey and pulling her next to him with an affectionate look at her beaming face.
"Almost," she corrected. "I can still hug all the handsome men I want until tomorrow."
The love pouring from Casey's face made Liz ache. In a good way. And in a painful way. It felt like she could reach out and touch it, let it run over her fingers. Jake gave Casey a soft kiss, then turned to Kieran, immediately losing the smile and slipping back into the intimidating mask he used to wear on a regular basis.
"So. You're the date nobody knows about."
"That would be me," Kieran replied easily, holding out his hand to Jake. "Kieran Carter."
Casey rolled her eyes when Jake didn't immediately extend his own. "I'm Casey, and this incorrigible grump is my fiancé, Jake. It's really nice to meet you, Kieran. I'm so glad you could join us tonight."
Finally, Jake held out his hand, gripping Kieran's but not coming close to looking welcoming.
"Tell me about yourself, Carter."
"Ease up, Jake," Rachel said. "I already roughed him up the other night. He's knows what's up."
"True story," Kieran agreed with a smile at Rachel. "If you can manage to scare me more than she did, I'll be impressed."
Liz smiled at the pride that covered Rachel's expression. Jake crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, cutting a look over to Rachel.
"Honestly? I won't even try to top her. She's scary as hell. Whatever she threatened? I'd believe her."
Kieran swallowed audibly, tightening his grip just above her hip. Casey's dad called for everyone's attention at the front of the room, and just before Jake turned around, he threw a tiny smile at Liz and clapped Kieran on the shoulder. Hard. "I'm just screwing with you, man. Welcome to the group."
They all found their seats after Mr. Steadman said a prayer before the staff would start serving the food, and when Kieran pushed her chair in for her, Liz looked back up at him with a grateful smile.
"You're not really scared of Rachel, are you?"
Kieran chuckled,
Scattered. She felt so scattered by him. Pulling back so she could breathe, Liz said the first thing that came to her mind. "You shaved."
That grin again. It would be the death of her. "I had to pull an A minus, at least. Can't do that looking like a lumberjack."
"Well, who has a problem with them?" Rachel said from behind them. Kieran turned to face her and Tate, keeping his arm around Liz's waist. "Kieran, this is my husband, Tate. I'm going to grab a drink while you tell him what excellent taste he has in picking a spouse."
After an unabashedly adoring look at Rachel, Tate held out a hand to Kieran, and the men introduced themselves.
Tate asked a few polite questions to Kieran, and Liz could barely pay attention to the words they swapped. Kieran's hand burned through the mint-colored fabric of her dress where it sat just above her hip.
This would make it worse, wouldn't it? When it came out that none of this was real. Because they'd never really talked about showing affection. Which was something he apparently did very easily.
Instead of feeding the beast of doubt that was growling in her head, Liz took a deep breath and joined the conversation, laughing when Rachel returned with two glasses of wine.
"Hey, I'm just saving my energy from having to walk all the way back over there."
"That's my wife," Tate said proudly, tucking her under his arm, "always thinking ahead."
Before anyone could say anything else, a shriek came from the entrance of the room, and Casey came over to them, all but skipping at the sight of Kieran.
"Oh, you are the thing I was most looking forward to about tonight," she proclaimed as she stepped right up to Kieran and hugged him. Kieran laughed and hugged her back.
"See?" he said, grinning at Liz when he pulled back. "I'm not the only person who hugs strangers."
"The stranger who just happens to be my wife," Jake interjected, stepping up next to Casey and pulling her next to him with an affectionate look at her beaming face.
"Almost," she corrected. "I can still hug all the handsome men I want until tomorrow."
The love pouring from Casey's face made Liz ache. In a good way. And in a painful way. It felt like she could reach out and touch it, let it run over her fingers. Jake gave Casey a soft kiss, then turned to Kieran, immediately losing the smile and slipping back into the intimidating mask he used to wear on a regular basis.
"So. You're the date nobody knows about."
"That would be me," Kieran replied easily, holding out his hand to Jake. "Kieran Carter."
Casey rolled her eyes when Jake didn't immediately extend his own. "I'm Casey, and this incorrigible grump is my fiancé, Jake. It's really nice to meet you, Kieran. I'm so glad you could join us tonight."
Finally, Jake held out his hand, gripping Kieran's but not coming close to looking welcoming.
"Tell me about yourself, Carter."
"Ease up, Jake," Rachel said. "I already roughed him up the other night. He's knows what's up."
"True story," Kieran agreed with a smile at Rachel. "If you can manage to scare me more than she did, I'll be impressed."
Liz smiled at the pride that covered Rachel's expression. Jake crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, cutting a look over to Rachel.
"Honestly? I won't even try to top her. She's scary as hell. Whatever she threatened? I'd believe her."
Kieran swallowed audibly, tightening his grip just above her hip. Casey's dad called for everyone's attention at the front of the room, and just before Jake turned around, he threw a tiny smile at Liz and clapped Kieran on the shoulder. Hard. "I'm just screwing with you, man. Welcome to the group."
They all found their seats after Mr. Steadman said a prayer before the staff would start serving the food, and when Kieran pushed her chair in for her, Liz looked back up at him with a grateful smile.
"You're not really scared of Rachel, are you?"
Kieran chuckled,
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