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Laid out like that, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. “You’re right. I’m an idiot. Who would want to get involved with someone who is as emotionally screwed up as I am?” He turned, but she jumped up from the swing.
“Is that a challenge, Jesse Cates?”
He turned back to her. “No challenge, Lib. The stakes are too high.”
“Shouldn’t the one taking the challenge be the one who decides if the stakes are too high?” She stepped out of the shadow of the porch and into the moonlight. Moonlight that reflected off the tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.
His heart squeezed. “Libby? You’ve been crying.”
She snorted. “Crying? Absolutely not. I was just cutting an onion. Like I said before, I’m not the type of woman who gets all weepy over a one-night stand.”
He moved closer and gently traced the tear tracks with his finger. “It wasn’t a one-night stand, Libby Lou. I think we both know that. But I don’t want to hurt you and I’m afraid I will.”
She hooked her arms around his shoulders. Her fingers sliding into the hair on the nape of his neck and causing need to pool in his gut. “You are so arrogant, Jesse Cates. Maybe I’ll hurt you.”
He was sure she would, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking the chance.
Chapter Fifteen
“A whorehouse? I bought a whorehouse?”
Liberty looked away from the dilapidated mansion to the man sitting right next to her in the big ol’ monster truck. Jesse had a stunned expression on his face. Since he was rarely stunned—by anything—she couldn’t help laughing.
“You mean to tell me that Jesse Cates, a savvy businessman who never makes a decision without getting all the information, didn’t know he bought one of the most infamous whorehouses in Texas?”
He continued to stare at the house they were parked in front of. “Not a clue. Although that explains why Mrs. Stokes was grinning like a cat that ate a canary the entire time we signed the paperwork.” He glanced at her. “A whorehouse?”
“At one time, Mrs. Fields’s rivaled The Chicken Ranch. Cowboys, civil war soldiers, oilmen, and senators flocked to Fanny’s, who happens to be my great-great-great-great aunt on my mama’s side. Her brother, who, ironically, was the town preacher and eventually responsible for closing the house down, was my great-great-great grandfather.”
A big grin spread across his face. “I knew you had naughty blood running through your veins. Especially after last night.”
Just the mention of the night before had her feeling all flushed and hot. Damned if Jesse didn’t know it. His smile got even bigger as he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“I didn’t realize you were into bondage and pain—my bondage and pain. And I gotta tell you, darlin’, we might need a safe word. My butt cheeks are still stinging.”
She blinked. “Really?”
He sent her a wounded look. “Now would I lie about that? In fact, I think you need to kiss them and make them feel better.”
She swatted his arm. “You are the orneriest man I know, Jesse Cates. Your mama should have blistered your butt.”
“Believe me, honey, she did. Not just with her hand, but with a belt and a wooden spoon and a hanger. Whatever was handy.” He had a teasing twinkle in his eyes, but there was something else too. Something that made her instantly concerned.
“No joking, Jesse. Your mama abused you?”
He shrugged. “She wasn’t what you would call a loving mama.”
Liberty’s heart broke. “Oh, Jesse. I didn’t know. If I had, I never would have spanked you last night. I’m so sorry. It must have been traumatic for you.”
“Hey, now.” He cradled her face in his hands. “Believe me, the sweet spanking you gave me last night was about as far from traumatic as a spanking can get.”
Which meant that the other spankings he’d gotten had been traumatic. The mere thought of her ornery little redheaded Opie Wolverine being abused made her want to weep.
It also made her madder than a hornet.
“Does your mama still live in Houston?”
“Yes. Why?”
