Caught Between a Lie and True Love (Caught Between series Book 1) by Sheila Seabrook Page A

up to her full height and pressed her heavily lipsticked mouth into a firm line. “A trick, I’m sure, your father taught you.”
    “Perhaps if I’d had a mother who cared enough to stick around, I wouldn’t have learned that particular skill.”
    The brunette’s lips thinned further and she faced Brody directly, her head at a regal angle. “Don’t ever call me Ma’am again. My name is Lisa.”
    Then she grabbed the tea cup and glided from the room.
    Brody turned to face Paige who was staring after Lisa with a frown on her face. He headed toward the sink, unscrewed the faucet, and shook out the screen. “So you have both Mommy and Daddy issues?”
    She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned one hip against the edge of the counter. “And that amuses you?”
    Despite the small smile twitching at the edges of his mouth, he shook his head. “Misery loves company, you know.”
    The stiffness in her body eased and she pushed away from the cabinet. “Well, unless you need help with something, I should leave you alone to work.”
    “Stay.” The single word escaped before he could stop it. “Please, keep me company.”
    She shrugged and as he crouched down to look under the sink, she crouched down beside him.
    Comfortable silence hung in the air between them. Brody tried to ignore the sweet scent of her, and as he fumbled with the pipes, she moved slightly closer.
    “I noticed your daughter calls you Brody.”
    He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “You heard that, did you?”
    “It’s those teenage years. Have you forgotten what they’re like?”
    He grumbled, “I was never that annoying.” As she laughed, he realized that he liked her laugh, and grudgingly he added, “Okay, so maybe my parents thought otherwise.”
    She was craning her neck to see what he was doing under the sink, and Brody could smell the sweetness of her hair. Their shoulders were touching too, and as he turned to look into her eyes, he saw her gaze dip to his lips.
    She licked her lips as though anticipating his kiss and his body went hard.
    It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, four months to be exact, since before he got custody of Hope.
    As Brody leaned toward her, the crash of metal against metal outside made them both jump.
    Paige jerked to her feet and skirted around him, heading toward the back door, and Brody followed her.
    He saw Olivia back her big Oldsmobile away from the tin garbage cans across the alley, then steer down the alleyway away from the house, Starr in the back seat. Hope must have returned home.
    “I can’t believe she’s still driving.” Paige let out a breath. “By the looks of things, maybe I should see about getting her driver’s license revoked.”
    He laughed, which brought her around to face him and the brush of her body against his was exquisite torture. His voice came out rough. “Good luck with that. Rumor has it that she bribes the driver examiner.”
    Her voice softened. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for my grandmother.”
    He shrugged, conscious of how close they stood, how good she smelled, like warm strawberries in the coolness of the afternoon shade. Desire brought him closer and giving in to the urge to touch her, he wiped a bit of grease off her cheek. “Everyone in town watches out for her.”
    “Thank you. I wish there was some way I could repay you.” She set her hands against his abs. “You’re tense. You need to relax.”
    “And how am I supposed to do that with a teenager that hates my guts and her vengeful grandmother watching my every move?”
    She moved into him and wrapped one hand around the back of his neck. Her fingers glided into his hair. “Between the two of us, I’m sure we can figure out a way to release your tension.” She smiled and added, “And mine.”
    Every inch of his body demanded he press against every inch of her body. He slid one hand under the silkiness of her hair and cupped the back of her neck. “Tell me