Free Here Comes Trouble by Erin Kern Page A

twelve-inch hard-on with his six-month old niece five-feet away? Pretty sick, indeed.
    “Take it easy, Lace,” he warned her after she’d chugged for a good fifteen seconds. “Everything okay?”
    She lowered the bottle and licked a bead of liquid from her lower lip. Lily crawled into Lacy’s lap, begging to be held. After setting the bottle on the coffee table, Lacy picked the baby up and turned her green, saucer-sized eyes to his. “My mother’s dead.”

 

     
    Five
    There were always those people in life who walked around with the proverbial black cloud over their heads. No matter how sunny or warm the weather that black cloud lingered, promising nothing but gloomy, rainy days. Lacy, bless her beautiful heart, was one of those unfortunate people. The woman just couldn’t catch a damn break.
    For the past hour, while downing two full beers, she’d told the story of the half-sister she’d never known existed and the death of her mother. She spoke with composure, Chase was sure, held on by a very thin thread. The way her brows pulled together or her teeth continually stabbing into her lower lip showed him she was a hair away from cracking. That was little Twiggy. She had a tougher exterior than most men. How many times in the past few days had he wondered how soft she’d be underneath her shield of armor? More than the entire time he’d known her.
    During her revelation, he’d said little, letting her talk as much as she wanted. And, man, could the lady talk. Under normal circumstances, Lacy wasn’t a chatterer. Her smart-ass retorts had always been precise and to the point.
    Then she dropped the bombshell.
    “Ten million dollars?” Holy shit. Chase had no idea what he’d do with that much money. “Where in the world did your mother get that kind of money?”
    “Weren’t you listening? She married a wealthy producer.” She lifted her shoulders beneath her teeny-tiny shirt. “I guess she got struck with a guilty conscience.”
    He let his gaze stray down to her breasts for one forbidden moment. They weren’t very big, just perfectly round and perky. “What’re you going to do with all that money?”
    She pulled at the frayed end of her shorts. “I don’t know if I’m going to take it.”
    Was she serious? “Lacy, you’d be crazy not to take it. It’s a shit-load of money.”
    She threw him a droll look from the recliner she’d settled herself in. “Thank you for that insight.” Then she said on a tired sigh, “How can I accept money from a woman who turned her back on me? I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil or something.” Although she could use the money for many good things. Pay Chase back, make some major repairs on the house. Perhaps she could finally finish her education.
    Chase kept an eye on Lily as she crawled to the sliding glass door and looked outside. “It’s really not that complicated. Taking the money doesn’t make you a bad person. Just smart.”
    “Smart?” she repeated with a shake of her head. “I don’t feel very smart.”
    “That’s because you’re emotionally attached. Just take the check and deposit it.” He ran his gaze over her again. She sat cross-legged in his brown leather recliner, her bare feet tucked under her legs. She looked like a scared, confused little kid. “You’ll be financially secure for the rest of your life.”
    “That thought has occurred to me.” She tucked a strand of silky blonde hair behind one petite ear. “I almost gave it back to her.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t. You deserve this. Go treat yourself to a spending spree.”
    Her hands twisted around each other in her lap. Then she took a deep breath and refocused her attention on him. “How’s your back?”
    Her question coaxed a smile out of him. “Healing, thanks to you.” This morning after stepping out of the shower he’d caught a glimpse of the scratches. The three angry, red marks had dulled to a dark pink. The burning sensation had finally subsided,