She narrowed her eyes, but I noticed a flush rise to her cheeks. "That assumes I'm interested in your expression of gratitude."
"Oh, bright eyes, come on," I said. "Don't pretend like you're immune to what happened between us."
"What happened between us was a one-time thing," she said. "Closure."
"And yet, here you are, sitting here across the table from me," I said. "In West Bend, Colorado. In jail. Pretending to be my attorney."
"This is my good deed for the year," she said. "I need some good karma."
"Charity?" I asked. "That doesn't seem very fitting for a con artist, does it?"
She looked at me, her lips parted, like she was about to come back with a quick-witted response. But instead, she asked, "Are you going to tell me why you got arrested?"
"Are you going to continue this whole attorney charade?" I asked.
"You don't know whether I'm a lawyer or not," she said. "We've been apart for years, Silas. I could have gone to law school."
"Did you?"
She smiled. "No," she said. "But I've got a bar card in my purse that says I'm a member of the American Bar Association and a practicing attorney."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you do," I said. "Well, I'm not in a jam that I need your help with, Tempest."
She shrugged. "You're the one in jail, not me," she said. "I just figured I'd stop by and offer my services, post your bail if you need it. I'm sure your cell mate will be more than happy to have you stay longer."
I laughed. "We're in West Bend, not Vegas," I said. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
"That's all I needed to know, then," she said, rising. "I'll let them know we're finished."
I sighed. "Wait."
Tempest turned back toward me, eyebrows raised. "Yes?"
"Sit down," I said.
"You're awful bossy for someone in handcuffs," she said. "Are you sure you want to be ordering me around? I could just leave."
"You could," I said. "But you don't want to leave. You're still thinking about how good we were together in Vegas, aren't you?"
She stood, motionless, except for that thing she did where she flicked her tongue over her lower lip.
The thing that made me crazy.
"I haven't given it a moment's thought," she said.
"No?" I asked. "Because I have. In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."
The door opened, and a female officer poked her head inside. "Are you already finished?" she asked.
"No," Tempest said. "I was just stretching my legs. I'll be more cognizant of remaining seated. Thank you, Officer Edwards." She sank back into her chair. "You've been thinking about it."
I wasn't sure if she was making a statement or asking a question. "Of course I've been thinking about it," I said. "I can't stop thinking about how you taste."
"Tell me what happened," she said. "Tell me why you got arrested."
I ignored her, unable to resist playing with her a little bit. "I can't stop thinking about putting my head between your legs," I said. "Running my tongue over your *, taking your clit in my mouth, sucking it in."
"Silas," she said, her voice stern. But she shifted in her chair, and her pupils were dilated. "Why did you get arrested?"
I still ignored her. "I can't stop thinking about sucking on that sweet clit, sliding my fingers inside you and bringing you to the point where you're begging for my cock." I paused. "Why are you in West Bend, Tempest?"
She inhaled, her lips slightly parted. "Visiting my grandmother, Silas."
I wasn't sure if she was being honest or not. In fact, that was the whole problem with me and her. I couldn't tell when she was lying. She was a con artist, just like her parents. I didn't know if she was even capable of being genuine.
"Now, you, Silas," she said. "The arrest. What happened?"
"How did you know I was here?" I asked.
"My Nana," she said. "She heard it on her police scanner at the nursing home."
"I was asking seriously, Tempest," I said.
"That's the truth," she said. "Hand to God. My Nana and her friends like to listen to the police scanner because they're little old busybodies. She called me."
I laughed, and then so did she, the tension between us suddenly dissipating, aided by an old lady and her police scanner.
"Now you," she said. "Why were you arrested?"
"I was at my mother's house," I said. "Jed - the town sheriff - showed up, we got into it - just shit talking - and he pulled a weapon on me and arrested me. It's bullshit. Which is why I'm not worried about it. The charges won't stick."
"I didn't know about your mother, Silas," she said. "My grandmother told me. I was sorry to hear about what happened."
I shrugged. "You remember her, how she was," I said. "It's not like I was close to her. And then, finding out the shit she pulled with you and I...she was the only one who would have taken that letter and the money. When it happened, it tore me up. And she's the one who caused it."
"Still," Tempest said.
"Yeah."
"My grandmother said it was an overdose."
I clenched my jaw. "So they say."
"You don't believe that?" she asked.
"I don't know what the hell to believe," I said. "I don't know what the fuck is going on in this town anymore."