Read Last Chance (Liar Liar #3) for Free Online Page A

doubt she could feel my erection against her backside. I couldn’t help myself. I’d always had that reaction to her.
    She sucked in a breath when I pressed a glass into her hand, my hot breath fanning her neck.
    “Thank you,” she said.
    “You’re welcome.” I still had her pinned against the counter, and a little voice in my head warned me not to make her uncomfortable. I couldn’t resist inhaling deeply, taking in her scent, before I stepped away. I watched her open the wine bottle and pour some into a glass. Lifting my beer bottle, I asked, “Toast?”
    She looked as if she was considering it before lifting one shoulder. “Sure. What shall we drink to?”
    “Finding the truth.”
    She tapped her glass to my bottle. “To finding the truth.” She took a sip while looking me in the eye. “That’s all I ever wanted, you know? The truth. I wanted someone to pay for what happened to me, but I sure as hell didn’t want the wrong person go down for it. Especially if…”
    “What?” I asked, tipping back my beer bottle. “What were you going to say?”
    “I never wanted you to be a victim in all this, Ma—” She stopped herself and looked at her feet. “Sorry. It’s weird, calling you by another name now that I know the truth.”
    “I understand.” Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind hearing her call me by my real name again, but if she got too comfortable with it, she could slip in front of someone else. That would invite a host of questions we couldn’t answer. “It was weird for me too in the beginning.” I smiled. “People would call me Blaise, and I’d look around to see who they were talking to.”
    “If this works out the way you hope it will and you’re able to clear your name, will you take your old life back?” She took another sip of wine. “I mean, will you tell everyone your story, reclaim your old name and identity?”
    “I think it’s a little too late to go back.” I smirked as I gestured to my face. “This isn’t going to change. It’s who I am now, like it or not. Besides, I’m not the same guy I was back then. Matt was young and immature. He didn’t know what he wanted out of life or how to make his situation better. He felt like he had no options. That’s so far removed from the way I think now, I can’t even tell you.”
    “Yeah, I guess it is.” She tipped her head from one side to the other as her eyes traced my body. “I have to admit, the change is remarkable. You’re so… refined and classy now.”
    I laughed as I held up my beer bottle. “I don’t know about that. Sure, I can afford a thousand-dollar-bottle of wine now, but given the choice, I’ll still take a cold beer any day.”
    “I never imagined you would turn out this way.” Her voice was soft, almost reverent. “The Matt I knew, he was… a simple guy. You never really talked about your plans for the future or seemed all that ambitious.”
    I knew she didn’t mean to offend me, and she was right. “Spending years behind bars makes you realize that every day counts. I always felt I was wasting my life working as a laborer. Don’t get me wrong, some people do that kind of work and really enjoy it. They like making something from nothing. But I wasn’t one of those guys. I was just doing it to keep a roof over my head. Fighting was always my passion. If my time in prison taught me one thing, it was how to fight—not physically, but mentally. By the time I got out of there, I felt unstoppable. Failure wasn’t an option.”
    “Well, I can’t deny what you’ve accomplished is beyond impressive. It must seem surreal to you, doesn’t it?”
    “Yeah, it does.” I laughed. “I can walk into a dealership and pay cash for a Ferrari on a whim.” I shook my head. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be able to do something like that.”
    “Congratulations on your success,” she said, raising her glass. “I mean that. You’ve clearly worked hard for it, and you deserve it.”
    I was