Carnal Innocence Read Online Free PDF

you over to the jail. Your daddy wouldn’t be happy about that either.
    She hissed through her teeth. “I won’t lay a hand on the son of a bitch.” When Burke’s grip loosened, she slipped free, dusting herself off.
    “If you want to talk about this—” Tucker began.
    “We’re going to talk about it, all right. Here and now.” She swung in a circle while customers either stared or pretended not to. Colorful plastic bracelets clicked on her arms. Perspiration gave a sheen to her face and neck. “Y’all listen up, you hear? I got something to say to Mr. Bigshot Longstreet.”
    “Edda Lou—” Tucker took a chance and touched her arm. She swung out backhanded and knocked his teeth together.
    “No.” Wiping his mouth, he waved Burke away. “Let her get it out.”
    “I’ll get it out, all right. You said you loved me.”
    “I never did that.” That Tucker could be sure of. Even in the throes of passion he was careful with words. Especially in the throes of passion.
    “You made me think you did,” she shouted at him. The powdery spray she was wearing was overwhelmed by the hot sweat of temper and combined in a sickly-sweet aroma that reminded Tucker of something freshly dead. “You wheedled your way into bed with me. You said I was the woman you’d been waiting for. You said …” Tears began to mix with the sweat on herface, turning her mascara into wet clumps under her eyes. “You said we were going to get married.”
    “Oh no.” Tucker’s temper, which he preferred not to have riled, began to stir. “That was your idea, honey. And I told you flat out it wasn’t going to happen.”
    “What’s a girl to think when you come whistling up, bringing flowers and buying fancy wine? You said you cared about me more than anybody else.”
    “I did care.” And he had. He always did.
    “You don’t care about nothing or nobody, only Tucker Longstreet.” She pushed her face into his, spit flying. Seeing her like this, all the sweetness and flutters gone, he wondered how he could have cared. And he hated the fact that some of the boys who’d been lounging over their sodas were elbowing each other’s ribs and chuckling.
    “Then you’re better off without me, aren’t you?” He dropped two bills on the counter.
    “You think you’re going to get off that easy?” Her hand clamped like iron on his arm. He could feel her muscles quiver. “You think you can toss me off like you did all the others?” She’d be damned if he would—not when she’d hinted marriage to all her girlfriends. Not when she’d gone all the way into Greenville to moon over the wedding gowns. She knew—she
knew
half the town would already be smirking about it. “You’ve got an obligation to me. You made promises.”
    “Name one.” His temper building, he pried a clutching hand from his arm.
    “I’m pregnant.” It burst out of her on a flood of desperation. She had the satisfaction of hearing a mutter pass from booth to booth, and of watching Tucker pale.
    “What did you say?”
    Her lips curved then, in a hard, merciless smile. “You heard me, Tuck. Now you’d better decide what you’re going to do about it.”
    Tossing up her head, she spun around and stormed out. Tucker waited for his stomach to slide back down from his throat.
    “Oops,” Josie said, grinning broadly at the goggleeyed diners. But her hand went down to take her brother’s. “Ten bucks says she’s lying.”
    Still reeling, Tucker stared at her. “What?”
    “I say she’s no more pregnant than you are. Oldest female trick in the book, Tucker. Don’t get your dick caught in it.”
    He needed to think, and he wanted to be alone to do it. “You get Dwayne over at the jail, will you? And pick up Della’s stuff.”
    “Why don’t we—”
    But he was already walking out. Josie sighed, thinking the shit was going to hit the fan. He hadn’t told her what Della wanted.

c·h·a·p·t·e·r 2
    D wayne Longstreet sat on the rock-iron bunk in one