Dirty Sexy Sinner by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde Page B

to this woman when so much in his life had been clouded with uncertainty and that vague sense that something was missing. With the discovery of his adoption and having a twin brother, he now understood where that void stemmed from and why he’d always struggled with a disconnect from his own family.
    There was something about Tara and her lack of judgment about who he was that made him feel as though he finally fit in somewhere, that maybe, possibly, he’d found someone who truly understood him.
    The illuminated sign for Angelo’s Donuts came into view, and Jackson turned into the small corner lot and parked his car behind the brick building. Tara’s older-model Toyota took the space next to his Porsche, and they both got out of their vehicles at the same time and met up behind his.
    “Nice ride,” she said, nodding her head toward his shiny gray Carrera. “Aren’t you afraid your car might get jacked in this neighborhood?”
    The thought had crossed his mind, but he wasn’t about to admit it and come off as an egotistical jerk who had an issue being in her part of the city. “That’s what LoJack and insurance are for, right?” he said of the tracking and recovery system he’d purchased with the car.
    She laughed lightly. “I guess so. Hopefully you won’t have to put it to the test.”
    They walked toward the front of the building, where two police cars were parked. The uniformed officers were standing by the trunks of one of their vehicles, drinking coffee and eating a donut while shooting the shit with each other. He glanced at the men, expecting one of them to be Levi—because of course that would be just his luck—but neither of their faces was familiar.
    Jackson placed a hand on the small of Tara’s back as an excuse to touch her as he guided her toward the front entrance, nodding toward the show of law enforcement. “I don’t think I have to worry too much about my car,” he said in a low voice. “The place looks pretty well protected.”
    “Yeah, the cops around here love Angelo’s.” As they passed the officers, Tara gave them a friendly nod, then said in a low voice only Jackson could hear, “Then again, what decent cop doesn’t like a good donut?”
    He chuckled as he opened the glass door for her. “That’s so cliché.”
    “I know, but it made you laugh.”
    She gave him a cheeky grin as she brushed past him with a bounce in her step, and he had to resist the urge to smack her ass for being so impudent. The fact that he was that comfortable with her, this quickly, should have had him throwing up his walls to keep his emotional distance, but instead he let himself embrace the relaxed, easygoing sensation coursing through him. Tonight was all about enjoying himself with Tara, without second-guessing or over-examining whatever this was developing between them.
    Surprisingly, for as late as it was, there were a few people in the shop, testimony to just how good the treats in this place were. As they walked up to the glass display housing an array of different donuts, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties grinned at Tara.
    “Hey, Tara, it’s good to see you,” the dark-haired man with a slight Italian accent said. His gaze shifted to Jackson, the same friendly smile on his face. “And what are you doing here so late? Don’t you have a wife at home waiting for you? Or are you here because she’s got a late-night craving?”
    “Dante, this isn’t Clay,” Tara explained quickly, because clearly the guy was referring to Clay’s wife, Samantha. “It’s his twin brother, Jackson. And this is Dante, Angelo’s son,” she said.
    Dante’s brows shot up to his forehead. “Oh, wow . . . ”
    Jackson braced himself for that adverse reaction he was getting used to, like the one he’d just been dealt back at the bar with Hank. But Dante clearly didn’t know the dynamics of the situation that made Jackson an outsider to the Kincaid clan, because he didn’t hesitate to