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His eyes search mine, a hand lifting up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Not really.”
“Okay,” I whisper. Glancing over my shoulder, I see the girls standing behind the counter, watching the two of us. I roll my eyes as they all give me surreptitious thumbs-ups and try to wave me out the door.
Subtle. Real subtle.
The door to the café opens, revealing Reg and Tex.
“So, this is it, huh?” Tex says, thumbs hooked into his belt loops, eyes scanning the space. “Blondie’s domain.”
Behind them, Emma and Carla glance around curiously. Tom and David, the Brits, aren’t far behind. Within moments, the Four Cups Café is filled with contestants, and I find myself pushing tables together so we can all sit with each other. Fallon, as usual, slings his arm around the back of my chair.
Nora, Candice, Fiona, and Simone come join us, and pretty soon the coffee shop is abuzz with conversation and laughter. When I lean into Fallon with a smile on my face, I catch him staring down at me.
“What?” I ask.
He keeps staring for a few long moments, as if he’s trying to drink in the sight of me. “Nothing,” he finally answers. “I just like looking at you.”
Warmth snakes through my core, a blush sweeping over my cheeks. His hand moves from the chair to my shoulder, his thumb making slow circles over the nape of my neck. Shivers tumble through my veins at the gentle touch, and I know the girls are right.
It’s time for me to break the seal. If I don’t have sex with Fallon, I think I’m going to die.
CHAPTER 17
Fallon
After a tense morning with Nora—where we discussed her plans, how to keep her safe, and what to do about Slim—being close to Jen is a balm on my soul. She gives me those secret smiles and subtle touches, and it feels like a gift. She’s giving me her attention, and I’m the luckiest man in the world.
So, when she tells me she’s going to head back to the compound for an early dinner and a quiet evening to prepare for our challenge tomorrow, I stand up to follow.
As if there’s anywhere else I’d rather be.
We took separate cars, so I follow Jen back to the competition grounds in my black Jeep, the windows rolled down so I can feel a breeze on my skin. I reflect on my morning.
When I got to Jen’s apartment, Nora greeted me with a smile that looked brighter than it did when she first arrived. She agreed to go for a drive with me, and we ended up winding along a coastal road until we got to a windswept beach. Toes in the sand, Nora told me about Slim’s first visit to her house.
“He showed up at eleven o’clock at night,” she said, “and only left when I threatened to call the police. Slim said all he wanted was a conversation with you.”
We looked out at the crashing waves for a few moments until I broke the silence. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop,” Nora told me. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened twenty-five years ago, Fallon.”
“No? Who should I blame?”
“Come on.” My sister snorted, eyes on the horizon. “It wasn’t even your fault you went to prison. You had nothing to do with the robbery.”
“The prosecutor disagreed.”
“The prosecutor was an asshole who just wanted a conviction. He took advantage of you, made you plead guilty to something you didn’t do.”
I chewed my lip, dropping the subject. “What else did Slim say?”
Nora went over the other two times my ex-best-friend came to her house—and the calls she started getting on her phone—and my anger grew. How dare he show up at my sister’s house? Threaten her? Scare her?
I left that life behind. The past should’ve stayed in the past.
Staring at the crashing waves, all I felt was bitterness. “I haven’t spoken to Slim in years. Why now?”
Nora just sighed. “I don’t know, Fallon.”
