Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Don’t see nothin’ so funny ‘bout that,” he grumbled, but I noticed how he threaded his fingers through my hair and massaged my scalp lightly. “Just wanted to make sure we were, you know, on the same page.”
“Yes, Falcon. We’re on the same page. I’m not mad that you were stalking me.” I smiled up at him, an invitation I hadn’t really meant to make, but now that I’d offered, I wasn’t backing down.
The relaxed grin on Falcon’s face faded slightly. He held my gaze, looking for something. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, Gina, tell me now.” I swallowed, but my focus fell onto his lips. Mine parted and I sucked in a ragged breath.
“Good.” Slowly, Falcon moved closer to brush his lips with mine. They were warm and firm. Commanding yet not overwhelming or rough. He licked the seam of my lips lightly but didn’t push even when I opened my mouth.
The kiss didn’t last long. Seconds. But when he pulled back to look down at me, I felt like I was high. My head spun and my entire being was focused on where our lips had touched. I whimpered and almost chased him, needing to get his lips back on mine. Falcon’s fingers gently brushing my cheek stopped me.
“Thank you for the kiss, Gina.”
“I liked it.” I ducked my head, embarrassed.
“I didn’t scare you?”
My reflex was to answer with an immediate “no.” But I wanted to be honest with Falcon. While everyone in Grim Road had been good to me, Falcon had gone above and beyond. And I genuinely liked the guy, not to mention that I wasn’t too proud to admit I was sexually attracted to him. I probably shouldn’t be. I was sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with me, but I was attracted to him. Not to anyone else I’d interacted with. Only Falcon.
I stared up at him, my lips still tingling from his kiss. “No.”
He gave me a quizzical look. “You thought about your answer. Are you sure? Last thing I want is for you to ever be scared of me, Gina.”
“That’s why I thought about what you asked. I’m scared of everything. But I’m not scared of you, Falcon. Not at all.”
I thought he might kiss me again -- wanted him to kiss me again -- but I also wasn’t as honest with myself as I tried to be with him. Even though I wanted his kiss again, I was also still emotionally tapped from the nightmare that woke me up initially. Instead, he kissed my forehead and urged me closer to him before putting his arm back on the couch and letting his fingers rest on my shoulder again.
I took a breath. Then another. The longer I sat there with Falcon, the more I relaxed. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d become. Probably because that was my default setting since Hammer had brought me here. Even knowing I was safe, sometimes I just couldn’t get over that feeling of wondering if someone was going to walk through the door of my house and want something from me I wasn’t willing to give. Should I have left after Hammer died a few months ago? Probably. But I was glad I’d stayed. My story wasn’t a pretty happy ever after, but I thought I could be happy. I just needed to get past what had happened and let myself realize that part was over. The people here were good people. I’d just managed to stumble onto a bad apple.
We sat on the couch and neither of us moved. It was like an uneasy truce between us. As long as neither of us moved, everything would be OK. I could pretend Falcon was mine and he could pretend our past had been different. Both fantasies were fiction. It was a depressing thought.
Little by little, I relaxed. I had my head on his shoulder. Occasionally, Falcon would nuzzle my head. We didn’t talk. We didn’t move. We simply watched the movie. Our popcorn sat on the coffee table along with our drinks, untouched. I had the odd thought that I’d wasted the popcorn I’d made earlier, but it was more something that caught my attention and tugged at me, keeping me from dozing off when I started to drift. Not that it helped.
The next thing I remember was being laid carefully in my bed. Someone pulled up the covers and tucked me in. Then I opened my eyes just as Falcon kissed my forehead while he stroked a few stray curls from my face.
“Sleep well, baby. If anyone deserves a good night’s rest, you do.”
“Falcon?” I gazed up at him, my eyes blurry as I tried to keep them open when they were so heavy.
“I’m here, honey. Ain’t goin’ nowhere.” His voice was husky but gentle and soft. He reached out to turn off the bedside lamp and the room was enveloped in darkness.