Page 109 of Catch and Release

“Will do,” he responded, grabbing a bite of his own.

The cake was gone before they knew it, and the sun had set behind the Bay. Willa was full and sleepy, but mostly content, as she wandered over to Shawn’s side of the table and sat in his lap, cuddling close to him.

“This was the perfect first date,” she whispered into his ear. “Thank you.”

He tipped his head down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. “Only for you.”

Shawn was on cloud nine.

Their date couldn’t have gone any better. The day he’d spent prepping it was entirely worth it.

Anything for Willa was entirely worth it.

She rested her head against his shoulder, her fingers gently twiddling with his right hand. His left was on the steering wheel as he drove them home, ready to take her inside to bed. He didn’t care if they had sex. They were both probably too full for that, anyway. He just knew he wanted to wake up next to her again.

As he pulled into her driveway, he gave her a quick kiss on the head and whispered, “We’re here.”

She sat up and grabbed his cheeks between her hands. “Come inside?”

“Of course.”

She kissed him, gently, slowly. He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening her door and helping her out. She leaned into him as he led her toward the house, and Shawn never thought he’d been so happy, never thought he’d find a girl like Willa, never thought she’d?—

“Willa?” a deep, piercing voice came out from the front porch.

Willa stiffened, and Shawn looked up to where a man in a suit stood, arms crossed, a frown on his face. He glanced back at Willa. Her face was pale, and she clutched Shawn’s arm so hard he could see the whites of her knuckles.

“Leo?” she asked, breathless.

30

“Leo?” Shawn heard himself ask.

He shoved his sleeves up his forearms and started walking toward him, his vision red with rage.

“Shawn, wait!” Willa suddenly stood in front of him, both hands against his chest. “Don’t.”

She looked panicked.

Panicked for this fucker?

“Please,” she whispered. “He’s not worth it.”

Her eyes were wide with worry.

He searched her face, for something—anything—to tell him what the fuck was going on in her head. All he saw was a desperate plea for him to stop.

She could ask him to walk over a pile of coals and he’d do it.

So he nodded at her and stepped back.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

It hurt—that she was protecting the idiot who broke her heart.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Leo?” Willa asked.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t protecting him. Shawn was getting whiplash. What was going on in her head?

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