Page 67 of Falcon

My breath caught. I tried to keep my expression blank. I didn’t want to let on that this may have been my fault. “Did they take anything?”

She ran her fingers over her slicked back hair. “Not that I could tell. Not much to take. The cash I had was gone, but who knows? Could’ve been some asshole who knew I was carted off in an ambulance. I was able to call 911 once I came to, but I passed out again not long after that. When I woke up again, I was at the hospital.”

Falcon took his wallet from his pocket and pulled out some cash.

“I don’t need your money.”

I grabbed the cash and threw it at her. “Goddammit, here. C’mon Falcon.”

Yanking Falcon’s arm didn’t do much to move him, but I tried like hell, anyway. He followed me at his own pace. I stormed off the porch and, when I got to the truck and tugged at the handle, it was locked. I balled my fists, but I didn’t turn. I soon felt his heat behind me as he reached up and opened the door.

“Keep her out of trouble!” my mother shouted from the porch.

I climbed in and buckled my seatbelt. Falcon walked back to the porch. They were talking, but I couldn’t hear anything and I couldn’t see her around his large frame.

After a minute or two, he came back and hopped in the truck. I wasn’t in the middle. Instead, I had buckled in on the passenger side and scooted as close as I could to the door. I was staring at the gravel because she was still standing on the porch and I didn’t want to look at Falcon.

But once he shut the door, he reached over, unbuckled my belt, then grabbed the waist of my jeans and jerked me to the middle.

“Hey!” I squeaked as I slapped at his hand.

He wasn’t bothered at all. Instead, he reached around me and grabbed the buckle for the middle seat, clicking it into place even as I squirmed and batted at him.

“Falcon, stop.”

He gripped my chin hard and turned my face toward him. “You’re not mad at me. You’re just mad. And that’s okay, but you’ll sit here next to me where you belong.” Before I could argue or fight, his lips smashed onto mine. My body betrayed me and went lax in his hold, my mouth seeking out even more of the kiss.

When he finally pulled away, his hazel eyes stared down at me, searching my face for signs of anger or compliance. “It’s not really fair for you to fight dirty,” I said breathlessly.

He grinned then pressed a soft, quick peck to my lips. “That wasn’t dirty. What I’ll do to you later is dirty.”

It really was annoying how easy it was for him to bring my temper down. “Can we go then? Or do you want me to throw a tantrum?”

He started the truck then gripped my thigh with a low growl. “Mmm, a tantrum sounds promising.”

Chapter 40

Daisy

We rode for a few hours and aside from the radio, it was pretty quiet. I had no idea a quick trip to get my IDs replaced would end up being so emotionally draining. As I lay my head on his shoulder, I kept looking down at the blood on the knee of his jeans. And every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mom’s frail figure. She wasn’t a great mom by any means, but she was still mine.

She had been young when she had me, disowned by her own parents because of it, and the sperm donor hadn’t stuck around long. I ran off and became a dancer to take care of myself, but I guess in her own way, she had found a way of taking care of herself, too. I didn’t really know what she did. Maybe some of those men were Johns, or her pimps, because, as hard as I tried to think, I couldn’t recall her ever having a job. And we didn’t have much, but I had food and clothes and a small bedroom in that little house.

Nothing about my childhood or teen years brought a sense of happy nostalgia, but it molded me into who I was. Taught me that I couldn’t depend on anyone but me. And even if I had been through hell, I made it out alive.

But as I leaned into the warmth of Falcon’s body, I questioned everything I thought I knew. Despite how hard I tried to fight it, he took care of me. Even when I didn’t want it. And he did things for me, not just because of me. Like driving two days before he has to drive another two days so that I had my ID. Something I didn’t actually require right this second, but I wanted. He understood it would bring me some kind of comfort, so he made it happen as soon as he could.

And even though seeing my mom probably didn’t go as he expected, he wanted to be sure I didn’t have regrets when we left. But instead of asking me, he just took me. He knew I’d likely have said no.

As much as it would kill me to admit it, I liked having someone take charge. He wasn’t taking control of my life; he was making decisions in my best interest. Falcon was doing what he thought was best for me. He wanted to make me happy but also wanted me to have the least amount of worry.

If I was completely honest with myself, I understood him not wanting me to dance anymore, whether it was for safety or just the idea that he wanted me to be all his. Hell, I felt a tinge of jealousy when a female client was in his chair with certain body parts exposed. But he let me watch, and they were always friendly with me. He was nothing but professional with them, and nothing about it ever seemed sensual. I think the only reason I got jealous was because as possessive he was about me, I felt the same about him, and those hands were mine.

Having someone care for me, not just what I could offer, was so different that it was uncomfortable. That’s it. I was so used to being used, it felt wrong to be loved. Well, I wasn’t certain that was what he felt, but it was probably the closest I’d get.

We finally stopped at a hotel after driving for a while, since it was dark and late. “Where are we?” I asked as I sat up. I must have dozed off because I didn’t recall him getting off the highway.

“Somewhere in Northern Tennessee. Not much longer to go, but you need a good night’s rest and you won’t get that in the truck. I didn’t see much for food, but I’ll see if something delivers here. Be right back.”

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