Page 21 of Fastlander Fallen

“A little,” she admitted.

He leaned over and took the bite from her, popped it in his mouth, and then told her, “You need to go talk to your cousin. Do it before the last round.”

“I don’t know if I want to be in a Crew,” she answered honestly.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m good. My life is set up and solid. I have a good job, I have Hallie, and I have my routine.”

“I get that. I was doing good on my own too.”

“Then why are you here?”

The smile faded from his lips. He stole his gaze away from her, looked at the bag of groceries, and rested his elbows on his knees. “It’s just time for a change.”

“If I was a shifter, would I hear the lie in your voice?” she asked, calling him out.

He was quiet for a few seconds, and then cast her a sideways glance. His eyes were darker now. “I’m here because my dad asked me to go for a Crew. I’m keeping a promise.”

“Oh.” She could tell by the sadness in his eyes that there was something bigger to that explanation, but for some reason, she was scared to dig deeper with him. Keeping it light and fun seemed natural, and she already liked him too much. Depth would make her fall too fast and make a fool of herself.

She offered them both an out. “I’m going to go talk to Gunner and Hallie and hear their pitch now.”

He nodded. “I’ll clean up the picnic.”

An instant grin confiscated her face as she looked around at their food. This was a makeshift picnic. She hadn’t done one of those in years, and never with a man.

“Mmm, time-out! Freeze.” She pulled up her phone and took a picture of him leaning over, midway through cleaning the mess they’d made. He had a questioning look on his face. Hot.

“Wait, are you taking a picture?”

“Yep. And don’t give me that, ‘I’m so shy and I don’t want people to see me without my shirt on,’” she murmured as she texted him the picture, and the video she’d taken of him while he was chopping wood. “These are perfect for your online dating profiles. I know how to make slideshows if you need one.”

“My online what?” he asked. It was cute how confused he looked, but she called bullpoop.

“Boy, there is no way you aren’t all over the internet, you are too fine. Stop playing.”

He frowned at the picture she’d sent him on his phone. “I don’t know how I feel about pictures of myself.”

“Would you like to flex? I can get a better angle.”

He huffed a laugh. “Woman, I don’t care about how I look. I don’t know about having…proof…I…”

“You what?”

He chewed the corner of his lip. “Proof I exist.”

She didn’t go speechless often, but that definitely left her without words.

They stayed like that, staring at each other, for five or six loaded seconds.

“Are you on the run?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“From police?”

“No.”

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