Page 35 of Fastlander Fallen

Okay, now she was super-intrigued.

“How does everyone know him?”

There were five loaded moments of silence while she looked from face to face, but no one was saying anything. The waitress saved the awkwardness.

“Can I get anyone anything out here?” she asked, hanging halfway in the open door.

The boys got real chatty after that, putting in food orders left and right, and another round of drinks. She was only halfway through her soda so she said she was fine, but Ace asked if she liked hot wings, and who was she to turn down hot wings?

“Um, hell yeah. I should warn you though, you are about to see a different side of me, Ace. You might not be attracted to me after you see me devour wings.”

A slow smile took his lips, and he turned to the waitress and asked, “Can you add extra sauce on them?”

The waitress grinned. “You got it. You want ranch on the side?”

Corey leaned forward so she could see her better. “Extra ranch.”

“Attagirl,” he rumbled. “Can we get a refill on the sodas too?”

“Sure thing. All on the same check?”

“Our check has us two on it, and anything that one and that one want,” he pointed to Hallie and Gunner.

“You got it. I’ll have those right out.”

Ace thanked her, and then turned to Corey and pointed to a speaker up on the corner of the overhang. A song had just started from the band inside, and Corey gave him a wide-eyed, pursed-lip smile. “I love this song.”

“I know it too. They must be doing covers tonight.”

“Corey!” Hallie called from where she was sitting. “Come on, girl!” She stood and shook her little butt, and for a moment, Corey sat there staring at her cousin in awe. Shock and joy warred for her attention.

Only a few months ago, Hallie had been scared for her life—on the run, paranoid—and the life had been drained from her eyes. Now she was dancing in the middle of a bunch of humongous shifters, eyes on her and full of happiness.

She didn’t know why it made her eyes burn a little bit. The old Hallie was coming back, and in a way, Gunner and these people were helping her do that.

Ace was looking at her face with this soft expression in his bright-blue eyes. “Go dance with her,” he said softly.

Something told her he understood. Corey patted his hand, and he flipped it quick, squeezed hers, and as she stood, he held it. She looked down at where they held hands, and her heart was beating so hard against her chest.

How does he look at me?

Like you’re his.

She lifted his hand and pressed it against her cheek before she released it, then made her way over to an empty space under the speaker that Hallie was dancing toward.

She didn’t know why she’d pulled his hand to her cheek. She couldn’t explain it. She didn’t hate that he looked at her like that.

Ace was so fun, so self-assured and confident. Dangerous, sure, but he seemed in control of that side of himself. There was something so sexy about being dangerous but in control of it.

She dared a glance back at him. He was sitting on the bench—elbows on his knees, hands clasped, face turned toward her, eyes on her. From here she could see the flames of the fire reflecting in the blue. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

She turned and held up her hands like she was taking a picture, eye winked, smile painted on her lips.

He chuckled and hung his head, then looked back at her and twitched his chin toward Hallie. Go have fun, he seemed to say.

She was. She was having fun.

This was her new favorite memory of Rat Nest. Her holding hands up in the air with Hallie, laughing and shimmying, when they were grown, after everything they had been through. No care for the eyes on them, no care for anything in this world but this moment as they sang off-key to the song they’d danced to when they were carefree kids running around these mountains, back when life had made sense.

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