Page 36 of Falling Fast

At the time she’d been dumbfounded. In the cold light of day, however, she could understand why he’d left. When he’d told her he played for keeps, he hadn’t been kidding.

After he’d pushed his way into her apartment and started kissing her last night, she’d mistakenly thought he’d finally relaxed his stance on the issue. Wrong.

What are you so afraid of?She’d been thinking a lot about that too.

She cared about him. No, more than that. She was falling for him. It complicated things, made her question whether a fling would satisfy her now. And dammit, even though she didn’t feel quite as dead set on keeping things casual with him at this point, she bristled at his attitude, the whole my way or the highway thing.

“He will,” Taylor argued with a sly smile. “And it’s gonna be awesome. I kinda wish I could be there to see his expression.”

“I’ll take a picture for you,” she joked. Taylor knew she and Jamie were attracted to each other, knew what had happened back in April and in September, but didn’t know anything about last night.

Though Charlie was dying to talk to her about it, it just felt wrong to say anything. What she’d shared with Jamie was private, and as far as she was concerned, far from over. That didn’t mean she was ready to concede the field and commit to something long term, however.

Once this op was over, she wanted to talk about their relationship moving forward—assuming they would even have one. If he wanted long term as in getting married and having a family, though, they had a problem. She wasn’t ready for any of that. Might never be ready for it.

Standing in front of the long cheval mirror, Charlie turned this way and that, looking at her reflection from different angles. The dress was gorgeous and she was sorely tempted to buy it, even if it was obscenely expensive, but…

“Don’t you dare put this one back,” Taylor warned her. “Who cares what it costs? It’s not really your money anyway, so might as well go for it.”

True. There was some kind of poetic justice to splurging on something extravagant for herself on Baker’s dime, since the DEA was letting her use the money he’d paid her yesterday. “I really like it.”

“Well yeah, look at it on you.” Taylor snorted and shook her head. “I’d kill for curves like those.”

Charlie grinned at her. “This is why I brought you along. You’re good for my ego.”

“Sure, and that’s theonlyreason you asked me to come.” Her eyes brimmed with laughter.

Well, there was the added bonus that if any of Baker’s people were watching her, this whole scenario fit. What was suspicious about two girlfriends shopping together on a Saturday morning, especially when Baker was aware that she needed to buy a dress?

Taylor—who was running under a fake identity for this op as well—hadn’t noticed anyone tailing them though, but it was impossible to know for sure given how crowded Manhattan was. “Okay, sold. I’m getting it.”

“Yay!” Taylor stood and hitched the strap of her purse up higher on her shoulder. “Now we need shoes, then lunch, in that order. Let’s go. We’re on a tight timeline here.” She gestured impatiently for Charlie to scurry back into the fitting room.

Killer cocktail dress acquired, they strolled down the busy street lined with high-end shops in search of shoes. Charlie decided on a bright purple pair with crystals along the open toes, and then they went to find someplace to eat.

“So you never said, but how did your dinner date go last night?” she asked Taylor when they were seated at a booth in the upscale restaurant they’d chosen for lunch. Again, paid for by Baker, which would make the food even more delicious.

Taylor made a face and picked up her menu. “You owe me. That’s all I’m gonna say.”

Charlie bit back a grin. She was glad to be able to spend some time with Taylor this way. It helped quell the worst of her nerves and took her mind off tonight and what could happen with Baker, which she didn’t want to think about any more. “Didn’t go well? No second date?” she teased.

“No. Even if he was my type—and he’s not even remotely in the right ballpark of my type—I’m not his either. Pretty sure he thought I was a complete, awkward dork by the time we got out of there.”

Oh. “Awkward?”

Taylor met her gaze from over top of the menu and shot her a sardonic, heavy-lidded look. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Charlie winced. Her introverted and highly private friend hardly ever went on dates, so being forced to go out with one of Jamie’s teammates last minute yesterday to watch her and Jamie’s back must have been uncomfortable for her.

Though Charlie had met Logan a few times since the initial team meeting at the start of this op, and liked him. He was the newest member of FAST Bravo and had a sarcastic sense of humor that Charlie got a kick out of.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

Taylor shrugged and went back to perusing her menu. “It’s okay, couldn’t be helped.”

Her friend had never confided in her about her past, but given how rarely Taylor ever dated, Charlie had a gut feeling that something bad had happened to her. Although Taylor was quiet, she was friendly enough, except around men she didn’t know. Then she was stiff and clammed right up. Maybe in time she’d feel comfortable enough to tell Charlie what had happened.

“If it’s any consolation, my dinner didn’t go so well either. It was so uncomfortable, the way the guy kept ignoring Jamie,” she said, feeling comfortable talking about this because the restaurant was so noisy.

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