Page 77 of Delicate Escape

“Is that why you’re smiling like some feral pageant queen right now?” Anson asked, looking genuinely terrified.

“Shut up,” Rhodes snapped, smacking his stomach. “My brother’s happy. My friend’s happy. I’m happy.”

Anson sent Shep a concerned look. “Think you could tone it down? I’m worried her brain might explode from all the happy.”

Rhodes whirled on him, pinching his side. As they bickered playfully, Shep turned to me. “Are you sure about this? They can hang on the back deck, or we can meet them at the bar.”

I shook my head. “I’m done hiding. Not that I won’t be careful, but I’m not making my life small to do it.”

Shep’s amber eyes burned as he dipped his head, his lips hovering just above mine. “Then let’s go live that life.”

Music blaredfrom the speakers on stage as the band dropped into a cover ofFree Fallin’. The dance floor was crowded, and the bar was packed. Usually, this sort of gathering would send me over the edge. But I felt perfectly safe as Shep slid an arm around my shoulders. And I felt likeme.

I used to love going to concerts with Nikki at The Echo, the Silverlake Lounge, or The Greek. I wasn’t a true music connoisseur like she was, but I enjoyed all kinds and the energy of a good crowd. It was just one of the many things I’d lost—one I was taking back.

Just like my eye color. I’d panicked for a moment when I remembered that I had my colored contacts out and then decided I was keeping it that way. I hated wearing the things. They made my eyes scratchy and were annoying to keep up with.

When I came out dressed in my nicest sundress paired with a worn-in pair of pale pink cowboy boots and hair curled in loose waves, Rhodes had grinned at me. “Love seeing your eyes.”

Shep had just stared, his gaze heating as it roamed over me. I swore I could feel it as if he were tracing me with his fingertips. And he’d looked just as good to me, with his hair still damp from a shower and dressed in a fresh white tee, dark jeans, and boots.

And now, I felt the soft cotton of that tee as he bent to my ear. “You want a drink?”

Having a cocktail might be stretching my limits a little too far for one night. “Club soda and lime?”

Shep nodded. “Coming right up.”

“I snagged a table,” Fallon called as she motioned us over.

It was the first time I’d met Rhodes’ foster sister and best friend, but I felt like I already knew her from all the times Rho had talked about her as we worked. She was on the quieter side at first, but as dinner went on, I saw the empathetic kindness Rhodes had described.

“Score,” Rhodes said, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the larger cocktail table surrounded by stools.

I slid onto one next to Fallon. “Did you get a drink?”

She smiled at me. “Kye’s grabbing me one. It’s like he doesn’t trust me not to get kidnapped by a biker from here to the bar.”

My lips twitched. I had noticed that the burly-looking man with more tattoos than I could count was especially protective of Fallon. Their relationship was different somehow. Like he was attuned to her every move.

“Did you get one?” Fallon asked. “I can text Kye to grab you one.”

“Shep’s getting me something.”

The smile on Fallon’s face turned soft. “You make him happy.”

It was such a simple statement, but it had warmth spreading through me. Unfortunately, fresh on its heels came nerves. “It’s new,” I mumbled.

She reached over and gave my hand a quick squeeze. “Doesn’t take a lifetime to see a change in someone. Sometimes, it just takes one honest moment to reach them.”

A burn lit along my throat. “He’s changing me. Making me braver. Helping me reach for things I was scared to reach for before.”

Fallon’s eyes shone in the light of the bar. “I love that.”

A tattooed hand slid a very pink drink in front of Fallon. “I can’t believe you made me order a peach crush.”

Fallon choked on a laugh. “He insists on ordering my drinks? I’m going to make them as girlie as humanly possible.”

“You’re the worst,” Kye grumbled.

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