Page 17 of Real Shadows
“Quit fucking calling me that!” I snapped without any right to. I knew I was in the wrong here. I knew that. But I also knew Ihatedthe way she called me by my last name.
Fallon stepped towards me, so we were face-to-chest, and she glared up at me. “Fine,” she spewed. “Is this better? Fuck off,Xander.”
I groaned. I knew she was going to be pissed and, therefore, difficult, but I would think someone this desperate would hear me out, at least. “Fallon-”
Then she surprised me when she asked, “Why don’t you believe me?”
I looked into those pissed off blue eyes of hers and couldn’t find it in me to lie to her. I probably should since I was trying to get into her good graces, but I just couldn’t. “Because I can’t understand why someone who is obsessed with you wouldn’t have already made a move,” I told her honestly. “You’ve got to be one of the hottest women I have ever seen. There’s no way I’d be able to stay away if it were me. And that’s why I’m struggling to believe you.”
Chapter 11
Fallon~
Holy.
Shit.
Out of all the things I expected Xander Raynes to say, that sure as hell wasn’t one of them.
Suddenly, the motel room felt stifling. It felt smaller and…inappropriate.Ifelt smaller and inappropriate. I was being tormented by a madman, and I was, literally, on the run for my life, but all I could seem to think about in this moment was how a man as good-looking, albeit an asshole, as Xander Raynes was standing in my motel room telling me I was one of the hottest women he’s ever seen. And that, if he was my stalker, he wouldn’t have the self-control to stay away from me.
I could admit that my dry spell was more like a two-year drought, but was I so desperate for human contact that a jerk like Xander Raynes was looking good right now?
I shook my head and snapped myself out of those dangerous and useless thoughts. Even if I wanted a one-night stand with a man, I didn’t want it to be with one who thought I was crazy, or worse, an attention seeking whore.
Jesus. Get a grip, Fallon.
“That’s your reasoning?” I replied, trying to aloofness.
He lifted his chin and it was a shame he was such a good-looking sonofabitch. In another life, I might have liked this man. “I can’t imagine any man who could stay away for that many years without just taking you, Fallon,” he repeated, but this time his voice carried a heat it hadn’t before, and I knew Xander Raynes was a bad fucking idea.
Ignoring all my firing lady bits, I forced my mind to get back to the subject at hand. While the beers and tequila shots hadn’t solved all my problems, they did help me come to terms with a decision that was long overdue.
“Well, I no longer need your help, Mr. Ra-Xander,” I replied. This was truly none of his business, but the sooner I told him about my come-to-Jesus moment, the quicker he could leave. He was here out of guilt and as soon as he found out he had nothing to be guilty about, he could move on with his life. “I’ve decided to stay. However, I decided to…do it in the open and face whatever awaits me.” His back straightened and his nostrils flared like I just pissed him off, but my life wasn’t his business or his responsibility.
He was quiet for a few seconds before finally saying, “Maybe a decision like this shouldn’t be made after beers and shots.” He sounded so condescending, I was back to wanting to punch him in the face.
“Quite frankly, my decision, however it was made, is none of your business,” I told him, stressing that, yet again, my life was none of his business. “If he comes for me, then he comes for me. But at least, this way, I have Karla in my corner.”
He looked like he wanted to argue the point, but instead he just gave me tight nod. “I’m really sorry I judged you the way I did,” he said, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that.
I had bigger issues to deal with besides what Xander Raynes thought of me. Sure, it’d be nice if we could get along for Karla and Trevor’s sake, but I hadn’t really planned on spending that much time with Karla and Trevor to begin with. As much as Karlawasin my corner, I wanted to spare her from my drama as much as possible. I figured with getting a job and getting settled in, a once a week lunch or something like that would be good enough to still be friends but not put her in any harm’s way. With the deliberate distance, the odds of running into Xander were slim to none.
I shrugged a shoulder as casually as I could. “Don’t worry about it,” I told him. “Now that I’m going in a different direction, what happened earlier doesn’t even matter.” I stared into those bright amber eyes of his. “Your opinion of me doesn’t matter. It never did.”
Then he surprised the hell out of me by saying, “Well, your opinion of me matters, Fallon.”
I glanced around the motel room and took inventory of my life before I looked back at him. “No, it doesn’t,” I corrected. “Karla and Trevor’s opinions of you matter, and I can understand that. However, this is where we part ways, Xander.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I put my hand up to stop him. “Even if you are genuinely sorry, I have enough problems in my life without inviting someone who I don’t trust into it. And, make no mistake, Xander, I don’t trust you.”
He dropped his head and ran his hands through his chocolate-colored hair, swearing a string worthy of a sailor before looking back at me. “Just let me fucking explain,” he growled.
I didn’t want him to explain. I wanted him gone. I didn’t need to be attracted to someone who thought so little of me and was so quick to judge. Hell, maybe I was judging him quickly and unfairly too, but I wasn’t cruel about it. And, unfortunately, I was finding myself attracted to Xander Raynes. And the longer he stood in my motel room, the more likely that I’d end up making a grave mistake where he was concerned.
“I need you to please leave, Xander,” I said, betraying nothing.
Xander shook his head in defeat, but then walked over to the nightstand, and I stood at the door as I watched him write something down on the complimentary notepad by the lamp. He ripped the page off and walked over to hand it to me. I grabbed it and saw that it was a phone number.
“That’s my number,” he said. “If you’ve decided to meet this situation head-on, I imagine you’re probably going to get a real phone. That’s my number if you need m-anything.”
