Page 27 of Real Shadows
“Point taken,” I agreed. “But I still would like to tell you something without you freaking out.”
Fallon stopped laughing, but her smile was still in place. “Okay, Raynes, hit me with it.”
I leaned in so that the entire eatery couldn’t listen in on what I was sure to be one of me least finest moments. Charm and suaveness were absent at this dinner table. “I know you’ve got a lot going on, and I know sex is probably the furthest thing from your mind, but I want you in my bed, Fallon. I’ve wanted you in my bed for a while now.” The smile slid off her face and I knew I fucked up.
“Uh…”
“I don’t need you to start ripping your clothes off or anything, but…but I wanted to know if the attraction is one-sided.” Here goes nothing. “Do you want me, Fallon?”
She didn’t answer right away, and I was hit with the unwelcoming sensation that she was probably going to rush home and start packing. But instead, she surprised me by saying, “I probably shouldn’t.”
That wasn’t a no.
Chapter 17
The Past~
Inever expected her to leave California.
I expected her to move like she always did, but I never expected her to move damn near across the country.
Brant, North Dakota.
Brant, North Dakota, where Karla Dallas was now Karla Graig. Where Fallon Reese has fled to and was now living with a man who had no right to be anywhere near her.
Fallon Reese was mine.
She has always been mine.
She was always meant to be mine.
When her name flagged in Indiana and then North Dakota, I knew this wasn’t like all the other times. Something changed and I had a feeling the man who was opening the truck door for her was the reason for the change. Not knowing how long they’d be gone, I hadn’t had time to find out.
I watched, nestled in the darkness, as they came back from their date, and he got out, walked around, and then helped her out of the truck. I watched as he placed his hand on the small of her back and I noticed how she didn’t flinch or shy away from his touch.
I didn’t know how long she’s been living with him, but I knew the second I got into town that she was staying with him. She had a job, a car, and a bank account on record, but no apartment or house. After staking out the Graigs’ residence and seeing no signs of Fallon, I had laid low until I found her walking out of a salon one day and I followed her to some guy’s house. That guy turned out to be one Xander Raynes.
Xander Raynes.
He’s the first man who’s intruded on what I had with Fallon. While Fallon has always run many times, she’s always run alone. She lived alone and did nothing but wait for my next move. But now, she was living with another man and letting him touch her.
Did he know about me?
Did he know about me, or was she here trying to make a fresh start? Was she here pretending that I no longer existed? Was she here trying to pretend that I wouldn’t follow her? Did she really believe she would end up with anyone other than me?
I’ve been in love with her my whole life. I’ve been following her, giving her time for the past six years. Did she really believe I’d let another man come in and take the only thing that mattered to me?
I might have had to share her body, but everything else was mine. I had to let him know that. I had to letherknow that.
I watched as Xander unlocked the front door to his house and guided Fallon inside and the need to run in there and claim her as mine was stronger than it’s ever been.
She. Was. Mine.
Fallon Reese was mine, and right now, she was probably in that house letting Xander Raynes touch her. Kiss her. Move inside her.
My hands were white-knuckled and the quiet was being invaded with static and chaos. I stuck my right hand in my pocket and circled my fist around the little ceramic rabbit that was always with me. The rabbit that was our connection.
Another thing that we had in common besides that wretched foster home.
