Page 38 of Follow Me Down

“Something about me being beautiful and some bullshit about him not being a good guy. Someone needs to give him lessons about letting a girl down easy because he’s shit at it.”

“Wow.” Link chuckles lightly to himself.

“Wow what?” I snip, annoyed that he thinks this is a laughing matter. I’m mortified, damn it. I need him to reassure me I don’t have a reason to be, not make it worse by finding humor in it.

“I think maybe you should talk to Titus.”

“Talk to him? I can barely look at him now.”

“If you think he didn’t kiss you because he didn’t want to, then you’re as blind as you are pretty.” He taps his finger on the tip of my nose as he stands.

“What?” I glance up at him, not trying to hide my confusion.

“I’m just saying, Titus is, well, complicated.” He nudges my foot with his. “My advice, just talk to him.”

“No offense, but your advice sucks,” I grunt, crossing my arms in front of myself.

“Good to know.” He drops his head back and lets out a full, hearty laugh. “But if you’re planning on staying here for a while longer, and I really hope you are, then maybe it’s better to clear the air now instead of letting this turn into a bigger issue than it needs to be. Now come on, puppet.” He extends a hand to me. “It’s getting late. Maybe we should head up to the house and figure out something for dinner.”

“Dinner?” I take his hand and allow him to pull me to my feet, thinking about all that he’s said. “What time is it?”

“After six.” He loops his arm through mine.

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late.” I match his stride as we head back up the worn-down path that leads out of the woods.

Having not ventured too far into the heavily wooded area, it doesn’t take us long to reach the clearing where the trees open up into the back of the property. The back yard is really quite small considering the massive amount of land that surrounds it. It’s like someone came in and cleared out just enough trees to drop the cabin and shop smack dab in the middle of the woods.

It's honestly the most peaceful place I’ve ever been. Nothing compared to the house I grew up in, which was surrounded by other houses, or the Governor’s mansion for that matter, which we moved into when my father took office five years ago.

It’s strange, living somewhere that isn’t your home. Funny how I seem to find myself in that exact situation right now. Occupying a house that doesn’t belong to me. A visitor. An outsider. Someone who doesn’t quite belong. Seems to be the running theme of my life.

Link and I round the side of the shop right as the door swings open and Titus comes walking out. His steps falter when he spots us and I don’t miss the way his gaze momentarily drops to where I’m holding Link’s arm.

“Where the hell have you two been?” He turns, pulling open the second door of the building before making his way back inside.

“Went for a walk.” Link releases my arm and crosses to the open doorway. “You finish it?” he asks, stepping to the side when Titus reappears, pushing a sporty blue motorcycle with black trim. Kawasaki is printed along the side in bold lettering.

“How’s it look?” He keeps his attention focused on Link.

“Really fucking good, man. How’s it run?”

“We’re about to find out.”

“So then you’re going to let me take it for a spin?” Link bounces up on the balls of his feet like an excited little kid.

“Not a chance. I did all the work.” Link’s shoulders instantly sag as Titus’ gaze swings to mine. “What do you say, Fallon. You wanna go on a test drive with me?”

I go board stiff, a little taken aback by his invitation.

“What?” Link objects. “That’s not fair.” He huffs like he’s actually upset, but the smile he throws my way says otherwise.

“How many times in your life are you going to get the chance to ride a motorcycle like this one?” Titus ignores Link completely.

“Probably next to never,” I choke out after remembering how to speak.

“Exactly.” He pops down the kickstand and heads back into the shop.

“I knew that wouldn’t last long,” Link mutters under his breath so only I can hear him.

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