Last night was reckless, sure, but it was also more. So much more than I was ready to deal with, especially when mybody still buzzed from the half a dozen orgasms he’d give me. A smile touched my lips as I thought of those orgasms, hot and sweaty. Wildly out of control.
I shifted, squirming beneath his arm but Falcon’s grip only tightened. Even half asleep, Falcon was possessive as hell.
For a minute I closed my eyes and let myself sink into it, the warmth, the way his chest rose and fell against my back, the steady beat of his heart where it pressed against my spine. It felt safe, dangerously so, like no one in the world could touch me. But safety was an illusion.
A fact I knew all too well.
Slowly I peeled myself out from under his arm and made my way to the bathroom, locking what passed for a lock in the cheap motel. I splashed water on my face and braced my palms on the sink, staring at the woman in the mirror. At the dark smudges under my eyes, messy hair from Falcon’s big, capable hands, lips swollen from his punishing kisses. I looked like someone who’d spent all night getting thoroughly fucked.
And a big part of me wanted to dive right back into bed and do it all over again.
When I walked out of the bathroom, Falcon was awake. He sat on the edge of the bed with the phone pinched to his ear, his back to me as he listened to whoever had called before the sun rose. “No,” he growled. “We’re not moving.” His body stiffened at whatever the other person said. “Yeah well, he’s doing his fucking job. We lay low, that’s the smart move.”
My arms instinctively wrapped around me, as if my subconscious knew I needed comforting.
“Yeah, fine. I’ll call you back.” He stabbed the screen harder than he needed to end the call and tossed the phone on the bed behind me.
“I guess everything isn’t okay?”
Falcon took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to me. His eyes met mine for a flash of a moment before they trekked down my body, growing darker with the heat of desire. “You could say that.”
My body responded to his appraisal, but I shoved it down, ignoring my nudity to get the details I knew he wouldn’t give freely. “Well? Is it top secret biker news?”
His lips twitched. “That shit show that you snuck out of last night? Somebody fucking swatted the MC.”
I froze. Swatting. The words sank like lead in my gut. “Swatted? As in…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“Yeah, someone called in a fake as fuck threat to get the cops to swarm the place.” His hands fisted in the bedspread as if that one act alone could tamp down his anger. “If not for the fact that we have a good relationship with Sheriff Cross, last night could’ve been bad, Viv. Really fucking bad.” His jaw flexed so hard I thought he’d crack a tooth. “TJ was there.”
My stomach twisted at the unspokenwhat ifsthat swam in his eyes. He was here because I ran away instead of there with TJ where he belonged. “Everyone is okay, though?”
He nodded. “Yeah, the assholes—probably the fuckin’ Russians—called in saying that a woman was being held against her will. They knew that would make the law come down heavy, probably banking on a few shots being fired.”
The gravity of what he wasn’t saying hung heavy in the air. “They couldn’t have known about your relationship with the Sheriff.”
“Exactly,” he growled. “They were stirring up shit, trying to keep us off-balance.” Falcon did a terrible job of keeping his anger in check.
This is my fault.
Not because I ran away, but because I showed up. Because I wasstillhere in Steel City. It wasn’t just James and the Russians I had to worry about anymore. I’d pulled Falcon and his MC into this mess, and instead of keeping our son safe, he was in more danger than ever. “You have to go back,” I said, my voice a mixture of urgency and panic. “TJ needs you. He’s probably terrified and confused.”
He barked out a bitter, humorless laugh. “TJ is with Diesel’s family, safer than any kid in this county. Meanwhile my place is here with you.”
“No.” I shook my head and backed up a step. “Your place is with TJ. That’s the whole reason I brought him here, so he would be safe.With his father!”
“Somebody has to look after you. Clearly.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “TJ is your son and I’m just the mistake you keep making.”
His gaze flattened and he held up a finger. “Don’t do that, Viv.”
“Do what,” I asked. “Tell the truth?” My voice cracked and the words felt like bile in my throat. “This, us hiding in a cheap motel room while the world burns around us, it’s the samegoddamn bubble we lived in three years ago. Remember that?” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Pretending we could stay shut away forever and that no one could touch us?”
“Yeah and no one did touch us. Don’t forget that part.” His voice echoed on the walls. “It was good, Viv.”
“No,” I shook my head. “It was great. The best two weeks of my life, at least until reality interrupted and I lost my career and my life in one fell swoop.” My shoulders shook but I refused to let that damn sob escape. “I’m not blaming you, but this,” I motioned to the space between us. “This thing between us, no matter how incredible, is distracting you from TJ.”
“I disagree.” He stood and took a step forward. “You can’t be out here all alone.”
