On a whim, I take the long way home. There’s a McDonald’s in South Ridge, and I figure I’ll surprise Noah with a Happy Meal when he wakes up.
Also, I need a little time.
To drive. To breathe. To process.
I’m talking about the flirting.Because that was flirting, right?
I have never been able to flirt on purpose.
Xaden’s mastered the winks, the lazy smiles, the smoldering looks and having the kind of biceps I’d like to… bite.
Me? I’ve never been smooth.
Xaden could flirt the church ladies out of their favorite pews if he wanted, but when I try, I sound like I’ve just experienced physical contact for the first time since birth. And God help me; my brain always serves up the worst possible things to say. Like, I could totally see myself blurting the bicep-biting thing. Or admitting how I once thought I’d like to taste his back.
So yeah. My flirting is basically a 911 call of awkwardness.
Something about today felt different, though. Maybe because I was angry. Maybe because I was tired of hiding. Who knows. Who cares. Because whatever that was — it worked.Xaden liked it. I mean, really liked it. I could tell. I’m blushing just thinking about his reaction.
Was it smart? Flirting with him after telling him he can’t be in my life? Uh, no. Just like it wasn’t smart to singSex on Firewith my eyes glued to him, making the whole damn song about us.
About this pull we’ve never been able to fight.
I exhale, braking at the drive-thru, and roll down my window. The smell of fries drifts in through the window, but my appetite vanishes. Because I seethem— Xaden’s prison buddies, JJ and Ronnie.
They’re standing near the parking lot, leering like they invented the Big Mac.
Talking to Sheriff Willard.
Not arguing. Not being arrested.Talking. Laughing.Likeold friends.
My fingers tighten on the wheel. I sink down slightly, willing the car to blend into the shadows.
What the hell is our sheriff doing with them?
By the time the food comes, I’ve run through three worst-case scenarios and swallowed my panic twice. I drive away fast, hoping they didn’t notice me.
My heart’s still racing. Does Xaden know?
XADEN
The town square is buzzing, louder and heavier than usual. The air is sticky with maple-glazed donuts, iced drinks, and nostalgia.
It’s Baywood’s annual Summer Sip & Stroll, which means half the town is parading around sipping overpriced beverages while swapping gossip like currency.
I’m here because Keller wants me watching. He’s been circling some theories about Willard; little details he wants me to catch in the wild.
I cut across the square, weaving through the slow-moving crowd. That’s when I spot James Lexington III walking beside the guy from Savage Amen. They’re strolling down the street, looking very smug, arms brushing and heads bent close.
Lexington looks half-scandalized, half… lustful.
Morales looks half-lustful, half… nope, it’s lust all the way.
None of my business.But also, funny. I wish I could tell Cole.
I turn toward Baywood Beans, needing a word with the Bloom sisters. A few days ago, I watched Willard stroll in, help himself to coffee and a donut, tip his hat like he owned the place, and then walkout without paying. No tab. No greeting.
Dorothy and Delilah didn’t even blink. But they didn’t look happy, either.
