That next step was about to send her falling over an exposed tree root.
I moved as fast as I could. Leaned in and swooped my arm behind her back, catching her.
“No falling for me.”Shit.
She stared up at me, eyes going wide.
“No more knocks to the head, I mean.” I did my best to backtrack out of that mess as fast as possible, knowing damn well I’d meant what I’d actually said.
There’d be no falling of any kind.
On the ground.
Or over any cliffs now nicknamed Where Old Souls Go to Die.
And sure as hell no falling in love.
Chapter Seven
Alejandro
I’d done my best to avoid Audrey the rest of the afternoon and stay mission focused, but I had no choice but to face her at the dinner table that night. I also couldn’t turn down Eden’s home cooking, even if the meal was served with a few too many questions from her boyfriend, Beau.
“How long have you two been dating?” I needed to turn the tables on the sheriff before he wound up knowing everything from my Social Security number to my dick measurements.
“When did we meet? Four months ago, when my car broke down. All that swagger rolling up to help me.” Eden’s laugh was contagious enough for Chase to pick it up too.
Only he ran in a different direction from what she’d probably intended, poking fun at her. Something about lovebirds and trees. Kissing, maybe?
I lost track of his teasing because Audrey was staring at me from across the table, and I couldn’tnotstare right back at her.
And now I was struggling not to think about her naked. Perfect time for that memory to hit me, with her ex-husband at my right and her son off to my left.
“So, um, my slightly rude boyfriend has asked you just about everything,” Eden began while playfully elbowing the sheriff, clearly looking for a distraction from Chase’s teasing, “except for where you grew up.”
“I’m more of a show-than-tell kind of guy.” I set down my fork so I’d stop stuffing myself with her good food, and went for the deck of cards I kept on hand like a security blanket, thanks to my father.
At the sight, Chase abandoned his silverware and the lonely green beans still on his plate.
“Nope, if you want to see a card trick, you have to finish your vegetables.” Cards removed from the box, I began shuffling them, unable to miss the smile parked on Audrey’s lips.
She pointed at Chase’s plate. “You heard the man. Do what he says.”
“Let me guess,” Beau began while patting his mouth with his napkin before leaning back and hooking his arm over the back of Eden’s chair, “your cards are a clue to where you grew up?”
“I have to say, I’m disappointed you didn’t run a background check on me. You should already know that.” I looked down at Chase. “Don’t you think?”
Around a mouthful of green beans, he mumbled, “Mm-hmm.”
I lifted my eyes to his beautiful mother, momentarily forgetting his father was on my other side.
“Vegas?” Eden guessed as I bridged the cards, shuffling them some more. “Magician?”
“Magician’s son. I grew up backstage.” I continued doing a few easy tricks that only involved shuffling while waiting for Chase to finish up. “My parents left Cuba in the early ’80s so my dad could follow his dreams. He landed his own headline act while my mom was pregnant.”
Audrey set her napkin on her plate. “How’d that never come up when we hung out before?”
“You didn’t ask.” I grinned, then side-eyed Trevor, feeling the full weight of his scrutiny now.Fucking fantastic.
