Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“No. None of that was your fault. None of it.”
“No. I know it wasn’t. But it wasn’t yours either.”
He smiled. “You’re a remarkable woman, Gina. I’ll be proud to have you on the back of my bike.”
For some reason, I felt a smile tug at my lips. Maybe I was deluding myself. Maybe he’d change his mind when he got Joilyn back -- and I knew he’d get her back. Falcon didn’t have “quit” in him when it came to something like this. So, maybe he would decide to go back to her. Until he did, though, I was going to pretend he meant what he’d just said. I’d worry about the aftermath later. For now, I was going to enjoy being with the only man I’d ever be able to love in any kind of meaningful way. I was going to take whatever he chose to give me and live in the moment. Tomorrow would work itself out. I’d deal with whatever happened when it happened because I refused to waste energy on borrowed trouble. Life was too fucking short.
Chapter Five
Falcon
I felt like the next two days were leading up to my execution. I knew whatever happened in the following days would change my life forever but I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. So I refused to think about it. Instead, I spent every waking moment either pestering Scout, the ExFil team leader who’d contacted me and Rattler, or with Gina.
Right now, Gina and I were in her backyard. We lay on fucking pool lounge chairs. The sun filtered through the trees providing the perfect amount of light and warmth. I’d grilled hotdogs because I couldn’t cook anything but omelets for shit, and opened a can of pork and beans for lunch. It was the first time we’d done anything like this, and I was already mentally kicking my own ass for not coaxing her out sooner.
Gina had a genuine smile on her face as she ate nearly burnt hotdogs and sopped up the bean juice with her hotdog bun. She chatted lightly about any topic I distracted her with. I did not mention my imminent departure. Or Joilyn.
“If I’d known you were this great at grilling hotdogs, I’d have invited you over for this sooner.” She gave me a bright smile. It struck me that this was the happiest I’d seen her since I’d met her. Even before we all found out the hell Hammer had put her through, her act had fooled us all. Including me. I also hadn’t realized how different her fake smiles were from her genuine ones.
Daylight and dark.
I snorted into my beer bottle. “They’re burnt, baby.”
She gave me a big smile. “Exactly! Soooo good!” She took a bite and actually rolled her eyes in what looked like ecstasy. Which… yeah. All my brain cells went straight to my cock and I absolutely would not acknowledge my fucking hardon.
We finished, and I disposed of the paper plates. When I came back, she’d scooted her chair closer to mine so we were close enough to touch. After I sat down, she tentatively reached over and took my hand in hers. Her palms were slightly sweaty and her hands trembled. I could see the pulse pounding in her neck.
She didn’t look at me, but kept her gaze ahead as if she were studying something beyond the yard. I smiled softly at her, even though she wasn’t looking. I turned my hand so our fingers laced together, and Gina instantly relaxed and she let out a breath she’d been holding. Gina clung to me, her grip tightening almost reflexively.
“It’s going to be all right, Gina.” I spoke softly, not wanting to upset her.
“Sure,” she agreed with a smile. But it was one of her fake smiles. I knew them well because it was those smiles she’d used to greet me with.
With a heavy sigh, I tugged her until I could urge her to crawl onto my lounge chair and into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and cuddled her close. It took her a few seconds, but she finally relaxed and snuggled against me.
Under the canopy of leaves, with the soft rustle of the wind as our only music, we sat in silence. It was a comfortable quiet, a shared respite. I knew Gina needed this moment of peace as much as I did, maybe even more. She’d been through so much, her resilience constantly tested by the storms of her past.
The sun began its descent, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. It was beautiful, almost painfully so, reflecting how fleeting moments like this could be. I tightened my hold on Gina slightly, not enough to constrict but enough for her to feel my strength surrounding her. At least, I hoped that’s how she felt. Because I’d do anything to protect her. I hated to leave her, but I couldn’t turn my back on Rattler or Joilyn.