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“No.” He answered immediately. “You’re never in danger from me. Ever. I swear.”

She frowned at his answer. He sounded so serious. “I was teasing. You’d sacrifice your life for me. I know that.” She cocked her head. “Why are you being so weird right now?”

He let out his breath and looked away, staring across the ocean. “I can’t say.”

“Ah.” She knew he carried secrets that he never shared with anyone but Brody. Secrets about his past. It was his past that kept him on the run, in and out of their lives. Maybe he just wanted company. A friend. Connection. A place he could be himself. “Sure,” she said quickly. “I’m renting a little one-bedroom cottage just down the beach. You can have the couch if that’s okay.”

His gaze shot to hers. “The couch would be great.”

She realized her hand was still in his, and suddenly her fingers felt hot. “All right.” She wiggled her fingers, and he immediately released her hand, leaving her with a surprising sense of loss for a split second.

Geez. What was wrong with her? Why was she reacting to him like this? “You can head there now, and I’ll meet you after we finish cleaning up.”

He shook his head. “I’ll stay and help.”

“Great.” She wiggled her shoulders, unsettled by his intensity. He brought back so many memories she didn’t want, but at the same time, he felt good to be near. He always had. “Grab some tables, strong guy. I’m taking dishes back to the kitchen.”

“You got it. And thanks.”

She nodded, and touched his cheek. “We’re always here for each other, Falcon. You know that.”

“I do know that.” He paused. “In case I forget to tell you later, you look beautiful tonight, Bella. You always take my breathaway, but tonight, you made me feel like I could breathe for the first time in a very long time.”

She stared at him, sudden heat prickling over her skin. “Are you making a pass at me, Falcon? Is that why you’re here? To take me up on the offer from when I was sixteen?” She blurted out the question, half teasing, and half not.

His eyes narrowed. “I’d never hold you to an offer you made when you were sixteen.” He took her hand off his cheek, and kissed her palm. “I’m going to move some tables. See you soon.”

He walked away, leaving her staring after him in surprise.

He’d only answered the last question she’d asked.

The first question? About whether he was there to make a pass at her? He’d ignored it.

Why? Because he felt like his answer had encompassed that?

Or because he knew it hadn’t.

Holy crap.

SIX

“Girlfriend,he was definitely looking at you like he wanted to have his wild way with you,” Piper whispered.

“He’s a family friend. There’s no way.” Bella’s elbow bumped the container of hot fudge, and she swore as she caught it. She was so on edge. Falcon had been everywhere she turned tonight, always close, always watching. There was something different about him, and all her joy of the evening had vanished.

She felt like she was back home on the ranch, watched by her brothers, haunted by her past. Falcon knew so much about her, that the past she was trying to walk away from seemed to crawl across her skin again now that he was here.

The door to the walk-in freezer opened, and Keira and Tori squeezed in.

“We can’t think of a better place for girl talk?” Tori asked as she pushed a crate of potatoes to the side. “It’s freezing in here.”

“It’s Falcon,” Piper said. “He’s running around out there like a little mouse, in every corner. He’ll definitely find us and hear us if we talk out there.”

“Why is that bad?” Keira asked. “We’re talking about him?”

“Obviously,” Piper said. “We need a vote. Does it seem like he’s interested in Bella?”

Bella felt her cheeks heat up as both Keira and Tori stared at her.