Falcon (Trinity Academy Book 1)

by Michelle Heard

  My heart squeezes painfully for him. He’s starved by the restrained life he’s been living, and I can’t blame him. I’d just shrivel up and die if I had to live the way he does.

  “I’m going to show you what it’s like to live,” I whisper.

  “Promise?”

  “I promise, so you better prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.”

  I smile up at Falcon, excited that I’ll get to show him the beauty of my world. Cupping my chin, his thumb brushes over my bottom lip. When his eyes drop to my mouth, there’s a fluttering in my stomach. Falcon begins to lean down, and anticipation builds between us, making me wish the moment could last forever, but at the same time wishing he would kiss me already.

  “I’m going to wake her up if she’s sleeping,” I hear Kingsley’s voice.

  We pull apart, and in my attempt to look for my keycard, I drop the damn shoes, and they land with a clatter on the floor.

  “You’re throwing the shoes? Why?” Kingsley asks.

  “Dropped them. By accident.” My breaths are coming way too fast, and Kingsley notices because she begins to grin.

  “You two need another minute to finish what we interrupted? We can go back out. Right, Lake?”

  “We can walk around the building,” Lake adds.

  “Fuck that, I’m tired,” Mason grumbles.

  “Mason!” Kingsley complains.

  “What? Her room is right there. They can go inside,” he argues as he walks to the elevators.

  “I left my keycard in your suite,” I mention while pointing up. “I’m going up to grab it.”

  We all join Mason in front of the elevator, and Kingsley mumbles under her breath, “Romance killer.”

  I feel Falcon’s hand brush against mine, and then his fingers link with mine.

  When the doors slide open, we all step inside. While we go up, I can almost believe our little group can somehow fit into each other’s lives.

  Mason with his temper. Kingsley with her humor and sass. Lake with his warmth. Falcon with his bravery to fight for the life he wants. And me? I’ll be their rainbow.

  Chapter 12

  Falcon

  We all step into the suite, and reluctantly I let go of Layla’s hand so she can go change into her jeans and shirt she left here earlier.

  “Is there any food up here?” Kingsley asks.

  “Why are you still here?” Mason slumps down on the couch and gives her an annoyed look.

  “I’m waiting for Layla,” she answers then looks hopefully at Lake. “Any food?”

  Smiling, Lake shakes his head. “I can order something?”

  “No, it’s okay. I have a stash of candy in my room.”

  Layla comes out of the restroom with the dress hanging over her arm. “Thank you, Lake. I’ll have the dress dry cleaned before returning it.”

  Lake gives her a puzzled look. “Why? It’s yours.”

  “Mine? You didn’t rent it?” Layla’s eyes lock on Lake, and I wish I could tell Lake to take cover.

  “Why would I rent it?” Lake asks while sitting down on the opposite couch from Mason.

  “Laaaaaake,” Layla groans. “Why did you buy the dress? It must’ve cost half an arm and a kidney. Can’t I return it?”

  Lake’s face instantly transforms into a look closely resembling an angel. My eyes dart between the two wondering if Layla is going to be immune to the look. Many have tried and failed. Hell, the look even works on Mason.

  “Please keep the dress. It’s a gift.”

  Layla blinks at Lake a couple of times, but then she lifts her chin. “I really can’t. It’s too much for a gift, and I don’t go to many places where I can wear it.”

  I press my lips together to keep from smiling.

  Mason turns slightly and holds his hand up. “Woman, high five. You either have a heart of stone or way more will power than I gave you credit for.”

  Layla looks baffled as she frowns at Mason and hesitates before she slaps his hand. “Not sure why we’re high-fiving but okay.”

  “Lake just tried to use his superpower on you, and it didn’t work. We all fail. Repeatedly,” Kingsley explains.

  “Are you talking about the adorable innocent look he just had?” Layla asks, then narrows her eyes at Lake. “It’s cute, but still, I’m not going to give in.”

  Lake shrugs then takes out his phone. “It was worth a try. I’m ordering pizza. You girls staying or going?”

  “Going,” Kingsley answers for them totally oblivious to me wanting to spend more time with Layla.

  Before I can say something, Layla walks over to Lake and leaning down, she presses a kiss to his cheek. My eyebrow shoots up, and I tilt my head. When Layla turns to Mason, I take a step forward.

  Mason turns his cheek while smirking at me. The fucker.

  “We’re not that close yet,” Layla chuckles and instead gives him a wave which has me smirking.

  “I’ll have the dress dry cleaned then we can return it,” she mentions again, and Lake only nods because he’s already on a call for food.

  My eyes lock on Layla as she walks toward me. She gives me an awkward glance, not looking too sure about how she should say goodnight.

  Our first kiss will definitely not be in front of this bunch. I lift my hand and slide it behind her neck.

  “Have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Leaning down, I press my mouth to her forehead. I take a deep breath of her soft floral scent before I pull back.

  I open the door and have to bite my bottom lip when a blush colors the apples of Layla’s cheeks. She grins and with a quick wave, darts past me and out the door.

  I lean to my right and watch the girls walk down the hallway. Layla waves again as she steps onto the elevator, and we keep eye contact as the doors close.

  “Fuck,” Lake snaps as I close the door.

  “What?” Mason darts up and around the coffee table to get to Lake. He looks at the phone to see what has Lake cursing. “Shit, that’s not good.”

  Worried, I go to stand behind the couch and placing my hands on the back, I lean down.

  Starry, Starry Eyes.

  Is Falcon Reyes off the market or still available?

  Follow us to find out who the mystery girl is

  in our next edition.

  The headline accompanies a photo someone took while we were dancing. Luckily it shows Layla from behind.

  “It’s trending,” Lake grumbles.

  I was hoping to have more time with Layla before the news got out and the paparazzi started to close on us like vultures.

  “I’ll call PR and have them take it down,” Mason grumbles, and he begins to pull his phone from his pocket.

  “It’s okay.” They both turn to look at me. “It will get out sooner or later. If we try to hide it, things will get worse. The press can’t get onto the campus. I’ll send out a warning to the students tomorrow. If any of them take photos of us, they’ll be expelled.”

  “If I don’t kill them first,” Mason growls.

  I’m busy picking a watch from my collection when there’s a knock at the door.

  “I’ll get it,” Mason calls out.

  After making my selection, I close the drawer, and while strapping the Vacheron Constantin onto my left wrist, I walk out of my room.

  “Falcon, stop with the coffee already,” Mason yells, and turning away from Layla who’s holding the usual three coffees, he sees me and scowls, “You’re killing me.” He pulls his phone out and then sends a voice note as he walks back to his room, “Kingsley, get your ass up here. I have an assignment for you to type out.”

  Walking toward Layla, the corner of my mouth lifts. “Morning.” I take the coffee holder from her and go to place it on the table. “You don’t have to bring us coffee anymore.”

  “Why? The Barista just managed to get your order right. Do you want something else?”

  I shake my head as I walk back to her. When I wrap my arms around her, she lets out a startled, “Oh!” I
hug her to my chest and take a deep breath. “Ah… Uhm…” Her hands rest on my sides for a moment before they jump away again.

  “Hug me back, Layla.”

  “Ohh-kay,” she whispers, sounding uncomfortable. Her movements are jerky, but she wraps her arms around my waist, then stands dead still.

  “Falcon,” she whispers as if she’s sharing a secret.

  “Mmm?”

  “This is going to take some getting used to,” she admits.

  “We can stand like this until you’re comfortable with the idea.” She stiffens in my arms, which makes me instantly smile.

  “I have to go into town.” She brings her arms to my sides and tries to pull back. I shake my head, tightening my hold. “I need to take the dress to the dry cleaners.” I shake my head again. “This is weird. I really didn’t think you were the needy kind,” she grumbles.

  I let out a burst of silent laughter but pull back.

  “Do you want to go to town now?” I ask and check the time.

  “Why? Did you need me to do something?” she asks.

  “You don’t have to run around for me anymore.”

  She narrows her eyes, looking as intimidating as a kitten. “Are you firing me?” Before I can answer, she lifts her chin, “Good, because I was underpaid and overworked.”

  “Your boss sounds like an asshole,” I state, doing my best to look serious.

  She actually thinks about it until I tilt my head, giving her an incredulous look.

  “What? You were a jerk most of the time,” she defends herself.

  “Why do you like me then?” I ask, not feeling too confident any longer. Again, she takes her time to think.

  “You and Mason are a lot alike,” she finally answers. “You both have these walls up wanting people to believe you’re jerks, but you’re not. You didn’t hesitate to help me, and it showed me who you really are.”

  I haven’t spoken to her about the attack since it happened. Lifting a hand, I brush over her jaw where the bruise is covered up with makeup. “I haven’t asked because I wasn’t sure if you’d rather not talk about it but is everything healing? Are you sleeping okay?”

  She nods then looks down at her feet and shrugs. “It’s in the past. I don’t like to dwell on things.” Wrapping her arms around her middle, she begins to sway back and forth on the balls of her feet.

  I memorize all her nervous actions for future reference before I take hold of her arm and pull her against my chest. With my hand on the back of her head and the other around her shoulders, I press two kisses to her hair.

  “Talk to me.”

  This time she doesn’t hesitate when she wraps her arms around me, and her hold is much tighter.

  “It just scared me. I haven’t gone jogging since and I’m going to pick up a ton of weight with all the candy Kingsley’s feeding me.”

  “Will it help if I go jogging with you?” I ask, tilting my head to the right so I can see her face.

  She peeks up at me, and fuck, I’m in trouble when she gives me an adorable look, making Lake’s seem like a damn scowl. She nods, and her lips curve into a cute smile.

  “I’m going to kiss you senseless if you keep looking at me like that,” I growl.

  Her eyes widen, and she quickly pulls back. Clapping her hands together, she turns to the door. “Let’s get going. I have a class at eleven.”

  Chapter 13

  Layla

  This is weird.

  So, so weird.

  Standing next to Falcon in the elevator, I’m highly aware of every move he makes, every breath he takes, and especially every time his eyes rest on me.

  It feels like we’ve gone from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye.

  “Now I understand the meaning of being assertive,” I mumble under my breath.

  “What do you mean?” Falcon asks.

  We step out into the lobby and walk to my room. “You’re used to getting what you want.” I open the door and walk over to the couch to gather my stuff. “I don’t mean it in a bad way.” I hang the dress over my left arm and shrug my bag over my right shoulder, then turn to Falcon. “You’ve never been rejected, so it’s easy for you to go all out into a business deal or … ahh… relationship.”

  Falcon walks over and takes the dress from me. “You’ve been rejected? By who?”

  I frown slightly and begin to count all the times down on my left hand. “First, there was Stephanie from preschool. She didn’t want to play with me. Then… yes, how can I forget Ross? He wouldn’t accept my mud cakes. Little shit head.”

  Falcon tries not to laugh but fails. “You have quite a memory.”

  “They scarred me for life,” I state bluntly, keeping the frown on my face.

  Falcon shakes his head and placing an arm around my shoulder, he pushes me toward the door. “I’m not falling for it. You’ve already shown me you don’t scar easily. Let’s get going.

  “Oh, wait.” I duck from under his arm and go grab the keys in my bedroom. Twirling them around a finger, I say, “We can’t walk to town.”

  “We’re not taking my car?” Falcon asks as I shut the door behind us, and we walk toward the parking area.

  “No, we are most definitely not taking your car,” I say, then I grin up at him. “Lulubelle is sensitive, so don’t insult her.”

  “You named your car,” Falcon murmurs and then he stops walking. “I’m not going to lie, everyone on campus thought that was the janitor’s car.”

  I slap my hand over my heart. “That hurts.” I feign looking hurt.

  “Is it roadworthy?” Falcon asks, stepping closer to my blue Volkswagen Beetle.

  “Now you’re asking for a beating,” I threaten as I unlock the driver’s side. I get in and unlock the passenger door for his royal highness.

  Falcon gets in and bundles the dress on his lap. I hold it in, but when my eyes begin to water, I burst out laughing.

  Falcon turns in the seat and placing his right hand on my headrest, he leans over to my side. I try to swallow my laughter, but every couple of seconds, it bubbles over my lips. His eyes capture mine, and he begins to lean in.

  My laughter dries up, and my lungs forget what their main function is. My fingers wrap tightly around the set of car keys.

  His eyes keep hold of mine, and as he gets closer, I can make out tiny green flecks scattered in his deep brown irises.

  A car near us beeps and then laughter sounds up from a group of students.

  Not thinking twice, I grab hold of Falcon’s neck and shove him down, trying my best to hide as well.

  When I hear the other car pull out, I peek over the dash to make sure the coast is clear. “That was close,” I sigh as I sit up again.

  Falcon leans back against his seat and covers his eyes with his left hand. His shoulders shake from the silent laughter.

  Putting the key in the ignition, I start the car, which has Falcon staring at Lulubelle as if she’s an alien lifeform. “I seriously can’t remember when last I saw a car which needed a key.”

  I pull out of the parking bay and wag my eyebrows at Falcon. “Stick with me, and you’ll experience all kinds of things.”

  “Yeah, just not what it’s like kissing you by the looks of it,” he mumbles.

  Falcon checks the time again, and it’s only been five minutes since we placed our order. When he looks at me, I point to his watch. “You keep looking at the time. Do you have to be somewhere?”

  “No, I’m just not used to waiting.”

  “Patience is a virtue,” I quip.

  “Do you really believe that?” he asks, leaning back in the booth we’re sitting at. “It’s from the bible, right?”

  I scoot forward and cross my arms on the table, then smile brightly. “It’s from a poem. Piers Plowman which was written by William Langland.”

  Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me poetry.

  “I didn’t know that.” Interest flickers over Falcon’s face.

  “Piers Plowman contains th
e first known reference of Robin Hood.” I try to remember the verse Dad told me. “Something along the lines of Conscience teaching about forgiveness, and Patience teaching to embrace poverty.”

  “Do you agree with it?” Falcon asks.

  The waiter brings our order, and I first take a sip of my juice before I reply, “In a way I do.” Not being a breakfast person, I only ordered toast. I butter the slice before I explain further, “I think it should be the other way around, poverty teaching you to embrace patience. You can’t do and have what you want with the snap of your fingers. You have to save up and wait to make some of your dreams come true. If everything in life is ready, just waiting for you to take it, it’s too easy. There’s no joy of finally achieving your goal or experiencing your dream.”

  Falcon nods with his gaze on something outside the window. “Everything’s black and white then with no color,” he murmurs deep in thought. Snapping out of the moment, he looks at me and smiles. “You’re very insightful.”

  I shrug and chew the bite I just took. Swallowing, I reply, “Nah, I just have an amazing dad.”

  “I’ve never met him.” He picks up the cutlery and begins to eat.

  “My parents divorced when I was six. My dad’s an old soul, and their lives just weren’t following the same paths. He’s traveling the world. When I’m done with my degree, I’d like to join him.”

  “Do you take after your father?”

  I nod and proudly smile. “My favorite memories of my childhood were the times he came home, and we’d spend the summer vacation in a cabin. He’d tell me about all the places he had traveled to, and what he saw. He’d show me a photo and weave an entire story around it.” I let out a happy sigh. “My dad is magical.”

  Emotion washes over Falcon’s face, something similar to pain. Longing?

  I watch as he composes himself. “Your father sounds amazing.” I wait, giving Falcon time, so he’ll tell me what he’s thinking, but instead, he points to my half-eaten toast. “Let’s finish so we can get back to campus.”

  Not wanting to force him into opening up to me, I smile and continue to eat. When we’re done, and Falcon reaches for his wallet, I shake my head. “I’m paying.”