Fallyn nearly jumped out of her seat five minutes later when a man’s lips pressed against the back of her neck. “Sorry!” James said with a small laugh. “I didn’t know I’d scare you that bad.” He took the seat across from her, looking every bit as handsome as he had the day she’d been making out with him while perched on his lap. “Sorry I’m late. I had a conference call that ended later than planned, and I hit traffic on the way.”
“I thought you’d changed your mind about me,” Fallyn admitted. “I’m glad you came.” She wondered why he hadn’t called to tell her he was on his way and running late, but didn’t bring it up.
James perused the menu and chose the first thing that looked mildly appetizing. “How was your day? How’s the business?”
Fallyn was awash in a flood of guilt when she thought of Vince’s lips on hers not five hours ago. She straightened when she remembered she and James were on a first date, which did not demand exclusivity. “It’s going alright. A bit messy, but I think that’s to be expected when things are first starting out.”
“Anything I can help with?”
She smiled kindly at him, the candlelight flickering off her face to give it a warm glow. “Luckily you don’t have to worry about my mess. But thank you for the offer.” She picked up her wine glass when the server came by with a highball of scotch for James. “In fact, let’s agree on something off the bat. I don’t want you dealing with my family and that whole mess. If we start heading in that direction, the safe word is ‘legal briefs’. Then we can veer to another topic.”
“You’re serious. You really think it’s going to help to try and start something together while cutting out whole parts of your life from me?”
Fallyn shrugged. “I think it’s the only way. And this is our first date. I think it’s probably normal to hold back the crazy for a while, right?”
James considered Fallyn’s choice, thumbing the side of his glass. “You know, I’m not one for complicated. I’m not one for dates, usually. This is all new territory for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to know more about a woman, and she says no.”
“You can know lots about me,” Fallyn corrected him, knowing that statement was only half true. “Just not about my family. I don’t know anything about your family. I think it’s safe to take discussion of mine off the table until we see if this is something worth jumping deeper into.”
James eyed Fallyn, watching her declare her preference with unmitigated confidence in the matter. “Alright. I can live with that. You’ll tell me if something important happens though, right?”
Fallyn met his eyes without blinking. “No.”
His face soured. “What? Why?”
“I can’t really say I will. That takes more time clocked in with me than a first date.”
“Huh. I guess we’ll work our way up to that. Why don’t we start with the bakery? How’s work going?”
The urge to claim that was a “legal brief” topic was strong, but she danced around the giant elephant, hoping to make an interesting story without it. “Work’s going well. I just teamed up with a restaurant. They’re going to start selling my desserts to their patrons in exchange for me showcasing a few of theirs in my case. We’ll see if the cross marketing helps. Either way, it’s nice to gain contacts.”
“I love sexy words like ‘cross marketing’. Do me a favor so I have good dreams of you tonight. Say ‘profit margin’.”
She raised her eyebrow with a smirk and said in her most smoldering voice, “Profit margin.”
James threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, you’re evil. I’ve always had a thing for smart girls.”
“You’re just trying to butter me up.” Fallyn talked with her fork. “I mean, it’s working, don’t get me wrong. But tell me something real. Last relationship?”
“Ah. Too real. It was years ago, and ended with both of us holding onto something that was making us miserable. I fought for surface matchups after that. So this whole thing? Sitting down and talking about family stuff and goals and whatnot? A whole new level of intimacy for me.” When his meal came, he ate between asking and answering questions as the two got to know each other by candlelight. He laughed at her jokes and even cracked a few himself. “This is easy, being here with you,” he mused, watching her peruse the dessert menu as if she was studying for an exam. “I haven’t been on an actual date in, I don’t know, a year? Two? This is nice.”
“You say that like it’s a big shock you would actually enjoy spending time with me. What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. Crickets? Maybe you’d say something completely racist or ditzy? You’re a bit younger than me. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up with all your Facebook lingo.”
Fallyn laughed. “Our family has a no social media rule across the board. And don’t worry about me being younger than you. I grew up with men your age and older, so I’m more at home in your geriatric bracket.”
“None of you use social media?” He wrinkled his nose at her, and then it dawned on him. “Ah. Because of legal briefs?” He invoked their code word with a tilt of his head.
“Yes. Because of legal briefs. And I can’t believe this is your first date in years. I mean, have you seen you?”
James cast her a modest smile. “As I understand it, the difference between a date and a one-night stand is the whole conversation part. It’s the conversation part I’ve been dodging. Work’s demanding, and I didn’t want to get involved with something I couldn’t put energy into.”
“And you’re there now?”
James shrugged. “I think whether my schedule is ready for me to date you or not, I have to make that happen. I like you, Fallyn.”
“I think I might like you, too.” Fallyn dipped her chin down as her eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds, smiling. “What are you getting for dessert?”
“Hadn’t thought about it. Been enjoying the conversation too much to care. But good to know I’ve been such a bore,” he teased.
She kicked her heels off and rested her toes atop his expensive leather shoes. “I usually try a few desserts whenever I go someplace new. That way I know the competition. This way if they’re doing something better than me, I’m on top of it.”
“Smart. So you want to try a bite of whatever I get?”
“If you don’t mind.” She waited for him to order his Mexican chocolate soufflé, and she requested the horchata cheesecake. She couldn’t recall the last time a handsome man fed her a delicious dessert, but when her lips closed over James’ fork, she knew they were hitting a new stride. They talked and laughed until the server politely explained to them that the restaurant was closing. Fallyn’s head whipped around, only just noticing that there were no other patrons in the dining room. “Oh! Did we really just close the restaurant together?”
James was just as surprised. “I think we did.” He stood, waiting for Fallyn to slip her heels back on. He proffered his elbow to her, and she walked out into the crisp night air on his arm, grateful she didn’t have to use her injured side and muscle through the pain of mere movement. “I’m parked this way,” he said, pointing down the street. “Follow me home? I’m not done getting to know you yet.”
Fallyn stopped, turning to face him. “I don’t put out on the first date, no matter how good the desserts are,” she warned, half-teasing and half-serious.
James nodded, taking in her words and weighing them. “Then I guess it’s getting late.” He dropped her arm and took a few steps toward his car, waving over his shoulder to her. “See you around.” Fallyn’s mouth dropped open, flabbergasted that he would leave when sex was taken off the table. James spun on his heel, laughing at her horrified expression. “I’m kidding! Oh, wow. I didn’t think you’d take me seriously. Follow me back to my place. I really did just want to hang out and talk. The restaurant closed too early. I mean, what kind of place closes at ten o’clock on a Saturday?”
Fallyn shoved him playfully. “Alright, you got me. Well done. Le
ad the way, oh lawyer of mine.”
James pulled her flush to him and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. “See you soon.”
17
Legal Briefs
Fallyn hadn’t known what to expect of James’ place, but the cold feel to the sparse décor left much to be desired. Everything was white, beige and gray, and Fallyn could tell by the cleaning lady feel to the place that he spent very little time in his expansive townhouse. There was a painting on the wall that showcased abstract splashes of green and gray, adding the only touch of color in the living room. When he went to the fridge to fish them out a bottle of wine, she noticed there were two jars of condiments and about half a shelf of food inside, most of it being takeout boxes. “Your place is nice,” she commented politely. There were four chairs at the dining room table, but three were perfectly pushed in, cluing her in to the fact that he didn’t have people over very often.
“Thanks.” He poured her a glass of red wine and brought it out to her, setting it on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. “You were telling me back at the restaurant that you went to an all-girls school for college? How’d you like that?”
“It was a culture shock, honestly. I grew up with men. No sisters and one close girlfriend, so it was strange. The whole thing was a learning process. It was good for me to get away, though. Studied a lot. Had so much more freedom than I’d ever had before. I thought when I graduated I would stay away and build a life there. That plan worked for a couple years, but here I am. Home sweet Fairfield.”
“You missed your family?”
“I did, but there were other reasons I came back, most having to do with legal briefs, so I won’t bore you with those details. How about you? Does your family live around here?”
“My parents packed up and left for Florida the second I moved out. I see them once every couple years when I fly down if I’ve missed enough Christmases for them to say something about it. We’ve never been all that close.”
“What about your siblings? Do you see them often?”
“Only child.”
Fallyn’s eyes widened. “I can’t even fathom that. What was that like?”
“Boring. A little lonely. I played on a lot of sports teams and picked up a career where I’d have a distraction at all hours of the day. Always wanted a brother, though. I asked for a brother for Christmas once. Got a goldfish instead. Not quite the same.” He took a sip of his wine and set it on the coffee table, scooting closer to Fallyn.
“Probably a lot less mouthy.” She surrendered her glass to him when he reached for it to set it on the table.
“I was wondering what it would be like to kiss you without fear of your brother and my coworker walking in on us.”
Fallyn’s lashes fluttered against his cheek when his lips brushed against hers. “I like this much better,” she admitted, leaning in for more. The kiss was soft and gentle, and though she didn’t want to, her mind immediately started comparing his kiss to Vince’s. Vince had been wild and passionate, making her feel things she never had before. James was slow in his seduction, making her just a little bit more curious each time he kissed her to see if there was passion she could grasp onto. Fallyn did her best to push Vince out of her mind, telling herself she’d hallucinated the whole thing, and that it hadn’t really happened. She hadn’t betrayed her entire family. She hadn’t kissed the man who’d spat on her mother’s casket. She only chose things that were good, like kissing James under cover of his home where her family would never see them.
James pulled her closer and deepened the kiss while her mind was still in the bakery under the desk with Vince. His hands rubbed down her arms, and before she could stop herself, Fallyn shrieked into his mouth, jumping back at the pain he’d unwittingly reignited in her tricep. “What? What’s wrong?” James released her with wide eyes, standing up from the couch to give her some breathing room.
Fallyn held her arm where the echoes of renewed agony swept through her in the rhythm of a screaming heartbeat. “Sorry. It’s not you. I just hurt myself today and I didn’t tell you, so you accidentally touched it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”
Fallyn shook her head. “Legal briefs.” The invocation of her safe word felt like a copout, but the pain was still ripping through her.
“Let me see. Is it a bruise or something?”
“Or something. It’s fine,” she lied through gritted teeth.
“Can I look?”
“No. You don’t need to see it.”
James raised an eyebrow at her secrecy. “Well, now I really think I do.” His hands moved slowly toward her green silk sleeve, rolling it up to reveal a bandage. He peeled back the bandage, and Fallyn was relieved that it hadn’t started bleeding afresh. “Seriously, how’d you hurt yourself? You’ve ‘legal brief’ed no less than a dozen things since dessert. What, did you cut yourself in the kitchen?” He sat back down next to her to get a closer look. “You’ve got stitches! What happened?”
Fallyn covered the wound back up and rolled her sleeve down to hide it from view, taking a step back. “Nothing really.”
“Fallyn, seriously. What happened?” James’ hands moved to his hips.
She harrumphed, knowing it was a mistake to answer. “I just got a little shot this morning. Nothing that won’t heal in a week or two.”
James’ face contorted like he’d eaten something spicy. “You got shot?!” he exclaimed, his volume climbing with his alarm. “Who? Who shot you? How did it happen? Why are you out and about? Shouldn’t you be in a hospital?”
Fallyn waved off his concern. “The bullet just grazed me. It wasn’t meant for me anyway. It was for the guy restraining me. It all worked out. It’ll just be sore for a while.”
James was not calmed, nor were his questions quelled. He started pacing, his eyes darting to her when he spoke. “What sort of trouble are you in?”
“No trouble. It’s taken care of. The guy was killed by the bullet that grazed me, so it’s all fine. You can read about it in the papers tomorrow probably. I’ll be ‘unnamed woman unavailable for questioning’, and the corpse will be Gino. Didn’t catch his last name. The gunman will be ‘concerned Samaritan’ or something.” When James was flabbergasted at her response, she pressed on. “It’s really not a big deal. I’ve been hit way worse than this and pulled through just fine. This is nothing. Just maybe don’t touch it for a while. It’s a little tender.”
“Of course it’s tender, you just got shot!” He put his hand to his temple. “How about the next time we’re talking about the office and the bakery, you take a break from the normal conversation topics if something happens in your morning, like say, you get shot.”
“I didn’t tell you because I have enough people in my face about it. We don’t know each other all that well yet, and I didn’t want you to have to be all concerned about someone you’re just getting to know. And do you think anyone really wants to start conversations with ‘I got shot this morning’?”
“I guess not, but you have to tell me stuff like that next time. If for no other reason than I don’t want to accidentally grab your bullet hole!”
“Fine. Next time I get shot, I’ll tell you before we start kissing.”
“Very funny. I’m serious. This is a big deal. It worries me that you’re acting like it’s not.”
“I’m not acting. It’s really not a big deal. If I was in a hospital somewhere, I’d bring it up on the next date probably.” She winced at the lie. She knew she wouldn’t bring that to his attention and prayed the occasion would never arise. She stood from the couch when he sat next to her, and picked up her purse. “Look, I had a great time tonight. I’m going home and we’re going to pretend the date ended right after that first kiss. The gun stuff falls under the legal briefs category, which we agreed was something saved for way in the future, if we decide to make it that far. Deal?”
“No! I should know if the girl I’m dating gets shot. I’m allowed to freak out about bullet
s ripping you apart.”
Fallyn leaned over, cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips with the pressure of a feather’s brush. “Thank you for caring about me. I had a wonderful time with you tonight. Did you?”
“Up until a minute ago, it was the best time I’d ever had on a date.” He stood, wrapping her waist in a hug that pulled her closer out of the angst that rose up in him at the prospect of letting her go out into the unknown. He kissed her again, savoring the taste and all of her innocence that was still there despite her upbringing. “When can I see you again?”
“Next Saturday? Same time, same place?”
“It’s a date.” As James kissed her, he made a wish for her to stay safe until then.
18
Three Men in the Kitchen
Fallyn had been on edge all morning. She and Loretta moved around the kitchen easily, baking and prepping and filling custom orders as quick as they could. When Jen came in her signature ten minutes late, Fallyn kissed her cheek and went straight back to the grind.
“How’d you sleep?” Jen inquired nonchalantly as she twirled the apron strings behind her back.
“Oh, fine.”
“I figured you were deep in a REM cycle for most of the night. Danny called me to go and stay with you until he got off work. Your phone was off, so he couldn’t get ahold of you to let you know he’d be by. I stopped in to check on you.” She paused when Fallyn froze. “I told Danny you were sleeping and asked not to be woken. Told Declan the same thing when he called a couple hours later. And Seamus. And Finn. I even went in to check on you a few times to pacify them. Funny how an empty bed doesn’t answer you back.”
Fallyn reached for an explanation, but couldn’t grab onto a solid one. She moved Jen farther from Loretta, who hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention to them. “I… I…”
Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1) Page 11