Page 72 of Falcon

Chapter 15

Falcon

It’s amazing how quickly time can pass when you spend your days with your sister whom you adore and your evenings with the most incredible woman on the planet.

It feels like I just rode my bike into the warm, humid, salty air of Savannah, but that was three weeks ago, and I’m leaving tomorrow.

I try to ignore the expanding black hole in my stomach at the inevitable goodbye I will be saying to not only my sister, but also to Faith.

It’s been hard to avoid the fact I’m leaving with every day that passes, but somehow, she and I have managed to bury it underneath dinners together, the best sex of my entire life, intense, real conversations, and the most amazing laughs I’ve ever had.

But with the time ticking down on the clock, the glow in her face is leaving and her ever-present smile is lowering into a frown.

It’s the first thing I notice when she walks out onto her front porch dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and this drapey white top with her helmet in her hand. She’s left her hair down and it flows over her shoulders. I want to wrap my hands in it.

She steps down the stairs toward me and I catch her chin in my hand. “Hey.”

She looks up at me and gives me a small smile. “Hi.”

I lean forward and press a kiss to her lips. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you all right?” I ask her, even though I know the answer.

“I am.”

“Don’t lie to me, baby. I can see it in your eyes.” I slide my thumb over her lip.

She blinks her beautiful eyes up at me and answers, “I’m just not looking forward to tomorrow, but I want to enjoy tonight as much as we can. I don’t want to even think about it. I want to have fun with everyone. With you.”

“But, Faith—”

She cuts me off with a hand to my chest. “No. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to enjoy the night. Can we do that?” she asks. I let my shoulders hang, releasing a breath. I understand why she feels the way she does, and why she’s reacting in this way, because it’s exactly what I want to do as well.

Tomorrow hangs in the air like a thick fog for so many reasons.

“Okay then.” I bend forward to kiss her lips then take the helmet from her hands. “Let’s get you strapped on.” I place it on her head and fasten it below her chin.

“How do I look?” she asks.

“Fucking perfect.”

She climbs onto the back of my bike like she belongs there. She’s so at ease and so sexy. There’s so much power in watching a woman mount something like that. Especially when it’s a motorcycle...or me.

I reach back once I’m settled in front of her to grip her thigh, asking if she’s ready. She wraps her arms around my middle and squeezes, signaling she’s all set.

I rise up just enough to thrust the kickstarter downward, and the bike roars to life beneath us, and with a flick of my wrist, we are off.

***

Everyone is already at the restaurant when we arrive.

Case and Nora, of course, as well as Amelia and Grayson are all seated in this round booth in the corner, and they’ve left a little extra on the right side, so Faith and I can sit together.

As soon as we step into their view, Amelia’s face lights up. “Marco Polo!” she shouts the nickname she gave me years ago across the restaurant.

“Milly Bean!” I shout hers back, with a huge grin on my face. Amelia is by far my favorite friend Nora has ever had. I’d do anything for her. In fact, we are all lucky I’m not in prison right now over that ex-husband of hers.

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