Page 72 of Smoke and Fire
“Be safe doing all of that. And thank you. That’s . . . a big trip to make for a single conversation. Give my mother a hug for me?”
He smiled. “Of course. The trip was long but worth it.”
The door opened and the smell of smoke entered the shop on a breeze. My head snapped to the right to find a familiar figure silhouetted by the sun. Bastian stood there, halfway inside, his body crowding the doorway. I sucked in a breath.
Good heavens, but Bastian could enter a room.
Bastian’s gaze darted from me to Jakob and back again. Suddenly self-conscious, I stepped all the way out of Jakob’s arms and kept my attention centered on Jakob or else I’d never get through this moment. I’d throw myself into Bastian’s arms or kiss him or something equally desirable and crazy.
“Have a good trip,” I said to Jakob. “Sione is up the canyon, really easy to find. Follow the signs to Adventura. Park in the lot there, and go inside the main building. Mark or Stella will find him for you. He’ll be excited to see you."
Clearly seeing a change in me, Jakob studied my face, then Bastian. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His expression became a silent question, but I shook it off.It’s good, I mouthed.
Jakob reluctantly nodded, then sent an assessing look to Bastian, who stood tall at the door.
By sheer willpower, I didn't look at Bastian. My heart galloped in my chest as Jakob gathered keys to a rental car and headed for the door. When he stepped outside, he sent one last wave, a long look, and turned his back.
Moments later, I stared right into Bastian’s ocean-sapphire eyes again.
20
BASTIAN
Getting released from the fire, shucking my stuff at the house, and hopping into a shower felt like heaven.
Psycho remained fed, happy, and purring. I threw some food into my stomach, dirty clothes into the laundry, and hauled back out of Dad’s house to head into Pineville, all within sixty minutes of arriving back home.
Then all the excitement I felt at seeing Dahlia broke the moment I walked into the Frolicking Moose.
Didn’t take a genius to sense tension in the room once I arrived. Whether it was good or bad tension, I couldn’t be sure.
Nor was it hard to figure out that the other guy didn't love me being there. Whoever he was, he didn’t appear to be a stranger. Family, maybe?
Whoever he was, somehow, I'd shown up at the exact wrong time. Should I leave?
Nah.
I'd never roll over like that.
Besides, if Dahlia didn't want me here, which I sincerely hoped wasn't the case, she'd tell me.
A thousand questions ran through my mind when the guy stepped up to the door and gave me a quick nod. Once he left, I looked right at her.
Dahlia stared at me with her heart in her eyes. Terror, elation, shock. I read every single emotion there. All my willpower kept me from gathering her up in my arms and kissing those full lips. The fact that we hardly knew each other struck me again, rendering my excitement to see her as completely insane.
Sometimes, insanity felt so good.
Her voice pulled me from the edge of my thoughts.
She swallowed and softly said, “Hey.”
The top half of her wavy black hair was pulled into a ponytail, the rest lay on her shoulders. A tank top with a dahlia flower on it led to tight black shorts that made me want to die. She stood three seconds—two long strides—away. That’s all it would take for me to pick her up, slam her back against the wall, and—
“Hey,” I croaked.
She let out a long, pent up breath. “I wasn’t sure when to expect you. I . . . I hoped you’d come by.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
