Chapter 11

ELEVEN

As Bella hung up with Brody, barely securing his promise not to land the plane on the beach in front of her cottage and kidnap her, she knew she had to be out of the house today.

She felt too emotional right now with Falcon.

Too emotional being away from home.

Too…everything, and she had no business being behind closed doors with Falcon after he’d told her that he loved her.

Loved her.

Loved her.

So, she called Piper. “Hey, what are you guys up to today?”

“Hey, girl! I was just going to call you. One of our caterers told us she’s selling her business, ironically. You want to buy it? You can buy all her contracts and work for us. What do you say?”

What? Bella’s hand tightened on the phone. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. I know you were thinking about moving here, and this will give you your foothold. She has a great reputation, and you’re a great chef, so it would be an easy transition. I spoke to Kitty about it, and she agreed. We both liked working with you last night, and we’d love to keep going.”

Bella sat down at the kitchen table, stunned by the sudden opportunity. “I don’t know, I mean, I wasn’t sure if?—”

“She already has a purchase offer that she is supposed to sign in the morning, but she’s holding off for you because I told her you could beat the price, which of course you can. She’s catering an event on the Cape tonight, and she said you could stop by. I’ll text you the address. Go check it out! This would be such an easy transition for you!”

“Yes!” Kitty took over the conversation. “It’s the perfect opportunity. We all love you, and it would be a fantastic way to add to our girl gang. Go meet Diana, fall in love with her business, give her the retirement of her dreams, and start your life. I’ll go in on the purchase with you if you want a partner. I love to invest in women, and you are fantastic. Call after you meet with her, and we can discuss. Good? Good. Smooches.”

Kitty then hung up, leaving Bella staring at her phone.

What. Just. Happened.

At that moment, she heard footsteps on the back steps, and she looked up as Falcon walked in. His shoulders were wide, and he suddenly seemed too big for the space. He was wearing his cowboy hat, which he hadn’t been wearing before, making him look rough, rugged, and delicious.

“You can’t leave the door unlocked, Bella,” he said as he shut it behind him.

“If someone wants to kill me, a locked door isn’t going to stop them.”

“No, but if you hear them breaking in, it gives you time to grab your gun and shoot them all first.”

Valid point. She held up her phone. “Piper just called. One of their caterers is retiring and they all want me to buy the business, take over all their contracts, and become a part of their girl gang.”

His brows went up, but he hid his emotions. “Great for you.”

“I don’t know if I want that. I literally just got here. Is it trading one safety net for another?”

He pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her, straddling the chair so he could lean on the back of it. “There will be other opportunities.”

“Not with contracts already set with Piper and Kitty. I love these women. They’re the ones who are inspiring me.”

“You don’t need to buy their friendship. They will love you just for being you.”

Oh, boy. He looked so freaking intense and adorable and interested. And delicious. What would it be like to kiss him? To kiss this man she’d dreamed of for so long? “I forgot how strong my crush on you was, until you told me that you loved me. Now I can’t get it out of my head.”

His eyes darkened, and he said nothing.

Her words just sat in the air between them, getting heavier and heavier.

Crap. She sat up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m just rattled having you here, rattled by the fact someone broke into my house, and rattled by this offer. A part of me wants to take it, and a part of me is freaking out. I feel like finding your identity should take more than a day, right?”

He let out his breath, a long, slow exhale that she could feel in her soul. He reached over and put his hand on her arm. This time, his palm felt hot, burning her skin. But at the same time, she felt some of her panic ease.

“Better?”

She nodded, surprised to feel her mind settle and her heartrate slow. “Your touch is magical.”

He looked down at his hand on her arm, as if he were surprised to see it there. “So I’ve been told.”

What? By whom? Women? Who told him his touch was magical? Did she feel jealous? He was a thirty-year-old attractive man. Of course he had a romantic past. It was none of her business.

But her heart disagreed.

He removed his hand and folded his arms over the back of the chair. “Meet with this woman. Can’t hurt. Maybe you’ll get some clarity.”

“Or maybe I’ll be tempted to make a desperate choice.”

He regarded her. “I have far more faith in you than that. And you do, too. Just because you’re lost doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

She stared at him, and suddenly the fear dissolved. She lifted her chin. This was why she’d needed to step away from the ranch: because she was so used to relying on her brothers to create her world. She wanted to create her own life now, which meant Falcon was right. She needed to trust herself. “All right. I’ll meet her.”

“When?”

“Tonight. At an event she’s catering.”

Falcon ground his jaw. “Can you meet with her before? I don’t love the idea of trying to keep you safe at a venue where there are dozens of people, and I don’t know who to look for.”

“I’m not going to hide, Falcon. I’ve been hiding for so long. I need to be seen in this world. If you don’t want to deal with that, you don’t have to?—”

“No.” He interrupted her. “I’m staying. We’ll make it happen.”

“Okay, great.” Conversation faded into silence.

She’d never had trouble talking to him before. Ever.

And now… All she wanted to do was kiss him.

He met her gaze, then suddenly grinned. “You’re dying to kiss me, aren’t you?”

“I am,” she admitted, with a soft laugh. “I literally can’t stop thinking about it. I’m in the middle of an identity crisis, a possible assassin situation, and a life-changing business opportunity, and all I can think about is kissing you.”

He tipped the chair forward, toward her. “When you called, I’d decided I was going to talk to the Stocktons about fostering some kids. I’d decided to go the single dad route, because you and I were no longer a possibility.”

“A dad? You want to be a single dad?” Her heart ached. She didn’t want kids. The idea terrified her. His words were such a reminder that the two of them had no path forward together.

“Yeah. I do. I wanted kids with you, but since I can’t, I’m doing it alone. I don’t want anyone besides you to do it with me.”

Her heart turned over. “Falcon?—”

He shrugged. “I know we’re not compatible with our dreams, but I can’t stop thinking about dragging you off that chair, into my lap, and kissing you like you’ve never been kissed before.”

Heat seemed to ignite down her spine. “How are you so freaking hot when you say that?”

“Because I’m a male specimen, of course.” He paused. “I won’t make a move on you, Bella. Not ever. But if you ever initiate, I won’t stop you.”

Her mouth suddenly felt dry. “It’s more romantic if you sweep me off my feet. Aren’t you my knight in shining armor?”

“No, Bella. You’re your own knight in shining armor, remember?”

She closed her eyes. “Yes. I know. Yes.” It was such a habit to turn her power over to someone else. So much easier. “I’m so used to letting the world spin around me, instead of trying to spin it myself.” She opened her eyes. “Even though I’m rich, trained in hand-to-hand combat, and smart, sometimes I still feel completely lost and stuck. I could go anywhere, pay anyone to teach me anything, and I keep getting up every day and reliving the same life day after day.”

God. When she explained it that way, she felt like such a loser. Not loser , but yeah, kind of a loser. An excuse-maker, at least.

“Time to break that rut, eh?”

She nodded. “By buying a catering business and continuing to cook?”

“Only you can answer that.”

“I don’t know. I’m just…I feel like I’m standing in front of a huge, cement wall, and I can’t see what’s on the other side, or how to get around it, or even whether I want to.”

He studied her. “What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but have never done?”

She rolled her eyes. “A lot of things.”

“Name five—No!” He held up his hand. “Name something that you’d be too scared to ever do.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Sky diving. Parachuting. I don’t know why people think that’s fun to do?”

He grinned. ‘Let’s go skydiving today.”

“What? No.” She sat back. “Absolutely not. No chance.”

He raised his brows. “I’m certified. You can tandem jump with me.”

“I don’t want to. And aren’t you supposed to be keeping me alive, not risking my life?”

“What I’m trying to do is help you find your path, so that maybe eventually, you’ll be ready to move back home, marry me, and have a family.”

She stared at him. “Really?”

“Just kidding. I’d never be that underhanded.” His face was deadpan, and she didn’t know if he was serious or not. “If you’re scared, the best way to break it is to walk right into the fear and out the other side. So do the scariest thing you can think of, and nothing else will feel so scary ever again.” Falcon held out his hand. “Come with me. Trust me.”

She looked at his outstretched hand. This man had been through hell for twenty years. He knew about fear. He knew about loss. He knew about all the things that haunted her. “Is that what you did? Walked into your fear?”

“Again and again and again.” He paused. “Including a few minutes ago when I agreed to be your bodyguard.”

She looked at him, and saw the truth in his eyes.

“You’re not a wimp, Bella. You’ve just forgotten your strength for too long.” He wiggled his fingers at her. “Come fly with me, Bella.”

She didn’t want to. At all.

But she also didn’t want to keep living the way she was living. She didn’t want to walk into that event tonight and buy a catering business because she was too scared to try something else, something new, something that she hadn’t even thought of yet.

Maybe Falcon still was her knight in shining armor.

Not because he was going to rescue her.

But because he was going to make her rescue herself. “Fine,” she said. “But I reserve the right to back out at any time.”

He flashed her a grin. “I saw the perfect place yesterday. It’s pretty close.”

Of course it was nearby. Less time for her to talk herself out of it.

Falcon caught her chin and lifted her face to his. “Don’t look so scared, Bella. The one person I’d give my life for is you, so you can trust that I’ll keep you safe. I swear it.”

She felt the truth of his words, and she believed him.

On a whim, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

She turned and bolted for her room before she could be tempted to kiss him again.

And again.

And never stop.