Sierra
Talon pauses. His gray gaze travels from Luke to rest on me.
Once again, I can't look away.
He’s wearing a shirt now, but it does nothing to reduce the effect he has on me. Lust hits low in my stomach, wiping out whatever I was thinking before. My tongue dries up, desire surging through me, setting me on fire.
His eyes…God, the intensity of them.
They lock onto mine, and it all comes rushing back. The heat, the tension, the way his body moved, the release at the end, his back arching?—
“Hello?” Luke’s voice cuts through the moment as he snaps his fingers in the air. “Tal? Did you hear anything I said?”
Tal doesn’t respond, but I finally manage to tear my gaze away as Luke sighs and says, “Let’s just get in the car. I’m sure he’ll figure it out by the time we get there.”
“No,” Talon says.
“No?”
“No.”
I sneak another look at Talon and catch him still staring at me when he says it.
I instantly blush. Is that ‘no’ directed at me? Is it his way of saying he doesn’t want to be around me—still freaked out by what I saw?
Maybe he thinks I’m obsessed with him.
The most embarrassing part is that it’s not entirely wrong.
God, how humiliating.
And yet, a flicker of irritation sparks. Why is this all on me? Yeah, I shouldn’t have looked—but he could’ve picked a more private place. He knew I was coming back.
Still, I’m not about to start inventing motives.
Even if the timing makes no sense.
“Why not?” Luke says. “We’re heading in the same direction anyway. We save gas that way, plus you have extra help if you have to haul back anything heavy.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Okay, tough guy. Didn’t you pull a muscle lifting that RAM engine last time instead of just calling me or Reid? Thought you’d have learned your lesson by now, big man. At our age, we gotta start taking care of ourselves.”
“You say that like you have one foot in the grave,” I comment. “But Reid can only be, what… thirty-three? Maybe thirty-four? And no way you’re that much older.”
“Not much. Let’s call it ‘mid to late thirties,’ shall we?” He grins. “Talon’s the baby. He’s only thirty-two. Practically a kid still. Anyway…” he turns back to Talon. “You’re headed to Brody’s, right? Doesn’t he always give you a hard time when you go alone?”
“Why does Brody give Talon a hard time?” I ask when Talon doesn’t immediately answer.
“Because he mistakes this one’s silence for arrogance. Then he overcharges him because Tal won’t haggle and is too noble to kick his ass. Come on, Tal, if I go with you, I’ll get you a discount.”
“I can get one myself if I want one,” Talon growls, clearly not pleased.
“Yeah, because you’re so great at communication.”
Talon’s frown deepens.
“Um, it’s okay, Luke,” I say. “If Talon wants some privacy, we can just go on our own.”