Free Crave (Talon Security #1) by Megan O'Brien Page A

well. I was avoiding her because I knew she was worried.
    His body pressed to my back was making it hard to formulate a response, but I managed a breathy “Okay,” moving out of his grasp.
    “You okay? This could take a little bit.”
    “I’ll manage.” He chuckled dryly. “I’ve got to check in on work and I’ll try to get this little lady to come around.” He cocked his head toward Trixie.
    “Good luck,” I muttered, grabbing a beer from the fridge and heading out to the backyard with my cell phone.
    After a lot of lamenting on Piper’s side about me not calling enough, and apologizing on mine, I got her somewhat calmed down. She soon switched to speakerphone so Ryker could join our conversation. He’d been drawn to the sounds of his fiancée making such high-pitched noises and had wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
    “How’re you holding up?” she asked.
    “Okay, I guess. Sid’s here,” I explained hesitantly.
    “I bet he is.” Ryker’s deep voice chuckled knowingly.
    “Right,” I muttered, determined to blow past his comment. “They found the you-know-what in my trunk,” I divulged, feeling paranoid about sharing too much over the phone. “The guys are pretty sure they know who attacked me. But I still need to get the latest.”
    It had been a breath of fresh air to not talk about any of that with Sid all day.
    “You need the club to do anything?” Ryker wondered, referring to his motorcycle club that basically ran their town in Nevada.
    “No, but thanks,” I replied, staring out at the starry sky and listening to the coyotes pick up their chorus in the distance.
    “What’s going on with Sid?” Piper asked.
    “That’s my cue,” Ryker said, eager to extract himself from girl talk.
    I laughed. “Nice talking to you too, Ry.”
    “Later, Sam.”
    “So…?” Piper prompted.
    “I think we’re going to make a go of it,” I confessed, biting my lip against the grin threatening to split my face in two. Saying the words out loud felt surreal.
    She squealed. “Oh, my God, Sam!”
    “I know, it’s all very surreal and new and I’m still not sure what to make of it,” I admitted.
    “Sam, this is what you wanted,” she reminded me impatiently.
    I toyed with the label of my beer bottle, considering her words.
    “I know,” I agreed. “It still is what I want. More than anything. I just can’t quite fully trust it yet.”
    “That’s fair,” she agreed. “Give it time.”
    “I’m struggling with wanting to give it time and wanting to jump his bones,” I muttered.
    She laughed, followed by a weighted silence. I knew her well and I could tell she was choosing her next words carefully. “He adores you, Sam. You two have something special—you always have. He wouldn’t say those things to you if he hadn’t thought them through. Sid takes life so seriously. He’s methodical. He probably just had to process this in his own way. Now that he’s put it out there, there’s no going back, not for him. It’s just not the kind of man he is.”
    It was very similar to what the man himself had said that morning. “I know,” I agreed. “I guess maybe now it’s me that has to process a bit.”
    “Fair enough, honey. I get it. Um, I don’t want to make this about me at all, but you guys are still coming to the wedding, aren’t you?” she asked, and I could hear the anxiety in her voice. Her wedding was just a few weeks away, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
    “We’ll be there,” I assured her. “You still want us to play?” She’d had the idea when she and Ry first got engaged, to have our former band, which we’d named Red Tape for some reason none of us could explain, play a few songs at her wedding.
    “Hell yes, I do!” she exclaimed.
    I grinned. I had to admit, I was looking forward to that.
    “Okay. I should get back,” I said, looking toward the house.
    “Sounds good. But Sam, I want to hear from you every day. Otherwise, you’ll be seeing my ass