Free The Hardest Fall (Roadmap to Your Heart Book 3) by Christina Lee

before—especially not with a guy who was wearing pumps and a trace of eyeliner, living with a perfectly gorgeous woman. But it was as if Tori hadn’t even been in the room as the air between us grew thick and heated.
    “Well,” I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and confused over all the staring we’d been doing. I certainly did not want to send the wrong message, even though that sounded like a cop out. My head was a jumbled mess. “I better get going.”
    “You heading to Safe Harbor again?” Tate asked as he tugged the heels from his feet.
    I smiled that he remembered the name. “I am. Don’t want to miss serving dinner.”
    Turning toward the door, I heard the uncertainty in his voice. “Hey um…could you use an extra set of hands tonight?”
    My stomach tightened but I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “Always.”

13

Tate
    I told Sebastian that I’d meet him downstairs in five minutes. He said he’d grab us coffees across the street and I wanted the opportunity to change and wipe the rest of the makeup from my face. It was also me needing an additional breather after having inviting myself to volunteer with him. Plus, having him in my personal space had left me feeling unsettled.
    “Tori, I’m on my way out,” I said, standing at the threshold of her room.
    “Where are you off to?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. She knew something was strange, or off about me the past few days. The only other time I had acted this distracted was when I was hiding a relationship and that had fucked up my brain. I did not want to do that again.
    When Tori had called me at NC State last year to tell me she read in the business section of the Times that Alan died, it had wrecked me.
    I knew we could never be together again, but to think that a person I once loved was gone from this earth had left me bereft for several long days. Even my friends at the university didn’t know what to do with me. Dean had already moved to Florida and he was the only person I felt would understand at the time. I had always been the jokester of the group, the life of the party, so they were confused by the sudden change.
    But his death had also left the door open for me to return to the city when Tori’s roommate moved out and she offered her apartment for rent. It had been time to stop hiding and take back my life.
    “I’m going to hang out with Sebastian.” I tried to sound nonchalant. “He uh, volunteers at a soup kitchen.”
    Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
    “Don’t ask, Tori,” I said, edging away from the door. “I’ll talk about it later.”
    “That man is into you,” she said pointing her finger at me.
    “He’s straight,” I said, though I couldn’t deny that he must’ve found me either attractive or interesting because there was plenty of staring and something like electricity between us. But the man thought he was hetero so who was I to mess with that logic?
    “He couldn’t tear his eyes away from you,” she hissed as if I was to blame.
    “Well, I am hot,” I placed my hands on my waist and jutted out my hip.
    “Don’t joke, Tate,” she said, like a disgruntled sibling. “It was mutual, don’t deny it. Maybe this is just what you need.”
    “To get involved with another supposed straight guy who wants to remain in the closet?” I bit out. I had every right to be cautious. I hadn’t been serious about any man since Alan. No way I’d let myself be sucked into something unhealthy again.
    “Of course not,” she said. “But you haven’t allowed yourself to enjoy somebody in a long time.”
    “I’ve enjoyed plenty,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
    “For more than a one-time fuck,” she said, and then threw herself dramatically against her pillow. “You go ahead and keep wearing that invisible armor around yourself.”
    I leaned against the door jam. “Can you blame me?”
    “No, sweetie,” she sighed. “It’s just been far too long.”
    “Maybe.” I looked down at my