Falling Fast (Falling Fast #1) - Tina Wainscott Page 0,35

blond hairs across his chest. Only noticeable close-up, when sunlight hit them, or when her hand skimmed the surface of his body. Neither could she see the freckles that she knew were sprinkled across his shoulders and back. But she could see the hints of red in his hair, especially with the tint of sunset bringing them out.

Still gawking.

She gathered up the leavings of their subs and scrunched them into bags on the table. Take-out cups sweated as the ice melted. Inevitably, her gaze strayed back to the two on the beach.

Well, mostly to Raleigh. He was good to Cody, who clearly idolized his much older half brother. She was glad the kid was here, sort of a buffer between her and Raleigh. So they didn’t kiss again.

Even if you want to.

She did, dammit. But going back to the past was never a good thing. They were different people now, as Raleigh had pointed out. He carried a very heavy burden, and that burden had everything to do with her.

During their kiss, though, everything had fallen away to leave only the two of them. Her fingers brushed her lips as she sank into the memory. His seductive tongue sliding against hers, spiraling down the length of it, sucking gently. Once again, she’d babbled, telling him that it had made her feel like that summer-romance girl. A taste of the forbidden, the dangerous, the sweet. The problem was she wanted more. Craved it the way she’d craved him all those years ago. She’d never drunk, never done drugs. She’d only done Raleigh.

She giggled at the analogy.

Raleigh gave her a mock glare. “What? You laughing at me? Are you laughing at me?” He sort of imitated Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver.

Which made her laugh more. It felt good to just let out her mirth. In one day she’d laughed more than she probably had in the past seven years. When the roller fell off the pole and hit her in the face. When Cody screamed like a little girl as a lizard ran across his foot on the deck. Then he’d tried really hard to downplay it, with his puffed-up chest; he’d only been startled. Of course, Raleigh wasn’t letting that go, and his teasing had started her gales all over again.

“I’m not laughing at you,” she called out.

Raleigh furrowed his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re laughing with me, zat it?”

“Just…smiling out loud. You have some fancy moves there, Mr. West.”

“Mr. West? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that.”

“You’re going to be a business owner soon. Get used to it.”

A spark of hope and pride lit his eyes, then vanished. “Let’s see how it plays out.”

Because things didn’t go his way. She hated that for him. Hated how he couldn’t even afford to hope.

“It will, you’ll see. Life’s going to start going your way.”

“Our way. I mean, both of our lives,” he added. Separately, because that our sounded a little too intimate. She got that. And yet…

“Come on, Miss Mia, play Frisbee with us!” Cody called, oblivious of all the undertones. Lucky kid.

She was sure she’d been carefree once, before the cancer, but she didn’t remember that time. It seemed that her life started with the mysterious lump in her stomach that landed that terrifying diagnosis. A big, unpronounceable word that meant one simple thing: cancer.

A sound caught her attention, and she pricked up her ears. Knocking. It was coming from the front door. A few people had brought over casseroles, knowing she was staying in town. Grandma had developed a tight-knit group of friends who adored her.

Mia was prepared to meet another one when she opened the door. The woman on the front porch was thin, in her thirties, with lanky hair that hung midway down her shoulders. Her gaze flicked beyond Mia for a second before returning.

“Hey. I’m Cody’s mom, Rose. I came by to make sure he wasn’t causing any problems.”

Mia held out her hand. “I’m Mia, Nancy’s granddaughter. Come on in. Cody’s been no trouble at all.”

As they walked toward the back deck, Mia pointed out the things Cody had helped with. “The boys are playing Frisbee out on the beach.”

Raleigh caught a wild throw with the tips of his fingers, then looked over. “Hey, Rose.”

Mia watched Rose’s eyes light up, her smile growing warm as she waved. It gave Mia a funny feeling in her stomach. Was there more between them than Raleigh’s helping out? It would be strange for Rose to get involved with father and