out onto the decking, I slid the door open and the two women immediately stood up from their chairs.
Karla smiled at me and walked over, engulfing me in a hug. “Hey, Xander,” she greeted. “Glad you came.”
Hugging her back, I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Kar,” I replied.
She stepped back and reached over to pull her friend next to her. Looking back and forth between us, Karla made the introductions. “Xander Raynes, I’d like you to meet my very good friend, Fallon Reese.” She reached behind Fallon and rubbed her back. “Fallon Reese, I’d like you to meet Xander Raynes. He’s Trevor’s best friend and my friend, as well.”
Fallon’s arm shot out as she reached over to shake my hand. “Hello, Mr. Raynes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I understood why we were here, but I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t notice how attractive Fallon Reese was. She stood about five-foot-five-inches and, from what I could tell with her clothes on, she seemed to be perfectly proportioned to fit her frame. She didn’t have over-exaggerated tits or ass. She had a delicate hourglass figure that boasted of anatomical perfection.
However, her stature was the only thing ordinary about her. Her fucking face was stunning. She had ink-black hair and ice-colored eyes. They danced back and forth between light blue and grey. They were framed by dark-as-night lashes, and they sat underneath a perfectly plucked set of brows. She had a delicate nose that sat perfect between two rosy cheeks, and her lips were evenly plump. There was no denying that Fallon Reese was beautiful, if a little tired looking.
I took her hand in mine and her small hand was immediately swallowed whole by my hold. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” I repeated. “And you can call me Xander.”
She pulled her hand out of my grip and I felt a quick stab of irritation, but I ignored it as she said, “In that case, you may call me Fallon if you don’t think it will interfere with…uh, business.”
My irritation inexplicably spiked at her choice of words. “I-”
“Why don’t we all sit down,” Trevor suggested, cutting me off. “Do you want something to drink?”
I glanced over at him as the girls returned to their seats. “Yeah,” I answered. “A beer. Whatever you got.” He nodded and went back into the house as I turned to eye which seat I was going to take. I opted to sit next to Karla, directly across from Fallon, so I could read her face as we spoke. I needed to absorb as much as I could about the woman and her situation.
Trevor came back outside with my beer and, after handing it over to me, he sat next to Fallon. Trevor was sitting directly across from Karla, and I was sitting directly across from Fallon. I wasn’t sure how the girls felt about the seating arrangement, but that was the least of our problems. This shit was uncomfortable as hell.
Karla finally spoke, trying to ease the awkwardness. “So…uhm, I only told Xander the basics,” she started. “I…uhm, felt it would be better if you answered his questions directly instead of third party.”
Fallon gave Karla a small nod before turning that powerful gaze my way. “What questions did you have?” she asked, point-blank.
“You’re positive you’re being stalked?” Fallon’s entire back snapped straight, and I knew I had hit a nerve.
A big one.
She recognized her immediate response to my question, and I watched as she took a deep breath and said, “I apologize. I’m a little sensitive when it comes to that question.” I didn’t comment, but she went on to elaborate. “I’ve dealt with a lot of…unhelpful police officers in the past and that question puts me on the defensive.”
I had thought it was a fair question, but I could see how indelicate the delivery might have been. I should have just listened to her story before raising doubts about it. “I’m sor-”
“No,” she said, shaking her head and interrupting my apology. “With what is being asked of you, you have the right to ask that question.” Fallon shrugged a shoulder. “Any question, really.”
I leaned back in my chair and took a drink of my beer. After swallowing, I repeated the question. “So, are you sure you’re being stalked?”
“I’ve never lived with anyone before,” she replied. “And after the first two years, or so, of…this, I stopped inviting friends to my home. No one ever came over and very few people knew