“What’s a guy gotta do to get some service around here?”
My eyes widened, and my breath caught in my throat. I whipped my head up and smacked it off the underside of the display unit. “Fuck.”
His chuckle sounded out. “Language, Belle.”
I closed my eyes and counted to three as I tried to get my thoughts in order. What the hell was he doing here? The last time I’d seen him was moments after he’d kissed me. A kiss that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. A kiss which continued to drive me insane.
Rubbing the sore spot on the top of my head, I moved back and out of the display case, finally looking up at him. “What are you doing here?” I asked, not knowing what else to say. I was stumped, words escaping me, which was unusual because I was always saying or doing something, but I had no idea how I was meant to act with him standing in front of me.
“I’ll have a coffee, black.” I raised my brow and planted my hand on my hip. There was no way he’d come all the way here just for a coffee, and he was avoiding my question. It may have worked when I was a little kid, but I was a grown-ass woman now. I wanted nothing more than to ask him again and demand an answer but now wasn’t the time and place. Instead of grilling him, I spun around and made him a coffee.
I placed the to-go cup on the counter and stared up at him as he asked, “What time do you finish?”
My nostrils flared, and my stomach sank. Why did he want to know what time I got off work? And more than that, how did he even know I’d be here? “I get off in”—I flicked my gaze up to the giant clock on the wall—“ten minutes.”
“Good.” He nodded and wrapped his long fingers around the cup at the same time he threw ten dollars on the counter. “I’ll wait for you.”
I frowned, not sure what was going on, but I’d find out either way. I just needed to finish my shift first. He turned around, found the last empty table, and sat down, his gaze swinging around the store as he took everything in. I’d missed being around people who were so observant.
“Who’s the hottie?” Trisha asked as she sauntered back behind the counter.
I wiped down the machine and shrugged. “No one important.” It was a lie, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t tell her the man I’d had a crush on for what felt like my entire life was sitting only a few feet away from me. The same man who had kissed the life out of me and stamped the feel of his lips into my brain never able to be erased. Was that why he was here? Because of the kiss? Would he really stray from his undercover operation because of that?
As soon as the minute hand on the clock hit 12, I threw the cloth down and pulled my apron off. I walked into the back to grab my jacket and bag, then headed to the front of the store with a wave at Trisha.
“I’m finished,” I told him, trying not to look directly into his eyes. I was scared of what I’d see, or more importantly, what I wouldn’t see. I moved toward the door, weaving in and out of the students milling around.
The bell rang overhead as I exited, and I could feel Ford directly behind me. I’d always been able to sense when he was close, but it was different now, more heightened. As soon as we were both outside, I spun around and stared up at him. His hazel eyes were mesmerizing, as always, but there was a darkness behind them that hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen him.
“What’s going on, Ford?”
“We need to go to my car.” He tilted his head to signal where he’d parked, but I didn’t look away from him.
“Not until you tell me why you’re here.” I planted both hands on my hips and didn’t move my eye contact. I wasn’t the same little kid who needed protecting. I wasn’t the one person in the family who couldn’t be told what was really going on. I’d spent too much time being sheltered from the world around me, and I refused to let that happen anymore.
“Nothing is—”
“Don’t lie to me,” I fumed as I pointed at him. I knew I looked ridiculous, reprimanding a man who was at least a foot taller than my five-foot-two height, but I didn’t care. This was my home for nine months of the year, and him turning up out of the blue didn’t mean anything good. Not after what had happened at the club. He’d warned me not to go back, told me it was dangerous, and now he was here, standing a couple of feet in front of me.
“In. The. Car.”
“No.” I shook my head, refusing to move.
Ford glanced around us, and I frowned up at him. Why was he so on edge? Why was he moving closer to me as if to shield me from something?
“We need to get into my car, Belle. I can tell you what’s going on then,” he ground out, and it was the first time Ford had spoken to me like that. He was demanding, and there was no room for argument, so I huffed out a breath and stomped toward his car.
I knew full well that I was acting like a child, but I had no doubt he’d make up a story to try and protect me. It was what he, my dad, and my uncles always did. They thought I was a delicate little flower, and one puff of wind would knock me over, but what they failed to comprehend was I was half my dad and half my mom, and they were the two strongest people I knew.
Ford pulled open the door for me, and I slid inside. The smell of leather and vanilla filled my nostrils, and my muscles relaxed. It was the smell of home. A scent I only ever put together with Ford and his car.
He opened up the driver’s door and pushed inside, but kept his gaze trained out of the windshield. “Your dad said he was calling you.” He pushed his hand through his short blond hair. Hair that was turning gray at the temples but somehow made him look even better than he ever had. Why was that? Why was it the older a man got, the sexier they were?
I pulled my cell out of my bag and saw several missed calls from my dad and my mom, plus a few messages. Instead of reading any of them, I clicked the return call button and lifted my cell to my ear, all the while keeping my gaze trained on Ford.
The dial tone only rang once before my dad’s deep voice answered, “Belle.”
“Dad?” Ford’s hands grasped the steering wheel harder, and I knew he could hear Dad’s voice too. “Why is Ford here?”