Falling Fast (Falling Fast #1) by Tina Wainscott Read Free Book Online Page B

then. They’d grown up. Changed. Heck, he could be married, for all she knew. Engaged. Seeing someone, at the least.
    The thought dinged her heart even as she told herself that it was for the best. It would make things easier, for sure. Put her memories where they belonged: in the past. She was here for business, after all, not reminiscing. Still, so much crammed into her brain, words that wanted to be said. Apologies, thank-yous.
    I loved you so much.
    God, no, not that. They’d never exchanged those words. She suspected they weren’t words he used or heard much, as rarely as she did. With summer coming to an end, along with their romance, it seemed pointless to declare something so monumental. Once, she thought he might say it. He’d been looking at her so deeply, his mouth open, and he’d said, “Mia, I love…” He’d cleared his throat. “I loved being with you this summer. I wish it wouldn’t end.”
    She’d tried to come up with ways that it didn’t have to end. He could move to Minnesota. She’d spend her senior year down here with Nancy. That last idea had been a heart-thumper. Of course, she knew her parents would forbid it, especially since they knew that she would be staying because of Raleigh. They didn’t know she’d been sneaking out, but they did know she was seeing him.
    She pulled into the parking lot, keeping her headlights from sweeping into the open bay of the garage. She wanted to walk in as she’d done that first time, to watch him work without his knowing. But as her sandals scraped across the asphalt she saw him standing at the opening. With the light behind him, his expression was in silhouette. She hoped it was the one he’d worn at the memorial, a hint of a smile and a lot of curiosity. Maybe he’d already turned down the music, because she only heard a low rock-and-roll bass line in the background. Maybe he’d outgrown the blaring music.
    “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” she said, squinting as she stepped into the brightly lit garage. She stopped, seeing him in the light, and felt the full impact of being this close to him again.
    Shirtless. A smear of grease across his cheek. Hair tousled. The thin blue fabric of his mechanic’s pants showcased muscular thighs, then grew baggier as they went down to his scuffed boots. He was taller and more filled in than he’d been at nineteen, his shoulders now broad, his chest contoured.
    She raised her eyes to his face again, realizing that she’d been gawking. “You’ve changed,” she managed, because she couldn’t exactly ignore the fact.
    “So have you.” The corner of his mouth lifted, a smile that didn’t even get started.
    But here, in this moment, nothing had changed. She felt as she had seven years earlier, coming here when she knew he’d be alone. Her heart hammered in her chest, sucked the moisture from her mouth.
    Did he feel as locked into the moment as she did? His blue eyes held hers spellbound, several emotions flashing across them. He blinked, then gestured for her to come in and headed toward the sink in the back corner. “Would you like a drink?”
    Did he drink alcohol nowadays?
    “Sure. What do you have?” She followed him, relieved that he hadn’t made an excuse for her to have to leave. Clearly, he was as busy as he’d been back then, trying to cram two jobs into one life. One day. She’d always admired his work ethic.
    He pointed to the small fridge as he headed to the industrial sink in the corner. “Water, soda, Gatorade. Help yourself.”
    He still had the confident, easy gait, and she still wanted to run her finger down the indent of his spine where it dipped down at his tailbone and disappeared into the waistband of his pants. Once they had crossed that line, she had often acted on the impulse. She had touched all of him, had experienced the freedom to touch a beautiful man. Indulging in whatever her heart desired had been new, delicious, decadent.
    He used his elbow to turn on the water