prize while the others cheeped and pecked at each other.
“Your croutons are getting soggy,” Faye said. She nudged Shayla with a foot under the table.
“Sorry. I’m not very hungry.” Shayla dropped the rest of her dinner roll to the birds. A busboy across the patio gave her a disapproving look.
Faye reached across and handed Shayla a fork. “You need to eat. We aren’t leaving until you do.”
“Are you going to mother me all afternoon?” Reluctantly, Shayla stuck the fork into her Caesar salad.
“Only if you need it. Judging by the half-ass makeup job and wrinkled clothes, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you need someone to remind you to take care of yourself.” Faye shook her head. “Are you still hung up on what happened at the office? It’s been days. He hasn’t been around again, has he?”
Shayla chewed the bite of salad. Going to lunch with Faye was a mistake. The woman could have been a chief interrogator during the inquisition.
“No, I haven’t seen him again.” Much to her dismay. That fact alone caused her to panic. Was there some sort of psychological disorder where victims of stalking wanted to be followed? Better yet, she should just simplify it and say she’d lost her goddamned mind in the last few days.
Shayla pushed her bra strap back onto her shoulder. She’d worn the lace and satin bra she swore she’d never wear. Why? God only knew.
“That’s it, I’m going to call NASA,” Faye blurted out of the blue.
Shayla jumped. Lettuce flew off her fork and landed on her lap. Creamy salad dressing and parmesan cheese smeared over the leg of her jeans. Cursing under her breath, Shayla picked the chunks of salad off her thigh and swiped at the mess with a napkin.
“What the hell? Does NASA even exist anymore?”
Faye handed over another napkin. “I sure as hell hope so, or our only chance to bring your mind back to earth is gone.”
Faye calling her out about being a space case made Shayla feel worse than before. She gave up on cleaning up the salad dressing and tossed the dirty napkins over her food.
“Can I be honest?”
Faye nodded. “Please do. Maybe then you’ll start acting like yourself again.”
“That guy has been on my mind since seeing him at the office. Every time I pass the flowers he brought, I want to track him down and thank him for them. Or at the very least, apologize for freaking out and calling the cops on him.” Shayla leaned back in her seat. “Can you fall for someone you think may be stalking you?”
Around the corner of the restaurant, Deryck leaned against the wall and forgot how to breathe. It hadn’t been his intention to spy on Shayla and her friend on their lunch date, but he couldn’t stay away from her. He’d been roused from his sleep by agonizing pain radiating from his incubi bands and thought he’d been called to service someone. When he saw Shayla through the windows of the building, he realized what was going on.
And after hearing her confession, he knew exactly why he’d been summoned. Whatever force was bringing them together wanted him to witness this moment.
His heart banged against his ribs. Could she really feel something for him after he’d scared her so badly?
Deryck stole a glance around the corner of the building. The women sat with their backs to him, a small blessing. He marveled for a moment at how attractive Shayla was, no matter what angle he saw her from. Even with her hair piled into a messy ponytail, it captivated him. Diluted sunlight filtered by clouds hid the red highlights he liked so much but he didn’t care. Simply being close to her pleased him.
A man approached Shayla and Faye from the far side of the patio. His face was partially hidden by a baseball cap. Oversized clothes disguised his true size. He was plain enough by human standards. Deryck wouldn’t have paid him any attention except once he passed the women, he circled back around.
Uneasy with the amount of attention he paid
“Your croutons are getting soggy,” Faye said. She nudged Shayla with a foot under the table.
“Sorry. I’m not very hungry.” Shayla dropped the rest of her dinner roll to the birds. A busboy across the patio gave her a disapproving look.
Faye reached across and handed Shayla a fork. “You need to eat. We aren’t leaving until you do.”
“Are you going to mother me all afternoon?” Reluctantly, Shayla stuck the fork into her Caesar salad.
“Only if you need it. Judging by the half-ass makeup job and wrinkled clothes, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you need someone to remind you to take care of yourself.” Faye shook her head. “Are you still hung up on what happened at the office? It’s been days. He hasn’t been around again, has he?”
Shayla chewed the bite of salad. Going to lunch with Faye was a mistake. The woman could have been a chief interrogator during the inquisition.
“No, I haven’t seen him again.” Much to her dismay. That fact alone caused her to panic. Was there some sort of psychological disorder where victims of stalking wanted to be followed? Better yet, she should just simplify it and say she’d lost her goddamned mind in the last few days.
Shayla pushed her bra strap back onto her shoulder. She’d worn the lace and satin bra she swore she’d never wear. Why? God only knew.
“That’s it, I’m going to call NASA,” Faye blurted out of the blue.
Shayla jumped. Lettuce flew off her fork and landed on her lap. Creamy salad dressing and parmesan cheese smeared over the leg of her jeans. Cursing under her breath, Shayla picked the chunks of salad off her thigh and swiped at the mess with a napkin.
“What the hell? Does NASA even exist anymore?”
Faye handed over another napkin. “I sure as hell hope so, or our only chance to bring your mind back to earth is gone.”
Faye calling her out about being a space case made Shayla feel worse than before. She gave up on cleaning up the salad dressing and tossed the dirty napkins over her food.
“Can I be honest?”
Faye nodded. “Please do. Maybe then you’ll start acting like yourself again.”
“That guy has been on my mind since seeing him at the office. Every time I pass the flowers he brought, I want to track him down and thank him for them. Or at the very least, apologize for freaking out and calling the cops on him.” Shayla leaned back in her seat. “Can you fall for someone you think may be stalking you?”
Around the corner of the restaurant, Deryck leaned against the wall and forgot how to breathe. It hadn’t been his intention to spy on Shayla and her friend on their lunch date, but he couldn’t stay away from her. He’d been roused from his sleep by agonizing pain radiating from his incubi bands and thought he’d been called to service someone. When he saw Shayla through the windows of the building, he realized what was going on.
And after hearing her confession, he knew exactly why he’d been summoned. Whatever force was bringing them together wanted him to witness this moment.
His heart banged against his ribs. Could she really feel something for him after he’d scared her so badly?
Deryck stole a glance around the corner of the building. The women sat with their backs to him, a small blessing. He marveled for a moment at how attractive Shayla was, no matter what angle he saw her from. Even with her hair piled into a messy ponytail, it captivated him. Diluted sunlight filtered by clouds hid the red highlights he liked so much but he didn’t care. Simply being close to her pleased him.
A man approached Shayla and Faye from the far side of the patio. His face was partially hidden by a baseball cap. Oversized clothes disguised his true size. He was plain enough by human standards. Deryck wouldn’t have paid him any attention except once he passed the women, he circled back around.
Uneasy with the amount of attention he paid
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