“JT?” Keeley gasped, all the blood draining out of her face. No. There’s no way that Talon could be JT. It had to be a mistake. He would have told her. He would have mentioned it during one of their talks. Keeley’s eyes flew to him and paused.

Wouldn’t he have?

Doubt started to creep in when he averted his eyes, not willing to face her. “Look at me,” she pleaded, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Silently, she prayed that her brother was wrong. That the handsome, arrogant, boy who had wormed his way into her life wasn’t JT. That he hadn’t lied to her about who he was. Please, Talon, tell me it isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t lie to me.

Anxiously, she waited for him to meet her gaze and when he did, she felt the air rush out of her of lungs. His blue eyes were normally crystal clear, but now they were clouded with guilt.

‘No,’ she thought to herself. ‘No. This is all a mistake. He is not JT. He is Talon. My Talon.’

“Baby doll,” he whispered softly, the words barely audible.  

Keeley flinched, the endearment cutting through her denial like a hot knife.

“What the hell is going on here Keels?” Zach demanded to know.

She ignored her twin, keeping her eyes locked with the boy standing before her. “You’re JT?” she whispered, her tone full of condemnation.

Talon’s face contorted. “Keeley-”

“You’re the varsity quarterback of Crosswell?” However, she didn’t need him to answer. The look on his face said it all. “Did you know Zach was my brother? That he was the quarterback of Edgewood?”

Talon dropped his eyes to the ground, breaking their connection.

‘Coward,’ she thought to herself. ‘He’s a freaking coward.’  

“Did you?” she pressed on, her temper rising. Silently, she dared him to raise his head, to look at her in the eye and tell her the truth. “Did you?” she repeated, her voice escalating in volume.

Talon remained silent, refusing to answer. The tension in the air was so heavy it was almost stifling.

“Answer me!” she screeched, demanding that he admit what she already knew.

Talon’s jaw clenched, every muscle in his body rigid. Seconds passed before he whispered the one word she was waiting for.

“Yes.”

Keeley’s heart slammed into her chest. How could he? How could he? After everything that had happened in Santa Barbara? After everything they had shared? How could he have lied to her like that?  She thought they had grown closer over the past two days. Sure, they weren’t close friends, but she deserved to at least know who he was. She deserved to at least know his name.  

She stared at the golden haired boy standing before her and let out a shaky breath. God. She had trusted him. She had confessed things not even her best friend knew about and he couldn’t even tell her the truth about the most basic of information. She was a fool. Such a damn fool.

“Keeley, wait. Let me explain.” Talon reached out to grab her hand, but Zach was quicker. With a rough tug, he pulled her behind him, shielding her from Talon’s view.

“Don’t touch her,” Zach hissed, spewing venom. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you don’t ever touch my sister.”

“Zach-” Keeley started, but she was ignored by both boys.

“Back the hell off, Brewer,” Talon ordered, his eyes flashing. “This is between me and Keeley.”

Zach’s nostrils flared. “There is no you and Keeley.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Talon instantly shot back.

Keeley’s body went still at his words. Did he really think they could have a relationship? That they could pick up where they left off even though he lied to her?

“What is that suppose to mean, Harrington?” Zach growled.

“Exactly what you think it means,” Talon countered, his expression turning smug.

Zach took a threatening step toward him. “You better have not laid a hand on her!” 

Talon straightened his shoulders, drawing himself up to full height. “I only did what she wanted me to do,” he taunted, flashing Zach a lazy grin.

Keeley gasped. Did he really just say that? Did he really just insinuate that they had sex? They hadn’t even kissed yet! Keeley’s blood started to boil. How dare he! Not only had he lied about his identity but now, he was lying about their relationship. Keeley drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her growing rage.

“My sister wouldn’t have stooped to your level,” Zach sneered.

“You’d be surprised what you’re sister is willing to do,” Talon goaded in a knowing tone, his posture full of arrogance. 

At those words, Keeley’s control snapped. “Excuse me?” she interrupted, her voice low and calm, belying her fury.

Startled, both boys looked over at her in surprise having forgotten that she was even there.

Talon’s face paled as soon as he realized what he had implied. “That came out wrong.” 

“What came out wrong?” she spit out, each word filled with icy rage. “The insinuation that I’m some sort of slut that begged for your attention? Or I’m a tramp that will perform whatever sexual acts you desire?”

Talon visibly flinched at her verbal assault. “You know that’s not what I meant. I would never say that about you.”

Keeley’s eyes narrowed into small slits. “I don’t really know what you would or wouldn’t say, JT,” she snarled, emphasizing his name. “And a piece of advice? Acting like a dick, won’t make yours any bigger.”

“Burn dude,” Zach snickered.

Talon’s mouth thinned into a small line. “I know you’re pissed baby doll,” he said through clenched teeth, “but don’t think I’ll lay down and allow you take cheap shots at me.”

“You don’t allow her to do anything!” Zach yelled before Keeley could respond. He took another threatening step toward Talon, both his hands curled in tight fists.

Keeley looked uneasily between the two, feeling the testosterone level rise. She had a feeling the situation was starting to get out of control. A few other people on the station platform must have felt the same way, because they backed away from the trio, giving them a wide berth.  

“I suggest you shut the hell up, Brewer,” Talon snarled, closing the distance between the two.

“Why don’t you make me, Harrington?” Zach challenged, the glint of masculine arrogance reflected in his eyes.

In that instant, Keeley knew the situation had just gone from bad to volatile. Zach wasn’t one to back down from a fight and she had a feeling neither was Talon. Both boys were alpha males who wouldn’t let a challenge to their ego go unchecked. If she didn’t do something quick, fists would be flying and who knew how bad it could get.

Swiftly, Keeley waded in between the two of them, making sure she had no bodily contact with Talon. “Both of you need to calm down.”

“Move Keels-”

“Get out of the way, baby doll-”

“You cannot afford to get in a fight,” she told Zach, completely ignoring Talon. “If Coach hears about it he’ll bench you.”

“It’d be worth it.”

“Recruiters are watching the games,” she reminded him, knowing how important it was to him.

“Like I said,” he growled, “it’d be worth it.”

“No, it’s not.” Keeley refused to let Zach get in trouble over some jerk who thought she was nothing more than a girl he could toy with. “Don’t let him take that away from you. Let’s just go home.”

Zach hesitated, clearly torn between leaving and sucker punching Talon.

“Please,” she begged. When he didn’t answer, she dropped the pretense from her eyes and let her twin see the stark vulnerability that lay underneath. The vulnerability she wasn’t yet ready to face. “Zach, please.”

Rather reluctantly, he nodded, forcing his body to retreat from the fight. It wasn’t till he was a good four feet away that Keeley let herself take a deep breath, relieved that the crisis was averted. She started to follow after him but a voice stopped her.

“Keeley,” Talon called out.

Her eyes closed in response. Whether it was to stave off the hurt or shut out reality, she didn’t know but either way, she kept them closed. He didn’t deserve to see the pain in them. He didn’t deserve to see her weak and defenseless.

“Baby doll, listen to me,” he continued in lieu of her silence. “It’s not what you think-”

“Don’t,” she whispered, cutting him off. She didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he was bound to make. Words meant nothing to her anymore.

“Just let me explain-”

“There’s nothing to explain.” 

He growled in frustration. “So, you’re just going to walk away? You’re not even going to give me a chance to defend myself?”

The only answer she had for him was to continue to walk away.

“I never took you for a quitter.”

That comment stopped her in her tracks. He was in no place to be throwing accusations around. Not after everything he had done and said. As she turned around to face him, she drew upon her anger, wrapping it around her like a coat of armor. “And I never took you for a liar,” she said, her lips curled in a sneer. “I guess we both didn’t know each other as well as we thought. Goodbye JT.”

With that, Keeley marched to the car, her head held high. She could feel his eyes boring into her, the intensity so extreme, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. For a second, a sweet, sinful second, she was tempted to stop and listen to his explanation, but then she remembered his insinuations and the temptation fled as soon as it came.

When she arrived at the car, her brother was sitting in the driver seat, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. He barely gave her a glance when she sagged into the seat next to him, all his attention focused on his arch nemesis. It wasn’t till Talon walked out of view that Zach released the wheel. He fished his keys out of his pocket and started the car, but made no move to drive. The engine gently growled in background, adding to the growing tension between the siblings.

Finally, Zach turned toward her, his face a mixture of anger and betrayal. “Do you want to tell me what the hell that was about? Why were you with him?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” she said flatly. She just wanted to go home and forget she the whole incident. Forget she ever met him.

“How do you even know JT?”

“Just drive, Zach,” Keeley tersely ordered. She crossed her arms and looked out the window, hoping he would get the hint.

“I thought you were visiting Brent this weekend. Did you lie so you could be with JT?”

“Zach,” Keeley warned, not in the mood to play a game of twenty questions. “Drop it.”

“Are you dating him?” he persisted, not giving up easily.

“Zach!”

“Well, are you? I think I have a right to know.”

Why couldn’t he let this go? She really did not want to discuss Talon or JT or whatever the hell his name was. “I’m not dating him, okay?” she snapped. “Now, can you just shut up and drive?!”

Zach’s head reared back, stunned by her outburst. “What is your problem?” he asked incredulously.

Keeley whipped back around, her brown eyes flashing. “My problem?” she repeated in a low tone. “My problem is that I don’t want to talk. My problem is that I just want to go home!” Her voice cracked on the last word, surprising both herself, and her brother.

There were a couple moments of awkward silence, before Zach fumbled around looking for his car keys. “Um…” he mumbled, refusing to look at her, “have you seen-”

“The keys are in the ignition,” Keeley told him dully.

“Oh. Right,” he muttered feebly as he put the car in reverse and started driving. They sat in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the ride home, neither bothering to make conversation.

“Welcome home sweetheart,” her mother greeted as soon as Keeley entered the house. “Did you have a good time?”

“Fantastic,” Keeley muttered grimly. She headed straight to her bedroom, ignoring Tucker who was bouncing at her feet. She wasn’t in the mood to play nice right now. Not with Tucker. Not with her brother. Not with her mom. She just wanted to be alone. Utterly and completely alone.

“Dinner will be ready in an hour,” her mother yelled after her.

“Not hungry,” Keeley shouted back before slamming her door shut. She threw her stuff in the corner of her room, not caring where it landed. With a loud groan, she flopped onto her bed and wondered how such a great day could turn out to be such a disaster.

God.

What was she even thinking? She knew better than to trust a guy like him. He was too charming, too confident. Guys like that only care about one thing. Themselves. She should have never allowed herself to get so close to him. She felt like an absolute fool.  

Keeley stared at the ceiling and wondered if it wasn’t all just a game to him. Maybe she was a challenge he needed to conquer. She remembered the night he drunk dialed her when he was with his friends. She could imagine them sitting around, drinking beer and talking smack about the “prickly prude” he had switched phones with. They probably laughed at him, betting even the great Talon couldn’t get her in bed.

“Yeah well, the jokes on you buster,” Keeley said to the empty room. “I never even liked you.” The words seemed hollow even to her ears.

She remembered how helpful he was, patiently teaching her about surfboards for hours at a time. She remembered how sweet he was, trying to comfort her over Brent. She remembered how funny he was, always making her smile with his witty comments. She remembered how tender he was, talking about his grandfather and their weekends together.

Damn him.

Damn him for being wonderful and awful all at the same time.

Keeley grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, letting out all her frustration and anger. Why did he lie to her? Why didn’t he tell her the truth? The fact that he lied about his name was a huge slap in the face. What else didn’t she know about him?

The sound of her cell phone ringing pulled Keeley out of her temper tantrum. It was his ringtone. Her heart started beating faster. Did she want to answer it? Did she want to talk to him? Before she even realized what she was doing, she was across the room, grabbing her phone. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen, his name flashing brightly like a neon light.

Talon was JT.

JT was Talon.

He lied to her.

Keeley hit the red, reject button, sending his call straight to voicemail. Seconds later, her phone rang again, his name popping onto the screen. “Determined little jerk, aren’t you?” she muttered to herself, pushing away the small ray of happiness she felt that he called her. Quickly, she sent his call to voicemail and powered down her phone. “Take that,” she said to the blank screen, sticking out her tongue like a child. The victory felt empty as the silence of the room started to close in on her. She fell back into bed and wondered for the second time that day, how it all had turned into such a disaster.

Hours later, someone knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called out.

Zach poked his head in her room and gave her a cautious smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she replied carefully, aware that the friction was still there between the two of them.

“I brought you dinner,” he explained, holding a large plate in his hands. “Thought you might be hungry.”

Keeley gave him a small smile. “Thanks,” she said graciously, accepting the plate of food. “What did you tell the parentals?”

Zach shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the doorway. “Just told them you were tired and needed sleep.”

“Thanks for covering for me. I really didn’t want to sit through dinner being questioned by mom about the weekend.”

Zach gave a deep chuckle. “Yah, instead of you, she kept asking me questions.”

Keeley winced. She knew how relentless their mother could be when she wanted to know something. “Sorry.”

“It’s cool,” he said casually, looking at everything in her room but her.

Inwardly, Keeley laughed at how uncomfortable Zach looked. She had never seen her twin act so nervous before. She knew the plate of food had been his way of offering an olive branch for his behavior in the car. “Are you going to stand there like a dork or are you going to keep me company while I eat?” she asked, officially accepting his apology.

Relief flashed across his face. “So,” he said while getting comfortable on her floor, “how was your trip? Anything interesting happen?”

Keeley shook her head in amusement. She should have known he wouldn’t leave the issue of JT alone for long. “Do you remember that guy I accidently switched phones with at the fair?”

His eyebrow lifted in surprise. “It was JT?” he asked in disbelief. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t know! He told me his name was Talon, not JT,” she explained hastily.

“How could you not know? You’ve seen him.”

Keeley glared at her twin. Maybe she was reconsidering the peace treaty. “When would I have seen him?”

“Have you or have you not been to all my football games?” Zach asked, while reaching over to grab a piece of bread off her plate.

Keeley slapped his hand away like an annoying bug. “I’ve seen his helmet and the back of his football jersey. Excuse me, for not instantly recognizing him with all that padding!” she replied sharply.

Zach gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse of anything. I know you wouldn’t have hung out with him if you had known. It’s just that guy gets my blood boiling. He’s such an ass.”

Keeley looked down at her plate of food, a thread of doubt weaving it’s way into her mind. Would she have stopped seeing Talon if she had known? Her heart cried out at the idea.

Zach must have caught her expression because his eyes’ instantly darkened. “Keels,” he said sternly. “Don’t tell me you like that asshole. He lied to you.”

Keeley shrugged her shoulders, hoping he couldn’t see the truth. “I know.”

“I’m serious. You don’t want to get involved with this guy.”

“Why? Because you don’t like him?” she retorted angrily.

“Yes,” Zach snapped, “but it’s not just that. He’s a real piece of work when it comes to girls. I’ve heard more than one chick cry about how he bangs them and then leaves them.”

Keeley huffed at the hypocrisy of his words. “And you don’t do the same thing? I know for a fact you use girls all the time.”

“Yah, but at least I’m upfront about it. Those girls know what they are getting into.”

Keeley rolled her eyes. “And that makes it so much better?”

“Keels, I’m not joking.”

“I’m not either.” Keeley saw the concern in her brother’s eyes and sighed. He really did care about her. “Zach, stop worrying. I’m not dating him nor do I have any intention of dating him.”

“It’s not the dating I’m worried about,” he muttered under his breath.

Keeley punched his arm. “Zach!”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, Keels,” he said gently, each word ringing with sincerity.

Some of Keeley’s annoyance ebbed. How could she be irritated when he was only looking out for her? “I know Zach. Don’t worry,” she gave him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be careful.”

****

“You’re late,” Van declared as soon as she walked through the doors of The Surf Shack.

“Hello Van,” Keeley replied brightly. “Nice to see you too. I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking.”

Van scowled at her mocking behavior. “Shawn doesn’t pay you to be late.”

“You’re right,” Keeley idly responded as she stuffed her purse under the counter. She watched as Van’s eyes flash with a hint of surprise. He obviously hadn’t expected her to agree with him so readily. With a small smirk she added, “He pays me to put up with you.”

The lines on Van’s face grew more pronounced as his scowl deepened. “You might want to watch how you talk to me. I am your supervisor.”

“Supervisor or not, you may want to stop frowning like that. You’re scaring the customers away,” Keeley advised, nodding to a couple of people in the store.   

“It’s not any of your business whether or not I scare people away. You’re paid to work, not comment on my facial expressions.”

Keeley rolled her eyes. She could already tell this was going to be another delightful shift with Van. Did the man have any sense of humor? She was tempted to ask if he even knew how to laugh but was afraid he’d ask what laughter was.

“And for your information,” he added in a superior tone, “the only reason why we have so many customers is because of me.”

“Ah yes. How could I forget? You’re some type of hotshot surfer.”

“That’s right. And my fans are here to see me,” he thumped his chest, “a true surfer. Not some wannabe employee, who has never even been on a board.”

“Possessive much?” she asked dryly. “Maybe you should just tattoo them and call them Death Eaters, Mr. Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”

Van looked at her suspiciously. “Death Eaters?”

“Yah, you know Death Eaters-from Harry Potter,” she clarified.

Van drew his eyebrows up in question.

“Snake tattoo on arm that burns? Hooded cloaks that resembles the KKK?” Keeley paused and waited for him to say something, but his expression remained the same. “Ringing any bells?”

Van shook his head.

“Wow,” Keeley exclaimed in wonder. “Your lack of pop culture astounds me. Where have you been for the past couple of years?”

He clenched his jaw so tightly, Keeley was afraid he’d break a tooth. “Surfing,” he grunted brusquely.

“And they didn’t have a movie theatre or library where you were surfing?”

He muttered a few words under his breath before abruptly heading to the front door. “I’m taking my break. Be back in five.”

“Aye’ aye’ captain,” Keeley said perversely. She flinched as he slammed the door shut. What exactly was his problem? Not once had she ever seen him happy, or crack a smile unless it to a customer. He acted like it was him against the world. Did he hate everybody? By the looks of him, Keeley guessed he was in his early to mid twenties. How did someone that young have such a giant chip on their shoulder? Well, at least she had a few minutes to enjoy without his pessimistic attitude.

Keeley began straightening up the shelves when she heard a customer enter the store. She plastered a friendly smile on her face as she prepared to greet the patron. The smile immediately vanished once she saw Talon strolling through the door. It had been two days since the incident on the train station and her anger was still very much alive.

“What are you doing here?” Keeley asked, not making an effort to reign in her antagonism. She had no desire to see or talk to him. His betrayal had cut deeply.

“All of my calls have been going straight to voicemail, so I thought I’d come talk to you in person.” He walked over to her, his steps confident and unwavering, no matter what type of death glares she threw at him.

“Did you ever think that it might have been intentional?”

Talon pretended to think about it. “No, not really.”

“Well, it was,” Keeley claimed, a hard edge to her voice.

“You might want to be a little more gracious, baby doll. After all, I came all the way down here to give you a chance to apologize to me.” 

“A-Apologize?” Keeley sputtered in disbelief. “To you?”

Talon rolled his eyes. “Well of course to me. Who else do you have to apologize to?” He raised a hand. “Don’t answer that. Knowing you, you probably have a ton of people.”

Keeley stared at him, baffled by his cavalier attitude. He acted as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t lied to her. Was she just suppose to forgive and forget because he called a couple of times? Was she suppose to be flattered that he left her voicemails? Keeley balked at the thought. What an insufferable jerk!

“Can you please calm down and not go all Kill Bill on me?” he said, motioning to her hands.

Keeley looked down and realized she was clutching a wire hanger like a weapon, ready to strike. She lowered her arms, but kept the hanger in hand.

“I’m waiting,” Talon lilted.

She looked at him in confusion. “For what?”

“For your apology! You did walk out on me.”

“I’m sorry, but did your mother put a stop payment on your reality check?” Keeley asked. “I am not apologizing to you! If anyone deserves an apology it’s me!”

“I beg to disagree.”

“You lied to me!”

“I never lied,” he stated matter-of-factly.  

Keeley made a small noise of frustration and pointed the wire hanger at him. “You didn’t tell me who you were!”

He lifted both his hands in the air, the universal sign of surrender. “Technically, it was an omission of the truth.”

She poked his chest with the hanger. “And you didn’t think it was important detail to tell me?”

Talon shrugged casually as if he hadn’t really thought about it. “Just didn’t know how to work it into the conversation.”

“How hard could it have been? All you had to do was say ‘Hey Keeley, my full name is J-’” Keeley faltered, realizing that she still didn’t know his name. God. The whole situation was such a disaster.

Talon stepped forward and offered his hand. “Hey Keeley, my full name is James Talon Harrington the Fourth,” he said with a wide smile meant to charm her. 

Keeley pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “You have a serious case of schizophrenia.”

“I am not crazy.”

“Says the guy who has identity issues,” Keeley muttered under her breath. “So, what the hell do I call you? James? Talon? JT? The Easter Bunny?”

“Talon,” he stated firmly. “You always call me Talon.”

Always? What did he mean by that? And why the hell did she call him Talon when everyone else referred to him as JT? Keeley sighed in aggravation. The more answers he gave her, the more questions she formed. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to work.”

“Then work,” he said, not seeming too concerned about her lack of hospitality.

Nonplussed, Keeley stared at him.

He stared right back.

“Aren’t you going to leave?” she asked crossly.

Talon took a look around the store and then shrugged his shoulders. “No,” he answered plainly. “I’m good.”

“You can’t stay!”

His blue eyes glittered with unabashed amusement. “Baby doll, you have a lot to learn about retail. You want customers in your store, not drive them away.”

“I know that!” Keeley snapped, a scowl on her face. “And I know plenty about retail. Don’t lecture me, James Talon Harrington the Fourth!” She saw him grinning happily and that made her even more furious. “And don’t smile at me either!” she ordered.

His smile didn’t dim, if anything, it got brighter. “Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘the customer is always right?’” he asked her.

Keeley growled. “You are the most annoying, insufferable boy I have ever met. You have no boundaries, no concept of-”

Seeming unperturbed by the lecture, Talon grabbed the hanger out of her hands and pointed to the cash register behind her. “You have a customer waiting.”

“W-what?” Keeley looked behind her and sure enough, there was a man waiting by the counter. “Oh…Well,” she turned back to him, “don’t move. I have more to say to you Mr. Harrington the Fourth!”

“I look forward to it, baby doll,” he replied, his tone dripping with satisfaction.

Keeley hurried to help the customer, her brain scrambled by what had just happened. As she rang up the items on the register she wondered what had just happened? Did she just get cleverly manipulated?

The store door opened and she looked up to see Van returning from his break with two big bags in hand. Maybe she should stick him on Talon. She bet he would make Talon go away.

“Why does that customer have just a wire hanger in his hand?” Van asked as he passed her to go to the break room.

Keeley shrugged innocently. “You should go check him out. Make sure he’s not stealing anything.”

Van grunted which Keeley assumed meant yes. As he opened the door to the break room, she casually glanced at the bags, curious as to what Van could buy in five minutes. Stunned, she realized it was alcohol. Bottles and bottles of hard liquor. ‘Someone must be having one hell of a party,’ she thought to herself as he stored the bags in back.

She continued helping the male customer while keeping one eye on Talon. He was roaming around the sunglasses rack, trying on ridiculous sized sunglasses. Gleefully, she watched as Van approach. She hoped he gave Talon hell. Keeley handed the receipt to the customer and made her way over to the sunglasses, happily anticipating their conversation.

“-I completely agree. They shouldn’t have traded Coplin for Evans. Such a mistake,” Van told Talon.

“Yah, Clark would have been a much better choice. Can you imagine how bad their offensive is going to be?” Both men guffawed at the idea.

“You planning on going pro? I’ve seen you play, you could easily get drafted.”

“We’ll see. Depends on how I play in college. If you ever want tickets to our high school games, let me know. I can get them for you.”

“Yea, that’d be awesome man,” Van said enthusiastically as the sides of his mouth curved upward.  

Keeley’s jaw dropped. Van was grinning. Grinning! What the hell?! How did Talon get a grin, and all she ever got were frowns and scowls? The man hated everyone! This was unacceptable. Completely unacceptable.

“What’s your number?” Talon requested, pulling out his phone.

Keeley burst into their conversation. “No! Absolutely not! You two are not becoming friends.” She plucked Talon’s phone out of his hand and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket. “You need to leave,” she informed him, practically pushing him toward the door.

“Keeley!” Van barked, the grin instantly morphing into a disapproving frown.

Talon held up his hand. “It’s okay Van. Keeley gets a little jealous where I’m concerned.”

“Oh.” Van’s eyes darted between the two of them. “You know each other?”

Smoothly, Talon slid an arm around Keeley’s waist, firmly holding her next to him. “Yup. She’s my girlfriend,” he declared brightly.

Keeley looked up at him in shock. “You are crazy.”

Talon sent her flirty wink. “Crazy for you.”

Keeley almost smiled at the corny line before remembering that she was mad at him. “You need to go,” she said firmly, keeping her expression solemn.

“Only if you promise me one thing, baby doll,” he whispered in her ear.

“What?” she asked warily. Talon’s intentions were always dubious, no matter how innocent they seemed.

“To answer the phone the next time I call.”

“That’s it?” Keeley asked, the surprise evident in her voice. She moved back slightly in his arms, so she could look him in the eye.

He met her gaze directly, no guilt clouding them this time. “That’s it, baby doll,” he answered, gently tapping the end of her nose.

“Okay, I promise,” she said, after a couple moments of deliberation.

“Excellent,” he proclaimed. “I’ll talk to you later.” He turned away from her, but not before Keeley saw a large smirk gracing his face.

“I am a fool,” she muttered to herself as she watched him saunter out the door. “An absolute fool.”