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by J. A. Armstrong

  Fallon’s left hand gripped Andi’s hip, holding her steady as Andi’s orgasm threatened to send her to the floor. Fallon was not ready for that just yet. She moved tenderly in and out of Andi until Andi shuddered again softly. Then Fallon lowered her lover to the floor and kissed her.

  “Get over me right now,” Andi said.

  Fallon’s heart thundered in her ears. Over her? Dear God, help me. She did as Andi instructed and straddled Andi’s face. Warmth spread over and through her. Her arousal mixed with the heat of Andi’s mouth and the softness of Andi’s tongue. Andi’s tongue danced over Fallon in graceful strokes, teasing her until Fallon’s hips began to gyrate side to side. Fallon struggled to stay upright.

  Andi held Fallon in place, determined to keep her hovering until she had no choice but to fall. She could sense Fallon’s frustration. She wished she could play Fallon’s game now and ask Fallon what she wanted—tell Fallon when she wanted her to let go. She would never give up her prize, not even for that indulgence.

  Fallon’s knees were shaking. She needed to brace herself, but where? There was nothing to hold onto. Jesus. She didn’t want to break the connection. Without warning, she was lifted and tossed about. “Fuck!” Fallon screamed and fell forward, her hands gripping the carpet. Andi was still holding onto her, refusing to stop. Fallon’s orgasm rocked her from within. “Andi, Jesus!”

  Not done yet. Andi sucked gently.

  Light exploded behind Fallon’s eyelids. She tried to peel herself away from Andi’s grip. Andi continued to hold her in place. She sometimes forgot how strong her lover was. Andi’s curves disguised her raw power. It was intoxicating. Fallon’s body finally gave all it had. She collapsed beside her lover, spent but satiated.

  Andi propped herself up to look at Fallon. “You make me crazy.”

  “Crazy?”

  “Mm. Crazy with desire,” Andi said.

  Fallon kissed her. “I know what you mean.”

  “It’s going to be a long week.”

  “I’m sure you will find something to occupy your time,” Fallon said.

  Andi smiled softly. She’d never regret taking Fallon as a lover—never. It did carry complications. She knew where Fallon’s thoughts had traveled. Fallon was right. Andi would likely find herself in her husband’s arms whispering endearments after a night of lovemaking. It would be gentle, even cautious. She would not find herself craving Fallon in those moments, just as she thought nothing of Jake when Fallon touched her. They were separate; both part of Andi’s life, even part of her heart, but two entirely different worlds that could never come together. Fallon would likely be alone unless some chatty visitor at the pub invited her home. Assurances aside, Andi knew that reality caused Fallon some pain. It wasn’t a broken heart. Perhaps it was the reminder that love seemed to elude Fallon.

  Andi caressed Fallon’s cheek tenderly. You would be so easy to fall for. “I will miss you.”

  Fallon smiled.

  In my way, I always do. You would be, Fallon. You would be so easy to fall in love with, if only you would let someone close enough. “It’s only a week,” Andi said.

  Yeah. It’s only a week.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Riley woke up and stretched. It took her a minute to remember where she was. The last few days seemed a blur. She inhaled a deep breath and snuggled beneath the warm blankets. Fallon had made every effort to make her feel at home. She’d barely seen Fallon in the last two days. It felt a bit strange living in Fallon’s home without seeing her. She wondered if this was normal for her new friend. Fallon’s home was beautiful. It was warm and comfortable. It felt like a home, not a house, yet Fallon seemed to avoid spending time here. It puzzled Riley. She hoped that Fallon wasn’t avoiding her or worse, that her presence made Fallon uncomfortable in some way. She forced her eyes open and pulled herself from the warmth of the bed, surprised that Owen had not awakened her.

  Riley slipped on a sweatshirt and meandered down the hallway toward the kitchen. The smell of coffee wafting through the air told her that Fallon was either home or had left recently. She stopped abruptly at the scene in the living room. Fallon was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace sipping what Riley imagined was a cup of coffee. Owen was sitting on her lap chewing on a piece of toast. Riley was happier to see Fallon than she might have imagined and touched by the tender display. “Hey.”

  Fallon turned her head. “Hey, look who’s up, buddy?” She spun them on the floor to face Riley.

  Owen smiled at his mother and waved. “Toast, Mommy.”

  “Fallon made you toast?”

  Owen nodded and chewed on his toast some more.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Riley said.

  Fallon shrugged. “He found me. I needed coffee. He wanted toast. Worked out for us both.”

  Riley smiled.

  “There’s plenty of coffee in the pot,” Fallon said.

  “Can I get you anything?” Riley asked.

  “Me? Nope. Me and Owen are good, I think. You good, buddy?”

  “Good, Fawon!” Owen parroted Fallon’s words.

  Riley chuckled. Fallon seemed content to let Owen use her as a sofa. Well, he’s happy. She strolled into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. I wonder what she’s doing home?

  “So, what are you up to today?” Riley asked as she took a seat on the sofa.

  “Funny you should ask.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  Fallon grimaced. She had gotten a call late the night before from her friend Jerry. Jerry had been out to look at Riley’s roof. His news, while not dire, was not what Fallon knew Riley hoped for. By the time that Fallon had gotten back from the pub, Riley had been asleep. It was not something she wanted to discuss over the phone.

  “Fallon?”

  “Jerry went out to your place yesterday afternoon. You know, he works with most of the major insurance companies.”

  “Yes, I know. And, you trust him. I know. So?”

  “Short version? You need a new roof.”

  Riley sighed.

  “Good news? He can do it.”

  “Okay?”

  “Bad news? It’ll be a few weeks.”

  “A few weeks?” Riley gasped.

  “Well, he has two other jobs going and from what he said, he thinks they need to take down some other branches that could cause you issues. Plus…”

  “Plus?”

  “Well, there’s a couple of cracked windows he thinks should be replaced.” Fallon rushed to finish her thought. “He’s great, Riley. It’s worth a little extra time. He’ll get it all onto your insurance. Trust me.”

  Riley groaned. “Weeks? Fallon, I can’t stay here for a few weeks.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not? I don’t want to be in your way.”

  Fallon’s face wrinkled with confusion. “In my way? You’re not in my way.”

  Riley raised a brow in challenge. “My son thinks you are his personal sofa.”

  Fallon grinned. She enjoyed having Owen around. Fallon loved kids. “Well, at least I can feel useful.”

  “Fallon, I’m serious.”

  “So, am I. Oh, come on. Am I that bad?”

  Riley detected a genuine hint of fear or maybe it was sadness in Fallon’s voice. What is that about? “Bad? Fallon, you’ve hardly been here. I don’t want to put you out of your home.”

  Home? That’s a loose term. She had been busy. Her mother was away in Baltimore visiting her brother and his family. She had wanted to check on everything at Ida’s house. This was a busy season for the pub as skiers passed through town, and she had been helping Charlie with a surprise for Carol. That’s what had taken up most of her time. It had never occurred to her that her absence might appear as avoidance to her guest. It made sense. One thing that Fallon had already surmised about Riley Main; Riley’s concern about being an imposition was genuine.

  “You’re not,” Fallon said. “I’ve been kind of busy the last few days is all.”

&nbs
p; “I noticed.”

  “Yeah, but that has nothing to do with you and Owen. It has more to do with Carol.”

  “Why? Is Carol okay?”

  “She’s a pain in my ass.” Fallon laughed. “I mean that in the nicest of ways.”

  Riley didn’t need more time with Fallon to know that Fallon adored Carol.

  Fallon set out to explain. “Charlie…”

  “The butcher?”

  “Right. Well, he and Carol have been seeing each other a while.”

  “So, I’ve heard.”

  “Yeah, well, seems Charlie would like that to become a permanent arrangement.”

  “You mean he wants to propose?”

  “Yep. And, he can’t, you know, take her away to some romantic inn or some exotic beach. Nope, not Charlie. He wants to throw her a big birthday party and ask in front of the whole damn town.”

  “Let me guess; he rooked you into helping plan it.”

  “No, he coerced me into planning it—all of it. Well, except the proposal part. He’s on his own there. Proposing to Carol?” Fallon shuddered.

  Riley laughed. “Anything I can help with?”

  “Actually, there might be.”

  “Happy to help.”

  “I don’t want you to worry about staying here. Seriously, I mean it. It’s kind of nice to have someone here to talk to.”

  Riley smiled. That wasn’t easy for you to admit. “Fallon, I want you to promise me that if us being here is too much, whether that’s tomorrow or a week from now, I want you to promise me that you’ll tell me.”

  “I will, but I won’t need to.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Why are you so worried about this?” Fallon wondered.

  “Because.” Riley looked at Owen sitting contentedly in Fallon’s lap. “I feel like we’re becoming friends.”

  “I thought we were friends.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I guess I do.”

  “I don’t want anything to ruin that,” Riley said. “This is all new for me. This place…”

  “Feeling homesick?”

  Was she? Riley hadn’t pondered that at all. In fact, she hadn’t given much thought to home since arriving in Whiskey Springs, at least, not in the sense that she missed it. It would be easier in San Diego, easier when roofs needed replacing and cars needed fixing. Would it be happier? Three days in Whiskey Springs and Riley had already been entertained by the likes of Daryl and Daryl, Carol, and had offers for babysitting from Pete’s sister Marge. She’d even crossed paths with Andi Maguire, who Riley had noticed gazed rather affectionately at Fallon. Every reasonable bone in Riley’s body said that she should feel like a foreigner in this place. For some unknown reason, she felt at ease. She was dreading the call she would need to make to Mary to update her older sister on her living arrangements. It would give Mary another reason to suggest that Riley head home. She could hear it now. Just come home, Riley. I don’t know what you were thinking. Homesick? A person needed to have a home to feel homesick.

  “No,” Riley said honestly. “I just don’t want to ruin a friendship before it even starts.”

  “Don’t drink all my coffee and we’ll be fine,” Fallon said.

  Riley did not seem amused.

  “Okay,” Fallon conceded defeat. “I’m trying to understand; I am. Real friendships are pretty hard to ruin, Riley. Trust me on that. What could you possibly do? Shrink one of my sweaters in that laundry you promised to help with?”

  Riley sighed.

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I,” Riley replied. “The point is that we don’t know each other that well. Who knows what I might do to make you uncomfortable.”

  Fallon laughed.

  “That’s funny.”

  “Kind of.”

  Riley’s gaze hardened.

  “Oh, come on, Riley. Think about it. You offend you? You’re staying in the token lesbian’s house who owns the token bar in town? Don’t you think it’s me who should worry about offending you?”

  Riley’s expression softened. That really worries you, doesn’t it? “Unless you plan on forcing yourself on me; I don’t think you need to worry about that—at all. I don’t care about that, Fallon. I have lots of lesbian friends.”

  Riley’s revelation didn’t surprise Fallon. Riley had taken Fallon’s disclosure in stride. She’d neither raised the point nor avoided it. It had been on Fallon’s mind. She could be an incurable flirt, even when she meant nothing by it. Riley was right about one thing; their friendship was new. The last thing that Fallon wanted was to offend Riley or make her uncomfortable in any way. She was relieved to clear the air. Maybe she had avoided Riley a bit. It was funny; she looked forward to seeing Riley and talking with her. Their conversations flowed easily and honestly.

  “I get it,” Fallon said. “I want you to stay,” she said. And, she did. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other. If you don’t end up thinking I need professional help by the time your roof’s done, I’ll consider it a huge win.”

  “You mean like a maid?” Riley teased.

  “Is my house that messy?”

  “Only your laundry.”

  Fallon laughed. “So, you’ll stay?”

  “You promise. If I…”

  “If you drink all my coffee, I’ll throw you out in the snow.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. You are impossible. She moved to relieve Fallon of Owen.

  “Fawon!” Owen protested.

  “See? Owen knows a good thing when he finds it.”

  Riley smiled. Yeah, I guess he does.

  ***

  Fallon smiled when Riley walked into the pub. Apparently, she had accepted Marge’s offer to babysit Owen for a few hours. It had taken more than a little convincing. Fallon finally explained that it would be as much a favor to Marge as it could ever be a help to Riley. Marge had lost two babies in two years, one miscarriage and one still-born birth. Pete had told Fallon that he feared it might kill his sister. Marge’s husband, Billy had left her six months after the second loss. The loss and Marge’s depression proved too much for him to handle. Fallon couldn’t begin to imagine the pain that Marge went through. Marge was a year younger than Fallon. Fallon had always liked the younger McCann. Pete was four years older than Fallon. She recalled him as boisterous bordering on obnoxious as a kid. Marge had always been sweet. She was the girl who never quite seemed to find where she fit in. When Billy Lloyd came to town it seemed that Marge’s life had finally hit its stride. Now, at thirty-eight, Marge Lloyd’s prospects for building a family had diminished greatly. It hurt Fallon to watch. Marge was a first-grade school teacher. She loved children. Life could be incredibly unfair. Fallon was positive hearing the story had changed Riley’s mind. And, Fallon was grateful that Riley had changed her mind.

  Ida Foster had arrived home early that morning. Tonight, Fallon had planned a welcome back party for her mother. At times, Ida drove Fallon crazy. She never sought to control Fallon, but she did like to offer “guidance” as she called it. Guidance—that was another word for Ida’s candid observations about Fallon’s life. It was never harsh and never judgmental. Ida did like to “guide.” Fallon adored her mother. They’d grown closer after her father’s death, and Fallon cherished their relationship. Whiskey Springs always felt slightly alien when Ida was away. At least, it did for Fallon; although, she would never admit that to her mother. She was anxious for Riley and Ida to meet.

  Riley had been staying with Fallon for just over a week. Fallon was enjoying the company. It had been eight years since she’d come home to anyone. After Olivia left, Fallon had no interest in sharing her home with another person for any length of time. Her mother had gently suggested she consider a roommate. It would help with expenses, she had said. Fallon knew that was code for “maybe you won’t be so lonely.” Lonely? Maybe she was a little lonely. From Fallon’s perspective, a roommate would have been a sad attempt to fill a void that no one could fill. No
one was Olivia Nolan. There was only one Liv. She was the reason Fallon had built the house the way she had. She had been the soul of the house Fallon had built. Fallon had expected to share it with Olivia, with the family they had discussed creating together. That was the reason Fallon had a house at all. She didn’t need one. What did she need a house for? She was barely home. There was no reason to be home. At least there hadn’t been until recently.

  “Looks like Riley caved,” Carol commented.

  Fallon’s eyes stayed with Riley as Riley hung up her coat and headed toward the bar. “You made it.”

  “Miss the chance to meet the legend?” Riley said. “Never.”

  “How was Owen?”

  “Oh, you know, fascinated by any human that isn’t me,” Riley said. “I’m beginning to wonder if I should worry.”

  Fallon chuckled. Owen was an agreeable little boy. He was appropriately curious and friendly. She enjoyed the toddler’s attention, and as much as Fallon might try to deny it; she sought his affection. He delighted in her antics and playfulness. But Owen had one mommy and he was completely in awe of her. Fallon marveled at the way his eyes would light up at the mere sound of Riley’s voice when she entered a room. They shared a bond that went far beyond biology. It was the type of connection forged by loss. Even a baby could feel grief, could sense sadness and loneliness.

  “Worry?” Fallon shook her head. “Riley, that kid has one word on repeat—Mommy.”

  “Funny, I thought it was Fawon.”

  Fallon grinned. “You could’ve brought him,” she said.

  “Oh, so he could follow you behind the bar and learn to mix drinks at two? I don’t think so.”

  “I wouldn’t teach him that.”

  Riley pursed her lips. “So, that wasn’t you I heard discussing your idea for a new margarita with my son at the breakfast table?”

  Carol chuckled.

  “What are you laughing at?” Fallon looked at her friend. “I was thinking out loud is all.” She turned back to Riley. “Speaking of margaritas; what can I get you?”

  “I drove, remember?”

  “So? Leave your car here or we can leave the truck here. We’re going to the same place. I’m not drinking,” Fallon reminded her. “When’s the last time you had a drink?”