Page 107

“Tell me,” Fallon said. “Tell me what you need, Riley. Tell me what you want.”

“I don’t want this to end,” Riley admitted. “This feeling—you inside me—looking at me the way you are right now.”

“I could watch you all night—touch you all night.”

Riley’s eyes closed.

“I want you to feel me,” Fallon said.

“I do,” Riley promised, kissing Fallon softly.

Riley felt a surge of emotions she couldn’t quite put into words. A powerful mix of sensations greeted her senses. The softness of Fallon’s skin intertwined with a deep ache in her belly, longing for release. Through the open window, she heard the crickets chirping. A gentle breeze rustling through the trees carried the faint scent of lavender, reminding her of the first time they made love.

As clichéd as it might sound, Fallon’s eyes were a doorway to her soul. Amid a familiar divine longing, they sparkled with an almost childlike curiosity and hope. Riley felt Fallon coursing through every nerve ending, every cell in her body coming to life. No matter how many times they came together, it always felt new. Tonight surpassed any moment they had shared. It wasn’t just the way they made love; it was a quiet revelation Rileyexperienced when Fallon emerged from Andi’s kitchen earlier that evening. She knew instantly that Fallon was ready for everything they hoped to share. The past was no longer a cloud looming overhead, threatening to rain down into their lives, spilling into the open spaces of lingering heartbreak or grief. She understood the difference between living with memories and being haunted by ghosts.

Everyone walked a fine line in life, one that hovered between questions about the past and hope for the future. Riley patiently waited for months as Fallon teetered, hoping for Fallon to find solid ground again. That moment had finally arrived.

“Riley?” Fallon called out.

“I feel you,” Riley promised. She clasped Fallon’s shoulders, sinking once more, and moved against Fallon with a slow, deliberate passion. “Everywhere. I feel you everywhere,” she whispered, her forehead gently falling against Fallon’s.

Fallon’s fingertips pressed into Riley’s hips, gently encouraging Riley as her movements became more urgent.

“Fallon,” Riley repeated, her breath coming faster. “I can’t hold back—I…”

“Don’t. Let go, Riley.”

Riley tightened her grip on Fallon’s shoulders as she chased her climax. She remained locked in Fallon’s gaze, torn between the desire to hold on, to make this moment last as long as possible, and letting herself fall.

“Let go, Riley,” Fallon said.

Riley’s descent came suddenly. Her muscles tensed almost painfully and then quickly released, her body quaking, momentarily blinding her with ecstasy. Gradually, her body relaxed, and she collapsed onto Fallon, breathless.

“Are you okay?” Fallon asked.

Riley lifted her head and placed a gentle kiss on Fallon’s lips. “Perfect,” she said, her head falling back onto Fallon’s chest.

“Do you want me to…”

“Just stay like this for a minute,” Riley said. “I’m not ready to let you go. Not yet.”

For years, Riley believed she had experienced bliss. She had been in love, felt powerful arousal, and enjoyed both playful and emotional sex. Loving Fallon differed. In the past, the pleasure of an orgasm left her feeling sated and relaxed. With Fallon, that satisfaction was fleeting. A sweet agony followed the high that came with physical release—a sense of loss.

“Riley?”

Riley sighed and gently eased away from Fallon. She quietly unfastened the harness around Fallon’s waist, tossed the toy onto the floor, and kissed Fallon again.

“Are you sure you are okay?” Fallon asked.

“I want us to have a baby.”

Fallon blinked.

Riley smiled. “Why do you look terrified?”

“No. I just—I didn’t see that coming. I mean—Riley?”

“I love you, Fallon. I love you so much more than you understand.”