Page 22 of Falling for the Bombshell (Falling for #1)

Wherever You Are

The soft glow of morning filtered through the thin hotel curtains, golden light pooling on tangled sheets and warm skin.

Linnie stirred first, blinking into the hazy sunbeam that stretched across the bed.

Blaine was still wrapped around her, arms tight like he couldn ’ t bear to let her go.

His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, lips parted in sleep, a tousled flop of hair falling across his brow.

She smiled. He looked so peaceful like this.

Still boyish, still Blaine—but different now. More sure. More hers .

She shifted gently, thinking she might slip out and start the shower, but the movement made him hum low in his throat.

His arm tightened around her. She turned in his grasp, her body molding to his like they were made to fit.

“ Mm… morning,” he mumbled, voice sleep-rough and deep, eyes cracking open to find hers.

“ Is this real?” She ran a hand across his chest. “ Definitely real. Sorry about that.” He grinned, leaning in to press a kiss to her shoulder.

“ Not sorry.” His hand slipped under the hem of her—his—shirt, fingers tracing slow, familiar lines across her skin.

“ Blaine…” she warned softly, but it came out breathless.

“ We ’ ve got time,” he murmured, lips brushing her neck. “ Right?”

And just like that, the sleepy haze shifted into something heated. His hands moved with quiet confidence, knowing what made her gasp, what made her arch. It wasn ’ t rushed. It was a slow burn—a reverent claiming—her body curled beneath his, warmth and want all tangled in the golden morning light.

After, they lay still for a long while, legs tangled, skin flushed, grinning like fools who knew they were falling headfirst into something real.

Eventually, checkout loomed. Blaine pulled on his jeans and glanced at his phone. “ Karter and Jade rented a car,” he said, raising a brow. “ Said we can take our time heading back.”

“ Oh, did they now?” Linnie teased, already tugging on a pair of Blaine ’ s sweats and a hoodie. “ How thoughtful.”

“ Very.” He crossed the room to steal another kiss. “ I was thinking… what if we took the long way? Drove back through the valley. Just us.”

She smiled, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “ Lead the way, Montana boy.”

They hit the road with the windows down and music low, cruising past golden fields and winding rivers. The world outside was endless and wide, but in the Highlander, it felt like there was only the two of them.

Somewhere outside Livingston, with the sun beating down and the sky wide open, Blaine tapped his phone and “ Sail” by AWOLNATION poured through the speakers—sharp, hypnotic, gritty.

The beat dropped heavy, bass vibrating through their seats as Blaine drummed the steering wheel and Linnie rested her legs on the dash, eyes closed, hair tousled by the wind.

The song shouldn ’ t have fit—but somehow, it did.

That pulsing frustration. That stubborn, electric edge.

It was everything they were trying to outrun—and everything they were leaning into.

She glanced over at him, heart catching in her throat.

His jaw set, eyes on the road, one hand reaching across the console to hold hers like an anchor.

Saaaaiil…

They stopped outside Bozeman at a quiet overlook where pine trees lined the hills and the sky stretched on in a soft late-summer haze. Picked up sandwiches from a roadside café. Parked near a gravel pull-off. Sat in the back with a blanket over their legs and no hurry to be anywhere else.

Blaine tucked a curl behind her ear and leaned in. “ I don ’ t kno w

what I did to end up here with you… but I ’ m not going back.”

Linnie rested her head against his shoulder. “ Good. Because I ’ m not going anywhere.”

The rest of the drive home played out like a dream— “ Sail” stuck in her head now, looping in the background of her thoughts. That one song, strange and bold and messy, mirroring exactly how real this had become.

By the time they pulled into Blaine ’ s driveway, the sun had dipped behind the hills, casting the sky in a wash of orange and pink.

Blaine drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, stealing a glance at her.

“ You sure you wanna stay?” he asked, voice low. “ It might be… a lot.”

She gave him a soft smile. “ I want to be wherever you are.”

He leaned across the console, kissed her slow, and whispered, “ Then come on.”

Inside, the house was quiet—until Snickers came skittering across the hardwood, nails tapping wildly, tail wagging like she hadn ’ t seen them in years.

Linnie knelt down to scoop her up, laughing as the tiny dog licked her face, oblivious to the tension hanging in the air.

Blaine ’ s mom appeared in the hallway, arms crossed over her chest, expression cool.

“ You ’ re back,” she said, eyes flicking to Linnie .

“ Hey, Mom,” Blaine said, standing a little straighter. “ This is Linnie.”

His dad rounded the corner next, weariness in his eyes as he took them both in. “ You bring her home now?”

“ She ’ s not just anyone,” Blaine said, firmer than he meant to. “ She ’ s my girlfriend.” Linnie’s eyes widened just slightly, but she stepped in beside him, fingers slipping into his.

“ Oh,” his mom said, lips tight. “ So this is official now?”

“ Yeah,” Blaine said. “ It is.”

A pause settled between them.

His dad sighed, rubbing his jaw. “ Look, Blaine… football ’ s already a lot. The team, the travel. You said this year was for figuring things out, and I don ’ t know if another distraction is the right call.”

“ She ’ s not a distraction,” Blaine said, voice low but steady. “ She ’ s the best part of all this.”

That shut it down—for now. His parents exchanged a look but didn ’ t press, stepping aside as he led Linnie upstairs.

In his room, with the door closed and Snickers flopped out at their feet, Blaine pulled her into his arms and pressed his forehead to hers.

“ Sorry about that.”

She shook her head. “ You don ’ t need to be. Parents worry. I get it.”

He kissed her again, soft and sure. “ Still want to stay the night?”

“ I ’ m already in my comfiest sweats,” she said, flopping onto his bed. Snickers leapt up beside her. “ Good luck getting rid of me.” They stayed up late again, tangled under his blankets, whispering plans and confessions into the dark.

Things like: “ I ’ ve never felt like this.” And: “ You make everything better.” When sleep finally claimed them, Linnie curled against his chest and Blaine wrapped an arm around her waist, holding on like he never wanted to let go.

Official. Real. Together.

Even if the world wasn ’ t quite ready for them yet…

They were ready for each other.