9. Anny
CHAPTER 9
ANNY
I don't know who moves first. Maybe it's me, but it could be him.
One minute we're standing in the hallway of the Velvet Spur, still breathless from that kiss. Next, we're sprinting across the moonlit ranch like kids again. I can't help but giggle, and my heart thuds in my chest.
"Come on," Fallon calls over his shoulder, glancing back at me with a crooked grin that guts me.
He's holding my hand like he doesn't ever plan to let go again. And damn it... I don't want him to. The night air is cool. The grass is soft beneath my feet when I slip out of my heels and duck between barns.
We cross the paddocks like we're on a mission… And maybe we are. We both know where we're heading without saying a word.
The old barn is tucked out at the edge of the property. These days it's half-hidden by oak trees and overgrown shrubs. It's set far enough from the main path that no one wanders by it by accident.
When we reach it, I find the old barn is quieter than I remember. But the doors still make the same loud creak when Fallon pushes them open. The floorboards still groan like they remember every secret we ever left in their knots and grain.
It isn’t perfect, but this is our place. It's where he'd get that wild look in his eyes. It’s where we came to hold each other back when I had a heart I hadn't learned how to guard yet. Being in here with him now, our past rushes back to me.
Fallon kicks the door shut behind us. The silence wraps around us like a warm blanket. He turns to me slowly, and his eyes darken. I know what he wants and I'm desperate to give it to him. Then he's closing the distance between us. But he doesn't touch me. Not yet. Instead he circles me slowly, his heat radiating toward me in waves.
"Do you remember the first time I kissed you in here?" His breath is warm against my neck.
I nod, unable to find my voice as he stands behind me. We’re close enough that I can feel the rise and fall of his chest.
"You were wearing that blue sundress.” His fingers finally make contact with my skin as he traces the line of my shoulder. "Had your hair braided like you always did when it was hot."
His hand slides down my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "I was so nervous my hands were shaking."
"Your hands aren't shaking now."
His eyes lock on mine, dark with intent. "No, they're not."
He places his palms flat against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. The heat between us is unbearable, every inch of my body aching for his touch.
"Tell me to stop," he whispers, his lips hovering just above mine.
"Don't you dare," I breathe.
His mouth crashes down on mine, and it's like striking a match in a room full of gasoline. His hands are on my hips, and I’m in his arms again. He presses my back into the wooden wall as his mouth finds mine. He slides the fabric of my dress off my shoulder, then plants hot kisses on my newly exposed skin. He traces down my collarbone, across the hollow of my throat, and on the top of my breasts.
When he reaches my mouth again, the kiss slows and deepens. It’s like he’s memorizing me all over again. Fallon’s trying to make up for every kiss we didn’t have in the years we were apart, and it melts me. His fingers slide down to the hem of my dress.
He skims the bare skin of my thigh, and it makes my breath catch. This man has always known how to make me come undone. Fallon’s hands roam my curves. His lips move from my mouth to my neck. Then down across my chest, each kiss burning a new memory into me.
His hands trail up under my dress. His touch is rough and warm against my skin. I gasp when he brushes the inside of my thigh and then teases his way between my legs. Fallon runs his fingers across my slit. He works me open, tracing circles on me that leave me arching into him. I feel beautiful in his arms and I’m greedy for more friction.
He peels off my dress and then lays me down on a bed of hay. His clothes follow. I’ve been here with him so many times before. My body responds with ripples of anticipation before he even touches me. The smell of old wood clings to the air as he lowers himself on top of me.
I look up at him, the love of my life, and give myself over to his touch. Our fingers tangle. Our legs shift. My breath catches as he lines himself up with my opening. I feel his tip pulse, hot and insistent against me.
He's already slick with want, and I'm desperate for him to fill me. Then he does.
Fallon slides into me with a single thrust. He lets out a deep, guttural moan as he sinks inside. The sound vibrates through my chest where our bodies press together.
"Are you okay?" His voice is gruff as he holds me there. One hand grasps at my thigh, the other tracing gentle circles over the racing pulse in my throat.
I let out a breathy exhale. "Yes, I want more." My walls stretch around his length, the delicious burn of him making my toes curl as he moves until I take every inch.
"Good girl," he growls and the praise sends a tingle down my spine.
He rocks into me slowly, the drag of his firm length against my most sensitive places makes me come to life. We move together in perfect timing and find a rhythm that was never lost. Everything slows around us. Every touch feels deliberate. Fallon whispers my name like it's like I’m the only thing anchoring him to this earth.
The tension builds in me as he picks up the pace. My skin is slick with sweat and my heart thunders against my ribs. I feel every muscle in Fallon's body flex as he claims my body. The corded strength of his arms on either side of my head as he cages me in. The powerful roll of his hips driving him deeper.
I arch up to meet his thrusts. My nails leave crescent moons across his shoulders. His hands roam wild over every curve then tangle in my hair and tug just enough to make me gasp. Having Fallon fill me is like coming home and falling apart all at once.
He drives me toward the edge. Waves of longing wash over me and rack my body with tremors. I squirm as he presses my thighs open even further. Then I clench along his length and fall over the edge.
When I let go, I take him with me. Everything goes white as he shoots hot streams into me. The release is white hot and all-consuming. It's everything I didn't know I still needed from Fallon, and it leaves me breathless.
Afterward, the barn is quiet.
We lie tangled in each other. The old rafters above us creak in the breeze. His chest rises and falls beneath me. I'm curled on my side, with his arm slung over my waist. His chest presses against my back. One of his hands is still in my hair and the other rests on the bare skin of my back beneath his coat.
"I missed this," he says, his voice rough.
"This barn?"
"You in this barn. I never stopped loving you," he says quietly. There's a soft sincerity in his voice. It's a promise that means everything to me. “I will choose you every time.”
I close my eyes. This could be everything. "Don't say that unless you mean it."
His arm tightens around me. "I mean it."
The air smells like hay, sweat, and memories. For the first time in years, I let myself believe in the possibility of us again. Maybe there is a future where I become Mrs. Fallon Kingridge after all. I cover his hand with mine, linking our fingers across my stomach. The weight of his words settles over me like a blanket. It feels like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
"Fallon," I whisper, staring out at the shadows on the wall. "I love you."