Chapter Twenty
Nora unlocked the door to the suite and led Fallon inside. “No peeking,” she cautioned, closing the door behind them and turning on a second light in the sitting room. “Okay now.”
Fallon opened her eyes and gaped.
“I know we’ll be outside most days, and apparently some nights for stargazing,” Nora said in a rush, “but this is our longest stop, and I want it to be memorable. Or at least comfortable. And please don’t ask me how much it costs or offer to split it. This is my treat.”
The sitting room featured a rich, dark gold fabric-covered love seat and a polished wooden coffee table. Across the room were two wooden side chairs with a small bookshelf between them.
“The bathroom is in there.” Nora pointed.
She’d paid extra to reserve the suite with a king bed, and a quick glance down the short hallway confirmed they’d gotten it.
It dominated the small bedroom. “But this is the best part.” She took Fallon’s arm and opened one of the French doors next to the couch.
Together, they stepped out onto a large balcony.
“In the morning, you can get your first view here if you want.”
They looked up at the same time, both breathing in the brisk air.
The lights around the hotel made the stars seem not quite as numerous.
Looking out, Nora could see the vague silhouettes of shapes within the canyon.
Worried that Fallon hadn’t said a word since they’d stepped into the suite, she asked, “Is this okay?”
“This is beyond okay. I never expected…I mean…Nora, this is amazing. But you didn’t have to—”
Nora stopped her with a finger on her lips. “I know. I wanted to. For many reasons.” Smiling, she added. “I don’t usually travel this way either, but I thought just this once…”
The words echoed in her mind. Was just this once something they could do?
Have a few days and nights together, and then go on with their separate lives the way they had before?
They’d at least have to do their parting better than last time.
She hadn’t let herself think about any other possibility.
Ten years ago, Fallon had somehow imprinted herself on Nora’s deepest self, breaking through her determination to go it alone, showing her that genuine kindness and goodness did exist. She hadn’t realized how completely she’d dropped her tough girl defenses until Fallon had vanished from her life, and the vulnerability from that loss had hurt more than anything she’d ever experienced.
But God, Fallon was stunning, even in the dim lighting from the hotel and the stars.
She’d grown into a strong, competent woman, whose sweetness and decency were never far from the surface.
The softness of her mouth against Nora’s fingers ignited the yearning her nearness had always triggered.
Desire must have shown on her face because Fallon stepped into her, pressing against her body.
A small sound of surprise escaped Nora’s lips, and Fallon hesitated.
Nora pushed closer, wondering whose racing heartbeat she was feeling.
“If you’re going to tell me no, say it now.” Fallon’s voice was rough, uneven in the quiet night air.
“Why would I do that? I’ve been trying to get you to say yes since I saw you at Firecamp again.” Nora leaned in, kissing Fallon gently on the mouth.
The kiss was sweet, but Nora’s pulse began to race when Fallon said, “We should probably talk…you know…before…uh…”
“I think we should talk after,” she countered, wrapping her arm around Fallon’s waist and guiding her back through the doorway. “What if there’s no chemistry left between us, and there’s nothing to talk about?”
Inside, where she could see Nora’s expression, Fallon evidently detected her tease. “You don’t really think that, do you?”
“I think we owe it to ourselves to find out.”
Fallon excused herself to use the restroom, and Nora sat on the side of the bed, her thoughts unexpectedly flooded with negatives: Fallon would change her mind, Nora would be too pushy, and things would go badly, or Fallon’s experiences with other women would leave her disappointed in Nora’s lovemaking.
She was never like this, never unsure of herself, which underscored the idea that being with Fallon meant more to her than she had admitted. That was beyond alarming.
But when Fallon appeared in the doorway with a small smile, Nora’s mind cleared.
“I think this is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen,” Fallon said.
Nora rose and went to her, resting her hands on Fallon’s shoulders. “Are you feeling all right?”
Fallon grasped her hips. “Other than being terrified? Yes.”
Nora averted her gaze. “So it’s not just me?”
“Nora.” Fallon’s voice was soft and low. She took a breath. “It’s always been you. Just you.”
Nora let her hands slide down Fallon’s chest as she began unbuttoning her shirt. “Then we are definitely even.”
They’d left the balcony door open, and she’d forgotten to set the thermostat, so the room was getting cold.
After undressing each other quickly, getting into the bed seemed like the most obvious step.
Once they were naked under the covers, warming against each other’s bodies, Nora speculated that if she lifted the blanket, actual sparks might be flying between them.
The difference between wearing what passed for pajamas in bed with Fallon and how it felt now was like the difference between a whisper and a scream.
Fallon’s skin was as lovely as she remembered, although there were a few new scars.
Two small ones on her left shin and a three-inch, irregular welt on the underside of her right forearm.
“Flying wood shard,” she said by way of explanation when Nora traced her finger over it.
“I blocked it just before it would have hit my face.”
“No, not that,” Nora murmured. Her earlier anxiety had been replaced by a languid, simmering want. She scattered kisses around Fallon’s distinctive features, pleased to feel her squirm a bit.
“What are you smiling at?” Fallon asked.
“You,” Nora answered, tightening her arms, bringing Fallon’s body closer. “And how good you feel.”
“Are you saying that because you’re cold?”
“I’m saying that because it’s true. Because I—” Nora broke off, not sure if she was ready to disclose anything more.
Fallon rolled on top of her. Just like before, Fallon making a move, taking control, transformed her want into intense hunger. “Because you what? Tell me, Nora Palmer.” How could she sound teasing and so demanding at the same time?
“Because I want you, and it’s been incredibly hard to keep from jumping you while you’ve been healing. Because I’ve missed you, and being with you here seems like an amazing dream.” That wasn’t everything, but it was all true.
Fallon kissed her slow and deep, settling between Nora’s legs and moving enough to bring Nora into a matching tempo. “If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.”
“Me neither.”
Fallon kissed her way down to Nora’s breasts. “My hands are still cold. You’ll have to settle for my mouth.”
“That’s not settling.” Fallon’s lovely and talented mouth had been impossible to forget. She ran her hands into Fallon’s hair, recalling the beautiful length it had been, but adoring the shorter fullness of it. “Not—”
Fallon’s lips closed on her nipple, sucking in time with the pulsing rhythm of her hips. Nora moaned, pushing up, seeking more of the exhilarating friction that translated into pleasure in her deepest core. “You taste so good, so fucking good,” Fallon growled, moving to Nora’s other breast.
Nora slid her hands along Fallon’s side, cupping her ass, pulling tight against her.
Fallon’s breath was hot against Nora’s body as she moved down.
Nora hissed “yes” on a long exhale, anticipating the first touch of Fallon’s tongue on her clit.
Running her fingers over Fallon’s muscled shoulders and back, Nora’s loving caresses tightened into a clench as Fallon’s mouth closed around her.
“Oh, God. There, yes.” Nora couldn’t stop herself from crying out. The warm, wet sensations from Fallon’s lips were so incredibly powerful, she knew she wasn’t going to last.
Fallon, her hands no longer cold, lifted Nora to meet the firm strokes of her tongue again and again.
The fiery pulsations sparkling along her spine exploded into pure bliss.
She dissolved into a place where Fallon was all she felt.
Gradually, she became conscious of lying on her side, her leg thrown over Fallon’s, her throbbing sex fitted against Fallon’s body.
She wanted more, but she wanted Fallon first.
“That was…”
Fallon shifted, and Nora lost her words at the firmness of Fallon’s thigh brushing against her clit. Fallon’s exquisite eyes were slightly darker with desire. “I’m not finished yet.”
Nora’s heart pounded. In her encounters over the last ten years, she’d always taken charge, sometimes not even wanting reciprocity once the other woman was finished. Why was it so different with Fallon?
Because you trust her. What else could it be?
Before she could examine that concept, Fallon had turned, her fingers lightly stroking the hair between Nora’s thighs. “Are you ready for me?”
Nora could only nod, opening her legs as she put her arms around Fallon’s shoulders.
Fallon slid two fingers through her folds, causing Nora to quiver and pull closer.
Their chests crushed together, and then Fallon pulled back, pushing up enough to offer Nora her breast. Nora opened her mouth eagerly, sucking it in just as Fallon entered her, moving smoothly through her wetness.
The softness of Fallon’s breast and the fullness inside seemed to amplify a hundredfold when Fallon whispered her name.
It sounded like a question. Or a prayer.
“I’m here, baby,” Nora answered, her head back as Fallon filled her deeper. “I’m with you.”