Fallen Crest Home(4)

Lovely. Wonderful. Stupendous.

My boyfriend was moving out for three months. It didn’t matter that he was literally going across the road. Helen Malbourne was not a fan of mine.

I leaned back and let out a disappointed sound. “If it’s not my mom, it’s your mom. Do you realize the only parents who haven’t tried to get between us are our fathers? Does that mean something?”

He gave me a soft grin. “What are you talking about?”

“You moving into your mom’s house. How’s this going to work? You’re going to end up sleeping with me every night anyway. What’s the point?” I looked at the floor.

“Yeah, I will, because you’re moving in with me.”

I lifted my head again. “What? Your mom hates me. I didn’t think I was allowed to live there.”

He leaned close to me again. I leaned away until my back was against the mirror and he hovered over me, his lips a mere inch away from mine.

“And to quote my pain-in-the-ass brother…” He cupped the back of my neck, his fingers sliding into my hair. “’Fuck my mother.’” He dropped his mouth to mine in a hard kiss, one that had my heart pounding. “What do you think? Want to live with me, just you and me?”

“No Logan?”

“Not for the first month.”

“No Nate?”

“He’s at a movie shoot with his parents.”

“No one else?”

His eyes flared with lust again. “Just you and me.”

I could only look at him. We’d never lived alone. The most we had was a weekend away. But this time—I was almost salivating over the idea. It felt right, like we should’ve been doing this all along.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” And then his mouth was on mine again, and he carried me to the bed. Once again, we couldn’t get enough of each other. No matter how many times I touched this man, I’d only ever be yearning for the next touch.

As he moved inside of me, my legs and arms wrapped around him, my mind raced until I turned it off and surrendered. I gave in completely to Mason.





“Hey, girl.”

I was waiting in a rickety lawn chair near the bonfire pit outside of Manny’s. There were three others to choose from, but they all looked to be in the same miserable state—holes in the middle, frayed at the ends. I was surprised they were still able to hold people upright. As I tipped back in mine, kicking my feet up to rest on bricks surrounding the unlit bonfire, I felt it dip under my weight.

I jerked upright. “Shit, Heather.”

A low, smooth chuckle sounded as one of my best friends—correction, one of my only female friends—sat down next to me, pulling out her cigarettes and lighter. Heather leaned back like I’d just tried to, crossing one foot over the other on the stone pit as she exhaled the first drag. “I think you got the one I leave out in case Logan shows up. I’m hoping it’ll tip him one of these days, just so I can have a good laugh.”

I shook my head. This was the old dynamic, and a part of me relaxed inside.

“I thought all that was done?” I murmured, tentatively sitting back again. “You’re happy with Channing. He’s with Taylor.”

She’d been fitting her cigarette to her lips, but paused and pulled her hand away. “What are you talking about?”

“This sexual flirting thing. I thought it was over.”

She grunted, lighting her cigarette now. “When Logan stops giving me shit, I’ll return the favor. He still dishes it out, and it’s not in the flirting way you say it is.” She sounded annoyed. “Somewhere along the line we became like brother and sister, but I already have a loser brother who won’t leave me alone!” She leaned backward, closer to the side door of Manny’s where she ran the diner part of the bar and grill. A second later her brother yelled back.

“Stay in your lane, Heather! I manage the bar. You run the grill. Back off me. You’d be up shit creek if I stopped coming to do my job.”

She laughed softly, sitting normally again. “My stupid brother. I don’t need another one, besides Brad, I mean.” Then she frowned, focusing on me. “How is Little Kade doing? Did the missus come with him for summer break?”

“He and Taylor took off to Paris for the first couple weeks.”

That got her attention. “Paris? I didn’t know Taylor was rich.”

“From what I hear, it was on Helen’s dime.”

“Damn.” Heather’s head craned back an inch. “Is Mommy Dearest there with them?”

I nodded. “As far as I know.”