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The silence between them was easy. It wasn’t fraught with worry—or anything else for that matter. Fallon was still touching her, gently, easing her fingers along Savannah’s skin in such a tender way that Savannah’s fear of rejection was once again banished to the furthest recesses of her mind.
“I do want to be with you, long term,” Savannah said, brushing Fallon’s hair behind her ear. “And I think you want that too.”
“I do,” Fallon responded, her lips curling up quickly before dropping again. “I have reservations, which you know about, but if we take this slowly, I think we’ll make it through.”
“Slowly?” Savannah raised an eyebrow even though Fallon couldn’t see her in the darkness. “You’ve spent two nights here this week, including an entire night with my kid.”
“Thank God I don’t have a cat.” Fallon chuckled. “I imagine I’d be on someone’s shit list then.”
Savannah perked up at the humor. “I don’t think we’re taking this slowly.”
“Then let me believe that lie a little longer.” Fallon pushed up on her elbow and curled her hand against Savannah’s cheek. “At least for this week.”
“This week?” Surprise coursed through Savannah. “Just a week?”
“Yeah.” Fallon kissed her. It was slow, passionate, loving. Their lips brushed again before Savannah opened to receive more. Fallon willingly gave what she was seeking. Their tongues touched, and Savannah sucked in a sharp breath, the press of their bodies heating up her just-cooled skin again.
If she wasn’t careful, she’d be so overheated that she’d have to take a cold shower just to get herself under control again. “Fallon…”
“One week,” she said again. “And this morning we can distract ourselves in other ways.”
Savannah chuckled until Fallon palmed her breast and flicked the edge of her thumb over the nipple. She gasped, every nerve in her body electrified and craving even more of that inciting touch. She would be happy if this never ended, if Fallon stayed next to her for the rest of her life. She truly would.
“Do you love me?” Savannah asked, needing confirmation for what she suspected. She wanted to know that she wasn’t leaping before she should, that she wasn’t making yet another mistake by entering into a relationship with someone so unwilling to open up and be vulnerable with her. As soon as that thought hit, she told herself it was ridiculous. Fallon had already provenherself different a crazy number of times. She wasn’t repeating past mistakes.
“One week,” Fallon reiterated her request as she moved her hand purposely down Savannah’s body and over her stomach. “I need to get some things in order first.”
“You need to organize before you fall in love?” Shock would have been her first reaction, but the more Savannah thought about it, the more it fit Fallon to a T.
Fallon didn’t say anything, but she moved her kisses from Savannah’s lips to her chin. She left wet, open-mouthed kisses down her neck and along her collar bone. Savannah knew without a doubt where this was heading, and she just needed another couple of minutes.
“Wait,” she said, putting her hand on Fallon’s shoulder and pushing back a little. “I just need…” she trailed off at Fallon’s concerned expression. “Give me a minute.”
Clambering out of the bed, Savannah walked directly into the bathroom. After relieving herself, she washed her hands and leaned against the bathroom counter, staring at herself in the mirror. Taking deep, calming breaths, she played back every moment she could from that morning. From last night. From the last week.
She was in love.
Head over heels in love.
But Fallon clearly wasn’t ready to talk about this, for whatever reason. Savannah could be patient. If there was one thing she was in this world, it was that. Fixing her hair a bit, Savannah made her way back to the bedroom, clean and refreshed. Fallon had propped herself against the pillows.
Savannah locked the door behind her. The last thing they needed was to be interrupted. She put her hands on her hips as she stood, fully naked in front of Fallon, who stared at her like a hungry wolf.
Just that look alone was almost enough to tamp down the self-doubt about her body, but not quite. The shame and self-consciousness still reared their ugly heads, but Savannah tamed them as quickly as possible and put them back in the box they came in.
“I love you,” Savannah said as clear as day.
Fallon’s face lit up. She grinned. Her entire body seemed to come alive with energy that she didn’t have before.
“I want you to know that, even if you’re not ready to say it to me.” Savannah stayed right where she was.
Fallon’s smile turned wickedly excited in the span of one second. She canted her head to the side, dragging her gaze down Savannah’s body and back up. “Are you coming back to bed or not?”
“Yeah, I am.” Savannah walked forward, her bare feet quiet on the carpet. As soon as she was lying against Fallon again, Fallon kissed her hard.
Taken by surprise, Savannah closed her eyes and let Fallon focus all her energy on this moment, on the touches and the sensations instead of the words that she wasn’t ready for. When Fallon pulled back, she said, “It’s not a question of love or not.”
“I know that.” Savannah curled her leg over Fallon’s hip and pulled her in closer. “You’re just not ready for full commitment yet. The feelings are there, but the fear’s also still there.”
