Falling for Fallon (Oak Hill 2)

My mouth fell open at the same time Ivy’s did. Emmett bellowed out a loud laugh from beside me, but the only thing I could focus on was the way his hand had tightened on my thigh.

Ivy smacked his chest. “I HATE YOU. GO TO BED, DAWSON... RIGHT NOW!”

Dawson threw his head back and laughed, and basically ran to the stairs. Ivy looked over at me, totally annoyed with her boyfriend. “I’m sorry, he’s...”

Dawson screamed from the stairway, “Hilarious? Witty? Handsome?”

I laughed and shook my head as an exasperated smile formed on Ivy’s face. She ran after him, leaving Emmett and me alone.

“They’re so funny,” I said, taking my attention off Ivy running upstairs to Dawson.

“So…” Emmett released my leg (thank God) and lounged back into the couch cushion. He had on a tight t-shirt, which of course showed off his toned biceps. Was that all he wore? Hot, tight-fitting t-shirts? He was casually hot, and it really wasn’t fair to the rest of the male race. “Why were you in Oak Hill?”

I turned my head away. “You always get right to the point, Emmett.”

He scoffed. “Well, time isn’t on our side, Fallon. Let’s get on with it. I wanna know.”

I gulped, pursing my lips together. Then, I just spilled, because it didn’t seem worth hiding. “Derek came to my parents’ house, and in a desperate attempt to flee, I got in my car and started driving…” I breathed out through my nose. “And I ended up in Oak Hill.”

Emmett adjusted his body so he was facing me now. His arms crossed over his chest. I peered over at him, raking my eyes all over his body. Good job at being friends, Fallon.

“And… about ignoring me? What was that all about?”

“I didn’t ignore you!” I pointed out. “I just… didn’t call like you asked me to.”

“But the real question is… why, Fallon? Did I scare you off the other night?” My eyes bounced back and forth between his before I settled on answering him truthfully, no matter how stupid I sounded. “You didn’t scare me… I scared me.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

I tried to sound collected, but my words came in spurts. “I… I get lost in you.” Emmett leaned forward, his scent filling my senses. His hand moved to splay on my leg again, and instantly, butterflies were erupting, my heart was exploding, my leg was tingling. I looked down at his hand touching my thigh and gestured to it. “This makes me feel things. You make me think things. Things I don’t want to be thinking about. You have me considering things I don’t—can’t—consider, and I just wasn’t sure what to do with all of that.” I clenched my eyes shut. “I mean, I sat at the gala all hot and bothered, completely flustered because of what we snuck off to do! That is so not me!”

I heard him swallow, so I peeked my eyes back over to him. He was staring at me intensely, and I hated that I had no idea what he was thinking.

“But you liked it.”

I knew, without a doubt, that I looked like a tomato. I could feel the heat emitting from my cheeks. “That’s not the point. The point is… I like you. I like being around you, but I don’t think I can do… this.”

“So that’s why you didn’t call me? You don’t want me to do what I did the other night, ever again?”

No. No. No. Wait, yes!

I stuttered, still eyeing his grip on my thigh. Even through jeans, I felt scorched. “I… I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“But we can be friends?” Emmett slowly moved his hand off my thigh, and I was yearning for it to come back.

I turned my attention back to his, noting the way the soft lamp behind his body made the room glow like we were in the middle of some romantic date. “If you want.”

A small smile curved along Emmett’s shadowed face. “Friends with benefits?” Then he laughed after my eyes grew wide. “I’m kidding. I won’t touch you unless you want me to.” He shrugged. “We can be friends. I think you’re pretty cool, and I actually like hanging out with you. I like talking on the phone with you.”

I tried to hold back my smile. “You do?”

He smirked. “Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?”

I shook my head and sighed. “Because no one likes the real me.”

Emmett’s brow furrowed. “Then they don’t know you.”

My heart was suddenly soaring. Calm down, Fallon. “Okay… so friends? You’re still ready to help me with that dumb bucket list?”