Falling for Fallon (Oak Hill Series Book 2)

by S. J. Sylvis

  “We good in here?” the man named Axe asked. I turned to look at him again, and my eyes widened. Whoa. Talk about tattoo city. His arms were covered in colorful tattoos. He didn’t look rough around the edges, though, like I’d first pictured while standing out in front of this tattoo parlor. I prepared myself for scary, huge men with teardrop tattoos on their faces. But Axe didn’t look scary at all. He just looked like a Lisa Frank notebook.

  Then the other guy—the one whose arms I was currently snuggled up in—had zero tattoos (that I could see at least). He didn’t remind me of someone who would tattoo or pierce for a living. It was all very intriguing. I think I may watch too much TV, or maybe I’m just as judgmental as my mother.

  “Helloooo, Emmett. You good? I have a stripper out there waiting for me to finish my business…”

  A gasp escaped my mouth. A stripper? I thought back to when I’d driven though this small town—the one I’d found on Google Maps, just far enough away from the city—and I didn’t remember seeing a strip club or anything even remotely similar. The town was absolutely adorable and tiny. It had a homey feeling to it.

  Axe’s face twisted into a frown. “Pretend like I didn’t say that.”

  I gave him a weak smile. “Say what?”

  “I like her already,” he announced to Piercing Guy who continued to make my heart flutter.

  Piercing Guy grinned, and it caused me to suck in my cheeks to keep myself from smiling. “Yeah, me too.”

  Jeez. What is wrong with me!? I wake up in a stranger’s arms, and I suddenly think he’s my knight in shining armor?

  I watched as Axe exited the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. I then turned my attention to my knight and felt overwhelmingly embarrassed. Not only did I freaking rip off my shirt and display my bra to him earlier, but now I was lying in his arms.

  “What happened?” I asked, attempting to pull myself up again. My legs felt like marshmallows, and suddenly, my body broke out into a massive sweat as strong, large hands gripped my waist to steady me.

  “Hey now. You good?” he asked, staring down into my eyes. My heart had moved in my chest.

  I croaked, “Ye… yes. I think.”

  I lied. I wasn’t good. I wasn’t even in the same hemisphere as good. My heart was riding on its own wicked version of a carnival ride.

  “Come sit for a while.” The guy kept his hands on my waist and pulled me to the chair that I was sitting in before I… fell? Passed out? I wasn’t even sure what had happened.

  “Did I…” I started asking, leaning my body back onto the leather chair. “Did I pass out?”

  His smile was warm and inviting. I could feel myself getting lost in his features. His eyes were dark but so, so bright. They made me feel… lighter.

  “Yeah, you did. But I caught you before you hit the ground.”

  I felt my cheeks flaming and looked down at my lap. “I’m sorry. That’s so embarrassing.”

  Unexpectedly, I felt his hand underneath my chin. He tilted my face up, my brown locks falling away from my face. “Fallon, don’t be embarrassed. It happens more often than not, actually.” He shrugged, taking his hand off my face.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, voice all breathy…again. “Emmett?”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his tanned arms over his chest. “Yeah, I’m Emmett.” Then he grinned. My gaze zeroed in on his lifted, pink-colored lips, and my stomach dipped.

  I smiled. “Thanks for catching me.” Then I chuckled. “And sorry for taking my shirt off.”

  He laughed hard, uncrossing his arms. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had a girl apologize for taking her shirt off.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away, trying to keep my smile at bay. Why am I so smiley?!

  “So…” Emmett said. “Do you want to see your belly ring or…”

  I gasped. “Oh, yeah!”

  My fingers brushed along my white shirt, feeling the soft cotton between my fingers. I slowly lifted it up, feeling my heart race in my chest with anticipation. My mouth gaped when I saw the shiny ring with the glittery pink ball lying just above my slightly red belly button.

  I shrieked. “I LOVE IT!”

  Emmett rumbled out a chuckle. “I’ve never seen someone love a belly button ring so much.”

  I brought my attention up to his, teetering my lip back and forth between my teeth. That belly button ring was so much more than just a piercing. It felt like… rebellion mixed with a little bit of freedom. It was so sweet I could taste it on my very tongue.

  After the conversation with Derek earlier and then the whole “let’s pick out yet another color scheme for your wedding, Fallon!” I decided I just needed to do something for myself. I was feeling weighed down. My chest was tightening with every breath and a sweat was breaking out along my skin. I just needed a quick out.

  I wanted to be spontaneous.

  And the first thing that popped in my head was, “Hey, let’s poke a hole in your belly button and call it a day!”

  Alrighty then.

  Of course, what would I do the next time I was in a bathing suit in front of my parents? *shrugs*

  I guessed I could let future Fallon worry about that, but right now, I felt liberated. Like I was free to be me and no one else. I wasn’t sure how long the freedom would last, but for now, at least, I could bask in it.

  I pushed my shirt down, covering my stomach, and peered up at Emmett. His eyes and dark features were pulling me in like quicksand. My eyes traveled up to his soft, chocolatey hair. The short waves laid flawlessly on his head, falling perfectly over to the right. His jawbone looked strong, like it was cut from stone. Just like Derek’s. But the difference between the two was that Emmett didn’t look so put together. He was casual in a sexy kind of way. Maybe it was the way his navy eyes twinkled with humor, or maybe it was the small, barely-there dimple that appeared on his cheek when he grinned. He was unintentionally attractive, and you could tell he didn’t have to lift a finger to look that way.

  “The piercing makes me feel like someone else. Not myself,” I mumbled, still tracing my eyes over every inch of him.

  Emmett sat back in his chair, pushing out his jean-clad legs to cross them at the ankles. “And why do you want to be someone else?” He eyed me very, very closely. It felt like I was underneath a magnifying glass.

  I swallowed, feeling the dreadful future lurking over my shoulder. I didn’t answer him. Anything I would have said would have led to more questions. And to be honest, who wanted to open that can of worms? Oh, hey! I’m about to engage in a sort of arranged marriage, and it sucks, but I’m too afraid to be banished from my family to do anything about it, so… yeah. How’s your day?

  “Quite the secret keeper, yeah?” he poked, darting his tongue out to lick his lip. My eyes automatically zeroed in on his mouth.

  “What? You don’t keep secrets?” I retorted, a flirty smile growing on my face.

  Emmett jutted out his lips. “Nope, not anymore.”

  Oh, come on! Everyone has secrets.

  “I used to, though.”

  My curiosity pipped up. “What changed?”

  Emmett stared me dead in the eye, and I suddenly felt nervous. Butterflies fluttered all over my skin, causing me to fidget underneath his stare. “I stopped hiding who I was, and I quit giving a damn if someone didn’t like it. Life’s far too short to be someone you’re not.”

  I paused my breathing. Life’s far too short to be someone you’re not.

  I shrugged. “But what if there is something bigger at stake?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing can be bigger than your own happiness. And hiding who you are only does one thing.”

  I angled my head, gasping at his words like they were oxygen. “What?”

  His voice was hoarse, less playful than before. “It takes away every ounce of happiness you have.”

  My nostrils flared as I inhaled a sharp breath. I was a little taken aback.

  I met thi
s guy maybe thirty minutes ago, and his words sounded like they were coming straight from my diary. He was right.

  I knew very well I wouldn’t necessarily be happy going through with the marriage. But how could I be happy after being shunned by my family and being known as the biggest disappointment in the entire Addington family, going back all the way to the early 1900s?

  Taking my eyes off Emmett’s, I huffed out a breath and quickly swung my legs over the chair for the second time in the last half hour. I tried to force a polite smile on my face, even though I was truly annoyed that, somehow, me acting impetuous and getting my belly button pierced turned into some type of palm reading indicating how unhappy I’d be if I didn’t stop caring about what others thought of me.

  “Thanks for letting me be someone I’m not, even if only for a short while. I love the piercing.” I smiled and somehow managed to make it past Emmett, moving as quickly as possible so I could simply disappear and go back to my normal wear-a-smile-and-curtsy lifestyle. But when I glanced back at him, he was staring at me intently. It caused me to pause for just a second. His blue eyes deepened, and I felt my breath stop. “Why don’t you come out with us tonight?”

  My head jerked. “Excuse me?”

  “We’re all going to the bar down the street for a few drinks as soon as I close up. Why don’t you tag along?” My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I paused, looking all around the room. Something about his voice, his flirty smile, and the way he gazed at me made me want to jump on him and scream, “YES!” I felt even more exhilarated. The part of me that I had been pushing down for all of my life was slowly crawling up my spine, causing my heart to sing with excitement.

  “Come on, Fallon. Be someone you’re not… just for a little while longer.”

  Emmett cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. The curve of his lips drew upward, and my entire body felt like it was blooming. I wanted nothing more than to say yes, ditch my lifestyle, and just have fun.

  “Okay, sure.”

  Emmett’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously, and that small dimple reappeared.

  “Sweet, let’s go then.” I smashed my lips together to keep from squealing like a freak.

  “I need to pay for my piercing first.”

  Emmett shook his head as he stood up and walked out the door. “It’s on the house.”

  “No!” I shouted, holding on to my purse. I trailed after him, ignoring Axe and another guy standing near the glass doors. “I don’t want it to be on the house.” I was almost pleading. I was all of a sudden desperate to pay. It bothered me. I didn’t want the piercing for free. I had enough people doing stuff for me. I didn’t need this new, shiny stranger doing something for me, too. It would ruin everything.

  Emmett turned around, looking at me like I was batshit crazy. “Okay, fine. Relax.” Then he laughed. Axe and the other guy, who had blonde hair pulled back into a man bun, eyed me suspiciously but continued on with their conversation.

  The man-bun guy yelled, “Hurry up, bro. It’s not like your birthday is gonna last all fuckin’ night.”

  “Language!” Emmett scolded, glaring at him.

  My mouth slowly fell open. “It’s your birthday?”

  Emmett turned his attention to me while still fiddling with the register. He shrugged. “Yep.”

  I smiled. “Even more reason to pay you for this.”

  He rolled his eyes and started to push some more buttons on the register. I reached into my purse and pulled out my American Express card, sliding it over the glass counter. I couldn’t help but look down and notice all the different sketches of what I assumed were tattoos that people could choose from. They were amazing. Some were colorful—showing bright oranges, purples, and blues—and then to the right, there were some that were strictly black and white.

  One tattoo in particular snagged my attention. It was black and the scripture-like handwriting must have been in a different language, because I couldn’t understand what it said. I only knew that the flow of letters looked beautiful.

  “Like it?” a male voice asked from beside me. I jolted my head upward and was met with the blonde guy. His hair was scraggly, falling out from his bun. He was attractive, in a caveman type of way. “Yeah, what does it say?” I asked, looking back down at the writing.

  “It says, Be you,” Emmett answered.

  When I glanced up at him, he was squinting. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me. I could tell he was trying to figure me out. I felt like I was a page in the middle of a book that he was desperately trying to read but had no idea what the words were actually saying. We stared at each other for what felt like eons before I said, “I like it.”

  “I don’t think we’ve met.” The guy beside me moved a little closer. I slowly raised my head and glanced over at him.

  “Her name is Fallon, and get away from her, Kip.” I jerked my head back to Emmett, confused by the snip in his voice. He was raising a dark eyebrow at the guy. My eyes traced his face all the way down to his jaw, which was ticking back and forth.

  “Only because it’s your birthday,” Kip retorted, but then he turned and winked at me. My face scrunched with disgust, and Emmett let out a loud laugh. Axe joined in too, both of them cracking up.

  “It doesn’t look like she’s interested in you, ass,” Axe laughed, looking at Kip.

  “I’m not interested in anyone,” I said, propping my hands on my hips.

  But let’s get real. Emmett was an entirely different breed that I wasn’t accustomed to. He was fascinating and dangerous-looking with those dark, midnight eyes—that was, until he smiled and that cute dimple appeared. I was intrigued because of how drawn I was to him. His voice. The jolt of energy that flew through my body when he gripped my hips. I felt butterflies for the first time in a long, long time. And although I knew I should have turned around and walked out of that shop, content with my belly button ring, I stayed. I planted my feet and stared into a pair of navy eyes, ready to be a different Fallon, if only for a few more hours.

  Chapter Four

  Emmett

  For the entire ride to Ships, the guys continued to talk about Fallon. How hot she was, where she came from, how fucking sweet her ride was. Kip didn’t believe that I’d just met her, but Axe was my witness. Before I’d even locked the doors to the shop, Kip kept going on that he could feel it. When I’d asked what he’d been “feeling,” he answered, “It. The electricity.”

  I very calmly told him he was fucking nuts and to stop smoking so much weed in his spare time. He only laughed but then quickly shut up when he’d watched Fallon unlock her vehicle. My uncertainties were becoming clearer with each second that I spent with her.

  This girl was definitely not from around here or, hell, even the neighboring town. She had to be from the city. There was just something about her that screamed “high class.” Her clothes, her glossy hair, the American Express she’d pulled out to pay for her piercing. Then, the car confirmed it. The chick either had a hella good job, was rich by association of her family, or was a hooker (not likely). She was definitely getting her income from somewhere, because I almost busted a nut when I saw her ride.

  I basically drooled as Fallon climbed into her Maserati—and not an old one, either. It looked brand fucking new. It was white and sleek. The black rims shone beneath the night sky. I could smell the leather of the interior when she opened the door. The fucking beauty had to be fast as hell, too.

  So, for the entire ride to the bar, with Fallon trailing closely behind us, Axe and Kip were trying to guess what she did for a living. Kip was certain she had a sugar daddy, but Axe argued and said she was definitely a trust-fund princess. I interjected once and said she may have had a decent, high-paying job, which caused them to laugh. That was when I began to ignore them and soon got lost in my thoughts, dissecting everything she’d said to me when we were alone. The way her voice shook just a tad when she’d mentioned wanting to be someone else. I couldn’t shake the feeling of needing to know more about her.
I felt like I was in a trance, and it was driving me fucking crazy.

  As soon as we started to climb out of my car, I told the guys to head into Ships so I could walk Fallon in—alone.

  “Alright, dude.”

  Seconds after I shut my door, Fallon parked beside me and shut off her car. She opened her door slowly as I stood back with my hands in my pockets. A light chill went through my body from the cool air.

  “You ready?” I asked as she slammed her door shut. Fallon peered over to the flickering Sailed Ships sign of the small bar that us townies went to every weekend. She bit her pale lip, teetering it back and forth between her teeth.

  “I don’t know… maybe I shouldn’t. I barely know you or your friends. You could be some psycho murderers or something.”

  I chuckled, crossing my bare arms over my chest. “Oh, now…come on. You’ll let a psycho murderer give you a piercing, but you won’t have a drink with him? That doesn’t seem fair.” Fallon laughed, and it was like music to my ears. “Plus, I thought you were trying to be someone else for a change. What happened to that? Pussin’ out?”

  Fallon flashed her bright eyes up to mine, their gloss sparkling underneath the stars. A small smile broke out along her lips. “Nope, no pussin’ out over here. Let’s go.”

  I grinned as I wrapped my hand around her waist, leading us to the entrance.

  Fallon didn’t say a single word as I opened the door, but I could feel the way her body tensed. She even snuggled a bit closer to me, and the feeling it set through my body was one that was completely foreign to me. My chest grew tight, my body felt warm. Something strange came over me, and it almost made me want to put the brakes on.

  As soon as we were inside the bar, Fallon whispered, “Oh my God, I stick out like a sore thumb.”

  I rumbled out a laugh as I looked from her to the rest of the patrons. Fallon was right; she did stick out but definitely not in a bad way. Oak Hill was a hick town. We wore tattered jeans and plain t-shirts. Some people even wore cowboy boots, while others wore ripped ballcaps. Fallon wasn’t the only one who looked out of place, though. Hell, Axe had more tattoos on his one arm than everyone in the entire building had combined. It wasn’t a bad thing to be different—definitely not with the way she wore it. I just had to prove that to her.