Free Theirs by Jenika Snow Page B

her vulnerability.
They were her best friends, the loves of her life, and she was glad that they
could finally be open with each other.
    It
was just heartbreaking that it had come during a time like this.
    But
despite what Tallin said, and the explanation he and
Riley had talked, that they were okay with the other being with her, would
Riley still be upset that she’d slept with Tallin ? In
truth, she would have slept with Riley that one day, but the sound of Tallin on the snowmobile had halted their advancement.
    She
sat up and made her way to the bathroom. A hot bath would go a long way in
easing her muscles, maybe even clearing her mind. One she was bathed, dried
off, and dressed she headed downstairs. Her heart was pounding frantically at
the thought of speaking to both of them together, of hearing what they might
say. The very idea of seeing Tallin after what they
had done made her nervous, too.
    At
the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and took a deep, calming breath before
proceeding forward. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, the smell of eggs
and sausage making her mouth water and her stomach grumble. Riley sat at the
table, coffee mug in hand, his attention on the newspaper in front of him.
    “You
got the paper so the roads must be all clear.” She was trying to make small
talk, to ease her way into this. Should she talk about it all now, or wait for Tallin ? Riley didn’t answer right away, so she grabbed a
glass out of the cabinet and poured herself some orange juice. She glanced at
Riley, realizing he still hadn’t responded. He did watch her though, his throat
working as he swallowed, seeming loud in the silence that had filled the room.
    “Yeah,
roads are all clear, although the news is calling for another storm tonight.”
    “Really?”
Her voice cracked slightly at the way he watched her.
    Riley
pushed a plateful of food her way. “I’m sure we’ll see plenty of them before
winter is up.”
    She
nodded and took the plate of food. “Thanks.” She grabbed her fork and brought
some eggs to her mouth, the utensil in midair as she realized Riley still
regarded her. “What?” Her nerves made her believe he knew what she’d done last
night, maybe even that he was upset or hurt.
    You should just talk about it, and
tell him everything.
    Of
course she trusted Tallin with her life, and knew if
he’d said he’d spoken with Riley about this, about everything, and he was okay
with it, encouraged it even, that he told the truth.
    Her
face became warm as images of her and Tallin flickered through her mind. Riley turned his attention back at the paper,
taking another long drink, his hand gripping the mug so tightly that his
knuckles were white. She ate the food on her fork, her hand shaking as her
emotions were playing havoc in her.
    “ Tallin went into town. He won’t be back for several hours.”
    “Okay.”
    “Did
you sleep well last night?” he asked genuinely. He glanced up from his paper,
his face no longer hard. He leaned back in his seat with one arm outstretched
on the table, his whole demeanor relaxed, loving.
    She
chewed slowly, and then swallowed, knowing he had to know about last night
because he was acting a little too curious with her right now. “I slept fine,
and you?” She took a drink of her orange juice, seeing a little smile play
across his lips. She set her fork down and stared at him.
    He
shook his head. “I tossed and turned all night.”
    She
swallowed at Riley’s tone.
    He
leaned forward. “I was thinking of you all night.”
    Her
pulse jumped. “You were?”
    He
only nodded. “Were you thinking about me?”
    Her
heart jumped into her throat. “I was,” she whispered, being honest.
    “I
was hoping you were going to come to my room last night, finish what we’d
started. I missed you.”
    Her cheeks heated, and she knew he
noticed. “Believe me, I wanted to…” But Tallin came to my room. She cleared her throat and took
another drink.
    “Why
didn’t