Read Online And Then You Fall (Crested Butte Series) by Heather A Buchman - Free Book Online

waist and spun her back to him. “Oh no, we aren’t doing this again. Come here baby.” His mouth covered hers before she could protest. His hand held the back of her head close, so she couldn’t pull away, couldn’t break their kiss, until he was ready to. His other arm came around and he squeezed her behind with his big hand. And released her.
    “I’ll talk to you later baby. Have a safe flight.” With that he turned around and walked in the other direction.
    Liv stood completely still, stunned, then looked at Paige. “Not. A. Word. Got it?”
    “Got it,” Paige giggled.
     
    Twenty minutes into the flight Liv was still behaving as though nothing particularly significant had happened to her over the past couple of days. Paige was worried.
    “You okay?” Paige wasn’t sure whether she wanted to open floodgates just yet.
    “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
    “I’m not playing this game. You know perfectly well why I asked. Now start talking . . . how are you feeling about Ben, about what’s happened, about all of it?”
    “I’m not playing games Paige, when I say I’m fine, I mean it.”
    “Not buyin’ it.”
    “Why not? Look, I just lived out every woman’s fantasy. I had a whirlwind romance with a guy I thought was completely out of my league. I had fantastic, mind-blowing sex, and then he offered to fly me home on his private plane. Seriously, why wouldn’t I be fine?”
    “Maybe because you just said goodbye to him.”
    “What does that have to do anything? I went into this with my eyes wide open. Maybe not the first day, but you pointed out something to me that I hadn’t considered. It changed my whole outlook.”
    “Which something was it?”
    “That I hadn’t had sex since Scott died. You know how messed up that is? It’s crazy abnormal in a freakishly weird way. And if it wasn’t for Ben, who knows when or if I ever would’ve again. So, yeah, I repeat, I’m fine.”
    “No regrets, no self doubts, no wondering when you’re going to see him again?”
    “None of the above. And as far as seeing him again, I have no intention of allowing that to happen.”
     
    Liv turned her face toward the window and closed her eyes. Every time she did, she could see Ben. Yes, she had an ache in her heart, but what good would it do to admit it, or allow herself to get absorbed by it? No good. Ben had a great big, exciting bigger-than-life life. She had . . . her ranch. And there was nothing wrong with that, she was lucky to have it. But other than that, and an amazing daughter who was out creating her own life, independent of her mother, there wasn’t much more she brought to anyone’s table.
    “You don’t fool me.”
    “Paige, please let it go.”
    “No I’m not going to let it go. He wants to see you again, he said it, and I believe him.”
    “To what end? What would be the point?” Paige was making her angry. Why wouldn’t she just drop it?
    “Why do you keep yourself on the outskirts of life? It breaks my heart when I see you do it. You are an amazing woman, and yet it seems as though you’re done. You raised your daughter and now you’re starting the descent, into what I don’t know. Your life isn’t over Liv, it’s just beginning. Why won’t you let yourself take a chance with this guy? He seems to really like you.”
    “Enough Paige! Why do you have to push me so hard? I had a great time. I had great sex. I didn’t fall in love and I don’t plan to, not ever again. Scott was it for me. He was the great love of my life. There, are you happy? You made me say it. Now leave me alone.”
    “Oh sweetie . . .” Paige tried to comfort her but Liv jerked her shoulder away.
     
    Paige could see Liv’s shoulders shaking, she’d brought her to tears. God, what kind of a friend was she? Liv had been fine, but Paige had pushed her to the point where she wasn’t fine anymore. Why hadn’t she just let it be?
    Because she cared about her. Paige wanted Liv to see what she was doing to