Page 37 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

THIRTY-FIVE

ELI

F iona’s hand drifted to find me, and when I glanced over at her, I realized that she was still asleep. I smiled as it dawned on me that she was even seeking me out in her dreams.

We’d fallen asleep wrapped in each other’s arms after what had turned into nonstop lovemaking.

Fiona’s auburn hair was fanned out on the pillow, glowing in the early morning sun streaming in the window.

The blanket had slipped down, revealing her shoulder.

I wanted to lean over and kiss it, but it was more important for her to sleep.

She’d earned it, riding me like a cowgirl until we’d collapsed into a sweaty, satisfied pile.

We’d both put our phones on do not disturb, which meant the only person I would hear from was my mom, so I took advantage of this quiet moment to check in and make sure I hadn’t missed anything. The first email I saw was from Doug Braverman at Easy Eights.

The subject line? Congratulations and welcome.

I’d gotten the job .

I closed my eyes and placed the phone on my chest. My next step was about to begin. My fresh start.

I waited for the feelings of elation to kick in, the sense of accomplishment and pride for achieving my goal. This was exactly what I wanted.

But … was it?

Fiona shifted as if she could sense the change in the air, and I was drawn to stare at her beautiful face. Never in a million years had I ever imagined we’d wind up here.

Our time together had been incredible, a connection of body and mind that I’d never experienced with anyone before. Being with Fiona made sense, despite our ridiculous history. We’d become a great team, on the trails … and in bed. It was crazy how every little thing we did together worked .

At the same time, it was a relationship built on a lie.

We’d never talked about the change in our relationship from fake to whatever it was we were now, and I could tell that Fiona was still holding a piece of herself back, like she wasn’t taking our time together as seriously as I was.

I frowned. It wasn’t like I was expecting her to come out and proclaim her love for me and beg me to stay in Poplar Springs.

Of course not. Because she didn’t feel that way, and neither did I … right?

I glanced at Fiona again and felt my heart stir.

I needed to get a grip. This was a fake relationship piggybacked onto our job, sprinkled with incredible sex.

There was no way anything real and lasting could grow from such a shaky foundation.

It didn’t matter that all I wanted to do was be with her.

Or that she made me laugh harder than anyone ever had.

Or that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Or that my son adored her .

No. My time with Fiona was nothing more than a fling before Patrick and I moved on to our next adventure. We were having fun before we each started the next chapter in our lives. I knew that Fiona felt it too—that our time was limited and we needed to enjoy it while we could.

At least that was the way she was acting.

It was like I was walking a tightrope between showing Fiona how I really felt and maintaining the same loose and easy energy that she seemed to have about our relationship.

I still couldn’t tell what was for show and what was coming from her heart.

Like when she grabbed my hand on the way out of the diner the other night …

was that because people might have been watching us out the window, or because she wanted to connect with me?

At least when it was just the two of us, I knew that everything between us was honest. Or was it?

“Hey, you,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep. She tiptoed her fingers across the bed and up my chest. “Why do you look miserable? I rocked your world last night.”

I chuckled and pulled her into my arms, trying to hide the conflicting feelings warring inside of me. For a split second I considered telling her about the job, but the moment was too special to ruin with talk of real life. “You did rock my world. And you can saddle up on me any time.”

“Oh yeah?” She perched her chin on my shoulder. “Is that a fact? You’re not too worn out?”

Damn, the woman was insatiable.

I glanced toward my waist and shrugged. “Maybe you should check?”

Fiona slid her hand down my body, and I tensed as she grasped my already hard length.

“Ooh, you’re ready for round three,” she whispered, her lips brushing against my ear and sending sparks careening through me .

“I’d call it round three point five, since I count mutual oral sex to completion as a half round,” I answered.

She laughed and started to climb on top of me, but I flipped her onto her back in a fluid motion so that she was pinned beneath me.

“Missionary?” she said in a teasing voice. “How creative.”

I growled at her in mock anger, moved backward so that I was on my knees on the bed, then pulled Fiona onto my lap.

“I like where you’re going with this,” Fiona purred, moving her legs so that she was straddling me.

I groaned as she pressed her slick warmth against me, teasing me.

“Don’t torture me,” I whispered.

She leaned back and grabbed a condom from the nightstand and handed it to me.

The temperature in the room shifted as I slipped it on, the playfulness between us replaced with my raw need to have her again. Suddenly, everything I was about to leave behind became clear, and my confusion about it caught me off guard.

Our lovemaking had been hot, but knowing that I was going to leave her, leave this , made me feel desperate.

I pulled her back on top of me, letting out a groan as she took me in.

She rode me for a few seconds, leaving me paralyzed, until I finally regained my senses.

I grasped her hips with a strong grip, to the point where I worried that I might be hurting her, but she leaned back with her eyes shut in ecstasy.

I slid one hand down to her seam, seeking out the center of her pleasure.

She caught her breath when I reached it.

It had never been like this with anyone else. And as we got closer to climax together, I worried that it might never happen again.