Page 68 of Runaway Road (Runaway 1)

“So good,” he groaned.

I nodded, tipping my hips to send him deeper. So good.

Brooks was the best lover of my life. He took control when we were together. His gaze raked over my body, appreciating every inch and banishing all insecurities. The man had a direct line to my brain. If I wasn’t feeling something or he thought he could take me higher, he’d change direction, because it wasn’t about him when we were together. It wasn’t about me either.

It was about us.

He rocked us together, slowly at first until the pounding of our hearts matched the rhythm of his hips. The orgasm that built seemed to shroud us both, taking us racing toward the peak at equal speeds, until we came together, sweaty and breathless.

He left me for only a minute to take care of the condom, then he wrapped me in his arms and held me tight as we drifted off to sleep.

We woke twice more in the night, not wanting sleep to keep us apart, until morning finally forced us into the new day.

The dreaded Monday had dawned.

“What time should I come to the garage?”

Brooks stood in the bathroom, drying his wet hair with a towel. We’d showered together. I sat on his bed, wrapped in a fluffy gray towel.

He swallowed hard. “How about I drive the car to you? Then you don’t need to worry about your suitcases.”

“Okay.”

I stayed on the bed—even as my hair grew cold on my bare skin—to listen as Brooks shaved his face and brushed his teeth. The weight of the day sank in and made my limbs nearly as heavy as my heart.

Don’t let this be awkward. I closed my eyes, sending up a wish to the unseen stars. Brooks had been the best, most unexpected person to cross my path. We needed to end on a happy note—a kiss and a smile.

Brooks kissed me on the forehead as he walked to his closet.

Did he even realize how much he’d given me in our short time together? He’d shown me that leaving Boston had been the right decision. He’d shown me that there were kind, generous and loving men in the world.

Had I left him with anything good? Or after today, would I just be the woman who’d left?

Please, don’t resent me.

I studied him as he dressed. When I pictured him in years to come, it would be in this room and in this moment.

He was barefoot in a pair of unbuttoned and faded jeans. His chest was bare and droplets of water clung to his shoulders. And his eyes were as blue as the sky on a West Virginia summer morning.

“Wyatt’s coming over?” I asked.

He nodded as he tugged a green T-shirt off its hanger. He pulled it over his head just as the front door slammed downstairs. “Sounds like he’s here.”

“I’ll get dressed and come down to say goodbye.” I took a deep breath and stood from the bed.

Brooks nodded. “What would you like for breakfast?”

I gave him a sad smile. “I think I’ll get a pastry from the motel today. You and Wyatt should get back to your normal routine anyway.”

“Oh.” His jaw tensed. “All right.”

This wasn’t all right but I feared no matter what I said, nothing would fix it. The awkwardness was coming.

I tied up my wet hair and rushed to pull on my clothes. Brooks was the one to sit on the bed now, watching as I scurried around his room.

“See you at four?”

He nodded, his eyes aimed at the floor.