Page 90 of Fool Me

His mouth leaves my clit and I’m immediately frustrated.

“It’s okay,” he croons. “I just need one last taste to hold me over until later.” His tongue dips lower, thrusting too shallow to get me there. I bite into the flesh below Atlas’s thumb and open my mouth to tell him what I need, but his fingers fill my mouth, stopping me.

And then he’s there, replacing his fingers with his mouth. He kisses me hard, matching the rhythm of his fingers as they press inside me and curl. It’s all I need for the tether on my spine to snap. He groans into my mouth as my walls clamp around him, pulsing until I can’t take it anymore and push against his chest, breaking us apart.

He slowly slips his fingers from me, doting kisses on my lips—it’s tender and sweet. My heart trips over itself, trying to find its normal rhythm, but I’m starting to think this is the way it will beat for Atlas from now on—a little unsteady and a whole lot full.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-ONE

ATLAS

Being away from the clinic for a few days means everything is still backed up even though it’s only Tuesday.

It’s another short week, with the Fourth of July on Friday, and I’m back-to-back with patients and calls about dogs freaking out over the fireworks already. So, I opened early on my own, trying to cram six days of work into four and skipped my normal Tuesday workout.

But it came at the cost of not seeing Harlowe and James at the gym this morning, which has quickly become my favorite part of the week after moving back, because even if Harlowe and I didn’t have plans for a fake date, I got to see her, without fail or prompting, every Tuesday.

Lately, she’d taken to teasing me about my slutty little tank tops while she eyed my shoulders.

Now that we’re together for real, it shouldn’t matter because I don’t have to make up excuses to spend time with her. But I still hate missing out, because those moments gave me a feeling of belonging beyond the clinic. Just like my weekly walk next door to hang out with Denver and the guys. After six weeks back in Timberline Peak, it feels like I never left. I’ve found little thingsthat made me love it here again, and I’ve been lucky enough not to run into my brother.

Like yesterday, when I snuck out at lunch to meet Harlowe and Echo just a few miles from my house where she was doing human remain detection training with him. I brought them lunch, and they met me at the parking lot for a quick bite before they headed back out to keep tracking.

But after spending three days with her in California, I’m having withdrawals, and it doesn’t help that she’s expecting a busy week. Tourists are flooding into town for the holiday, which means she’ll probably get called into work more than a normal week.

Friday is the light at the end of the tunnel, because she’s not on call for the actual holiday. Baring any serious emergencies that would require all hands on deck, we get to spend time together with our friends as a real couple for the Timberline Peak fireworks.

The door to the clinic opens and my mom walks in with coffee in hand. “I saw your car out front on my way to the General Store. What are you doing here this early on a Tuesday?”

“Just trying to get caught up.”

She slides the coffee across the counter. “That’s right. How was California?” She tries to sound excited, but something is off.

“Mom,” I warn.

“I’m trying, Atlas, but it’s a bit odd. She was your brother’s girlfriend, and I’d just hoped . . .” She nibbles her lip. “Is that why you haven’t come to dinner since Canyon came home?”

“No. I haven’t come to dinner because last time you ambushed me and crossed a clearly-set boundary.”

Her shoulders fall. “It’s hard having a family split in half. That’s no excuse, but I just thought enough time had passed.”

How do I tell her that Canyon is unredeemable in my eyes? That would crush her. It’s the reason I’ve never given her all the details about our falling out in the first place. She knows enough to understand the severity of his betrayal.

“That’s no excuse, and it’s not as simple as time passing, Mom, you know that. He hasn’t changed and I don’t think he ever will. He hurt me.”

Sadness and regret pull her eyes to the ground. “So, it’s just always going to be like this. You two living in the same town but never being together.”

“I don’t know.” And I truly don’t. I believe people can change, I just don’t think my brother will, and it’s not just up to me anymore. “If it changes for me, I’ll let you know, but don’t force us together again. I want to see you and dad more, but if I feel like every time we meet up is going to be a rehashing of the past or a stop on the give-Canyon-another-chance tour, it’ll keep me away,” I tell her honestly.

She doesn’t hide the pain that causes, but nods.

“Why don’t you and dad come over for dinner next week?”

“I’d like that.”

“Me too.”

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