Page 65 of Wild Desire

"Mmm." I couldn't move, and I almost felt like I could fall asleep again.

She turned so that her breasts brushed the side of my arm. "Do you want breakfast?"

"I wouldn't say no to food."

She kissed my brow. "I'm going to jump in the shower. Then I'll whip something up."

I should have been taking care of her, but the orgasm sucked whatever energy I had right out of my body. I didn't protest when she shifted off the bed and padded into the shower.

The steady beat of the water lulled me to sleep. When I woke up again, the condo smelled like heaven.

This time, I was able to sit up, waiting for the blood to shift. I showered, enjoying the smell of Noelle in my bathroom.

I followed the aroma to the kitchen where Noelle sat at the counter, eating a plate of eggs and reading on her phone. I braced one hand on the counter and one on her back. When she lifted her face to me, I kissed her. "Good morning."

She smiled. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"It was refreshing." I glanced at the time. I hadn't meant to sleep so late. "I have to eat and run. I have a meeting with my brothers this morning."

Her expression fell slightly. "Oh. I didn't realize."

"The maple syrup festival is going on today. Would you like to go?"

She smiled. "That sounds nice."

I dumped the rest of the eggs onto a plate and grabbed a strip of bacon.

"You're walking without your crutches."

I looked down at my legs. "I'm feeling a lot better."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's great."

"I'll be on the mountain again in no time." Snowboarding was the only thing that used to make me feel alive.

"Better than ever, I'm sure." Her voice was soft, and I wanted to reassure her.

I moved to the stool next to her, crowding her with my legs on either side of her stool. "Thank you for last night and this morning."

"It was nice, wasn't it?" she asked without looking at me.

"Better than I hoped," I admitted. I'd wanted to make her feel warm and wanted, but my words sounded trite to my ears.

"What's this maple syrup festival about?" Noelle asked, pulling me away from my plan to make her feel good about last night.

"There's a demonstration on how to make maple syrup, pancakes to eat, and syrup for sale. I thought we could take a short hike and see which trees are plugged."

"That sounds nice."

I ate my eggs quickly, clearing my plate before the text chain fired up, and I received a message from Eli asking where I was.

"I have to go." That's when I realized she hadn't made donuts. "Were you supposed to bake donuts this morning?"

"I overslept, and when I texted Eli, he said not to worry about it. That I should probably have one day off a week. Otherwise, I'd be working every morning, seven days a week."

"I hope I didn't mess anything up for you."

"Eli seemed okay with it."

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