Crashing Into Love (7 page)

“I don’t care that you were with Sarah Chelsum.” Her words fell fast and desperate.

Jake turned to face her, softening when he saw her eyes had gone damp.

“Fiona…”
Why do I care what she thinks?

In three steps she was upon him again, hands clutching his shirt, thighs pressing against his. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I don’t care, Jake. It doesn’t matter.”

He forced himself to twist from her grip again. “You don’t get it, Fiona.”

“I do, Jake. That’s just it. I get it. You use women as an escape. You could sleep with half the girls in town and that wouldn’t matter, because I know that when you come back to me, you’ll never stray.”

Come back to you?
He moved in close again. “I would never sleep with another woman from Trusty. You don’t know me, Fiona. Don’t try to act as though you do.” She was the first and only woman he’d ever slept with from their hometown, and as much as he played it off like he regretted it, he never had.

“You took her home, Jake. Everyone’s talking about how they saw you leave with her. Someone saw you walk her up to the door. People know, so you don’t have to bullshit me.”

“People around here don’t know squat. I drove her home. No kiss good night. No quickie in the backseat. Nothing. Not that I care what anyone around here thinks.”

“Maybe not.” She lowered her voice again. “But you obviously still care what I think, or you wouldn’t have corrected me.”

Hell
. He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking will happen between us, but in two days, I’m out of here. Back to LA. Back to my life.”

She nodded.

“There’s nothing there, Fi. It’s done. Whatever we had…” He shrugged.

The sounds of the fair began filtering back into his ears. Jesus, how long had they been standing there? He’d completely fallen into her, oblivious to everything around him. When had he begun breathing hard?
He
was still hard. He forced his legs to carry him away from Fiona. He had no idea where he was going, didn’t care, only knew he had to walk away before he gave in to the intense desires warring within him.

“Jake.”

He heard desperation in her voice. His emotions warred within him.

Go back.

See where it goes.

Walk, you fool.

Walk away, fast and furious before what’s left of your heart gets ripped to shreds
.

Jake shoved his hands in his pockets before walking around the corner of the building, leaving Fiona, and his past, behind.

THE NEXT MORNING Jake pushed his body hard, sprinting up a hill and around the bend toward Old Hill Road just as the sun peeked over the crest of the mountains. He loved this time of the morning, when the town had yet to rise and the shadow of night still lingered in the coolness of the air and the dewy grass. There was a peacefulness in those early hours that had always appealed to Jake. Before checking email or stressing over what he had to get done, he’d pound out a few miles and clear his mind. Only today, as he veered onto Old Hill, his mind was anything but clear. It was reeling with the anticipation of seeing Fiona again. He debated turning around and running another route, but he didn’t know what the hell he wanted anymore. He had no clue if he wanted to avoid Fiona or sweep her into his arms, and he wasn’t about to dissect it as he pushed his muscles hard and picked up his pace.

Seeing her at the fair had totally knocked him off-kilter. And when she’d touched him—Lord, when she’d touched him—he’d gotten sucked right back into her again. For a few minutes, there had been only him and her and that crazy, magnificent electricity that had always been there connecting them. Never in a million years would he have thought he’d feel a damn thing when he was near her again.

And what was all that stuff about when he came back to her?
You could sleep with half the girls in town and that wouldn’t matter, because I know that when you come back to me, you’ll never stray.
Was she living in a fantasy world?
I would say I didn’t mean to, but it was pretty deliberate
. He lifted his gaze and scanned the empty road. His stomach tanked. What the hell was up with that? Shouldn’t he be happy that she wasn’t there waiting for him? Wasn’t that what he wanted? To be Fiona-free forever?

It sure as hell was, but last night…

The air cooled as he reached the overlook where Fiona had been standing yesterday morning.
Waiting for me
. He jogged to the edge of the road and looked out over the town, hands on hips, breathing hard. In less than forty-eight hours he’d be back in Los Angeles, back at his estate, back to his life. Fiona would be a lifetime away again. Out of sight, out of mind.

He rubbed an unfamiliar ache at the back of his neck.

A noise caught his attention, and he turned, hope swelling in his chest as he gazed down the road. He was earlier than yesterday; maybe she was just running late today. A deer burst through the trees, ran into the middle of the road and stopped, enormous black eyes meeting his. It turned and leaped back into the woods. He stared at the empty road, longing to see Fiona and wondering what in the hell he was thinking. Fiona was a bad idea, and if anyone knew bad ideas, it was Jake. He was the king of them. His entire social life was a bad idea. There was only one thing that could keep him from getting into trouble with Fiona, and that was a big metal bird that would carry him far, far away.

MONDAY EVENING FIONA and Shea met Trish for dinner at a restaurant that was near the set where they were going to film
Raiders of the Past
. Fiona had lived in Fresno, California, for several years, but she’d never had the guts to visit Los Angeles. It might be a big city, but she hadn’t wanted to take any chance of running into Jake, no matter how many times she’d sat in her car and debated it. She hadn’t even been sure she could handle seeing him in Trusty. She’d known she was still in love with Jake for what seemed like forever, but she also knew how he’d gone to great lengths to avoid her, and she wasn’t sure she could handle his rejection. She wasn’t sure she could handle any of it, really—her desire for him or the risk of reaching out to him…until her boss had offered her a promotion that would mean heavy travel and no chance for settling down. Running two geological teams would become her life. It was a dream job, something she’d been working toward for years, and if the paper she’d recently submitted was published, it would give her even more credibility in the position.

She was at the peak of her career, but taking that dream job would mean letting go of an even more important dream. When Trish had offered her the chance to come to LA, no strings attached, to try to reconnect with Jake, the timing couldn’t have been better. This was her chance to follow her heart, so she would finally know if she should let go of the man she loved once and for all.

“So?” Trish leaned across the table and whispered, “Give me all the dirt.”

Shea reached for Fiona’s hand. Fiona took it and gave it a grateful squeeze. Trish’s hazel eyes were wide and expectant. She somehow managed to make a gray cotton tank top and jeans look hot. When Fiona didn’t answer right away, she reached across the table, revealing the large, colorful butterfly tattoo just above her elbow.

Fiona released Shea’s hand and shooed Trish’s hand back to her side of the table. “I’m fine, you guys. Jeez. It’s not like I expected him to forgive and forget overnight.”

A blond waitress came and took their orders. Fiona waited for her to leave before filling Trish in on the harsh details she’d already shared with Shea.

“I saw him three times, and each time he was a little more receptive.” At least that was how she was playing it in her mind, regardless of how cold he was toward her the morning she’d waited for him on Old Hill Road or at the bar.

“I’d say he was more than a little receptive at the fair.” Shea leaned against the corner of the booth and raised her slim brows. “Don’t you think?”

“Yes…and no.”

“Why? Tell me. I’m good with figuring out guys,” Trish urged. She was nothing like the typical actress stereotype. She loved geology as much as Fiona did. She’d even studied it in school because her parents had insisted that if she wanted to be an actress, she had to have a fallback career,
just in case
. The personalities of the geologists that Fiona worked with rarely veered into the excited range unless they were talking about earth processes like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, investigating metals or minerals, or discovering new ways to extract natural gas, water, or oil. Trish’s personality was what had first drawn Fiona to her, during a geology course their freshman year. Fiona had been impressed by her intelligence and her forthright demeanor. Trish went head-to-head with the professor the first day in class, and from that day forward they’d been best friends. It was wonderful to be friends with someone who had the same interests she did but was more fun than most people who understood her field of study.

“Well, you know how I told you that Jake and I had this
zing
between us?”

“Yeah, yeah. Zings are good.” Trish smiled.

“
Very
good, if you know what I mean, and he definitely felt it, too.” Fiona felt her cheeks heat up as she thought about the impressive bulge in his low-slung jeans.

“He got hard,” Shea said flatly.

“Shea!”

“What?” Shea took a sip of her water.

The waitress brought their food, and Fiona waited until they were alone again to respond.

“You don’t have to tell the whole restaurant that he got aroused,” Fiona whispered.

Trish rolled her eyes. “Fi, you’re in LA. Nothing shocks people around here. Go on. This all sounds good, so what’s the bad part?”

“That was it. I mean, there was this moment when everything else disappeared. The fair, the noise, the smells. God, did I ever tell you how good he smells?”

“Yes,” they both said in unison.

“Sorry.” Fiona pushed salad around on her plate, then speared a few pieces of lettuce with her fork. “We were so close, and it all came right back to me. The way it felt to be in his arms, to kiss his lips.” She sighed dreamily, longing for what they’d had. “I was sure we were going to kiss, and then…” She shrugged. “He turned and left.”

“He left?” Trish’s shoulders slumped.

“Yup. Told me that I didn’t know who he was anymore, and then he was gone.”
And my heart broke a little more as I watched him walk away
. She turned her attention to Shea. “It was this amazing high, like when we rode that roller coaster, and then suddenly I was spiraling down toward the earth at a million miles an hour without any brakes.”

“Oh, Fi.” Trish’s eyes filled with compassion.

Fiona spread her palms on the table. “It’s okay. I’m good. Really. I’m not giving up. He softened toward me. It might have been only for a second, but I saw the old Jake in his eyes. I know he’s in there, and I have a feeling he’s not over me.”

“No matter how much he claims to be,” Shea pointed out.

Fiona glared at her.

“No, she’s right, Fi,” Trish said. “He probably
wants
to be over you—don’t you think? Sounds like from what you’ve told me, you really hurt him.”

“She was his first love, and she didn’t just hurt him—she broke his heart. The whole town talked about it for, like, a year.” Shea draped her arm around Fiona. “Oh my God, Fi. Is that why you said you didn’t want to come back when you left for college?”

Fiona had tried to forget how bad it felt to be the talk of the town for hurting Jake. In truth, it had taken her a long time to
want
to go back home. She’d found a summer job in Pennsylvania and had remained there after that first year, and by the time she’d come back the following summer, the gossip had died down. She’d seen a few harsh stares, but they’d quickly stopped.

“It was part of the reason. But it was really hard to be in the place where most of my recent good memories were of me and Jake.” She shrugged again. “But eventually I sucked it up. I couldn’t leave you alone, right?”

“I would have eventually dragged you back. When I could drive, of course.” Shea laughed. “Now, my brave, confident, beautiful sister tossed aside the one and only Jake Braden. And she’s going to get him back, because she’s Fiona Faith Steele. Right, sis?”

“That’s my hope.” She knew she didn’t sound very hopeful.

“What am I sensing here?” Trish asked.

“It’s just…It hurt to see him so angry and to know I caused it. And he wasn’t just angry. You were right, Shea. I really must have hurt him worse than I imagined for him to react the way he did, and that’s a horrible feeling, knowing I hurt someone I love.”

“You were a kid,” Shea said. “You need to forgive yourself and harness that energy to win him back.”

“We’re here for six weeks. Take your time, figure out what you really want, and then go for it. I’m here for you, and if you decide you don’t want to pursue him, then we’ll just have fun and pretend he doesn’t exist.”

“You’re the best friend ever, Trish.”

“Hey.” Shea stuck her lower lip out in a fake pout.

“You’re the best
sister
ever.”

Trish pointed her fork at Fiona. “You know what they say about best friends.”

Fiona arched a brow.

“A good friend backs up your story and posts bail for you. A great friend helps you hide the body, but the best friend…The
very
best friend knows how to
dispose
of the bodies.” Trish flashed a conspiratorial grin. “I’ve got your back, girlfriend.”

“Good to know, although I don’t think we’ll be needing that particular skill.”

“Yeah, I know, but still. I’m here for you no matter what.” Trish leaned back in her chair and looked around the restaurant. “How cool is it that we’re ten minutes from the studio where I’ll be filming
Raiders of the Past
with Zane Walker? Did you ever imagine when we were in college that I’d actually end up here?”

“Now, that’s something I can finally answer.” Fiona lifted her glass in a toast. “Yes, I did. I never had any doubt about you making it as an actress. And here’s to Steven Hileberg, who found the sexiest, sassiest, smartest actress to play the part of the leading lady. Here’s to having a hot and brilliant best friend.” They clinked glasses. “And to a hot and brilliant sister who would definitely help me dispose of the body if I asked her to.”