When Stars Collide (Second Chance Romance #2) - Sara Furlong-Burr Page 0,105

out of the way, in one swift move, Phineas picked me up, and I swung my legs around his waist as he carried me to his bedroom.

Like the rest of his penthouse, Phineas’s bedroom featured floor-to-ceiling windows that, at night, allowed just enough light into the room for me to make out his silhouette as he lowered me down onto his bed, his lips finding mine the moment my head came to rest against his pillow. In one smooth movement, his hand pulled my bikini briefs down, leaving me fully exposed.

“It would appear you have me at a disadvantage,” I said, our lips just centimeters apart. I could feel his lips curving into a smile against mine.

“You’re wrong. When it comes to you, I’ve always been the one at a disadvantage.”

“Well, then let’s level the playing field.”

He shuddered as my fingertips ran down the length of his body, stopping when I reached the button to begin unfastening his trousers. Sensing I was in for a struggle, Phineas finished the task, removing both his trousers and boxers and throwing them onto the floor. Fully naked himself, he hovered over me on his elbows, his thumb caressing my cheek. It felt like he was hesitating, and my stomach sunk at the thought that he may be changing his mind.

“Phin? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“Not a chance,” he said in a voice somewhere between his normal tone and a whisper. “I just haven’t been with anyone since Kathryn, and, well, you know how long that’s been.”

I cupped the side of his face, tracing his jawline with my thumb. “Don’t worry, I hear it’s like riding a bicycle.”

He laughed softly. “So it is.”

Any hesitation left him as he lowered himself on top of me, and our bodies finally connected as we were able to express the feelings we’d been forced to conceal for far too long.

*****

“I must say, I was wrong,” Phineas proclaimed, his voice hoarse from sleep deprivation.

Resting in his arms with my head on his shoulder and my hand on his chest over his heart, I opened my eyes to look up at him. “About what?”

“The night actually got better, after all.”

“Mm-hm.” I nuzzled my nose in the crook of his neck, taking in what remained of his cologne. Outside, the first light of dawn was just beginning to break through the horizon. “Yes, five stars—would highly recommend doing again.”

“Again? Three times wasn’t enough for you?”

“It’s a start.”

“You’re insatiable.” He leaned his head down to kiss my forehead.

“So, I’ve been wondering. Whatever became of old Orfeo and Euridice?”

“That all depends on what ending you want to go with.”

“There are two endings?”

“Yup. There’s the real ending and then there’s the happy ending.”

“What’s the real ending?”

“Ah, well, we find Euridice becoming more than a little annoyed with Orfeo’s refusal to look at or speak to her. She becomes so disheartened, in fact, she decides that death may have been better all along.”

“Overreact much?”

“She was confused and hurt by the cold shoulder her husband was giving her. Frankly, if I were to die and someone came down to the Underworld to rescue me, I’d at least want a, ‘Hey, how are you?’.”

“They’re rescuing you, though. I would just be grateful they went through all the trouble to begin with. But please, carry on.”

“Before long Orfeo is worn down by Euridice and he turns to look at her. She immediately dies again, and Orfeo finds himself right back where he was at the beginning of the opera, alone and grief-stricken.”

“That … really sucks.”

“It gets worse.”

“What? Does he die or something?”

“Afraid so.”

“Talk about a shitty day.”

“Yes, but maybe not. I’d like to think that, like the happy ending in the opera, even in the bad ending, they’re reunited again in the Underworld. It’s not perfect, but it’s much better than the alternative.” I intertwined my fingers with his, noticing how much larger his hands were than mine. “Happy endings sell well because they’re what everyone wants to see. The real world is depressing enough without the fictional world. But love often has a real world ending and not the fictional happy ending we all enjoy. Which is why I often choose to find the light in the darkness.”

“Phin, the optimistic pessimist.”

“I like that. Perhaps, I’ll have to change my business cards to reflect my new title.”

He stared silently up at the ceiling. I knew the expression on his face, recognizing it as one he often had whenever he was in the middle of writing a