Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
When the sky began to darken with streaks of purple and red, I pulled off next to a secluded section of beach close to my house. It wasn’t very big and was too close to the highway to be much of a destination for people to stay very long, but at night it was one of the most beautiful places in the city.
I pulled my bike under the pier and killed the engine. “Careful of the pipes.”
“You told me that once. I think I can remember.” Despite the words, CeCe didn’t sound annoyed at all. I still held out my hand to help steady her as she climbed off from behind me.
“Just takin’ care of my girl.”
“Your girl, huh?”
“Well, yeah. This is a first date. Right?”
Her tinkling laughter filled me with more satisfaction than I’d ever felt before. Not from grateful patients I’d helped, not from my brothers in arms. Not even from my MC brothers. This woman’s simple laughter as we bantered and flirted did something to me that I knew I’d never feel again outside her presence. I still wasn’t prepared to commit myself to taking her for my own, but I knew one night in her presence would never be enough.
As I climbed off my bike, CeCe took off her heels, sinking her bare feet into the sand. She groaned. “God, that feels good!”
“The warm sand on your feet?”
“Yes. I hadn’t even realized how my feet ached.” She smiled up at me, her hair blowing gently in the breeze.
I smiled down at her and brushed strands of her hair behind her ear. “Then let’s get you out there where the sand’s warmer. See if we can’t ease that ache.”
We stared at each other for several long moments. I swear, I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman so much in my fucking life. I brushed my thumb along her bottom lip and she gasped slightly, parting her lips. I thought she was going to take my thumb into her mouth, and I knew I’d lose my shit if she did. Instead, she gave me a serene smile like she didn’t have a care in the world. Somehow, that look was better than if she’d offered to suck my thumb. Or my cock. In the weeks since we’d started talking, I’d never seen such a look of contentment on her face and was determined to keep that look there.
I cleared my throat. “Come on.” Taking her hand, I led her from under the pier out onto the beach. The sky was streaked with bright red and purple. The sun was at our back as we looked out over the ocean so there was an unobstructed view of such beauty, I had to wonder if God himself was smiling on what I was doing.
“So beautiful,” she whispered as she gazed out at the sea. “The sky reflects on the water and makes the water pink. Isn’t that crazy?”
“I agree. Very beautiful.” I didn’t mean the sky. Or the water. Her gleaming hair reflected the light as she moved, giving her an ethereal look. Like an angel with a little bite to her.
We sat in the warm sand and watched the sky and birds flying overhead. She slipped her arm through mine and leaned her head on my shoulder, never saying a word. I heard her phone buzzing several times in her purse, but she ignored it so I did too.
As it grew dark and the wind started to pick up, I leaned over and placed a kiss on top of her head. “Come on, honey. Let’s get back to my house before it starts raining.”
“How far is it?”
I shrugged. “A block. Right around the corner.”
Soon after, I pulled my bike into the garage and shut it down. I steadied CeCe as she dismounted, then followed her, shutting the garage door and opening the inner door to the house.
Once inside, after I’d locked the door, CeCe stepped close to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. My hands automatically went to her hips.
“Atticus…” Her breathy whisper brushed over my mouth just before her lips met mine. And any thought I had of keeping her at arm’s length, of keeping this nonsexual, went out the fucking window.
Her kisses were more tentative than I’d have thought, but I didn’t care. The fact that she was kissing me at all was more than I should have allowed if I wanted to win her trust, but by God and Holy Christ, it felt fucking good! She rubbed against me, welcoming my tongue when I thrust it between her lips. I couldn’t help it! The second she offered, my body decided it was doing whatever the fuck it wanted to, and it fucking wanted to do CeCe. In the Biblical sense. I had to get a fucking grip, or this was going to get way the fuck outta hand. And it was already way the fuck outta hand.