Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 736(@200wpm)___ 589(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 736(@200wpm)___ 589(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
He stopped speaking and I met his eyes. He hadn’t asked a question, but I could see he needed an answer.
‘You are.’ I put my hand on his chest, slightly clutching the fabric of his shirt in my hand. ‘You matter to me. I don’t see anybody but you. You must know this already’
‘And they can’t have you. You said you loved clichés. You must love that you’re making me jealous.’
I smiled at that. ‘I think I do love hearing it.’ I paused. ‘Yeah, I love the idea of you being jealous. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have guessed. I thought you were acting and pretending with Elijah just to make me smile. I thought you were playing.’
‘You make me go crazy at the office. Trust me. I’m not used to being jealous, I don’t particularly like it, but I’m crazy about you. I barely hold it together when you get close to another guy that is flirting with you.’
‘They’re not flirting with me.’
‘Yes. You keep thinking like that, please.’
For a few long moments we just stared at each other.
‘Every single day I’m astonished that you don’t see the effect you have on people. Men especially. You’re like a magnet.’
I felt he was exaggerating a little bit, but didn’t make a comment. I worried my bottom lip between my teeth and his attention snapped to that. My back still to the door, I got on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his and in a second he pushed his body harder against mine, groaning as he forced my mouth to open and gave me a hard kiss that took my breath away and made me go weak at the knees.
‘Yes?’ he asked, out of breath when he let me go for a breath of air. ‘You’re in? You’re okay with this? Us, trying? Long-distance and everything.’
Smiling from ear to ear, I nodded. ‘I never thought I’d get excited about the idea of having another long-distance relationship, but I think this is one of the promises I don’t mind breaking because I’ll get to have you.’
He moved his hand to my hips and kind of forced me to jump so he could have me plastered against the door. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. I was still laughing and feeling a little tipsy on all the excitement and happiness in my heart and lighter than I’d felt in a very long time.
‘I’m a little heavy,’ I breathed, having a hard time breaking our eye contact.
‘You’re perfect.’
‘You know hearing that will start to go to my head, right?’
‘If you knew the things I wanted to do to you, I don’t think you’d say that.’
I tightened my legs around his body, feeling him harden against me.
‘I don’t think I gave you a tour. Did you want to see my bedroom?’
He burst out laughing, and I smiled into his eyes. Not being able to stop, I gently ran my fingers through his hair.
‘I’ve always wanted to do that.’
‘I can’t stay away from you, Charlie.’
I tilted my head and smiled down at him. ‘I don’t think I’d want that. So what now?’
‘Now comes the best part.’
‘Sex?’
Smiling, he pressed a kiss on my neck and gently dropped me back down on my feet.
‘Now, I take you out to dinner.’
A small thrill went down my spine. ‘Like a dinner date? Our first date? Not even a fake date, a real real date.’
‘First official, as real as it gets, date, yes. If you’re going out with a guy, that guy is me.’
Feeling giddy, I bit down on my bottom lip and didn’t even try to hide my big smile.
24 William
It was the sweet and happy smile on her face that did me in. I waited for her as she texted her neighbours to see if they could watch over Pepperoni until we returned. They texted her back to say they wouldn’t mind keeping him overnight if she wanted to stay out late and I watched as she blushed – then I waited some more as she disappeared into her room to change. But then she was standing right in front of me in a polkadot dress under her coat and a beanie, and all I could think about was taking everything off her and staying inside. But she was almost all mine, and soon we’d have all the time in the world for me to do anything and everything I’d always wanted to do to her.
‘What are you thinking?’ she asked, her eyes twinkling.
‘No more blind dates anymore. No more looking or trying or anything.’
She raised her brows and waited for me to go on.
‘I’m going to kiss you every day, so you never forget how it feels.’
‘Every day, huh? That’s a pretty big promise.’
I reached out to her because now I could. Now I didn’t have to stop myself when my instinct was to touch and feel. Something inside me settled. This was what I wanted with her. Always close to me. She came towards me without a second of hesitation.