Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“I want to.” He patted my leg again. “Let me run Mom back into town and then I can return to help.”
“You’d do that?” I hadn’t expected that offer at all. I’d figured that I might go to his place if I could find the energy, but him being willing to come here, and not only for fun or sex, made my tight muscles all warm. “I feel bad asking you to make the drive twice in one day.” I took a last bite of chicken.
“You do it often enough,” he said reasonably. “And besides, then I can see you afterward, make sure you get some rest.”
“Rest isn’t what I want if you come back.” Setting my empty plate aside, I raked my eyes over him with purpose. If he was going to make the trek, I was sure going to make it worth his while. That, and him being so helpful and caring, was its own kind of sexy, making my body thrum with a background beat of arousal.
“Good. I was hoping for that answer, but honestly, I’d be happy making sure you get a hot shower and maybe a shoulder rub while we watch the fireworks on TV.”
“How about we make our own fireworks?” Grabbing his hand, I gave it a squeeze.
“I like that idea.” His voice had gone soft and husky.
“And if you’re going back to town anyway, get what you’ll need for the morning. No sense in you driving back super late.”
“You want me to stay over?” His eyes went wide.
For all our encounters, one of us had always ended going home late, no sleepovers. Part of that was how early my days started, but I’d lying if I said that was the only reason. There was also an intimacy to sleeping together that I’d been avoiding, a line between hookup and couple. However, that line grew blurrier by the day, and it seemed increasingly illogical to make him brave country roads in the middle of the night. I was always telling him to live in the moment, and continuing to deny myself something I wanted seemed silly.
“Yep.” I kept my voice light, not wanting to make too big a deal out of this. “Means I can wear you all the way out.”
His high cheekbones bloomed with pink. “I’m looking forward to that.”
“Me too.” I truly was, and not simply the sex. He was hot as fuck, but he was also nice and helpful and a genuinely good person who tried to take care of me as well. I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity to hold him all night long.
Chapter Nineteen
Harrison
“Sorry. That took longer than I thought,” I greeted Finn as he opened the door of his little cottage.
Mom and I had ended up staying longer, helping collect trash while there was still light, so by the time I drove her home, picked up some things at my place for the morning, took a lightning-fast shower, and arrived back at the farm, the rest of the cleanup was largely done, and a laughing Rachel had waved me toward Finn’s place.
“It’s okay. Gave me a chance to shower.” Indeed, Finn’s short, shaggy hair was still wet, and a drop of shaving cream clung to his neck. Taking my small messenger bag from me, he pulled me the rest of the way into the cottage and shut the door behind us. Locked it as well. “And you showered too.”
I shivered as he sniffed at my neck. “I did. Thought it was only polite.”
We’d both spent a long, hot day in the July sun, and I didn’t know about Finn, but the things I had in mind as stress relief for him went better with a little advanced thinking.
“That’s you. Always polite.” Laughing, Finn went in for another kiss, which I happily granted, lacing my arms around him. It was sweet and soft and exactly what I’d been craving.
“I try.”
“You do.” Finn found my mouth again, a deeper kiss that led into many others, until my bag was on the floor, and we were clutching at each other as we stumbled toward the stairs. “Wait. Did you want to watch the fireworks? I do have a TV.”
“I think you promised some of our own.” I batted my eyelashes simply to get another chuckle from him.
“I did indeed.” Finn’s next kiss carried through on that promise as he licked and nibbled until I was seeing sparks behind my closed eyes. “Follow me.”
“This climb is keeping me young,” I said as I scampered up the steps after him.
“Yeah, old man. We gotta keep you limber somehow.”
After we were both in the loft, he pulled me in for another embrace, petting my stomach and pretending to stretch out my arms. I loved being silly like this with him.
“Maybe I should start doing stretches before I come over.”