Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Nothing’s gonna happen.”
“I really want to believe that.” She looked up at me and whispered, “I’m so tired of being afraid.”
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” Her eyes stayed trained on mine as I told her, “Not as long as I’m around.”
I stepped closer, narrowing the gap between us, then reached over and carefully brushed a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t move. She just stood there staring at me with that longing look in her eyes. I couldn’t stand it. I had to know what her lips would feel like against mine, so I leaned down and slowly lowered my mouth to hers.
I feared she might pull away, but instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back. It was slow and soft, just like I imagined it would be. My hand fell to the nape of her neck, and I gently pulled her closer. A shudder ran through Whitney’s body as she parted her lips, giving me full access to delve deeper.
Our tongues tangled, and I knew this one kiss would never be enough. Just as things were starting to get heated, Whitney placed her hands on my chest, pulled back, and inhaled a deep breath. “I’m sorry... I just...”
“You can trust me, Whitney. I’d never hurt you. I need you to know that.”
“I do.”
“You don’t,” I argued. “Not yet, but you will. I am going to prove to you that you have nothing to worry about with me. It’s just going to take some time.”
With that, she gazed into my eyes as our lips met again in a kiss I wouldn’t soon forget.
Whitney
'You can trust me, Whitney. I’d never hurt you.’
His words lingered in the air like an early morning chill. I kept playing them over and over in my mind. I wanted to believe them. Oh, how I wanted to believe them, especially after that unbelievable kiss.
Every single nerve in my body came alive as I watched him slowly lower his mouth to mine. The man who’d done everything in his power to keep me at arm’s length gave in and kissed me long and hard. I’d never felt anything so incredible.
I lifted my hand up to his face, inching my body closer to him as his tongue delved deeper into my mouth. The bristles of his beard were rough against my palm, but his lips were soft and warm, luring me in for more. He threaded his fingers through my hair and tugged me closer, and my heart started to race so fast I thought it would beat right out of my chest.
His hand drifted to the nape of my neck, then snaked down to the small of my back. He felt so good, smelled so good, and it was all I could do to keep from completely losing myself in him. It was all too much, too fast, so I broke our embrace. I immediately missed his touch and wished beyond measure that he would kiss me again.
Instead, he promised me I could always trust him, and he was willing to prove it to me.
“I do trust you,” I had reassured him, although I wasn’t quite sure, I knew I felt completely safe around him, and he aroused feelings in me I hadn’t felt in quite some time. But after what I had been through with Dylan, I wasn’t sure I could entirely put my faith into someone so soon.
He gently raked his knuckles against my cheek and smiled as he leaned in for another kiss. He leaned back and was still holding my gaze when Kay came back into the family room and announced, “The goods are on the way! Now, we just need to get you prepped. I have everything set up in my room when you’re ready.” She abruptly stopped walking when she saw the two of us.
“Oh, umm.” I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was still in a whirlwind over that insane kiss, so I muttered, “Okay.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Ghost answered, then turned his attention back to me. “Get your hair done. It’ll do you good, and I’ll see you when you’re done.”
I nodded, then turned to Kay and said, “I’m ready when you are.”
“Great! Let’s get to it.”
Kay gave me a warm smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back. It meant the world to me that she was so excited to fix my hair. When we reached her room, she opened the door and motioned for me to come inside. It was small, like mine and Toby’s, but her desk had been transformed into a hair and makeup station like you’d find in a salon.
“Come over and have a seat.”
She patted the chair in front of the vanity and waited for me to sit down.
As soon as I was settled, I glanced up at the mirror and grimaced at my reflection. The bruises were gone, and all the scratches had healed. I was basically back to my old self—except for my jet-black hair. It looked so stark against my pale skin and made me look like the girl from the Ring movie. Not only that, but it was a mess, tangled and lifeless.