Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I gulp. Damn. “How can Dale and Donny be so different? Dale’s such a recluse, and Donny was always the life of the party. He still is.”
“People handle things differently. Some go inward, others outward.”
“Melanie?”
I nod. “Yeah. Like I said, she’s brilliant.”
“She’s Brock’s mother.”
She lets out a chuckle. “Well, of course she is. You know that.”
“I do. It’s just… I never thought about it before now. How Brock comes from a highly intelligent mom. His and Rory’s kids could be that smart.”
“My uncle Joe is no slouch either.”
“I get that. But your aunt has written books, has helped people heal from trauma. She specializes in children, doesn’t she?”
“She’s retired now, but yeah, she did. She also saw adults, though. My father was her patient at one time.” Her hand goes over her mouth once more. “Shit! What is wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Brianna.” I throw my arm around her shoulders. “You trust me, and I trust you. If you want to tell me, I’ll take whatever you say to my grave. And if you don’t, that’s okay too.”
She caresses my arm. “I’d love to be able to confide in you about everything. And I do trust you. But it’s still all so new to me. My parents, aunts, and uncles kept so many secrets from us while we were growing up. You know one of the big ones.”
“Your uncle Ryan and Wendy,” I say. “Your new aunt.”
“Yeah, but in my family’s defense, they didn’t know about Lauren and Jack or Pat Lamone. But the rest of it?” She sighs. “They knew.”
And just like that, as if an angel swooped down from heaven, my burden about the Steels is lifted.
I’m in love with Brianna.
And her family, as rich as they are, are just as far from perfect as any other family. One day I’ll ask her what happened to Dale and Donny—and why her father was in therapy—but not tonight.
Tonight, I’m going to enjoy no longer bearing such a heavy load in my head. I’m going to enjoy Brianna and not hold her family against her.
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you too, Jesse.”
“I’m no longer angry, so I want to make love to you. I want to love you the way you deserve.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brianna
His words melt my heart.
Of course, my heart was already jelly from his love, from his kisses.
We undress each other slowly, and then he lays me on the bed, spreads my legs.
“So beautiful,” he breathes. “Everything about you. Your pussy is glistening, Brianna.”
“Only for you,” I sigh.
My words are not an embellishment. I saved myself for a reason. Though I had other boyfriends and enjoyed experimenting, I never regretted not doing the actual act.
That was for Jesse only.
And now that he returns my love, I know I made the right choice.
Even if he didn’t return it at first, it was still the right choice for me.
He hovers over me, trailing his lips over my cheek and then my neck and shoulders. “I’m going to taste every inch of you,” he says. “Every fucking inch.” He slides his lip over the top of my chest.
I close my eyes, sigh, arching my back. My skin is prickly all over yet warm, my flesh rosy, and between my legs, I’m already pulsing lightly.
Jesse stops at my breasts, squeezes them, swirls his tongue over one nipple.
I gasp. “God, feels so good.”
“You have the most beautiful breasts, Brianna.” He kisses one nipple and then the other. “I could spend all night on them alone. I could write a whole song about them. About how your nipples harden simply when I look at you, how your breasts are rosy and plump.”
A soft sigh escapes my throat.
“But for now, I just want to suck on them, pinch them, tug on them. Make you feel it all the way down in your pussy.”
“I do. I already feel it down there. I’m wet for you, Jesse. Wet and ready.”
“I’m hard as a rock for you too, and I could take you now. But anticipation… I said I was going to taste every part of you, and I intend to.”
He sucks on one nipple, twisting the other one between his fingers.
Sparks shoot through me, dancing around my body like a pinball before they end up straight in my pussy, right on my clit.
He spends a few more minutes on my breasts, but then he trails his lips downward, and he plants soft kisses on my belly, on the tops of my thighs.
“Please…” I gasp out when he avoids my pussy.
“We’ll get there, baby.”
My legs are spread, and he kisses and licks my inner thighs, which I know are wet from my juices. He slides down my legs, kissing the tops of my calves, and when he gets to one foot, he gives it a massage with his nimble fingers as he kisses each toe.