Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
But if there’s something else driving him, something malicious and evil…
No. I can’t accept that. The man has his faults, but he’s not Denver.
Among the bathroom supplies, I don’t find any condoms, lubes, or performance enhancers. Thank God. That would cross the line of acceptance and make it really fucking weird.
In the drawer, I find the ointment that Kody needs for the burns on his leg.
Overwhelmed once again by Monty’s thoughtfulness, I reach for the perfume and spray it on my wrist.
The scent explodes in my memories before it reaches my nose—a balance of sweetness and tartness, fruity and floral, with a bloom of cherry as the top note.
Cherry perfume might be the sexiest fragrance in existence, and Monty loved to inhale it from my skin.
As I return the bottle to the counter, a click snaps my head to the doorway.
Standing just outside the bathroom, Kody holds his phone low, the camera lens angled at me, with his coal-black eyes focused on the screen.
“Did you just take a picture of me?”
“More than one, woman. You’re my favorite feature on this thing.” He turns the phone, revealing a photo of me bent over the bathroom sink. It’s a picture of my ass.
“Delete that.”
“Never.” He pockets the device and prowls toward me.
Those jeans cling to his hips, accentuating the leanness of a man who survived for months on rations. His bare chest ripples with defined muscles honed by the physical demands he endured. Every sharp line and sinewy curve represent his raw, wild resilience.
What a gorgeous, compelling creature. With mussy, finger-raked hair and a dark shadow of stubble covering his jaw, he strikes an imposing silhouette.
His boots, heavy and untied, add a ruggedness to his gait. And the way his body moves, fluid yet powerful, hints at the fiercely controlled violence that snarls inside him, waiting to be unleashed.
The bathroom is too small for him, especially with all that lethal energy he’s packing.
A thrum ignites across my skin as he crowds me against the counter. Gripping my hips, he spins me to face the mirror. His hand goes to my hair, gathering it over my shoulder as he buries his nose in my neck.
The rock-hard inferno of his towering frame licks along my back. He leans closer, letting me feel the heavy, fully erect beast between his legs.
I flatten my hands on the counter, bracing for whatever he has planned.
He sucks on my neck, deliberately leaving hickeys before brushing that hot mouth along my shoulder and down my arm. When he reaches my elbow, he lifts my wrist and brings it to his nose, scenting the mist of perfume.
“You smelled like this when you came to Hoss.” He lowers my arm and releases a slow breath. “You still have feelings for him.”
“Not on purpose.” I meet his intimidating gaze in the mirror. “Please, don’t look at me like that. They’re not good feelings, okay?”
Those eyes, broody and black as night, hold mine with a penetrating intensity that borders on intrusive. I can’t hide from this man. Not that I want to, but dammit, it’s exhausting to be so exposed and open to scrutiny.
“You’re entitled to have feelings.” He slides his hands around my waist. “Three days ago, you were starving in the Arctic, and Monty was a cheating husband with a fake name who rejected your baby. Now you’re in his house, and his side of the story makes everything more complicated.”
“I don’t want to be this angry. But I’m afraid to not be angry because that means I feel other things for him, and that’s a betrayal to you.” I swallow. “I won’t betray you, Kody.”
“I know. I can feel you.” His fingers dip beneath my waistband and free the button. “I see you, all of you, and I’m still here, not to judge but to protect and love. I find deep beauty in the parts of you that others can’t see.” He pushes his fingers inside my undies, cupping me. “I’m addicted to your strength.”
“I long for a day when I don’t have to be strong. Strength has drained me. I don’t want to be praised for enduring. I want tenderness and peace. I crave a softer path, a gentler life, that asks nothing of my toughness.”
“You think that’s what you want, but you won’t settle for it. You’ll go to sleep tonight and wake rested tomorrow, ready to fight again. Not because you must but because that’s who you are. You don’t give up.”
“Maybe. But I’m tired, Kody. Tired of being scared. Tired of fighting every day. I’m ready to fast-forward to the epilogue where we live happily ever after.”
“And miss out on our adventurous life together?”
“I think we’ve had enough adventures for several lifetimes.”
“Epilogues are boring.”
“Not ours.” I wriggle my ass against his erection. “Ours will be nonstop sex.”