Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“Wild guesses.” I shrug. “Tell me about work.”
“I write.” She brightens even more. “I do travel writing about fabulous locales. All sorts of—” She stops and looks at me with guilty eyes. “I guess you already know I don’t leave the house, so I’m a travel writer who never actually travels.”
“You write. You create. And I can only assume people enjoy your articles since you spend a small fortune every year on Christmas lights and electricity.” I shrug. “I don’t see a problem with it.”
She smiles. “That’s how I think of it, and maybe I’m just rationalizing bad behavior, but I really do feel like I’ve been to these places. I spend days, sometimes weeks, sometimes months researching, reading, watching videos, scrutinizing photos, making calls—I do everything except crunch the dirt beneath my feet. It’s real.” Her excitement rises with each word, and I’m tempted more than ever to claim her lips. “When I’m done writing my story, I’ve been to Machu Picchu. I’ve explored a pyramid. I’ve run my fingers along the stones of Petra. Does that sound stupid?”
“Sounds brilliant to me.” I mean every word.
She beams. “If you’re a stalker, then please continue the stalking.”
“Will do.” I pull her tighter to my chest.
“What do you do for a living?”
“Nothing as fun as all that. Just computer stuff.” I stroke her cheek. “There’s also one other thing I’d like to address.”
“What’s that?”
I kiss her, taking her mouth as she gasps and stiffens. But that lasts for only a few seconds. Then she melts in my grasp, her lips softening and her arms going around my neck.
She’s so sweet and inexperienced. I tilt her head, aligning her so we aren’t nose to nose, then lick along the seam of her lips. She’s sweet like hot chocolate with a hint of spice. When I lick her again, her lips part, and I delve my tongue inside.
Her little squeak of surprise goes straight to my cock, and I adjust her on my lap so I’m not stabbing her in the thigh. Deepening the kiss, I run one hand through her blonde hair and lightly grip the strands. She responds, her tongue becoming adventurous with mine as we breathe each other in, testing and tasting.
I want to carry her to my bedroom, but I can’t. The door to my office is open to keep air circulating on my server, and I’m running a particularly intricate set of protocols to breach the firewalls and protections of a small island nation in the South Pacific. It has to keep running, but I have only enough time for breakfast and a trip to the pet store. After that, I was planning on excusing myself for a little while to handle the hack. But now that I have her, I’m not sure I can let her go.
Our kiss grows more feverish as she runs a hand down my chest and moans into my mouth. I slide my hand to her ass and squeeze, pulling her close and letting her feel how hard she makes me.
Her little squeal tells me she got the point, as it were, and she wriggles. I take the opportunity to lick her throat and suck the spot right below her ear.
I almost decide to risk carrying her past my office when a low growl makes both of us turn our head.
She gasps. “Are they—”
I cover her eyes and frown at Charlie. “Honestly, man, you couldn’t wait ‘till later?”
Charlie keeps humping Mrs. Claws, the two of them doing exactly what I want to be doing with Ariadne right now.
“Mrs. Claws, you little hussy.” Ariadne laughs breathily.
I sigh and put her on her feet. “Come on, angel. Let’s give them some privacy and head to the pet store.”
10
ARIADNE
I lick my lips, wondering if what I taste is Brendan or the syrup from the pancakes he made me. Either way, it was all yummy.
I probably shouldn’t be in a car with him on the way to the pet store after he admitted to kind of stalking me, but here I am. I feel a certain comfort level with him now that everything's out in the open. The only other person who’s accepted all my little quirks is Laura. I’m not even going to lie, it’s nice to feel wanted. A lot of people may think it’s weird he knows so much about me, but I don’t find it strange. Isn’t that the whole reason people date before they get into a relationship; to discover things about one another? We’re just sort of fast tracking this whole thing. I’m not even sure where this is headed, but my mind is running in a million directions.
“You okay, angel?” He glances over at me.
I nod. I’m more than okay. Holy holly berries, how things have changed in the past 24 hours. The house I once hated now fills me with warmth and happiness knowing he’s decorated it for me.