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)
“My lights are out. You win,” I shrug.
“No, angel. I haven’t won. The only thing I was after was you. Until you tell me you’re mine, I haven’t won anything.”
15
BRENDAN
She smiles, but then it fades. “Laura said you’re bad.”
“Do you think I’m bad?” I tilt her chin up.
“I don’t know.” She sighs. “But you don’t seem bad. You seem good for me. But Laura said you’re only pretending to like me.”
“What do you know about Laura?”
She looks up, thinking. “She’s my friend. She comes and goes whenever she wants, and she’s protective.”
“Protective is a good thing.” I don’t want to trash her friend, but I need Ariadne to know I’ll never hurt her.
“Really?”
“Really. I want you to be protected.” I kiss her cheek tenderly. “But you don’t have to be protected from me. I want to know you, everything about you, and I want you to know me. This is real.” I twine our fingers together. “You and me. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
“More than you want to win the Christmas competition?”
“I thought it wasn’t a competition.” I smile and kiss her again, closer to her mouth this time.
“I mean, it’s not.” She shrugs. “Not really.”
“I’ll tell you what. You say the word, and I’ll bring every last strand of lights from my yard and put them in yours to whatever specifications you require.”
“You’d do that?” Her eyebrows rise.
“Sure. You want me to do it right now? I will.” I move to get up with her still in my arms.
“No.” She stands and grips the front of my shirt. “Your lights are too garish for my yard.”
I laugh. “God, I love you.”
Her eyebrows shoot even higher as I kiss her, claiming her sweet mouth with all of me. I run my tongue along hers and pick her up, though I have to walk carefully to avoid tripping over the destroyed Christmas cat house.
I’m going to prove to her just how real this is for me. I can’t go another second without showing her how much I want her; how much I’ve wanted her for a very long time. She wraps her arms around my neck as I carry her down the hall to her bedroom.
Sitting her on her bed, I push her back and settle on top of her. Reaching down, I press the button to light up her sweater.
She giggles as I kiss her neck. The laugh turns into a throaty sigh as I nibble her throat then suck her tender skin between my teeth.
“Brendan.” She runs her fingers through my hair as I settle between her thighs, my hard cock pressing against her heat. I can’t stop kissing her, and I want to drown in her taste.
“I hope you’re ready for this, angel.” I take her mouth again, mastering her as my muscles tremble from holding back.
“I’m ready. I want you. I think I’ve wanted you for a long time, but—” She gasps when I run my teeth along her throat. “I think I was afraid of it. Of you. Of you maybe not wanting me back. So I ran away. That time you knocked on my door—” She lifts my face to hers. “I was home, but I didn’t answer. I wish I had.”
I place a gentle kiss on her lips. “It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes water. “I’ve wasted all this time I could’ve spent with you.”
“No.” I rest my palm on her warm cheek. “No sadness, angel.” I know what will turn that emotion right around. “Since we’re coming clean, I’m the one who broke your icicle lights.”
Her eyes round. “You! I knew it. How could you just break my—”
I claim her mouth, silencing her scolding and coaxing her tongue to dance with mine. She relaxes, her body melting against mine as I kiss her silly. When she rocks her hips against me, I’m done waiting. Sliding down her body, the green and red lights of her sweater flickering in the dim room, I grab the waistline of her leggings and strip them down her legs. Her sweet white panties have a wet spot that I want to lick, but I pull them down too as she puts her hands to her face.
“Don’t be shy, angel.” I kiss up her inner thighs, enjoying the way she trembles with each of my touches.
“I’m just so …” She props herself on her elbows and looks down at her blinking sweater. “Turned on right now.” Her words come out breathy and sexy as hell.
“Let me help you with that.” I venture farther until I reach the paradise between her thighs. Anticipation hums through me like fire in my veins, and I take in all of her. Pink lips and wetness, all for me. With a long lick, I sample everything she has to offer.