Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
The second half, Kira snuggles into my side, and I wrap my arm around her, inhaling her coconut scent that I’ve become addicted to, and run my fingers along her smooth flesh—across her collarbone and down her shoulder and arm. I can’t help but touch her in some way. I’ve never been attracted to a woman the way I am to Kira.
At some point, Kira takes my hand in hers and threads our fingers together. She places them on the top of her thigh, and I glance down at our entwined hands, loving the way they look together. I’ve never been the kind of guy who notices shit like that, but with Kira, I notice everything.
After several minutes, she unthreads our fingers and glides my hand onto the top of her creamy thigh, and my attention diverts from the movie to her. Since it’s warm outside, she’s sporting tiny cotton shorts and a tank top that show off her gorgeous curves.
With her eyes trained on the movie, she parts her legs slightly and places her hand on top of mine, sliding our hands around to the inside of her thigh.
“You want something?” I murmur into her ear.
She glances up at me and nods. “Yeah, you.”
And that’s all it takes for my mouth to descend on hers.
I tried to be a gentleman, but who am I to stop her from having what she wants?
chapter eighteen
KIRA
I’ve never been the type to have sex on the first or even second date. Growing up, I watched my mom try to use sex to keep a man’s interest, but it never worked. Instead, it would leave her feeling used and worthless. She would sink into a depression that would last for weeks before she finally pulled herself out of it. I love my mom, and she’s always been there for me the best she could, but it was difficult to watch her be so desperate for a man’s affection that she would put him above everyone and everything.
It’s why I was selective about who I was intimate with. I was with my high school boyfriend for several months before I gave him my virginity. But that didn’t stop him from cheating on me within weeks after he took off to a university an hour away.
I held off with Raymond until I felt we were serious. But he still walked away the second he found out I was pregnant with Violet.
And with Brian, I waited until we got married. I thought if I made him wait, I would know he truly loved me and was in it for the long haul. After all, every guy my mom had been with never put a ring on her finger. But it turned out that marrying someone didn’t guarantee a happily ever after.
I told myself I was done with men for a while. I needed to focus on Violet and myself. And then I met Ryder, and everything changed. He’s proven that some men are capable of being amazing dads. He’s shown me how a good man is supposed to behave and treat a woman. And even when he gets frustrated, he handles it as a man should—with patience and understanding.
I told myself I wouldn’t have sex on the first date, but here I am, straddling Ryder’s legs in the middle of his backyard under the stars.
“I want to be with you,” I murmur against his lips.
I’ve tried to do things the right way in the past, but I’ve learned the hard way that no matter what you hope for, no matter how much you try to do the right thing, you can’t control the actions of others, and you sure as hell can’t control the future.
I never could’ve predicted my high school boyfriend would cheat. I never imagined in a million years that Violet’s sperm donor would walk away from his flesh and blood. And when Brian asked me to marry him, I couldn’t see the monster underneath his facade.
So, I’ve decided that I’m going to go with what my heart is telling me, and that’s that Ryder is worth taking a chance on. Sure, there’s the possibility that this will blow up in my face, but if I don’t open my heart, then I’ll never know. And I refuse to allow myself to be jaded by my past heartbreaks at only twenty-seven years old.
“Are you sure?” he asks, looking into my eyes. “Because once we do this … once I’m buried deep inside of you, you’re mine, baby.”
His words cause a swarm of butterflies to attack my chest, and I frame his face, needing his full attention for what I’m about to say.
“I’m already yours. I’ve been yours since the moment Violet and I moved into your house and you gave us something we’d never truly had—a home,” I choke out, not trying to ruin the moment by getting emotional, but needing him to know how I feel. “I’ve been yours since the first time you read to me when I couldn’t sleep from the nightmares.”