Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Everything inside me swoops. The crying, the hurt—I fucking hate it. It ends tonight. I gotta make things right, and then I gotta make this woman mine.
My hand shakes as I put down my coffee.
I’m shaking as my legs eat up the space between us in one, two huge strides.
Her eyes go up, up. Locked on mine. Her lips part.
I take her face in my hands.
I lean in and kiss her, hard.
seventeen
. . .
Maren
Change of Heart
Tuck’s mouth is soft and hot against mine.
I’m so caught off guard that for a heartbeat I just stand there, feet frozen to the ground. The house is warm at my back. The night is cold at my front.
But Tuck—Tuck burns. I’m surprised I don’t see smoke curling off his skin. The chill dissipates as he steps into me, trapping my legs between his. Our thighs, hips, and bellies are flush, sending a shockwave of arousal through my body.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t believe this is happening.
What? How? Why?
All I know is that his kiss is all I want.
That Tuck is all I freaking want.
I taste the coffee on his tongue when he licks into my mouth. I rise up on my tiptoes and curl my hand around the nape of his neck and silently beg him for more, deepening the kiss as I pull harder on his mouth. He’s panting, breath coming in hot spurts against my cheek. His stubble scratches my skin.
I like it, I tell him as I give his hair a tug.
He groans, his hand finding my ass so he can press me against him.
I glide my hands over his bare shoulders. His naked chest. I dig my fingers into his stubble. I can’t get enough of him.
I was coming out here in search of answers. Or perhaps confirmation of the answers I already had. I couldn’t sleep, so I threw on a sweatshirt and headed over to the house, careful not to make any noise. I was hoping the stars might . . . I don’t know, remind me I’m small and so is my time here, so might as well take chances. Follow my heart.
Then I saw a figure already out on the deck, and everything inside me leapt. I know Tuck is out here searching for the same things I am. How can we be so damn different, but also so alike?
His mouth moves to my neck. I furrow my brow at the sharp need that slices through me, settling in the tips of my breasts and my clit.
My nipples ache, but I still find myself pressing them against Tuck’s chest in search of more friction. His hands are all over me now, one of them slipping inside my sweatshirt. He flattens his palm on my stomach at the same time he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead on mine.
“I miss you,” he breathes. “So damn bad, Tiny.”
My heart twists. I keep my eyes closed. “I’ve missed you too.”
“I said one night, but I knew even then I was full of shit.”
I laugh, my eyes welling with tears. Relief blooms inside my torso. Relief for what, I can’t tell. That I’m not alone in this moment or in my feelings?
“You want to keep the baby,” he continues.
My breath catches. I open my eyes to meet his. Something about the softness I see there, the steadiness, makes the truth ring inside my heart. “Yes. I do. I have no idea what I’ll do about my career or . . . or us, or any of that. But I can figure it out. I will figure it out.”
“We’ll figure it out.” The hand on my stomach moves a little lower. “I’m in, Tiny.”
My heart soars. Rips through the air, fighter-jet style.
Wow.
Wow wow wow.
“Why the change of heart?” I manage. This is happening fast. Too fast, maybe.
Or not fast enough.
His forehead rolls over mine as he gives his head a shake. “I gotta try again sometime. I’d like to try again with you.”
Oh, Jesus, could this moment get any more romantic? I’m crying and he’s confessing and all the while, a tiny heart beats between us.
He straightens, lifting his head. “Can I make you a cappuccino? Decaf, maybe?”
“I’d love that.”
A couple minutes later he comes back outside with a steaming mug in hand. He sets it on the coffee table and motions for me to sit on the cushy outdoor sofa beside it. “Put your feet up. Helps with the swelling.”
I laugh, discreetly pinching myself on the arm. Is this real?
Am I dreaming?
“My legs aren’t swollen yet, thank goodness.”
I settle on the sofa. Tuck sits beside me, resting his arm on the back of the cushions behind me. He sips his coffee thoughtfully while looking up at the stars. I don’t know if it’s the drop in temperature or the change in seasons, but the stars seem especially bright tonight. So clear you can see even the tiniest ones.