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)
I give them each a tight hug.
“I love you,” Mom whispers in my ear before pulling away.
“Be smart,” Dad says.
He shakes Tuck’s hand before boarding the ferry.
Walking home, I let out a huge sigh. I feel like a weight’s been lifted off my chest, a sense of immense relief filling me that the conversation is over and I’m still standing.
Tuck has his hand on my nape again. My arm is around his waist.
“I think we did all right, all things considered,” he says.
I pull him closer. “Thank you. For dinner. And for defending me.”
When the bill failed to appear at the end of the meal, Tuck waved away my parents’ concern. The sneaky bastard had clearly put his card down at some point, treating us all to what was definitely an expensive dinner.
“I’ll always defend you. How are you feeling? About everything?” he asks.
I feel like I’m in love with you.
Swallowing, I look up at the sky. The stars are out in full force tonight, lending the velvet sky an endless sense of depth. I imagine myself falling through that infinite space, gathering speed the further I go.
I have it so bad for this man it’s not even funny.
“Surprisingly not as bad as I thought I would. It sucks knowing my parents aren’t happy. But I am.”
His fingers tighten on my neck. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Our eyes meet in the darkness. His are glassy marbles that reflect the light of the moon. “Shit’s a mess, but I know I’m not alone in it.”
“It’s our mess.”
“Exactly.”
Exactly.
We find Joe and Lady snuggled up on the couch together when we get home. They tell us Katie did great, and then they scoot back to Lady’s place, clearly eager to have some alone time.
I get it.
The second the door closes behind them, I grab Tuck. Literally grab the front of his shirt and pull him to me, going up on tiptoes to crush my mouth against his. Hunger, sharp and hot, bolts through me as he groans, his hands finding my ass. I can taste the sweetness of the sparkling wine on his lips. Kissing him gives me the same buzz: lightness in my chest and knees, my thoughts fading to black as sensation takes over.
I’m scared. So freaking scared that this will blow up in my face. Yes, Tuck has opened up a lot since I found out I was pregnant. He’s let me in, and bared vulnerable parts of himself I know he doesn’t show anyone else. But his about face happened so quickly.
Everything is happening so quickly. I keep asking myself the same question: who’s to say he won’t change his mind again, this time shutting me out like he did in the beginning?
But judging by how my heart thunders as his hands move over my body, need gathering in my pussy, the tips of my breasts, it’s a moot point.
I am already head over heels in love with Tuck Monroe.
The back of my throat fizzles with emotion as he tilts his head, deepening the kiss. His tongue works at the seam of my lips, and then he scrapes his teeth over my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.
Just how I like it.
His hands find my breasts. He cups them gently through my sweater, his touch careful and patient. I arch into him, giving him permission, and he runs his thumbs over my nipples, drawing them to tight, aching points.
He ducks his head and kisses my neck. Sucking on my skin, his scruff catches on the underside of my jaw. The juxtaposition between the soft tenderness of his kiss and the masculine roughness of his stubble has me curling my hands into his shirt. My clit pulses.
This fucking man. He’s learning me. Giving me what I want. Taking care of what I need.
He’s going to be such a good daddy to our baby.
I want him to be good to me. Forever.
I know how crazy that sounds after dating for all of, what, a few weeks now? I’m young. Probably too young to know who I want to spend the rest of my life with.
But I’m not sure I’ve wanted anything more than to make a family with Tuck.
Please don’t hurt me, I silently beg as I unbutton his shirt.
He guides my sweater over my head, a bewildered look in his eyes as they roam over my bare chest and stomach.
“You’re so beautiful, Tiny.” He unhooks my bra, his fingers trailing across my naked back before they find my breasts. “I can’t fucking stand it sometimes.”
I reach up to push his shirt off. He rolls back his shoulders and lets the shirt fall to the ground at our feet. Then he’s kissing my shoulder before moving to the divot between my collarbones.
He kisses my breastbone. My heart punches forward in an effort to meet his mouth. No use telling it to stay put. It belongs to him.