Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
His hands grip my ass, holding me tight.
Our tongues battle for control, me finally giving in.
The night in the bar, his room, the salon… countless other times we’ve kissed over the last few days… it’s never been like this.
At this moment, I know he’s been holding back.
Now, he’s not.
His mouth moves over mine possessively, driving me crazy.
My lungs burn, my heart hammers, and my thighs tremble, but I don’t dare stop.
He breaks away, his chest heaving as he lays his forehead to mine.
“Jesus. Fuck, baby.” His hazel orbs blaze into me.
My chest seizes at the gravelly clip in his tone.
“Before you freak out, that was a great fucking start to this date.”
I sink into him, my heart fluttering out of control.
“We need to take this inside before the neighbor peeking through her window calls the cops.”
“You’re a cop.”
“Yeah, and it would suck to have to pull out my badge and explain that with my dick hard as a fucking rock.”
“Oops.”
He drops his head back, blowing out a deep breath. “Killing me,” he mutters, walking us to the door.
I jump down, let us in, and get two steps inside when his arm locks around my waist, yanking my back against his hard body. His lips skim along my jaw, his teeth nipping at my earlobe. “Not sure what I did to deserve that reaction, but I’d sure like to fucking know so I can repeat it.”
“I can’t explain it.” There is no way I’m telling him his jealousy spurred me on.
He spins me, my skin prickling under the intensity in his eyes. The silent interrogation is too much. I squirm to get free, and his arms lock around my waist. My heart thunders in my chest, watching his gaze clear as he figures me out. “You’re finally getting it.”
“I think so.”
“Two times now I’ve broken through and the results were fucking spectacular. In the past, you needed that safety shield to stay in survival mode. With me, you’re safe to let the guard down.”
“I believe that.”
He cups my jaw, his thumb rubbing over my cheek. “How long you need to get ready?”
“You’re an hour early.”
“I came to help with Pepper so you could relax.”
“That was sweet.”
“Yeah, sweet.” His eyes dance with amusement.
“You know where her stuff is.”
He kisses me softly. “Go do what you gotta do, even though you’re already beautiful.”
I go up the stairs on wobbly knees, face-planting on my bed to muffle my squeals.
Get it together, Rowan.
My phone vibrates at my hip, and I consider not answering when I see the FaceTime call. Time is ticking, and these two could keep me on the phone forever.
“Hey, guys, I’m kind of in a hurry.”
“Oh, we know all about your hurry!” Cruz fans his face. “I will never complain about those video cameras again.”
“Oh my God!” My heart drops. “You didn’t.”
“We did, and we’re proud. Didn’t know you had it in you, sweets,” Alex praises.
“How embarrassing.”
“It’s not like we haven’t seen him coming and going morning, noon, and night since Sunday.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be vacationing? Who checks their feed on vacation?”
“The minute we saw him pick the lock, we set reminders.”
I already knew they saw what happened Sunday morning from the barrage of text messages. It was my plan to hold off on the details until their return, but apparently, those damn cameras have provided a play-by-play.
“If you know he’s here, you know why I have to go. We have a date tonight.”
“We heard.” Cruz bobs his head.
“How—”
I’m interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in.”
Ford walks in, handing me a glass of wine. He takes in the scene and grins. “That Cruz and Alex?”
I nod.
“Tell them I got their message, and thanks.”
He brushes his lips across my temple and leaves, shutting me back in.
“What message?” I squeak, going back to the screen.
“She’s got it bad.” Cruz ignores my question.
“We already knew that,” Alex gloats knowingly.
“What text???”
“Wear your lavender halter sundress with the bronze slides,” Cruz advises.
“What text?” I repeat, my voice mimicking my shaky nerves.
“Trust us on your outfit and you’ll find out.”
I’m about to lose my mind when both of them wave and the call ends.
“Shit, shit, shit.”
I grab the wine, savoring the cool, crisp flavor. There’s something different about the flavor—it’s familiar but not familiar at the same time.
Quit obsessing over the wine! A little voice in my head screams, setting me into action.
My professional instincts kick into gear, and I’m ready in record time. Even after trying four different outfits, I went with the guys’ recommendation. Apparently, they know more about my nightly plans.
When I get downstairs, my steps falter and my heartbeat speeds.
It’s not the sight of Ford leaning casually against the counter, drinking a beer. Although that’s enough to make any woman stop in their tracks.
It’s the enormous bouquet sitting in the center of the island next to a crystal bucket of wine chilling. The entire rainbow of colors pops around a large stem loaded with white orchids.