Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Then you should marry me.” I say the words I’ve wanted to say to her since the first time I met her, and she smiled at me. “I don’t know if I can give you all of that, but I know I can give you the whole picture in color, and what I can’t give you I’m going to bust my ass to give you.” Her mouth gapes open. “I will give you the white picket fence, the two point five babies. You can stay home, work part-time, whatever you want to do, you do, but I want to go on the record by saying that I want an above-average, healthy sex life.”
I wait for her to say something, and her laughter fills the bar. “Yeah, right.”
I sit up, putting my glass on the table beside hers, turning to her, my hand slipping off her lap. “I’m one thousand percent serious right now. Marry me, Zoey.”
“No way.” She sits up, not turning to me, her head moving side to side as if she can’t believe what I’m saying. “Are you crazy?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.” I tell her the truth, my heart hammering in my chest as I make the biggest deal of my life. “Marry me.” I see her hand shaking a bit as she stares at me. “Come on, Zoey, it’ll be fun.”
She pffts at me, but I move closer to her, my hand coming up to touch her face. My thumb rubs over her cheek like I’ve done a million times in my head. “Come on, Zoey, live a little,” I urge, getting closer to her, our knees touching each other. “Make all my dreams come true, and then watch me make yours come true.” I put my forehead to hers. I’ve never even kissed this woman, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. “Marry me.” She puts her hand on my wrist, her touch soaring through my body. “What do you say, Zoey, will you marry me?”
I don’t know how long I wait. I don’t even know if I’m breathing. I don’t know how many people are around us. I don’t hear the slot machines or the laughter from nearby people. I don’t see anything but her eyes turning a soft green gray, and I don’t hear anyone’s voice but hers when she whispers, “Okay.”
Eight
Nash
It’s as if the room around us comes to a standstill, or at least that’s what it feels like. I hear myself breathing, or better yet panting. I swear I hear every single thump of my heart beating as I wait for her answer. Willing her to say yes, silently begging her to say yes. Praying to whoever is listening to me or looking down at all the sinners in Vegas. One beat, two beats, three beats, and I see her lick her lips, and then as if the gates of heaven open and angels start to sing, she whispers, “Okay.”
The heart beating in my chest soars, and I move my head to the side, slamming my mouth down on hers. Her mouth parts in shock, making it easy for my tongue to slide into her mouth, and when it does, it’s as if I’m soaring. Her tongue hungrily twirls with mine as we both take what the other is giving. My hands never leave her face, and I angle my head to the side to deepen the kiss. Her hands come out to grip the lapels of my jacket, pulling me toward her. If we weren’t in the middle of a busy bar, I would have pulled her on top of me. I rub my nose with hers as I disengage from the kiss. Her eyes flutter open as I see her lips are wet, making me lean in and suck the lower one into my mouth while my tongue comes back out to invade her mouth for a second time before I let the kiss go again. Her eyes remain closed for a good two seconds before she opens them. “We have to go.” She stares at me as I drop my hands from her face and pull the phone out of my pocket. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” she asks as she stands beside me and bends down to collect her purse from the table in front of her.
“We’re going to get married.” I reach for her hand, and she doesn’t pull back. Instead, she slides her hand in mine as we walk through the crowd to the exit. I’m practically running out of the hotel, and looking over my shoulder, I see her giggle. The lightness in her eyes is everything, and I have to stop moving. She crashes into me, but it’s worth it. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do this ever since I met you,” I tell her as I put one hand on her hip and the other on her neck.