Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“You’re not,” I whisper, my voice hoarse as emotion floods me.
“Say it again like you believe it, Tillie.”
“You’re not letting go of me.” My voice is so quiet that he probably has to strain to hear the words, despite the fact we’re so close. I know he does though, because his eyes deepen in color and his lips spread into a sweet smile. His hand moves along my neck, his fingertips pressing into my hair as his thumb brushes against my earlobe. Shivers of pleasure run through me.
“That’s my girl. Give me your lips.”
I bring my hands down to his chest, flattening them out against his solid chest. “Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I just ask one favor?”
“Anything. Ask me anything and it’s yours, Buttons.”
“Don’t make me fall in love with you again if you’re going to hurt me.”
“Fall, Buttons. I’m right here to catch you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I knew you were going to be trouble the first time I saw you, Ryder Monroe.”
“And I knew you were special. It hurt to say your name, because I knew the way things were, you could never be mine.”
“You don’t remember the first time you saw me,” she laughs.
“You were wearing a green dress and had your hair in braids. And you were helping a little girl in the kindergarten class who fell during recess.”
My breath catches in my chest. “You remember that?”
“I told you, Tillie. I was drawn to you. I just couldn’t hurt someone who loved me, someone I loved and even if we broke up and I confessed that I was struggling with feelings for you, you wouldn’t have touched me.”
“I would have wanted to,” I tell him, his words making my heart squeeze in my chest.
“If I had known how misplaced my loyalty was, things would have been much different,” he sighs.
“Maybe not. We were young.”
“You need to know your man, Tillie.”
My man. Those words send vibrations all through my body, but they center right between my legs, making the inside of my thighs wet.
“Mm…” I whimper.
“You like that.”
“Maybe more than I should.”
“Well, a well-known fact about your man that you’ve failed to pick up on is that I’m a Monroe.”
“But I know that,” I laugh.
“Monroe men are notorious for finding the woman they want to lay claim to and never letting them go. I knew from a very early age what I wanted. I wanted a career in baseball, and I wanted a woman who had the same wants and values I had. I wanted a family and a home like my parents have and like my grandparents did. That’s all I wanted and Buttons, you have to admit that’s the same thing you want. We both know that.”
“I think I’d rather you wanted me because you couldn’t stand to be without me, not because I’m some kind of missing piece to the puzzle you’re constructing, Ryder.”
“Who says you’re not both, sweetheart? Because you are.”
“How come you always seem to have the best answer to every question, Ryder?”
“Because it comes from my heart. A heart you’re quickly cementing your place in.”
“Okay, that one was kind of corny,” I laugh.
He laughs and dives in for a kiss. I open to him willingly, letting him take over my mouth.
“It’s time for my question.”
“What’s that?” I ask, my lips bruised, my body hungry for more of Ryder.
“How would you feel about being late to dinner with your parents?”
“Mom doesn’t like anyone to be late,” I tell him, struggling to keep from laughing.
“I think I got distracted, but the point of this conversation was to let you know I will love your parents because you do, but the truth is, I’m not worried about meeting them because no matter what they say, you and I will be fine. So, if your mother is a wee bit upset and her being upset is because I fucked her daughter and made her scream out my name while she came all over my cock, I can deal.”
“If you can accomplish that in like ten minutes, there’s a chance I can smooth it over with my mother,” I exhale roughly, needing him so much it hurts. I already know that I’m going to let Ryder make love to me before we go upstairs. I want him as much as he wants me.
“Ten minutes? Where’s the fun in that, Buttons? You need to give me a little more time than that. Your pussy is sweet as candy and so fucking tight that I can’t think when I’m inside of you, I can only feel. I’m going to need more time than that.”
“Twenty.”
“Damn it, Tillie—”
“I’ll have to shower. I can’t have sex and go upstairs without it. I don’t want my parents to realize their daughter smells like sex.”
His lips twitch and he shakes his head. “Woman, if we’re late, your mother and most likely your father will know the reason why.”