Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“Does that mean you’re agreeing to dinner?”
“Yeah, I like your parents. I’m not agreeing to apartment hunting with you, though.”
“I’ll talk you into that later.”
“Not a chance,” she says with a sly chuckle.
“Gorgeous, you haven’t seen how persuasive I intend to be when it comes to you and me getting my way.”
Desire and trepidation flutters over her face. I grin. Thea doesn’t know it yet, but I’m not letting her go. For once in my life, I don’t have a doubt in my head when it comes to what I want.
Thea isn’t getting away from me. She’s my future.
Chapter 22
Thea
I’ve spent all day asking myself why on earth I agreed to this. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking. I’m so nervous my body seems to be vibrating with it. It’s so stupid! Dragon and Nicole are family. They treat me like I’m their daughter. Kayden and I were pretty tight until I moved away.
“Sweetheart, I can hear you thinking from over here,” Dom murmurs.
His voice seems to echo in the cab of his truck and wraps around me. Heat hits me as I realize he called me sweetheart. I can’t remember him using that particular endearment before. It might be my new favorite. I feel goosebumps rise on my flesh and a familiar zap of electricity gathering between my legs. God. I cannot get aroused right before I get to his parents’ house. I can’t allow myself to think of Dom’s hands on my body, how their rough texture makes my body come alive… Shit.
“You can’t hear someone thinking, Dom,” I mutter, pretending to be very interested in the raindrops that are splashing against the windshield. If it wasn’t for the rain, we’d be on the back of Dom’s bike. That would have been better. I could concentrate on the ride and not on my nerves—or on the scent of Dom’s cologne.
“I would have agreed until tonight. What’s going on with you? Do you want me to cancel with Mom?”
“You can’t do that. Dinner is practically in twenty minutes. You know as well as I do your mother probably pulled out all the stops and fixed all your favorites.”
“And yours too,” he agrees, and I sigh. He’s probably right. I stayed with Kayden enough growing up that Nicole knows everything about me, including my favorite foods.
“I hope not,” I mutter, because somehow that will make all this worse.
Without warning, Dom pulls over to the side of the road. “Okay, Gorgeous,” his voice rumbles out. He puts the truck in park and turns to look at me.
“You should really wear a seatbelt,” I mutter, keeping my vision glued to his chest. I’m afraid to look at his face and I don’t care what that says about me.
“Cut the shit, Thea. What’s going on? If you’re weirded out being seen with me—”
“This is all your fault, Dom! You should have never kissed me,” I blurt.
The vibe in the truck completely changes. I can actually feel the air get thicker. I force myself to look at Dom’s face and the intensity there scares me. His eyes are heated and boring into me. It feels as if he could set my skin on fire and burn me alive.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Thea?”
“Dom…”
“Get over here right now, Thea.”
“Dom, we’re in a truck…”
That was apparently the wrong answer, because before I can say anything else, he reaches over, puts a hand on each of my hips and pulls me over. Somehow, he seamlessly puts me so that I’m forced to duck my head and straddle his hips. Immediately, I feel the heat from his body, and it merges with mine. I can feel the hard outline of his cock in his worn denim. The feel of the rough fabric and his rigid shaft pressing against my panties nearly makes me moan. I bite my lip to keep the sound from escaping. I bring my hands to his shoulders to brace myself as I look at him, wide eyed. I couldn’t tell anyone how I got in this position. It just happened and now that I’m here, I’m having a really difficult time keeping my body under control.
I try to pull myself off him, but Dom doesn’t let me budge. Instead, his fingers press against my chin as he forces me to look at him. “We need to get a few things straight, sweetness.”
I ignore the fact that I enjoy being called sweetness. What is it with him and all these endearments? He needs to stop. I huff out a breath in response because I stubbornly don’t want him to stop, either. “You’re making us late.”
“I don’t really give a fuck. It’s not like I want to be there. I’d rather have you in my bed with the rest of the world far, far away.”
I feel this little gush of wetness slipping between my legs and coating my panties. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this turned on. “We told them we’d be there—”