Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze. “You’re something else, Janie, but you don’t have to worry about me. I can handle it, and gossip doesn’t bother me. I just ignore it.”
She nods. “Good to know.”
She smiles and then gestures to the bag between us. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m pretty sure that Violet packed me a slice of apple cinnamon Blaze cake.”
I laugh. “Well, I’m definitely not going to get between a woman and her apple cinnamon Blaze cake.”
I sit back as she finishes unpacking the bag. I grab the drinks out of the cooler and can’t seem to take my eyes off Janie. She’s nothing like I expected, but everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I wish I’d met her sooner, before my life went to shit and I got this hardened heart. I have a feeling that she would have handled it a lot better than my ex-wife did.
We talk and eat for what seems like only minutes, but when dusk starts to set in and there’s only about another half hour of daylight, I realize it’s been hours. We’ve moved to the chairs, and I moved close so that I could hold her hand between us. I keep telling myself that we’re going to be friends, and that’s all this can be, but my heart and my body keep betraying me. It’s like I can’t be close to her and not touch her.
“Well, I should probably get you back into town.”
She looks startled. “Really? I thought you were going to show me the inside of the house.”
I shake my head. I know if I take her inside, I’m going to continue what we started earlier. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Janie. I think I probably need to take you home.”
She shrugs and gets up to start packing things away. But she wasn’t quick enough. I can see the hurt in her eyes, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. I throw the chairs in the back of the truck and meet her back up on the porch. I stop when I’m right in front of her. “Janie, honey.”
“Yeah?” she answers without looking at me.
“Look at me.”
She does, but her face is guarded. “What are you thinking right now?”
She shrugs. “Nothing.”
She tries to step around me, but I put my hands on her shoulders to stop her. “Talk to me.”
She blinks. “What did I do wrong?”
I tighten my hold on her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She puts her hand on her hip and almost sassily asks me, “Well, then why wouldn’t you want to show me your house? I know you’re proud of it. I can hear it in your voice just when you talk about it here. I want to see it.”
I move my hands to her neck. “Because if I take you inside, I’m going to finish what I started earlier. I want to hear you moaning my name.”
Her eyes are big, but she doesn’t say a thing. I know I’m moving too fast for her. I release her, and when I do, she turns and walks into the house. She looks over her shoulder at me as she walks across the threshold. She’s smiling, and even from here I can see the excitement on her face.
I still my hands together, fighting the urge to chase after her and ravage her. Just make her come, Carter. That’s it. Make this night memorable for her, but don’t make her regret it.
With a plan in mind, I walk in after her. She holds her hand out to me, and I grab on to it. “Show me,” she asks.
I nod and take her through the house, showing her every room and what the plans are for it. She asks questions, letting me know that she’s really interested. I ask her opinion on things, and she gives me ideas that I’d never thought of. When we get to the bedroom, she sees the already framed mattress in the center of the room. “Carter, are you sleeping here?”
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. Just sometimes.” I can feel my face heat. “I’m excited to move in.”
She looks at me with so much understanding and warmth. “I’m excited for you.”
I pull her to me, and her hands go to my waist. “Do you know what I’m really excited about?”
She looks at me questioningly.
“Kissing you. I want to kiss you again.”
Her fingers tighten and dig into my skin. “I want that too.”
I don’t doubt her. I can hear the yearning in her voice, and when she tilts her head up to me, there’s no holding back. I kiss her, hard and fast. The temptation of sitting with her the last few hours, getting to know her and knowing that I don’t deserve her but my heart is racing to have her, I don’t hold back. I put everything I have into that kiss. She groans against me, and I pull back, not wanting to hurt her or push her too far.