Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
He shook his head but didn’t speak, so I let him off the hook and complained about something else instead. “I want us to make a stool for the bar and a chair for the table. Can we please do that today?” I’d been there two weeks, and Crow still stood beside me at breakfast because for whatever reason, he didn’t want two damned stools.
His lips tightened into a straight line. “No.”
“Why? I don’t get what the big deal is!” I snapped, getting upset now.
“Because they’ll be yours,” he unleashed right back.
Okay, that hurt. He could share his house with me, but God forbid we made something that would be mine? “Fine. Whatever. I’m going to take a bath.”
I started to walk away but didn’t make it far. Crow boxed me in, my back against the wall, his hard body against mine, his forearms braced on the wall so I couldn’t escape. “Because they’ll be yours. One day you’ll leave, and they’ll still be here. And when I look at them…”
Oh…oh. Shit. I hadn’t expected that. All the furniture in his house, even the stuff he didn’t use, he’d made for himself or for his house. He hadn’t made them with another person in mind, but if we made furniture for me, it would always remind him of me. “What if I don’t ever leave? If you don’t make me, I won’t.”
“Yes, you will, little lamb. Everyone wants to leave. Even my mother wanted to leave. And after…when I came back…they were all gone.”
His mom had wanted to leave? His dad had killed his mom…was that why? And did that mean Crow took his dad’s side? That he thought his father was right in what he believed?
But no. He wouldn’t do that. I could never believe that about him, so I reiterated, “If you don’t make me, I’ll never leave. Not for good.”
His nostrils flared as he breathed in and out, and then he pushed away from me. “I’ll be back.” He jerked a coat off the hook and disappeared outside.
Hours crawled by without me knowing what Crow was doing. Again. And I missed him, which was silly. He was close, and he would be back. I was already too needy, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. Just like I couldn’t stop my thoughts, couldn’t stop wondering what I did wrong. Logically, I knew that was my mental illness talking. It wanted me to think everything was always my fault, that no one would ever stick around, that the loneliness would last forever. My meds helped a lot. I couldn’t function without them, but they didn’t make everything perfect. And I hadn’t been in therapy since I arrived in Tranquility. It had helped me deal with my thoughts and feelings, so I should look into it again.
Eventually, I went to the room I’d been sharing with Crow. One of his dirty shirts was on top of the hamper, so I grabbed it and took it with me as I lay in the bed. With the fabric to my face, I breathed him in, was lulled to sleep by the scent of the mountain, which was all Crow.
I didn’t wake up until there were strong hands on me, Crow’s fingers pressing into my hips. I opened my eyes and saw him leaning over me, his hair hanging down. When he saw his shirt in my hold, I swear his eyes became possessive…hungry.
He tugged my pants and underwear down, which immediately made blood rush to my groin. I expected him to flip me over and fuck me, and I would gladly take his dick at any time, but instead, he watched me, eyes never leaving mine as he bent forward and took my half-hard cock into his mouth.
“Fuck yes,” tumbled out of my mouth at the feel of him around me. It took me about two seconds before I was at full mast, the reality of this moment hitting me. Crow had never sucked dick before, but he had his mouth on mine. This was Crow trying to give me something. He felt guilty about denying me the chair earlier, so he found something he could give, and it was this.
I buried my fingers in the long strands of his hair, and Crow stilled. He’d liked it the one time I played with his hair, so I’d assumed he was okay with it. “Sorry.” I tried to let go, but Crow grabbed my wrist before I could and pressed my hand into his hair. Maybe I just surprised him? Sex for him had never really been intimate or with any kind of connection. In a lot of ways, it hadn’t been for me either, but I was used to people touching me, exploring me and allowing me to explore them in a way Crow hadn’t allowed before.