Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
I glance at him, almost offended.
“Why? Because I’m not that nice?”
“Hard to imagine anyone locking you up, woman. To me, you’re more like Belle.”
Wow, nice save.
“You tamed a beast and saved me from myself,” he explains. “You also helped me kick a pompous asshole inside out. I’ll always be grateful.”
I lean up and we fall into another round of sultry kisses.
We don’t stop until the carriage suddenly jerks and nearly throws me off his lap. Thankfully, he catches me just in time.
“What happened?” I ask.
“We’ve arrived. It’s a little abrupt sometimes. Sorry.”
He covers my eyes with his hand.
“What are you doing?”
“Making you enjoy the surprise,” he says.
The door opens and a warm breeze brushes my face.
“Shall I help the lady down?” the footman asks.
“In a minute,” Brock says. He stands us up with his hand still over my eyes. “Be careful. We’re moving toward an open door.” He lets Andy hop out first and guides us down to the carriage door.
“You could just move your hand,” I say.
“Patience.” A firm grip comes around my waist, steadying me.
We stride forward a few paces on the ground before he stops and slowly lowers his hand.
“Okay, you can look.”
It’s like a painting.
We’re nestled in thick trees with a running creek that divides this gorgeous land. On one side, there’s an old English cottage made of huge stones, different hues and earth tones blending together. The architecture is simple, but the door is arched, heavy, and wooden.
“Wow.” Once I’ve caught my breath, I say, “This has been here for a while, hasn’t it?”
“At least a hundred years. Of course, it’s been renovated several times.”
“Awesome vacation spot.”
Brock just smiles.
He stops me as we get to the front door, winding his arms around my waist. “It’s yours now.”
“Mine?” I turn in his arms, wide-eyed and numb.
He shrugs. “I’m not sure how much you like my grandparents’ estate, and I know your family found it overwhelming. They’ll like this place better and we’ll have more privacy whenever we come back here. Just a short hop to everything you could ever want in London. My grandparents were planning to make it a wedding gift, but I told them to put it in your name.”
If it weren’t for Andy rubbing against my legs and wagging his tail, I’d be sure they’re gone. I can’t feel them anymore.
“...holy crap, I’m... I’m sorry I don’t have a wedding gift for you.”
Ugh. Why didn’t I get him something?
“Wrong. You’re the whole package, Sunshine,” he whispers, taking my hand and leading me inside this fantastic place.
I could say the same about him, but I don’t need to.
Not when this man reminds me with every breath how rare, how special, and how loving he’ll always be.
One Week Later
We’re snuggled underneath an electric blanket together on the deck of our dome in rural Iceland. Even for April, it’s nippy at night, but the skies are so beautifully strung with stars I barely care.
My teeth chatter as he pulls me closer.
“Someone’s cold,” he says.
“W-we need an-nother blanket.”
He strokes his hand up and down my arm. “You know we can head inside anytime?”
“No! W-we’re not m-missing this.”
“Sunshine, this isn’t practice for the Antarctic cruise next year. Don’t torture yourself for my sake. The skies are clear enough to see the northern lights inside. There are plenty of windows and I packed my telescope for a reason.”
He’s not wrong. There’s a whole wall of windows and the sky is like glass here.
But he works his way out of the blanket, stands, and tucks it around me tighter before he picks me up. Snuggled in his embrace, we stare at the beautiful scenery and twinkling lights for a few more minutes before my lips are turning blue and begging to be kissed.
This time when he carries me inside, I don’t protest.
I’m beyond giddy as Brock drops me on the bed and cranks up the gas fireplace. He opens the blinds before joining me.
Fully cocooned, I smile as I push my ice-cold feet against his thighs.
His face screws up.
“Brat! You’ll pay for that,” he growls, laughing as he pushes his forehead to mine. “If you’re that cold, I can think of better ways to stay warm.”
“Oh?” I whisper.
With a sharp look, he slips a hand under my shirt, stroking up and down my back. “I can be your furnace and teach you some respect at the same time, Mrs. Winthrope.”
I bite my lip. “I might like that.”
“You definitely will. By the time we’re finished, you’ll need to crawl outside to cool down.”
And his face disappears under the blanket, stamping my skin with fiery kisses, proving his point.
My God, does he prove it.
For hours.
We finish together for the last time with our lips joined, basking in the rare glow of the northern lights streaming in through the window.
“This is the life.” He kisses me tenderly, stroking my face with his thumb.