Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
If he wanted to dust my home, so be it. I was sure he knew me well enough. I wouldn’t be micromanaged, but I was far from rigid. At the same time, I could respect that he would care greatly about things I didn’t.
“You seem so confident.”
“I am now. Now that you’re not runnin’ away from me.” I bit into the bacon, and of course that was perfect too. “Once we get closer and I have more data, I’ll join Corey in callin’ you out on your bullshit too. Believe that, darlin’.”
He let out an airy laugh, and his smile finally reached his eyes. “I’ll need it. I chicken out sometimes.”
I closed my mouth, then opened it again. I’d never get a better opening than this to bring up a kink I might find useful down the road. “Give me your consent to kidnap you in the future, should I find it necessary. Regardless of the temporary anxiety it’ll bring you.”
He blinked. “Are you serious?”
I inclined my head. “As a heart attack. I’ll even honor your Florida request and never, ever remind you of your safeword. Put that trust in me, as your Supreme Primal Owner, and I’ll keep you with me till the end of time.”
His reaction was better than I’d hoped for. Not only did he crack up and let me hear his beautiful laughter, he left his seat and ran over to me. Climbed back on my lap and hugged me tightly.
I chuckled and sucked bacon grease off my thumb over his shoulder.
“You have my consent, my Supreme Primal Owner.” He grinned and peppered my cheek with kisses. “I’m so happy that I wanna twist your arm or something.”
“Let’s keep thinking.” I nipped at his neck. “Supreme Primal Owner has a nice ring to it, though, doesn’t it?”
“How about Swamp King?”
I growled playfully and poked his sides. “That’s offensive to my people.”
Christ, if I could hear that laugh forever…
I’d probably grow annoyed eventually, but it sounded wonderful. He had one of those infectious laughs that automatically made you happy.
I smiled and gripped his chin, wanting to get a good look at him.
His gaze softened, and he rested his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t make this easy for you.”
I shook my head. None of that. He’d swallowed his biggest fear, something that’d weighed him down for years, in less than a week. I was under no illusions. This was gonna have to take time, and he’d battle those fears again. They’d come and go until we’d beaten them together.
“I don’t need things to be easy, Lane. I need them to be worth it—and you are. You don’t know how rare it is for me to meet someone I can’t get enough of. I think it’s happened twice, and I didn’t have a choice with Marina. No church would take her.”
His eyes danced with mirth.
I touched his cheek.
“Is it weird I wanna see you banter like that with Marina?” he asked.
Since his memory was better than mine, he probably recalled that from years ago. Marina and I had always upheld good banter.
“Listen,” I said. “If I’m gonna be givin’ it to my kid’s ex-boyfriend on a regular basis, we might as well go all out on the Florida Man front and start playin’ the banjo too. In other words, I have a feelin’ you and I will share the same banter. You already called me Daddy in Florida.”
He shook with silent laughter and threw his arms around me. “God, I don’t know what to do with this kind of joy.”
I did.
“Take it out on me.”
“Mmm, I wanna do that for the rest of the day.” He began kissing my neck—a bit too sensually for me to keep things light. “Would it be possible for you to go in late to work?”
It was possible for me not to go in at all. It was also possible for me to change some…other plans.
“I’ll take a personal day.” I met him in a kiss that went from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. I grabbed his ass roughly and pulled him over my cock, and I snaked my tongue around his exactly how I’d done on the boat when I’d learned what made him so needy.
His desperation was my fuel.
My hunger was his.
That was how we’d given each other bruises and marks down south—and that was what I wanted again. Sex had never been so fucking wild before. A fantasy come true. Pure animalism.
The more we made out, the louder my chair squeaked and protested. But neither of us suggested we take this elsewhere because that wasn’t who we were. We didn’t push pause to get to a bed or a couch.
He whimpered and knotted his fingers in my hair. “I missed you.”
“Good.” A shudder ripped through me, and I found my way under his hoodie. “Lose this.”