Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I feel her breath catch again as the kiss intensifies, her body pressing into mine like she’s anchoring herself to me, and I tighten my grip on her waist, pulling her into my lap, her legs straddling me. I can feel the rapid thrum of her heart against my chest, matching the wild rhythm of my own.
When we finally break apart, both of us breathless, I keep my forehead resting against hers, not wanting to move, not wanting to lose this moment. Her eyes flutter open, and I catch the dazed look in them, her lips still slightly parted as if she’s just as shocked as I am by what just happened.
Neither of us says anything for a long beat, the tension still thick in the air. Her fingers are still fisted in my shirt, and I’m not ready to let her go.
Chapter 9
Briar
Did that really just happen?
I gasp, my mind spinning, trying to grasp what just unfolded. My lips are still tingling from his kiss, and my heart is pounding so hard I’m convinced he can hear it. This is foreign territory for me, uncharted waters, and I’m totally lost at sea.
This man. Orion.
He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. I take a shaky breath, still clinging onto him, trying to make sense of it all. He’s strong—like, really strong—physically, but also in this quiet, commanding way that makes you feel safe just being near him. But at the same time, there’s this softness in him too. This side of him I’ve glimpsed in the little moments, like when he made me mac and cheese, or when he turned on Criminal Minds for me because he knows it makes me feel at home.
He’s smart, funny, with this dry sense of humor that always catches me off guard. And he's kind. Kind in a way that surprises me every time, especially considering what he does for a living. You’d think someone who spends their life protecting others would be hardened, but not Orion. He’s the opposite. He’s gentle, careful, and understanding in a way that makes me melt.
It’s almost too much, too perfect. Guys like this? They’re the ones you read about in romance novels, not the ones who actually show up in your life. They’re the complete package. And girls like me? Well, we don’t end up with the complete package kind of guy. We end up with the Jasons of the world—the ones who seem perfect at first, but who slowly unravel, revealing their flaws one by one until you’re left wondering how you didn’t see it sooner.
But this is Orion. He’s not Jason. He’s not like any guy I’ve ever known.
His eyes lock onto mine, and I feel like he’s seeing right through me. It’s like he can read every thought swirling in my mind, every doubt, every insecurity. My breath catches in my throat, and I grip onto him tighter, because the truth is, I don’t want to let him go.
I don’t just want him. I need him. I need more of him, more of this—whatever this is between us. And the way he’s looking at me right now, like he’s trying to figure out how the hell we ended up here too, makes me feel like he needs this.
And that thought, that possibility, makes me feel like I’m flying.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, my voice barely steady, but firm. I will literally cry if he tries to backpedal right now. I can’t let this moment slip away. Not after everything that’s happened, not after the way my heart just flipped inside my chest. “Don’t,” I whisper again, my lips brushing against his, my breath mingling with his, as I pull him closer to me.
For a second, everything seems to stand still. The ocean, the world, the universe. It all fades away. There’s nothing but him and me, locked in this moment.
His hesitation melts as I close the distance between us, and then his mouth opens over mine. The kiss deepens. His lips are warm, firm, but soft at the same time. It’s not just a kiss—it’s something more, something that feels like I’ve been waiting for it my entire life. His tongue slides into my mouth, tracing circles against mine, and I shiver under the sensation. A surge of warmth rushes through me, making my knees weak.
I cling to him like he’s my anchor, the only thing keeping me grounded in the storm that’s swirling inside me. Every stroke of his tongue sends sparks of electricity through my body, like we’re communicating in a language only we understand.
I can feel his heartbeat through his chest, matching the frantic pace of mine. His hands find their way to my waist, pulling me even closer, as though he’s afraid I might slip away. But there’s no chance of that. Not now, not ever.