Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Pulling the Tahoe into the garage, I release her hand to climb out. She meets me at the door and takes my hand once again, allowing me to lead her into my house. I toss my keys on the kitchen island and turn to face her. She looks on the verge of tears, and I can’t stand it. I open my arms for her, and she steps into my embrace.
“How do you do that?” she asks, tilting her head back to look at me.
“Do what?”
“Make it all go away just by wrapping your arms around me? Make me feel safe from such a simple gesture?”
“Because this is where you belong.” I hold her just a little tighter. “We need to talk, Kens.” She stiffens for a moment before letting her shoulders fall.
“Can we just… pretend? For a little while, can we pretend that there are no hard choices to make?”
I want to tell her no. That we need to talk about this, but she already knows that. “Tell me what you want.” Anything but letting her walk away, I’ll do whatever it takes to give it to her.
“You, Declan. I want you.”
I feel as though her words have a double meaning, but when she kisses the underside of my chin, I know which one she’s going to be open about. “I’m right here, baby.”
Stepping out of my arms, she lifts the hem of my shirt, and without being told, I raise my arms in the air, ducking my head so she can pull it off me. She lets my shirt fall to the floor as she runs her hands over my bare abs and chest.
She hooks her arms around my neck, and I bend to lift her. On instinct, she wraps her legs around my waist. She takes control, placing her palms on either side of my face and kisses me with everything inside her. Her tongue demands entrance, and I give it to her, allowing her the freedom to explore my mouth on her terms. I hit the light and walk blindly down the hall to my bedroom. When my knees hit the mattress, I stop and break out of the kiss.
“Before we do this, I need you to know that I want you to stay. I know you don’t want to talk about it right now, but we have to. We’re running out of time, and I need for you to know that I want you here. In my home, in my bed, in my life, and in my daughter’s life. I want that with you, Kens. I know it’s been a whirlwind the last couple of months. I know that you’re just out of a marriage and that the last thing you wanted was to jump right into something else, but, baby, we’re here. We’ve both already jumped. I just need you to paddle with me. I need you to hold steady against the waves.”
She takes a calming breath. “I never expected you or the feelings that I have for you.”
“I’m falling in love with you.” It’s only partly the full truth. I’ve already fallen, but she’s scared enough. I don’t know how she’s going to take my confession. I turn so that I’m sitting on the bed, with her straddling me. Her legs are still wrapped around my waist.
“Oh, Declan,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “I love you. That’s what scares me. I knew my ex for years, we were friends before dating, and we failed. We made a choice to move on, but with you… if I were to lose you, I don’t know that I could come back from that.”
“It’s because we’re different. We’re solid. I don’t need years of time to know that. I can feel it here.” I place her hand over my heart. “I have more than just me and my heart to think about. I’m not saying this lightly. I’m not just tossing around words of love because I can. I want you to stay.”
“I thought we weren’t talking right now?” she asks.
With my hands on her hips, I rock her over my cock. “Tell me you know this means something to me.”
“It means something to me too,” she says softly.
Good enough. For now.
It’s my turn to strip the sweater she’s wearing from her body. The room is dark, just the small glow from the moon shining through the windows, but that’s not going to work for me. I need to see her.
I tap her thigh. “Stand and strip, baby.” She scrambles off my lap, and by the time I have the bedside lamp on, she’s standing before me in nothing but a matching bra and panties, if you can call the small fabric covering her pussy panties.
“I love the way you look at me,” she says softly.
“How do I look at you?” My voice is gravelly.