Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“It’s not like I ran around screaming and breaking things, Leo. You’re going to have to toughen up if you plan to get to know me better. I’m a woman of many moods.”
“Oh really?” I said.
“Okay,” she deadpanned, “I give you credit for not saying I needed to calm down because I cried. You get a point for that.”
“Nobody’s keeping score, Madison,” I told her, my voice husky. “You startled me because I saw how deeply you care, how much you feel for me.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, her eyes bright again. I kissed her forehead.
“No more tears now,” I said, “You were afraid of losing someone again. It probably brought all that back, how alone you felt.”
“No,” she said, “I wasn’t triggered or something. I was scared. Because I know how crappy it feels to be left, but I also knew this time it would’ve been my fault. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but it looked like I had been sneaking around with Ethan when I think about it. I never want you to feel betrayed or hurt by me.”
“Then just tell me the truth. I’ll listen, and it won’t hurt us. As far as sneaking, did you not go on a date with him? In public? And post a picture on Instagram?”
“Well yeah,” she said.
“That’s not sneaking. If you want to see sneaking around, I’ll be happy to show you,” I said, my arm stealing around her and drawing her closer so I could kiss her.
I thought she’d pull away and say she was at work, the shop would open any minute, customers could walk in or something. Instead, the instant our lips touched, need flared in me and she seemed to melt. She came to me, pliant and warm, her soft lips parting for me to kiss her more deeply. I swept my tongue in her mouth with a groan and my arms tightened around her. I had to hold myself back and keep my lust on a leash, because I didn’t want to crush her with the force of it. Restraint sent a tremor through my arms as I held her, how I wanted to claim her.
Madison pulled away, her pretty face flushed and her eyes sparkling. She had the sweet, tumbled look of a woman about to take me to bed. But she cleared her throat and was all business.
“It’s five minutes till open. I’m going to send you out the back way or I’m going to mount a Foster right here in my kitchen.”
She thought she was being sarcastic. She didn’t know how close it was to the truth, how I wanted to shove her up against the wall by the pantry door and yank her jeans down. I think she saw the heat in my eyes because she gave a little knowing smile.
Madison took my hand and led me behind the counter. She was in my arms, her hand gripping my ass and a naughty gleam in her eye.
“You have no idea how much I want to hit my knees right now and suck you off, knowing that customers will walk in here any second.”
My breath caught and I made a throttled sound.
“You like to torture me,” I ground out, “I’m gonna think about that all day now.”
“Why should you have an easy day? I’m going to think about it every minute, too.” She bit her pretty lower lip, red and bruised from the force of our kisses. I tried to ignore the image that rose in my head of those lips parting to slide down my cock and take me in her warm wet mouth.
“You’ll be the death of me,” I groaned.
“No, not your death,” she said, pressing against me so the ridge of my hard-on pressed into her stomach. She squeezed my ass and grinned at me. My hand traced up her side until I could brush the side of her breast with my thumb. She responded, turning so I could palm her breast through her t-shirt. I worked her nipple until it grew hard under the pad of my thumb. Every part of me ached and throbbed with want. In another minute, we would be pushing our clothes aside to join swiftly and rut against a wall for that urgent release.
I knew I had to stop, to hold back, but I couldn’t remember why. It seemed unimportant as I shoved my hand up her shirt and fondled her through the thin, scratchy lace of her bra.
The glass rattled as someone knocked at the door. We flew apart and she pulled her shirt down. Madison was breathing hard, tucked her hair behind her ears and looked panicked for a moment.
“You’ve got to go,” she said and sent me out the back door with a stolen kiss and a smile on my face.