Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Whatever the reason, she all but threw herself out of the passenger side, almost forgetting to grab the beach towel she’d borrowed from Burgess. Immediately, crickets chirped on all sides of her, the sound mingling with the whispering wind. Night cloaked her.
Excited her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to do this with me?”
“You’re the thrill seeker, not me. I’m just here for backup.”
Tallulah pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or comforted that you’re passing on the chance to see me naked.”
Burgess came around the front bumper of the SUV, his hefty frame passing through the beams of his headlights one by one. When he drew closer, she could see his expression, which read something along the lines of are you being serious right now? “Tallulah, I’m passing on the chance for you to see me naked after a dip in that freezing cold pond.”
His meaning dawned on her. “Really? You’re missing out because of shrinkage?” She wrapped the towel around her shoulders and tucked the corner in between her breasts, starting to disrobe beneath the barrier. Off came her shoes and sneakers, followed by her skirt and panties—and she couldn’t help but notice the way Burgess swallowed what looked like a goose egg, the object getting stuck in his throat as he watched her every move. “You’re forgetting I’ve already met the man downstairs.”
“Not the way I’d like you meet him.”
Tallulah was grateful for the darkness that hid her blush. “I’m just saying, I already know it’s . . . you know.”
He sauntered toward her with a raised eyebrow, stopping just inches away. “It’s what?”
“Substantial.” It took an effort, but she ignored the closeness of his chiseled mouth, wiggling around so she could unsnap her bra, dropping the black demi cup into the pile of clothes forming beneath her. “Is that what you wanted to hear, Sir Savage?”
“Find me a man who doesn’t like the word ‘substantial’ in reference to his junk.”
She trapped a laugh. “But?”
“But . . .” He tipped her chin up, rubbed the pad of his thumb in the indent at the center of her bottom lip. “After you meet me down there, you won’t be laughing when you talk about it. You’ll whisper about my cock like you’re in church.”
The playfulness of the moment came to a screeching halt. Prickles of awareness carried down her torso, tightening her nipples as they went, sensitizing her thighs and shooting sparks in her nerve endings, her toes digging into the ground, the only things keeping her locked to the earth. Suddenly the cover of night gave permission for a lot more than a single nefarious act. They were alone out there, she was naked, him fully clothed, and he’d let her know his dick would be a turning point in her life. And God, he smelled good, looked good, towering over her, radiating competence and protectiveness, an open invitation in his eyes.
“Maybe you should have a little think while I’m skinny dipping.” She walked her fingertips up his chest and gently tugged on his beard. “About your reasons for not sleeping with me. And whether calling yourself my boyfriend is really necessary when you’re already getting to do the most fun part of being someone’s boyfriend.”
He tucked his tongue into his cheek, laughing in a way that suggested physical pain. “You make a compelling argument, but it’s not going to work.”
“Why not?”
“A few reasons. One, you work for me. You’re the nanny, Tallulah. It sounds like some ridiculous porn category and nothing about the way I feel about you is ridiculous. Two . . .” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I guess I want to be important to you. It’ll be easier for you to pretend I’m not important once I become the man you’re hooking up with. Instead of the man you could . . . maybe fall for someday. When I take you to bed for the first time, I want you looking back at me like you might. Like you could, you know. Fall for me.” He cleared his throat extra hard. “And three, I won’t relax until I know some punk ass college kid isn’t going to come steal you out from under me.”
Tallulah stood mostly naked, in a towel that flapped in the cool wind, but she didn’t feel a hint of the cold. In fact, she couldn’t feel a single thing, save the heart that was absolutely rioting in her rib cage. I want to be important to you. Those seven words stood out in a sea of similarly incredible words, bobbing up and down like happy little buoys. Sure, those buoys were surrounded by man-eating sharks, but they still stole her breath. They made her think . . . what if this man could be the one and I’ve just met him sooner than I expected?