Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I lift my head and look up at him, studying the sharp line of his jaw, the black stubble over his chin with the deep dimple, his strong aquiline nose, the faded scar on his cheek. His dark eyes are what give me the most trouble, after that smile. Right now they’re brimming with intensity, the kind that leads to trouble. And right now, I’m welcoming that trouble with open arms.
I clear my throat, aware of how close we are. “I should show you to your room.”
I pull away from him and walk back through the kitchen and to the staircase leading up. The stairs are steep and narrow, and I’m very conscious of my ass being in his face, but then again, he’s always complimented me on my “arse.”
We get to the second level, and I take him straight to my bedroom, which overlooks the garden at the back of the house and the hill that rises directly behind it, all the brambles and blueberry bushes hidden as lumps of snow.
Just as downstairs, it looks exactly the same. Like nothing was touched.
“You can sleep here,” I tell him as he puts his duffel bag on the bed, leaving my suitcase in the doorway. He walks around the room, taking in the green wallpaper, the framed photos on the walls, the row of horseback-riding ribbons from when I was a teenager, the bookcase full of well-loved books.
“Is this your old room?” he asks, enthralled by each and every photo.
“Yup. And it looks exactly the same as it always did.”
He nods, eyeing the queen-size bed with a wooden frame painted the same green as the walls, the pale blue and pink bedspread.
“Where are you sleeping?” he asks.
I suck on my lip for a moment, meeting his eyes. “Here.” I walk over to him, stopping a foot away. “With you.”
He cocks a brow in surprise.
“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” I add. Or any night, really.
His black brows knit together. “Are you sure?”
I reach up, holding the back of his neck with my hand, feeling how hot and soft his skin is beneath my palm. “Yes.” My gaze flutters down to his lips. “Kiss me.”
He hesitates for a moment. Then lightning flashes in his eyes.
He moves fast, his lips pressing against mine, soft and tentative at first as my grip on his neck tightens. Then our mouths widen, the kiss deepens, and we are moving against each other in an easy rhythm that grows hungrier by the second.
I break away briefly, my hands going down to the hem of his sweater, pulling it upward.
“You sure?” he whispers again, though I can see the lust has already overtaken his eyes.
“Yes,” I tell him. He raises his arms and I pull his T-shirt and sweater off, throwing them to the floor.
He’s now bare-chested in front of me, and I take a moment to marvel at him, to run my fingers over his impossibly broad shoulders, his hard pecs, the carved abs of his hard-earned six-pack that he works for in the estate gym. I spent so many nights with this body in the past, and yet to see it like this again, to feel him beneath my touch, feels like I’m with him for the first time.
I glance up at him, about to tell him how beautiful he is, but he’s on me like wildfire, grabbing my face roughly between his hands as he pushes me back on the bed, climbing on top of me.
And I let go.
Sixteen
LAILA
I settle back into the pink-and-blue-striped bedspread, raising my arms above me as James reaches down and pulls up the hem of my sweater, removing it and my bra. Cool air flows across my breasts as I’m bare and exposed, and I shiver, more from anticipation than anything else. His strong hands begin to play over the soft skin of my belly, his fingers dance across my rib cage until they reach my breasts.
He pauses for a beat, and I look up at him, raw desire in his eyes.
“Please,” I breathe, and he doesn’t need to be asked twice.
He kisses me. A soft yet hard kiss, his mouth covering mine with sweet urgency. His tongue enters my mouth, and he’s exploring me, touching me, tasting me even as I taste him. We can’t seem to get enough of each other, and I’m losing my breath as I lose myself to this kiss, to the feeling of being so delicately devoured. My hand reaches up to his face and I hold him, pull him closer to me, both of us savoring the feeling of the other.
Then he breaks away, already out of breath, his eyes searching mine in a wild haze of lust before he leans down, his mouth covering my breast, and I arch my back, offering myself up to him. His tongue swirls around my nipple, and I moan, my fingers tangling in his hair. I can feel his smile against my skin, and then his teeth scrape gently over my nipple, making me gasp.