Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Welcome, my sweet Zara.” She smiles at me shyly and reaches for the roses, our fingers grazing each other, and it’s another shock to my heart. She looks down at the flowers and then up at me, and I’m suddenly so close to her I can smell her soft citrus smell. I can hear her breathing. Her eyes come back up to mine, and I want nothing more in my life than to kiss her.
I get even closer to her, but I stop myself from kissing her. I stop myself because the only thing going through my mind is how I’d get lost in her kiss. So lost that I’d pick her up and leave without her luggage. Instead, I lean in, and I swear her breath hitches, and then I kiss her softly on the cheek.
“Beautiful, sweet Zara,” I whisper to her, and I want to trail my nose along her cheek to her neck, but I stop myself. I look at her eyes again.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say, and she just laughs. “Let’s get your bag and get out of here,” I tell her, and she nods. We walk over to the carousel, and her bag is already out.
“Is that yours?” I ask, pointing at the black Louis luggage with the bright orange priority sticker. She nods her head, and I walk up to it and roll it beside me.
“Ready?” I ask, and she nods.
We walk to the underground parking lot, and I lead her to my black BMW. I unlock the doors and load her luggage into the trunk. She stands next to me the whole time. I turn and look at her again, and I see her shiver. “Are you cold, sweet Zara?” I ask her, rubbing up and down her arms.
“No,” she says softly, “not one bit.”
I smile again. I seem to be always fucking smiling when it comes to her. I put my hand at the base of her back and hold out my hand for her to walk ahead of me. When we get to the passenger door, I open it and wait for her to get in before slamming it shut. When I get into the driver’s side, she is reaching in the back to put the flowers on the back seat. Her white silk shirt pulls across her chest, giving me a glimpse of the white satin bra she is wearing under it. My cock suddenly starts to wake up, and I take a full ten seconds to count before turning back around, and when I do, luckily, she’s sitting straight and putting on her seat belt.
“So where are you taking me?” she asks me as I pull out of the parking spot.
“I’d love to take you to my house and introduce you to Lilo and Stitch,” I tell her. She’s met them through FaceTime. “But if you aren’t comfortable, I get it.”
“It’s fine,” she says, and I nod and make my way to my house. “Have you lived there long?” she asks me, looking out of the window.
“It’s been a year, but with my contract up for renewal, I don’t know how long I’ll actually be living here.”
She turns to look at me, leaning her back against the door. “Do you not think they will renew?”
“Oh, they want me to sign the contract now,” I tell her something no one really knows except my agent and me, “but I’m not ready yet.”
“I think you should hold out,” she says. “Wait and see how you finish the season.” I laugh at her. “For the reporters, you are the leading scorer in the league. You have a great plus minus thingamajig, and you are also high on the charts for minutes played.”
“Thingamajig?” I repeat, and she rolls her eyes.
“That is the best sports talk you will ever get,” she says, and I nod and continue to look out the window. When we finally make it to my house, I shut off the car and see her hand reach for her handle.
“Don’t you dare,” I tell her and get out of the car, going to her side and opening her door. Then I open the back door so she can grab her purse and the flowers. I wait for her to finish and shut the door, then walk to the trunk and grab her bag. I wheel the bag beside me to the front door, and I already hear the barking. “They are just as excited as I am that you’re here,” I tell her, and she bumps her shoulder into me.
“That is very smooth, Mr. Richards.” She laughs and holds her purse in one hand and the flowers in the other while I open the front door.
“Sit,” I yell to the dogs, and they follow the command. Sitting side by side, they slap their tails against the floor when they see someone with me. I shield her in case they jump all over her, but they don’t move. When the door is closed behind her, I leave her and go to the dogs, grabbing them by their collar. “This is Lilo,” I say, rubbing her head, “and this is Stitch.”