Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Josephine, on the other hand, seems to be eating this shit up. “It is.” She beams up at him, cheeks flushed.
“I like it, although I like Josie better.”
“Hudson,” I practically growl.
“Oh, you’re still here.” He lets out a sigh. “Fine. But, Josie, you better save a dance for me.”
If it were possible for smoke to billow out of my ears, it would. Turning in her direction, I look at her face to see her answer. A small smile tips her lips, but she doesn’t say anything. Smart girl.
Hudson fucking bows in Josephine’s direction, and she goddamn giggles, and then it’s just the two of us.
From this close, the image in front of me is even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
So fucking breathtaking it hurts.
Her features seem softer, and her blue eyes sparkle like the ocean.
What has this girl done to me? Here I’m the grumpiest asshole on my best day, but one minute in her presence, and I’m practically waxing poetic.
This whole line of thought has me unhinged, my mind moving a million miles a minute until the only thing I can do to shut my brain off is pull her into my arms.
Shit.
The moment I feel her pressed against me, it hits me like a ton of bricks. I’m fucked.
I don’t think I have the power to continue to push her away.
“Are we going to dance or not?” she chides, and her words set me into action. With my hand on her lower back, my fingers caress her bare skin, and I start to sway her body.
“Can you be mindful of my hair?” she asks. “It’s full of pins.”
I arch a brow. “What do you mean?”
“You know, when you drag me back to your cave.” And then, taking a deep breath, she asks, “What the hell was that?”
I try to find an excuse but sigh. I’m too tired for this shit. “I didn’t like him touching you,” I admit.
Josephine glares up at me. “So . . . you decided—what? Only you can touch me? Um, I don’t like taxes, but I don’t go around killing IRS officers, jeez.”
My hand tightens against her back. “I didn’t get that far. But seeing you together made me . . .”
Her feet stop moving. “Made you what?”
Despite the music flowing around us, the air is tense with our silence.
I clear my throat. “Angry. Jealous. Take your pick.”
Josephine’s eyes soften. “You can’t act like a caveman in public. My father—”
I nod. There’s no denying she’s right. “I know.”
Josephine lets out a sigh before she starts moving again, and we continue to sway our bodies together, my fingers tracing small circles on her back.
For a moment, the knots in my shoulders uncoil, and it feels like anything is possible, but then the song ends and transitions to a different one.
I halt my movement, feet now frozen to the floor. “This dance is over.”
Silence engulfs us before she shakes her head. I look down at her, noticing a tight jaw and eyes that seem to burn into mine. “Wow.”
“Wow, what?”
She draws in a deep breath. “That didn’t take long at all.”
I have no idea what she’s talking about. “What didn’t take long?”
“For you to become an asshole again.” She takes a step away from me, and I miss the comfort I find in her touch immediately. Josephine smooths down her dress, and once it’s back in place, she turns on her heels without another word, heading toward the exit.
I trail her. “Where are you going?”
She doesn’t answer, and I follow her, even when she walks down the wrong hallway, going God knows where.
Her steps are wobbly, either from drinking too much or from anger, but I’d put my money on the latter. She stumbles forward, and for a second, I think she’s going to fall, but I’m quick on my feet, reaching my arms out to catch her before she does.
Once in my arms, I pull her close to me.
She feels perfect in my arms. When I look down at her, I want to kick myself. Her big blue eyes are locked on mine, but the way she’s biting down on her lower lip makes my heart beat faster. They look so fucking plump and kissable right now. I want to bite that lip, suck on her skin.
I should let her go now, but with our bodies entwined, I don’t want to. I like how she feels in my arms. I lean in. She exhales, and we’re so close I can almost taste the mint on her lips.
I want to. Her lids flutter shut, and I pull her even closer.
“What are you doing?” she whispers.
“I don’t fucking know?”
The sexual tension crackles through the air. I don’t think, I just act, crashing my lips to hers. The kiss is desperate, and with each swipe of my tongue, she holds me tighter, fingers digging into the back of my neck.